Having finished the first three books in this series, I liked this one the least. HOWEVER...holy crap. It is one of the best, first books in a series, I've read in an incredibly long time. The way this book set up the series was incredible, and as the story progressed in book two, shocking. Without this first book there would be no impact in future events. There was so much mesmerizing world building, secrets, evil, and triumphs. A round of applause for this book. Why the four star rating? Just wait until book 2...there aren't enough stars for book 2.