To be honest I'm picky when it comes to fantasy, even though I love it, and this book has now become one of my favourites in the genre.

I picked up and put down this book several times over the last couple of years (I kept stopping during the first third of it.) It dragged a little in a few parts but I loved it -- the well-developed characters, her style of writing, the humour, the detailed histories, the way magic felt so alive. As long as it was already (1000 pages!) I didn't want it to end! I was racing to find out how things would resolve in the last third of the book, but was at the same time trying to slow myself down to make the read last longer.

Now that I've finished, all I'd like to do is to start it over from the beginning.