Confusing then interesting then confusing then more confusing but still interesting them even more confusing then somewhat interesting. Not a good review but that's all I got. I'm not sure how I feel about this book. The story is interesting but the complicated details of how the world works began to get in the way of my enjoyment about halfway through. If you read enough fantasy with unique magic systems you can adjust to reading part of the book just taking in the details and terms as they come at you. It worked with this book at first but when I got to the point where I finally though I understood enough of the world to be comfortable with all the terms and nuances, the author threw so much more stuff into the plot that I got hopelessly lost again; and, this time, not in a good way. Oh well, I'll try the next book because the story is indeed interesting and the characters are refreshing if not quite compelling.