This is fourth in a pretty decent fantasy series. I like the characters and it stays away from cliches. However, at four pretty long books, I am ready for it to end and there is no end in sight. Aargh! ( )

The group goes into Elven land to find Leesil's mom. They give up their weapons and trust" the elves, who are really bent on destroying them. [Kind of like the U.N. and the United States.]

So basically everybody acts like a complete idiot and nobody even tries to think. They rescue his mom and then leave. Chap finds out his memory has been selectively sliced, at birth, by the Fay, so he is just a tool. It was just too much with everybody reacting like they were on hair-triggers instead of actually trying to think.

And Leesil needs a good beatdown to get rid of his attitude." ( )

Book 4 took me three weeks to read, this one I knocked off on the train this afternoon. And not entirely because they were both due back at the library. In fact this is easily the best book of the series.That said, Magiere is still grumpy (but actually making sensible decisions and not just being Miss Stubbornpants), Leesil is sullen and confused but sort of actually has a reason now, Wynn is still annoying but actually gets useful, Welstiel and Chane... meh, who cares about them.

Chap has a major part in this, which is always good. He learns a whole lot more about himself, and finally gets to actually have a life of his own, for at least a while. I love Chap, he's a great character.

And Wynn instead of flouncing about the place getting lost and needing to be rescued, flounces about the place, gets lost, needs to be rescued, but actually makes a useful breakthrough in the plot in the process. Well it had to happen eventually, right?

But the elves. Haughty, arrogant, insular, beautiful and deadly know-it-alls, everything we love about high fantasy since Tolkien elves. Ok, maybe that's just me. In fact they are magnificent bastards nearly to a one, except for maybe Sgäile's grandpa and Sgäile's niece (I'm not even going to attempt to spell their names.) And most especially the Most Aged Father.

The Hendee's tendency to over-describe is not so bad when the environment is new to everyone, and everything is alien and fascinating, and they are reacting to that. But still, there's endless pages in the first third or so devoted to some thieving rodent thing, and it just keeps on coming up. I figured after about the fifth time, there had to be a point, it was going to be important later. But no, at some point someone says "oh that thieving rat thing hasn't been around stealing things lately, I guess we left it at the last village... ha-ha-ha, sucks to be them". Seriously, do these guys just not have an editor any more? Does it matter that the unnamed barge captain wears his goatskin vest without a shirt and fur side in? Or that Wynn saw a mushroom and two birds and a tree and another tree and....

Anyway, as I said, although they do go on a bit, it's much more readable here, because we're also seeing Leesil feeling alien in a place that should be his home, Wynn being fascinated by evvvvvverything, and Magiere being cranky (because, Magiere), and Chap feeling totally at home, and having a wonderful time. Also, I think I have a small reader-crush on Sgäile. Because I can. I have a thing for blondes, and he seems to be the only character in the whole book series who just says what's going on. (Oh and I'm on to you Hendees, nicking gaelic words and substituting random nordic letters and apostrophes, does not a new language make.)

But now we're all set up for the final book in this particular arc. Which is where I'm stopping, because even useful Wynn still sets my teeth on edge, so I'm just not going to read a whole new series about her and Chane. ( )

TBR

I got this from the local library based on its jacket. i had a hint that it was part of a series, and usually thats not an issue for me. Not so in this case.
This is the second book in a trillogy (it seems) of the Noble Dead Saga. A bit hard to follow at times, due to the fact I hadn't read the first book. It would have probably flowed better, and left less confusion if I had.
A good detailed tale, with a mix of half blooded beings and outcasts for one reason or another, all being manipulated by forces and issues older than they are. Beings learning that they were born/created with the intent on them one day bcoming weapons in an age old dormant war. ( )