This was a book of extremes. There were moments of brilliance, and moments of 'ugh, why am I even reading this.' To explain, the world is interesting and different from my usual supernatural genre's fantasy worlds. The politics are complex and interesting, if at times garishly polar in human=good, animal=bad ways.
The plot, after an initial introductory period, was also very solid. This book is definitely a page-turner. There's dramatic tension in spades, and most chapters end on the sort of cliffhanger that demands you go ahead and read the next five chapters too.
HOWEVER:
I largely despised the main characters. Valea is such a stereotypical, thoughtless damsel only concerned with her man (while at the same time trying to maintain that he is not her man to instill some sense of non-existent romantic tension) that I just could not take her seriously. And Shade himself fared little better; he was arrogant and condescending. The narration tried to preface nearly everything anyoen else did with an unironic declaration that 'Shade already knew this of course. Shade was (insert praise of your choice here). But he was impressed with the talents of this lesser being and knew that they were of a good bloodline/of great power/random plot device.
Ugh.
Cabe Bedlam, who was to my knowledge also supposed to be one of the story's kick-butt guys did exactly... nothing in the realm of greater plot. He literally serves to show up and fail at whatever he tries to do, just as Valea is supposed to be the damsel in distress and Shade is supposed to be our distressingly effortlessly superior knight in featureless armor.
The villains managed to be less onerous, but come on. Richard Knaak is supposed to be a bestselling author. I expected better.
Also, there are aspects of the plot that did not feel fully and sufficiently explained. I grant you that I read this book pretty quickly, but between all the declarations of what the narrator thinks he/she knows, what they know but aren't telling, and what they don't know, I spent a lot of the book feeling lost about the finer details and abandoning all sense of knowing what was going on for the more immediate 'our heroes are being attacked by dwarves. Gasp in shock and awe.'
Maybe I just went into this experience with expectations that were a little bit too high, but this was not a very enjoyable read to me. I give it 3 stars for keeping me interested in spite of my complaints, but I don't recommend it to people unless they're staunch Knaack fans. ( )

I won a copy from the Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

My son is very excited that I won this book. He loves Richard A. Knaak's books.

5/3/13 - I finally managed to dig this out of my son's room and read it myself. I enjoyed this book a lot. It was good and well written. I do wish that I had read the series prior to this book. I feel like the story was complete enough and interesting enough, but it definitely felt like I was missing some background story. It made me want more, that's for sure. ( )