If you're trying to decide to buy this book, I think it comes down to two questions. If you're new to Lackey or the Valdemar books, should you start here? For me that's a decisive no. Go back and at try Arrows of the Queen, and if you like that, finish Talia's trilogy and move on to Elspeth's story beginning in Winds of Fate.
OK, so you've read those two trilogies? Then the question becomes, do you want to continue on and invest in this trilogy? I'd say yes. I didn't like this trilogy as much as the other Valdemar books published before this one: the two trilogies spoken of above and Vanyel's story, my favorite, that begins with Magic's Pawn. But if you've come this far, yes, this is like visiting with old friends and making new ones.
I liked seeing Valdemar from an outside, and particularly Karsite perspective, that of their traditional enemies. Karal provides that outside perspective, and he's an appealing character that propelled me nicely through the book.
