I'm one that loved this one. I listened to it -- really one of the first audiobooks I've listened to full-length (I know; take away my librarian card), and Jim Dale was FAN-tastic. The book was a slow starter and I felt misled by a major plot point mentioned on the back that didn't happen until 2/3 through -- I felt like this kept me impatient and waiting, rather than letting the book unfold at its own dreamy pace. I also liked some of the side characters more than the main two, but on the whole, I was content to be under the spell of the delicious descriptions and vibrant sensory details. I found myself wondering if the author had just had a bunch of fantastical ideas and needed a way to link them together -- like a circus. 
 By the end, I was spellbound, and the inclusion of the Shakespeare quote that begins "Our revels now are ended..." had so much additional meaning that I teared up. I'll be thinking about this book for a long while. 
 Discussion question to ponder: "Friedrick Thiessen confirms that, "I prefer to remain unenlightened, to better appreciate the dark." Do you agree with this standpoint? What inherent dangers accompany a purposeful ignorance? What dangers present themselves when ignorance is not chosen? Is one choice better/safer than the other or are they equally fraught?" 
 Alex Award winner for 2012 -- adult book with appeal to teens. Some violence, and not very fast-paced, but a certain high school fantasy fan may take to this one.