I feel bad for middle books in trilogies. They almost unfailingly follow a simple formula: an action-packed first chapter, then a huge boring stretch of information-relating and plot building, and then some hurriedly thrown in action at the end to hopefully leave the reader feeling breathless and excited about the next installment. This book very much followed that formula. I understand that fantasy takes quite some time to set up, but I really appreciate middle books in trilogies that have some plot and substance to themselves, rather than just setting up the last book. I found this book to be mostly boring, and easily put down. However, I am excited to read the last book in the series to see how this all turns out, because it's been a good story.