I find it difficult to review middle books, because so much of the reading experience depends on what came before and what will come after. So here are a few random thoughts. 
 Jennifer: My heart breaks for her and what she's gone through. I felt that both her fragility and her strength were shown in the book, which probably isn't all that easy to write. I'd guessed early on about her 'history' and I'm very interested to see what happens next (i.e. with The Third!) 
 Kim: Bit of a cliffhanger with her storyline, which makes me glad these books were published long ago so that I don't need to wait a year to find out. I like the way Kim is developing and she's owning her role as the King's Seer. However, she has odd taste in men. I get that it was mid-summer madness, but truly I didn't see THAT coming and feel a bit icked by it. 
 Kevin: Never quite understood his sex bonding/intensity of feeling thing. I think this is something I need to pay more attention to on a re-read. It sort of passed me by. 
 Dave: I like his bond to the Dalrei, as I enjoy reading about them, but I'm not sure that I actually like Dave all that much. The guy's got a chip on his shoulder. 
 Paul: Probably my favourite character of the Toronto crew. He was too emo in the first book, but he's long past that and is growing into his role as Lord of the Summer Tree. I like that we learn what he can do pretty much about the same time he does. I enjoy his conversations with Jaelle, and the distrust/earned respect thing they have going on. Finally, his actions during the boat journey were epic! 
 Diarmuid: Love him to bits. I love his playboy wastrel exterior, but I think there's a lot more underneath. I like that he inspires great love and loyalty from his men, and his interactions with Sharra were very endearing. 
 The Lios Alfar: A thing is revealed about them that I found heart-breakingly sad. It's the little things that get you sometimes. 
 One nitpick I have to make is the way the Toronto characters spoke on occasion. They'd have conversations using a rather formal 'high fantasy' style of address. This would have been fine coming from the Fionavar nobles, but felt completely out of place for a bunch of twenty somethings from Toronto! 
 I criticized the last book for being rather black & white, and that still holds as the villains aren't particularly well-developed. However, the challenges faced by the main characters more than make up for it. They are continually forced to confront difficulties both in their situations and in their personal lives and beliefs. They change and grow in response to these challenges, and the outcomes aren't always happy. This more than makes up for the 'evil baddie is evil' nature of the villain. 
 Overall, an enjoyable book with a few emotionally draining moments, and a few punch the air and cheer scenes. There's still a heavy Tolkien influence, though the greater development of the Arthurian theme is interesting. I'm looking forward to the final book, and I have a sense that the ending is not going to be a glowing victory for the good guys, and that victories won't be earned without cost.