Why did I wait so long to read this?? Awesome awesome awesome. First off, I simply adored the bond that formed between the prodigies. They were willing to do anything for one another and their loyalty was so touching. The humor was great from the friends joking together to the kings placing bets on how well the prodigies would do in their tests. The level of action was spot-on. Not so much that it overwhelmed the story, but just enough that you knew at some point the s**t was going to hit the fan soon. And hit the fan it did. Starting book 2 immediately.