2 and a third stars. Started strong, but fizzled out more the further I got. There is very little explanation for either 1) the ending or 2) any of the magic in the book. Things that need to happen just seem to... happen. The plot felt weak, and the descriptive passages, while entertaining at first, lost their charm after awhile. Didn't care for the writing style, especially the more I read it - neither challenging nor charming enough to hold my interest.