4.5 rounded up to 5 
 Wow. That was quite an ending! I read the last 1/3 of the book in one evening, I couldn't put it down. I am so glad I decided to pick up this series, and I will soon read the sequel. 
 The book started slow. At the beginning, it was interesting, but no more than that. There are 7 POVs, plus there are a lot of other characters, who are important, and it took some time to get to know them. But once I was half way through the book, it definitely picked up the pace. 
 It's a classic epic fantasy, though sometimes it's a bit grim and dark. But it's pretty enjoyable. There were a lot of the things I read about before, like: ancient prophecy, battle between Good and Evil, a young boy with destiny...but at the same time, the story is very intriguing and I really liked it. 
 There are quite a lot of the characters, but the most important thing is that once I got to know them better, I realized that most of them were pretty likable and I began rooting for them and by the end of the book I became very attached to some of them. And in some cases it was heart-breaking, because this book was quite brutal, especially in the end. 
 Another thing is, that while some of the characters are on the "wrong side" of the battle, they aren't really bad people. Some of them are just pawns and they are being used, and they don't even realize it. They just think they made the right choices, and some of the truly evil guys can be very deceptive. In the end, the most important battle is going to be the one in their hearts, not on the battlefield. 
 While there are a lot of the characters, one was getting slightly more focus than the others. It was Corban, a young boy who was slowly growing to become a man and a warrior. It was very cool to read about this character development. He could be my favorite character, but there are a lot of other mysterious and intriguing characters, who definitely have my attention, though they played a smaller role in this book. 
 I don't want to give to much away, but I am going to mention one thing. There are few animals, who played quite a big role. And that was a huge plus for me, because I love animals. There is one, a creature similar to wolf, which was particularly fascinating and I loved it. 
 What more? There is an ancient prophecy, speaking about a battle between the Good and Evil, and that there will be two champions: Bright Star and Dark Star. By the end of the book, it's pretty much clear who the two champions are, though I can never be 100% sure;) 
 I recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy. It's pretty enjoyable, with a lot of likable characters to root for, even though it is quite dark sometimes. Just give it a chance, it has a slow start, but once it picks up the pace, it's hard to put down. But be ready for some heart-breaking moments, especially in the end.