ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 
 I struggled through the first book. Because of this pathetic need I have to continue on with any series I start, I read book 2. I was blown away by how much I enjoyed it. A lot of the issues I had with the first book were cleared up, and I decided that this author knows what he is doing, and I just need to trust him. 
 Yeah, I was wrong. Don't trust this dude. 
 Somehow, Peter Brett has managed to take these wonderful characters that I fell in love with and make me HATE THEM as well as throw in the most obnoxious waste of type ever, Renna Tanner. 
 Let's talk about Renna. First off, I detest insta-love. In some rare occasions, it can work, but more often than not, it's distracting and juvenile. Well, we get smacked in the face with the insta-love with Renna and Arlen, and it stung for nearly 700 pages. These two people may have met as children, but they are complete strangers. I mean, they literally MET, one day, as children, and then years later, they're just like "Let's be promised again." Every time I had to read, "Love you, Arlen Bales/Renna Tanner," I wanted to hurl my kindle out the window. On top of it, this girl is a child. Maybe not physically, but mentally, she is a child. Not only could I not stand her, but it made me loathe Arlen. It all felt so...wrong. 
 So there's that. Then the book as a whole is completely rambling. It could have been half the length without losing anything. The flashbacks actually didn't bother me as much as they seem to have some people. At least the "past" is well planned and thought out, so a new perspective on past events still felt interesting to me. The action in the present, however, was so boring and was dragged out so long. It took me a month and a half to read this because I actually preferred staring at my ceiling at night over reading this book. 
 Then there's the devolution of previously enjoyable characters. Even aside from the Renna stuff, Arlen is practically god-like in his powers now which is, again, boring, and the backwoods country boy thing feels dishonest. Leesha became absolutely despicable and hypocritical. I don't know what happened with Rojer, but that **** is weird. Even Jardir loses a little something. The only character I may have liked more at the end than the beginning was Inevera, mostly because we get to see her perspective for the first time. I wouldn't say I like her, but I don't necessarily wish her dead. 
 Meanwhile, I will read the next book solely for the hope that Renna dies a horrible death.