While not perfect, I have to give this book 5 stars because I truly enjoyed it, and it had much the same feel as the first books in the series which I loved.
I have really come to love the characters. Hadrian features primarily in this book, but we see Arista, Amilia, Modina, and Royce...oh, Royce: AArrrggggHHHH....Gwen!!! I was so sad when she was killed - I sooo wanted Royce to be able to settle down and marry her!
I am looking forward to the final installment of the series. As a whole, it's a great story - none of the books are all that long, and the plotlines are not horribly convoluted (but not predictable either)