A big step down from previous installments. The relationship dynamics between Jason and Riley were tedious and repetitive. Jason’s personal flaws were tedious and repetitive. The ending had several aspects that I can only describe as “ruinously contrived.” (I’ll avoid spoilers by not being too specific, but leaving a fabulous treasure unguarded and in public takes us way past believable and into the realm of truly silly). There were also long passages about NERFing, which is as detestable a practice in fiction as it is in real life gaming. If you have to NERF your game, it is an admission of failure! I would have expected better from Alfred; arbitrary power reductions just aren’t fun to read about in a progression fantasy book.
Perhaps the most serious flaw was a major scene that was built up over many chapters and then not actually depicted. Instead the author chooses to lead up to the scene and then only describe it as flashbacks. This switch from “showing” to “telling” at crucial moments robs the story of momentum and intensity, and left me wondering if I missed something or a chapter got dropped. Finally I slowly realized that no, I’m not going to get to hear Maria finally talk to Jason about the plot point that has been building for multiple books.
All in all, this one just wasn’t as much fun. The pacing was slow, the twists thoroughly telegraphed, and then explained again, repetitively, after the fact, repeatedly and with repetition. Reluctantly, I must describe a good 30% of the book as “filler.” The result is a story that just didn’t grip me. Out of love for the earlier books in the series I am giving this one a generous three-stars, but shall proceed with caution before dishing out another credit for the next audiobook in this series.