I enjoyed this book. It was similar to the first in this trilogy in that there was more political intrigue than a traditional quest or adventure like in the Riftwar saga. It was interesting because it approached some of the storyline from book II of the Riftwar Saga from the Tsurani side of things. I did think that the "Kevin" storyline was a little overdone, but its inclusion was definitely necessary for the plot to progress. I probably would have just preferred a toned down version... a little less of a lovesick puppy. I will make one comment on reading order. I had followed the reading order suggested by the RE Feist website (ie. books are read in order they are published) which meant that this trilogy was interrupted by Prince of the Blood. In retrospect, this interruption was not necessary and I think I would have preferred starting the next set of books after finishing the empire trilogy.