This is just a average Fantasy/ History novel.
Nothing very different or exciting occurring to make it stand out.

On its own, the book is ok, but compared to others in this genre, it's such a typical run of the mill fantasy. There's nothing about it that makes it stick out. There's the boy, coming of age, who loses his family, apprentices to a wizard, and then goes out to fight the rising evil wizards.

The world was nicely built with a strong history and culture. But that's probably the best thing I can think of. Unless you're excited by Mr. Hero's superior swordsmanship in every situation.

I did get the feeling that this might have been a very slow startup to something interesting, since there are several ways the series can grow into a more mature and captivating read, but if that's the case, then I hope the next books are written better, and don't drag out the boring bits instead of fleshing out the important parts.

I'm not sure if I'll get around to reading the next book in the series. It'll probably sit on my "to read" list for several years, while I have more interesting items to peruse.