Took an unfortunate break in the middle due to work.

This took a while to grow on me, but once we got into the campaign proper - having left Beryl behind and fully signed on under Catcher's watchful eye - I was hooked. This is not the best epic fantasy I have read. It does not equal the better parts of Game of Thrones, for example. But this was a good ride. A few twists I expected, and at least one I didn't. I look forward to continuing the series.

Personal note: it took me half the book to stop thinking of my friend's pet bearded dragon, Croaker, whom he named after the central character of this book. But since I knew the beardie first, he was what came to mind every time the character was named.