The first 2 books in this series are some of the best fantasy I have read in decades, and it is with great sadness that I have to rate this book in comparison to them. Wow, what a step down from the previous books.

I think the author truly loves the world and the characters, to the point where he became over indulgent and started adding a bunch of new characters , plot lines, and made the main story seem like a side quest. This book takes forever to start getting interesting, and the established characters act insanely stubborn and self destructive.
The book is also way too long and could have been 1/3 shorter. The last 300 or so pages could have been cut entirely.

I’m looking forward to the fourth book and hoping for a strong resolution to the series.