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Title: Same old stuff.
Review: This is probably a fine book for teenagers who devour every fantasy book their fingers can touch, and it is better written, technically, than a lot of fat, generic fantasy series. I'm inclined to categorize it as escapism, which is not so much a criticism as a shrug. There's nothing particularly special about the setting (liveships included); there's nothing inspiring or unique about the writing (I can think of dozens of authors who sound just like this one); the characters are standard teen/teen-like holograms that the reader is expected to project themselves onto; and at 809 pages, it is what every fantasy fanatic expects of a book these days -- complication without complexity, characterization without depth, darkness without getting your hands dirty, and a rather flat/acceptable/non-threatening view of storytelling.It's about the same as watching a mini-series on the Hallmark channel. It'll pass the time, but don't expect it to have any sort of impact on you.
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