Just the fact that so much time won’t be spent on Aedan just learning skills will make the next book much better than this one. Predictions: Nessa learns that she’s a strong independent woman who doesn’t need a man and gets a really cushy job at the scrivener’s place?

But Liru comes along and tells Aedan that if he starts lying then he’ll become like the prince, and Aedan doesn’t like that, so he leaves the crown.Sure, I would never suggest that sales alone indicate quality, and yes there are a myriad of factors that go into how well a book performs, including market timing.

Not that those conversations weren’t good and necessary, but I feel like this conversation between Lorrimer and Aedan shows Aedan’s growth in a way that you just can’t see in conversations between the mentor/student relationship that Aedan has with Fergal and Osric. Although to be honest, Aeden's training and environment put me in mind most of the Cavella Academy featured in Robin Hobb's slightly lesser known work, The Soldier Son trilogy. It does seem to be some kind of beast that Prince and other dude don’t want the people to know about.And for this to be something useful is a review of the book I feel like it would have to have more than the negative point of view. Maybe I don’t need to make a note of the old rulers that Aedan listed, but if they do come up again, well, I’ve at least written down their names.

I know that this is something other readers will love as the schooling part of a fantasy book is, in my opinion, always a winner - think Roke from Le Guin's Earthsea, Hogwarts from Rowling's Harry Potter, the University from Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicles.

They’re so rare and valuable that kingdoms will go to war over them at a drop of a hat, and Thirna’s found a whole lot. The cauldron ripped free, and once he had torn it loose, he flung it down on the ground where the noxious liquid poured out and was washed away. Made it feel like Thomas is more active, and it’s therefore more plausible that he is telling on them. Aedan had become an expert in coaxing and nudging – and perhaps one or two of those nudges might have been misunderstood as shoves, but they had been given with the best intentions.