I was totally ready to rip this book apart in my review when halfway through, but some unexpected developments of character and plot changed my mind. The overall problem I had is the same that Felica Day hit upon in her review. Things seem too sketchy and not thought out throughout a lot of the book. Again and again I found myself yelling out loud, "The character wouldn't do that!", too. It was like after the plot was sketched out, Ms Cashore didn't think through the character's motivations and thoughts anymore.

So, as I said, at 50% the book was on par for a 2-star review. The pace picked up and--more importantly--the characters began to grow. The climb through the pass was especially good for this. Descriptions became more vibrant, history was revealed, and I didn't have to rely on just the basics of a story. By the end of the book I was interested in reading the sequel. Way to pull it out in the end.