I just finished reading In the Eye of Heaven. I am an avid reader of fantasy but this story did not demand and hold my attention the way other fantasy novels have. I read it on the plane and I actually put it down to watch a movie I was not so interested in.

What frustrated me in particular was the fact that for much of the first half of the novel I did not understand exactly what was going on. While the story seems mired in detail, I found that the timeline was not clear to me. At times it seemed the main character went from night to night without day in between, or did I just miss it? Often, where the story would grab my interest, some confusion would cause me to back off a bit... still curious but frustrated.

I was disappointed in the major conflict in the story. I did not agree with the assumption that someone with honor would grant a boon to a victor of something that is not his to offer (it is his father's vote, not his). And then during the vote, where the book is so detailed in other respects, the author lets the reader see only half the votes. I like the ideas presented in the novel and the background plot still holds my interest, but I hope the next novel is more satisfying.