Sometimes things seemed to be missing ("of mages and demons"...wait, when were there demons?), and sometimes things seemed to be too bogged down by detail (two setup chapters instead of one). It also seemed like the author tried to build up tension in the action scenes, but again too much detail seemed to get in the way. All that said, I think it has promise! I can only give it 3 stars for now, but I'd love to get a chance to see the whole book come together!