I picked up this book after being dreadfully bored by Shaman's Crossing.
There are definitely upsides and downsides to this book. I loved the ideas between sea serpents, dragons, and liveships, and the interconnection between them all. I found the story somewhat engrossing, and I wanted to know more, especially due to the odd pacing. The characters are conflicted, though several of them in the same way, but to which end, I do not know. They have interesting interactions, and I find Thymara to be particularly intriguing.
However, there are incredibly odd things about it. The pacing, as I mentioned, is rather weird. You meet many of the characters all at once, only to skip ahead about 4 years without any real warning. The story bounces around with good flow but very little actually happens. This book serves to be more of an introduction to a greater story. It does it's job to create interest, without actually being particularly interesting in itself.
All in all, it gives a very good feeling for the characters, though not much for actual story progression.
