** spoiler alert ** Great story. I am a little disappointed with the 'will they, wont they' sitcom relationship that seems to be building between everyones favorite maker and torch. But I liked the time skips that made the apprenticeships move along. Like all of these books it took a minute for me to get into it, but once I got past the first couple chapters the rest of the book was read in a sitting or two. Card's villains are the worst, I found myself wishing they would all be dealt with in a most bloody fashion but I'm not sure we will have that opportunity at any time in the near future. Still, I will keep reading to find out how the story evolves. Favorite book in the series so far.