Really mixed feelings about this one. The setup (the key scene in which one character captures another...I'm being vague in order to avoid spoilers) seemed contrived, not totally convincing, which was unfortunate given its importance to the rest of the book, and really the rest of the series. An even bigger problem, perhaps, was the constant, blatant lecturing about the evils of a society that places more value on community than on the individual. This is the preachiest of the Sword of Truth novels, and it is rather grating.

On the other hand, the characters (as usual) were compelling and the plot, once it really got moving, was interesting and unique. All Fantasy requires some suspension of disbelief; in this case, one merely needs to pretend to subscribe to Goodkind's political views (think Ayn Rand) and suddenly everything clicks into place. I must say, by about halfway through the book I was completely invested, and I found the conclusion to be beyond satisfying--it was moving.

Part of me wanted to give this two stars, and part of me wanted to give it four, so I split the difference.