I liked the first book in this trilogy, Star of the Morning, enough that I had hardly turned the last page before I dove into the sequel, The Mage's Daughter. I felt like I was reading a totally different series, about characters I'd never met before, and didn't like all that much. In Star of the Morning, Morgan was tough, no-nonsense, and a good leader. The force of her personality convinced a passel of hardened men to follow her lead, and she was competent enough to handle the responsibility. In The Mage's Daughter, Morgan is frail and weepy, constantly in need of reassurance, always following someone else's lead. At first, I understood. She almost died at the end of Star of the Morning, after all, and it takes time to recover. She learns a few things about her ancestry that are hard to swallow, and that would knock anyone off balance. A quarter of the way through the book, I was glad the author took the time to show us that even heroes are human. Halfway through the book, I was ready for Morgan to act a little bit more like herself. And from there on out, I just started getting mad. Who, I wondered, is this weepy little miss who couldn't take care of a potted plant, let alone a troupe of adventurers? Not the same leading lady I got to know in Star of the Morning, that's for sure.

And Miach...well, admittedly, Miach is dealing with the new, feeble Morgan, not the old spunky one, but that doesn't really excuse his behavior. In Star of the Morning, Miach was troubled because the woman he loved was a magically gifted warrior, fated to live a dangerous life. But he loved her confidence and determination, and he had a lot of respect for her. He didn't try to upstage her position as head of their traveling band, and trusted her to guard his back in a fight. He worried for her, but he understood that fear was simply the cost of loving a woman like Morgan. In The Mage's Daughter, Miach treats Morgan like a delicate piece of glass that will break if it's exposed to a vigorous breeze. He keeps her out of the loop as he continues to investigate the evil threatening Neroche, he doesn't discuss his discoveries with her, and he won't accept her aid. Even as it becomes increasingly clear that Morgan's help is essential to his success, Miach schemes to keep her out of danger.

Star of the Morning was a fantasy romance about two strong, powerful people who fall in love. Miach and Morgan were equal partners, stronger together than apart. The Mage's Daughter is a damsel in distress novel, and Miach gets to perform all the heroic deeds. He's pushed to the limit, juggling the herculean tasks of saving his country from disaster and winning his lady-love. It was the opposite of what I hoped to see. Once the romance fell apart for me, the weakness of the fantasy elements was doubly apparent. What is this evil, and why is it always described so vaguely? What are these nightmare creatures, and could I get a decent description of them? The nature of magic in the Nine Kingdoms is a little frustrating too - it's so plentiful, and there's no system of checks and balances.

I think I'm done with this series. Kind of a shame, since it started out with so much promise.