Wow, what a nice break from the Festa-fest that is the majority of the books. We get some actual character interaction and get to see some growth and change, mostly in Kirin. We also start to see some of the actual underpinnings of the series. There is a bit of action with some duels and training, but on the whole this is a slower (though still easy to read) paced more story driven volume. Some may find that off-putting considering how many volumes have been tied to the Phoenix and the Gryps. I myself found it refreshing.
Verdict: If you're looking for the trademark action, this volume only has a bit. If you want to know what's going on in the world of Asterisk you should definitely not skip this one.