It saddens me how little this series is talked about. I think I've only ever heard two people in my Booktube bubble speak about it, and one of them was a memorial video from a friend of his. Mr. Durfee, I promise I will get to your books eventually. I just have so much to read! Mr. Farland was the guy who taught Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Brandon Mull, James Dashner, and many more. I wish he'd get more recognition, and please have the last book finished sometime.
Anyway, let's talk about the book.
The book has a unique magic system, in the form of endowments. Which are pretty much like stats in DnD. Say you have three of wit. Which is self-explanatory. What isn't self-explanatory is metabolism. Metabolism just should've been called stamina, why the deuce is it called metabolism? You're not digesting anything.
The plot to me felt like the start of an arc of the Wheel of Time, my favorite fantasy series. Just because of how it was set up, the characters felt like prototype Robert Jordan characters that never made it past the review stage, and they are terrific. Ioma and Raj Ahten in particular. Ioma is a very capable woman in this book, which surprised me because when the book was written, I'm curious to see how her and Gaborn's relationship develop throughout the series. Raj Ahten, might be one of the most connivingly evil characters to ever be written. He is just straight-up an awful person, and sometimes you need some straight-up monsters in your fantasy.
Please, if you're going to read one series that I've read, read the Runelords.