I really enjoyed this book. I was intrigued from the beginning even though I wasn't going to give it my current rating back when I started it. It wasn't what I thought it would be, but the mystery behind the city of Elantris kept me coming back even if the characters' plights didn't at first.

I loved how each protagonist was written in such way that made me cheer for them once I had gotten to know them - even Hrathen. I personally liked following Raoden's story, though, but it was great to see each goal becoming closely related and dependent on each other.

The world was a great one to explore, and the new terminology wasn't too hard to learn (although all the other characters were sometimes hard to remember). New words were used sparingly enough that they were easy enough to understand, and all the information I needed to know was given to me in often enough bursts that kept me learning without confusing me [too much] or giving me too much to process.

I loved how things introduced early on were put into play at the end of the book, like how information about Aon Tia and Aiden were combined and used effectively, and how the women who learned to fence had used their skills for more than just exercise.

The idea of letting the reader feel like things are progressing is used wonderfully here, especially when combined with having so many of their attempts fail. I also enjoyed how things were wrapped up, with everyone meeting a fitting end (like with Hrathen's redemption).

When I started reading this book, I didn't have the need to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next even though the city of Elantris interested me. But as it progressed, it became a more enjoyable read and the build up was wonderful. I did enjoy the book, and I'm glad I gave it a try because in the end I was captivated and ended up reading the last 300 pages or so in one go. I would definitely recommend this book; the characters were people I enjoyed following and the world was so rich that it didn't long for me to be immersed in it.