You know, your problem simply will be the lack of Kahlan... There's nobody of our friends there besides Richard and Kahlan and Kahlan not doing anything leaves it to Richard. But I like the plot so far (although it's kind of disgusting and I didn't expect something like that) and the new characters I love, too
Action packed and interesting from the beginning...
Oh, and if you'll need some time you should maybe order it asap so I might recall everything I read when you're done fighting through the book.
