I'm glad I read this book and it has prepped me for the last in the series. However, it didn't hook me and I even wondered if the plot elements could have been worked in elsewhere instead of a stand alone book. However, I am not a writer, I am a code monkey so what do I know.
This book seemed to be battle heavy, but almost like a grind for the sake of the grind. There is an adjustment as different guilds "fuse" together to take on the biggest dungeons that would overwhelm a single guild on their own. Jirald, well ... the wheels seem to be coming off the wagon for him and you can see the endgame setting up before you. James also gets a solid metaphorical kick in the nuts which is fun to watch and leads to a good cliffhanger. Interestingly, I like how James is written as antagonist. I do not like how Jirald is written as an antagonist (whiney/insane), which may be why this book wasn't as interesting to me as a lot of plot was centered around his progression.
Still recommend the book and I'm definitely prepped and ready for the lest and final book to see how this ends.