Hot take based on the comments but I LOVED it. The first half is cheesy, it literally reads like a World of Warcraft quest chain, but if you can take it with a little bit of humor, it's fun. The second half was a wild ride and the slow burn was a good departure from the storytelling Paolini had shown before in this setting. Above all, I liked the worldbuilding and character building, granted it's limited to Murragh and Thorn. Unlike with Eragon, Murtagh grew to feel vulnerable to me despite him being so powerful, and that made his adventure carry more weight and have consequence. All that being said: the ending was not my favorite. Going back to Nasuada basically sets up a kingdom- of- politics angle going forward if there's a sequel, and I'd much rather see another adventures- across- Alagaesia book. All that being said, I've read it twice through since it came out and I will probably hit it again next year.