Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

At first glance, giving a book such as this a single star may seem a bit harsh. After all, there were plenty of well-written scenes, and it was obvious through the book that Paolini's style has developed. However, the description for the stars are: I hate it, I don't like it, It's OK, I like it, and I love it. Yes, I loved this series, even until the last 100 pages of this last book. But make no mistake... I hated the latter part of this book, and that is what will shape my opinion of the entire book, and even series as a whole. Much like a delicious meal at a 5-star restaurant, you will walk away saying you hated the entire meal if your last course, a chocolate cake, tastes like rotten eggs. Throughout the series, Paolini creates numerous storylines and stays true to them. By the time the third book ended, there was a vast array of ideas to keep track of, and they played beautifully off each other, like the inner lines of a symphony. Some of the storylines, we all knew how they would end, even midway through the first book. And that was fine; the joy was in reading how these things should come to pass. Other storylines, we expected some kind of twist, and Paolini sometimes delivered. But then, with 100 pages to go, he destroys the vast majority of these storylines. Mysteries which have teased us since the first book are left cloaked in ambiguity. The culminations of various romances (whether fulfilled or unfulfilled) are skimmed over as an afterthought. I can only come up with one theory: Paolini took longer than expected to write this book, and he ran into publishing deadlines. Pressed for time, he was forced to rush what should have been a grand finale. A scene comes to mind where the series' protagonist, Eragon, is training. After each failure, his teacher gives him advice, then orders Eragon to try again. "Again." "Again." I feel that the same teacher, upon reading this book, would look Paolini in the eye and flatly say... "Again."