I had to ditch this for poor editing. Truthfully, it was only getting lamer anyway, but “complement” spelled as “compliment” three times on the same page seemed like a good enough reason to let myself off the hook.
Fortunately, I had Infovore’s book, The Forgotten, to tide me over. Far more interesting and better written, plus wizards! I’m not quite done, but feel secure recommending it.
Started today on Gods Behaving Badly. Seems decent, though it may have to go back to the library before I can finish.