The High Lord by Trudi Canavan

I read this book because I was part way through the series (which I started based on a positive review somewhere online), but I was not impressed. The writing is clunky, the magic system is clunky, and the plot is clunky--Canavan seems far more interested in pairing her characters willy nilly than in making them consistent. The high/black magic thing (where you can take power from another magician or another living thing) provokes some interesting ethical debates, but Canavan does no more than skim the surface. I know there's a sequel trilogy, but I have other things I'd far rather read.