Just Finished Reading Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher

Jim Butcher's six-volume Codex Alera fantasy series has been complete for a few years now...I began reading it a few weeks ago and have just finished the second book, Academ's Fury, from 2005.  The fantasy world is Carna, the nation is Alera, and it is under attack from without and within as an aging ruler with no heir is trying to hold on to his fragile power.  On his side are the chief protagonists Tavi, a teenage boy with tremendous fighting ability and courage and Amara, a young woman working for the First Lord as a Cursor, a job combining spy and messenger.  Humanity here is primitive with no technological development involving firearms, electricity or internal combustion.  Instead transformative and often lethal energy is focused through the abilities of furycrafting...furies are entities arising from wind, fire, stone, wood, water, and metal. People are usually gifted with being able to bond with and use one or more of them to give themselves temporary superhuman powers.  But although Amara is an accomplished watercrafter, Tavi has no such ability and must rely on his wits and fighting skills alone to survive and protect his loved ones.  Academ's Fury jumps ahead in the series a few years as Tavi...with the First Lord as his sponsor...has entered the Academy for his education.  But along with the internal intrigues among aspirants to power arises a new threat from an old enemy: the Vord...

This series is very violent and gives the reader scant opportunity to get to know the characters and their world outside of what seems to be continual combat and confrontation.  I'm determined to read it on through, but already I know it isn't going to be one of my favorites.  On the other hand, a really inspired, innovative ending might just convince me otherwise.  By the way, I thought that the author completely ripped off Star Trek: the Next Generation's enemy the Borg with his "the Vord"...