My biggest issue was probably with the people Rupert was looking at to be Magids. Obviously some were already practicing magic, and that didn't figure into the report he got from his friend??? How would the Magid taking care of Earth NOT know about others practicing magic, especially since it is Naywards? How come Gram White was not on the list? Or Nick's mom? Or Nick? Ok, so the list was supposed to be the best picks, eliminating others for whatever reasons... still seems to me they would have known about the bad guys.I had a little understanding Rupert's actions because I didn't have a clue on the rules of magic, the strengths, etc. Why couldn't he use his magic in certain situations? I like that he was supposedly young and a touch inexperienced. Also, he was supposed to be the one around which the Koryfonic Empire fell apart, but it never really did - kind of a false conflict. I did believe that he cared about those he was supposed to watch over.
I would have liked a little more in support of Rupert and Maree's eventual 'coming together' - Jones did try to show it, I just wanted a little more of them thinking of and falling for the other in spite of themselves.
I didn't think of Maree as annoying once we had her POV. The whole dance thing in the middle of the street (what, they couldn't pull over?) seemed really bad. The POV shift was what caused her to become sympathetic to the reader (beyond the father, who is not a father, dying of cancer). That she asks the favor for him in Babylon (a place I never really understood - an alternate Earth-history place/univers??) was really a nice touch. That Nick needs to also become selfless at that point is great.
Overall, I felt pretty comfortable with the characters. They were described, detailed, and acted within parameters established for them. Andrew was a surprise, but one we were prepared for so his transformation was fine.