Chapter 2.2: Purity Flame

The team reached a clearing surrounded by the cliff and a circle (1) of trees. A small cabin sat in the middle with smoke curling from the chimney. For a moment, the image of another house appeared before Derac's eyes (2). A house ablaze (3). He shook his head to (4) clear the picture.
I copied all of this because this paragraph typifies the whole book:
1. Redundant descriptions. A clearing's already a circle of trees, just like snow is already cold.
2. Derac's pain. We get it. I highly doubt anyone could think about the murder of your wife (speculation--no evidence as of 60% through the book about it being murder) so freely. If you want to argue that he can't help it, he certainly couldn't be so stoic all the time...he'd be a little bit unsteady.
3. Fragments. They. Are. Everywhere.
4. People shake their heads a lot. It reminds me of Twatlight.