Yes, I read them! And the first part immediately made it to my book top 10
The second part was also very nice, although I read that in a hurry so I've planned to read it again during my holiday, when I have some more time, because it absolutely deserves to be read with attention
I agree with you that the main character is a bit over the top sometimes (eg best student, good musician, loved by the ladies, skilled fighter etc), but he also has something very human that makes me like him a lot.
The stories, besides the story of the main character, that are told throughout the book add a nice depth and almost mythological background to the story, which makes it very complete and indeed more in the direction of LOTR than in the direction of the Inheritance-cycle.
The book is also very well written, which makes it hard to put it aside once you've started reading.
To sum things up (wow this sounds like a bookreport now), I think you really should read this book if you haven't done so, if that wasn't clear already