I am a big Harry Potter fan, and wanted to read something that was not a pale imitation. This is nothing like it, but a great read and can be classed in the same realm of fantasy. The author has multiple series set in this world she has created and I am totally enjoying them all. Her characters are rich and deep, her magic is unique, and the plots and intrigues fascinating. The is an excellent writer and when you are lost in the story, you will never be brought back to reality by an awkward turn of phrase or poor grammar. She is on top of it all.I hope they are made into a movie someday, I would certainly watch them. And these books? I will definitely re-read, because they are totally worth it.

This series is full of adventure and I had a hard time putting it down. It's not a book just for younger people. I'm 59 and I enjoyed it immensely.

Well written and entertaining, a good storyline, engaging characters, and emotionally charged. A story for readers of all ages.

I had to finish it even though I could protect the ending. It really is a slow book with out the real mysteries of Harry Potter

I am a bit baffled by all the good reviews. Maybe I am missing something. Mostly, Miss ross is just not a very good writer if by good one means flowing text, illustrative metaphors, appropriate adverbs etc. Her literary style is pretty random. Her characters are one dimensional and exist to progress her story and have no personalities of their own, other than the blond one, the fat one, the flirty one etc. They also have no real existence in the story. The hero's father is a cypher who pops in from time to time saying something pretty heavy handed, to generate some tension, her friends pop in and out to show she has friends, but with no substance of their own. Dialogue is stilted and contributes little to the plot. The plot is not complex and the book skips from plot point to plot point with little fun on the way, unless you count endless descriptions of unlikely meals to be fun. I have given her three out of five for effort and her gutsy self-promotion campaign on facebook, not really for the book. I bought the bundle, have read one and a half books and return to the series occasionally (as I hate throwing money away), but have to keep putting it down again when the cringiness gets too overwhelming.Then, there is the world it is set in. The politics, social order, behaviour of leaders etc, is both reprehensible and illogical and very, very childish in that it is like a primary school children’s make-believe scenario. Full of holes wherever one looks. Then there is the lost magic that the evil Mabel is both astonishingly proficient in but is also, bafflingly, searching for the book which will tell her how to use it. And of course, she is evilly very powerful until suddenly, and conveniently plot-wise, she isn’t.