I liked this book even better than the first one :) ( )

For an author who I loved so much when I was younger, reading this book made me cringe with disappointment. The storytelling is rudimentary, at best, and I really found the lack of depth frustrating. Maybe she came into her own with the vampire and Nightworld novels, but L.J. Smith's fantasy sensibilities are quite off. ( )

this was muchh better than the first one..the plot started to get more exciting by page 156..the children finally had some actual purpose for being, and everyone had a happy ending except for thia pendrell of course..and merlin is now at large.. ( )

The Good Stuff

* Excellent continuation and completion of the series
* Lots of sorcery, flying serpents, King Arthur and talking animals, how can you not like that
* Like I mentioned in my review of the 1st book in the series, a great epic fantasy story for the younger set
* Realistic relationships between the siblings -- trust me I'm the little sister in my family
* Some light humour
* A far more detailed back story for Morgana
* Interesting twist on the tale of Merlin and Arthur
* Excellent 1st chapter brings you right back into the story of the Hodges-Bradley children
* Really enjoyed how the characters developed from the first book to now

The Not so Good Stuff

* Could have used the Vixen more
* A little predictable -- but hey I am a 40 yr old women, these stories were not written for me

Favorite Quotes/Passages

"They understand NOW," agreed Charles pointedly. "But what happens in a little while when the effects wear off and they remember everything except the reasons why they did it? They're going to be telling their parents they gave their car away to some kids who made them smell a leaf. And what do they say then?"

"In the meantime, how about us doing some more sister things together?" Alys snorted. "Like what?" Oh, I don't know. Slay a few monsters, outwit a few magicians, drain a few Chaotic Zones, negotiate a few treaties..." And after lunch?" Janie returned the wry grin sweetly. "I'll let you know."

What I Learned

* That I am a much better parent than any other parent portrayed in YA fiction
* I can handle fiction about the Fae, but only in YA books

Who should/shouldn't read

* Younger YA will enjoy, especially if they love fantasy - but even if they aren't fans of fantasy, they will enjoy
* Older YA may be a little too mature for this

4/5 Dewey's

I received this from Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review ( )

This book being the sequel to Night of the Solstice, I was glad to see that it detailed a lot more of Morgana's past. No longer was she seen as the sorceress who had a very magical mystical-sounding name, but she was tied back to the Morgan of Arthurian legend, giving her a depth even beyond what Smith writes of her character.

We see a significant growth in maturity for the four main characters, too. Their personalities are much the same as we saw them in the previous book, but their adventures last time, plus their continued presence around magic, has helped them to grow and strengthen. It was nice to see characters who grew without changing completely, and remained familiar without acting as though the past never occurred.

This wasn't a spectacular novel, but it was a fun one to read nevertheless. It had good pacing, a good mix of calm deduction and heavy action, and would be a good read for mid-grade kids who enjoy a good modern-day fantasy story involving ordinary children getting to save the world. Teenagers and adults may still get enjoyment from this novel, too, though perhaps more as a fluff read than anything else.

If this book has any one flaw, it's that it takes trips to Exposition City. Crazy things happen, and when all is said and done, somebody has to recap and fill in the blanks with information that they have cleverly deduced somehow but that never actually gets a mention in the story itself. It ties up loose ends, certainly, but it makes for a weak ending.

Still, I can't say I didn't have fun reading this one, even if for me most of the fun was in the nostalgia of the book, reliving a few days in high school when I'd found a copy of this tucked back in the shelves. ( )