3 star beginning... I actually put it down and left it for a month or so. Picked it up to finish because it was light and quick to read after that massive book about Victorian London. Once I started again I ploughed through it, finishing with a slightly confusing but 5 star ending. Marcus is definitely my favourite (is it because I'm basically a grumpy hermit?)this one was sad, really sad. I even thought about getting teary at one point. I wanted both a sad ending and a happy ending. I felt like what happened to the ones trapped in the mist at the end could have been shown... I felt so bad for the little boy crying, he broke my heart.My criticisms of this series still stand (although they seem to have moved on to pizza instead of sugar... Now they're getting their cholesterol levels up as well as their blood sugar!). I still think they could do with a real, current tragedy rather than a past, prospective but avoided or implied one. There's just too many rainbows and butterflies for real life here, even for witches. It takes away from their everyday human element. I also find the whole Realm/real world transitions confusing. Half the time I can't work out where they are. Or who they are. It's not good to be in a light series, only up to the 4th book and staring at a name thinking "who the hell is this person?". I think the author has created too many characters and forgotten who half of them are, what they look like what their powers are and then sort of discards them until they're convenient. Like since when did Aervyn look like Evan? Wouldn't someone at some point have noticed that before? And since when was Nell a mind witch? And where was Elorie for the first 3/4 of the novel, until she miraculously appears when convenient? Yes, I'm getting pedantic about a light, silly series. But if they're going to be #1 on amazon, they could be proof read a bit. I shouldn't pick these things up while doing some light reading. Ultimately the series is enjoyable... It must be, coz I always immediately buy the next one to see what happens!(Writing reviews on my phone at 1.30am is a bad idea. Apologies for the bad formatting. I just knew I wouldn't sleep till I reviewed!!) This is the happiest series - everyone is loving and supportive. And magic, of course. People fall in love but don't play silly games. Men love their children and help each other out with the overwhelmingness of fatherhood. This one had baby poop stories (and so was very funny). People help each other out with loving words and cookies. And magic. One of my favorite 'witch central world rules' is that magic takes so much energy that lots of cookies and ice cream are required for energy. There is sadness and loss too, but so many people to love you that its not insurmountable. Just a happy, happy series.
Do You like book A Nomadic Witch (2012)?
The saddest in the series, so far. Well-written, but not my favorite in the series.
—GJL
