I agree pretty much completely with the person who reviewed this before me: The entire thing was an excruciating build-up to what I hope is the conclusion in the final book. There wasn’t really a climax of any kind nor any conclusion; just build up. My second major beef with the book was the aggravating realism instilled in the characters. In most books this would be a huge plus… unfortunately, the characters are teenagers. Can you say “Poor me syndrome”? Even if you weren’t that way as a teenager, the main characters will no doubt remind you painfully of someone you knew/know which can be an annoying distraction. On the plus side, I enjoyed the interesting magic and extra insight into the world. Plus animal companions are awesome, I can’t help but think of Mogget as Salem’s white twin (Sabrina the Teenage Witch’s cat). And who doesn’t love that cat?