There's a lot to quibble about here. The story, once it actually creaks into motion, meanders quite a bit and is sometimes shockingly derivative; for instance, a small person of no apparent talent actually finds a magic ring while lost in a cave and is later told that the long-lost ring of power wanted to be found. There's no clear main character and the reader never becomes emotionally involved with any of them, the villains are mostly inept, the heroes far more powerful but none too bright (and once they finally figure out what's going on, about a year after the reader does, they dispatch the villains with offhand ease), plot elements appear and disappear randomly, the point of view shifts constantly, it's often confusing and sometimes just makes no sense, and readers will have figured out the big surprise ending about 350 pages before it's revealed. There's a certain wooly-headedness to many of the characters that's reflected in the writing. A graduate of the J. K. Rowling School of Plot Design this author is not.

Whew! That's a lot of quibbling. What saves this design disaster from the cellar of 2-star mediocrity is sheer charm. This author may have slept through the classes in Story Construction and Character Development, but she was the star pupil in Blithe Spirit. With a light touch and gentle humor she carries readers effortlessly through this way-overlong novel, with some gorgeously vivid set-pieces and explosions of imagination along the way. A wealth of fascinating magical (pardon, magykal) creatures, and an intriguing new design for Magyk (really, it's amazing how many different ways our prolific fantasy authors manage to construct magical worlds) add to the pleasure and make this a delightful, at times exciting, read. The author's attitude toward violence, enemies, heroes, and good/evil makes it truly unique. Its gentleness makes it especially recommended for those not quite ready for the big, dark fantasies. And some characters who have oodles of unrealized potential for development leave room (and hope) for the sequel.

From the Book:
Sally Mullin paused to draw breath and have a large gulp of tea. "That poor little Princess. God help the little one. I wonder where she is now. Probably wasting away in some dungeon somewhere. Not like your little angel over there ... How is she doing?"

"Oh, she's just fine," said Sarah, who usually would have talked at length about Jenna's snuffles and new tooth and how she could sit up and hold her own cup now. But just at that moment Sarah wanted to turn the attention away from Jenna--because Sarah had spent the last six months wondering who her baby really was and now she knew.