Now, I find myself as an old and dedicated fan of the DARK IS RISING books. I have also adored her more recent work, KING OF SHADOWS, which naturally led to my having high expectations for this particular book. However, I encountered real difficulties with it. It is a book that focuses on "coming to terms with grief," but it is executed in a rather heavy-handed manner.
Moreover, perhaps influenced by my mood at the time, I felt that the fantasy world was overly filled with "get out of jail card" items. This abundance somewhat detracted from the authenticity and believability of the story. Additionally, I simply could not bring myself to believe in the romance presented within the book.
Am I being grumpy? Maybe. But these were the genuine issues and feelings that I had while reading this book. It's a shame that it didn't meet the high standards I had set for it based on the author's previous works.