Well... wow! This might be up there as one of my favorite books of the Kingdom Keepers series. Everything starts coming together nicely in this book, and it's a lot darker than I thought the plotline in this seires would be. I loved the exploration of the different relationships between the characters and the hardships that come along with being a teenager (and even more with having to save the world?!).

Though I have enjoyed the books that were set in the park a little more for the ambiance and the ability to imagine what is happening, the fact that a lot of the action takes place on islands this time was a fun change. I CANNOT wait to read the next book that is set in Disneyland, since that's the park I'm most familiar vs. the Florida parks.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

I think the characters have grown up nicely, and yet they are written perfectly as their ages. I'm all here for Charlene and Maybeck and Philby and Willa. And of course, Finn and Amanda - though who knows what's happening with that.

I stared...and I mean just sat there and stared at the pages at Dillard's death. I couldn't believe that actually happened. That, paired with Finn's showdown with Chernabog made for an adrelanine-filled rushed read of the last quarter of the book. I'm very impressed with where this series started and how Pearson has crafted a story that has led to this point. I'm so ready for the next one.