This felt like the first time that Duane did something really new with this series; although all the books have been interesting and innovative but they've followed more or less the same trajectory.
Still good, still interesting and I appreciate how the story arcs are beginning to need more than one book to get through. Of course, now I've finished them and I don't know what to read anymore. C'est la vie.

This is the first of this series that I don't remember reading, which may mean this is my first read. My shelfari page suggests otherwise.
Oh well.
I liked this one and I thought the characters were well done and the way wizardry is evolving was interesting. The series is evolving even as the encounters remain somewhat similar. The different ways in which the world gets to be just a little bit better are varied enough, and Nita and Kit are compelling enough, that I keep reading.
I am torn regarding her portrayal of autism in this book, even as I acknowledge it's over a decade old and, obviously, has some things that are not strictly current. Though she is very sympathetic and does a really good job trying not to stigmatize or pathologize, I find her resolution problematic. She did really well for a while, but I would have wished for a bit more nuance. Perhaps the characters themselves lacked the nuance, but I just felt it was a little too...not pat, per se, but something along those lines. Lacking in complexity.

I remember being rather confused by this one, the first time I read it I'm not sure why. I have very odd memories of these books that all tend to float together, though not in a bad way.
It was nice to reread and work out what exactly happened when. And I did like this one more than I remembered. (Even if Dairine's character arc has always frustrated me a bit. It must be the big sister in me).

I seem to be on a (re)reading the Young Wizards kick. I always remember liking this one just a bit less than its predecessor (which means it was really good, rather than OMG amazing!). I think I'm just a bit bothered by the plot and the death elements. Not that people don't die in these books (well, it's not Game of Thrones, but it's still serious), but something about the plot left me...bugged as a kid and, therefore, still bugged as an adult.
Anyway, it was still awesome and I'm looking forward to starting the next book. In, as they say, my copious spare time.

You know that feeling when you read a book as a kid and go back to it 15 years later and its still amazing?
That's how I feel about this book. Duane does a wonderful job of writing for kids/young adults without writing down to them, her characters are brilliant and her wizards and their world are some of the best realizations of the idea of magic I have ever read.
And, yes, I admit, I did read the oath aloud as a kid. Just once. Just in case...

I remember this one nearly made me cry the first time I read it. Going back, I feel as though the series kinda gets back into swing with this. Though not as awesome as the first one, this book was still really good in all the ways that matter.
And even though this is the point when you notice Duane's playing a bit fast and loose with internal consistency, you kinda let it happen. It makes sense in context and the narratives work better for her willingness to use the previous books merely as strong guidelines.

THis is another one of those memory versus reality books; but that might also be a side effect of reading too many books set around ancient battles in the British Isles. They all rather run together after a while.
Still, this was a fun read and a good addition to the series. I'm kinda enjoying this breakneck readthrough.

Impressive first novel and a very good read. I like the world she created immensely and her characters are very well realized. Nicely done.