This is my least favorite book following A Wrinkle in Time. The characters seem further away, making it hard to connect on an emotional level, and I don't find the plot QUITE up to the plot of the other books. This isn't a bad book, and on it's own it would probably be rated much higher, but when it's being compared to A Wrinkle in Time or A Swiftly Tilting Planet, it can't help but to fall flat. I read it because it's part of a series I enjoy and love, not because I love this particular book itself.