I love this series. That being said, of all the books in the series, this one leaves me with the most mixed feelings. The author weaves a haunting and beautiful story, most believably, of a wizardry of the whales and the sea that must occur at the deepest part of the sea floor to contain the oldest and darkest Lone Power. The Twelve Song involves real sacrifice, "real" in the darkest and most complete sense, for in no other way can the Lone Power be conquered. Every race, country, culture and story has this old and vibrant echo behind it, and it comes from the deepest eternal truth. Listening to the book as I walked my little dog, I found embarrassing tears running down my face. Although this series is marketed to teens, it might leave children confused and a little shaken with the philosophy and violent realities of sacrifice. Thus, my mixed feelings -- a little too much philosophy and description, the author's beautiful words carrying the feeling that she loves them for their own sake, and this is a little (very little) distracting. And it's a little difficult to know whether my grandchildren are ready for such a powerful story -- at what age can you be told the hardest truths?

Be sure to read "So You Want to Be a Wizard" first. This series is best read in order.