I'm really impressed with this series. It's dark, gritty and full of fantasy horror - something for a mature young adult to sink their teeth into.

But it's more than that. There's no clear-cut good and evil in these books. Evil-looking creatures can be shown to be merely bad news. They need terrible things, but aren't necessarily planning to be evil - they're just hungry. Meanwhile, humans with power can be shown to be far more evil than the most terrible monster. And there's plenty of shades of grey left for everyone else.

In terms of danger and drama, there's always a risk of death. With almost every page, there's a risk that someone may die. I don't mean it's as simplistic as killing off people for drama, either. The drama lies in the fear and the risk - and the fact that it always comes down to an extremely difficult choice for everyone involved, normally involving trusting people through those muddy shades of grey.

As well as trust and courage, these books help to instill a sense of practise makes perfect. For all the skills and talents the protagonist has naturally or has practised well, he is forever reminded that he could have practised more and therefore found himself better at it when the time came to use the skill for real. Every time he's in a real life situation he frets that maybe he hasn't practised enough or that there's something else he should put his mind to studying when he next gets a chance. I think that's a great lesson for any smart young kid to learn.