On the recommendation of a friend, I read this series with my 12-year-old daughter. She LOVED it and is reading the whole series for the 4th time. Just can't put it down. She really, really liked the Hunger Games series (same author), but liked this one even better! I would have given it a 5 but I am mixed on the ending of book #5. The story sounds creepy with all of the creatures in it (and it is in several places) but there are times when you forget that they are creepy creatures because they become truly beloved characters. One of my favorites is a cockroach! Semi-spoiler...I was actually sad when a couple of the creatures die in battle defending the 'good' side.

Girly girls won't like this at all. I think boys, especially, would love this series, but I would definitely recommend either reading together or at least being aware of their tolerance for the content if they are susceptible to nightmares, etc., not only because of the creatures, but because of some battle violence and some vivid descriptions of fantasy 'gore' from some of the creatures. Probably best suited for 12 and up. Mine was 11 the first time she read it and she was fine, but she's a tomboy and a lover of bugs, etc. :-)