I enjoyed this book, for many of the same reasons that I enjoyed the previous ones. Damien is snarky and dificult, but also very likable, and you can't help rooting for him. I have decided to take one star away, however, because of the increased angst. Teenage angst is part of the series, and Damien certainly has more reason for it than most teenagers, but when it becomes too much the book is not as fun. Excellent ending, though.

I'll be happy to read anything the author writes in this series. ( )

I liked the book. I expected to like the book, since I'd liked the first three in the series (and two novellas: whee!), but of course, sometimes that doesn't work out. I got a bit annoyed with Damien in this volume, but at the same time, his self-pity made sense. The events of those three books and two novellas have been taking an emotional toll on Damien, and it shows up here. It didn't make the book any less readable: I was still eagerly turning the pages to find out what happens next. (That half star is for page-turning-ness.) Some parts of the plot were more interesting to me than others: the Amelia/Zach storyline grabbed me more than I thought it would, while the parts about fieldwork, well, didn't. But I read this series more for the world they're set in and the characters, and that didn't disappoint. Damien and Kat's relationship felt deeper in this book, Amelia is both less annoying and yet the same irritating sister she's been since the first book, and Helen seemed more of a person in her own right and not just "the stepmother." I wouldn't recommend this as your introduction to the series, but it's a good installment. ( )