Loved the continuing saga of the Tree of Avalon. Along with the original characters new ones have been introduced and as in book one some you love some you don't. Looking forward to book 3 to see how this saga ends ( )

Very good, just like the first one! I'm so incredibly anxious to start the third, so I'll try and d...more Very good, just like the first one! I'm so incredibly anxious to start the third, so I'll try and do something drastically out-of-the-ordinary and keep things brief! What I really liked... - Characters. I love the MC so very much! Tamwyn is an excellent main character because though he's imperfect, he's good *enough* and still likeable. His journey is one of self-discovery and realizing his potential - a "right of passage" story that is so sweet and fun to read. You just can't help but cheer him on! The supporting characters are just right - they have their own contributions to the overall story, but they don't usurp the position of the MC. They're an important aspect of the ensemble, but they *are* the ensemble. They're in the perfect position. - Vivid scenery/descriptions. I cannot begin to describe how amazing this world is that Barron has created. Try thinking about a land made up of materialized wind and clouds. Or a series of islands in the middle of a rainbow ocean. Or trees that can walk, talk, and dance (like the ENTS! Only not...) - Excellent pacing. Never once does this 400 story drag. You get the feeling that every sentence matters, every detail is there for a reason. This is not a fluff author and this is not a fluff book. There are multiple perspectives, but Barron is a master of the concept because he's able to transition so well without dwelling on one and forgetting another (for the most part...) What I liked slightly less, but still liked... - the villain. Okay, in intermediate fiction, I really would *rather* have a villain who's a little on the overtly bad side... I don't like "complex, complicated" villains in this type of setting. Let them be evil, let them be crazy! However... there were thing that the main villain did that were a little on the "classic Disney villain" list: talking to himself, laughing incessantly for no reason, wringing his hands together, talking to himself some more... Yeah. That's silly! - Some of the characters. Okay, I just flat don't like Scree. If there's a character who has to be sacrificed for the "greater good" in the third book, I hope it's him. He's what I would call "too flawed." Now, it's okay, because he's contrasted to Tamwyn, and Tamwyn is the main character that I care about, so yeah if Scree is a screwball, I'm not going to care that much...but it still bothered me a little bit. And Shim - the shrunken giant- gets on my nerves, pretty much because he talks *exactly* like Jar Jar Binks... *cringes* - Plot Revelations: Scree's story arc was very vague, and the perspective didn't follow him except like 3 or 4 times, and so it made his Shocker Moment kind of random and a little on the unbelievable side. Not to mention icky... I won't say any more, but yeah, that part of the plot really didn't work well for me. But hey, it was about Scree, and I don't like Scree, so whatever... So that's it. Okay, that was still pretty long, but I can't begin to say how great this series is! I was seriously tearing up in some parts, and I hear that The Eternal Flame is the most tearjerker one of all! Ahhh! *runs to check supply of Kleenex* Final Rating: 5/5. This is still an amazing book; even with the itty-bitty things I could think of, Shadows on the Stars is just as deserving of a 5-star rating as its predecessor. READ THESE BOOKS!( ( )