Or, 734 pages of reading pleasure.

I have to admit that I was somewhat daunted by the sheer size of this book. After all, I’ve only ever read one adult author who could hold my interest for 3/4 of a thousand pages. And sometimes my mind wandered on her, yk? But since I had committed myself to reading this series, I went ahead and did so. And you know, it’s a good read. I mean, aside from finding myself caught up in the fictitious lives of teenagers, it’s good writing. One word of warning, ignore the cover art. Harry Potter is 14, I think, in this book and not 8 as the picture would leave one to believe.

I’m impressed by the continuity between the books, too. The characters stay true to themselves, even as they mature. And laying aside the premise of magic, the books are entirely believable: motivations, reactions, all reasonable.

I finished the book on Friday, waiting on my husband’s latest cat scan. On Monday, I had to return a huge stack of books, which I did. And then, I checked out number 5. Let me shoot them together.

The pic makes them look about even, but my eye tells me 5 is just a bit thinner. Let me check: 870 pages! Whodda thunk memory cards were more accurate than the human eye? I’ll be starting it after I finish a couple other books I have out.