This is the last book in The Keys to the Kingdom series - seven books in all. I've been looking forward to reaching the finish line for a year now. I was eager to find out what happened to Arthur, Leaf, Suzie and their friends/family. But once I got halfway through the book it became a struggle to finish it. I actually had to put it down for a week and read other books before I could read the second half. It was just like reading the books that came before it. Nothing new happened, it became overly predictable and Arthur began making the stupid mistakes that he'd outgrown in the third book. It felt like the author was weary of the series and just trying to extend it to novel length before he could write the final chapter - where everything sorts itself out.
Why does this happen in some long series? Harry Potter did it. How many fill in novels were there before we got to the final battle? Please. Don't start a long series unless you can make it great. It costs $20+ for a book - and no-one wants to pay that for a repeat of the books that came before it. This has put me off series. Anything over three books and I am reading library copies instead of wasting money on a possible dud. The Keys to the Kingdom was really disappointing and not a series of books that I would re-read, which is a pity since it began so strong.
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