Anybody who thinks fantasy has to be about dragons and dwarves needs to read this excellent set of books. Surely part of the reason for their popularity is their wide appeal - they are suitable for teenagers to read, and have more in common with historical fiction for the most part. But one of the things I liked so much about the first three books was their ability to pack a lot of story into not too many pages, and now Ms Hearn has produced a fantasy-sized doorstop. Why? Less was always more in these books, and despite enjoying the tale I thought that it could have stood some editing. This aside, there is still a lot to enjoy in here and a worthy addition to the "crossover" genre as typified by the works of writers like J K Rowling, Jonathan Stroud and Philip Pullman. Not least is another rites-of-passage story that is sure to appeal to teenage readers (and most women) as Takeo and Kaede’s daughters have to choose what roles they play as they grow up. This is the sort of book to stay in the mind long afterwards.