I would have loved to have found this series when I was a youngster, 3rd through 7th grade especially. With the various species and their interconnections, and the songs, it still reminds me, a little, of The Jungle Books. The plotting is spot on, characters varied and personable (or unpleasant), and while there is hunting and fighting, no gratuitous gore, yet fights and hunts are well described (no small feat when the combatants are angry gryfons). Owen describes characters and landscapes in fine detail, which younger me especially would have savored. Her worldbuilding is thoughtful, the various peoples and places interconnected. The story pacing is restrained, no rushing -- and the main characters make their share of blunders, large & small. There is a gentleness & a nobility of spirit underlying the narrative, which feels familiar and right, and so gracefully done that the "message" (if any) never overwhelms the narrative, which has been the demise of too many otherwise fine novels & series.

[Shard’s quest is not at all the same as Jonathan Livingston Seagull’s was, and yet somehow during this book “Jonathan Livingston Gryfon” became a mantra that wouldn’t leave for a while. You’re welcome.]

There are too many typos though, many of which seem to be of the sort you get while editing -- a word missing when a phrase is cut/moved, say -- or spellcheck fails. Would be great if these could be fixed and the e-books, at least, updated, maybe POD books too? Leaving as five stars though because imo this series should be in every school & public library.