It was really difficult to rate this book. On the one hand, I recognized the reflections of the emotions of the main character, and even of his friends. On the other hand, there was so much intermingling of the concepts introduced in the Harry Potter novels and the Narnia novels, that it was difficult to untangle them and judge this book on its own. The magic in this book was very different than the magic in the Harry Potter, and fortunately, that Christianity mixed with the story was much less a part of this book than of the Narnia books. But I think that the other books handled themselves better for what they were then this book did for what it is. Overall, I vacillated between loving and hating this book – not because of a comparison with any other book, but it being that I am basically a plot driven soul, I considered the plot of this book, and it vacillated between being one with which I could relate and one that I totally hated! In the end, I think it was a good book, but it tried to do too much. Oh, and the whole thing with the white stag only out of place.