I'm still not quite sure how I feel about this book & the ending. It was very strange and very unexpected. Overall, a lot of the characterizations that were being built up were never really explained. There weren't any actual loose end; however, the conclusion felt pretty unsatisfying.

In any event, The Keys to the Kingdom books stand alone very poorly; by the seventh book every character, item and place has significance from earlier on in the book and there is no summarization of previous events. I would recommend re-reading the entire series before starting this.