This was about what I expected, fast-paced, a lot of fighting and escaping and magic. It was very readable though, and I enjoyed many parts of it even though it's not a new favourite. I never read this as a kid, so it's fun to participate in a slice of reading culture that most of my peers are now nostalgic about. I also read this in tandem with my brother, our first "buddy read" of sorts. That's the best part of it I think, the connection drawn from having read it.