Having heard Lee Edward Födi speak at the Packaging Your Imagination Conference by CANSCAIP I was inspired to check out his work. I purchased this book from the Mable's Fables kiosk at the conference.
His talk was about writing Fantasy for Mid-Grade readers. He spoke about character and plot development. I have to say that I thought each character was distinct in this book and the pace of the novel was great. He also spoke about borrowing from all your favourite artists and there were many aspects of the book which definitely were reminiscent of other stories.
I would also say that the attention given to the other characters was interesting given that the series is named after Kendra Kandlestar. Also, the point of view was unexpected.