Well, I will tell you that:

A> I loved The Lord of the Rings when I first read them in middle school...and this was obviously influenced by that series, as is a lot of modern fantasy.

B> These books do have some "magic", but are more realistic. There are some obvious bad guys we can hate, and innocents we can root for, but most of the main characters are neither bad nor good. They just have their own perspectives. And that is what makes them so deep, and it is what makes the story so addictive.

I honestly feel like i had withdrawal pain when I finished the last published book. From what I understand, it may be 3 years or more until the next book comes out. I remember waiting with my kids for each Harry Potter book to come out, but at least it was usually only a year.
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