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The Wings of Merlin closes T. A. Barron's five-book YA Arthurian sequence about the boyhood and adolescence of the wizard who would become Merlin. The final volume brings the young Merlin and his friends face to face with the figure who has been the series's most patient antagonist, and the magic-and-mythology threads Barron has been weaving since The Lost Years of Merlin pay off.
Barron handles the series closure with care. The character work on Merlin himself is genuinely affecting. The mythology integrates Celtic and Welsh sources with respect rather than mash-up. The closing chapters earn the long emotional investment the previous four books asked for.
Four stars. Recommended to YA fantasy readers who want a complete Arthurian sequence. Read the previous four books first; this is not the entry point.
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