The Wings of Merlin is the fifth and final book in T.A. Barron’s “Lost Years of Merlin” series. While I found this last of the series more concentrated with cliches – moments reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and The Chronicles of Narnia– I also found it the most touching of the five parts. The characters finally seemed well-developed and interesting; the relationships were truthful and the fight stirred in the many creatures of Fincayra, when facing it’s final hour and possible extinction, was believable and – as embarrassing as it is to say – almost tear-jerking. There were losses, and gains. Tough choices placed before all the major characters, with an understanding of how and why these choices were made, in the end. Old characters were brought back again, and new characters woven in, effortlessly. Even the blatant nod to Barron’s sequel “Avalon” series was acceptable, though not too cleverly or craftily disguised. All-in-all, this final book, with it’s flaws in repetitive themes, motifs, and vocabulary (yes, I’m that picky) is still the best, most well-developed of the bunch and – if you’ve made it this far, I don’t see how you could be disappointed.