I only read the whole series because I hoped it would redeem itself by having a good ending or the completion would make me happy. Alas, not.I've had trouble describing the issues with this series, but after five books I might be able to manage. Ahem.Merlin is not clever. I see answers waaaay before he does, and he never thinks outside the box for his solutions.The conflicts of the book are made to sound astronomically difficult then are resolved with little to no effort in little to no time.Too...

I can’t help but feel that this book is lacking in complexity. For me, the characters are generally shallow and the conflicts are fairly simple. While I enjoy the classic “good versus evil” story, I would like more depth. The simplicity of the conflict and strong emotional reactions of the characters cause this book to be almost melodramatic, and sometimes the courses of action Merlin takes simply don’t make sense.Despite the flaws, I still enjoyed this story. It has good lessons to teach, and a...

Really great ending to this series - I loved the pace and urgency of this installment, and the conclusion was definitely satisfactory. That being said - going into this volume, I had a general idea what was going to happen at the end, but it was still bittersweet. I wish Merlin could have been a part of both worlds, instead of having to choose (especially knowing what he was giving up with his choice). I read this series as a young teenager (I think 11-15?) and didn't know that TA Barron had con...

A Wizard’s Wings is the fifth book in T. A. Barron’s Merlin series. It was an okay book, and I would recommend it to younger teens or tweens, as older teens and adults would definitely get bored with this book. It was a short read, it took me about 3 hours to read. It is a quicker paced book than the previous books in this series, with an urgent tone to it. The introduction of a new secondary villain was interesting. The beginning was a bit slow, but it quickly got into the action. The ending wa...

In the series, The Lost Years of Merlin, T. A. Barron does a great job filling in the gaps of Merlin's youth and "lost years". What most people know about Merlin is that he was the mentor of King Arthur and a great wizard. The thing that is not revealed is Merlin's youth and his childhood. T. A. Barron describes this very well and it fits nicely into the gap of Merlin's youth.-----------------------------SPOILER ALERT--------------------------My favorite part of this series was when Merlin goes

End book of the series. All the books in the series are very well written for a young audience. While many books in the young adult section have an adult feel, this series maintains a youthful vibe. This is a virtue not a fault. I love the story Barron has woven about Merlin, just the right balance of darkness and light just like the character of Arthur legends. Merlin his a boy first with all the faults that come with youth and has to learn how to be a man. Fantastical creatures, friends and fo...

This one was completely new to me. After the fifth time around, Barron's slights become painfully obvious. Cliffhanger after cliffhanger, moments of crisis solved by a constant stream of deus-ex-machina, Jar-Jar Binks-like characters, a slew of moralizing, and buildup is really only repetition. Midway though, I was prepared to really like this book, because, for once, he had written extended scenes and clever situations, but the way the major crisis in the book was resolved was probably one of t...

I don't even want to talk about that climax and how incredibly dumb it was. So instead I'm going to talk about Domnu. I'd forgotten to mention her in my reviews for the previous, so even though she doesn't show up in this one I figured I'd bring it up here. Domnu's a great character. She's actually one of the most consistently good parts of the series. Positioning her as the amoral point between Dagda's Good and Rhita Gawr's Evil makes a neat little trifecta that just feels right for this world,...

THE WINGS OF MERLIN by T.A. Barron is set in the magical lands of Fincayra with young Merlin as the protagonist. I found this book from reading the rest of the series and this is the last book of the lost years of Merlin series.In Fincayra the longest night is only a few weeks away and on that night terrible things are said to happen. Merlin is part of a prophecy to stop that longest night when his worst enemy Rhita Gawr will appear with an army of undead. Merlin's quest is to gather every creat...

I can think of two great examples of backstories in the literary world. One is T. A. Barron’s Merlin series. These five books trace the origin of the great wizard Merlin – made so famous in the stories of King Arthur – starting from his early life as a young man. For me, it was fascinating to discover a version of Merlin without a long white beard or wizard’s robes. I loved watching the various skills he acquired, his romance with the deer woman Hallia, his relationship with his sister, etc. In

“I’ll never know another time as wondrous as these years on Fincayra.” I sighed heavily. “How can I even start to describe them? Impossible. They’re far too dear for words. And so I won’t speak of them—at all. No, forever more, I’ll think of them as my lost years.”"A story, like a feather, should be free, allowed to float wherever the winds may blow. That, in truth, is why I have chosen to share this tale at last. May it travel far, though it is but one tiny feather on the unending winds of time...

OMG we finally finished reading the Merlin series! (What is a series of five books called? A quintilogy?) I told my son we need to wait at least a year before we turn to reading Arthur. I need that much time to figure out which author does justice to the saga. (Recommendations welcomed.)As for Merlin, the book left behind characters Merlin does not need to take with him into adulthood and left the proverbial door open to expand into the grown up fantasy of Arthur and his Knights and Merlin's rol...

Last book in the series- wrapped things up with a bow while pointing towards the rest of merlins story.After having read my way through this series for the first time after reading the first book many times as a teen I don’t think the series itself is as gripping as the first book. It’s a bit formulaic, but still a good book and worth the read.

The dooming threat was set to be incredibly dangerous and inevitable. The island was being attacked by a god. However in the end it's solved in an incredibly anticlimactic way.I lost count the times that Merlin was saved by deus ex machina. After the 3rd book and the 4th book, I thought that this series is going to end with a high note. It ended in such a cliche and childish way.

Leading up to the final battle, Merlin sure spends a lot of time unconscious but he does finally learn about forgiveness. Considering the results of the final battle, I'm looking forward to where this series goes from here.

I liked the story, but I though there were too many narrative points to keep track of, all occurring within a very short time frame - save the world! and save the children! and discover your destiny! in two weeks! Also I was frustrated by the linear thinking of the main character.

A large battle ends this 5-part series. Forgiveness seems to be the order of the day. And loss. And cryptic messages in ballad and prophecy. Merlin continues to grow and become stronger and a better wizard. A satisfying 5 books but is it the end?

I love these books so much!! It has been really cool to watch Merlin grow. Especially thinking back to the beginning of the series, he has grown a lot. Such a good story! Fincayra is such an enchanting place. I also loved how this book also brought in and tied together a lot of things from previous books. I'm so glad Merlin decided to share the story of his lost years! :)

Yah, all these books kinda have the same formula. That's most likely what's bothering me, and the ending seemed forced. I don't think Merlin would just randomly go yah ill leavevmy family randomly forever. I...ugh

A wonderful conclusion to the series. This book, though aimed at middle readers, is a delight to read for anyone who enjoys a legend-type story. This is book 5 of a series. Though it could be read on its own, it would be much more enjoyable to start at book one.

Oh, Avalon!!! T.A. Barron is a genius!

I love these stories of young Merlin.

I'd like to re read this fantastic series

Winds of Merlin*

Ultimately a satisfying conclusion, though the plot stretches the reader's disbelief with the emergence of a pervious character.

Absolutely fantastic. The last few chapters were pretty sad but very good still.

My friends and family must think I’m immature. They keep giving me books that would normally be classified as YA (Young Adult). I suppose it’s my fault. They know I enjoyed Harry Potter tremendously and that I read a number of Elizabeth Moon’s science-fiction novels about young people coming of age in difficult circumstances. In fact, they know that I read the first four books in the pentalogy known as “The Lost Years of Merlin” back when I was publisher of Dragon magazine. In fact, I converted

This series (at least the first 5 books) was a favorite of my pre-teen to teen years. I read them multiple times back then, and as a result, there is a certain level of nostalgia involved in rereading now that I'm 30+. While I still generally enjoyed the series, it doesn't hold up to the degree that I would have wished.I guess it's rare for a series aimed at kids/teens to still work when read from an adult viewpoint. And that's totally fine, honestly. Series like Harry Potter or His Dark Materia...

All good things come to an end, and so it is for Merlin's stay in the magical land of Fincayra.And the last volume of T.A. Barron's series about the Arthurian wizard Merlin, "The Wizard's Wings," is a solid conclusion to his first cycle of books (there are two sequel series). It's a fitting if bittersweet ending to this five-book "trilogy," and it sets the stage for other facets of Arthurian legend.Merlin, Hallia and Rhia are having fun when the Dagda appears in a vision, and warns Merlin that t...

http://readfantasybooks.wordpress.com/Wings of Merlin is the final book in this series by T.A Barron. I was pleased by the ending of the book and felt that all my questions were answered; it had a very satisfying ending, which is good after reading through 5 books.The story moves pretty quickly and was quite interesting throughout. I never felt bored during any part of this book. I was always eager to find out the story behind the people loosing their wings, and I can say that I was satisfied! I...