A lot of Maddy's stories have had the "travelogue" feel to certain parts; I believe this is due to her own love of travel and wish to share the local flavor of the areas she's seen in her works, so while at times it can be a bit distracting, it is an oddity that I am more than willing to give her leeway for. And while the dance was built up for a long time and then more or less glossed over, that is less of an issue for me as well, since some times the preparations for major events are more noteworthy than the events themselves from an emotional viewpoint -- after all, we have had numerous dances and such described for us throughout the Gaby saga, and Drew's focus has always been more on the preparation for them than the dances themselves even in the first book.

Personally, I've been quite happy with the Gaby series recently if for no other reason than because it feels as though Maddy has decided on a route to take it. There was a while there between about the middle to end of the fourth book and the middle of the sixth book when things seemed to stagnate somewhat, almost as though she were unsure which route to take with Drew. This most recent book she seems to have made her intentions clear as to how she's taking things, and if she were to decide to wrap the saga up, she could probably manage it in one to two more books. At this point, I would like to see her at the very least follow Drew's journey of finding him/herself to the end.

Melanie E.