I read this book because my sister tortured me into it. She swore up and down that I'd fall in love if I gave it a chance, and because she rarely says this and is usually right when she does, I caved. And she was right. I absolutely loved Matt's journey in this book. It's an awesome start to a great series with characters that literally kept me up all night. I'm not a middle grade reader, and I definitely avoid "good vs evil" books, but Anthony Horowitz painted such a vivid picture of the creepy world that Matt was sucked into. But what really made this book for me was Richard Cole. OMG. He was quite possibly my favorite book boyfriend for many, many years after I read this, and writing this review makes me want to reread it all over again. I loved the "big brother" role he took on with Matt, and even though he tried so hard to avoid the craziness that surrounds 'the five', he clearly plays a bigger role in the big picture. I think this series is seriously underrated and deserves some hype.