3.5 stars or so... 
 I am so glad I gave this series another shot after really not liking the first book (the character development wasn't believable for me in that one), because I have really really liked #2 and #3. Merry was believably "nerdy," which is so rare, and I really appreciate. It seems like every time I read a supposedly "nerdy" character, it's just ridiculous stereotypes about comic books and glasses and other such nonsense and not a character who's deeply passionate about whatever. And I loved the little bit of snarky commentary about the geek girl litmus test in which Merry talks about how she's not nerdy enough on the surface to be accepted by other nerds. 
 I also really appreciated that Dahl let Merry be an authentically nice, decent person while also letting her become confident and strong. It's a little thing, but it just felt "real." 
 The ending has some odd pacing, though, which was a bit of a letdown.