Merlin has grown a lot from his last adventure to this one. This book starts off with him crafting a musical instrument, as all young wizards are bound to do in Fincayra, and he has only one shot to get it right. Of course, the moment he finishes it, the enchantress queen of the dwarves calls on him for help, and Merlin finds himself on yet another quest. 

It's a little more involved than the previous two books, and the time span is shorter, but does not appear to have Merlin do impossible things in that span of time. He also doesn't get saved at the last minute every single time, but he also still does not ever fail in his quest (except, perhaps, when

Halia's brother dies

. Rhia is barely in this book, and I wish we'd had more of her. But I guess since she went along on Merlin's quest in the last book, she can't be there for this one.