I want to start out by saying that after reading many of the reviews half way to being finished, and finishing the book in under a day, I did not find the ending anti-climactic or disappointing. Twisty, yes. Not giving us all the answers - yes. But we ultimately get what we look for - an explanation to the magic surrounding Polly and Tom, and a sort of resolution to their attachment/love for each other.
I do think this book requires a re-read: Tom uses Polly to try and save himself but it appears overall that he rather cares for her - but I'd like to find particular places of confirmation for the latter; Polly is tricked into separating herself from Tom in order to let him live with the help of his horse/car=defiance - but at what point is Polly roped into being a tilting point? I understand that Tom tied her to himself when she helps him create - he does this unknowingly at first; but why does she have to reject him, to lose in order to win? That also needs a reread.
Otherwise, this was terrific. Mrs. Jones wrote Polly as a child wonderfully, and her transition into someone older and in love is so seamless one has to wonder at the writer's skill. Her parents are dreadful, of course - and I'll step away from the argument on how unrealistic or realistic they are, but will say that I really enjoyed seeing a character who was so delusional-paranoid that she managed to misunderstand life and rot it for herself (Ivy).
The mix between the modern and the interwoven magic is terrific - if it were introduced when all the characters were adults, this would have been downright fantasy and straightforward. But starting out with 10 year old Polly, and going from pretend playing to actual magic... and having Tom first play along and then actually be just as scared as Polly makes it realistic.
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