The strengths of Medley's long-running fantasy tale are the characters and the dialogue, and those work hand in hand.  The dialogue colors the characters, and Medley isn't intent on freezing her characters in place to create a level of comfort for her and her readers.  It's amazing the range of emotions any one character can display even in the space of a short sequence.

Although the reader can take Castle Waiting as comfort food because of its easy going pace and its engaging characters, over the long haul, every thing is chaotic and characters can surprise.  This is a soap opera-like fantasy well worth reading in serial installments, and it really is similar to watching the daytime soaps.

8/10