I'm rounding up to 4 because I liked it better than book 5, and it provided silly entertainment.

Some other readers have compelling reasons for disliking this installment, including discrepancies in the recurring characters.

In considering their reasoning, I realized that I probably have different standards for different genres. I tend to rate this series 4 stars is because I like the entertainment value in comparison to other youth fantasy. If this series were literary fiction, I probably wouldn't rate it as highly. Is that fair or reasonable? I haven't decided. But, it's how I feel right now, apparently.

[I may have to reassess how I rate the Harry Potter series, which I like even more than the Artemis Fowl series, overall. I just have a really hard time handing out 5 stars.]