Cover Blurb: Yes or No? I LOOOVE the cover art! I have always loved the art for this series. It's shiny and simple and has pretty gold colors. This maCover Blurb: Yes or No? I LOOOVE the cover art! I have always loved the art for this series. It's shiny and simple and has pretty gold colors. This may be my favorite because it's gold on red, and I love that combination. But it's also one cover that takes some interpretation, since there is no physical key in this book. I realize it symbolizes a sort of "key to the kingdom" thing, but still - the one cover that took the most interpretation.
Characters: Jaron/Sage (sorry, but he will always be Sage to me) is, of course, still a wonderful protagonist who I absolutely love to follow around. He's snarky, he's smart, he's got an incredible amount of luck, and he never lets on to his enemies that things aren't going the way he planned. He's got confidence, the art of the bluff, and I just love characters who are so terrifically competent. I love seeing how much Sage has matured, too, from the boy he was in the last two. He's still quite into pranks and snark, but there is a definite maturity to him now. We get to glimpse what sort of man - what sort of king - he'll be in the future. I came to really like Amarinda in this one, too. I never disliked her; I was just worried that she would create a love triangle. But she really showed her strength and intelligence in this installment. While I will always like Imogen with her practicality and spunk, Amarinda may in fact be my favorite out of the two. And as always, Mott was just awesome. If I ever need a body guard, I want someone like Mott. Vargan, the principle villain, doesn't really make to any of my villains lists, other than he's realistic. And realism is always good. He's a conqueror; he has no interest in governing his lands fairly; he just wants to add on to his fortune.
The Romance: I loved the romance. It was done the way a love triangle (and I hesitate to call it an acutal love triangle) should be. (view spoiler)[Amarinda is love with Tobias, and it's eventually settled that Sage and Amarinda are quite fond of one another, but as brother and sister, and nothing more. (hide spoiler)] I loved it! I just loved how everything was resolved! It was perfect. I didn't hate anyone and it didn't many any of them look silly and flighty and undecided.
Plot: An all-out invasion of Carthya has begun, and Jaron/Sage is at his wit's end about what to do. He will not give into Vargan, but with so many neighboring kingdoms against him and a beaten home army, Jaron may have no choice. Then Imogen is kidnapped, and against his advisers' wishes, he goes after her. But Jaron has infamously good luck - and with a prayer to the saints, it will continue to hold. This was epic. It may not feel like it, because really, the whole invasion is rather short-lived (at least, it feels like it). But there are so many hair-raising moments when I actually wondered if Sage's luck would hold out this time. The Author has never had trouble putting Sage through a helluva time, but I seriously couldn't believe how brutal she was to him in this one! I am all for characters going to through trials and tribulations - and even sometimes being brought to the breaking point, if not pushed over it entirely. But it's never a fun process to read, however necessary it is to the plot. The Shadow Throne tore my heart out and did a merry little jig on top. I hated seeing Sage broken to the point where he couldn't even muster enough energy to be defiant. He didn't give in, but he wasn't openly stubborn, either. Jennifer A. Nielsen, you broke my heart into such tiny little fragments! It's not every Author who can do that! Oh my gosh, the feels this book gives you. Never mind the smashing plot that consists of even more twists and turns - and Sage not always letting the Reader in on what he's planning - let's just think about the feels!
Believability: No complaints. This Author has always been quite good about realistic injuries and the like. Sage wins a few battles with hairbrained ideas, against impossible odds, but history actually has a few moments like that. And he didn't win every time. In fact, Sage's army spends a lot of time losing.
Writing Style: First person, past tense. I love Sage's narration; he's funny, he's matter-of-fact, he's just great. A lot of people have complained in past books about how it doesn't make sense that the Reader would be kept in the dark about Sage's plans if we're in his head. Normally, I would agree. But Sage is also dramatic, and if you take it from the standpoint that Sage is telling - or writing - this story (which is, realistically, what a first-person narration would be), keeping his Readers in the dark makes sense. It's not quite so dramatic in this one as it was in The False Prince, though.
Content: None, other than lots of beating Sage up and slaughtering soldiers. But not like The Thickety. ;)
Conclusion: I have to admit that I did suspect part of the twist - involving Imogen - though I seriously doubted whether or not the Author would do that. She killed and injured a lot of characters in this book; I didn't trust her to create a safety net for any of them. And that's why the twist worked. As for the big finale twist . . . . it came as a surprise. Sage had me going for quite a while. The Shadow Throne is the furthest thing from a disappointment. Sage withholding so much from his Readers is a bit of a suspense technique that sort of, just barely works, so I kind of have to fight with myself to ignore it has a rough point. But overall, I still loved this book, this entire trilogy, and I cannot wait to see what this author has planned next!
Recommended Audience: Girl-and-boy read, ten-and-up, great for fans of medieval-based worlds, snarky protagonists, battles, and awesomeness. ;)...more
Cover Blurb: Yes or No? For some reason, it isn't my favorite Ranger's Apprentice cover. The character impersonators don't bother me, because their faCover Blurb: Yes or No? For some reason, it isn't my favorite Ranger's Apprentice cover. The character impersonators don't bother me, because their faces are covered, but it just isn't my favorite. I'm not entirely sure why; it just isn't.
Characters: Maddie, Will's apprentice and pretty much the protagonist of this novel, wasn't as bad as I was expecting her to be. I never did become a fan of her, but I didn't really dislike her, either - not like I thought I would. She starts off rather bratty and willful and arrogant, and definitely didn't seem to have the makings of a Ranger. But as the book went on, she got a little better, and I started to feel okay towards her. Again, I never did become a fan, but at least she didn't have the Attitude and at least she does seem to learn a lesson. As for the other characters . . . . I wasn't happy to see my beloved cast from the previous books again. Does that surprise you? Well, here's why I wasn't happy: I hate seeing characters I've known since they were kids grow up to be over protective, nit-picky parents, which is exactly what Evelyn/Cassandra and Horace turn into in The Royal Ranger. It's like they both had a personality re-write. Will has grown a beard (ugh) and is all emotionally broken because Alyss is dead. Halt is ancient and retired, and while I came to be okay with him and Pauline marrying (in general, I never saw Halt as the marrying type), I didn't really like seeing him in the role of a married man in this. Gilan is about the only one who hasn't changed, thank goodness, so I latched onto him like a limpet as these grown-up, nit-picky, and depressing versions of my favorite characters strolled around in the story. That said, I also got used to it. That doesn't mean I was happy about it, but I did become resigned and eventually was able to enjoy the book despite the transformation the characters took. The villain, Ruhl, wasn't very threatening. While thugs are definitely no fun to meet in real life, they tend to be my least favorite sort of villain in novels because they're so . . . well, so thuggish. I like calculating, cool-tempered, plain evil villains, thank you very much, and Ruhl didn't fit the bill.
The Romance: There isn't any!
Plot: When Alyss dies in a fire, Will Treaty is emotionally destroyed. He's cast aside his usual Ranger duties in order to track down the man responsible for Alyss's death. Will's friends are concerned that if he isn't turned from his quest for revenge, it will destroy him. Princess Maddie is proving to be difficult for her parents Crown Princess Cassandra and Sir Horace. Bored stiff with princessly duties, Maddie has taken to sneaking off on her own into the woods to go hunting, despite her parents' warning that it's dangerous for a girl on her own - especially the heiress to the throne. But Maddie is willful and her parents are at their wits' end. In an attempt to hopefully teach Maddie a lesson in discipline and maturity, they send her to Will to train as a Ranger. Maybe Maddie will prove to be the distraction Will needs. So for a good half of this book, nothing happens. Maddie is treated to a cold dose of reality when she discovers that her being a princess does not entitle her to any special treatment as a Ranger's apprentice, and we Readers sit through her training sessions, which suspiciously begins to feel like The Ruins of Gorlan - only dull. In Book #1, a Ranger's training was new to us Readers. But by Book #12, we're well aware of what Ranger's undergo to become Rangers, and we really don't feel like reading about it again - especially with a girl who we don't especially like. We know about archery and fitness training and saxe knives, and we know what happens when a person tries to ride a Ranger pony without the password (yes, that's played out again, but isn't as funny as when it happened to Will). Maddie experiences a moment of absolute idiocy when she gets drunk on wine with a bunch of teens from the village, and I don't know if that was supposed to be a "cleverly" disguised underage-drinking message or just a way to get Maddie to like coffee. Either way, it didn't serve much of a purpose, other than to make Maddie more pathetic than she initially comes across. This book could have very easily been parred down by several hundred pages. The Ranger training was unnecessary.
Believability: As always, I do applaud the Author's attention to battle tactics, skirmishes, and the like. I have always appreciated how he has his female characters play realistic roles in battles. While this is a made-up world, some of the Author's terms do lessen the medieval feel. The one that probably irked me the most was "restaurant," which doesn't really fit into a medieval setting. He finally transitions to "eating house," which worked so much better.
Writing Style: Third person, past tense. There are too many little technical details; it's easy to glaze over during these moments. The Author does a lot of over-describing, when it isn't needed. His fetish for mentioning every single time someone drinks coffee continues, and yes, it still drives me up a wall - and it isn't because I'm not a coffee-drinker. If they were drinking tea and it was mentioned this much, it would drive me up a wall. Once again, though, once the Author started writing skirmish scenes, the overall style improved.
Content: None.
Conclusion: This is when I started to genuinely like The Royal Ranger. Maddie finally proved her usefulness, Will finally gets to actively pursue his quest for revenge (because, quite frankly, I supported his quest), and the plot picks up considerably. Ruhl will never be a favorite villain - not even close, - but I did really enjoy the hunt and the showdown. It was fast-paced, it was intense, and it had me fearful for certain characters' lives. The Author has always seemed to display a distaste for killing off main characters, but in The Royal Ranger, I had to wonder if maybe he would . . . . I wasn't very excited when I found out about a 12th Ranger's Apprentice book. This series, while a favorite, had carried on for too long the way it was, in my opinion. And when I found out that Will's apprentice would be a "difficult female," I was prepared for a really horrid story. So I was pleasantly surprised when I didn't end up hating Maddie (still not a fan, though; I tolerate her), and the book went from being okay to enjoyable with the ending. I am curious if maybe Maddie will make an appearance in The Brotherband Chronicles.
Recommended Audience: Girl-and-boy read, twelve-and-up. Great for fans of the series (unless you only liked Books 1-4), and like-minded books....more
Cover Blurb: Yes or No? Yes. Despite the fact that there is a “character impersonator” on the front, his face is not defined all that much, so I’m okaCover Blurb: Yes or No? Yes. Despite the fact that there is a “character impersonator” on the front, his face is not defined all that much, so I’m okay with it. I do love the cover art for this series; it’s exciting, and I love how each picture refers to some specific part in the corresponding book.
Characters: All of the Herons remain really good characters. Hal is a great protagonist, Stig a wonderful “second,” Ulf and Wulf and all the others great in all their roles. Thorn is a character who continually grows on me. My initial impression of him at the beginning of the series was a sad Halt wanna-be. But something about him really clicked with me in this latest installment, and I no longer think of him as a Halt substitute. Zavac continued to be a really good villain for this series; he was a believable pirate, ruthless, cunning. While still not my absolute favorite villain out of all of Flanagan’s books, he fit this particular story. Now for Lydia, the girl character. I’ll admit, she proves her usefulness in this one, but there is absolutely no reason why she couldn’t have been a twelve-year-old boy. She doesn’t have The Attitude, but she didn’t seem to be able to take a joke and her continual sassing of Thorn got on my nerves. I’m okay with characters who show their friendly affection through sarcastic banter, but when Lydia said something, it felt more disrespectful than affectionate, and it did bring her perilously close to having an Attitude.
The Romance: The potential love triangle between Hal, Lydia, and Stig does not get much of an opportunity to surface in this installment, for which I am eternally grateful. But it’s hovering there in the background, threatening to ruin future books. I don’t want to see Stig and Hal be at odds with each other over a girl, least of all Lydia, who honestly doesn’t seem worth it.
Plot: This is what makes me say that out of the three books so far, this is the best one. The other two books spent a lot of time on the Herons training themselves, and while it allowed the Reader to see their camaraderie strengthen into an unbreakable bond, it also got boring after a while. For a brief second, The Hunters threatened to sink into yet more brotherband training, but the Author thankfully only devotes not even a whole chapter to it, and that’s the last we hear of it. The rest of the book is spent with the Herons actually hunting Zavac down, running into obstacles, and outsmarting Zavac’s allies. It was exciting! There’s a jail break and sneaking away in the dead of night; false murder accusations and disguises, and as a grand finale, a duel. The Herons’ ruse for getting into Raguza was genuinely clever; I really enjoyed it.
Believability: Flanagan has always been good at presenting Readers with battle strategies and plans that are plausible, and he has always written realistic battles, with realistic wounds. Lydia realistically doesn’t engage any pirates in a hand-to-hand fight, but relies on a long-range weapon, since she doesn’t have the strength to hold her own in a close-quarters fight. The one thing that struck me as incorrect was the rapidity which willow bark tea clears up one of the character’s fever. Willowbark works well, but considering how bad of a temperature the boy has, it wouldn’t clear the fever completely up in less than an hour.
Writing Style: At times, the Author tries a little too hard to be funny, like with the knitting scene and the Heron ballad at the end. I found those two scenes to just be silly. He also uses a dialogue ploy which I absolutely hate. I really don’t like bits of dialogue where a character asks a question that the Reader just might be wondering, for the sole purpose of having another character provide the answer. It’s a very choppy method of putting the Reader’s questions to rest, and often disrupts the story’s flow. Apart from that, Flanagan’s writing is as it has always been: entertaining. He shows his prowess at writing sea battles in this book, which is amazingly good.
Content: None.
Conclusion: The end was exciting, fast-paced, and not dragged out. It got to the point. I’m usually not okay with the villain and hero having a one-on-one showdown during a big battle because it’s so unlikely, but in this case I was fine with it, because a ship is significantly smaller than a battlefield, so if someone is actively seeking out another, it’s plausible. As a whole, I really liked The Hunters. It was definitely the best out of the three.
Recommended Audience: John Flanagan fans, even those who gave up on the Ranger’s Apprentice series. Girl-and-guy read, any age....more
Cover Blurb: Yes or No? Yes. It’s simple, it’s a pretty color, the title font is exciting, and more importantly - there are no character impersonatorsCover Blurb: Yes or No? Yes. It’s simple, it’s a pretty color, the title font is exciting, and more importantly - there are no character impersonators.
Characters: Sage/Jaron (I prefer to call him Sage) is awesome beyond words. He has got to be one of my absolute favorite male protagonists out there. He’s sarcastic without having the male version of The Attitude (arrogant, flirtatious, cocky). His arrogance and cockiness feel more like a persona he has adopted to protect his feelings, rather than who he actually is, and so it is very easy to believe that for all of his swagger, Sage really does care about his friends and country. He jokes around, but he has a grasp of politics, and he isn’t afraid to do what needs to be done to protect his people. I love protagonists who do what’s practical. A protagonist’s reluctance to just kill someone is desirable, and Sage often expresses his dislike for fighting, but if someone has to be done away with, he’ll do it and not spends hours in moral conflict. It may be honorable to spare your enemy, but everyone knows that in the world of literature (and real life sometimes), sparing your enemy just gives him an opportunity to come back. Sage has an almost ridiculous amount of luck on his side, but somehow that didn’t irritate me; it just made me like him all the more. Fink is a new favorite, too, even though he’s a bit of a rat. Deep down, he’s still a poor kid who doesn’t know any better, pretends strength that he doesn’t feel, and in the end does what’s right. I loved Fink and Sage’s friendship. And as for Devlin, the pirate king and “main” villain of the book: I liked him. He isn’t the most terrifying villain I’ve ever met, but he is definitely intimidating and cruel. Not every villain has to be the world’s scariest guy, especially when they’re not the main dude.
The Romance: There actually is a hint of a potential love triangle: Amarinda, Sage, and Imogen. I love Imogen - she’s strong and knows how to deal with Sage. At first, I didn’t care much for Amarinda, but by the end of The Runaway King, I actually came to really care about her, and I will honestly be perfectly happy with whichever girl Sage ends up with. The romance, however, is extremely subtle in this book, and I liked it that way.
Plot: Just as Sage warned in The False Prince, war is coming to Carthya. But Sage’s advisers don’t have much faith in Sage’s ability to rule, and they would rather peace-talk their way out of a war that is inevitable, than stand strong and say no to the invaders. Meanwhile, Sage’s enemies have decided that an assassination attempt would be in their best interests, and seeing no other option, Sage runs away from Carthya . . . And right into the enemies’ hands. But it’s all part of a well thought-out plan, so no worries, right? The plot of The Runaway King isn’t has twisty and full of surprises as The False Prince. But it’s still really good, and perhaps because it has fewer surprises, the flow of the story is better. Even without all of the huge surprises, this plot is still exciting and highly engaging. And it’s not entirely devoid of twists; there was one that I was definitely not expecting.
Believability: The Author’s pirates are convincing in the fact that they are mercenaries, they really only use their ships to get from one place to another (historical pirates were not, in fact, known to be very good seamen), and their “pirate code” was a believable set of rules, and not some silly set of laws every pirate in the world adhered to, like in Pirates of the Caribbean. These pirates were criminals - not romanticized outlaws in search of freedom. The only thing that struck me as slightly inaccurate was that the pirates respected and cared for their serving girls, but on one hand, if the pirate king decreed it for obvious reasons, I suppose they would obey. And anyway, I’m not going to complain about the lack of accurate sexual assault that would likely occur; it wasn’t needed. Another thing that I appreciated was the accuracy of the wounds characters received. This Author definitely isn’t afraid to harm her characters, and she does a good job of portraying broken limbs and bruises and cuts and welts. When Sage dueled with a broken leg, it could have turned ridiculous, but the fight takes a definite toll on him, he does have a splint, and he only does as good as he does because his opponent doesn’t take advantage of his injury.
Writing Style: While the style is nothing special, and the dialogue rather modern, Sage’s narration is so hilarious that I have a hard time criticizing it. I was laughing out loud several times.
Content: None.
Conclusion: It’s quite exciting, and the climax is suspenseful. It isn’t a ridiculous cliffhanger, but I am certainly anxious for the third book. All in all, The Runaway King was a resounding success. The False Prince is my favorite out of the two because the plot has more surprises, but this one’s flow was definitely better, and it was every bit as good as the first book.
Recommended Audience: Girl-and-guy read, any age, perfect for Ranger’s Apprentice and Brotherband Chronicles fans....more
Cover Blurb: I actually really, really like it. I love the blue and the broken crown; it communicates a lot about the story. And of course the title’sCover Blurb: I actually really, really like it. I love the blue and the broken crown; it communicates a lot about the story. And of course the title’s font is big and bold and gold, and that’s always attention-grabbing.
What I Liked: Sage is sarcastic and cheeky without having an attitude. When he said something snarky, I pictured him saying it completely straight-faced, without a hint of humor in his voice. He’d be one of those people that if you didn’t know sarcasm, you wouldn’t be sure if he was serious or pulling your leg. And I loved his realism and perceptiveness. I would be skeptical of any other character who figured out what was really going on as soon as he did, but with Sage it was somehow totally believable that he knew. The other characters were a good mixture of different personalities, and their interactions were interesting. The whole setup for the story, too, was very intriguing, and the twist was excellent. And I loved the lack of magic! There was absolutely no magic!
What I Disliked: My main complaints go under Writing Style, so the only complaint I will put here is a very, very minor one: I always associate the name “Sage” with a female character.
Believability: I can’t say too much here because all of the believability has to do with the twist, and I don’t want to give that away. All I can really say is, if everything happened the way it did in the book, then I could see something like that actually happening. The Author also did a good job in portraying physical injuries.
Writing Style: The style itself was pleasant enough. The flaw lies in some of the plot executions. A friend (Hazel) and I had a fairly long discussion about this particular topic, and I will refer to some of the things she said. One of the things that Hazel didn’t particular like was how Sage was constantly pulling things out that he had stolen, and the Reader didn’t even get to “witness” the theft. This actually didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. Most of the things Sage steals - money, a dagger - are minor things that, if the Author had related their theft, would cause the Reader to wonder why that was important. When Sage pulls the things out of his pocket, he explains where he got them, and I personally think that that was the smoothest way the Author could insert his thefts. There are two particular thefts, though, that I think the Reader ought to have been privy to: when Sage takes back his fool’s gold, since this little incident causes the relationships between the characters to change dramatically; and when Sage retrieves a particular sword. Given the importance of these two objects, the Reader definitely ought to have “witnessed” their retrievals. My friend also felt that as the protagonist - and narrator, - Sage kept far too many secrets from the Reader. I’m divided on this issue (and sadly, I cannot be explicit, since this concerns the story’s twist). On one hand, the narrator really oughtn’t keep so many secrets from the Reader. But on the other, this particular twist has been done so many times that it was nice to be kept in the dark as thoroughly and as long as we were. I think, though, that the Author could have given a few more hints, so that the Reader didn’t feel so left out, but it still might have come as a surprise. The revelation was a bit sloppy and could have used some work; that I definitely agree on. But it’s still a good twist, and while I guessed it easily (I was on the lookout for it), it’s still satisfying and won’t be as apparent to some people as it was perhaps me, because some people won’t have a friend who has already read the book.
Content: Nothing to complain about.
Conclusion: Obviously there will be a sequel - it’s a trilogy, after all. As a whole, the conclusion was satisfying, the villains get what they deserve, and as I said earlier, the twist is good. I liked that while everyone else had plans for Sage, he had his own secret plan, and he was able to carry it out in full, completely pulling the rug out from under the feet of all those conniving jerks. Sage is going to be a very satisfying protagonist for the rest of the trilogy.
Recommended Audience: There isn’t a single person I wouldn’t recommend this book to. It’s a girl and guy read, all ages would enjoy it, and since it neither falls in the fantasy nor the historical fiction category - or romance, for that matter, - I think anyone would enjoy it. ...more
Cover Blurb: Yes or No? Yes. Though it has a “character impersonator” on the front, and we can plainly see her face, I love the background. Though I dCover Blurb: Yes or No? Yes. Though it has a “character impersonator” on the front, and we can plainly see her face, I love the background. Though I don’t like it nearly as well as the cover for Princess Academy.
Characters: Peder still wasn’t in this one as much as I wanted, but I still got a strong sense of his personality; his loyalty, a fun sense of humor, and diligence. Miri’s strength of character is diminished a little bit, as she struggles with her loyalty to Britta and her desire to see the world change for the less fortunate. Her indecisiveness and frustration, while understandable, made me just a tad frustrated with her, because to me, the solution was a no-brainer. We still don’t get to know Prince Steffan all that well, but the king is easy to dislike, with his single-mindedness and pompous airs. Like in Princess Academy, the other girls kind of blend into one, except those that are important to the plot.
The Romance: I was at first extremely worried about the “decision between an old love and a new crush” element. I liked Peder; I didn’t want him and Miri to be at odds because Miri had found someone else she liked. When Timon entered the story, I was even more concerned about the love triangle, because I did not like Timon. He was too hot-headed, and when he used Miri’s Rhetoric paper to stir up trouble, I decided that I in fact despised him. Thankfully, the love triangle barely makes an appearance in the story. Miri likes Timon, and she struggles between him and Peder (though it’s more the type of life they both represent that she is mostly undecided about), but it doesn’t result in any drawn-out emotional battles between her and Peder. There are a couple of times that I thought she behaved a little immaturely towards Peder, but for the most part, the romantic aspect of the story was no big deal.
Plot: This is what makes it so difficult to compare Palace of Stone to Princess Academy, because while the two are connected, and it is advisable to read the first book before picking this one up, the storyline in Palace of Stone is completely different. And it’s just as good. I thought the plot would be more of Miri’s daily excursions in Asland, or a series of balls and fancy dinners (which I happen to like stories like that). But instead, Palace of Stone focuses heavily on the brewing rebellion among Danland’s populace. Deliberately reminiscent of the French Revolution, the plot was far more engaging and action-packed than I expected.
Believability: Not really applicable, except when it concerns the country’s politics, and that was all perfectly believable.
Writing Style: While Mount Eskel is not the stage for this story, the Author’s style is not diminished by it. She describes Asland with as much simplistic beauty as the mountains. I could understand Miri’s excitement, and then later feel her ache for the mountain she knew and loved.
Content: None.
Conclusion: The end was every bit as exciting as Princess Academy, if not more so. I was rather sad that quarry-speech and the eerie properties of linder were not as prominent in this installment as the previous one, but the Author brings it back into the story in the very end in a tremendously exciting and new way. For a moment, I was even genuinely afraid for one of the characters. I enjoyed Palace of Stone just as much as Princess Academy. I wouldn’t even try to compare them, because their storylines are so different, and I think that that’s what made this one as good as the previous.
Recommended Audience: Girl-read, any age. Fans of princess stories and fairytale retellings will find ample pleasure in this one....more
Cover Blurb: Yes or No? Yes. There’s something about the simple charm, the way it kind of looks like a wood carving, that really appeals to me.
CharactCover Blurb: Yes or No? Yes. There’s something about the simple charm, the way it kind of looks like a wood carving, that really appeals to me.
Characters: Miri starts out as a pretty quiet character - she almost doesn’t feel like protagonist material, but more like she should be a secondary character. The protagonist’s faithful companion, perhaps, or younger sister who is fated to die in the end. But her personality shines out soon after the girls arrive at the academy, and it becomes very evident that she’s funny, brave, clever, and kind. My initial opinion of her did an entire 180, and I’m happy to say that she makes a great protagonist. The other academy girls kind of blend into one, but the few that stand out make up for it. Katar is a great rival for Miri for the title of academy princess, and I actually didn’t mind when she and Katar make up, because I understood Katar’s motivation and I felt sorry for her. She didn’t seem like a natural jerk, but someone stick in desperate circumstances.
The Romance: Peder, Miri’s love interest, wasn’t in the story a whole lot, which I found disappointing, because I really like him. He seemed sweet and thoughtful. I didn’t mind the romance at all because Miri and Peder’s relationship felt exactly as it should: a young crush that would eventually bloom into something far deeper. I also appreciated that all of the girls, not just Miri, considered whether or not they really wanted to marry a prince that they didn’t know. In stories like these, the girls are always just starry-eyed over the idea, and don’t at all consider the fact that they’ll be marrying a complete stranger.
Plot: It is a bit akin to Cinderella and The Princess and the Pea: there’s a ball, a special dress the academy princess gets to wear, the girl the prince ends up marrying is in actuality a nobleman’s daughter in disguise, and the girls are put through a series of tests (academic ones, in this case) to see who is most fit to be a princess. So it many ways, it feels like a fairytale retelling, but the story has its own originality. What at first seems like another princess story turns into a rather exciting adventure, when the girls run away, Miri encourages her village to defy the cheating traders, and then bandits show up. It’s got a lot more action than one would expect, and never once does the story lag.
Believability: Miri’s world felt very real and very plausible, minus the quarry-speech, which comes close to telepathy. The mountain people, being a remote region and thus having no access to education, are properly ignorant, and their livelihood is difficult.
Writing Style: It’s simplistic, but beautiful. The Author’s descriptions of Mount Eskel quite transported me. I could feel the high altitude, the biting cold, the purity of the snow and water, and the magical, bright spring that you can only get high up in the mountains. It made me want to be back up in the mountains myself, in the snow, looking down into the valleys and neighboring peaks. It’s not many Authors who can describe the mountains so well.
Content: None.
Conclusion: With a story like this, you expect an ending where the protagonist meets the prince, they grow to like each other, and they get married. You don’t expect bandits, a desperate escape, skirmishes, and even death. All which happens without the prince coming in to save the day. The Author’s deviation from the norm for princess stories is one of the things which makes this book so good. I remember loving this book when I first read it, and my opinion has not changed. I still love it, and I always will.
Recommended Audience: Even though this is not a fairytale retelling, fans of that genre will enjoy this story, as well as Readers who like genuinely strong female protagonists without Attitudes. Girl-read, any age....more
Cover Blurb: Yes or No? Divided; it initially caught my interest many years back because it looked like an awesome historical adventure story, but I pCover Blurb: Yes or No? Divided; it initially caught my interest many years back because it looked like an awesome historical adventure story, but I personally am not a fan of the artwork. It’s too . . . harsh.
Characters: Lloyd Alexander is wonderful at creating memorable characters, and I personally think that his most memorable cast is in this trilogy. I am not a fan of Theo name, the protagonist, but I love Theo himself. He’s the right age to have an adventure and he’s honest. Las Bombas reminds me of Mr. Tigg from Martin Chuzzlewit - a conman, not wholly a bad man (Mr. Tigg is a scoundrel, but he cared for Bailey), and bursting with personality. Musket, the dwarf, for some reason really struck a chord with me. He doesn’t really have all that much dialogue in the book, but he’s a spunky and memorable character. If Westmark were ever turned into a movie, Warwick Davis would be perfect for Musket. Cabbarus is an acceptable villain, but he isn’t the most impressive I’ve met. He’s a little too full of himself, which causes him to make mistakes, but he is also cold-hearted enough that I wouldn’t want to meet him. And then Mickle . . . I love Mickle. She’s clever, practical, and sarcastic without having The Attitude.
The Romance: It is hardly mentioned in the story. Theo and Mickle like each other, but the Author doesn’t let their attraction get in the way of what is, at its heart, a good adventure story. It is the sort of romance a story like this needs: clearly there, but not overbearing, doesn’t make the characters start behaving ridiculously, and really doesn’t even come up as an issue until the very end.
Plot: As I have said, it’s an adventure story, and it has all the elements that are needed. A protagonist turned fugitive by no fault of his own, a flamboyant personality the protagonist later meets up with (in this case, Las Bombas), street urchins, a group of revolutionaries, a jail break, and of course the villain’s downfall. I love the era the Author chose for his story - 1700s - and I really liked the twist in the end. It’s a twist that has been done countless times, but the Author pulls it off because he doesn’t make it at all obvious until it is actually revealed.
Believability: Cabbarus’s plans for taking over the throne are entirely plausible. It is a plan that could very easily go wrong, true, but that’s the beauty of fiction: in a book, that evil plan doesn’t have to go wrong, so long as there is a possibility that it could work.
Writing Style: I do like Lloyd Alexander’s style. He has great wit, and it is a simple, pleasing style that suits adventure stories very well. He knows how to bring his characters to life with very few words, but in those few words, he conveys so much about them. Westmark is no exception.
Content: None.
Conclusion: The one major flaw I have always found in Alexander’s stories are his endings. I have always found them to be very weak. It’s like he writes and writes, and then gets bored with the story and just cobbles together an ending that either is so bizarre that it leaves you with a question mark hovering above your head, or it’s just bloody abrupt. The conclusion to Westmark is bloody abrupt, but what saves it is the fact that the book has a sequel, so an abrupt ending is acceptable in this case. I read this book a long time ago, and loved it as a kid. Re-reading it now that I’m older, I still love it. There’s just nothing not to like. The characters, the story, the world itself - it’s all wonderful.
Recommended Audience: Girl-and-guy read, any age. Readers of “swashbucklers” would love this....more
At last, here it is - the official last Ranger's Apprentice book, though technically it is not an "11th book," because it is a collection of short stoAt last, here it is - the official last Ranger's Apprentice book, though technically it is not an "11th book," because it is a collection of short stories. But some things would not make sense if the Reader had not read the previous ten.
To put my opinion of this book bluntly: it was what I expected, and many of the stories were so clearly fan-questions-based. The last two in the collection I didn't think needed to even be included. It is a logical assumption that Will and Alyss marry, and as for the ingenious breeding program the Rangers have for their horses . . . Well, honestly, that story just left me feeling hollow and even cheated (when you read it, you'll understand why). The other stories gave interesting background insight into the time when Morgarath was still a threat, which I enjoyed thoroughly - especially the one entitled The Hibernian. It was nice to see how Halt first joined the Rangers, and I thought that particular story was executed with great precision. Some stories, like Dinner for Five, Purple Prose, and The Roamers were a little silly. Perhaps 'silly' isn't the correct word for The Roamers, but I wish the Author had thought of a better storyline than Ebony being kidnapped. When animal characters start being the main focus of a dangerous mission, it begins to feel like the Author is stretching a bit.
Probably the most aggravating aspect of these stories was the continuous mention of coffee. I had noticed how incessantly coffee is mentioned in the other books - especially Erak's Ransom, - but for some reason it really hit me just how much the Author talks about coffee when I started reading The Lost Stories. We get it! The Rangers LOVE coffee! I an not exaggerating when I say that there was only two stories that did not mention coffee; all the rest mentioned it at least three to four times. Then, of course, there are some of the Author's name choices. I have always found his collection of names rather entertaining. He'll have names like Morgarath, and then throw in something like Norman, Dilbert, or - my personal favorite - using the name "Jerome" for a Gypsy. Hmmm.
But enough with that. I really did like The Lost Stories. I thought it was entertaining and a justifiable excuse to write an 11th book. In some ways, it was nice to see little bits of the story being wrapped up. Anyone who owns Ranger's Apprentice shouldn't leave The Lost Stories out of their collection. ...more