The Battle of Hackham Heath (Ranger's Apprentice: The Early Years #2) by John Flanagan 4.5/5 stars

Hey, guys! Whether I should be reading this prequel series to Ranger's Apprentice is up for debate; however, I know I am definitely enjoying it. After reading The Tournament at Gorlan, I was ready for the next book in this series. 

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows a monster reaching for the crown, as Morgarath pitches his attempt to claim the throne and the kingdom from King Duncan. B cover.

Official Description:
The peace in Araluen is under threat and newly crowned King Duncan must prepare for war. Morgarath is in hiding, recruiting an army of savage beasts known as Wargals for his next attack.
Halt prepares for a seemingly impossible task – to scale the Mountains of Rain and Night to spy on the enemy and uncover their plans.
He knows that one wrong move could be deadly, for at the Battle of Hackham Heath the fate of a kingdom will be decided.

My Review:
The Battle of Hackham Heath was an exciting book. Most of the book was spent on various battles that the Rangers and kingdom fight against Morgarath who is now equipped with some deadly allies, the Wargals. By controlling the Wargals with mind control, Morgarath can set these beasts on the kingdom as he seeks revenge and power. 

The plot is very fast-paced as the characters plan and then execute various battle strategies and tactics. It was most similar to Battle of Skandia in its story. 

The characters were as great as ever. Halt and Crowley were lovable as always, with dry senses of humor as well as a lack of regard for other's opinions of themselves. Their relationship is one of the highlights of this prequel series.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading The Battle of Hackham Heath. It wasn't the best Ranger's Apprentice book, but I enjoyed it all the same. I believe this prequel series is supposed to be a trilogy, but I'm not sure how that will work. The ending of this book felt like closure enough! Either way, I know that I will be reading it. 

Phrase:
Wargals

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
The Brotherband Chronicles
Legend

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

Happy Reading!

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The Tournament at Gorlan (Ranger's Apprentice:The Early Years #1) by John Flanagan 5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  The Ranger's Apprentice series is one of my favorite series of all time.  (If you haven't read it, you should.  It has some of the best characters I've ever read.)  At this point in my life, I will admit that I've probably aged out, but even being much older than the intended audience, I loved it.  I can't deny that I love a good jousting/kidnapping/attempt to overthrow the king/sword fight.  You really can't go wrong.
While connected to the characters of the earlier series, The Tournament of Gorlan is completely a standalone.
This book, I was a little skeptical about reading.  John Flanagan has not stopped writing books in this universe! He wrote the original Ranger's Apprentice books, the Brotherband Chronicles, as well as this new offshoot.  I decided to pick it up, and I'm glad I did.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows a central jousting tournament that occurs at the climax of the book (and at the Tournament of Gorlan).  I like the colors of the cover, and it grabs your attention.  Grade A cover.

Official Description:
When Halt and Crowley discover that the ambitious Morgarath has been infiltrating the Rangers in order to corrupt the Corps, the young Rangers travel north to find Prince Duncan, seeking a royal warrant to stop Morgarath before it is too late. By weakening the Rangers, the most powerful force in support of the King, Morgarath plans to steal the throne. 
Yet when Halt and Crowley arrive in Gorlan, they discover just how close Morgarath’s scheme is to success. Morgarath has a plan to discredit the Prince and alienate him from his father. At the same time, the Baron of Gorlan has been conspiring to win the trust and admiration of the Council of Barons to further his plan. If the young Rangers are to prevent the coup from succeeding, they will have to tread a dangerous path, which leads them to a thrilling climax at the annual tournament at Gorlan, where a series of bitter duels must be fought and won.
This origin story brings readers to a time before Will was an apprentice, and lays the groundwork for the epic battles that will culminate with The Ruins of Gorlan and The Burning Bridge—Books 1 and 2 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series.

My Review:
I enjoyed this book.  It was full of medieval warfare and drama.  One of the best things about these series is the characters.  They are all so complex, unique, and just generally quirky.  By the end of the book, you are sure to love at least one of them.  
The plot was exciting.  Trickery and alliances were abound.  The plot was fast-paced, and I read it super quickly.  
I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone's who's read any of the other books by John Flanagan.  If you haven't yet, give his books a try.  They're all really good, and I often find myself referencing them in my everyday life.  Give them a shot.

Phrase:
A surprise dip in the river.

Happy Reading!

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The Invaders by John Flanagan (Awesome)

Sorry I'm so late.  Exams and everything...  Anyway, I wrote half of this awhile ago and am finishing it now

Hi everyone! The last book I read was the second book in the Brotherband Chronicles.  The first book, The Outcasts, left off on a bit of a cliffhanger, and this book picked right up where the last one stopped.  I would suggest reading my previous review first (link above) so that I don't spoil anything that's revealed in book one.  The cover:



It shows Hal fighting some nameless pirate.  (You know it's Hal because he has a sword.)  The Heron is in the background, and flames are surrounding them.  Pretty obvious once you read it.

The book is about the Herons riding around on their ship, trying to find the pirates.  Bad weather comes around, a random village has problems, and a cute girl are all thrown in the mix.  Read to find out what happens to everyone in the next instalment of the Brotherband Chronicles.

I would suggest reading this book.  It's pretty much exactly what you would expect based on the author, John Flanagan. (Whom I'm a big fan of, by the way.)

The next is coming out October 30, 2012 and is called Hunters.  I look forward to it coming out and can't wait to see you about it, then. 

Since I'm epically behind, I thought I would skip the last three books in the Jimmy Fincher series.  They are exactly like the first book, except for the fact that the last book is the best one by far.

See you soon.


The Outcasts by John Flanagan (Great)

I read the first book in the semi-new series, The Brotherband Chronicles.  This is a sequeling series to The Ranger's Apprentice and the short story collection: The Lost Stories.  Those were links to my reviews of those books by the way.  The books before have no mention in this new series.  Just the general setting of the series are the same.  Here's the cover:

This book is about a half Skandian, half Aurlen boy.  He is an outcast because of his mixed race and because he is smart in a land that values strength.  The boy, Hal, is old enough for Brotherband training, which is a competition of sorts/ school where boys learn how to sail, navigate, work as a team, etc. Hal's brotherband has to compete with two others in a bunch of risky, interesting contests.  A lot of things happen that "rocks the boat" (and no that is not supposed to be a bad pun) and everything gets complicated...

The book ended on a cliffhanger, which I absolutely hate!  I really enjoyed this book. I would suggest reading it.  My advice: the sailing terminology at the beginning of the book is really unnecessary, so you can skip reading it if you want to.  It just gave me a headache reading it, and I didn't think it helped me a lot.

I hope you decide to read it.  I'll write again once I finish reading the book I'm on: Downsiders by Neal Shusterman.

Happy Reading!