Will has been captured by the Skandians (Think Vikings) and to make matters worse Princess Evanlyn has been taken with him, and on top of that, the Skandian Oberjarl (Basically their king) has sworn to kill all members of the royal family. But help is on the way, Will's master Halt and his friend Horace the apprentice knight abandon their posts to find their friend and rescue him. Only a powerful army bent on world domination preparing to invade stands between them.
Negative
Mild violence with swords, bows, and arrows, and other medieval weapons. Horace sees a group of prostitutes in the ruined kingdom of Gallica (Though the word "prostitute" is never used.) and Halt lies to Horace about them. Some slaves are addicted to a drug called Warmweed, though even the owners of the slaves despise the distribution of the weed, and it's clearly presented as a bad thing. Around fifteen uses of D*mn and H*ll.
Positive
The characters are much more involved in the story, and I found myself caring about them and being more invested emotionally in their story then I did with the first two. I still think that John Flanagan leans much more than necessary to make a world with an interesting history than making a story with relatable characters, but he's getting better. Horace clings to the ideals of chivalry strongly as well as discussing them with Halt, who as a Ranger doesn't follow them as closely. This makes Horace a good role model. Halt risks execution and expulsion from his beloved Ranger Corps for the sake of his friend.
Conclusion
I enjoyed reading these last two Ranger's Apprentice books. That's not saying I think that their masterpieces. they are definitely better than the last two, yet there's still too much reliance on worldbuilding and not enough on the characters. They were enjoyable, and I'll definitely be continuing the series if possible, so stay tuned!
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