Book Review #1: Rangers Apprentice Series

For the first book review of this blog, I'm going to be reviewing a series that I've been reading last summer (I know that sounds like a long time, but I barely had time to read during the school year).

First, I'll talk about the background of the series. Each book take place in the same fantasy medieval world where the main character, Will, gets chosen to be a ranger (archer/assassin/spy) after an older ranger, Halt, see's Will's skill at stealing food from the castle kitchen. I won't reveal too much, but as Halt trains Will to become a the best ranger throughout each book, they embark on dangerous and exciting adventures in order to clear out trouble in the kingdom and even save it.

My thoughts about  this series are mixed. Last summer, when I just started reading this series, I thought that the series was amazing. The first few books are not only well written, but the plot and action are intense and very thoroughly developed. Along with the awesome story line, the author John Flanagan includes a ton of humor in each and every book.

Unfortunately, like most other sequels, new books in this series aren't as good as the previous ones. By the last book in the series, The Emperor of Ninhonja, the entire book feels very dull. The plot has less complexity and less twists and turns compared to previous books. Luckily, I think Flanagan realized this and decided to end the series with The Emperor of Ninhonja.

Overall, I love this series, especially the first few books. The fantasy world that the characters live in is very creative and the plot in every book is very original. I personally feel like the last book in this series that is worth reading is book 8: The Kings of Conmel, but reading the last two couldn't hurt.