Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan

The Ranger's Apprentice Series by John Flanagan is amazing!!! I am currently reading the 3rd book in the series but today I'm going to talk about the first one- The Ruins of Gorlan.

Picture courtesy of Goodreads.

Will has turned 15 so it is now time for him and the other wards at castle Redmont to be chosen by a master for their apprenticeship. This choosing will determine the rest of their lives. Will, like most boys his age, wants to be chosen for battle school. However, unlike Horace, a fellow ward, he is not big or muscular. Still, it comes as a disappointment to him when he is not chosen. Instead, Will is chosen by the mysterious Ranger Halt. Nobody knows who Rangers are, or what they do. Some people rumor that they are sorcerers who dabble in black magic. Others say that Rangers can make themselves invisible at will. Whatever the case, needless to say that Will was a little apprehensive about his new life as a Ranger's apprentice. However, he soon realizes that there is more to being a Ranger than what meets the eye- a lot more. Rangers are responsible for keeping the kingdom safe. With their inhuman accuracy with the bow and arrows and their seemingly magical ability in the art of unseen movement. And now, they need all the help that they can get. As Will soon discovers, there is a war brewing. Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, was exiled 15 years ago. Everyone thought that was the last they would hear of him- other than the stories mothers told their children to get them to go to bed at night. Nevertheless, he has bided his time, growing his forces until they became ready to attack the Kingdom of Araluen and now it is time. Will Morgarath be stopped before it is too late? And what happens to Will? Read this great book to find out.

This book is so good! I love it so much! So much, in fact, that I somehow found the time to read the entire book in about 2 days. To be fair, it is a bit shorter than some of the other books I read. The characters just attach themselves to your heart, and you end up loving every one of them (at least the nice ones). I have to say, one of my favorite characters is Halt the Ranger. He is really sarcastic and says the most amusing things. Not just that, but he is also like a father-figure for Will who is an orphan. I loved seeing the way that they grew close over the course of the book. I also really liked seeing the friendship that grows between Will and Horace. They go from being childhood enemies to being the best of friends.

All in all, this book is a definite must-read. It is so good! Furthermore, the rest of the series (so far) is really good too! It's not like one of those book series where the first book is good and the rest, aren't as good. My friend, who has read the entire series (all 12 books) said that the books just keep getting better and better. I think everybody should read this book, especially if you are a fan of the False Prince or other books similar to it.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog post. I know I haven't posted in a while, but I'm hoping to post more regularly during the summer. And yes, even though technically I don't have to blog after school ends, I am definitely going to try to keep up with it.

One more thing, I know I keep saying this, but please, please, please check out my poll. It's been up there for a while, but only 3 people have voted. Thank You!