What do you think?
Rate this book
Guardians of Ga'Hoole #16
The Rise of a Legend
Bestselling author Kathryn Lasky takes flight once more with a brand-new Guardians of Ga'Hoole novel!
Far off in the ice-choked land of the Northern Kingdoms, a young screech owl is marked by destiny. He is Ezylryb, an owl who will rise through the ranks of the Killian Army to become the commander of a battalion of snakes. But although Ezylryb is touched by greatness, his battle-filled life is punctuated by tragedy--from the attack that leaves his father flightless forever, to a terrible betrayal by Ezylryb's own brother. But the young owl--with the support of a snake named Octavia--rises above it all, rises high on strong wings.
For Ezylryb is no ordinary owl.
He's the stuff of legends.
He's a Guardian of Ga'Hoole.
Far off in the ice-choked land of the Northern Kingdoms, a young screech owl is marked by destiny. He is Ezylryb, an owl who will rise through the ranks of the Killian Army to become the commander of a battalion of snakes. But although Ezylryb is touched by greatness, his battle-filled life is punctuated by tragedy--from the attack that leaves his father flightless forever, to a terrible betrayal by Ezylryb's own brother. But the young owl--with the support of a snake named Octavia--rises above it all, rises high on strong wings.
For Ezylryb is no ordinary owl.
He's the stuff of legends.
He's a Guardian of Ga'Hoole.
307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 30, 2013
53 people are currently reading
2567 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Lasky
266 books2,291 followersKathryn Lasky, also known as Kathryn Lasky Knight and E. L. Swann, is an award-winning American author of over one hundred books for children and adults. Best known for the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series, her work has been translated into 19 languages and includes historical fiction, fantasy, and nonfiction.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
June 27, 2025
Overall Rating : B
"We need bold, new owls, with bold, new ideas."
"We need bold, new owls, with bold, new ideas."
July 4, 2021
REVIEW: The Rise of a Legend (Guardians of Ga'Hoole, #16), Kathryn Lasky
RATING: 3.5/5 stars
This time, I've actually finished the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series with this prequel about Ezylryb. I was not excited to plow through another book after struggling through the terrors of the last few, but I have to admit: this wasn't as awful as anticipated. I enjoyed myself more during this book than the many of the more recent installments, which is probably due to the absence of the poorly-represented "Asian" owls. However, that does not erase some major consistency issues throughout the entire tale. Per usual, I'm here to crush your expectations about a children's book through brutal English major analysis. Luckily, I do have several good points to mention for this book, too.
Right off the bat, I have to say that this is one of the most depressing books of the whole series. Considering that there are sixteen books in total, and the very first one is an entire story about death and orphans: that's saying quite a bit. This book has so much death and so many gruesome battle scenes. I don't mind it as an adult, but there were occasions where I had to put the book down and stare at my wall in shock. Props to Lasky for introducing a swear word so close to the f-bomb in this novel. Ezylryb DESERVED to curse. Speaking of the teacher himself, the first person narration was actually really good! I was surprised by the sudden deviation, but it made for a more personal experience with one of the best characters in the entire series. Since it covered his lifetime from hatching to Soren's arrival at the tree, I was also reminded of a lot of the processes the band went through during their early days. There were some really nostalgic references that I appreciated, at least through Lyze's and Lysa's young eras.
Another asset of the book is that characters tend to actually contemplate emotions a little more than in *cough* a few other battle scenes I'm familiar with, particularly at the end of Book 15. I'd say this is especially true with grief, though Lasky does make the distinction of mourning wars generally with just somber attitudes and determinations and personal mourning. It's subtle, but the difference is definitely there, largely because of the language used. Ezylryb's likening of Lil's pink blood foaming in the ocean to her wedding flowers? Haunting. Stunning. The commentary on too much grief transforming into an indulgence? Genuinely a good point, while still being respectful of depression! My favorite quote had to be, "We owls are creatures of the night, companions of darkness. Our dreams blossom in darkness, and in the light, they wither and die." And as I've said from the very start of this series, I adore how they respect coexisting faiths. The brother's remark about faith and science acting in tandem - about there being more than one way to tell a story - is marvelous for a children's tale.
All of that being said, the book has its problems. The Krakish language integration is a bit excessive, in my opinion, since it was so similar to what was offered in the other books. We don't need the terms redefined anymore, and we definitely do not need 36 footnotes. I genuinely would have preferred to hear Ezylryb try to explain "ad yarpium," which was the FUNNIEST thing I read in any one of these books. I wasn't even going to do a review until I read that. I almost cried over that terminology, I was laughing so hard. I also think that Lasky needs to review the word succubus, or its connotations at the least. When I saw that word in this text, I about spit out my coffee.
The interjections from other characters like Octavia are unnecessary and boring. Ezylryb should have just narrated what happened. The scene with the Other was confusing, and it never got any less confusing when they referred back to it. Maybe it's just because I'm not a war buff? But I don't think that's the case, because I've also understood every other war plan or allusion that's been made thus far. Which is to say, a lot of them. I thought that the audience for Ezylryb's book was also very ambiguous. At times, it seemed like he was speaking to us as if we were his fellow owls who might be recounting his brave tales. But he specified so many things that owls should theoretically already know. I guess he could have been speaking to the wolves, or the snakes, or the snow leopards who came out of nowhere. Nevertheless, it was the inconsistency in his tone and direction that confused me. Either Ezylryb didn't pay attention when learning his rhetorical triangle, or Lasky just didn't know whether she wanted to treat this as a book to real readers or in-universe readers.
I would have given this book a higher rating if the ending wasn't so boring. The epilogue is just...a paragraph predicting Soren as the next king. Which we already know he does, because of that obnoxious Book 15 ending I mentioned before. I get it: Ezylryb is smart and he predicted something correctly. Good for him. The book would have been far better with a more war-influenced ending, whether that be a celebratory framework or a word of warning against battles. And I can't get over the continuation of these family cycles of betrayal and rule. Are owls just particularly prone to betraying each other? The trope is stale in this series, and it's actually just expected at this point.
I wouldn't be surprised if Lasky wrote this just as a coverup for the last ending. If Ezylryb predicts it, then what she did at the end of Book 15 is "rationalized." But I really don't think that's true. Soren had a solid destiny as a king, so that wasn't the issue; it was rushing grief and war that made readers annoyed. To be honest, this book kind of rushed war, too! For a series with battle as such a hot topic, you would think the structure of the books could have at least a little more variety than the entire combat segment being two chapters or less.
Overall, I did like this book and the slight variety it presented with the POV shift. However, it would have been greatly improved with some tweaks to Ezylryb's voice itself.
RATING: 3.5/5 stars
This time, I've actually finished the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series with this prequel about Ezylryb. I was not excited to plow through another book after struggling through the terrors of the last few, but I have to admit: this wasn't as awful as anticipated. I enjoyed myself more during this book than the many of the more recent installments, which is probably due to the absence of the poorly-represented "Asian" owls. However, that does not erase some major consistency issues throughout the entire tale. Per usual, I'm here to crush your expectations about a children's book through brutal English major analysis. Luckily, I do have several good points to mention for this book, too.
Right off the bat, I have to say that this is one of the most depressing books of the whole series. Considering that there are sixteen books in total, and the very first one is an entire story about death and orphans: that's saying quite a bit. This book has so much death and so many gruesome battle scenes. I don't mind it as an adult, but there were occasions where I had to put the book down and stare at my wall in shock. Props to Lasky for introducing a swear word so close to the f-bomb in this novel. Ezylryb DESERVED to curse. Speaking of the teacher himself, the first person narration was actually really good! I was surprised by the sudden deviation, but it made for a more personal experience with one of the best characters in the entire series. Since it covered his lifetime from hatching to Soren's arrival at the tree, I was also reminded of a lot of the processes the band went through during their early days. There were some really nostalgic references that I appreciated, at least through Lyze's and Lysa's young eras.
Another asset of the book is that characters tend to actually contemplate emotions a little more than in *cough* a few other battle scenes I'm familiar with, particularly at the end of Book 15. I'd say this is especially true with grief, though Lasky does make the distinction of mourning wars generally with just somber attitudes and determinations and personal mourning. It's subtle, but the difference is definitely there, largely because of the language used. Ezylryb's likening of Lil's pink blood foaming in the ocean to her wedding flowers? Haunting. Stunning. The commentary on too much grief transforming into an indulgence? Genuinely a good point, while still being respectful of depression! My favorite quote had to be, "We owls are creatures of the night, companions of darkness. Our dreams blossom in darkness, and in the light, they wither and die." And as I've said from the very start of this series, I adore how they respect coexisting faiths. The brother's remark about faith and science acting in tandem - about there being more than one way to tell a story - is marvelous for a children's tale.
All of that being said, the book has its problems. The Krakish language integration is a bit excessive, in my opinion, since it was so similar to what was offered in the other books. We don't need the terms redefined anymore, and we definitely do not need 36 footnotes. I genuinely would have preferred to hear Ezylryb try to explain "ad yarpium," which was the FUNNIEST thing I read in any one of these books. I wasn't even going to do a review until I read that. I almost cried over that terminology, I was laughing so hard. I also think that Lasky needs to review the word succubus, or its connotations at the least. When I saw that word in this text, I about spit out my coffee.
The interjections from other characters like Octavia are unnecessary and boring. Ezylryb should have just narrated what happened. The scene with the Other was confusing, and it never got any less confusing when they referred back to it. Maybe it's just because I'm not a war buff? But I don't think that's the case, because I've also understood every other war plan or allusion that's been made thus far. Which is to say, a lot of them. I thought that the audience for Ezylryb's book was also very ambiguous. At times, it seemed like he was speaking to us as if we were his fellow owls who might be recounting his brave tales. But he specified so many things that owls should theoretically already know. I guess he could have been speaking to the wolves, or the snakes, or the snow leopards who came out of nowhere. Nevertheless, it was the inconsistency in his tone and direction that confused me. Either Ezylryb didn't pay attention when learning his rhetorical triangle, or Lasky just didn't know whether she wanted to treat this as a book to real readers or in-universe readers.
I would have given this book a higher rating if the ending wasn't so boring. The epilogue is just...a paragraph predicting Soren as the next king. Which we already know he does, because of that obnoxious Book 15 ending I mentioned before. I get it: Ezylryb is smart and he predicted something correctly. Good for him. The book would have been far better with a more war-influenced ending, whether that be a celebratory framework or a word of warning against battles. And I can't get over the continuation of these family cycles of betrayal and rule. Are owls just particularly prone to betraying each other? The trope is stale in this series, and it's actually just expected at this point.
I wouldn't be surprised if Lasky wrote this just as a coverup for the last ending. If Ezylryb predicts it, then what she did at the end of Book 15 is "rationalized." But I really don't think that's true. Soren had a solid destiny as a king, so that wasn't the issue; it was rushing grief and war that made readers annoyed. To be honest, this book kind of rushed war, too! For a series with battle as such a hot topic, you would think the structure of the books could have at least a little more variety than the entire combat segment being two chapters or less.
Overall, I did like this book and the slight variety it presented with the POV shift. However, it would have been greatly improved with some tweaks to Ezylryb's voice itself.
February 7, 2014
I think this book was a really good book. It was exciting. It was amazing. For anyone who likes the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series I highly recommend this book. It has action, adventure and sorrow.
This book was about a small hatch-ling named Lyze who grows to be the wise Elzryb who teaches at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. It takes a good look into the his life before he becomes the great teacher at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. So if you like Guardians of GaHoole make sure you check this one out! It's a great bonus!
This book was about a small hatch-ling named Lyze who grows to be the wise Elzryb who teaches at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. It takes a good look into the his life before he becomes the great teacher at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. So if you like Guardians of GaHoole make sure you check this one out! It's a great bonus!
November 2, 2019
This was the backstory of Ezylryb, the oldest owl and teacher at the Great Ga'Hoole tree. There was lots of action and heart. I really enjoyed getting back to this world. I got started reading this series when my daughter was in elementary school and saw them while volunteering at the school library.
May 5, 2021
I read the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series when I was in school, and since then they've been my favorite book series of all time. Even as an adult, something about the world of Ga'Hoole captures my imagination more than any other series that I've read. I love the characters, I love the story, and I love the detail Mrs. Lasky goes into when describing the different environments. Although I think the series went on for a little too long, I'm glad we got more, and the ending of "The War of the Ember" felt so satisfying. Bittersweet, yes, but satisfying. So when I heard that Mrs. Lasky was writing a prequel on one of Ga'Hoole's most beloved characters, I admit I was a little apprehensive. Ezylryb was the mentor figure of the books, someone whose backstory remained mostly anonymous. To give him a prequel novel would be like giving Obi-Wan Kenobi or Albus Dumbledore a prequel.
Still, as a die-hard fan of the series, I couldn't avoid this story forever. After some coaxing from my friends, I decided to buy the book and read it shortly after finishing "The Lost Tales of Ga'Hoole", and what did I think? Well, it was certainly good, but I wouldn't call it my favorite out of all the Ga'Hoole books.
The story was well executed and detailed, and Ezylryb's (or rather Lyze of Kiel's) personality as a hatchling was very amusing considering how he turns out in time, but at the same time I thought the story itself was extremely problematic. A majority of the characters weren't fleshed out, and because of that they get little to no development. Lyze's relationship with Ifghar went nowhere. The story tries to explain this with the fact that Lyze never connected to Ifghar when they were hatchlings, but I still feel like it could have been developed more. Speaking of which, Ifghar and Gragg's intentions were never explained, so their rise to villainy and corruption feels forced (on that note, I feel their characters had no purpose in the original series either. You could have cut them out and nothing would've changed). The main villain of the story, Bylyric, felt like a nobody. He had no personal connection to Lyze or his friends, even though he is the source of their misery, and the reason the War of the Ice Talons continued for longer than it should, and he doesn't appear until the very end of the story where he is killed rather quickly. I know this story is written from Ezylryb's first-person view, but The First Collier was written in a similar manner, and that story was perfectly rounded with great characters and relationships.
Oh, if you're not a fan of the consequences of war, and the endless violence, depression, and death that it brings about, then you're in for a treat. Whenever something happy happens in Lyze's life, whenever something comes along to bring joy and love to his heart, it is immediately taken away from him by the tragedy of war. Every. Single. Time. It is heartbreaking to read about what Lyze goes through, to the point where the book becomes unpleasant to read. I understand that this is what war is like, and how it affects regular people, but it becomes a bit too much for me. Maybe I'm just that type of person.
There is also one part that I found very odd, and a little out of place in the Ga'Hoolian world. At one point in the story, Lyze and his friends discover the frozen body of a human mountain climber. Now, humans existed in Ga'Hoole, but they've all vanished at this point. It is fascinating to see the characters examine the human, and the modern tools he used to climb the mountain before his un-timely death, but then they find his still working flare gun...It's so weird imagining owls taking a gun, shooting it, and re-loading it in battle, it felt so out of place. This does lead into an important lesson everyone learns later on, and has Lyze pondering on how the humans became extinct, but the build up to it is beyond weird.
Overall, despite the negativity I heaved all over the place, I don't hate "The Rise of a Legend", or "The Book of Ezylryb" as the alternate title is called. Although there was room for lots of improvement, I feel it was still well told for the most part, and who knows, maybe it will grow on me over time.
Still, as a die-hard fan of the series, I couldn't avoid this story forever. After some coaxing from my friends, I decided to buy the book and read it shortly after finishing "The Lost Tales of Ga'Hoole", and what did I think? Well, it was certainly good, but I wouldn't call it my favorite out of all the Ga'Hoole books.
The story was well executed and detailed, and Ezylryb's (or rather Lyze of Kiel's) personality as a hatchling was very amusing considering how he turns out in time, but at the same time I thought the story itself was extremely problematic. A majority of the characters weren't fleshed out, and because of that they get little to no development. Lyze's relationship with Ifghar went nowhere. The story tries to explain this with the fact that Lyze never connected to Ifghar when they were hatchlings, but I still feel like it could have been developed more. Speaking of which, Ifghar and Gragg's intentions were never explained, so their rise to villainy and corruption feels forced (on that note, I feel their characters had no purpose in the original series either. You could have cut them out and nothing would've changed). The main villain of the story, Bylyric, felt like a nobody. He had no personal connection to Lyze or his friends, even though he is the source of their misery, and the reason the War of the Ice Talons continued for longer than it should, and he doesn't appear until the very end of the story where he is killed rather quickly. I know this story is written from Ezylryb's first-person view, but The First Collier was written in a similar manner, and that story was perfectly rounded with great characters and relationships.
Oh, if you're not a fan of the consequences of war, and the endless violence, depression, and death that it brings about, then you're in for a treat. Whenever something happy happens in Lyze's life, whenever something comes along to bring joy and love to his heart, it is immediately taken away from him by the tragedy of war. Every. Single. Time. It is heartbreaking to read about what Lyze goes through, to the point where the book becomes unpleasant to read. I understand that this is what war is like, and how it affects regular people, but it becomes a bit too much for me. Maybe I'm just that type of person.
There is also one part that I found very odd, and a little out of place in the Ga'Hoolian world. At one point in the story, Lyze and his friends discover the frozen body of a human mountain climber. Now, humans existed in Ga'Hoole, but they've all vanished at this point. It is fascinating to see the characters examine the human, and the modern tools he used to climb the mountain before his un-timely death, but then they find his still working flare gun...It's so weird imagining owls taking a gun, shooting it, and re-loading it in battle, it felt so out of place. This does lead into an important lesson everyone learns later on, and has Lyze pondering on how the humans became extinct, but the build up to it is beyond weird.
Overall, despite the negativity I heaved all over the place, I don't hate "The Rise of a Legend", or "The Book of Ezylryb" as the alternate title is called. Although there was room for lots of improvement, I feel it was still well told for the most part, and who knows, maybe it will grow on me over time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2013
I'd been looking very forward to this book ever since its announcement; I've read and reread the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series for years. It was beyond exciting to hear that the Ga'Hoole series wasn't completely gone for good; and what a wonderful book to surprise us all with! I always love Ezylryb's character and getting more of a full backstory on him is a fantastic idea.
I'll admit, the last several books in the main series had bored me somewhat, but this definitely punches in more excitement. The art that's added in between segments is also beautiful! I'd read the first chapter of this book earlier this week when I got a copy. This evening, I read the rest of the entire thing because it was incredibly enticing! I love how a lot of characters that appear in the main series are featured in here, whether they're super involved in the story or not, which also helped refresh my memory on the series a bit.
I really hope that Kathryn Lasky considers doing this with some other characters; it'd be incredibly interesting to see a book like this about Nyra and how she got to where she was *War of the Ember Spoilers* as a hagsfiend, or Kludd's journey and promotions while training with the Pure Ones!
January 28, 2024
This is definitely the best book in the series. Parts one and parts two, which compose over 3/4 of the book, are essentially flawless and tell an excellent story from the beginning of ezylrib's life. The annotations at the bottom also are quite good and serve to add little tidbits of extra information without packing it into the text itself. The very end of the book has two more parts, and the third part unfortunately is incredibly brief. This author has always had an issue with final confrontations where she seems to think having two owls collide and instantly die or have one escape with no explanation is a acceptable ending. It always leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and this one is no exception. When you have such an incredibly long build-up, you want to have this triumphant experience in the end, and like every single other book in the series this one doesn't do it. However the last part concludes nicely and you get to learn a large and important backstory to one of the best characters. If you're going to read one book in this series, this one should be it, despite its briefness at the end.
June 8, 2020
I started reading this book to my sons without having read any of the other Guardians of Ga’oole books. I felt frustrated with it right from the start. The made up language sounded like gibberish, and the descriptions of all the different weapons and such bored me. It seemed so childlike until it came to the gory details of death and detailed descriptions of battle injuries. Then I felt like it was too much. I would have given it only one star, but my one son liked it so I give it two. Maybe it was great for some people, but definitely not for me. I will not be reading any others in the series.
October 8, 2013
Alright, so this is a spinoff to the Guardians of Ga'hoole series, and I already rated two of them, I would recommend reading 1-3 of the series to get to know this character, even though he is not mentioned in the 1st one, I would still read one anyways. Alright, so enough of that, when I saw this book at the book fair, I was excited for it, and bought it right away. This one is the memoir of Ezylryb, a teacher at the great tree, it is about his days as a owlet and young adult, during the times of the 100 year war, also known as the war of the ice talons. Though I only have one problem, it kind of throws away some of the stories away, like in the other spinoff, lost tales of Ga'hoole, one of the stories is about a family of snowy owls after the war, which the sisters become important side characters in the series, and it says they hatched out after the war, but in this book the older sister is a blacksmith in the war. Anyways this book is great and it gets two thumbs up from me.
August 21, 2013
Guardians of Ga’hoole The Rise of a Legend by Katherine Lasky- 5th/6th grade and up, Animal Fantasy- interesting prequel to the Ga’Hoole series although at times I found it a little scattered jumping from one character to the next… Appreciated the celebration of creativity and innovation along with respect for inter species cooperation and female role models… This was not my favorite piece of the series but for die-hard fans, it is an essential component.
August 7, 2021
The final book in a fantasy series about a young owl and his friends finding their places in the world as scholars and fighters for intellectual freedom against evil owls attempting to set up a Nazi-like regime
April 27, 2023
This books has two major contradictions, the first one being about the death of Lysa.
On page 104, Lyze finds out that Lysa suffocated to death from smoke inhalation in their family hollow. But in ‘A Guide Book To The Great Tree,’ on Page 64, Ifghar describes that Lysa fell from their hollow and a coyote grabbed and killed her once she was on the ground.
The second contradiction is about the reasoning as to why Ifghars battle claws got taken away.
On page 235, Lyze and Thora watch Ifghar bully another owl. Thora takes Ifghars Battle claws off him and smelts then into a pot. But, in ‘A Guide To The Great Tree,’ on page 84, it is written that Ifghar and Lyze got into an argument after Ifghar suggested doing a peace treaty to end the war. Lyze took his battle claws away from him and exclaimed that he isn’t worthy to have them.
I absolutely loved how this book hints that humans, in which the owls call the ‘Others,’ went extinct because ‘they fell in love with weapons and assured their own destruction.’ This literally is most likely how Homo sapiens will go extinct.
On page 104, Lyze finds out that Lysa suffocated to death from smoke inhalation in their family hollow. But in ‘A Guide Book To The Great Tree,’ on Page 64, Ifghar describes that Lysa fell from their hollow and a coyote grabbed and killed her once she was on the ground.
The second contradiction is about the reasoning as to why Ifghars battle claws got taken away.
On page 235, Lyze and Thora watch Ifghar bully another owl. Thora takes Ifghars Battle claws off him and smelts then into a pot. But, in ‘A Guide To The Great Tree,’ on page 84, it is written that Ifghar and Lyze got into an argument after Ifghar suggested doing a peace treaty to end the war. Lyze took his battle claws away from him and exclaimed that he isn’t worthy to have them.
I absolutely loved how this book hints that humans, in which the owls call the ‘Others,’ went extinct because ‘they fell in love with weapons and assured their own destruction.’ This literally is most likely how Homo sapiens will go extinct.
May 31, 2024
Phenomenal. I had read the entire Ga'hoole and Beyond series before I knew this book existed. I found it when I decided I want to rebuy the entire Ga'hoole series one day. I had to add this one to my collect, I've been a Ga'hoole fan since I was a kid. I'm only now getting around to reading this book and I was immediately placed right back into the world of Ga'hoole as if I never left.
Although the plot seemed rushed, it flowed wonderfully. The reader gets to see Lyze's life from hatchling to his battle life to his life at the Ga'hoole tree. The story is action packed. We meet some of Lyze's friends, his mate, and Octavia the snake. I absolutely loved it. I makes me want to reread the series, or maybe finish the Bears of the Ice series.
Although the plot seemed rushed, it flowed wonderfully. The reader gets to see Lyze's life from hatchling to his battle life to his life at the Ga'hoole tree. The story is action packed. We meet some of Lyze's friends, his mate, and Octavia the snake. I absolutely loved it. I makes me want to reread the series, or maybe finish the Bears of the Ice series.
June 25, 2019
My favorite part was when Lyze and his friends were happy, before everything bad happened such as Lysa dying, Lyze's father dying, the war coming closer, Lil dying, and what ever happened to Ifghar. My least favorite part was when all of these bad things happened. The worst was probably when Lysa died, because I was looking forward to her playing an important part in the rest of the book. I was glad though, that when Lyze decided never to fight again, that Octavia managed to help him not just sit around and grieve for the rest of his life, and he became Ezylryb and went to the Great Tree.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2022
While the story itself was thrilling and evoked a wide variety of emotion, I feel that this book didn't quite hit the mark in comparison to Lasky's previous books. It was interesting seeing Lyze's backstory, but in a way I feel that the story mirrored the previous Guardians books too closely and it felt a bit like a repeat. That being said, it was still a good read and I always enjoy Lasky's work. The world of the Guardians has so much well-thought depth that I love seeing, and this book definitely shed more light on a less explored part of that world.
November 5, 2022
This was a nice little read to go more into depth about Ezylryb and how he came to be at the Ga’Hoole Tree. It was a sad way to hear how at least 2 of his 3 siblings ended up dying but the third is unknown, I didn’t understand if the 3rd sibling died or not from the battle. And then his brother loving his wife??? I wish the author described about that if it was an actual love triangle or his brother was obsessed with his wife… I need that cleared up, thanks 😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2023
the rise of a legend is a wonderful telling of ezylryb's backstory. i knew what was coming at the ending, but it still tore me to shreds. i loved the way it was written as an autobiography; it allowed for ezylryb's personality and experience to shine through. anyways i think little me is happy i finally finished these books <33
May 16, 2017
Astonishing
I thoroughly enjoyed this book because I had absolutely no idea of what Ezylryb's backstory was completely.This book is a descriptive prequel to ALL the other Gaurdians of Ga'hoole books, so I recommend that you read it first.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book because I had absolutely no idea of what Ezylryb's backstory was completely.This book is a descriptive prequel to ALL the other Gaurdians of Ga'hoole books, so I recommend that you read it first.
October 31, 2019
This series is for children and adults alike who seriously enjoy a wonderful fantasy escape and even after 16 books I will never tire of this series I've read and re-read it that many times it is truly a wonderful world Kathryn Lasky has built.
April 14, 2020
This is my daughter's favorite of all the Guardians of Ga'Hoole books and I can see why. It is very engaging. It reminds of "Watership Down" in that I feel like I'm actually with these animals characters and feeling the intensity of their emotions.
November 6, 2020
This is by far the best book in the series. It tells the story of one of the most beloved characters that we know little about beforehand. This also explains some of the character's motives and why he does certain things, although it would be better as a standalone than the end of a series.
June 20, 2023
Justice for Ifghar, he could've been such a cool character. Like Lyze having a weird, unwarranted hate for his lil bro was such an interesting conflict. Instead, it ends up cosmically justified because Ifghar goes rogue. The potential for something. everything. was right there...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2019
This wasn't what I was expecting. Such a disappointing move.
August 5, 2019
A lot of terminology that sometimes got in the way of the story, but otherwise a nice little tale.
December 30, 2019
Great book. I loved that I got to read the story of Liez of Kiel.
July 7, 2020
I loved this book. I read it when I was a teenager. I did not know it was a part of a series until recently. Now I have a lot of books to read.
Read
November 9, 2020DNF. Either I've outgrown this series, or it reads way too much like a checklist of events. Maybe it's time to reread the main series in full 🤔
Read
December 7, 2020lmao childhood nostalgia
July 17, 2022
Sad but heart worming.
March 29, 2023
I love the Guardians of Ga’Hoole books. LOVE them!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews