The Golden Tree

Guardians of Ga'Hoole #12

by Kathryn Lasky

Soren and the Band are back. Coryn has retrieved the ember and it seems a golden age is dawning at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. But all that is golden in not necessarily good. Soren, Twilight, Gylfie, and Digger face their biggest challenge yet as the young king, haunted by suspicion that haggish blood flows in his veins, hunts for the truth. His wanderings imperil himself and the good guardians who travel with him.

Meanwhile, back at the tree, the influence of the ember is strong- and strange. The tree changes, as do the guardians left to govern in the young king's absence. Otulissa objects to the strange new ways, and her outspokenness puts her in grave danger. Someone must get word to Soren and the Band. But who?

Genres: Fantasy, Animals, Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Adventure, Young Adult

192 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2007

About the author

Kathryn 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.

Reviews

[AziaMinor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall Rating : B

Blood hardly defines one's character. We are made by our actions, not our blood."

[Mijo Stumpf · Rating 1 out of 5]

You’ve really gone and hooted this one up, haven’t you Kathryn? What in the frinkin frink did I just read? You know it’s very ambitious to turn your central body of owls from the most learned and advanced culture into a bunch of cultists all in 150 pages, but by Glaux, she’s done it!
Also my favorite part was like when an owl was like “you know what? I need to go on a diet cuz I’m just such a fat old bird lol”
Also the climatic battle being like two paragraphs long

That’s ok, though! We’ve still got 4 more and we can really turn this owly train wreck around! Hoot hoot!

[Ritika · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little sobering up after the high of the preceding three books, most being the laying of the premise for further action, with subtle moral undertones.

[Megan Bering · Rating 3 out of 5]

I cannot believe this book about owls was secretly about religious extremism

[Amara Tanith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I think this is the point that Guardians of Ga'Hoole and I part ways, at least for quite some time. I told myself I was going to finish out this terrible, terrible series, but... nope, can't do it. Maybe someday in the far off future I'll be able to force myself to slog through the rest of this nonsense, but for the meantime, I have far too many other things--significantly more enjoyable, less aggravating things--to be doing with my time.

[Aparajitabasu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 12, The Golden Tree may as well be the best book of the whole series, although 15 books is stretching my interest.


After the mid-mini series of the Legends Triology the Band finally makes a comeback, and Coryn is getting used to being King. Soren's chicks also hatch, though I was disappointed there wasn't much about them in The Golden Tree.

Coryn and the Band go on a journey to discover whether Nyra is really a hagsfiend, and if Coryn's blood is tainted due to his evil heritage, but end up finding out something totally different and possibly even more dangerous. A dark secret from the past is unearthed, and is in Nyra's clutches. Coryn and the Band need to stop Nyra before it's too late, and an important, beloved character nearly dies (i'm not revealing the name, it'll spoil all the fun), and another character does die. I was practically on the edge of my seat with excitement!

Meanwhile, in Coryn's absence, Otulissa is left to deal with the annoying Whiskered Screech Owl, Gemma, and Elyan the Great Gray Owl. Both have become obsessed with the Ember of Hoole, and many Guardians start to follow them. Eventually, even Otulissa is powerless to stop them, and the Guardians' only hope of alerting Coryn lies in one of the most unlikely of owls.


A character mentioned in Book 1, Bess the Boreal Owl, Grimble's favorite daughter, reappears as the Keeper of the Palace of Mists in The Golden Tree. However, Bess, like Soren's daughters, Pellimore, and Eglantine, also has no dialogue, except for flashbacks.

One of the book's greatest surprises was Madame Plonk's amazing personality transformation, from a spoiled, fat old singer to a warrior gadfeather. There are also hints at new romances, and a brand-new owl kingdom.

[Kryptomite · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Golden tree picks back up with our heroes, and brings with it a slew of serious issues from the owl's past. This book did a great job of bringing about several catastrophes while also providing a logical way to end them, as well as a mystery to continue on into further books. One of the stronger books in the series.

[Logan Chaput · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of Interesting things happened in this book and it told a lot about some of the characters and also talked about the Ember of Hoole. I definitely would recommend this book to others.

[Xenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nachdem die letzten drei Bücher von den alten Legenden handelten, war Der Zauber genau das worauf ich gewartet hatte. Endlich ging die Geschichte rund um die Viererbande weiter.

[Jaida · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great lesson when it comes to worshiping idols. This showed how dangerous idol worshiping can be to ones one mind.

[William Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book i read it in one day

[Joshua Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

My personal opinion on this book is that it had a interesting and just plot, it just didn't seem there was to much action within the story. What I mean by that is some scenes never got to intreging, the vibe of the story still stayed the same. That's the only flaw really I have to say about the story. Something I have learned from this book is too stand up for your own opinion and too do whats right. If you love adventurous books involving animals then this series is for you. I would love to reread this series again but there are more other books that i now wish to read. Who knows maybe I will reread some of the books. I also hope as well for someone new to the series to take a interest in thses amazing series.

[Cbilinski3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coyron wanted his retrieval of the ember to bring about a great time for owl kind. But the Ember transfixed the minds of the guardians and they started to worship it. So Coyron put a stop to that by eliminating all of the ceremonies for the ember and restored the guardians to their former glory. Then Coyron makes a decision that will provide a long-term solution for the storage of the ember so that never happens again. The Golden Tree is about friendship, nobility, and determination.

[Jade · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as I adore this series, I feel like the story really died out with the original arc. The whole Coryn setting, and whatever the setting was in this book, is confusing, not well-developed, and just seems like filler more than anything. It was an okay book, but it wasn't a great book.

[Tina Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good parable about creating false gods and the misuse of power.

[Antonio Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our main cast-and-crew go off on a little escapade to cheer the young king up, yet danger looms overhead.

Back at the tree, a force of heretics set up ritual, law, and condemnation of the righteous traditions of the Great Tree as their fascination with the Ember of Hoole turns into idolatry. Elsewhere, the leader of the Pure Ones, Nyra, attempts to gain the ancient knowledge of the hagsfiends, and the relationship between our king and the ember get wrapped up into her psychotic schemes.



This was a return to form.

For me as a Christian, the use of religious imagery in this series has always fascinated me, and the allegorical nature of many of the Ga'Hoole stories should definitely be considered. When I've introduced this series to others, I always say "Yeah, it's about talking owls and their experiences with how outside influences in the church can impact their beliefs and actions." The Golden Tree perfects that. Several ideas are lined out. What if a good thing in a church can become a symbol of idolatry? What is heresy? What can leaning on power outside of God do to a person? Can prosperity lead to stagnation?

On that last one, I think this quote from Otulissa in chapter 14 sums it up perfectly, "How she longed for a true season of white rain, when the berries would turn the color of dried bones and the tree, leafless… against a wintry sky." It is the normalcy of life in this book that is threatened by political intrigue, cult-like influencers, and the glorification of the material. And on the surface, it seems like a burst of prosperity— yet at the very same time a block on the natural course of earth’s rotation around the sun: winter. And yet we seem to block our own courses in our own lives when we refuse to let go of the things we need to let go of, hold on to our own idols in our imaginations, and stop continuously working at the things we need to work at.

The plot with the Guardians of the Guardians of the Ember (or GGE, for short) seemed very similar to a story we find in the biblical narrative (no surprise given Lasky's Jewish background) from 2 King 18:4. The new king of Judah, Hezekiah, "crushed the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the children of Israel had made offerings to it. They called it Nehushtan." Here we see the Ember of Hoole and Coryn's hiding of it as a clear allegory for this moment. But how many times do we do this in the church today? We place one aspect of the Christian life— music, service, tithing— above devotion to Christ and the spread of His gospel!

Lasky's latter books in this saga seem to suffer from undefined plotting, and the ending did suffer from that. I understand why she would want to incorporate so many elements from the prequel series, to tie it all up, yet that adds extra characters that have to be wrapped up in this book. Also, the battle with Nyra and her forces seemed rushed from its initiation. I would have liked to see some correspondence with the Pure Ones and the GGE cult, but that connection was not in the story.

If you have stuck along so-far in these adventures with the Band and their exploits, I would encourage you to read The Golden Tree.

[WendyTheOwl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*

FR
J'étais très heureuse de pouvoir retrouvé mes personnages préférés après trois tomes que je n'ai pas aimé (et qui aurait dû être un spin-off et pas intégré dans la saga principale, mais ça, c'est un autre sujet !).
Pour moi, depuis que Coryn est arrivé dans la trame de l'histoire, j'ai l'impression que j'ai perdu un peu de l'intérêt que j'avais pour cette saga.
J'ai assez bien aimé, mais ça reste une lecture "moyenne" et c'est dommage, car j'aimais énormément.
Je continuerai, bien sur, mais voilà. J'espère juste pouvoir me replonger dedans avec plus de plaisir !

ENG
I was very happy to find my favorite characters after three books that I did not like (and which should have been a spin-off and not integrated into the main saga, but that is another subject !) .
For me, since Coryn got into the story line, I feel like I've lost some of the interest I had in this saga.
I liked it quite well, but it's still an "average" reading and that's a shame, because I liked it a lot.
I will continue, of course, but... I just hope I can dive back into it with more pleasure !

[Cassie Holmes-Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple of contradictions occurred within this book, the first one being about the gender of the mystic rabbit. In book 8 on page 142, it is quoted “The name ‘Fengo’ had shown up in the web that the rabbit was reading, and she had told Coryn.” ‘She’ referring to the rabbit.
But then in book 12 on page 34, it is quoted that “he had no name.” ‘He’ referring to the rabbit.
So is the rabbit a boy or a girl?

The other contradiction has to do with teeth. In book one, Sorens father “….explained that they were something that owls didn’t have, but most other animals did.”
But then in book 12 on page 165, Nyra is described with battle claws being held in her teeth.
We literally learnt in the first book that owls did not have teeth.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew I was gonna like this one!...
This series just keeps getting better and better.
Can't wait to read the next book.

**SPOILERS**


So many good twists! Definitely didn't see the band of friends discovering vyrwolves!
The GGE was creepy... No one should have treated the Ember like a god or something to be worshiped... I thought the Ember was controlling them.
When the Ember's powers come to Coryn when he needed help in battle was incredible!
I hope they can defeat Nyra...

[Isla Scout · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tree is golden, the ember is guarded when the king leaves. Maybe too well. The owls have made many more rules. There is a jail in the tree! They praise the ember like a god. Meanwhile, there is a fight in the beyond. Twilight nearly dies. The king goes back to the tree and fixes it. This book is amazing!

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son loved these! He read them in about 3rd grade. I didn't share his love, but then I'm an adult and I experienced the story from a totally different point of view (I mean, fighting owls??! It was hard for me to get into.) I was willing to let him read whatever it took to get him to reading fluently and I was just happy to see him immersed in a book.

[Twyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite part was when Coryn got everyone in the great tree to start acting normal again after they started to act like the others. My least favorite part was when Otulissa and Primrose were imprisoned in the great tree.

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

these books play fast and loose with both time and geography; a bold choice for a book with a map in the front. I know, there are talking owls, why should I care that an relatively short cave system starts in one kindow and ends in another kingdom that doesn't even border the first kingdom?

[Jessi Collier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this series as a young teen with my Mom. I remember loving the story, the information about the owls, the conflict between good and evil, the adventure! They were great books to read as a family.

[★ Dreamfyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5✨

Nah, cause I actually thought that Twilight and Digger were goners 💀

This book was definitely a breath of fresh air in comparison to the last three books. I enjoy the OG gang and I really enjoy Coryn.

I’m starting a petition; I need an adult version of the series, with a new tv show 😂

[allseeingTrifecta · Rating 4 out of 5]

You're probably going to see a drop in rankings after this one - from what I remember, I *really* don't like this next arc.

This book is mostly fine tbh? A few more "tell don't show" moments but . Idk like I said before it's a kids series

[Zoey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ember of Hoole has driven the owls crazy, they have forgotten their oaths as Guardians and now worship a thing that has some magical properties. Coryn and the band are out on a quest to discover the truth and gather the wolves of the beyond.

[Christine Lamoreaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these little books so much. Every one of them is a 5 star read and I highly recommend the entire series. Lasky is a genius.

[Brandon Fincham · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.goodreads.com/amazon_purc...#

[Iden · Rating 4 out of 5]

twiglight almost died