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Ranger's Apprentice: The Royal Ranger #6
Arazan's Wolves
International bestselling author John Flanagan returns to world of Ranger's Apprentice in the sixth installment of the Royal Ranger series in which Maddie and Will must travel to Celtica to investigate a series of dire wolf attacks and a dangerous sorceress.
When Maddie and Will get a message that dire wolves--huge misshapen changelings, much larger than regular wolves--have been marauding and attacking through the hills and valleys of Celtica, the Rangers are sent on a mission to unravel just who or what is behind these dangerous creatures.
Will isn't anxious to return to Celtica, especially approaching the Rift. And as they travel, Maddie must grapple with their growing dealings with the spiritual and supernatural. But they are Rangers--and they will do whatever it takes to accomplish their mission. After they receive some offers of help from locals, Will and Maddie learn the name of the sorceress behind these strange and dangerous attacks, Arazan, along with the location of her hideout.
On the way to take her down once and for all, the Rangers must face direwolves, wargals, dark magic, and more. And as Arazan's desires lead her to the most evil of powers, Will and Maddie must form a plan of action that can outwit not just the sorceress but the darkest forces from the beyond.
When Maddie and Will get a message that dire wolves--huge misshapen changelings, much larger than regular wolves--have been marauding and attacking through the hills and valleys of Celtica, the Rangers are sent on a mission to unravel just who or what is behind these dangerous creatures.
Will isn't anxious to return to Celtica, especially approaching the Rift. And as they travel, Maddie must grapple with their growing dealings with the spiritual and supernatural. But they are Rangers--and they will do whatever it takes to accomplish their mission. After they receive some offers of help from locals, Will and Maddie learn the name of the sorceress behind these strange and dangerous attacks, Arazan, along with the location of her hideout.
On the way to take her down once and for all, the Rangers must face direwolves, wargals, dark magic, and more. And as Arazan's desires lead her to the most evil of powers, Will and Maddie must form a plan of action that can outwit not just the sorceress but the darkest forces from the beyond.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 5, 2023
282 people are currently reading
3700 people want to read
About the author
John Flanagan
114 books9,253 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
For mysteries by this same author, see John A. Flanagan.
John Flanagan grew up in Sydney, Australia, hoping to be a writer. It wasn't until he wrote a highly uncomplimentary poem about a senior executive at the agency where he worked, however, that his talent was revealed. It turned out one of the company directors agreed with John's assessment of the executive, and happily agreed to train John in copywriting.
After writing advertising copy for the next two decades, John teamed with an old friend to develop a television sitcom, Hey Dad!, which went on to air for eight years.
John began writing Ranger's Apprentice for his son, Michael, ten years ago, and is still hard at work on the series.
He currently lives in a suburb of Manly, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons.
For mysteries by this same author, see John A. Flanagan.
John Flanagan grew up in Sydney, Australia, hoping to be a writer. It wasn't until he wrote a highly uncomplimentary poem about a senior executive at the agency where he worked, however, that his talent was revealed. It turned out one of the company directors agreed with John's assessment of the executive, and happily agreed to train John in copywriting.
After writing advertising copy for the next two decades, John teamed with an old friend to develop a television sitcom, Hey Dad!, which went on to air for eight years.
John began writing Ranger's Apprentice for his son, Michael, ten years ago, and is still hard at work on the series.
He currently lives in a suburb of Manly, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons.
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August 8, 2025
Look I know it wasn’t good
But I’m a simple human
But I’m a simple human
November 29, 2022
I never write reviews, but I will this one time. I don't think this will sway anyone buying this book; and it shouldn't. This review is personal and you should make your own decision buying this book. Consider this a place to vent my frustrations.
Ranger's Apprentice, and by extension Royal Ranger is my all-time favourite book series. I grew up with it, re-read it often as an adult and adore it. So I write this review with all the love I have for this series.
This book severely disappointed me. It feels like a short story idea extended into a full book. It almost feels like Flanagan didn't write this book.
We start off jumping into the quest immediately, Gilan visiting our two heroes to send them to Celtica, a country first visited way back in the second book of the original series. Direwolves, a creature of legend, have been sighted, and Celtica has asked for help tracking them down.
Unfortunately, this is where my problems begin. The first near-half of the book is just going through, describing the motions of what our two characters do. Now, this was always present in Ranger's apprentice books. It's one of the reasons I love this series so. The Slice of Ranger Life makes this series, but for some reason here (and to an extent, the previous couple of books) it really bothers me. It feels like straight descriptions, with no flair, almost no framing of Will teaching Maddy, barely any complications to challenge our heroes. We get practically none of the two great characters of Will and Maddy shining through here, there's no moments that they can show who they are. There's not even any mention of how Maddy's apprenticeship is going, how this journey fits into the wider world and story of Royal Ranger.
This book presents a story of overcoming fear for both of our heroes. Will, who is returning to the place of one of his greatest trauma, has to overcome the fear of facing the creatures that sent him on a many year long journey of servitude, slavery and addiction. Creatures, and places, he's never returned to since his childhood. Unfortunately this arc isn't really resolved. We get a nice scene later on where Will dwells upon his pivotal battle at the bridge, but beyond that it's kind of brushed aside.
Maddy has to overcome her fear of...I'm not sure? Maddy is characterised a bit strangley here, at first she is scared of the direwolves and our Villain, but that's barely shown. I think there's some fear of inadequacy, as she fails a few times during the story, but again, that's not really explored. Her arc has a weird resolution (which I will get to later).
My bother only increases as the true plot begins to unfold. This is where some people have already brought up issues; and I will too. The magic. Book 1-2 of Ranger's Apprentice had very, very soft magic. Implied mind dominance over some fantasy creatures. This quickly left the series as it felt like Flanagan found his legs, what he wanted from the setting. We had no mention of any fantasy creatures, or any magic after this. Even book 5-6, which was framed as a two-parter following a sorcerer took great pains in explaining how it all fit in scientifically. How so much of what people of this (vaguely medieval european setting and time) period considered to be sorcery was in fact just spun stories - this was a central idea around the rangers as a whole, from the very beginning!
This book throws that all out the window. There's a brief mention of the Sorcerer in the North here, about how there may truly be magic in the world, but then throws itself right into it. I don't have a problem exactly, with introducing true magic into this setting. But I definitely feel like the characters very readily accept it. It's especially strange for Will, having encountered so similar before to have it revealed as tricks, to accept that Rosemary blocks scrying, that demons are real and can be summoned through pentagrams, and that he needs to use silver-cast arrows to send it back to the demon realm. I really feel like it doesn't fit the wider world at all, and there's no time spent on trying to convince me it does. I'm just asked to accept it.
We then find that Arazan, of the sub-title's namesake, is responsible for these direwolf attacks, and that she's trying to summon a demon. The story changes tact to our heroes trying to chase Arazan down and stop her from summoning a demon - which we are asked to accept is a perfectly legitimate threat, as told by Evenstar, a character I haven't talked about yet, and don't really need to because she has no development whatsoever.
Not that Arazan gets any development either. We see so, so little of her throughout the whole story, only really seeing her in the flesh right at the end. We're told that she wants to summon the demon to rule the world or something, but only by Evenstar and really we don't ever get to know more than that. She's Just Evil(tm).
Morgarath, in Books 1-2 of Ranger's Apprentice, fufilled a similar role. He was Just Evil(tm). But back then, he didn't really need to be any more. The story wasn't really about him. The war with Morgarath was just the backdrop to the Ranger's Apprenticing, the friendship between Will, Halt, Horace and Cassandra. It was not a struggle against a villain, but rather just the setting for the story being told.
Arazan has none of those privileges. She's evil, we have to stop her, and we just have to accept that. We get no backstory, no motivation beyond "I want to rule the world" or something, and no clash of wits or foil to our main characters. She's just There.
And so we beat Arazan through perhaps the only scene that feels classic Ranger's Apprentice, with a bit of ingenuity - at least within the arbitrary rules this new magic we know nothing about - and that's that. Maddy gets a final win to kill the final Direwolf; resolving her arc of overcoming her fear, but as I said earlier, this was barely present in the book to begin with.
In the final sentence of the book, Maddy expresses the wishes of how she could forget this adventure she traveled on. I can't help but agree with her, but I fear this will set a precedence going forward.
As a final summary, I can conclude that this book was there. It was a book. I wasn't wowed, and I didn't drop it, but the only emotion I came away from it with was sadness. Perhaps some nostalgia for what this series can be when it's at its best. This is not that, and perhaps may be as far from it as this series has ever been.
But if by some chance John Flanagan reads this, I do wish to say; Please keep writing, John. I love your stories, and I do not wish for you to take this review as an attack on you, or your writing. I think this one was a miss, and I am a little sour, but you have so many hits that I hope this will not be the end. There are still so many stories that Maddy has left, that I will eagerly await your next.
Ranger's Apprentice, and by extension Royal Ranger is my all-time favourite book series. I grew up with it, re-read it often as an adult and adore it. So I write this review with all the love I have for this series.
This book severely disappointed me. It feels like a short story idea extended into a full book. It almost feels like Flanagan didn't write this book.
We start off jumping into the quest immediately, Gilan visiting our two heroes to send them to Celtica, a country first visited way back in the second book of the original series. Direwolves, a creature of legend, have been sighted, and Celtica has asked for help tracking them down.
Unfortunately, this is where my problems begin. The first near-half of the book is just going through, describing the motions of what our two characters do. Now, this was always present in Ranger's apprentice books. It's one of the reasons I love this series so. The Slice of Ranger Life makes this series, but for some reason here (and to an extent, the previous couple of books) it really bothers me. It feels like straight descriptions, with no flair, almost no framing of Will teaching Maddy, barely any complications to challenge our heroes. We get practically none of the two great characters of Will and Maddy shining through here, there's no moments that they can show who they are. There's not even any mention of how Maddy's apprenticeship is going, how this journey fits into the wider world and story of Royal Ranger.
This book presents a story of overcoming fear for both of our heroes. Will, who is returning to the place of one of his greatest trauma, has to overcome the fear of facing the creatures that sent him on a many year long journey of servitude, slavery and addiction. Creatures, and places, he's never returned to since his childhood. Unfortunately this arc isn't really resolved. We get a nice scene later on where Will dwells upon his pivotal battle at the bridge, but beyond that it's kind of brushed aside.
Maddy has to overcome her fear of...I'm not sure? Maddy is characterised a bit strangley here, at first she is scared of the direwolves and our Villain, but that's barely shown. I think there's some fear of inadequacy, as she fails a few times during the story, but again, that's not really explored. Her arc has a weird resolution (which I will get to later).
My bother only increases as the true plot begins to unfold. This is where some people have already brought up issues; and I will too. The magic. Book 1-2 of Ranger's Apprentice had very, very soft magic. Implied mind dominance over some fantasy creatures. This quickly left the series as it felt like Flanagan found his legs, what he wanted from the setting. We had no mention of any fantasy creatures, or any magic after this. Even book 5-6, which was framed as a two-parter following a sorcerer took great pains in explaining how it all fit in scientifically. How so much of what people of this (vaguely medieval european setting and time) period considered to be sorcery was in fact just spun stories - this was a central idea around the rangers as a whole, from the very beginning!
This book throws that all out the window. There's a brief mention of the Sorcerer in the North here, about how there may truly be magic in the world, but then throws itself right into it. I don't have a problem exactly, with introducing true magic into this setting. But I definitely feel like the characters very readily accept it. It's especially strange for Will, having encountered so similar before to have it revealed as tricks, to accept that Rosemary blocks scrying, that demons are real and can be summoned through pentagrams, and that he needs to use silver-cast arrows to send it back to the demon realm. I really feel like it doesn't fit the wider world at all, and there's no time spent on trying to convince me it does. I'm just asked to accept it.
We then find that Arazan, of the sub-title's namesake, is responsible for these direwolf attacks, and that she's trying to summon a demon. The story changes tact to our heroes trying to chase Arazan down and stop her from summoning a demon - which we are asked to accept is a perfectly legitimate threat, as told by Evenstar, a character I haven't talked about yet, and don't really need to because she has no development whatsoever.
Not that Arazan gets any development either. We see so, so little of her throughout the whole story, only really seeing her in the flesh right at the end. We're told that she wants to summon the demon to rule the world or something, but only by Evenstar and really we don't ever get to know more than that. She's Just Evil(tm).
Morgarath, in Books 1-2 of Ranger's Apprentice, fufilled a similar role. He was Just Evil(tm). But back then, he didn't really need to be any more. The story wasn't really about him. The war with Morgarath was just the backdrop to the Ranger's Apprenticing, the friendship between Will, Halt, Horace and Cassandra. It was not a struggle against a villain, but rather just the setting for the story being told.
Arazan has none of those privileges. She's evil, we have to stop her, and we just have to accept that. We get no backstory, no motivation beyond "I want to rule the world" or something, and no clash of wits or foil to our main characters. She's just There.
And so we beat Arazan through perhaps the only scene that feels classic Ranger's Apprentice, with a bit of ingenuity - at least within the arbitrary rules this new magic we know nothing about - and that's that. Maddy gets a final win to kill the final Direwolf; resolving her arc of overcoming her fear, but as I said earlier, this was barely present in the book to begin with.
In the final sentence of the book, Maddy expresses the wishes of how she could forget this adventure she traveled on. I can't help but agree with her, but I fear this will set a precedence going forward.
As a final summary, I can conclude that this book was there. It was a book. I wasn't wowed, and I didn't drop it, but the only emotion I came away from it with was sadness. Perhaps some nostalgia for what this series can be when it's at its best. This is not that, and perhaps may be as far from it as this series has ever been.
But if by some chance John Flanagan reads this, I do wish to say; Please keep writing, John. I love your stories, and I do not wish for you to take this review as an attack on you, or your writing. I think this one was a miss, and I am a little sour, but you have so many hits that I hope this will not be the end. There are still so many stories that Maddy has left, that I will eagerly await your next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2023
czy zawsze jestem nieobiektywna przy ocenie zwiadowcow? tak
do i care? absolutnie nie mam do nich za duzy sentyment i uwielbiam ta serie bye
do i care? absolutnie nie mam do nich za duzy sentyment i uwielbiam ta serie bye
December 29, 2022
1.75 wyłącznie za sentyment do całej serii
Absolutnie najgorsza część ze wszystkich, przewidywalna, o wiele za krótka, bez zwrotów akcji, jakiś śmiesznych momentów, ale za to z czarną magią, czarownicami i demonami - halo panie Flanagan, Zwiadowcy wyróżniali się właśnie tym, że tej magii tu nie było :<
A, no i zamiast wymyślić jakieś nowe potworki czy jakiś złoli to nie, zróbmy kurna wargali z pierwszej części i duże wilki - kocham powielanie stereotypu że "uuu, wilki takie złe, ludzi jedzą". Nie, nie jedzą, come on
Szybko przeczytane, szybko zapomniane (ale w sumie nie ma czego pamiętać)
A, no i Maddie znowu jest zajebista, a Will to taka niedojdka sierotka Marysia
Szkoda gadać, dajcie mi starego Flannagana
Absolutnie najgorsza część ze wszystkich, przewidywalna, o wiele za krótka, bez zwrotów akcji, jakiś śmiesznych momentów, ale za to z czarną magią, czarownicami i demonami - halo panie Flanagan, Zwiadowcy wyróżniali się właśnie tym, że tej magii tu nie było :<
A, no i zamiast wymyślić jakieś nowe potworki czy jakiś złoli to nie, zróbmy kurna wargali z pierwszej części i duże wilki - kocham powielanie stereotypu że "uuu, wilki takie złe, ludzi jedzą". Nie, nie jedzą, come on
Szybko przeczytane, szybko zapomniane (ale w sumie nie ma czego pamiętać)
A, no i Maddie znowu jest zajebista, a Will to taka niedojdka sierotka Marysia
Szkoda gadać, dajcie mi starego Flannagana
May 23, 2023
I've never been so disappointed in a book before.
All of the Ranger's Apprentice books include this special vibe, thrilling adventures, smart solutions and sarcastic humour. Unfortunately, this book didn't provide any of these. I can't even say it was funny. The vibe was thrown out of the window when the magic was introduced, the adventure was rather boring and there was only one scene that made me laugh.
Also, I can't help but feel that the story isn't moving forward at all and this book feels like a filler story. We can't even tell how old is Maddie now, we only know she's been an apprentice for 6 books straight (and we only got 5 books about Will's apprenticeship). Also I really hoped we'd see her making connections with more people her age, because she literally has no friends and it's kinda sad. I mean Will had Horace, Alyss and Cassandra and his bond with every one of them was unique and special, while Maddie only interacts with people at least twice her age, which makes it seem like they're all babysitting her.
Now, my least favourite part of this book - the witchcraft. Honestly, I was so disappointed, RA has always been a story in which "magic" has a logical and/or psychological explanation and it made this series so special. I wouldn't mind the wargals alone, because they've been already introduced in books 1-2, the wolves also were just giant wolves, nothing magical actually, but the rest was just too much for me.
On the bright side, I was really happy we finally met George again in this book, even for a little while. Same goes for Gilan, who's always been my favourite character. I wish Halt had also made an appearance, even for a little while, but it's fine, you can't have everything. Also Maddie and Will's conversation about their horses was so cute, I loved it. Maddie and Will's encounter with bandits was quite funny - Will's sarcasm was so brilliant, wish we had gotten more of scenes like this. I also enjoyed Will's stories about the past, it felt really nostalgic to revisit the events from book 2 with him and see how he feels about them after so many years. Seeing him confront his past and trauma was really satisfying.
All of the Ranger's Apprentice books include this special vibe, thrilling adventures, smart solutions and sarcastic humour. Unfortunately, this book didn't provide any of these. I can't even say it was funny. The vibe was thrown out of the window when the magic was introduced, the adventure was rather boring and there was only one scene that made me laugh.
Also, I can't help but feel that the story isn't moving forward at all and this book feels like a filler story. We can't even tell how old is Maddie now, we only know she's been an apprentice for 6 books straight (and we only got 5 books about Will's apprenticeship). Also I really hoped we'd see her making connections with more people her age, because she literally has no friends and it's kinda sad. I mean Will had Horace, Alyss and Cassandra and his bond with every one of them was unique and special, while Maddie only interacts with people at least twice her age, which makes it seem like they're all babysitting her.
Now, my least favourite part of this book - the witchcraft. Honestly, I was so disappointed, RA has always been a story in which "magic" has a logical and/or psychological explanation and it made this series so special. I wouldn't mind the wargals alone, because they've been already introduced in books 1-2, the wolves also were just giant wolves, nothing magical actually, but the rest was just too much for me.
On the bright side, I was really happy we finally met George again in this book, even for a little while. Same goes for Gilan, who's always been my favourite character. I wish Halt had also made an appearance, even for a little while, but it's fine, you can't have everything. Also Maddie and Will's conversation about their horses was so cute, I loved it. Maddie and Will's encounter with bandits was quite funny - Will's sarcasm was so brilliant, wish we had gotten more of scenes like this. I also enjoyed Will's stories about the past, it felt really nostalgic to revisit the events from book 2 with him and see how he feels about them after so many years. Seeing him confront his past and trauma was really satisfying.
November 26, 2022
Not as enjoyable as the last Royal Ranger outing (though I appreciate that it was a full story and not a two-parter again) I think it was the lack of Halt, plus he leaned into the supernatural stuff which he's tended to keep to a minimal in his previous books. I keep hoping that John Flanagan will do another prequel with Halt and Crowley and tell us how the Rangers got their horses.
June 7, 2023
An unusually low rating for me with this author, but unfortunately this book didn't live up to what it was supposed to be.
First some good points:
I liked returning to Celtica with Will. We got to revisit some familiar places from The Burning Bridge and them finding the arrowhead was a really nice touch. It gave a sense of nostalgia that gently nudged the fourth wall, where we got to look back at the past along with the character, realising how much we've grown since then.
Additionally, this story fits in one actual book again! The length was fine, not too long, but not hurried either. I don't mind books closely following after the other, but if I'm honest the past four thin books in this series could easily have been two thicker ones. But this is a complete story again, for which I'm grateful.
(Having said that, I'm not really feeling any character arcs here. Both Will and Maddie didn't really change or learn something new--aside from the magic-is-real realisation that I didn't like)
The pacing was fine and the journey to the troubled village in question was nice and familiar. Flanagan's writing is still easy to read and immersive.
However, you lose me at the plot.
One of the things I really like about this series is how it's placed in the genre. It's not historical fiction, but it's not a typical (high) fantasy either. It's a medieval setting with some healthy superstitions, but Malkallam uses tricks for his sorcery and the reason Will and Halt can vanish in the forest is because of their camouflaging cloaks. And, sure, wargals aren't real, but they were still creatures of flesh and blood--perhaps an unfortunate combination of nature. The world Flanagan has established isn't a supernatural one, and I loved that.
In this book, however... There are telepathic conversations, there's the summoning of actual demons, and pentagrams and invisible walls that defy physics. And... you know, if I wanted that, I'd pick a different book where that could believably happen.
Within this series, it felt like breaking with the genre and the unwritten rules it had thus far adhered to. Which is sad, because this series really has my heart, and I don't like watching it forget what made it great in the first place. Plenty of other supernatural books exist where witches summon demons. I want to read about bridges that need burning, barons who are dicks, sneaking around in forests and castles, and shooting kidnappers through the calf. Can we please go back to that? :D
I'll admit that Maddie herself doesn't interest me all that much, which doesn't help. I'm actually a lot more invested in Gilan's story and how he became the ranger we know and love today. Give me his story :3 That'd be more of a natural elaboration of the world than this next-gen addition, in my opinion.
So, it's a low rating this time. Hopefully, the next book will pick up where the others left off and go back to its fantastic basics.
--------------------------
Een ongewoon lage rating voor mij bij deze auteur, maar dit boek sloeg voor mij de plank helaas een beetje mis.
Eerst wat goede punten:
Het was interessant om met Will terug te keren in Celtica en de plekken uit de Brandende Brug opnieuw tegen te komen. Zeker de pijlpunt die ze terugvinden vond ik enorm toegevoegde waarde hebben. Het is een soort nostalgie die je deelt met het personage, het breken van de fourth wall maar dan toch niet.
Daarnaast paste dit verhaal weer in één boek! Wat mij betreft was de lengte ook prima, nergens te lang of te kort. Er is niets mis met boeken die elkaar kort opvolgen, maar als ik eerlijk ben vind ik dat de afgelopen vier dunne boeken net zo makkelijk twee dikke hadden kunnen zijn. Een volledig verhaal dus weer, en dat was fijn.
Het verhaal liep verder prima, de spanningsboog was op niveau en het reizen naar de plaats van het probleem was ook vertrouwd en was zeker niets mis mee. De schrijfstijl leest nog altijd vlotjes weg, wat dat betreft blijft John Flanagan altijd een aanrader.
Bij het plot raak je me echter kwijt.
Eén van de dingen die ik zo leuk vind aan de serie van de Grijze Jager is de positie die het ingenomen heeft in het genre. Want natuurlijk is het geen historische fictie, maar het is ook zeker geen (high) fantasy. Er is gezond bijgeloof onder de bevolking, maar Malkallam gebruikt trucjes voor zijn tovenarij die met logica uit te leggen zijn, en de Grijze Jagers idem ditto.
En sure, de kalkara en wargals bestaan heus niet, maar de wereld die Flannagan over de jaren heeft neergezet voelde toch tastbaar en geloofwaardig.
Helaas voor mij, tot dit boek, waarin een heuse tovenares demonen oproept en waar een telepathisch gesprek gevoerd word. In een ander boek, in een andere wereld had ik daar niet zoveel problemen mee gehad, maar binnen deze serie voelde het als breken met de ongeschreven regels. Er valt zeker wat te zeggen over "die ene procent" van dingen die niet te verklaren vallen, maar dit ging voor mij echt te ver. Jammer, vond ik.
Daarnaast geef ik toe dat ikzelf Maddie's verhaallijn ook niet bijzonder interessant vind. Persoonlijk ben ik stiekem veel benieuwder naar de vroege jaren en Gilan als jong, groen jagertje (pun intended). Dat voelt meer als het uitbreiden van de wereld dan deze next-gen toevoeging. Een lage rating dus, en de hoop dat het volgende boek gewoon weer doet waar deze serie goed in is.
First some good points:
I liked returning to Celtica with Will. We got to revisit some familiar places from The Burning Bridge and them finding the arrowhead was a really nice touch. It gave a sense of nostalgia that gently nudged the fourth wall, where we got to look back at the past along with the character, realising how much we've grown since then.
Additionally, this story fits in one actual book again! The length was fine, not too long, but not hurried either. I don't mind books closely following after the other, but if I'm honest the past four thin books in this series could easily have been two thicker ones. But this is a complete story again, for which I'm grateful.
(Having said that, I'm not really feeling any character arcs here. Both Will and Maddie didn't really change or learn something new--aside from the magic-is-real realisation that I didn't like)
The pacing was fine and the journey to the troubled village in question was nice and familiar. Flanagan's writing is still easy to read and immersive.
However, you lose me at the plot.
One of the things I really like about this series is how it's placed in the genre. It's not historical fiction, but it's not a typical (high) fantasy either. It's a medieval setting with some healthy superstitions, but Malkallam uses tricks for his sorcery and the reason Will and Halt can vanish in the forest is because of their camouflaging cloaks. And, sure, wargals aren't real, but they were still creatures of flesh and blood--perhaps an unfortunate combination of nature. The world Flanagan has established isn't a supernatural one, and I loved that.
In this book, however... There are telepathic conversations, there's the summoning of actual demons, and pentagrams and invisible walls that defy physics. And... you know, if I wanted that, I'd pick a different book where that could believably happen.
Within this series, it felt like breaking with the genre and the unwritten rules it had thus far adhered to. Which is sad, because this series really has my heart, and I don't like watching it forget what made it great in the first place. Plenty of other supernatural books exist where witches summon demons. I want to read about bridges that need burning, barons who are dicks, sneaking around in forests and castles, and shooting kidnappers through the calf. Can we please go back to that? :D
I'll admit that Maddie herself doesn't interest me all that much, which doesn't help. I'm actually a lot more invested in Gilan's story and how he became the ranger we know and love today. Give me his story :3 That'd be more of a natural elaboration of the world than this next-gen addition, in my opinion.
So, it's a low rating this time. Hopefully, the next book will pick up where the others left off and go back to its fantastic basics.
--------------------------
Een ongewoon lage rating voor mij bij deze auteur, maar dit boek sloeg voor mij de plank helaas een beetje mis.
Eerst wat goede punten:
Het was interessant om met Will terug te keren in Celtica en de plekken uit de Brandende Brug opnieuw tegen te komen. Zeker de pijlpunt die ze terugvinden vond ik enorm toegevoegde waarde hebben. Het is een soort nostalgie die je deelt met het personage, het breken van de fourth wall maar dan toch niet.
Daarnaast paste dit verhaal weer in één boek! Wat mij betreft was de lengte ook prima, nergens te lang of te kort. Er is niets mis met boeken die elkaar kort opvolgen, maar als ik eerlijk ben vind ik dat de afgelopen vier dunne boeken net zo makkelijk twee dikke hadden kunnen zijn. Een volledig verhaal dus weer, en dat was fijn.
Het verhaal liep verder prima, de spanningsboog was op niveau en het reizen naar de plaats van het probleem was ook vertrouwd en was zeker niets mis mee. De schrijfstijl leest nog altijd vlotjes weg, wat dat betreft blijft John Flanagan altijd een aanrader.
Bij het plot raak je me echter kwijt.
Eén van de dingen die ik zo leuk vind aan de serie van de Grijze Jager is de positie die het ingenomen heeft in het genre. Want natuurlijk is het geen historische fictie, maar het is ook zeker geen (high) fantasy. Er is gezond bijgeloof onder de bevolking, maar Malkallam gebruikt trucjes voor zijn tovenarij die met logica uit te leggen zijn, en de Grijze Jagers idem ditto.
En sure, de kalkara en wargals bestaan heus niet, maar de wereld die Flannagan over de jaren heeft neergezet voelde toch tastbaar en geloofwaardig.
Helaas voor mij, tot dit boek, waarin een heuse tovenares demonen oproept en waar een telepathisch gesprek gevoerd word. In een ander boek, in een andere wereld had ik daar niet zoveel problemen mee gehad, maar binnen deze serie voelde het als breken met de ongeschreven regels. Er valt zeker wat te zeggen over "die ene procent" van dingen die niet te verklaren vallen, maar dit ging voor mij echt te ver. Jammer, vond ik.
Daarnaast geef ik toe dat ikzelf Maddie's verhaallijn ook niet bijzonder interessant vind. Persoonlijk ben ik stiekem veel benieuwder naar de vroege jaren en Gilan als jong, groen jagertje (pun intended). Dat voelt meer als het uitbreiden van de wereld dan deze next-gen toevoeging. Een lage rating dus, en de hoop dat het volgende boek gewoon weer doet waar deze serie goed in is.
January 17, 2023
Przepraszam bardzo, ale CO.TO.MA.BYC? ODDAJCIE MI PROSZĘ MOICH STARYCH ZWIADOWCOW. Drogi Johnie, wiem, że pierwsze dwa tomy były z elementami fantastyki, ale PO CO WRACAĆ DO NIEJ W 17 TOMIE?!??? Oczywiście Will musi być postacią drugą planową od jebanych 5 tomów ponieważ musiała przyjść Maddie. Dość, że został zastąpiony przez nią, to jeszcze robią z niego jakiegoś idiotę, który zachowuje się jakby miał 12 lat. Kontynuując, magia. Tak, MAGIA Z ZWIADOWCACH. Halo, ale że co przepraszam? Hokus-pokus to mogę sobie czytać w wieku 8 lat. Pentagramy, demony, czaje, też lubie, ale to są Z-W-I-A-D-O-W-C-Y. Akcja dzieje się zbyt spontanicznie, nie ma w ogóle żadnych walk, strasznie się zawiodłam. Oddajcie mi mojego Halta i Horacego... Widać, że seria powoli pisana na siłę. 2 gwiazdki tylko dlatego, że są to Zwiadowcy...
June 10, 2024
W końcu po 6 miesiącach udało mi się ją skończyć.
Read
September 28, 2023I...don't know what to rate this one. So I'm not going to give an overall rating.
I love Ranger's Apprentice. I've re-read the series many, many times.
The good: This book has Maddie and Will back in action together again, which was missing in some of the recent Royal Ranger books! I loved getting that same mentor-apprentice vibes that we got with the early Ranger's Apprentice books, and I liked seeing Will return to a place that held such memories for him.
The bad:
I love Ranger's Apprentice. I've re-read the series many, many times.
The good: This book has Maddie and Will back in action together again, which was missing in some of the recent Royal Ranger books! I loved getting that same mentor-apprentice vibes that we got with the early Ranger's Apprentice books, and I liked seeing Will return to a place that held such memories for him.
The bad:
December 17, 2022
Jedna gwiazdka za sentyment. I tyle. Tak naprawdę chyba nie było nic co mi się w tej książce podobało. Nagle nie wiadomo skąd bach czarna magia, przyzywanie demonów i jeszcze cholera wie co. Akcja toczyła się za szybko oraz była nudna i przewidywalna. Widać, że to co się teraz dzieje to nie jest dawny Flanagan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2023
4,25
dodatkowe 0,25 za elementy magii, flashbacki do początkowych tomów
nadal fenomenalna rozrywka
dodatkowe 0,25 za elementy magii, flashbacki do początkowych tomów
nadal fenomenalna rozrywka
December 11, 2023
To, že měl John Flanagan opustit Araluen už po Královské hraničářce, dokazuje každým dalším a dalším dílem. Bohužel.
January 24, 2024
*Edit: I was, sadly, mildly disappointed in this book. It seemed to be missing that classic Ranger's Apprentice vibe. I though it was just me, maybe moving on from the series, but after reading a few reviews I found I was not the only one to feel that way. Will of course continue buying and reading these books, just hoping for a little more in the next one.
Enjoyable read, especially if you are already a fan of the series.
Enjoyable read, especially if you are already a fan of the series.
May 18, 2025
Jest okej, ale xddd
Tak strasznie naciągane! Nie rozumiem po co został zrobiony ten wątek z magią. Równie dobrze mogli w poprzednich częściach Malcolma uczynić magikiem a teraz co XD przysięgam że to się coraz bardziej stacza, ta cała seria i robi mi się tak szkoda tego. Co ja będę czytać XD
Ta książka była tragiczna i serio słabo polecam. Wątek z dupy wzięty.
Tak strasznie naciągane! Nie rozumiem po co został zrobiony ten wątek z magią. Równie dobrze mogli w poprzednich częściach Malcolma uczynić magikiem a teraz co XD przysięgam że to się coraz bardziej stacza, ta cała seria i robi mi się tak szkoda tego. Co ja będę czytać XD
Ta książka była tragiczna i serio słabo polecam. Wątek z dupy wzięty.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2023
Książka dobra ale tak z dupy jeden wątek co trochę psuje klimat innych części. Podsumowując tą serię to po 12 tomie jest trochę niższy poziom i tak trochę na siłę. 13 i 14 tom jeszcze się się broniły ale 14 i 15 to była masakra. Na szczęście 17 tom jest trochę lepszy ale i tak dodawanie takich wątków do tej serii to jedno wielkie X KUŹWA D
September 14, 2025
jakas magia, pentagramy, zaklęcia, demony— sorry, ale to nie są zwiadowcy których pokochałam. pan flanagan to już tutaj odleciał potężnie. dodatkowo maddie od samego początku jest okropną bohaterką i jej nie cierpię, a will zachowuje się znowu jak 13-latek któremu nagle wszystkie umiejętności wyparowały.
oddajcie mi halta, horace'a, willa, evanlyn, najlepiej jeszcze OG Skandian z erakiem na czele i mogłabym wtedy czytać kolejnych 15 tomow a moja dusza byłaby usatysfakcjonowana.
oddajcie mi halta, horace'a, willa, evanlyn, najlepiej jeszcze OG Skandian z erakiem na czele i mogłabym wtedy czytać kolejnych 15 tomow a moja dusza byłaby usatysfakcjonowana.
August 7, 2023
The most entertaining Flanagan book I have read in a really long time
May 10, 2023
Jestem zawiedziona😭😭😭
October 9, 2024
3,5 je to prostě už díl od dílu slabší... Ale tahle série je už X let srdeční záležitost ❤️ takže i tak to mám strašně moc ráda
April 24, 2023
BÓL. Za szybka i za płytka. Zwiadowcy i wątki paranormalne?!! To było dla mnie już za wiele. Dalej będę czytała serie ale ta część (chyba) najgorsza ze wszystkich
February 22, 2023
This book could've been easily one of my favorites from the series, despite the lack of presence from my fav characters like Halt or Horace.
It could've been. But it's not. It's quite the opposite of a favorite.
My first problem with this book is the plot. Why in the world anyone thought that it would be a good idea to send Rangers to fight against a witch? A WITCH. AND A FREAKING DEMON. Even the wolves were a challenge (or at least, should be). But a witch and a demon??
Also why the hell the other woman who had powers (Eveningstar) never fought Arazan. It doesn't make any sense to me. No one even asked her to fight the witch. Eveningstar, despite having magic powers, did nothing except for giving advices to the main characters. And no one, absolutely no one, asked her why she's never fought Arazan.
Also why Will and Maddie never send for a backup the moment they realized that they will have to fight a witch (and a freaking demon!)? Like, why? Why did they thought that they will win this fight? Just because they got silver arrows, like Eveningstar told them, they had been sure that they have a chance against magic? Really?
My second problem: the lack of tension. I knew that they will win this fight. They shouldn't have won, since they fought against a witch and a demon, but the ending was obvious. So there was no real threat. I felt nothing.
And now let's go to the third and my biggest problem. In this book we came back to Celtica and met creatures we knew from the first books of the Ranger's series. I can't explain how excited I become when I realized where we will go and who we will met. I waited to get some emotional scenes with Will. It was a perfect moment to give Will some emotional conflict because of his past. That would be a logical thing to do for an author when the present meets the past, right?
Right?
But not in here, apparently.
Will had felt the fear again and he became worried again, but like for a couple of seconds. And that's it. And he came back to be a badass.
It's not that I don't like a badass version of Will. I love his badass version. But damn, I would also love to see him being vulnerable from time to time. He is a human after all! More than a decade has passed since the events of the first two books, I get it, but through that time Will never met any of the creatures from his past, never went to Celtica again - until now. So why did the author refuse to give him some emotional arc? I don't understand.
I can't say that I liked this book. But I can't give it less than three stars - I love that world and those characters too much. I will definitely read the next book, I hope that it will be better.
Ranger's Apprentice Series - my rating:
book 1: The Ruins of Gorlan: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
book 2: The Burning Bridge: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 3: The Icebound Land: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
book 4: The Battle of Skandia: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
book 5: The Sorcerer of the North: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 6: The Siege of Macindaw: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 7: Erak's Ransom: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
book 8: The Kings of Clonmel: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 9: Halt's Peril: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 10: The Emperor of Nihon-Ja: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
book 11: The Lost Stories: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Ranger's Apprentice: The Royal Ranger:
book 12: The Royal Ranger: A New Beginning: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
book 13: The Red Fox Clan: ⭐⭐⭐ (3.5/5)
book 14: Duel at Araluen: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 15: The Missing Prince: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
book 16: Escape from Falaise: ⭐⭐⭐ (3.5/5)
book 17: Arazan's Wolves: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
It could've been. But it's not. It's quite the opposite of a favorite.
My first problem with this book is the plot. Why in the world anyone thought that it would be a good idea to send Rangers to fight against a witch? A WITCH. AND A FREAKING DEMON. Even the wolves were a challenge (or at least, should be). But a witch and a demon??
Also why the hell the other woman who had powers (Eveningstar) never fought Arazan. It doesn't make any sense to me. No one even asked her to fight the witch. Eveningstar, despite having magic powers, did nothing except for giving advices to the main characters. And no one, absolutely no one, asked her why she's never fought Arazan.
Also why Will and Maddie never send for a backup the moment they realized that they will have to fight a witch (and a freaking demon!)? Like, why? Why did they thought that they will win this fight? Just because they got silver arrows, like Eveningstar told them, they had been sure that they have a chance against magic? Really?
My second problem: the lack of tension. I knew that they will win this fight. They shouldn't have won, since they fought against a witch and a demon, but the ending was obvious. So there was no real threat. I felt nothing.
And now let's go to the third and my biggest problem. In this book we came back to Celtica and met creatures we knew from the first books of the Ranger's series. I can't explain how excited I become when I realized where we will go and who we will met. I waited to get some emotional scenes with Will. It was a perfect moment to give Will some emotional conflict because of his past. That would be a logical thing to do for an author when the present meets the past, right?
Right?
But not in here, apparently.
Will had felt the fear again and he became worried again, but like for a couple of seconds. And that's it. And he came back to be a badass.
It's not that I don't like a badass version of Will. I love his badass version. But damn, I would also love to see him being vulnerable from time to time. He is a human after all! More than a decade has passed since the events of the first two books, I get it, but through that time Will never met any of the creatures from his past, never went to Celtica again - until now. So why did the author refuse to give him some emotional arc? I don't understand.
I can't say that I liked this book. But I can't give it less than three stars - I love that world and those characters too much. I will definitely read the next book, I hope that it will be better.
Ranger's Apprentice Series - my rating:
book 1: The Ruins of Gorlan: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
book 2: The Burning Bridge: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 3: The Icebound Land: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
book 4: The Battle of Skandia: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
book 5: The Sorcerer of the North: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 6: The Siege of Macindaw: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 7: Erak's Ransom: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
book 8: The Kings of Clonmel: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 9: Halt's Peril: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 10: The Emperor of Nihon-Ja: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
book 11: The Lost Stories: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Ranger's Apprentice: The Royal Ranger:
book 12: The Royal Ranger: A New Beginning: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
book 13: The Red Fox Clan: ⭐⭐⭐ (3.5/5)
book 14: Duel at Araluen: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
book 15: The Missing Prince: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
book 16: Escape from Falaise: ⭐⭐⭐ (3.5/5)
book 17: Arazan's Wolves: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
April 7, 2025
2,25/5
smutne, że zwiadowcy idą w tę stronę :(
smutne, że zwiadowcy idą w tę stronę :(
January 11, 2024
A little puzzling. I love Flanagan’s work and credit it as the writing that made me fall in love with books and writing. Unfortunately, this book lacks the sort of magic the originals had (while ironically leaning more into magic than his previous books). There are moments of greatness and the book isn’t actually bad - it’s just kind of there.
It’s inevitable that comparison will happen when you’ve written as many successful books as Flanagan, but I really wanted more from this one. Things seem to happen, but their weight is gone. Maddie is a great character and I’ve grown to love Will’s new gruff exterior, but nobody really has anything to do for most of the book. Combine that with a thick layer of plot armour and you’ve got a recipe for a book that just kind of exists. Hats off to Flanagan though - still writing at nearly 80.
It’s inevitable that comparison will happen when you’ve written as many successful books as Flanagan, but I really wanted more from this one. Things seem to happen, but their weight is gone. Maddie is a great character and I’ve grown to love Will’s new gruff exterior, but nobody really has anything to do for most of the book. Combine that with a thick layer of plot armour and you’ve got a recipe for a book that just kind of exists. Hats off to Flanagan though - still writing at nearly 80.
February 25, 2025
Surprisingly not a split-plot book!
**********
No page count yet? So it will probably be another split-plot book? Ugh. This time I WILL wait until the follow-up comes out. The Red Fox Flan/Duel at Araluen. The Missing Prince/Escape from Falaise. The Wolves of Arazan/---!!
**********
No page count yet? So it will probably be another split-plot book? Ugh. This time I WILL wait until the follow-up comes out. The Red Fox Flan/Duel at Araluen. The Missing Prince/Escape from Falaise. The Wolves of Arazan/---!!
May 12, 2023
I really liked the OG Ranger's Apprentice more. Not to say this wasn't an enjoyable series. I will still keep reading, but miss the Will and Halt duo...and Horace.
March 24, 2023
2/5⭐️
Z wielkim bólem daję te dwie gwiazdki, bo kocham „Zwiadowców” całym sercem. Ale mój sentyment na nic się tu nie zdał, bo wynudziła mnie ta część i uważam ją za bardzo słabą.
Mój pierwszy zarzut: brak konsekwencji Flanagana. Element fantasy (Morgarath i jego wargale) był obecny w pierwszych dwóch częściach. W piątej autor wręcz wykreował całą nadnaturalną otoczkę, żeby nagle okazało się, że to wszystko było tylko sprytnymi sztuczkami i żadnej magii w tym nie było. Od tamtej pory ZERO fantastyki. Zawsze było trochę niedomówień, wspominany teraz ten 1% niewyjaśnionych spraw, w których może kryć się coś mistycznego. A teraz pojawia się magia pełną parą, czarownica, przyzywanie demona i jakieś magiczne rytuały umysłowe. Może byłabym w stanie to zaakceptować, gdyby tylko było to jakoś sensownie wytłumaczone i przedstawione. Ale nie, my jesteśmy po prostu skonfrontowani z faktem, że ktoś tu nam zaraz będzie przyzywał demona. Może trochę jakiegoś ciekawego backgroundu, jak to jest możliwe? Nie? Ach to dzięki.
Fabuła „Wilków Arazan” przenosi nas do Celtii, co odpowiada dzisiejszej Walii. Jaki to jest ogromny potencjał! Tymczasem nie poczułam tu ani trochę jakiejkolwiek atmosfery. Poza tym właśnie Celtią autor mógłby nam wytłumaczyć ten cały mistycyzm. Bo jak pomyślę o walijskiej mglistej zieleni to wyobrażam sobie, ile można zaczerpnąć z tamtejszych wierzeń i wpleść to w wątek książki. Ale tutaj wszystko jest za bardzo wprost i brak odniesień do celtyckiego folkloru.
Nadal przy fabule, bo to mój kolejny zarzut. Ani przez chwilę nie przejmowałam się losem bohaterów. Wszystko zawsze szło zgodnie z planem, Maddie jest perfekcyjna, mimo że Flanagan usilnie próbuje nam wmówić, że ma jakieś wady. Will nagle staje się specem od czarnej magii i jego plan, który opiera się na samych założeniach wyssanych z palca ani przez chwilę nie zawodzi. A jedyne momenty, kiedy pojawią się jakieś problemy trwają ze dwa akapity i ostatecznie wszystko się udaje, zanim zdążyłam zacząć się przejmować.
Na koniec zostawiłam bohaterów. Za każdym razem jak wracam do Zwiadowców, czuję się jakbym spotykała się z przyjaciółmi. Nie tym razem. W moim kochanym Willu w ogóle nie czuję Willa. Do Maddie zawsze miałam neutralny stosunek. Nie nienawidzę jej tak jak niektórzy, ale w tej części była mi do bólu obojętna. I to tyle. Absolutne zero Halta, ikony tej serii. Gilan się pojawił tylko, żeby wysłać nasz duet do Celtii. Jakaś randomowa dobra wróżka, która zapewnia Willowi przyspieszony kurs wypędzania demonów. I to by było na tyle. Przepraszam, ale w momencie, kiedy nawet Will, mój pierwszy książkowy crush, nie wzbudza mojej sympatii to ja nie wiem, co mnie miało trzymać przy tej książce.
Styl Flanagana nadal lubię, ale tutaj też nie był aż tak fajnie odczuwalny. Niemniej jednak szybko się to czyta i językowo jest naprawdę ok (poza niektórymi sztywnymi dialogami).
Nie sądziłam, że mogę po „Zwiadowcach” aż tak jechać, ale jak widać czasami jednak coś mi się nie podoba. A jak jest to moja najukochańsza seria, od której pokochałam czytanie to znaczy, że naprawdę coś poszło nie tak.
Z wielkim bólem daję te dwie gwiazdki, bo kocham „Zwiadowców” całym sercem. Ale mój sentyment na nic się tu nie zdał, bo wynudziła mnie ta część i uważam ją za bardzo słabą.
Mój pierwszy zarzut: brak konsekwencji Flanagana. Element fantasy (Morgarath i jego wargale) był obecny w pierwszych dwóch częściach. W piątej autor wręcz wykreował całą nadnaturalną otoczkę, żeby nagle okazało się, że to wszystko było tylko sprytnymi sztuczkami i żadnej magii w tym nie było. Od tamtej pory ZERO fantastyki. Zawsze było trochę niedomówień, wspominany teraz ten 1% niewyjaśnionych spraw, w których może kryć się coś mistycznego. A teraz pojawia się magia pełną parą, czarownica, przyzywanie demona i jakieś magiczne rytuały umysłowe. Może byłabym w stanie to zaakceptować, gdyby tylko było to jakoś sensownie wytłumaczone i przedstawione. Ale nie, my jesteśmy po prostu skonfrontowani z faktem, że ktoś tu nam zaraz będzie przyzywał demona. Może trochę jakiegoś ciekawego backgroundu, jak to jest możliwe? Nie? Ach to dzięki.
Fabuła „Wilków Arazan” przenosi nas do Celtii, co odpowiada dzisiejszej Walii. Jaki to jest ogromny potencjał! Tymczasem nie poczułam tu ani trochę jakiejkolwiek atmosfery. Poza tym właśnie Celtią autor mógłby nam wytłumaczyć ten cały mistycyzm. Bo jak pomyślę o walijskiej mglistej zieleni to wyobrażam sobie, ile można zaczerpnąć z tamtejszych wierzeń i wpleść to w wątek książki. Ale tutaj wszystko jest za bardzo wprost i brak odniesień do celtyckiego folkloru.
Nadal przy fabule, bo to mój kolejny zarzut. Ani przez chwilę nie przejmowałam się losem bohaterów. Wszystko zawsze szło zgodnie z planem, Maddie jest perfekcyjna, mimo że Flanagan usilnie próbuje nam wmówić, że ma jakieś wady. Will nagle staje się specem od czarnej magii i jego plan, który opiera się na samych założeniach wyssanych z palca ani przez chwilę nie zawodzi. A jedyne momenty, kiedy pojawią się jakieś problemy trwają ze dwa akapity i ostatecznie wszystko się udaje, zanim zdążyłam zacząć się przejmować.
Na koniec zostawiłam bohaterów. Za każdym razem jak wracam do Zwiadowców, czuję się jakbym spotykała się z przyjaciółmi. Nie tym razem. W moim kochanym Willu w ogóle nie czuję Willa. Do Maddie zawsze miałam neutralny stosunek. Nie nienawidzę jej tak jak niektórzy, ale w tej części była mi do bólu obojętna. I to tyle. Absolutne zero Halta, ikony tej serii. Gilan się pojawił tylko, żeby wysłać nasz duet do Celtii. Jakaś randomowa dobra wróżka, która zapewnia Willowi przyspieszony kurs wypędzania demonów. I to by było na tyle. Przepraszam, ale w momencie, kiedy nawet Will, mój pierwszy książkowy crush, nie wzbudza mojej sympatii to ja nie wiem, co mnie miało trzymać przy tej książce.
Styl Flanagana nadal lubię, ale tutaj też nie był aż tak fajnie odczuwalny. Niemniej jednak szybko się to czyta i językowo jest naprawdę ok (poza niektórymi sztywnymi dialogami).
Nie sądziłam, że mogę po „Zwiadowcach” aż tak jechać, ale jak widać czasami jednak coś mi się nie podoba. A jak jest to moja najukochańsza seria, od której pokochałam czytanie to znaczy, że naprawdę coś poszło nie tak.
August 20, 2023
Voor het eerst voelde het alsof Flanagan erg weinig inspiratie had voor een nieuw deel. Het was leuk, maar ook mwah.
Het is al een dun boek, maar het voelde ook alsof Will en Maddie naar Celtica worden gestuurd voor een opdracht, deze even uitvoeren en dan is het weer klaar.
Het ging ze ook allemaal erg goed af, erg weinig tegenslagen en daarmee weinig spanning. Dat ben ik van Flanagan niet gewend. Voor mijn gevoel werd er ook regelmatig benadrukt dat Maddie nog leerling is, nog wat te leren heeft of juist dingen al heel goed ziet, terwijl ze al een paar boeken leerling is dus de serielezer zal dat toch hoop ik wel onthouden?
Soms leek het alsof het, toch al redelijk dunne boek, nog wat opgevuld moest worden met zinnen die twee bladzijden terug er ook al stonden. Bijv.: als Will een plannetje bedenkt (net als Hal uit de Broederband) zal hij dit pas delen als zijn plan rond/meer uitgedacht is. Maddie weet en bedenkt dat en twee bladzijden later bedenkt ze het weer.
Waarom werd het verhaal dan niet opgevuld met de angst van Will tegen de Wargals en waarom voelden alleen de laatste 40 blz. nog een beetje spannend?
Opvallend in deze reeks is de komst van magie en oproepen van demonen. Het las prima ondanks dat ik er niets speciaals mee heb en ik het niet helemaal vond passen in de Grijze Jager wereld. Ik kan mij voorstellen dat niet iedereen dit leuk vindt. Overigens kreeg Arazan ook niet echt een grotere rol in het verhaal. Ze was er, mensen zeggen dat ze slecht is en ze gaan op missie om daar iets aan te doen. Maar... in andere verhalen kreeg de lezer mee waarom de slechterik zo slecht was. Vaak kon een Grijze Jager verhaal daarmee ook naar de realiteit gehaald worden. Ik blijk het achteraf toch te missen.
Daarnaast is dit wel een afgerond verhaal en geen onderdeel van een tweeluik. Dat is dubbel, want enerzijds is het stom te moeten wachten op de afronding van een verhaal als het zo kort is. Anderzijds is het fijn dat het niet wéér een tweeluik is. Hoewel de dikkere boeken toch wel het fijnste waren.
Hier en daar zitten een paar verwijzingen naar eerdere Grijze Jager avonturen, dat was leuk en ik kreeg vooral zin om de serie weer vanaf boek 1 te lezen.
Goed, lang verhaal. Ondanks dit iets tegenvallende deel zal ik een volgend deel (als dat komt) zeker lezen. Ik hoop dat het meer Grijze Jager elementen en spanning bevat dan dit deel.
Het is al een dun boek, maar het voelde ook alsof Will en Maddie naar Celtica worden gestuurd voor een opdracht, deze even uitvoeren en dan is het weer klaar.
Het ging ze ook allemaal erg goed af, erg weinig tegenslagen en daarmee weinig spanning. Dat ben ik van Flanagan niet gewend. Voor mijn gevoel werd er ook regelmatig benadrukt dat Maddie nog leerling is, nog wat te leren heeft of juist dingen al heel goed ziet, terwijl ze al een paar boeken leerling is dus de serielezer zal dat toch hoop ik wel onthouden?
Soms leek het alsof het, toch al redelijk dunne boek, nog wat opgevuld moest worden met zinnen die twee bladzijden terug er ook al stonden. Bijv.: als Will een plannetje bedenkt (net als Hal uit de Broederband) zal hij dit pas delen als zijn plan rond/meer uitgedacht is. Maddie weet en bedenkt dat en twee bladzijden later bedenkt ze het weer.
Waarom werd het verhaal dan niet opgevuld met de angst van Will tegen de Wargals en waarom voelden alleen de laatste 40 blz. nog een beetje spannend?
Opvallend in deze reeks is de komst van magie en oproepen van demonen. Het las prima ondanks dat ik er niets speciaals mee heb en ik het niet helemaal vond passen in de Grijze Jager wereld. Ik kan mij voorstellen dat niet iedereen dit leuk vindt. Overigens kreeg Arazan ook niet echt een grotere rol in het verhaal. Ze was er, mensen zeggen dat ze slecht is en ze gaan op missie om daar iets aan te doen. Maar... in andere verhalen kreeg de lezer mee waarom de slechterik zo slecht was. Vaak kon een Grijze Jager verhaal daarmee ook naar de realiteit gehaald worden. Ik blijk het achteraf toch te missen.
Daarnaast is dit wel een afgerond verhaal en geen onderdeel van een tweeluik. Dat is dubbel, want enerzijds is het stom te moeten wachten op de afronding van een verhaal als het zo kort is. Anderzijds is het fijn dat het niet wéér een tweeluik is. Hoewel de dikkere boeken toch wel het fijnste waren.
Hier en daar zitten een paar verwijzingen naar eerdere Grijze Jager avonturen, dat was leuk en ik kreeg vooral zin om de serie weer vanaf boek 1 te lezen.
Goed, lang verhaal. Ondanks dit iets tegenvallende deel zal ik een volgend deel (als dat komt) zeker lezen. Ik hoop dat het meer Grijze Jager elementen en spanning bevat dan dit deel.
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