By: Grace To
The first time I picked up a book from the Ranger's Apprentice series was in the 7th grade.
It was just another Sunday visit to the library. I walked into the teen section with the intention of borrowing a book. A couple of steps brought me to the first shelf. I stopped and lazily scanned the rows of books, not exactly sure of what I was looking for. A title caught my eye. Correction: titles. In the bottom left corner of the bookshelf was "Ranger's Apprentice" written across several books stacked next to each other. I felt a sense of déjà vu and I suddenly remembered my sister sitting on the kitchen chair with the book in her hand with the same title.
Making a decision, I picked up the book, wanting to give it a try after watching my sister binge the series a few months before.
The Ranger's Apprentice series centers around Will, an orphan abandoned in the front doorstep of Castle Redmont. Knowing near nothing about his family, Will is convinced that his father died a hero, a "knight in shining armor". He desparately wants to follow his father's footsteps and be apprenticed in Battleschool. Unfortunately, he is chosen to be an apprentice of the mysterious Ranger Corps. Will learns the importance of the Rangers as he goes on numerous adventures with his friends and other lives depending on his actions.
Ranger's Apprentice is one of my favorite series. It's the perfect mix of action and humor with a plot that is easy to follow and a lot of twists and turns in the way. The story sucks you in and makes it so that you can relate really easily to each character in the novel. Each character has a lot of thought put into it and are very well rounded. Although some details are a bit stereotypical (focusing on the male heroes, cliché backstories), the story is well-crafted and well written. The author pulls off the third-person omniscient and switching perspectives each chapter really well - the story is easy to follow. Overall, the book captures emotions and characters really well and has the perfect mix of action and romance / humor.
Another series by the same author, John Flanagan, is the Brotherband Chronicles. I was a bit disappointed when reading the series after I had already read Ranger's Apprentice. The basic theme and idea behind it was essentially the same as Ranger's Apprentice, just with different characters and setting. I found it hard to make my way through the first book and eventually quit after the second. I do think that the charm that John Flanagan put on Ranger's Apprentice is still there, but it was just too similar (based off of the first book) that I didn't find it very interesting.
John Flanagan also has his own website if you want to visit here: http://www.worldofjohnflanagan.com/
I read all of the Ranger's Apprentice and Brotherband Chronicles in 4th grade. The amount of books in the series is very nice because it is really easy to get into a groove with reading book after book. I read the Brotherband Chronicles and while I do agree with you about the fact that they aren't as good as the Ranger's Apprentice, I do think that they get better as the series goes on and that the first book isn't the best judge of the series as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you started off your post with a personal story! This series sounds really interesting. I like books that are adventurous and humorous at the same time, so this series sounds cool. You did a nice job describing the series and stating what you liked about it. Maybe I'll check it out!
ReplyDeleteYou were very detailed with your description of the book. It sounds really interesting! I am also the kind of person who likes adventurous books. I appreciate how you said that the BrotherBand Chronicles was nearly the same. I will go ahead and put it into my "to-read list!"
ReplyDeleteI've heard of this series, but I've never gotten the chance to read it. I really like how you framed your post as a story. It made the review more unique and relatable because I, personally, have gone into the library countless times with no clue of what book I wanted to find lol. I've also had similar flashbacks or feelings of déjà vu when I saw certain books. This series sounds really interesting, though, and I might try reading it. Overall, great review!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your point that The Brotherband Chronicles were kinda similar to the original series. I feel like the author kinda fell into a formulaic writing style by that point, though I agree with Walter that the books get better as they go on.
ReplyDeleteOh man, Ranger's Apprentice. I didn't remember this series until you made this review. I'm surprised that I had a similar experience to yours. I read all of the Ranger's Apprentice books in elementary school, but I didn't really like Brotherband Chronicles and quit after the first book. Because of your review, I want to go back and revisit the Ranger's Apprentice series!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, the comments are full of people reminiscing about stirred up childhood memories. I'm afraid i am here to do the same. The Ranger's apprentice series was a super easy and fun series to read and even though I am not a huge fiction person it is still one of my favorite series. You bring up a good point about the Brotherband Chronicles although at the time I decided I wanted to read those too for lack of anything better. I liked how you started off with a story and brought the reader into your post. The post felt seamless, easy to read and lighthearted (much like the series itself) and also the fact that it brought back so many memories made it cool to read. Overall, great post well written and thanks a lot for the forgotten memories :)
ReplyDeleteI liked the Ranger's Apprentice series so much! I read them probably in 5th grade, when my brother told me he read them when he was little. I agree that it is easy to get through and I couldn't stop reading them until I was done. Great post, I like how you start off the with a personal anecdote and that hooks the reader in. I can imagine myself doing the same, walking through the library on a Sunday afternoon to pick out a book!
ReplyDeletePeople have told me that they really liked this series but I never read it. I loved the way you started the blog post with a story! I could really envision the library from your description and I can relate to the feeling of being there. I also really liked the style you wrote this in and the analogies you used. The book sounds really interesting! I like reading fantasy and I often get into a series of books so this sounds like something I would really enjoy! Great job!
ReplyDeleteI honestly thought this was your readers autobiography. I really think that starting with your personal story and affiliation with this book made the article interesting and hooking. I think this book sounds cool, and probably will read it sometime!
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