Publication Date - 2nd August 2007
Paperback - 288 pages
Genre - YA Fantasy
Source - Received from publisher for review
Rating - 3 out of 5: I liked it.
Book Info - Will, you are learning well, but you are soon to be tested...
For years the Kingdom has lived in peace, while the evil lord Morgarath has lived beyond the impassable mountains. But he has not been idle...
Now you must embark on your most dangerous mission yet. The King's army has been deceived, and are headed for a brutal ambush. And you are the only one who can save them...
My Thoughts - I really enjoyed the first book of this series so when I was offered the rest of the series for review I jumped at the chance. But I have to admit that I did not like The Burning Bridge quite as much as I did The Ruins of Gorlan.
A lot of the same aspects that I enjoyed from the first novel were there - intrigue, mystery, suspense and adventure. The story finds Will still as Halt's apprentice and once again I enjoyed reading about his learning as he picks up the skills required to become a ranger. A short way into the novel though, Will is told that he is going on a journey to deliver an important message about the upcoming war with Morgarath with a young Ranger and his friend Horace, who is an apprentice at the Battleschool. I really liked seeing Will interact with his friends during this time. By the end of The Ruins of Gorlan it is easy to forget that he is just a fifteen year-old boy and it was nice to see more of his personality come to light as he spent time with people his own age, rather than the super-serious Halt.
Also, a new character came into the story - a young girl called Evanlyn - and I think I'm going to really like her. She is brave and intelligent, with a very caring side. There is an air of mystery around her which made her a very interesting character to read about. I look forward to finding out more about her in the rest of the series.
What made this book less enjoyable than the first one was the amount of strategising there is about the war with Morgarath. This is just a personal thing, but that type of information has never held my interest. As a result of this I felt that some parts of the story moved along at a slower pace than I would have liked and my attention kept on wavering. But I am very hopeful that this will not be the case in book three.
There is a big cliffhanger at the end of The Burning Bridge that has made me very excited about reading The Icebound Land, and I am just very grateful that I already have a copy of it so that I don't have to wait to find out what happens!
Summary - A good addition to the series although, for me, it was let down by the amount of war talk involved. But an amazing ending did go a long way to ensuring that I continue with the series.
Other books in the series:
1. The Ruins of Gorlan
2. The Burning Bridge
3. The Icebound Land
4. Oakleaf Bearers
5. The Sorcerer in the North
6. The Siege of Macindaw
7. Erak's Ransom
8. The Kings of Clonmel
9. Halt's Peril
10. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja
11. The Lost Stories
Other reviews of this book:
Eclectic/Eccentric / Kids Reads
(If you would like your review of The Burning Bridge included here, please leave a link to your review in the comments and I will be sure to add it)
3 comments:
Hmmm, I hate war talk too. I still have the first one on my shelf. One day I'll get to it.
LOL - The first book didn't have much war talk in it, so I'm hopeful that it was just in this one - seeing as the battle was such a large part of the plot ;)
This book along with the entire series is just an overall enjoyable read. It is not complicated and it is a very linear story; rather predictable but at the same time it captivates you to keep reading. Far from being lacking because of it's simplicity the author really does a fantastic job of portraying exactly what is happening in the story and the character devolpment is very entertaining to follow. A fantastic children's series for the young and young at heart.
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