The Siege of Macindaw by John Flanagan

Title: The Siege of Macindaw
Author: John Flanagan
Published: 2006
Pages: 393
Rating: 4/5
Summary: After years as a Ranger’s apprentice, Will is now the protector of his first fief. Not long into his service, everything that can go wrong does: Keren, a renegade knight, has taken over Castle Macindaw, a strategic gateway to the North—poisoning the royal family in the process—and is holding Will’s friend Alyss captive. The situation grows direr when Will uncovers Keren’s secret alliance with the Scotti, who have plans to plunder Araluen. Time is of the essence, and Will must recruit a motley crew to rescue Alyss and reclaim Castle Macindaw—before the Scotti can make it their own.

Review: After what happened during the last book Will needs to find a way to save his friend and Araluen. As always, he will need the help of his friends and others too help him through this and to stand by him when the time comes to fight.

I was glad to see that Will was taking decisions that influenced what happened. He was thinking in the ways that he can help Araluen but also helped him save Alyss. He remembered what he had been taught and knew how to use it to his advantage.

Alyss wasn't the female who just sat around and waited for someone to come rescue her. She knew she had to do something to help herself of the problem she was in. I liked how they made her believe that a stone could help her even though it was only her.

I will have to find the other books and read them. I like the things that they get themselves into and the ways that they solve their problems. This is a good series to read if you want something else other than vampires, angels, or even paranormal stuff.

The Sorcerer of the North by John Flanagan

Title: The Sorcerer of the North
Author: John Flanagan
Published:
Pages: 295
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Several years have passed since the apprentice and his master, Will and Halt, let the Skandians to victory against invaders, and Will is finally a full-fledged Ranger with his own fief to look after. The fief seems sleepy--boring even--until Lord Syron, master of a castle far in the north, is struck down by a mysterious illness. Joined by his friend Alyss, Will is suddenly thrown headfirst into an extraordinary adventure, investigating fears of sorcery and trying to determine who is loyal to Lord Syron... and who is planning to betray him.
Will and Alyss must battle growing hysteria, traitors, and most of all, time. Lord Syron is fading, but when Alyss is taken hostage, Will is forced to make a desperate choice between loyalty to his mission and loyalty to his friend....

Review: The Sorcerer of the North followed the journey of Will after he has become a full Ranger and has his own fief. Halt and the chief of the rangers ask him to go on a mission to find out what is happening in the North. Throughout his journey he goes through many hardships and must learn who to trust and who and who are the traitors.

After reading four books I felt I knew Will. He's had to make tough choices before and I was glad to see that he had to kept doing it to find out things I was also glad that we got to see more of Alyss and of who she really is. They helped each other out and at the end she also had to make some tough choices.

I've noticed that each problem takes two books to resolve and I have to say that I like that. The first book introduces you to the problem and the last one solves it. I also like how they are small books and easy to read. I know there are more books than five so I can't wait to see what happens.

The Battle for Skandia by John Flangan

Title: The Battle Skandia
Author: John Flanagan
Published: 2006
Pages: 294
Rating: 5/5
Summary: Still far from home after escaping slavery in the icebound land of Skandia, young Will and Evanlyn's plans to return to Araluen are spoiled when Evanlyn is taken captive. Though still weak, Will employs his Ranger training to locate his friend but soon finds himself fatally outnumbered. Will is certain death is close at hand, until Halt and Horace make a daring last-minute rescue. But their reunion is cut short by the horrifying discovery that Skandia's borders have been breached by the Temujai army-and Araluen is next in their sights. Only an unlikely union can save the two kingdoms, but can it hold long enough to vanquish a ruthless new enemy?

Review: So far I´ve really enjoyed this series and it has made a true fan out of me.

The story picks up were the last book ended. Will is much better now but then Evelyn is taken by others and he sets out to rescue her. He finds her and wants to rescue her but then halt and Horace appear and help him. They soon find out that something big is happening and have to help because it´s not only Skandia but Araluen that is in danger.

I was glad to see that Will was weak and didn´t magically become well like so many character do. He had difficulties that he  had to overcome if he wanted to save Evanlyn. Over the time he started to be the same old self that he had been and it was the time that it took that I really liked. i greatly enjoyed the role that he took during the book and that he kept trying to be better at his job.

All the other characters were great to read about. Especially the person that helped Will and his friends so that Skandia wouldn´t be defeated. Every character had something different that made it possible for them to win what would have seemed impossible.

I enjoyed the book and everything that it had in store for the reader. It was exciting to read and it sure kept me up past midnight just because it was so good that I wanted to know what happened. It´s a book that has lots of action that many others don´t.