Ranger's Apprentice: The Early Years

Title:  The Tournament at Gorlan and The Battle of Hackham Heath

Author:  John Flanagan

Publisher:  Philomel Books

Date Published:  October 6, 2015 and November 29, 2016

Genre:  Fantasy, Adventure

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-  I love the Ranger's Apprentice and Brotherband books. They are some of my favorite stories and characters in all of literature. I was really excited when the author wrote some books about Halt and Crowley in the their younger years. 

-  Morgarath has been plotting to take over the kingdom. He has already convinced the king to banish his son, Prince Duncan. He has removed almost all of the Rangers and replaced them with his own people, and he is trying to win over the majority of the barons. Halt and Crowley decide to team up and recruit some of the disbanded Rangers to take down Morgarath. They are also trying to find Prince Duncan, so they can prove his innocence and frame Morgarath for treason. 

-  I loved these books. I loved getting to know Crowley more, and I was excited to read more about Halt. I may or may not have a thing for him. I loved meeting old friends and gaining new ones. It was fun to see Crowley step into his role as leader of the Rangers.

-  I am sad the author has only written two books for this series. I think there were plans to do more, but he is currently writing the Royal Ranger series. I need to read those.

-  Flanagan's humor is the best! I love the bantering between characters and the way they tease each other. I caught some serious giggles when Halt first met Lady Pauline. 

-  If you love adventure, stealth, tournaments, battles, clever bantering, highly skilled archers, and/or Australian authors, this is the book the for you! I highly recommend anything by John Flanagan, but I would start with Ranger's Apprentice.

My Thoughts in a GIF: