I liked it; it was good
We’ve finally learned what Soren’s brother Kludd has been up to since shoving him from the nest. What a horribly misguided owl he is; I hope the heroes can put a stop to him!
Read: Mar. 11 – Mar. 13, 2025
Genre: Fantasy, Fable
Audience: Children, Middle-grade
Book contains: war, fire, referenced kidnapping, brainwashing, invented swears, mild gore, death
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Soren and the band have discovered that the ones behind the Great Downing were a group called the Pure Ones, led by his own brother Kludd. This group of Tyto owls believe themselves above all other species, and they must be stopped before their plans come to fruition.
On the tail-end of the battle won against the Pure Ones, Soren and the rest of his friends are filled with pride in their chaw of chaws. But the battle is just barely begun. Kludd is nothing if not viciously determined, and he’s fled to fight another day. I liked the espionage in the front half of this book, and my blood was quickened by the action in the back half.
The structure is much the same as the other books, following Soren and other characters as the story needs, including Kludd himself as he flees from the battle at the end of the previous book. My one criticism is that it often switches to a new character’s POV within the same scene (called head jumping). While it’s not hard to figure out who the new focal character is, it can be a bit jarring at times. The frontispiece again depicts a scene from the book, with a fun little extra clue for readers.
This book was an excellent break from the screens I’m looking at all day. I read it the old-fashioned way, as I’ve done with most of the series so far and will continue to do.
The characters are growing and evolving in natural ways, remaining consistent to how they are, but with more maturity and experience. Otulissa, in particular, I think goes through a drastic evolution in this book, with Twilight close behind. We get to dive deeper into other characters as well, such as Dewlap (the Ga’Hoolology ryb), Ruby and Martin (from the colliering chaw), and some brand-new faces we’ve never seen before. As a character, Kludd is quite tragic. He is, at first, painted to be a sociopath, and while this is true, I’ve come to appreciate (from a more mature perspective) how he became the way he was. He wasn’t born evil, but the lack of proper support from his parents and the predation upon him by the Pure Ones led him down his dark path.
Along with the evolving characters, I’m enjoying the evolving relationships between those characters. With maturity comes more understanding, and I like how Otulissa has more depth to her, thus giving her a bigger role within the story and the band.
For the most part, the characters take what’s told to them at face value, especially the lesser-educated owls. Lasky does well in weaving deeper messages into this story as well, including the consequences of banned knowledge and close-mindedness. She writes well for children, though there are a few words she includes that I doubt are at a younger reader’s level (good time for parents to introduce these new words to their kids, though!).
This book was broken into parts, like the others, so the pacing and plot leapt forward in bounds rather than a straight line. I like this, as the setups and payoffs are ordered in a satisfying way.
I highly recommend continuing this series! It’s great for young children but also older readers like me who can see the story from a new perspective.
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 1: The Capture by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 2: The Journey by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 3: The Rescue by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 4: The Siege by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 5: The Shattering by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 6: The Burning by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 7: The Hatchling by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 8: The Outcast by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 9: The First Collier by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 10: The Coming of Hoole by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 11: To Be a King by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 12: The Golden Tree by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 13: The River of Wind by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 14: Exile by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 15: The War of the Ember by Kathryn Lasky
The Guardians of Ga’Hoole: Lost Tales of Ga’Hoole by Kathryn Lasky
The Tale of Despereaux, a Junior Novelization by Jamie Michalak
How to Train Your Dragon Book 1: How to train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
Dragon Rider Book 1: Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
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