Tigerpetal Press : Book Review: The Burning

The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 6: The Burning by Kathryn Lasky

I really liked it

A third of the way through this series! How do things go from here? It certainly seems like the war is brewing on the horizon, and the Guardians are hardly ready to make the first move.

Read: Mar. 23 – Mar. 24, 2025

Genre: Fantasy, Fable
Audience: Children, Middle-grade
Book contains: fire, referenced brainwashing, invented swears, mild gore, death

Purchase a copy from Indigo.ca

The Final War Begins!

With St. Aggie’s fallen to the Pure Ones, time for waiting is over. The Chaw of Chaws is sent to the Northern Kingdoms to gather information, training, and troops; the war against the Pure Ones must end before they conquer any more of owlkind. Can Soren lead them to success?

It feels like we’re getting to the end. This book, little more than a third of the way through the series, sees the end of an arc and the beginning of the new one. I’m also getting to a point where I can’t quite remember what happens from this point on, so I’m really excited to see where it’s going.

Again, Lasky writes in limited third person, though it almost feels like omniscient for the way she switches between characters within the same scene. If not for the lack of a decided narrator looking down on the owls, it is distinctly omniscient. I continue to enjoy the little images provided, from the depictions of the main four in the front cover to the four new owls in the back, to the frontispiece depicting an important scene from the book.

This was a nice relaxing weekend read for me, then I finished it on Monday. I read it the old fashioned way, snuggled in a bunch of fluffy pillows.

Soren continues to be our best main character, someone who is kind and moral, though still has his flaws. He is the leader of the Chaw of Chaws, and yet he’s worried if he’s up to the task. If they fail, it’s all on him. Luckily, he has the rest of his friends as support. Gylfie in particular plays a vital role in this book. If not for her, they would have failed. Otulissa is facing personal challenges, but I’m pleased that she’s up to the task. And, of course, Mrs. P remains a perfect character overall, offering guidance, insight, and care.

The Chaw of Chaws is back at it, alone in the northern wilderness. They must split up to achieve each of their individual tasks, and I like how this challenges them—like how Soren and Gylfie have separate quests, and they are separated for the first time since they were both orphaned. It’s a test for them, but also for each of the other owls as their tasks specifically challenge their weak points.

I was a bit disappointed to find far more typos in this book than the others, but for the most part they were easy to ignore. Lasky does well in keeping her reader engaged and interested as the story continues, and her set-ups and pay-offs are great.

The quests undertaken in this book were set up in the previous book, so we know where it’s leading. However, not everything goes as planned, and Lasky subverts expectations by throwing a couple of curveballs that keeps her reader engaged and pushes them forward through the plot. The final battle started slow, but then all at once it was an explosion of fast-paced action.

Really good book! I highly recommend reading it. And the next book promises a whole new beginning.

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The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 6: The Burning by Kathryn Lasky

The Final War Begins!

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