Book Review - The Royal Ranger, Ranger's Apprentice book 12, by John Flanagan

The Rangers Apprentice books are some of the best middle grade and young adult books out there. Angel and I got into them about four years ago when I bought the first one on a whim. My younger siblings had read them when they first came out and so I had seen them lying around the house for years but for whatever reason didn't ever pick them up. As we finished the first one we found ourselves going out of our way to buy the next one and then the next and the next and the next..... We currently own all but 11 and 12, but I'm sure that those will also join their companion volumes

in time. One of the things that I like about the series is that it is not one story made of 12 books, but rather 12 books covering four or five stories with the same group of characters. Series like The Wheel of Time are hard to start because the story just doesn't seem to end (not that it can be wonderful as The Stormlight Archives has demonstrated - just hard to start). But The Rangers Apprentice allows the reader to enjoy the characters and the world without loosing track of where they are in the story that is being told. The Royal Ranger in particular could be read as a stand alone book with little difficulty and then if the reader wanted more information about the characters they could go back and read the other stories. There were references to past events and occurrences in the world that were fun, but not confusing. I particularly liked the one about Halt throwing nobles into their own moats. In any even, the story was as good as I expected it to be and I enjoyed it a lot. I picked it up from the library in the after noon and had it finished in less than 12 hours.

Plot: Will Treaty is suffering. With the lose of his wife he has been consumed with a desire to hunt down those responsible and make them pay. As a King's ranger he has some authority to do this, but that is not what the Ranger Corps needs him to do. He is on the brink of being dismissed from the corps, a prospect that would destroy him and which his friends and loved ones don't want to see him subject to. At the same time Will friends, Horace and Cassandra, are having problems with their spirited daughter, Maddie. They've tried everything to try to impress on her the difficulties she is causing for herself and them, but nothing works. As both Maddie's and Will's friends talk about the challenges facing their loved ones a solution presents itself - apprentice Maddie to Will. Perhaps not for the full four years that it takes to become a Ranger, but at least until she's earned the right to wear the bronze oakleaf. Will needs a distraction and Maddie needs direction. It seems perfect. But how will Will and Maddie take the suggestions?

My personal favorites: This cast of characters is one of my favorites. Not to mention the whole idea of the King's Rangers. Think of the Texas Rangers but on a national level in the middle ages and you've got it. John Flanagan actually acknowledged that the Texas Rangers were to basis for the ones in his book. The action was good and the humor was delightful. It was fun to watch Will become the mentor and to watch Maddie as she experienced the same training that we see Will go through in the first book. Even though it is the same training Maddie's attitude is much different from Will's The book is well written and while it feels similar to the others it stands alone.

Considerations: I'll be honest there were a couple of scenes that kind of freaked me out, but that was due to good writing. The villains are truly villainous and use scare tactics that were quite convincing. There is no language to speak of and no sexual material - in short, it is a very well written book appropriate for middle grade and young adult readers. There is a reason that we own most almost all of the books that John Flanagan has written.

I would heartily recommend this book to anyone and I felt that it was a wonderful conclusion to the series. It provides us with a final look at some favored characters and gives us one last ride with them as they face those challenges that come up as we live life. The total length just over 450 pages.