-SPOILER-FREE-

In this installment, the plot deepens and darkens. The characters are living under the terrible burden of an inescapable legacy during a dark time when evil is winning. Many of our primary characters are absolutely tested to the breaking point – and all bear awful scars from the choices that they make.

But, like any true heroic epic, there is never a moment without hope. There is always a fight to move towards the light and like the plot, the characters are deepened in so doing.

This book is intense. It is beautifully written and very exciting to read. We find ourselves utterly invested in our characters and so we suffer with them and we hope for them.

The mood and subtext of this book remind me of Oliver Twist or Barrie’s Peter Pan. Unlike Lord of the Flies, the darkness does not win. It scars. It wounds. It exacts a bounty. But the darkness never really wins.

My particular children are not terribly sensitive to the struggles in hero epics and so at 5, 6, and 8 they cannot get enough of these books. For most children, however, I think that these are probably a better fit for 10+. There is no gratuitous violence – but there are violent struggles that clearly illustrate the battle between good and evil and there are bloody descriptions as appropriate. There are no outright tragedies in this volume but there is a lot of suffering. This could be an excellent family read aloud for a family who is steeped in saint/martyr stories and hero epic and who are willing to pause to discuss intense parts as needed.

Check out the review for On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness here.
Check out the review for Monster in the Hollows AND Warden and the Wolf King here. 

Find the audible version of this book here.