Review – Halt’s Peril (Ranger’s Apprentice, Book 9) by John Flanagan (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 336 pages
Publisher: Puffin
Release Date: March 20, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0142418581
Stand Alone or Series: 9th book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the ninth book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series. The tenth book is the Emperor of Nihon-Ja. There is also one additional book titled The Lost Stories which released late in 2011. This book does a good job of wrapping up the story that started in, The Kings of Clonmel. Like previous books it is a solid middle grade fantasy, but nothing incredibly creative or outstanding.

Halt, Will, and Horace are on the trail of Tennyson and the rest of the Outsider cult. When one of the Genovesan assassins gets a good shot in at Halt things turn dire. Can Will get help on time? Or will this be the end of Halt’s adventures? As stated by the title, Halt is in dire peril.

I don’t have a ton to say about this book. It you like the series you should read this book. This is basically the second half of the story that was started in Kings of Clonmel. It is a bit darker than previous books and had some slow spots. But like previous books there is some great banter and humor throughout and the fight scenes are exceptionally well done.

These books are pretty formulaic; there’s a problem, Halt and crew try to fix it, something horrible happens, Will saves the day, they fix the problem and life goes on. The books are well written and fun to read, but there isn’t anything all that interesting or creative here.

I missed that none of the female characters featured, but enjoyed that Malcom was back in the story some. Halt seemed a bit tired throughout, like he was feeling his age. Will didn’t really show much growth as a character either.

Overall this was a good addition to the series. I felt like this book was a bit darker and moved a bit slower than previous books. It was good to complete the story started in Kings of Clonmel and I enjoyed the witty banter between the characters. The book is well written, pretty typical fantasy fare…nothing all that creative but solid. Recommended for fans of middle grade fantasy.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– 150+ Books Reading Challenge
– TBR Pile Reading Challenge