Erak's Ransom (Ranger's Apprentice #7) by John Flanagan, starting Tuesday 12 November

[Natalie]

In the wake of Araluen's uneasy truce with the raiding Skandians comes word that the Skandian leader has been captured by a dangerous desert tribe. The Rangers - and Will - are sent to free him. But the desert is like nothing these warriors have seen before. Strangers in a strange land, they are brutalized by sandstorms, beaten by the unrelenting heat, tricked by one tribe that plays by its own rules, and surprisingly befriended by another. Like a desert mirage, nothing is as it seems. Yet one thing is constant: the bravery of the Rangers.

[Natalie]

Finally got around to starting this!

Chapter 1: (view spoiler)[Evanlyn/Cassandra is back! Whoot! Hopefully she’ll be in the majority of this, because I’ve really missed her dynamic with Will c: (hide spoiler)]

[Julianne]

Natalie wrote: "Finally got around to starting this!

Chapter 1: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I agree!! I've missed her character quite a bit. She was rather spunky, and it seems like things really haven't changed for her there. Sneaking around? For what though, just to spook the guards?? (hide spoiler)]

[Natalie]

Chapter 6 (view spoiler)[Looks like Svengal came to Will’s rescue in just the nick of time there, huh? ;D I’m assuming this is to let everyone know that Erak has been abducted by the Arridi but still... lucky timing for Will 😂 (hide spoiler)]

[Natalie]

Chapter 9: (view spoiler)[Will, Halt, Horace, Gilan, Evanlyn/Cassandra AND a crew of Skandians going to rescue Erak? This is going to be AMAZING. (hide spoiler)]

[Natalie]

My reading is so slow right now... because I got Sword and Shield (Pokemon ;D) on the weekend.

Oops.

[Natalie]

Chapter 15: (view spoiler)[First official meeting between the combined Araluen/Skandian company and the Arridi. Definitely seems to be going far too smoothly so far... and where exactly is Erak? Why can’t they see him?

Loving Cassandra playing her role of “imperious princess” too. So different from her usual self XD (hide spoiler)]

[Natalie]

Chapter 20: (view spoiler)[This is just the worst, most heartbreaking thing in ANY of these books so far. Tug is missing and Will has just lost his best friend 😭😭😭😭 And just in the worst possible moment because for all you know he could be dead because he was separated during a MASSIVE sandstorm and just... 😭😭😭😭 (hide spoiler)]

[Natalie]

Chapter 27. (view spoiler)[Tug is backkkkkkkkk 😭😭💕💕💕 And sure, Will almost died trying to find him (and unfortunately Arrow DID die...) but at least we know that Tug is alive and safe and just... I’m so relieved! (hide spoiler)]

[Natalie]

Chapter 33: (view spoiler)[A proper, COMPLETE reunion between Tug and Will at last. None of this “finders keepers” business. Tug and Will are back together, the way they always should be 💕💕

Can’t REALLY begrudge the nomads their ways... but no one separates Tug and Will 😐 (hide spoiler)]

[Natalie]

Chapter 45: (view spoiler)[Certainly nothing quite like taking the shot in the last SECONDS to spare! Probably a good thing that Will didn’t see all of Hassaun’s bravado but BOY was that a narrow window... hopefully Aloom will be okay with those wounds he got, and hopefully that DOUCHE of a trader that turned them in will be getting a good SMACK by the end of this book. Freaking rude self-important nimrod.

But honestly... props to Horace and Erak and ESPECIALLY Evanlyn for keeping their cool whilst a giant is swinging around a broadsword like it’s a damn breadstick. Well DONE. (hide spoiler)]

[Natalie]

Finished! (view spoiler)[And a happily ever after for most (Erak’s out 40,000 ;D).

Honestly, I thought the way this played out was really well done. This seems to have been Will’s final mission as an apprentice (rather than fully fledged ranger) and it was great to see how that affected him, and really just how much he’d grown.

Would love to see some of the Arridi return in a later book, but honestly as long as we get more Skandian appearances I think I’ll be pretty happy :P) (hide spoiler)]