Reviews with content warning for Addiction - Het IJzige Land

This is possibly the only Ranger's Apprentice book that I've rated below 5 stars, but I promise there is a reason for this. When I first read this (around the age of 9, so a little below the target age), I hated it. Compared to the excitement that I'd grown to expect from the series, this book was fairly uneventful, and what action there was was split across two different plot lines.

I enjoyed it more upon rereading (this time at 18, which is significantly over the target age), which has led me to identify what I believe to be the route of this book's problem: a book about the horrors of slavery and drug addiction isn't really great for a middle grade/younger YA audience. These are topics that maybe should be introduced around this age, but this book went very all-in on it whilst trying to maintain a middle grade tone and it just didn't work. The result was that as a 9-year-old I was bored and as an 18-year-old I felt it lacked depth (not that it should have been aiming for an adult audience while the rest of the series is for kids). Despite this, I think Flanagan dealt with the situation he put himself in with the synopsis of this book surprisingly well and the Halt & Horace adventures were great to read, as always, and helped with the worldbuilding of the series as a whole.

Content Warnings

nirellis's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I’m still loving the series but this book has been my least favourite so far. Only because it was so dark and sad. But the character development was really good.

Hoping things look up in the next one!

Content Warnings

i_write_on_occasion's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

therensistance's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

ailsaod's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Reread. I was a bit intimidated to reread this book because it delves into some darker topics (drug addiction and withdrawal and -very obliquely - referenced prostitution which I would say are very well handled for the book's target demographic) and is a bit of an angst fest but actually it was better than I remembered!

The book alternates between the POVs of Will and Evanlyn who have been kidnapped by Skandians (Vikings) and Halt and Horace who are trying to rescue them. This book ultimately serves as a kind of mid-trilogy book with books 2 and 4 being parts of the same story arc. It isn't the most action packed book in the series but it makes up for that in other ways. I particularly enjoyed Halt's arc in this book as while Will is going through the wringer physically, Halt is doing so emotionally. We see just how far he is willing to go to save Will and it was very heart warming but also sad (I shall not go into more detail but ow). I'm now very curious if Flanagan had already thought ahead as far as book 8 because Halt straight up says

he is related to Hibernian royalty at one point (and then later completely denies it!)

!! Halt and Horace also deal with the main conflict of this book - Deparnieux. I did not remember much about him at first and thought he was a dramatic little goth but then I was quickly like oh no I am very mistaken. The man is just NASTY and I'm surprised I forgot about him as he is probably worse than Morgarath when it comes to being nice!

Content Warnings

More...