Finally finished book three! I do plan on covering this entire series eventually, but that takes time, of course. Spoilers ahead.
Soren and the band decide to set out on a mission to rescue Ezylryb, who mysteriously vanished last book. So far the Guardians themselves have been unsuccessful in bringing back the old owl, and Soren is determined to find his mentor. However, it doesn't prove to be an easy journey, and all the while the band keeps hearing about this mysterious villainous character called "Metal Beak".
While I wouldn't consider this one as strong as the previous one, I still really liked it. This is a solid adventure story and it does a good job setting up future books, while also having an air of mystery to it. It also seems a bit like a mid-arc finale, with a pretty epic battle at the end and a "we will be back" from the now-defeated villain. The pacing was also pretty much perfect.
I also really appreciate how much the band (and their friends) comes together in this book. They just work together as characters really well. I also especially liked Otulissa's development. She's still talkative, but she's thinking more for herself and becoming her own owl, rather than constantly trying to live up to her lineage's legacy. Plus she's pretty much officially friends with Soren and the gang by now, which is neat to see and their bond feels more natural here than in the previous two (especially the first) books.
As for the mysterious Metal Beak: this is where I'm just a bit mixed. On the one hand, he's an epic and threatening villain (I prefer him over the antagonists over at St. Aggie's) and the reveal that he's Kludd (Soren's brother from the first book) of all people is definitely intense. I do love a good villain who has a strong connection to the main character. But on the other hand, this kind of seems to imply that Kludd was just born evil. Remember, in book one he tried to kill Soren by pushing him out of the hollow when he, Kludd, was only a fledgling. Now we meet him again and he's basically Bird Hitler. I think I'd have preferred it if he wasn't portrayed as evil already in the first book, not completely at least. But, again, maybe future books will expand on him. For now I'm just not 100% satisfied with him as a villain. But future books in this series have remedied issues I've had with previous books in this series before (e.g. this book explaining why the killed rogue smith in the last book didn't have a name).
So yeah, overall another solid book. Not my favorite but it's a neat adventure to go on and I love seeing our characters here get together. I'm a fan of this series so far.
Rating: 3.5/5
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