Note: The title of this book has been translated into English by me for the reading comprehension of this blog's viewers as the book itself isn't available in English (yet). The original title reads Le Tredici Spade #4: Il segreto del lupo.
Book four, so I can finally be done with this series. Spoilers ahead.
Our heroes make their way to the last tower in order to obtain more swords. Here, Aldar is tested. But the war for Fantasy Kingdom is still raging, and the evil twins are finally stepping out of the shadows. Will our heroes be able to obtain the final swords to stop the Evil Mages from winning?
Yeah, it's still just very bland and forgettable. No surprises here. I really struggle with coming up with anything of note to talk about in this review. because most points of criticism I have with this series I've already brought up in previous reviews. This book is yet another formulaic, bland, forgettable and boring book in this series.
The stakes in this series overall are also just way too low. The story keeps saying that Fantasy Kingdom will be lost and everyone will die if the Evil Mages win, but in practice we're never shown any named character on the side of good dying. This in turn makes it feel like there is no real sense of urgency or danger, because everyone will be okay regardless. Had the series had some balls and killed of a few characters, this wouldn't be an issue.
The main characters are still super bland and forgettable, too. I have rarely come across a cast of main characters so dull and boring. Aside from one or two minor differences, these all feel like the same type of character and we still barely know anything about anyone's backstory, like what their childhoods were like and if they have any family. Also, despite the leads all being different fantastical races, this rarely comes into play. I think it'd have been cool if the story actually toyed with this a bit and had them being unique races be part of their strengths as a team, but again very little is done with it.
The villains are just a snorefest. With this book they were finally stepping out of the shadows and taking on a more hands-on approach, which at first had me excited. After all, one of my main criticisms for the previous three books is that they were too passive and had their minions do all their dirty work.
But now that they finally do stuff...it's a massive disappointment. They basically get their asses handed to them without leaving a big, devastating impact on anything. In fact, the ultimate villain in the end isn't even one of the evil twins, but the dragon they summoned in book one. So the main villains we've been following in this entire series are just pretty much useless and leave little to no lasting impact on the story. What a letdown. I was so hoping for something epic to happen, for them to do something grand and of major consequences (like, I don't know, kill off a major character on the side of good). But instead they just get their asses beat without too much fanfare. Yaaawwn. What even was the point of all that buildup, then?
I also have to bring up the wolf as the wolfaboo that I am... He's barely in the story. So even that was a letdown.
I am just overall so disappointed by this series. Not to say that all Geronimo/Thea Stilton series are bangers or anything, but usually they're at least slightly better and have more thought put into it than this. This series really feels like it was written by the author on autopilot based on generic kids' fantasy tropes. I don't hate this series or anything, it wasn't terrible, I do need to make that clear. But it's just so boring, so bland, so forgettable, so underwhelming. Stick to the Princesses of Fantasy Kingdom series if you want more excitement.
Rating: 3/5
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