Ranger's Apprentice: The Kings of Clonmel

Summary: Book 8 in the Ranger's Apprentice series, this novel takes place after the events of Book 5 where Will is once again a Ranger. A mysterious group called the Outsiders, a group of bandits disguised as a religious cult, have sprung up in the outskirts of Araluen and Halt manages to send them packing back to Hibernia. Though when the ranger hears his old home is in trouble, he seeks the help of Will and Horace to drive out the Outsiders seeking to take over Hibernia. Upon their arrival, they find out only one kingdom remains before the Outsiders have complete control of the country and this kingdom has a special relationship to Halt. If the Araluens don't stop the Outsiders then Hibernia will fall and they won't be able to stop the full force of the country plus the Outsiders when they come after Araluen next.

Suggested age rating: 14+ based on some language, minor substance abuse, and complex content.

Review: Looking at the book objectively, I found the villain lacking in his capacity and his method to reach his goal of complete control over Hibernia through religious influence. Though I did appreciate the author trying to recapture the original books by bringing back the three main characters on another adventure, it was really the last quarter of the book with the final confrontation that I enjoyed. Now my overall opinion of the novel is not very high based on its portrayal of people being so gullible they're willing to accept any religion that comes their way. Due to the nature of this content, the author seemed to really put down religion and people who follow it which led me to not like this book in the slightest, so if you are a strong believer like myself, this book may not be your cup of tea.

Language: 6 da** and 2 he**.

Indecency/Sex: A man and woman kiss.

Violence and Gore: Dead animals are present and being eaten by birds, dogs and cattle are slaughtered violently, a child is killed, a man is beheaded, many characters fight with multiple weapons and are injured or killed.

Frightening Scenes: None present.

Substance Abuse: Many men drink and become drunk, poison is used, and being drugged is mentioned.

Spiritual Content: A religious cult is constantly present though it is fake, they create a fake god that supposedly fights an evil god. Praying to this god and worshiping it is present.

Genres: Fantasy, fiction, young adult, medieval.