The Ranger's Apprentice Series, by John Flanagan
"The Rangers, with their shadowy ways, have always made him nervous. And now fifteen-year-old Will has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. But what he doesn't yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom who will fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time he will not be denied..."
And that's just the plot of the first book.
Will is a young boy who doesn't know much about his past and isn't all that worried about his future. He's going to join battle school, fight in great battles like his father... But then everything just goes haywire for poor, young Will.
With amazing characters, a fantasy world that is so vivid and real it is brought to life with the words forming pictures in your head, and an original idea and plot, the Ranger's Apprentice series is absolutely one of a kind.
The first four books are all about Will getting older and more comfortable with his apprenticeship, one that he didn't particularly want, but now will never regret. The fifth, sixth, and seventh books dive a little deeper into Will's character, to show more of him as a person--his emotions and his memories, not just present things that are happening. The 7th book takes place between the 4th and 5th (confusing, I know, but it makes since if you read them) and sort of fills in a gap that I definitely felt was missing.
The characters are wonderful and the book is just overall enjoyable to read.
I tend to read more books focused for adults, like Janet Evanovich, Karen Chance, Sandra Brown, Allison Brennan, etc, etc... But I love it when I find a young adult series that I can get into. The series is set in a fictitious country called Araluen, where Will lives in the fief of Redmont. In the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, we get a bit of Skandia, another country. In the 6th we get Seacliff fief, another part of Araluen. And in the 7th, we get some Arridi. All of the places are so clever and original, it's amazing that they aren't actually real.
I highly, highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoyed Percy Jackson and/or Harry Potter.
I tend to read more books focused for adults, like Janet Evanovich, Karen Chance, Sandra Brown, Allison Brennan, etc, etc... But I love it when I find a young adult series that I can get into. The series is set in a fictitious country called Araluen, where Will lives in the fief of Redmont. In the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, we get a bit of Skandia, another country. In the 6th we get Seacliff fief, another part of Araluen. And in the 7th, we get some Arridi. All of the places are so clever and original, it's amazing that they aren't actually real.
I highly, highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoyed Percy Jackson and/or Harry Potter.