The king and the ruling Princess face imminent danger and death at the conclusion of book 2, The Red Fox Clan.  In this book, Duel at Araluen (Book 3), once again, Maddie is at the center of the action.  She’s using her Ranger skills to make a difference in the lives of many people.  Having really embraced her training as a Ranger, she’s impressive.  Will has taught her well and she’s paid attention when he taught her to not just do a task until she gets it right, but rather to do it until she never gets it wrong.  She’s a unique young lady who has embraced humility, persistence, and being a person of integrity.  Knowing she’s a princess comes with responsibilities, but she’s willing to be so much more.  This book also gives Sir Horace and Gilan, the Ranger Corp Commandant, a large spotlight as they face danger with a sense of humor.  Hal and the Heron Brotherband make an appearance from The Brotherband Chronicles and they play a part in saving the kingdom from the bad guys.  

The love and community that binds these friends together is what keeps me coming back for more.  This story is so much more than just slashing and whacking; it’s about learning the true meaning of friendship, loyalty to your people, and courage in the midst of overwhelming odds.  My favorite quote is when Maddie thinks, “True courage consists of facing up to one’s fears and defeating them.” 

John Flanagan writes in a way that draws the reader in, gives them satisfaction in battling and mostly defeating the bad guys, building characters to the point where the reader can see growth and maturity, and then making them feel like old friends.  They have a lot to teach us, no matter how old we are and they have a sense of humor that keeps the reader paying attention.  This is book three of the Royal Ranger but also fits well as book fourteen of the Ranger’s Apprentice series.  Because it’s the conclusion of The Red Fox Clan, it would be best to go back and read at least that one but it might also be worth the time to start with book one of the Ranger’s Apprentice series and get to know the characters who grow with time.  

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  2 mild obscenities. 

Violence/Gore:  Many men are killed with arrows, some descriptive; a long scene of a small battle, several men killed, descriptive and blood mentioned; an older man pushes a young man because he’s being a bully, knocks the breath out of him; 4 men fight with 2 getting knocked out; several battle scenes with several soldiers killed or injured, some descriptive, some blood; a young woman threatens to put an arrow through a man’s knee if he doesn’t comply with her request; a long battle scene with swords between a man and a woman, one dies, descriptive of battle, some blood.

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

Treason, war, death, mercenary soldiers. 

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None