Halt is new to the kingdom of Arulen. He has nothing to fight for, nowhere to call home. The only friend he has is Crowley, a young ranger in the service of the king. But neither of them are going to stand idly by when a cruel lord plans to take the royal throne for himself. The duo set out on a quest to gather all true rangers, all true barons, rescue Prince Duncan from imprisonment, and defeat Lord Morgarath at his own games. While it all sounds impossible, one must remember that a force of rangers isn't to be underestimated.

Fans of the Ranger's Apprentice series will enjoy this return to Arulen, be pleased to see familiar faces, and be eager to meet new ones. The fast pace and humorous narrative of this book makes it a fun read. The rangers are a tight-knit group determined to bring justice, peace, and truth back to their kingdom, and do their best to help others and set good examples.

However, there is a little bit of bathroom refrences, drunkenness, language, and implications of violence.

The writing style is simple and appeals mainly to the middle-grade to YA reading group.

Veteran readers of the series may become bored with information that was already given in the original series, but it will benefit new travelers to Arulen.

'The former Ranger looked at the little amulet and picked it up, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"Didn't realize how much I was missing this."'