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koalateagirl's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
kim_chelf's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
jklbookdragon's review
5.0
This is a fantastic tween/teen fantasy series that can make an adult laugh out loud. It may not be realistic for 12-13 year olds to be fighting monsters, but it does make for a series of fun adventures. Throw in personal development, coming of age, a bit of politics, natural (or unnatural) history, and and what's not to love? *And* the strong protagonist is a young female POC.
Spoiler
basically velociraptors a la Jurassic Parkheathersbike's review
I like this series. Despite all the things Rowan has listed at the end of the book, I'm assuming this is the final one. Too bad.
lolasreviews's review
4.0
The Final Trial is the fourth and last book in the Royal Guide to Monster Slaying series. I really enjoyed this series and am sad to see it come to and end, but The Final Trial is an amazing ending to this series. Like the previous books it's packed full with adventure, danger and monsters.
The Final Trial starts off shortly after the ending of book 3 and I easily got sucked back into the story, although I felt the start was a bit slower than the rest of the book. Setting the stage and getting the characters where they need to be. After that it gets really good and I struggled to put it down. There's an amazing battle scene where I really feared for how Rowan would get out of this. And then another great one late in the book with a great reveal and twists that was so well done.
Rowan is an awesome main character and it's been great seeing her grow throughout the series and really settle into her role as the royal monster hunter. In this book she looks back herself too and realizes how far she has come and that was great to see. I like how she solves problems, both those of the monster variety as well as tensions between her and her friends. I enjoyed seeing her interact with her friends as well as her monster companions and how they solved things together.
I really enjoy reading about all the monsters in this series, the way the author brings them to life with plenty of details and vivid descriptions. There are plenty of new monsters Rowan and the rest encounter in this book and I really enjoyed reading about them, from friendly monsters to those who cause trouble to really dangerous ones and surprising friends.
The last chapters form a satisfying ending to this series and I thought it wrapped up the series well, although at the same time I wouldn't say no to more books. This series has been so much fun to read and I enjoyed following Rowan and her friends on their adventures.
To summarize: This series was a great read. Filled with adventure, great characters and interesting monsters. This was an awesome ending to the series, but I am sad to see it end. The start was a bit slower, but I was quickly hooked. There are some exciting and tense battle scenes as well as a great twist and reveal toward the end. I wondered how Rowan would get out of some of the situations in this book and wanted to keep reading to find out. Rowan is a great character and I really enjoyed reading about her, seeing how she dealt with everything and grew throughout the series. Seeing her interact with her friends and monster companions is great. And I enjoyed seeing her deal with all sorts of monster related problems as well as tensions within her group. The monsters really come alive with vivid descriptions and plenty of details and it was so interesting to read about all these various monsters. All in all an awesome series that I really enjoyed reading.
The Final Trial starts off shortly after the ending of book 3 and I easily got sucked back into the story, although I felt the start was a bit slower than the rest of the book. Setting the stage and getting the characters where they need to be. After that it gets really good and I struggled to put it down. There's an amazing battle scene where I really feared for how Rowan would get out of this. And then another great one late in the book with a great reveal and twists that was so well done.
Rowan is an awesome main character and it's been great seeing her grow throughout the series and really settle into her role as the royal monster hunter. In this book she looks back herself too and realizes how far she has come and that was great to see. I like how she solves problems, both those of the monster variety as well as tensions between her and her friends. I enjoyed seeing her interact with her friends as well as her monster companions and how they solved things together.
I really enjoy reading about all the monsters in this series, the way the author brings them to life with plenty of details and vivid descriptions. There are plenty of new monsters Rowan and the rest encounter in this book and I really enjoyed reading about them, from friendly monsters to those who cause trouble to really dangerous ones and surprising friends.
The last chapters form a satisfying ending to this series and I thought it wrapped up the series well, although at the same time I wouldn't say no to more books. This series has been so much fun to read and I enjoyed following Rowan and her friends on their adventures.
To summarize: This series was a great read. Filled with adventure, great characters and interesting monsters. This was an awesome ending to the series, but I am sad to see it end. The start was a bit slower, but I was quickly hooked. There are some exciting and tense battle scenes as well as a great twist and reveal toward the end. I wondered how Rowan would get out of some of the situations in this book and wanted to keep reading to find out. Rowan is a great character and I really enjoyed reading about her, seeing how she dealt with everything and grew throughout the series. Seeing her interact with her friends and monster companions is great. And I enjoyed seeing her deal with all sorts of monster related problems as well as tensions within her group. The monsters really come alive with vivid descriptions and plenty of details and it was so interesting to read about all these various monsters. All in all an awesome series that I really enjoyed reading.
dgrachel's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This series gets better as Rowan, the Royal Monster Hunter-elect, gains more experience. I thought the first book was okay, but by the middle of book two, I was so annoyed with and her friend, Dain, that I couldn’t even finish it. In this installment , Rowan has become a little less impulsive and the adventures become more high stakes for her and her companions. Armstrong does a good job of explaining concepts and words that may be new to her MG audience, but some of the lessons, particularly morality ones, are clumsy and heavy-handed. I struggled through the first half of this, because Dain is still an obnoxious, whiny brat and I wanted to push Rowan off her soapbox a time or two. However, the final part of the quest is exciting and entertaining, and I couldn’t help cheering on the whole group.
btwnprintedpgs's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Violence
Moderate: Grief and Kidnapping
therearenobadbooks's review
5.0
This is an amazing series.
Told in the first person, Rowan's voice is the one of a very strong and determined person.
I love the energy of the characters, their relationship, and also the monster companions as they work together as a team. Previous incidents have made Rowan more cautious of the consequences of her actions and although she is trying to prove herself as a Monter Hunter she tries to take the danger into her own hands alone to protect others. Her protection extends to companions and Monsters, for she treats all with the same level of respect. Monster Hunters are like referees and they educate people to coexist. That's a great concept.
I love that on her way to the main mission she deals with different small tasks and politics. We get to learn about new monsters.
Around chapter 12 things became quite interesting and with lots of action that grab us to the end. I couldn't put it down. My fav chapter is "Grootslang" and the awesome plot twist at the end.
A coming of age where Rowan comes to terms with some of her feelings towards her journey and companions.
Told in the first person, Rowan's voice is the one of a very strong and determined person.
I love the energy of the characters, their relationship, and also the monster companions as they work together as a team. Previous incidents have made Rowan more cautious of the consequences of her actions and although she is trying to prove herself as a Monter Hunter she tries to take the danger into her own hands alone to protect others. Her protection extends to companions and Monsters, for she treats all with the same level of respect. Monster Hunters are like referees and they educate people to coexist. That's a great concept.
I love that on her way to the main mission she deals with different small tasks and politics. We get to learn about new monsters.
Around chapter 12 things became quite interesting and with lots of action that grab us to the end. I couldn't put it down. My fav chapter is "Grootslang" and the awesome plot twist at the end.
A coming of age where Rowan comes to terms with some of her feelings towards her journey and companions.
selvaggia's review
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0