I was expecting a little bit more from this book. It's a MG/YA blades-and-bows tale set in a medievalish world of fiefs and forests, terrifying sentient beasts, and brooding, banished bad guys. It's a mostly solid start to a 10-book epic adventure. The world and the storytelling and the core group of characters are all interesting enough, though not very well developed in this first, fairly short book. There's a nice enemies-to-friends trope, and if you're a sucker for a taciturn ranger and an undersized teen protagonist out to find and prove his worth, then this will likely be a good read for you. I *am* a sucker for those elements and probably would've loved this as a tween/teen but didn't appreciate the unhealthy gender stereotypes, the comparatively lengthy time spent on a pretty brutal bullying subplot (or most of the resolution to it), the way the ranger acts annoyed and aggrieved at the apprentice's questions, or the way the events of 15 years ago are treated like they occurred in a previous lifetime. But that last one is just nitpicking — for a 15-year-old, they *did* occur in a previous lifetime. Bottom line: I'm old, and I expect just a bit more. I'll read the next couple in the series to see if they deliver it.