My 9-year-old and 7-year-old boys loved this fantasy series that’s loosely based on the early life of King David. In this final book, Aidan Errolson must come out of hiding in the Feechiefen to face the impending downfall of King Darrow. The only question is will Darrow take down Corenwald with him? Well, we know that Aidan won’t let that happen without a fight, and we know that he has what it takes.

This book has some of the best Dobro moments in the series. He’s such a funny character, and my boys have now incorporated a new inside-joke phrase into their repertoire: “Time to leave these neighborhoooooooods!” For whatever reason, that one stuck.

This book also has a few very touching moments that made me choke up. No spoilers.

A few thoughts on the series overall:

1. There are almost no girls in the series. My boys did not comment on this or bat an eyelash. They are boys and love reading about boys. Girl readers, though, may notice. This book contains a few girl characters—rich ladies from Tambluff, including one spirited young woman who can match Dobro stride for stride.

2. The series focuses so closely on Aiden that the worldbuilding and external plot feel rather loose. It’s rather like the first Narnia book. We don’t get a lengthy deep-dive into the lore of the land, nor do we get our specific questions answered. We just take things as they come at us. This is largely the same. Although it’s a fantasy, don’t expect the granular detail or tightly woven fabric of a series like HP.

In fact, Rogers seems to intentionally go in the opposite direction, dedicating whole chapters to tree-chopping contests, feechie ballads, and other seeming side notes. Often, these colorful scenes were favorites of my boys. They are young and always up for a laugh.

3. In case you’re wondering, as I did, how far into David’s life this series goes, it focuses on David’s early life: facing Goliath, King Saul’s paranoia, Jonathan’s friendship, and going on the run with his followers. There is no Bathsheba character nor any intentional murders. Also, it’s not a beat-for-beat retelling. It’s inspired by King David, not based on him.

A SMALL SPOILER: I will say that I find it incredibly interesting that Rogers chose to make the feechies and civilizers long-lost relatives. They both descend from the same mainland tribe. The feechies came to the island first, and the civilizers came much later—so much later that they didn’t recognize any shared history with the feechies. Far from being two separate peoples, they discover that they are, in fact, one. I find spiritual significance in this.