Book 3 again directly continues the story told in the first two books. Morgarath has been defeated but Will and Evanlyn have been captured by the Skandians and carried away as slaves. Halt and Horace are determined to rescue them, even if they have to travel to Skandia.

Skandians are of course inspired by the vikings. This is a worldbuilding technique commonly used in these books. Araluen is based on Western Middle Ages, and other countries are based on other real-world cultures. Pretty basic, but effective.

The story is a bit naive, and nothing sexual ever happens, but if you are willing to suspend your cynicism and enjoy a good story for young readers you'll like this one.
( )

Fantasy

I enjoyed this book but not as much as the 1st two. Felt a little like filler to get to the 4th book. ( )

It was nice, but felt an awful lot like a filler book. By the end of the book nothing much has really changed for anybody. I liked the first two books in the series and hope that the next one will be better than this. ( )

Fantasy