The Adventurers Guild: Twilight of the Elves (The Adventurers Guild, 2)

Our Middle Schoolers requested the full series!!!

I read this book once as a grandmother who has loved fantasy and SF for nearly seven decades. I plan to read it again to my near-7-year-old grandson as soon as we finish reading The Chamber of Secrets together. He knows I have the entire Adventurer's Guild series and has perused the covers, the inside cover maps and images, and the appendix of monsters at the end of volume 1. He is excited to join the Adventurers. I was intrigued by the introduction of the various Dangers and the next level of beastly antagonists since they ring very familiar to readers already enamored of the fantasy genre. As a student of Celtic mythology, I was particularly impressed with the appearance of the Ban-shea. Fans will also notice a very canny resemblance to ragged ghostly shades in another popular fantasy series. I also think the authors have offered, among the many creatures in this book, a somewhat softened introduction to the undead, very appropriate for the ages to which this series is pitched. And I loved scenes where the young warriors converse with sorrowful but nonetheless terrifying dracolich. Above all, I love the joy of language with which Mr. Clark and Mr. Eliopulos have woven this narrative. There are, as noted by almost every reviewer, child-identifying and character-defining jokes and insults. There are turns of phrase that are elegant and lovely. But, above all, there are also kernels of philosophy rendered appropriate to the audience and the characters speaking those lines. The discussion about understanding dangerous and incomprehensible things, equating "complete understanding" with "the worst children's fantasy" is filled with deep psychological insights as well as offering us a metatextual nudge from the authors. The most moving part of this particular book, however, was in the ancillary story of refugees and the origins of inter- and intra-species warfare in Terryn. My favorite line in the entire book may be, "A place is only as good as the individuals who shape it." Twilight of the Elves often reminded me of Susanne Collins' Underland series for this same age range, especially the third book, Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods, which introduces very young readers to concepts like nationalism, expansionism, unintended consequences, and the true costs and horror of war. Many of these same ideas are the bones underlying The Adventurer's Guild. I cannot wait to read this again through the eyes of an astute young child.

This and the first book were so good I read them both then recommended them to my younger sister.Like myself she was absolutely absorbed in them and read them both in a day!Our favorite parts on the first book was when Zed used the illegal magic for the first time in the forest, and the staff broke. We both really love the creatures you put in there, the detail you put in the books themselves, it was definitely worth the read. (and re-read!) Sincerely, The Bookworms.

My son loved this book and storyline.

My 9 year old is so into these books! Highly recommend!

I loved the first book and this second book delivers even more. I love the D&D fantasy world, and the authors brilliantly weave a wonderful tale of adventure with the Elves. So cool! I hope they write tons more!!! The possibilities are endless. Superb character building and excellent twists. More, please!

This adventure gripped my the whole time. I can’t wait to dig into the next one. It makes you want to play D&D.

My 9YO son and I are doing read aloud with this story. We can't wait for book 3!Beware there are lots of monsters in this series, so maybe not good for sensitive kids. The beasts are pretty scary. The prose and vocabulary is also pretty advanced. Strong readers only.

Je vais commencer à le lire très bientôt.