This is a very good book so far.

A 4.5 ⭐ for me. I loved it up until the end... I don't know how I feel about Soren no longer being the main character and having grown into an adult owl. I liked him more than Coryn, but he's alright I guess.

Oh. My. God. I loved it! These books are brilliant and I highly recommend them. I was really annoyed as I had to go out and couldn't read the last chapter but I'm glad I waited as it meant I could absorb it more, my word that last chapter is so emotional, it brought tears to my eyes! It was such a fitting end, I love how humble Coryn is that even though he's a king and he believes in his friends :D

WOW!

A fantastic finish to the overarching story of the first 8 books. Sincerely incredible. Onto the legends!

Overall Rating : B+

"Am I not so much more than feathers and bones, talons and wings?"

tThe Outcast seems to be the conclusion of an eight-book tale. In the fashion of Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Prydain, the true king has taken his place on the throne after an epic story of quests and wars where good triumphs over evil, with the blood of the martyrs spilled in every corner of the kingdom. The king who takes his place is Coryn, the son of evil tyrants.
tIn this book Coryn becomes the most likeable and connecting character in the entire series. For the first time in this series I was emotionally moved over and over by a character. With the obstacles Coryn overcomes his willingness to do whatever it takes at the expense of so many things is truly touching.
tThe question of love is threaded through books seven and eight. In The Hatchling Coryn (then Nyroc) tells his mother that he loves her. His mother is completely lacking any concept of love, even for her own child. How Coryn knew what love was at all is a testament to what he was born with. He was certainly never taught any form of love. In chapter nine of this book he is pondering love. “To love something can often mean to give it up...” is a conclusion he came to on his own. This is something he has to do over and over. He gives up his home, his mother, his own wishes to go the the great tree, and other things along the way. In the end he is overwhelmed with love for all of the people who helped him and guided him to his destiny, people who put their lives on the line for him, people who died for him.
tThrough this love he learns what it is to do honorable things. He discusses standards with Phillip. He realizes that fulfilling his quest means doing without things he wants and being patient. Hamish has a similar destiny to Coryn's, and in chapter 17 he says, “Honors are lonely things. I would much rather have friends than honors.”
tThe great message in the book is Soren's blessing of Coryn in chapter 28. “You who were born into evil found good. You who were raised in tyranny sought equality. You who were schooled in brutality learned only mercy. You who were taught the dishonorable discovered honor.” After all he went through, what a great feeling it was for Coryn to hear those words from his hero. What a great example of what the readers should aspire to.
tA final note on the legends. The author reminds us that belief in the legends accounts for so many of the great things accomplished by the main characters in this series. It seems that Otulissa was the last one who finally gave in and believed and acted on it. What a reward there was in store! Though I don't think this series is written from a Christian perspective, belief in the words of God from the Bible has accomplished many of the same types of things in the course of human history. The ancient writings and stories in the Bible have been so important to so many groups of people. (But those are just stories, right? They're not really true.) Believe and you will see.
tThe Outcast was an impressive conclusion to the series. While in many stories the end is disappointing (especially in long stories), this one ended well, and was very satisfying. I know the next three books are of the legends, which I'm looking forward to, but I'm a little puzzled as to where the story can go from there, and if it will be as good as it continues. I know some details will be expanded on in the legends. I'm still wondering about Ifghar. And what about the Others? Those are the loose ends the author hasn't tied up. On to the legends.

Like a 3.7 rounded up to a 4. The book was still entertaining but I feel like all of the deus ex machina plot devices really deviated from the sound writing found in the prior books in the series. I love this series so far but using ghosts and prophecies as the primary forces to keep the plot going feels like lazy writing.

This is the eighth book in the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series, which I'm reading aloud to my younger daughter.

My heart breaks a little at this title! Poor Nyroc feels like an outcast, and I rooted for him all the way in this one. We meet some new characters, like Hamish the lame wolf. It's not surprising that Nyroc (aka Coryn) would have an affinity towards Hamish because they both are pariahs.

The world-building has certainly changed from the earlier books in the series. It's so much more than just the Great Tree, and Lasky is setting things up for her Wolves of the Beyond spin-off series. I can see already that I'll want to read that one as well! Some reviewers have commented that the series has strayed too far from its original core featuring Soren and the gang. I disagree. I'm enjoying the arc and seeing the development of this world.

We are continuing on with the ninth book in the series, The First Collier.

This review was posted on my book blog:
https://darlenesbooknook.blogspot.com...

Retracting one star for ableist themes

Solo decir que espero que llegue el día en el que lo publiquen en castellano porque es mucho mejor que el anterior número.

Ich mag Coryns Geschichte, doch dass die Wölfe dazugekommen sind mit ihren ganzen Bräuchen und neuen Wörtern war mir dann doch etwas zu viel… abgesehen davon bin ich gespannt wie es weitergeht

I think this book could have been several books, honestly - this arc was *super* short, and this book covers a TON of ground.

This book makes me want to start reading wolves of the beyond but I must be strong... gotta finish this series first...