3.5 stars

another good book about the owls and their mission to protect and keep all owls safe from 2 groups that want to destroy the owl kingdoms..in this book you find out one owl who everyone thought was dead is still alive and another couple owls lose their lives trying to be helpful and do battle against the Pure ones..enjoy

⎯ ✩✩ ⎯

DNF • 75%

Okay, I got bored again. The Ga’Hoole vocabulary is just too annoying at this point, it’s not worth continuing on. Now, time to rant a bit about Why-Kludd’s-Rise-To-Villainy-Was-Sucky-At-Best.

At least we’re given Kludd’s perspective this time around, so finally his evil, psychopathic nature is kind of explained. So, he hates his brother because he was favoured more than him, okay good to know that in book four of all books. Also he’s into older women (owls?) so that’s kinda gross. But I still don’t understand how he joined the Pure Ones, rose in ranks, wooed Nyra, built an army, stole Flecks, kidnapped owlets, lost his beak and became the Pure One Leader in a single year? Dude’s practically an overnight celebrity. Even though the movie also wasn’t great, at least they showed his descent into villainy. These first four books just let him do it off-page, with no emotional ties to his journey at all, even though he’s, you know, Soren the Protagonist’s brother.

Again, this book relied too much on telling rather than showing. These are obviously marketed toward the wrong audience cause I don’t think kids aged 9 to 12 will understand the vocabulary or appreciate the violent, graphic detail of these owl fights.

It’s sad, cause the first two books were promising, not great, but I figured it would get better. But I just couldn’t look past the author’s constant need to hide the interesting plot points and reveal them only through word of mouth via unnecessary side characters.

Basically as far as pre-teen books go, I’ve read better.

Spy games, attacks, defensive maneuvers, possible betrayal, a "cougar" villainess (Nyra), inspiring speeches, and Otulissa throwing a dead squirrel in the face of one of he rybs: I'm all here for it!

Can't spoil the ending, but I am excited to see where this leads and how Otulissa will steer them to victory!

Soren and the "Chaw of Chaws" must do all that they can to protect the Ga'Hoole Tree from the onslaught of Kludd and the "Pure Ones". In the mean time however, Soren, Gilfie and Twilight must venture back to the dreaded St. Aegolius for Orphaned Owls to ferret out double agents that may be smuggling out 'flecks' to the "Pure Ones".
I was captivated by the continuation of the this great saga. Though Soren is the main character, there is a shared attention to each of the supporting cast that makes the story hard to put down. I was with the "Chaw of Chaws" when they prepared for the mission to infiltrate St. Aggies. When each of the owls was taught the part of the Ga'Hoole legend that appled to him or her. I was beside myself when they made their escape with the information that they needed. The battle for the tree was so well fought and I loved every minute.
Another good one!

I love these books!!

Owls read books. It’s not the issue they can read is there is books. Are they human sized? Owl sized? What is owl sized? Is it paper pages. If so how is it printed (or written). Is there an owl language that can be written? I have too many questions.

Also my previous issues. Racism. Cannibalism. Weird demographics. The curse words that aren’t curse words.

Kathryn Lasky has done it again, making this series even better (and I didn't even know that was possible)! Otulissa just gets better and better! She is developing into a much more important and complex character. The Siege immediately got me hooked! Later, I started reading a different book that I really liked! Soon I was reading the other book more often than The Siege. Then my wonderful sister made me read The Siege when she saw me reading the other book. I'm glad she did! Lasky sure knows how to write a book!

Spk

tThe Siege is the fourth book in the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series, and is the story of a war between the Guardians of Ga'Hoole and the Pure Ones. The main character, Soren, shows remarkable leadership during the different phases of the war, and is helped many others along the way.
tThe title refers to the action taken by the Pure Ones in laying siege to the Island of Hoole where the Guardians reside. It is a story about a battle between good and evil with overtones of the educated vs. the ignorant. The Pure Ones are ignorant and believe that their pure race of Barn Owls is superior to all other life. The Guardians stand for knowledge and learning, through which they know that all owls are created equal.
tThis knowledge vs. ignorance theme is present throughout the series, and is brought to attention in chapter three of this book. Some of the Guardians declare some knowledge forbidden and seek to take books out of the library. The true leader of the Guardians, Ezylryb is strongly against the notion of forbidden knowledge. It is against everything the Guardians stand for.
tAs we learn about the Pure Ones, and the owls of St. Aggie's, we see that they only want the knowledge that will benefit them in their quests to dominate other owl kingdoms. Beyond that, learning is forbidden. Otulissa has realized that the St. Aggie's owls will believe whatever she says because they themselves are not learners. She also realizes that “they could do real damage with what they might find out...” In chapter 17 we find out how appalling it is to Ezylryb to see a book destroyed, and the length he goes to repair it. The author is obviously letting us know how important knowledge and learning is.
tAlso in chapter 17 we learn a little more about Soren's parents. They seem to have the same view of war that Ezylryb has. They hate it. While the author lets us know in this book that there are things worth fighting for, the point is apparent that war is detestable and should be avoided as much as it can be. In chapter 20 Soren comes to this realization. “There was nothing particularly glorious or heroic about war, Soren realized. It was really nothing more than a grubby, vile task to vanquish a foul tyranny...”
tChapter 18 shows the natural views associated with knowledge and learning. Ezylryb speaks for the entire educated world in his speech when he says the following: “It is in the very diversity of our breeds, the rainbow of our colors, the multiplicity of our shapes that we find richness.” He goes on to say that they must win the war, for it is the only way for owlkind to go on with “those impulses for life, for honor, and for freedom.” A worthy cause to be sure.
tThere is an explanation of Kludd's rise to power that makes it plausible. It's really not Metal Beak that is in power, but his mate, Nyra. He did not rise to power by great leadership or proving himself in battle, but only by defeating Nyra's former mate, during which he got his first set of deformities.
tThe Siege was easily the best book in the series to this point. The story can stand alone as a war between good and evil. It had a theme threaded all the way through. The war was won by the good guys at the end, and the groundwork is set for book five. We found that Hortense still lives as Mist. There is a great cast of complementary heroes including Mist, the eagles, Slynella, and the Rogue Smith. This book was a good, satisfying read.

The scrooms in book 3 were annoying, but now Soren is getting some kind of second sight with prophetic dreams. I really liked the idea of Soren's strength being "gizzuition." Why does it have to have a supernatural element all of the sudden? I don't expect things like that to crop up four books into a series.

The book Guardians of Ga'Hoole The Siege by Kathryn Lasky tells you how the owls in the Great Ga'Hoole tree defend the tree. The owls who live in the Great Ga'Hoole tree are protecting it from the cruel owls called the Pure Ones. The part that is exciting about the book is that the main character, Soren, has a brother, Kludd and Kludd is the leader of the Pure Ones. This makes the story a lot more intense because you know that when the fight begins, it is going to be more exciting than a usual fight.