The Outcasts by John Flanagan (The Brotherband Chronicles # 1)

Young Adult. Medieval. Found Family. Action. Historical Fiction. 

I needed something comforting. 

Rating: 4/5

Pages: 434

Started: 22 October 2022

Finished: 23 October 2022

Summary:

    With a dead father and an Araluen mother, Hal has always been an outcast despite his cleverness and creativity. So when he is elected to lead a brotherband in the traditional Skandian coming-of-age training, Hal is shocked. But Hal and his equally outcasted brotherband soon realize that they must rely on their cleverness and special skills to beat the other brotherbands and win the respect of their peers. 

Thoughts: 

    Despite my recognition of his many flaws, I love John Flanagan with all my heart. His books feel like home. I love the ingenuity and cleverness of Hal, and the way that every character has a skill that they are amazing at, which ends up serving the whole group well at some point. Yes, the books are sexist and ableist. I recognize that, and am disappointed. And yes, the writing is decidedly subpar. But somehow the perfection of all the characters feels right to me in a way that I will never get tired of. As I continue to make my way through College Apps I think I'll be reading more of this series for the comforting escapism it never fails to provide.