Spoilers of Books 1-5 ahead
The tale of William's journey is fast approaching its final installment. If you have read the series so far, you've seen him go from the boy on the steps to the heir who is ready to take on a King to free his people.
That said though, Will isn't the only character who has grown through the pages of these stories. We've seen Rowan take life seriously (on occasions) and Colin go from timid to calculating leader.
And we will see all of these things still flourish further in Book Six--Blood of the Crown--as Will takes on the challenge we have all been waiting for: reclaiming his right to the throne of Thornten. Which means, we want to make sure we are all set for the release of book six. Ready to catch all the Easter Eggs and Clues that we may have missed in the story before.
So, where should you start? At the start, right? Rereading book one, Ranger of Kings? Nope.
Below, you'll find my recommendations on the ultimate order to read the books in preparation of book sixes release.
First: The Falcon and The Stag
What better place to start a story than before it even begins? If you haven't read The Falcon and The Stag, I would say this is a good place to begin. This book is by far the shortest of any of the Alamore tales. You can download it for free on Amazon in the USA or receive it for free when you subscribe to this very site. Why start here?
Well, apart from this being the backstory of how the tunnels beneath Alamore came to be, this book will have some familiar names for people who have read the main series. It gives insight to characters such as Cavian Greyhead--Colin's father--and the early years of King Temrod of Thornten.
However, more importantly, is that a side character name will reappear in book six. Though it will not be the exact same character, you will see a tie through the lines. It's an easy one to miss but the good thing is that this book is small enough you can flip back through it and find those names once more.
Second: Shadow of the Sword
So, this is an0ther spin-off of the Alamore books and is a bridge between the timeframe of The Falcon and The Stag and Ranger of Kings. This story, again shorter than the main series, still tracks in at over 50,000 words and has an audiobook edition available on Audible. Why?
In Shadow of the Sword, we get insight into Sir Laster's past. We see the trials through which he suffered on his way to becoming a knight and we get the first glimpses of the Ranger of Kings himself. This tale ties in how the Ranger went from Enemy Prince to Royal Ranger. It
Once more, we are going to see characters reappear. Though this time, they won't be vague references but the true character will reemerge once more. You'll want to pay attention to them as you read this book and, more over, you may enjoy the eluded hints to the books of the main series.
Third: Ranger of Kings
Now we are back on track for this main series business and things should be a bit more obvious from here on out. Here on out, we get to follow the working order.
Why?
Well, we want to read this one next because it fits perfectly in on the timeline of events in Alamore. That and it gives us that first insight into our hero: Will.
You might be rolling your eyes and saying I already read this. Fear not: if you read this, you'll still want to reread it before book six.
Not only has this book just received a much-needed overhaul on edits, but it has a lot of hidden things you may not have realized on your first round of reading. Once you've read more of the series and go back to reread it, you can pick up on clues throughout and not-so-subtle pointers to who Will really is and how his destiny has been decided since before even the pages of book one really opened.
Fourth: The Cutthroat Prince
Again, we are going to whip through these ones because this is going to be kind of obvious from here on out.
Why?
The really plain answer is because it comes next. In book two of the William of Alamore series, we get introduced to some key players who will stick with us to the very end such as Eldin and Kalia.
More things that may be missed but might be good to keep in mind as we get set to dive into book six: Thornten Castle.
Apart from the dungeons we see in Shadow of the Sword, this book shows more of Thornten castle than any of the other books. There will be some familiar sights in book six and remembering the first time that this place was seen through Will's eyes could be crucial going forward.
Fifth: The Fallen Heir
What a rollercoaster of a ride The Fallen Heir is. In this book, we get to see the truth for the first time. We get the gut punch of reality as Will gets it and we get the heartbreak that Will suffers through in the ending pages.
Why?
Book three is a critical time for young William of Alamore. Thrown into unknown lands, faced with dangers he can't truly imagine, in a race against time and an assassin, secrets get spilled.
Not only do we uncover the truth in the pages of book three, but we also uncover another heir. We meet someone that, if we read book one, we may remember being mentioned briefly in the prologue.
And, if we are getting set to read book six, we are going to see him again....
Sixth: Rogue Amongst Royals
Remember that time I said we would see characters from book three in future books? This is one of those times.
Why?
Because book four we see the world around Will really change. We see that no one is truly good or evil. We see that people can be twisted and manipulated and used and do terrible things for a cause they believe to be greater than themselves. Will gets a taste of it first hand and gets to nearly die from it too. Aw, all the joys of training to be a knight.
What things should you watch in book four?
Well, you should watch the characters for sure. We have one who will appear in book five to be a key player and who has his hand it keeping people from being killed in this one. We have a character who will face his own darkness and accept that it is easy to become the monster if one is not careful....
Seventh: Tyrant of Traitors
Not going to lie, I am totally biased but this is my favorite book in the series to date. Like by far my favorite. This monster of a book comes in at twice the length of book one (actually more than that) and even longer than the fifth book in the Harry Potter series. It could crush toes. It could hold a door open. And if you read the story, you see that it can change the course of Will's life.
Why?
Oof. This book is where the truth can no longer be brushed aside. This is the one where Will begins to understand that sometimes we must pursue power that we don't want. Not for our own personal gain but for the betterment of others. Not for our own wants, but for those who fall under our protection.
He sees this on a much smaller scale than Thornten in watching Colin's own struggles for power that he was born into. A power that he has never tried to shirk. We see Colin rise to challenge for what is rightfully his, to save the people that he has grown up knowing he will always tend.
We also see some characters from before (talking you, strange blond character in book four and snooty steward in book one.)
Eighth: Blood of the Crown
And then we reach it.
We reach the end.
We reach the trials. The battles. The final pages of this tale.
Why?
Because if you read seven books before this then decide not to see how it ends, you are a monster.
Just kidding.
Kind of...
No, in all seriousness this book is the one that ties it all together. You will see the loose ends twist into knots, the threads between each book braided into a rope.
In book six, we reach the end of Will's story.
But not of Alamore....
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