I couldn’t wait to read The Battle for Verdana. I wasn’t disappointed!! With the way that Windy City Ruins ended, I needed to know what would happen to Rome and Julian.
The Battle For Verdana is the 4th book in The Talisman series. As with the other books in this series, readers cannot read this book as a standalone. It would be best if you read books 1-3 first. I can’t stress this enough. If you do decide to read this book as a standalone, be prepared to be confused. Trust me on this!!
The Battle For Verdana takes place immediately after the ending of Windy City Ruins. Rome, Julian, Jericho, and Clay are traveling to Chicago to meet with Beacon and Mrs. Case. They are looking for another talisman to replace the one that Julian had. While there, they get a clue where another talisman could be….in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Not sure what they will find, the boys set out there. Will they find what they are looking for? Or will the Darkbrands beat them to it?
Rome was still my favorite character, with Julian being a close second. I loved seeing how his character grew throughout the books and how that growth continued in The Battle For Verdana. He went from a hacky-sack-loving typical teenage boy to this young man wise beyond his years.
Julian did annoy me during parts of the book, but I could understand why he was acting the way he acted. Not only was he a teenager, but he wasn’t in control. I wish I could say more, but it would be giving away a considerable part of the plot. I did like how he handled his father (even though the old-fashioned speech did give me a headache). Their interactions pained me and made me laugh.
I liked that Jericho and Clay were a big part of this book. I was still a little iffy about them after Windy City Ruins but got over that. Jericho showed over and over that he was to be trusted. Plus, I liked how he could get rid of Nocturne throughout the book. That was a pretty handy spell to have (even though it did mess with the talisman).
I enjoyed the discovery of the forest dragons towards the middle of the book, and I empathized with them. I understood why Larkspur was so angry (of course, there was a twist to that which made sense afterward), and I also understood why the other dragons were on the fence.
Of course, the end of the book was the best part!! There was a huge battle sequence that the author amazingly wrote. I was holding my breath during several parts of the battle. I did think, at one point, that the Darkbrands would finally beat the group, but that was put to rest when a particular something happened.
I am looking forward to reading book 5 (yes, there will be a book 5). I can’t wait to see if my feelings about Julian’s father are true, what will happen now that “it” happened, and if there are other dragons that the boys will meet.
I would recommend Windy City Ruins to anyone over the age of 13. It is a clean book (no sex, no kissing). There is mild violence and very mild language.