Ranger's Apprentice : The Ruins of Gorlan : Book 1 : By John Flanagan

Like the other 15-year-old wards of Castle Redmont, Will is nervous about Choosing Day, when each of them will be assigned to a different master for training. Though his dearest wish is to enter the Battleschool, his small stature prevents it. Instead, Will is apprenticed to the grim-faced, mysterious Ranger. Soon Will learns that becoming a ranger is more difficult, dangerous, and worthwhile than he had imagined. He earns the respect of his elders and the friendship of a former foe, but all this is prelude to the great adventure that follows, when his skills wielding a knife and keeping a heightened awareness of his surroundings become vital to the survival of his mentor and the safety of the kingdom.

My thoughts :
One of my friend's brother recommended this book to me. I had been wanting to read it for a pretty long time, but never did because they had never been recommended to me, so I was very excited when he told me I should read it. It was extremely enjoyable. Will was a very likable character, humble, cute, and brave. I loved Horace, from his evolving from a bully into a man. There weren't that many other major characters, but they were all awesome. Nothing bad, besides a few uses of d*** and that's it. 
The story was well developed and I think the pacing was very nice. I am in the middle of the 2nd one, and I am loving it. 
Signing off, 
JAM
(sorry for the review being so horribly short and choppy; it was written over a couple days)