Reviewed by Jeremey for TeensReadToo.com

Bobby Pendragon's next territory in Halla is called Ibara. Ibara is a tropical paradise. It's sunny, warm, colorful, and the perfect place to go on vacation.

Seeing as this is Saint Dane's next targeted territory, Bobby figures there's more to this utopia than meets the eye.

After conversing with the Ibara inhabitants, Bobby realizes that everyone is very happy with the way they live, but later finds out that if you do not go by what the government (aka the tribunal) rules, you and your family will disappear.

There is a secret in Ibara that the leaders are not telling everyone. A secret that involves Ibara's past, other territories, and an opportunity for Saint Dane to conquer another territory.

While Bobby faces troubles his acolytes, Courtney and Mark, read his journals intently. When Mark's parents die in a plane accident, he disappears, leaving Courtney to wonder where he went. Uncovering clues to Mark's whereabouts, Courtney is faced with two realities. One- Mark is being manipulated by Saint Dane. And two- Mark has created a new technology that could compromise all of Halla.

Being the eighth book in a series of ten, I knew this installment would turn everything up a notch. It does not disappoint! This book has twists that will make you hold your eyes open in the dead of night and say, "One more chapter!" ( )

From the back cover: When Bobby Pendragon first arrives on the tropical world of Ibara, he finds paradise. As he works to uncover clues about the turning point this seemingly idyllic territory will soon face, all he can determine is that the people of Ibara are blissfully happy. It's not long before Bobby discovers, however, that they are blissfully...oblivious.
The leaders of Ibara are keeping a devastating secret from their people, one that gives Saint Dane all the opportunity he needs to launch his final assault on Halla.

The description on the back cover tells you nothing about the plot of this story, which is actually why I used it. I'm not sure I could really describe this book without giving away a great deal of information. Most of the time I don't really care about plot spoilers, minor ones anyway, but in this case I feel like the majority of the book was focused on tiny twists that if revealed change the experience of the book.

My feelings are still rather neutral on the series as a whole. The repetition still annoys me, but I'm interested enough to keep reading. And so we go on to books nine and ten...as soon as I buy them. ( )

As much as I enjoyed reading the adventures of Courtney and Dodger back on First Earth, there was just something a little "off" about the dimension of Ibara. I admit that the shocknig truth behind that territory really took me back, but the hopelessness of the situation Pendragon found himself in was very dark.

In the end, the big question still remains: did he do the right thing? This was the second time he started throwing out all the rules and the end result was the act of a desperate man... but was it all in vain?

As for First Earth, the same questions are asked. Who was truly saved? After all that went down, what's wrong with Mark's logic?

It seems that the Travellers and Acolytes have been battling Saint Dane for too long and have grown a bit too self-assured, even in their utter exhaustion. And that's going to cost them dearly.

A good read, but not as strong as the previous ones. But the end is definitely coming. Even if the heroes seem to have given up. ( )

Not the best one, but then agin not the worst. I like that Courtney got an adventure, but on the cover, why does Bobby have antlers. ( )

Bobby Pendragon is no ordinary teen. Since his literary debut in The Merchant of Death, young Bobby has ceased to be solely a figment of DJ MacHale’s imagination but an inter-dimensional hero, an American teen from Stony Brook Connecticut who carries the fates of the entire universe on his adolescent shoulders. In MacHale’s masterpiece, the young Stony Brook Point Guard is roped on an out-of-this world adventure with his Uncle Press who turns out to be a Traveler, an individual who is able to travel to different Territories: a sort of inter-dimensional/time-traveling/space-man who works with his fellow Travelers to preserve balance in the Territories in order to preserve balance in Halla, the connector of all the Territories. Halla, protected by Travelers is in the sights of one Saint Dane, a Traveler whose main goal is to instill chaos and havoc in the once peaceable Territories. It is in this plight that Bobby finds himself pitted relying on instinct good friends and all too familiar sense of adolescence.
The Pilgrims of Rayne has one of the most winding and twisting plots and storylines of the entire Pendragon Series. As Bobby contemplates his role as a Traveler and what this means in the larger context of Halla, Bobby becomes confronted with situations he has never faced with consequences unfathomable by even the most clear-headed individual. MacHale asks readers to explore the absolutist morals and rules upon which society is based, through the lens of this Traveler. Right and Wrong, Good and Evil, and Justice all play large roles in this novel. Do the ends of one’s actions justify the means? Is it what you did or rather how you did it? This pseudo Machiavellian Epic forces readers to consider for themselves, their values, their unbreakable rule, and how much they would be willing to give up for an ideal.
The Pilgrims of Rayne pits Bobby on the Island Territory of Ibara where his Traveler’s Duties become clouded with what is best for Halla. The young Traveler constantly weighs the costs and prices of his actions- equating to a moralistic discussion of action. Bobby actions in an effort to counterbalance those of the maniacal Saint Dane place him in conflict with the most resolute of his personal precepts. As Bobby’s decisions will surely play the deciding factor in the fate of Ibara, The Pilgrims of Rayne asks if the gains are worth the cost.
Although Pilgrims of Rayne could stand alone as a well-written ethical commentary focused on the reciprocal relationship between decision and consequence, it would be advisable and beneficial to prospective readers to begin their Travels with Bobby and company with the first of the critically acclaimed series: The Merchant of Death.
All great journeys start with a single step, missing the first jump into Halla would be a mistake that would surely distort the bold, new vision of the world MacHale imparts on to his numerous, categorically fervent disciples.

MacHale turns the once boyish Bobby into a man, one whose clouded judgment is aimed to enable readers to more meticulously consider their own. D.J. MacHale has crafted a true epic with the Pendragon series and, with The Pilgrims of Rayne adds a worthy, if a little heady, adventure to the New York Times Bestselling Series. ( )