Summary: Robin, despite being young, is one of the most powerful magicians ever. Unfortunately, this means that The Shadow thinks he will be able to decipher the dangerous spells from the last segment of the Book of the Stars, the ancient source of all magical knowledge in the Lost Isle and the Uncertain World. When Robin is kidnapped by the forces of The Shadow, his friends rush to his aid, bringing together friends and allies new and old, from across the Lost Isle and the Uncertain World itself, to fight the final battle with the forces of darkness.

Review: Everyone knows that the third book of a fantasy trilogy has to end with an epic battle between the forces of light and the forces of dark; that's just the way these things work. The Face of the Shadow is no exception; some time is spent with Robin's mental and magical struggles to resist The Shadow, but most of the book is spent at various parts of the battle. Unfortunately, there are so many factions in the battle that we never really know (or care) about most of them, and even swordfights with menacing Orks get a little tedious after 200 pages. Secrets get revealed, and questions get answered, and everything wraps up in a neat and tidy little epilogue, but the fun of action-adventure fantasy had mostly worn off by this point, and there's not much to get excited about what's left. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: If you've got a 10(ish)-year-old fantasy fan in your house, these books would be more appealing, but if you're an adult looking for good kiddie-lit fantasy, you can do way better. I'd pass. ( )

The third book in the series and the conclusion of the adventures. Robin is still being chased by the Shadow, who eventually kidnaps him by an ally of the shadow disguising himself as a friend, Robin is brought to a cell and attacked magically to make him surrender. While Robin fights magic with magic his friends gather allies to fight the Shadow and rescue him.

It's a fun read, sometimes a little rushed but a good end to the trilogy, there's space for sequels but it's complete as it is. ( )