BRITFIELD AND THE RETURN OF THE PRINCE: Review & Giveaway
If you’re a fan of the BRITFIELD adventure book series for ages 9 – 18, then you’ve been waiting for the third book in the series, BRITFIELD AND THE RETURN OF THE PRINCE, to release. It’s promoted as the “unparalleled finale of sacrifice, romance, revenge, and loss.”
We shall see if that’s true.
I’ve read and reviewed all of the Britfield books. My favorite, by far, is the first one, BRITFIELD AND THE LOST CROWN, published in 2020. Even though each book could be read as a stand-alone, I recommend reading them in order to gain a richer reading experience. In fact, if you’ve not read any of the previous books, you may want to hop over to the review linked above to get some background information.
The Author
As a child, C.R. “Chad” Stewart favored the writings of Beverly Cleary and Roald Dahl. When he grew older, The Hardy Boys captured his attention. Also, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, and C.S. Lewis influenced Stewart’s growing appreciation for literature and creativity.
Today, Chad Stewart’s talents lie in writing, film and media production, global strategy, and international marketing. Among other degrees, he has earned a Bachelor of Arts in British Literature and European History. His extensive knowledge of European history is evident in his writing.
The Setting
The settings vary from book to book. England serves as the setting for Stewart’s first Britfield book. The second in the series is set primarily in France. For this third book, we dash in and out of Switzerland, Scotland, Italy, and Austria. But, most of the adventures take place in Italy.
What’s the Same and What’s Different
Tom and Sarah are still in search of Tom’s parents and the Britfield Codex, which will prove his true place as the rightful heir to the throne.
They still have some of the same fears, but they’re growing stronger through their experiences and through the covert training. they received at the Academy.
There are familiar faces in this book—Gowerstone, Fontaine, Oliver, and Henry. But, a new character is on the scene. Hunter, Tom’s younger brother, is rescued by Tom and Sarah in an unbelievable escapade. Hunter tags along in this adventure bringing a sense of humor with him.
In this book, there is a G-rated introduction of a few friendships developing into something more. As with all of the Britfield books, this one is deemed as a “clean-read.” No foul language or lewd acts are found between its covers.
Of course, the “bad guys,” known as the Committee, continually pursue the three teens and anyone who comes between them.
Intensity Increases
With each subsequent book in this series, the violence increases. Mind you, readers are spared gory details. But, there are plenty of detailed descriptions of weaponry, snipers , and various terms for eliminating enemies. The teens are constantly being hunted down in order to be killed.
This may bother some readers. However, I think there’s enough exaggeration in the story to remind us this is a work of fiction.
We read a good bit about computer hackers as well as how to change appearances, how to blend in with a crowd, and other ways to avoid detection and capture.
Lighter moments surface in the descriptions of what people are wearing. I find them delightful, and a bit humorous, because they remind me of the narratives from the J. Peterman Company catalog.
And yet, throughout the BRITFIELD series, the author conveys subtle warnings about protecting our privacy, our freedom, and avoiding a one-world order.
Recommendation
Overall, I liked this book. But, as I mentioned earlier, it is not my favorite in the series. It seems that some scenarios from the previous books repeat themselves in this one with just a few minor changes. The chase has gone on for a long, long time. While the main characters have developed, and the action scenes are more intense, the overall story seems to be lagging. It didn’t seem like an “unparalleled finale.” I’m hoping the next book will actually wrap up this quest and allow Tom and Sarah to move on to other missions.
As a parent/teacher, I’d love to see more of the teaching resources that, thus far, have only been provided for the first book in the series. Of course, kids probably don’t care as much about this. They simply want to enjoy reading about the action-packed adventures! And, the author definitely delivers.
I recommend this book for kids in middle school and up, especially for those who enjoy mysteries and action-packed adventure stories.
Giveaway
Would you like to win an autographed copy of BRITFIELD AND THE RETURN OF THE PRINCE? The author has generously donated a copy for a giveaway!
We will do this giveaway as usual—a name will randomly be selected from this blog’s email subscriber list on December 2, 2022. I’ll email the winner and announce it on the blog as well.
All you need to do to enter this giveaway, is have your name on the email subscriber list!
Congratulations to Lori S. of Shellville, Georgia! Your name was drawn from the subscriber list as the winner of this book. I’ll be contacting you via email.
UPDATE: Friends, you may also want to check out my review of C.R. Stewart’s second book in this series: BRITFIELD AND THE RISE OF THE LION.
I received a FREE copy of this product in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.
A freelance writer, Sally Matheny’s writing is published in worldwide, national, regional, online and print publications
Sally focuses on the power of story, history, and His Story to tell the next generation wondrous things. Connect with her on various social media sites. But, if she’s not hanging out with family and friends, or engaging in an American history class, you’ll most often find her at SallyMatheny.com or Pinterest.
