Book review: Spirit Animals 5 pulls you like a current

Hi everyone. Today was one of those days where I got a new book and read through it entirely. Today is a review for the fifth book in the Spirit Animals series, Against the Tide:

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Story:
In this adventure we find Conor, Abeke, Rollan, and Meilin with the Greencloaks heading towards Oceanus, which consists of the Hundred Isles. There they plan to find the Great Beast that actually wants to meet them, Mulop the Octopus. However the journey is not going to be easy as the Conquerors have already seized control of the Hundred Isles and the mysterious mole that is giving them secrets. Will they be able to find Mulop and claim his talisman, or will the Conquerors get one step closer in freeing Kovo the Ape? As the stakes continue to rise no one will be able to leave without great sacrifice.
The stories, being geared for a younger audience, might appear fast paced for older audiences. However I still found myself highly entertained by the way so much can be conveyed without overdoing the details. I found myself seeing the Hundred Isles as based off locations like Polynesia and the Philippines. As we get closer to the series end we see that the story is getting a slightly darker tone, both for the characters and the locations. This may seem kind of ironic or counterintuitive as the Hundred Isles are essentially a tropical paradise that you'd would want to vacation at. These changes are definitely going to be useful for having the characters develop and grow as they continue to strive to save Erdas. All I'll say is that the ending left me shocked and scarred as the characters. There is no way I'm missing books six and seven.
Caution:
A boy burns to death after standing on a magic rock for too long. Sharks attack whales and blood is mentioned. There are battles between people and animals, and it might be intense for some. A boy mentions forcing an animal to do his will and we see the animal with a broken leg. A girl has a dream where she sees a ruined garden and her dead father, which might scare younger readers. A snake takes control of people.
Lessons:
The choices we make today can have an effect on future generations, for good or evil. It is wrong to force our wills and desires upon others. People with Christian backgrounds might want to use Gerathon and Kovo as examples of how the Devil can manipulate people. When we use harmful substances we only hurt ourselves and those around us.