This is the next Green Ember. Rise of the Living Wood is easily one of the best books I have read this summer. When you are done reading this review I highly urge you to run, not walk and buy a book by an author who will more than likely be the future of young adult literature.
Trust me, the eighteen bucks you part with will be worth it.
Rise of the Living Wood is a middle grade animal fantasy by an up-and-coming young Michigan author named Kylie Beevers. It is the first book of a planned trilogy, with the second book on the way this October. I met Kylie this summer through a writing challenge hosted by the amazing Brett Harris, where we were able to workshop her brain dump for the second book in this series.
Now for some spoiler free background. The Living Wood is a massive forest full of many kinds of talking animals. The foxes have established their rule over the forest and have tried to rule in harmony with the other creatures. However, the wolves do not accept the rule of the foxes and have clashed with them in the past. Prior to the events of the story, the good King Buckthorn waged a war with the wolves, culminating in the Battle of Fourth Field, where he was tragically slain. The King's closest advisors raise his son Hawthorn to follow in his father's footsteps as a good king. At the time of his coronation, Prince Hawthorn is attempting to create an elite defense force to protect his kingdom, which is where the novel's central protagonist Bramble of Hezekiah comes onto the stages of this history. In the words of the blurb:
Bramble is just your ordinary fox scrounging the forest floor with his Da, Mum, and kit brother before he is thrust snout first into the warrior life. For his whole life, Bramble has known the LivingWood to be a safe, secure place. A place where he and his family live in peace with no threats. But one day Bramble encounters his Uncle, who he had no idea even existed, and now he’s got no choice but to trust his gut and blaze a trail into a battle he has to fight. Wolves have besieged the borders. War seeks to devour them all. Will Bramble uphold his call? And what will it cost?
Anyway, onto the reasons why you should buy this book and support Miss Beevers. First off, the world of the Living Wood that she creates is complex and lived in without being terribly complicated. She displays just enough of the history and lore to entice and captivate the reader without bogging down her intended audience in complex backstory. Secondly, the author's style is captivating for older audiences while still able to be comprehended by her intended younger audience. Finally, the author has an incredible grasp of emotional nuances, making the character interactions very human even though there are no humans in this world except in the backstory. There are several standout examples of this, but my personal favorite that I related to most was the relationship between Prince Hawthorn's general Shawn and his definitely not-mate Fennex. This is just one example of many well done character interactions in the novel.
In conclusion, I would highly recommend this debut fantasy by an author who has a long and glorious career ahead of her. I wish Kylie the best of luck on her writing journey and cannot wait to see where she takes the characters she has developed in this novel.
My Rating: 5 out of 5