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Anika Claire's Reviews > The Feral Child
The Feral Child (The Feral Child Trilogy)
by
by
Anika Claire's review
bookshelves: fantasy, high-fantasy, paranormal, ya, childrens, reviewed
Jun 12, 2014
bookshelves: fantasy, high-fantasy, paranormal, ya, childrens, reviewed
A wild and relentless story about Maddy and her cousins on a perilous quest to rescue Stephen from the Winter Queen’s court. It’s been a while since I picked up a middle-grade book so I was looking for an exciting one, and The Feral Child certainly didn’t disappoint – this dark faery tale had me hooked!
Thirteen-year-old Maddie tragically lost her parents in a car accident and has been sent to Blarney in Ireland to live with her grandparents. She hates it there, isn’t getting on with the local kids including her mean cousins, and is generally displeased with life. One evening, she meets a strange and otherworldly boy while walking in the castle grounds. Later, Maddie’s three-year-old neighbour, Stephen, is stolen by faeries and taken to their realm, and it’s up to Maddie and her two cousins Roisin and Danny to save him.
To be honest, Maddie was a bit of a brat. She was rude to her just about everyone and especially her grandparents, and while I can appreciate that troubled thirteen-year-olds might actually behave in this way, it was hard to read. Thankfully once the adventure in Tír na nÓg began she began to appreciate her cousins a bit more. Her cousin Roisin was lovely, and Danny didn’t really seem to be the bully he was supposed to be at the start.
Where this story really shines is in the fast pacing and brilliant descriptions of locations and action. I actually felt this might make a great (although scary) film – it almost reads like a screenplay.
The Feral Child would suit the more mature of the middle-grade range – there are some downright creepy sections in this book and I wouldn’t like to walk anywhere at night after reading it! The fae in general are quite nasty, stealing children away and torturing them (thankfully not discussed graphically).
Any child, or adult for that matter, who enjoys a creepy faery tale should really enjoy it. This is actually the first book in a trilogy, so I’ll be looking out for the next one.
This review was originally posted on Tea in the Treetops in July 2014.
Thirteen-year-old Maddie tragically lost her parents in a car accident and has been sent to Blarney in Ireland to live with her grandparents. She hates it there, isn’t getting on with the local kids including her mean cousins, and is generally displeased with life. One evening, she meets a strange and otherworldly boy while walking in the castle grounds. Later, Maddie’s three-year-old neighbour, Stephen, is stolen by faeries and taken to their realm, and it’s up to Maddie and her two cousins Roisin and Danny to save him.
To be honest, Maddie was a bit of a brat. She was rude to her just about everyone and especially her grandparents, and while I can appreciate that troubled thirteen-year-olds might actually behave in this way, it was hard to read. Thankfully once the adventure in Tír na nÓg began she began to appreciate her cousins a bit more. Her cousin Roisin was lovely, and Danny didn’t really seem to be the bully he was supposed to be at the start.
Where this story really shines is in the fast pacing and brilliant descriptions of locations and action. I actually felt this might make a great (although scary) film – it almost reads like a screenplay.
The Feral Child would suit the more mature of the middle-grade range – there are some downright creepy sections in this book and I wouldn’t like to walk anywhere at night after reading it! The fae in general are quite nasty, stealing children away and torturing them (thankfully not discussed graphically).
Any child, or adult for that matter, who enjoys a creepy faery tale should really enjoy it. This is actually the first book in a trilogy, so I’ll be looking out for the next one.
This review was originally posted on Tea in the Treetops in July 2014.
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Reading Progress
June 12, 2014
–
Started Reading
June 12, 2014
– Shelved
June 14, 2014
– Shelved as:
fantasy
June 14, 2014
– Shelved as:
high-fantasy
June 14, 2014
– Shelved as:
paranormal
June 14, 2014
– Shelved as:
ya
June 14, 2014
– Shelved as:
childrens
June 14, 2014
–
Finished Reading
July 3, 2014
– Shelved as:
reviewed
