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August 06, 2014
Time for some Kevin's Book Bacon on the first book in the Spirit Animals series.
Flavor:
When the inhabitants of a fantasy world called Erdas reach age eleven, they sip from a powerful nectar in hopes of summoning a spirit animal. This animal will be their companion and protector for life. The bond between human and spirit animal is unique and magical, unlike anything else. But the fact is, only some are fortunate - most kids get nothing after trying the nectar. The spirit animal can be anything - a vampire bat, an otter, a powerful moose...or anything in between. Except for a few certain kinds of creatures, that is. It’s been centuries since anyone has summoned one of the four fallen beasts as their spirit animal. That all changes though, when two boys and two girls are mysteriously paired with a falcon, a wolf, a leopard and a panda bear.
The Greencloaks, protectors of the realm of Erdas, quickly gather three of the youngsters and their legendary spirit animals in order to watch over them and train them. One of the four, unfortunately, falls into enemy hands. The Greencloaks soon realize that war has come to Erdas as a dangerous army wreaks havoc and rumors swirl about the return of the world’s worst enemy - the Devourer. Now, it’s up to these young warriors and their powerful, mystical spirit animals to protect the land and save all their people. Questions still remain though: will they reunite with their fourth powerful companion? Are the Greencloaks truly the good guys? Will the other great beasts of the land, led by a monstrous golden ram called Arax, unite and help defend Erdas? Plenty of action and adventure awaits as the answers to these mysteries are revealed in Spirit Animals Book 1 - WILD BORN.
Sizzle:
WILD BORN is an exciting read, full of all sorts of fun stuff boys and girls will dig. First and foremost is the spirit animal concept and the neat way the people of Erdas bond with and interact with their chosen beasts. One of the main Greencloak elders is paired with an otter, which seems kind of funny but in the book you find out this guy Tarik is quite a formidable warrior and a lot of it is due to the nimbleness and enhanced quickness he gets from his otter companion. Other cool spirit animals include a raccoon and a bear - each one passing on heightened senses or increased strength to their human partners.
And, of course, there are the four special beasts that are bonded with the four main characters in the book. The wolf (named Briggan), panda (Jhi), leopard (Uraza) and falcon (Essix) are the mightiest and most special of all the spirit animals in the land. Throughout the book, we learn that each animal has further magical powers beyond their animal strengths, which adds depth and meaning to each character. Also during the story we find out how Conor, Abeke, Meilin and Rollan (the four main characters) train with and bond with their respective legendary spirit animals. This is a cool layer to the book as it helps the reader really understand each kid and learn about their motivations and personalities.
WILD BORN has great combat training scenes in it, some exciting chases and several battles featuring the kids and the Greencloaks vs the bad guys of the Erdas world. All this is written well with plenty of pace and excitement which keeps kids intrigued. Mr. Brandon Mull, the writer, really knows how to go right after the adventure, which is what young readers want. But Mull also develops the characters quite well and his descriptions of their travels in the world of Erdas are clear and concise so everything in the story flows smoothly.
I must also mention the huge (free) computer game that goes along with the Spirit Animals franchise. Each book has a game code in it and when you register on-line, you also have to find certain words within the book to prove you have a copy. Players get to create a character in the computer Erdas world and summon a spirit animal. Then you complete quests, upgrade your character, build out your house, etc. Our 8 y/o daughter has played a few times and she thinks the game is cool. But this is a book review, not a computer game review.
Bacon Fat:
WILD BORN has many characters in it and most of them have spirit animals. So it can be a bit confusing with all the names and remembering who is matched up where. Then there is the concept of the “Great Beasts” who live in the land - some are good, some evil - and it can be a little confusing whether these beast characters are helpful or not and/or what part they play in Erdas. During the fight scenes there is some slightly intense action and a few characters do die - but these deaths are only mentioned and nothing is described in uncomfortable detail.
The Crunch:
WILD BORN is a straightforward action/adventure book with the unique feature of Spirit Animal bonding. The story is well written, interesting and exciting. The addition of the computer game is a nice bonus as you get more for the money - but then again it just creates another time waster to manage as we all try to get our kids to spend more reasonable amounts of time in front of screens. Overall I definitely think this is a good one and recommend it for boys or girls, ages 8 and up. I think there are four or five books now in the series, which we will surely be checking out from our local library.
Happy Reading!!
Flavor:
When the inhabitants of a fantasy world called Erdas reach age eleven, they sip from a powerful nectar in hopes of summoning a spirit animal. This animal will be their companion and protector for life. The bond between human and spirit animal is unique and magical, unlike anything else. But the fact is, only some are fortunate - most kids get nothing after trying the nectar. The spirit animal can be anything - a vampire bat, an otter, a powerful moose...or anything in between. Except for a few certain kinds of creatures, that is. It’s been centuries since anyone has summoned one of the four fallen beasts as their spirit animal. That all changes though, when two boys and two girls are mysteriously paired with a falcon, a wolf, a leopard and a panda bear.
The Greencloaks, protectors of the realm of Erdas, quickly gather three of the youngsters and their legendary spirit animals in order to watch over them and train them. One of the four, unfortunately, falls into enemy hands. The Greencloaks soon realize that war has come to Erdas as a dangerous army wreaks havoc and rumors swirl about the return of the world’s worst enemy - the Devourer. Now, it’s up to these young warriors and their powerful, mystical spirit animals to protect the land and save all their people. Questions still remain though: will they reunite with their fourth powerful companion? Are the Greencloaks truly the good guys? Will the other great beasts of the land, led by a monstrous golden ram called Arax, unite and help defend Erdas? Plenty of action and adventure awaits as the answers to these mysteries are revealed in Spirit Animals Book 1 - WILD BORN.
Sizzle:
WILD BORN is an exciting read, full of all sorts of fun stuff boys and girls will dig. First and foremost is the spirit animal concept and the neat way the people of Erdas bond with and interact with their chosen beasts. One of the main Greencloak elders is paired with an otter, which seems kind of funny but in the book you find out this guy Tarik is quite a formidable warrior and a lot of it is due to the nimbleness and enhanced quickness he gets from his otter companion. Other cool spirit animals include a raccoon and a bear - each one passing on heightened senses or increased strength to their human partners.
And, of course, there are the four special beasts that are bonded with the four main characters in the book. The wolf (named Briggan), panda (Jhi), leopard (Uraza) and falcon (Essix) are the mightiest and most special of all the spirit animals in the land. Throughout the book, we learn that each animal has further magical powers beyond their animal strengths, which adds depth and meaning to each character. Also during the story we find out how Conor, Abeke, Meilin and Rollan (the four main characters) train with and bond with their respective legendary spirit animals. This is a cool layer to the book as it helps the reader really understand each kid and learn about their motivations and personalities.
WILD BORN has great combat training scenes in it, some exciting chases and several battles featuring the kids and the Greencloaks vs the bad guys of the Erdas world. All this is written well with plenty of pace and excitement which keeps kids intrigued. Mr. Brandon Mull, the writer, really knows how to go right after the adventure, which is what young readers want. But Mull also develops the characters quite well and his descriptions of their travels in the world of Erdas are clear and concise so everything in the story flows smoothly.
I must also mention the huge (free) computer game that goes along with the Spirit Animals franchise. Each book has a game code in it and when you register on-line, you also have to find certain words within the book to prove you have a copy. Players get to create a character in the computer Erdas world and summon a spirit animal. Then you complete quests, upgrade your character, build out your house, etc. Our 8 y/o daughter has played a few times and she thinks the game is cool. But this is a book review, not a computer game review.
Bacon Fat:
WILD BORN has many characters in it and most of them have spirit animals. So it can be a bit confusing with all the names and remembering who is matched up where. Then there is the concept of the “Great Beasts” who live in the land - some are good, some evil - and it can be a little confusing whether these beast characters are helpful or not and/or what part they play in Erdas. During the fight scenes there is some slightly intense action and a few characters do die - but these deaths are only mentioned and nothing is described in uncomfortable detail.
The Crunch:
WILD BORN is a straightforward action/adventure book with the unique feature of Spirit Animal bonding. The story is well written, interesting and exciting. The addition of the computer game is a nice bonus as you get more for the money - but then again it just creates another time waster to manage as we all try to get our kids to spend more reasonable amounts of time in front of screens. Overall I definitely think this is a good one and recommend it for boys or girls, ages 8 and up. I think there are four or five books now in the series, which we will surely be checking out from our local library.
Happy Reading!!