#ReviewMonday with KM Lockwood: Warning Cry (Guardians of the Wild Book 2) by Kris Humphrey

Chapter One

The sun rose behind Sleeping Rock and, as its rays crested the summit, long shafts of light speared into the savannah: pink, orange, brilliant white. The earth woke, insects buzzed into the air and the acacia trees shifted in the breeze.

Nara stood at the front of the house, her pack, bow and arrows beside her and her water skin hitched to her belt. She would miss this sight. Sleeping Rock would always mean home to her, no matter how glad she was to be leaving.

She could hear her father in the kitchen, cleaning up after breakfast. Her mother was tending to the cows, milking them in her quick, orderly way; and Nara’s sister, Kali, was busy cleaning out the chicken sheds and collecting eggs to sell at the next market.

All this hard work going on around her felt like a reproach.

Nara was a Whisperer, not a farmer. She had been chosen on the day she was born, when a single white feather landed at the door of her parents’ home…

Published by Stripes in 2015 ( read via NetGalley)

Illustrated by Chellie Carroll

224 pages in paperback with illustrations

Summary from series website

Nara’s life is turned upside down when she receives a summons from the Palace Whisperer, Dawn. The shape-shifting Narlaw are back and it’s up to the Whisperers to protect the kingdom of Meridina. But the journey from Nara’s remote savannah home will not be easy. Can she and Flame, her leopard companion, reach the palace safely? They’ll need all their skills to survive…

*****

This is the sequel to Whisper of Wolves in The Guardians of the Wild Series - reviewed here. I would advise reading that tale first if you haven’t already. It will make some of the characters easier to understand.

Here we see the same companion animal idea - but this time Nara has Flame the Leopard on her side. The matching of animal, culture and setting is well-done: who wouldn’t enjoy such a creature from a South African-like realm as part of the adventure? There are plenty of precise details which make this fantasy world both credible and inclusive. You immediately get a feel for that from the striking cover by Chellie Carroll.

One of the strong points of the first story was a range of interesting and varied female characters - Kris Humphrey has carried on in fine style. There’s plenty of drama too - with wild animals, demons, and conflicts between tribes and families.

It’s quite short and easy to read - suitable for relatively new independent readers. It’s only fair to point out that it neds on something of a cliff hanger - but the next is already out: Gathering Voices.

I would recommend this for fans of Abi Elphinstone who might enjoy a shorter book with a similar mix of magic, animals and fast-paced adventure.

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K. M. Lockwood lives by the sea in Sussex - see the pics on Instagram. She fills jars with sea-glass, writes on a very old desk and reads way past her bedtime. Her tiny bed and breakfast is stuffed full of books - and even the breakfasts are named after writers. You'd be welcome to chat stories with @lockwoodwriter on Twitter

Guardians of the Wild: A Whisper of Wolves by Kris Humphrey

 

Alice wished that the demons were just ancient history, but she knew better than that. The missing hunters and the changes in the forest were small things, coincidences perhaps, but Alice felt a growing fear that something sinister was behind it all - and she knew Storm and the other wolves shared her suspicions.

224 pages

Paperback due 2nd March 2015 from Stripes Publishing

Summary from Publisher’s website

When a raven drops a white feather at the doorstep on the day of your birth, it is a symbol of your destiny. You are a Whisperer - a guardian of the wild.

Many years have passed since the people of Meridina last knew war, but a shadow has settled over the kingdom. When Alice and her companion, Storm, sense a demonic presence in the forests, they send for help. But they’re running out of time. With the entire balance of the natural world at stake, will Alice and Storm have to face the demons alone?

******

Reviewed by K. M. Lockwood

This is the first in a four-part series featuring different children with animal companions who have to save their world from the evil Narlaw. It’s an appealing concept - and another in the growing trend of featuring the natural world in books for children - hoorah! As anyone who

knows children is aware, animals and nature have a deep resonance with younger readers. Anything that focuses the great outdoors as an alternative to a purely ‘virtual’ existence has a head start for many children - and a place in my heart.

It’s quite short - and fairly easy to read. It does move from Alice’s point of view to Dawn’s on occasion - though not without signal. Any reasonably competent reader would enjoy the adventure as it zips along. There are some frightening scenes - but the resilience of the main characters really helps you feel it will work out - somehow. That means I can recommend it for younger fluent readers - unless they are sensitive about demons and the like. One of the best aspects is the gender balance. This story passes the Bechdel Test - and then some. There are lots of male and female characters in important roles - which is an improvement on many traditional fantasies I have read or watched. I have hopes that the next story ‘Warning Cry’ will be even more inclusive. Surely Nara from the remote savannah with her leopard companion, Flame, won’t disappoint?

This first story has an attractive cover which gives a flavour of the book: full of green forest trees and featuring our heroines, Alice and Storm: I wish I knew who did it to give them due credit.

All in all, an enjoyable fantasy read for the younger fluent reader with a soft spot for magic and animals. I will be interested to see the series progress in summer 2015.