Fireborn: Twelve and the Frozen Forest might be middle-grade fiction but I have a feeling it will win fans of all ages. It's probably aimed more at the older end of the MG market, crossing over into YA but of course, that's very much dependent on the individual reader.
As the first in a series, there is a certain amount of world-building of course, alongside the introduction of the major characters. It's done well too, there's a really vivid and immersive sense of place about the book - the scenes in the Frozen Forest with the strange, dangerous creatures that reside there are a particular highlight - but it's clear that there is still much to learn as the series progresses. What we do discover here, however, is that Ember is a land in peril and that the Hunters have a vital role in maintaining the fragile balance between clans.
The Hunting Lodge is an austere, purposeful environment where young trainee Hunters are known as Huntlings who have forsaken everything about their pasts, including their given names. Now known by numbers, their reformed identities only become complete after they have completed their training and after a gruelling test of their abilities, earned the right to choose a new name. The opening scenes have a definite familiarity to them as Twelve and her fellow classmates are put through their paces by Weaponsmaster, Victory. As with other fantasy coming-of-age stories, Twelve is an outsider figure and it quickly becomes apparent that she isn't popular, partly due to her obviously exceptional skills but also because of her attitude. She clearly isn't there to make friends despite making the daily pledge stating the Hunters are her family now and forever. Her motivation is revealed as the novel progresses, allowing for some dramatic moments as she is forced to reevaluate what she thinks she knows.
Although the early chapters suggest this will be an academy type fantasy story, the kidnapping of a fellow student means Twelve is soon embarking on a more quest-like adventure. There is a conventionality to Fireborn but that isn't meant as a criticism. Tropes become so because they work and Aisling Fowler has included all the essentials necessary to ensure her debut will enthrall readers.
Her main character, the brave, axe-wielding, enigmatic Twelve is on a journey of discovery with much to learn about her troubled past and about her capabilities. She suffers from disturbing dreams and it's through these flashbacks that readers find out who she was before she became Twelve and the brutal, devastating reason why she came to the Lodge.
Meanwhile, she forms a bond with other characters and it's just as enjoyable getting to know them. She has a particularly strained relationship with Five and her interactions with him often reveal the hot-headed side of her nature. Six, on the other hand, is more patient and reserved - I have to admit, he soon became one of my favourites. Some of his secrets are revealed later in the book but I have a feeling there is still more to come. Dog, the Stone Guardian of the Lodge is a wonderful creation and he reminded me a little of Aslan; he has the same powerful presence with an underlying sense of pathos. On the other hand, Twelve's pet squirrel, Widge allows her to show her softer, nurturing side. He's an adorable little creature who often brings some light relief to the story.
The evolving dynamic between the main characters is excellent throughout; there are tense moments as well as more heartwarming scenes. I was pleased to note some brief mentions of same-sex attraction which feels very natural rather than being included as a box-ticking afterthought. It's good to see inclusive middle grade fiction and I'm sure it's something that will be expanded upon in future books.
There are exciting, tense scenes throughout the story and readers are left in no doubt as to the very real danger that Twelve and her companions are in. This might be a children's book but Aisling Fowler doesn't patronise her young readers, dark, terrible things happen and it's made clear that the Hunters face a powerful, deadly enemy. There's a fine balance struck here between creating an engrossing, rich new world and holding some elements back, with the mystery as to who the malevolent master really is and what their plans are being especially intriguing.
With its pacy, well-crafted storyline and relatable characters who are undoubtedly courageous but allowed to be fearful, antagonistic and foolhardy too, Fireborn is a superb introduction to a new fantasy series. Aisling Fowler's debut is a delight to read from start to finish - this is captivating, imaginative storytelling at its finest. I loved it and can't wait to discover what happens next!

Having read a decent number of fantasy novels and seen a couple more movies perhaps dulled me of the excitement for this novel. I can’t deny that there were times I caught myself ruining the experience of reading by comparing it to its predecessors- the blurb is partly to blame lol. The good points of the novel far outweigh the negative ones. There are some elements that spark that interest in me to keep wondering what happens next. How will Twelve unlock her full potential? Will Six finally confess? Will they meet the moxie again? Is Widge a mythical creature after all? With that said, I have very high expectations for the next installment.

Twelve always feels out of place and a bit of a misfit, even amongst the huntlings. Mostly orphans like her, all of them have given up their families, names and clans to pledge their lives to the Hunting Lodge. The hunters have to take a pledge forsaking everything in their former lives, so that they can be completely impartial and neutral, ensuring that all the clans will trust them.

From the start I really sympathised with Twelve, though I did start to wonder how much of her lonely situation was her own doing! She is clearly a very strong and independent character, but her one weakness is trusting and working with others. Widge the squirrel has to be the best character though, he's so cute and clever, extremely helpful time and time again.

Despite telling herself that she has a plan of her own and doesn't care about anyone else, when a girl is kidnapped, Twelve realises she can't just wait around for the elders to decide to do something. It's up to her to mount the rescue.

With her squirrel and some very unexpected companions, Twelve battles more and more terrifying creatures, Ygrex, cliffcrawlers, goblins. But the villains turn out to be even worse than the monsters.

This book had me glued to the page and I finished it in 2 days. I was immersed in the world and gripped by the adventure. Gratifyingly, it has such a satisfying ending, fulfilling and not rushed at all.

You might not see much middle-grade on the blog, but I certainly read some. Fireborn Twelve and the Frozen Forest by Aisling Fowler is a book that I have been incredibly excited about. I’ve been lucky enough to get on the blog tour for it with Write Reads Tours.

Fireborn follows a young girl called Twelve who has been training within the Hunting Lodge to become a Hunter. She doesn’t get along with her fellow huntlings, but she knows she’s one of the best. So when the lodge’s walls are breached and one of the girls is taken, she knows she has to go track her down herself.

This was a very fun adventure story. Twelve isn’t the perfect character. She makes it clear from the off that she doesn’t really want anything to do with the others. She’s rude and angry, and sometimes you do roll your eyes at her. But as you read the story and learn more about her, you begin to feel for her. Even in the beginning, Twelve does try to help people and clearly has a good side. She just doesn’t want to get close to people for reasons you find out.

There was also some queer rep in this book that I didn’t expect. One of the side characters is gay. He is unfortunately outed by a magical creature, which is kind of sad. But I really didn’t expect it. I look forward to seeing him learn about himself in the later books. I think we need more queer rep in genre middle-grade as this is when some kids are starting to figure themselves out. And it’s nice if it’s represented.

I was a big fan of all the characters. The giant stone dog you see on the cover is the Guardian of the Lodge, who asks them to call him Dog. He’s great. He’s grumpy but sweet, and I kind of wanted to cuddle him. Even if that wouldn’t be comfortable. Widge the squirrel was just as adorable. I’m a big fan of animal companions in books for this age range as they really do tend to be perfect. The other human kids were great too. Perfect? Again, no. There were lies and fights and issues. But all of them helped each other grow, and that was good to see.

This book does have an emotional impact, and it does deal partially with grief. You feel it very heavily with Twelve, and I felt for her so much. She’s so young, and she’s been through a lot. Is the loss of a family a common plot device? Yes, but Fowling handles it so well. You feel just what you’re supposed to, and it brings something to the plot.

There were also some twists that I didn’t see coming. So I was happy to be kept guessing, even if the book itself didn’t take me long to get through.
This was a fun book and definitely a series I look forward to continuing.

4.5 stars

The blurb pretty much summarized what this book is about and what to expect, but really, Fireborn gave me more adventure than I expected from the blurb. It follows a huntling, Twelve, who trains in Hunting Lodge to become a hunter, but she has a hidden agenda for being there. She doesn’t just want to learn how to fight monsters; she wants to avenge her family. But then things get complicated because everything in her new home is not what it seems. Twelve finds herself in an adventure that will change her life forever and expose her to truths about herself and her past.

I read Fireborn in one sitting. It was not a short book by size, but it was so easy to read. I couldn’t put it down and wanted to know what’s next. Reading this was such an adventure. It was filled with twists and turns that were unexpected. And every scene was exciting. There wasn’t a single scene in the story that bored me. The story moved at very nice pacing.

That said, the plot was very well-constructed. I love that even though it’s in the childrens and middle-grade genre, the overall story gives a dark aura. You can only understand this when you read the book. I can’t give too many details because it is so easy to spoil any part of the story. But I guess, I can say that the setting is a big part of the vibe that the story is giving. That aspect is very well-done too. The world just kept giving me something interesting in it.

The characters are awesome. I love Twelve. First of all, I love her name. Second, she’s not perfect. But I saw her grow so much throughout the story. If you would compare the Twelve at the beginning of the book to the Twelve at the end, the growth is very clear. It’s like she sees her world and everything differently at the end. I also love the side characters. They weren’t shadowed by Twelve but they also didn’t outshine Twelve. Just perfect.

Fireborn is another amazing read from middle-grade/childrens genre. I’ve never read any book from this genre that I didn’t enjoy and so it’s becoming one of my favorite genres.

𝓕𝓲𝓻𝓮𝓫𝓸𝓻𝓷: 𝓣𝔀𝓮𝓵𝓿𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓕𝓻𝓸𝔃𝓮𝓷 𝓕𝓻𝓸𝓼𝓽 is a wonderfully engaging story about a young girl named Twelve, in training to be a Hunter. In this world, a Hunter is one who keeps the peace of the realm, by slaying in monsters who work to do harm. Twelve, a Huntling, is plagued by the memories of her life prior to coming to the Lodge (the Hunter training Academy, essentially) and is determined to seek vengeance on those who did her family wrong.

But nothing is what it seems.

I slightly consider this book to be a fantasy coming of age story in that, Twelve really grows as a character across the span of the entire book. It is a naturally occuring type of development - it doesn't happen immediately, but we see Twelve grow as her perspective grows of the world, of her tightly held prejudices.

If I sound vague it is deliberate! Purely because so many things that I want to say about the plot are incredibly spoilery! So, vague it must be.

Reading this book, I had a lot of fun. I don't typically read middle grade but this sounded like the pure escapism I wanted. Action-packed with an unpredictable plot, it literally has everything you could ever want in a story. I found that the writing was wonderful and the care that was taken to showcase Twelve's character as she is. She is not perfect at all. She is flawed, traumatised and lonely and I adored that Aisling Fowler did not run away from portraying a young main character in this way.

Can we also appreciate that one of the side characters, Five, is queer? I smiled so hard when I realised because representation in a middle grade is so freaking fantastic and something that I wished I had when I was growing up!In terms of the story, when I say it was unpredictable, I am not even exaggerating. I did not expect the twist and turns of this story, when Twelve and the gang were surprised, I was surprised! It was as if I was with them, finding out betrayals and realising how everything links. Also learning about the world and the different types of monsters, as well as starting to find out more information about the different clans and the way that this world is governed, was quite interesting. I think the monsters were so imaginative and exciting as well as terrifying!

When reading this however, I knew that I was not the target demographic so the small issues that I had was mainly me. I found the exerpts from the beastiary slightly annoying and information dumpy as these excerpts interspersed throughout the story was the only way we really got information about the monsters which felt clunky to me. However, for younger readers, this is fantastic. See? These issues stem from me being me. I also thought that the way that some of the Elders of the Hunting Lodge would just bow to the demands and strategy of Twelve. Twelve I believe is 13 years old with very little actual Hunting experience, only that which occurred throughout the story. So we have these Elders who have years upon years of battle experience, listening to a 13 year old girl. It was one of the only aspects of the story that I was a bit doutbful about.</p>

But other than that, I really enjoyed it. I highly, highly recommend it for lovers of middle grade! I gave it 4 stars.

Title - Fireborn : Twelve and the Frozen Forest
Author - Aisling Fowler
Genre - Middle Grade

Plot :

Twelve is one of the Huntlings who has taken the pledge in the lodge to keep peace between the clans. As her training is still underway, the lodge is attacked by a set of Goblins leading her on an adventure to search for her friend with the most interesting set of companions. From the lodge to fighting monsters like Dream Dwellers, this group will learn the truth that will unhinge their belief in everything they have learnt.

My Take on the Book :

For a book that claims to be a Middle Grade Fiction, this one has a lot of elements that could beat even the YA Fantasy works in many departments. The characters are named with such simple conventions that it doesn't take long to accustomed to who and what they are.

Twelve being one of the major characters here has been given the utmost importance and her traits are pretty much similar to any other Young Adult hero that we see but what does set her apart is neither the author keeps pushing up the agenda that she is the only hero that would save the world nor she has been given the so called romantic angle that is obvious in many of the other books.

Though the book does have quite a few flaws arou d with the world building yet to be set clear, I'm sure the author will detail much better as the series goes by in other books. If you are looking for a middle grade fiction that is predictable and yet have the charm to keep you hooked, this one it is. Would surely recommend to pick up for the fun elements that the book sprinkles around everywhere.

My Ratings - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌠 (4.5 out of 5 stars)

Let me start by saying this will definitely be going on the list of books I could recommend to students. It is completely different to the majority of what I usually read, but I have loved stepping outside of my comfort zone with this book.

As well as stepping out of my comfort zone, this book has also allowed me to enter a completely different world: a magical world full of drama and adventure. The detailed and wonderful descriptions definitely make you feel transported to this new world and give the book an escapist feel. At the current time, I feel we all need a little escapism, especially young people!

The characters were another great aspect of the book. I loved the character of Twelve and her fierce, steely determination. There were quite a number of background characters but this got easier to follow as you got further into the book, and of course sets up the ability to move between characters if desired in future books of the series.

The story-line itself was a fast paced and jam-packed plot containing lots of action, adventure, and at some points darkness and disaster.

I would say this is a book well-suited for teenagers and I look forward to seeing what the rest of the series has to offer.

With thanks for my copy and being part of this tour. As soon as this book came through my post box I devoured it. I started it straight away and it was finished before I knew it. Fantasy. Adventure. Battle.

It was a brilliant read. Had my imagination on fire. This is a perfect read for any Harry Potter fans. Very similar but also many differences. This has huge spiders, magic, battles, ogres and many strange creatures. I just loved every page. A real page turner. Brilliantly written. I loved how the characters didn’t have names, they were known by numbers instead. Twelve is a very brave and determined young girl. Powerful. But she learns alot about herself during this book too.

The ending is kind of open… So… I am hoping and got my fingers crossed for a book two here? Please please. I would love to see my in this world. More from the characters. Highly recommend. A well deserved five stars from me. This has gone into my top reads of the year.

The writing style of the novel was really immersive and easy to follow with the settings and scenes being vividly described and pretty cool.

The plot of the story was intriguing but not mind blowing or original though I had a good time reading the story.

I finished a major chunk of the book in one day since it was very easy to read and to follow the plot which was great given how tired I was after work the day I finished this book.

I really liked the world the book was set in and also the creatures were really cool! I adored the firesprites and the magical guardian dog made of stone was so amazing.

With the stakes being high and a random group of kids thrown together under the circumstances this book was entertaining and enjoyable to read.

I liked seeing how the group went from enemies to friends to kind of like a found family and I can only imagine how much stronger their bond will get as the series progresses.

The action in the story was also done well though it wasn’t as engaging as I would have liked.

Twelve, the main character of the story is hell bent on revenge but as the book progress you see her get out of her shell and start accepting others in her life, her story is of accepting friendship and forgiving herself, it was a powerful one to follow and I adored her growth.

Five, he started out as arrogant but he grew on me, I liked seeing him humbled and he was a nice character.

Six, the most level headed kid in the entire story he has an aura of mystery to him, having been through a lot in his life too his journey is also of finding friends and protecting the ones he cares for.

Dog, the strong magical Guardian of the hunting lodge was a great character to follow given his age, he is over a century old, his legit dog like mannerisms gave a sweet charm to his character and I has a great time reading his interactions with the group.

Overall this was a nice, easy to read middle grade with a cool world, creepy creatures and a epic adventure story.

I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a quick albeit darker middle grade to read, this will absorb you in its world and you will have a good time reading it.

This was such a fun middle-grade fantasy to read! I was fully transported into the magical world of Ember that is crawling with monsters, magic, and mystery.

I loved the character of Twelve so much, she was strong and resilient but also flawed which is something that I absolutely loved becasue we got to see her change and learn from her mistakes and her flaws throughout the course of the book. Five, Six, and Dog made up a great team with Twelve, and seeing them all interact was so fun and interesting, especially as certain things got revealed and their growing friendship was tested. I also loved the monsters and the goblins becasue they were written very well and were suitably evil, which means that they posed a great challenge to Twelve and the hunters. And Victory, I have so many spoilery thoughts so I won't share them here!

The plot was so brilliant becasue it was fast-paced and well written becasue I was engaged throughout the entire book and wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen! The different stages of the book were split up brilliantly and it flowed so well for the reader. And the ending was so incredible and tension-filled, which meant that all the reveals and everything that went down had me on the edge of my seat. It was just so much fun to read and I hope that there is a sequel coming soon because I desperately want to know what is going to happen to the Hunters and Twelve after the events of this book.

Aisling Fowler is a wonderufl writer. She created such a rich world filled with so many interesting things as well as a whole host of possibilities for future books! I adored her characters and just all of it! Pick this up if you are a fan of epic middle-grade fantasies such as Percy Jackson becasue I think that this world holds the possibility to reach those heights.

Normally, I can be found reading a YA contemporary book but sometimes I give new things a try. I did just this with Fireborn: Twelve and the Frozen Forest by Aisling Fowler which is a middle grade fantasy. As someone who is scared of YA fantasy and fantasy in general, I felt that a MG fantasy was a great place to start! It was exactly that, I loved this book and how much fun it was to read.

Fireborn is a fast-paced, fun and thrilling adventure in which we follow Twelve, who has given up her life to the Hunting Lodge which is where people train to become hunters. The job of the Hunters is to rid the world of a myriad of monsters that inhabit the world. But, when the Hunting Lodge is attacked and one of Twelve’s friends is taken, she goes on an heroic quest to find her.

I adored the main character of Fireborn, Twelve! She is so brave and determined and I’m sure will inspire so many children who read this book. We see her give up almost everything to become a hunter. Twelve shows so much loyalty and determination for the quest she in undertaking and remains strong throughout. We get to see Twelve grown throughout the book and see that she does not give up. She is inspirational.

I enjoyed the side characters in this book as well. Each of them is unique, brings their own things to the story and are all well-rounded. I loved the unusual group of travel companions and how much they add to the plot. I have a couple of favourites though. Widge, who is Twelve’s little squirrel friend. Widge is so cute and intuitive and such a good travel companion. Also, Dog who is so unique and quite funny at times! Also, Five and Six are wonderful! Even if they don’t get on with Twelve it is so lovely to see a group of people work together to a shared goal even if they have differences. This book has some excellent messages about teamwork, helping others and forgiveness and it is often shown through the group of travel companions.

One of the things I struggle with when it comes to fantasy books is the world-building and getting used to a new world. The world-building in this book so wonderful and I had no issues at all understanding it. It feels like the world is jumping right out at you and is so dark and mysterious that I felt like I was right in the world with the characters. It really helped to have A Magical Bestiary in the pages of the book which gave important information about each creature that Twelve faces along her journey and it is all provided in an easy-to-understand way. I do feel as though this book should be marketed towards the older end of middle grade due to its themes and the storyline in general but I feel that age-range will adore this book.

Talking about themes in this book, we see friendship, found families, bullying, overcoming issues, dealing with grief and a whole lot more weaving throughout the story. They add so much to the story but more importantly to the plot and character development. They are themes that I think will resonate heavily with middle grade readers.

Overall, Fireborn: Twelve and the Frozen Forest is an adventurous and thoroughly exciting quest that so many people are going to enjoy going on. I look forward to seeing future books in what will be an excellent series! I highly recommend this one!

This is a fast-paced fantastical adventure that follows Twelve, who has given up her life to the Hunting Lodge, where people train to become hunters. The hunters’ main job is to rid the world of the myriad of monsters that inhabit and threaten it. When the Hunting Lodge is attacked, and one of Twelve’s friends is taken, Twelve goes on an epic quest to find her. With the help of some surprising friends, can Twelve rescue her friend from the monsters before it’s too late? And what is the real motive of the monsters?

Twelve is such a great protagonist! Brave and determined, Twelve gives up her name, her family, basically her whole life to become a hunter. She is fierce and strong, though she is also sometimes a bit impulsive, which gets her into trouble. When she decides to find her friend who was taken during an attack on their training facilities, Twelve shows a lot of loyalty and perseverance. I like how she handles adversity and that she never gives up, and I enjoyed her journey throughout the story.

The side characters are great too, and Twelve’s travel companions add so much to the plot. They are an unusual group, which makes for some interesting situations. Dog is one of my favorites, though I also love Twelve’s squirrel friend Widge. Widge is such a cute and intuitive little friend, and both characters show that allies and friends are everywhere. Five and Six, Twelve’s other travel companions, aren’t exactly Twelve’s friends. However, they all have the same goal – to rescue Seven before it’s too late. They have to put their differences aside and work together, which is not always easy. There are some great messages here about teamwork, forgiveness, the ability to change, and helping others.

Themes of friendship, found families, prejudice, bullying, overcoming obstacles, dealing with grief, and more are woven into the story and also add to the character and plot development. I think many of the themes will resonate well with middle-grade readers. Even though Fowler created a fantastical world that is so unlike our own, the themes prove universal.

Speaking of world-building, the world-building in this book is as strong as the character development. It’s so dark and mysterious and dangerous and vividly depicted. The monsters and supernatural creatures are scary and dangerous and so well described. I also love how the story includes descriptions of each monster from A Magical Bestiary, a textbook used by Twelve. The book provides pertinent information about each creature and ranks them based on aggression, difficulty to disable, and the danger posed. It’s such a great way to provide information about unique creatures without burdening the reader with too much information at once. It also adds to the suspense because when you read that a monster has a high ranking, you automatically prepare for a lot of danger and excitement.

An exciting and adventurous quest, Fireborn is a thrilling middle-grade fantasy. The ending hints at the possibility of future books, and I’m excited to see where Twelve’s adventures take her next! Thanks so much to the author and The Write Reads for the copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

TWELVE AND THE FROZEN FOREST is a fun start to a new MG trilogy, set in a frozen landscape perfect for reading as we head towards winter.

It is a very fun world to explore, though it's mostly hints of the culture and wider world that you get as there's not much space around all the action. There are the tribes, who live in various places, and seem to be having troubles. To enter the hunters, you have to give up everything to be unbiased when solving problems, and you earn a name, starting off with just a number. There are fire spirits - who are very tricksy - and plenty of monsters.

It's full of monsters to fight along the way. A lot of imagination has gone into creating the various monsters, and to make them as horrible as possible! The monsters are given stats like aggressiveness and difficulty to fight (a bit like top trumps cards) and I don't there are any below a 6 or 7. There's a particularly nasty one that twists memories and one that's pretty much just a mouth on feet, which might produce a few nightmares.

Twelve reluctantly journeys with two boys she has a bad history with, and needs to overcome their rivalries in order to rescue their classmate. But they've all got secrets that could easily tear them apart if they can't learn to forgive one another, and themselves.

The ending promises plenty of adventures to come, and a chance to explore more parts of the world as well as the magic.

Absolutely crammed full of magic and monsters, this was a wonderful read and just perfect for any middle grade readers who enjoy a tale of mythical beasts and terrifying adventures.

The book is fast paced and keeps you turning pages long after you are supposed to be as there is so much action on offer. I really liked Twelve and all her companions, despite her spiky personality, her strength and courage was always admirable. I found her bickering with Five a little irritating and was just willing them to actually talk to each other, but it was lovely to see them gradually accept each other. Dog was of course the MVP!

All the various creatures they meet along their adventure, and the creepy goblins, really made the story and I enjoyed the world that Fowler has created, despite it being fairly dark! A brilliant first novel and I look forward to finding out what comes next.

If, like me, you are one of those readers who is very often influenced by the cover of a book when choosing what to read, I can’t but help think that you will fully understand what it was that drew me to this new title – the debut from writer Aisling Fowler. Promising an incredible adventure, set in an imagined prehistoric world and packed with excitement, I was even more keen to read this once I’d read the blurb, as it sounded right up my street.

Combining a fabulous mix of peril and magic, friendship and distrust, this is an incredible book and the first in a new series which will have massive appeal to fans of fantasy, of which there are a great many. Featuring a brave and bold heroine – Twelve – this is as fast-paced and action-packed as it gets, and will hold the reader spellbound throughout with its many twists and turns.

It is fair to say that Twelve is not a model student at the Hunting Lodge – a training ground for those who are aiming to become Hunters in order to defend the seven clans of her world. Together with her peers, she is asked to practise the sparring technique that they learned the day before – something almost impossible when no one wants to be your partner. With her teacher reminding her that she needs a decent opponent with whom to improve her skills, Twelve ends up partnered with Seven who volunteers for the role as she too is unpopular with their classmates.

Following an argument with another student in the armoury, which ends in Twelve losing her temper, she finds herself placed under lock and key for the night. Waking up several hours later, she becomes aware of strange voices close by and managing to escape from her cell discovers that the Lodge has been invaded by goblins. Fortunately, the attackers are driven away, but once things are calm again it becomes clear that another pupil is missing – taken by the goblins for no apparent reason.

Deciding that she will track the intruders and rescue the missing child, Twelve sneaks out of the Lodge only to come across Dog, the Lodge’s stone guardian who has been sent to carry out the same mission. Disobeying Dog’s command to return to the Lodge, the pair form an uneasy alliance as they start to track the goblins – a journey that will take them to the legendary Frozen Forest. As they travel together, they will face dangers that Twelve has not even dreamed of and she will be tested to the limits of her endurance to keep the pledge that she has made to the Lodge. Will they be successful in their mission? And will Twelve’s new insights into her own self lead her to become the Hunter she is destined to become?

The idea of clans will be familiar to many, especially fans of Sophie Kirtley’s and Michelle Paver’s books, but here the students of the Lodge have left their pasts behind to assume new identities and are sworn to protect all tribes, not just their own. Forbidden to reveal their real identities to one another, when Twelve is forced to confront what she has run away from, she reflects on just why she is at the Lodge and what her destiny really is – something that is not entirely answered here and which I am hoping we will find out more about in the remaining titles of the trilogy.

While the book is set in prehistoric times, the action is not all bows-and-arrows and tamed wolves – far from it. With the inclusion of the magical creatures that Twelve encounters, there are echoes of The Hobbit at times and I think those in my class who have enjoyed that would really love this too. At over 400 pages, this is probably a story for more confident readers in Year 5 upwards and would make a great read-aloud in Year 6 or KS3. Sadly, I could not find a date for publication of a paperback version, which is a shame as I know the price of a hardback will put off many young readers, but the hardback will be available on September 30th, making this possibly a title that will be gifted at Christmas. I very much enjoyed it, and am looking forward to seeing what happens next.

As always, huge thanks are due to publisher Harper Collins and Net Galley for my advance read ahead of publication. 5 out of 5 stars.

A memorable adventure that is sure to appeal to fans of Dragon Mountain and Frostheart. The worldbuilding was fascinating and it was impossible not to be swept away by the sense of adventure and danger around d every corner

A very promising start of a series that is filled with excitement, adventure and darkness. There is so much to love: a protagonist who is strong and determined, side characters who are along for the ride are also awesome, and a constantly-moving plot. The world opens up and expands more as the book goes on. I genuinely think it's hard to get bored while reading this book, it was just non-stop. I'm excited to see where the story goes in the future and what the rest of the world has to offer.