Forgotten Oath

Thank you to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for the ARC!
4/5 Night Marchers

Forgotten Oath is a short, middle-grade book. It is about Noah, a Hawaiian sixth-grader who is sent to the past to save a strange boy in 19th century Hawai’i.
Forgotten Oath is a very quick read, only 100 or so pages. It reads easily and is perfect for middle-grade readers. And even despite only being 100-ish pages, there’s a lot in the story. The ending was really well-executed, so bonus points for that.
The main issue I had with the book was that almost everything was spelled out in the synopsis. I wish there had been a little more left as a surprise, so I recommend not reading the synopsis before you pick this up.
The author also includes a note at the back of the book with an explanation of the true facts of the story and a glossary of Hawaiian terms in the book, which I thought was very interesting.

CW: death/murder, violence, animal death, racism

I found this book to be quite enjoyable! In Forgotten Oath by Dorothea N. Buckingham, Noah finds himself travelling through time between an old cemetery and Hilo in 1834, where he must save the of the ancestor of a Night Marcher to ensure the safety of himself. Noah must bounce between time periods to accomplish his goal, relying on his cousin Blaise and figuring out who he can trust and how he can save his new friend.

I liked seeing elements of Hawaiian culture play out in such a fun and accessible way. Noah was a great main character, and while he had minimal character development, I felt like his tone and personality fit well with the vibe of the book. His relationship with Blaise felt genuine and authentic to me.

I struggled to see a true connection between the characters Noah met in Hilo. There were times when there was an introduction of a substantial amount of characters at once and I often found it took me a few pages to figure out who everyone was and their relevance to the overall story. The ending felt a bit rushed to me and I think the plot deserved a longer ending to tie up all the different relationships and plot lines that were going on.

Overall, I enjoyed the setting of this book and I felt the book would be best suited for middle-grade children who enjoy a slightly more gothic, thriller type story. The urgency was a constant feeling throughout the book, which kept me hooked the entire time.

I'm so thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with early access to this book!

Thank you @netgalley and the publisher and author for approving my request of this ARC.

I love reading middle grade fiction and when the book comes with a premise of curses and time travel, it adds to the intrigue for the story.

The beginning of this book was a bit confusing as kept mixing the names and the relationships but as the story progressed, I was deeply engrossed in it.

It keeps the reader hooked and at the edge of your seat with every setback faced by our protagonist Noah and his friend Lopaka. This is my first time reading a story based on Hawaiian culture and I found it interesting. Few words were incomprehensible but the best thing is that there is a detailed glossary at the end along with various other explanations and history behind this story. The myths and legends that become the basis of this story are described well by the author.

It is the story of friendships, curses and promises that transcends time and space in a way, of trying your best even if you have no real clue, of realizing the importance of fulfilling the promises and of making your ancestors proud, from running away from the curse story to being fully involved in the matter, and so many other things.

All in all, it was a beautiful little book about forgotten oaths and lifting the curses and making loveliest friends while you are at it.

An interesting tale of Noah a sixth grader as he tries to fulfil his oath to the night marchers, to protect the life of the night marchers descendant. At 124 pages long this is a quick read but it still manages to take quite the tale, weaving in Hawaiian folk law and a few true events, this is the perfect book for confident middle grade readers looking for something a bit different.