Twelve has spoken the Pledge and now she is a Huntling. She’s given up her name to train in the art of fighting monsters and keeping the peace, and she won’t get to choose a new one until she has earned it.
But when the Lodge’s walls are breached for the first time, and a little girl is taken, Twelve is the only one interested in going after the child…
Teaming up with Dog, the Stone Guardian of the Lodge, Twelve ends up on an epic adventure that will change her life, her name – and her entire world.
Aisling Fowler wishes that she’d grown up in a magical, mountainous kingdom, but was actually raised on a diet of books and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Set in the snowy northern forests of an imagined prehistoric world, Fireborn is Fowler’s middle-grade debut.
Twelve and the Frozen Forest was such an exciting and riveting read! At turns exciting, funny and heart-wrenchingly sad, it marks the introduction of an incredible new voice in children’s fiction. From talking trees to goblins, there are a host of magical creatures in this world. Each corner, crevice, creature and character has a purpose in this world, and Fowler’s ability to immerse readers is fresh and inviting.
When we’re first introduced to Twelve, she appears to be quite the misfit with a self-centred personality. But under the surface, she’s broken. As the story unfolds, through dreams and memories we get to witness Twelve’s character evolution – from the past that shaped her to the person she’s grown to be. Twelve is strong and resilient, while also raw and realistic – qualities that any reader can be inspired by.
I’ll admit, I pride myself on my ability to spot plot twists and, more often than not, I’m correct. But at the end of Twelve and the Frozen Forest my jaw dropped to the floor and didn’t come back up! There’s an incredible revelation towards the end of the book that I did not see coming. In this instance, I was happy to be wrong.
Twelve and Frozen Forest is perfect for readers aged 8+, and while it is a middle-grade novel, I can see it capturing the hearts of YA readers and beyond. It’s in my top reads of the year, and I believe it’s the next big thing! This first novel was left open-ended, and I anticipate there will be a second instalment coming soon. If you loved Harry Potter, then you’re going to love the Fireborn series.
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