Today's read is coming out in just a few days, and this is one I'm just going to say—awesome! Yep, here's another runner for my Favorites of 2022 list.
And now, I'm going to seal my lips and let you read through all of the book info before hitting my review...and then, there's no holding back because I am excited about this one.
SNOWLANDS
A Blood Moon, Book One
by Morr Meroz
Illustrated by Collin Fogel
The Snowlands Company
Upper Middle Grade Animal Fantasy / Graphic Novel
210 pages
ages 9 to 12
COMING...
DECEMBER 7th!!!
A brand-new, full-color graphic novel series for animal fantasy fans that delivers a daring adventure and a mysterious threat that has animals–prey and predator alike–disappearing.
An orphaned white wolf cub exiled from her pack.
A lone snow leopard searching for her missing cub.
A bumbling young Pallas’s cat who can’t hold a tune.
In the midst of a brutal winter in the unforgiving Snowlands the mountain sheep begin to go missing. Without their primary food source, the wolf pack faces starvation and blame falls on Feba, an orphaned wolf cub whose white fur the elders see as a bad omen.
When pack leaders vote to banish Feba, and perhaps worse, she runs off into the icy wilderness just as the other wolf cubs go missing. Lost in the treacherous mountains, Feba stumbles upon Usha, a snow leopard searching for her missing cub. While Usha wants nothing more than to continue her journey alone, she grudgingly allows Feba and a skittish young wild cat, Batu, to follow her.
With a snowy trail full of deadly obstacles ahead, the unlikely trio sets out to find the Seeress, a magical being Usha hopes can find her missing son. Each step takes Usha, Feba, and Batu deeper into danger where they encounter other creatures–some helpful, some deceitful–and uncover a widespread peril in the mountains, the fate of the missing cubs, and what having a family truly means.
An orphaned white wolf cub exiled from her pack.
A lone snow leopard searching for her missing cub.
A bumbling young Pallas’s cat who can’t hold a tune.
In the midst of a brutal winter in the unforgiving Snowlands the mountain sheep begin to go missing. Without their primary food source, the wolf pack faces starvation and blame falls on Feba, an orphaned wolf cub whose white fur the elders see as a bad omen.
When pack leaders vote to banish Feba, and perhaps worse, she runs off into the icy wilderness just as the other wolf cubs go missing. Lost in the treacherous mountains, Feba stumbles upon Usha, a snow leopard searching for her missing cub. While Usha wants nothing more than to continue her journey alone, she grudgingly allows Feba and a skittish young wild cat, Batu, to follow her.
With a snowy trail full of deadly obstacles ahead, the unlikely trio sets out to find the Seeress, a magical being Usha hopes can find her missing son. Each step takes Usha, Feba, and Batu deeper into danger where they encounter other creatures–some helpful, some deceitful–and uncover a widespread peril in the mountains, the fate of the missing cubs, and what having a family truly means.
MY TIDBITS
Action, heart, danger, friendship, and family love mix with evil plots of revenge to form an exciting adventure, while fighting to survive snow and ice.
Feba has never fit in with the rest of the wolf pack thanks to her white fur and the loss of her mother at birth. When food grows scarce and wolves start to die from a mysterious beast, she's blamed for the 'curse' and forced to leave. As a cub, her survival in the cold landscape is anything but guaranteed, but when she runs across two possible friends, her hopes grow despite the circumstances. But there's a much larger and more dangerous plot leaving death in its wake, and Feba is more a part of it than she knows.
I usually don't compare books to other reads, tales, films and whatnots, but this one reminded me of The Jungle Book, The Lion King, and Ice Age (without the slap-stick comedy)...and all of that with an original twist to create an exciting read. In other words, this is quite the adventure, and if I could, I would have jumped right into book two to see where Feba and her friends would head next. (I'll quickly throw in that this does not end with a cliff-hanger but wraps up the story very nicely).
These characters have heart, goals, problems, things to overcome, make mistakes, and either find their way through...or don't. It's not a humorous read and takes a solid approach, meaning that animals do die, the evil is deadly, and there is blood-shed. So, sensitive readers might have some problems. But this one isn't overly dark or violent, either. Especially older middle grade readers, who love adventure, will have something to sink their teeth into and enjoy. The tale does take on harder scenes, but these do deepen the story and have purpose to drive the plot and character arcs. It's action with tension well done. Think of Scar and his hyenas from The Lion King, and you'll be on the right track.
The graphics make this world and invite to sink into adventure pure. The love put into each character is evident, and the scenes are very well depicted, letting the atmosphere and emotions come through in the colors and lines. These are easy to look at and build each moment to combine seamlessly with the written text. I got lost in the story and read this one in one sitting, since it is very hard to put down.
I do highly recommend this read and am placing this one on my list as a possible favorite of the year.
I highly recommend taking a jaunt over HERE to see the sneak-peek-book trailer!
You can learn more about SNOWLANDS and the publisher...
https://thesnowlandscompany.com/snowlands-book-1-a-blood-moon/
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