forests | Book Girl & Little Bear

Spirit of the Wood by Kristen Britain

It’s a lovely surprise when you find out that an author you like has a book that you’ve overlooked. This 2023 fantasy novella is a compelling read. This is not a cozy fantasy, but a more traditional epic fantasy. Britain is known for her Green Rider series, and this novella features a regular character in the series at an earlier time in her life. Laren Mapstone is assigned to take trainee Tavin Bankside on his first long ride. Tavin has recently been called to the Green Rider messenger service and is unsure of his magical gift. Inwardly, Tavin thinks of Laren as the Ice Lady, and she is mostly silent on their ride. When she is injured, Tavin and their two horses manage to get Laren to a warded waystation. A forest ranger and a hermit help him care for Laren. The hermit, who can only be found by seeking the spirit of the wood, helps Tavin control his magic, which is empathy. This appealing story is full of wonder, adventures, and danger, and includes a squirrel plus stories from the now conscious but still tart-tongued Laren. I just discovered that a new novel in the series, Falling in a Sea of Stars, will be published in September. The first book in the series is Green Rider.

Brenda

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer

This portal fantasy novel was inspired by C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, but Shanandoah does not feel like Narnia to me. Shanandoah is a magical land that can only be reached through the Red Crow Forest in West Virginia.

Emilie is grieving for her adoptive mother then learns that she has a half-sister, Shannon, who went missing in the Red Crow Forest many years ago. Two teen boys, Jeremy and Rafe, also went missing in the forest but were found several months later. Both adults now, Rafe has no memories of these months while Jeremy searches for missing women and children.

Emilie, Jeremy, and Rafe go into the forest, and predictably, end up in Shanandoah. While delightfully magical, it’s also filled with grave dangers. Rafe learns that he put his memories into a book before leaving Shanandoah, and doesn’t remember that he and Jeremy were in love. Emilie has always found music magical. She talks a lot, especially when she’s nervous, and has a pet rat named Fritz (which I thought was sweet, as I had a pet rat named Rosemary when I was a girl). They find Emilie’s sister, who’s welcoming to everyone, even Fritz.

Shanandoah is not very much like West Virginia, and Emilie never wants to leave. But Rafe’s Mom will miss him if he stays. In this resemblance to Narnia, Rafe and Jeremy learn that if they leave, they can never return to Shanandoah, or at least not unless the storyteller (and narrator) can write them back in a sequel. An engaging and compelling read, but not a cozy fantasy. I also enjoyed the author’s earlier novel, The Wishing Game.

Brenda