LoveReading4Kids Says
February 2018 Debut of the Month | In a Nutshell: Electrifying folkloric thriller
Blending folkloric fantasy with contemporary romance, this immersive multi-layered novel heralds the arrival of a unique new voice in young adult fiction.
Each Christmas, Wren is hunted in a twisted, tormenting re-enactment of an old game. But the village bullies don’t realise that Wren is part of the Augur family, formerly powerful kinfolk whose magical influence was all but obliterated by the Judges. When Wren is captured in the hunt and a boy claims a lock of her hair, she must become a spy in the house of the most powerful Judge of all.
Straddling ancient Celtic mythology and the 21st century, the exhilarating storyline teems with tension as Wren lies, steals and searches her heart and soul while summoning up magic to save her family. The language is lyrical, the concept unique and, while comparisons are tricky to make, I’d recommend this highly to fans of Frances Hardinge’s thought-provoking fantasy.
Joanne Owen
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The Wren Hunt Synopsis
Every year on St Stephen's Day, Wren Silke is chased through the forest in a warped version of a childhood game. Her pursuers are judges - a group of powerful and frightening boys who know nothing of her true identity. If they knew she was an augur - their sworn enemy - the game would be up. This year, the tension between judges and augurs is at breaking point. Wren's survival, and that of her family, depends on her becoming a spy in the midst of these boys she fears most and using her talent, her magic, to steal from them the only thing that can restore her family's former power for good. But Wren's talent comes with a price. The more she uses it, the more she loses her grip on reality and soon she's questioning everything she's ever known about her family, about augurs and judges, and about the dangerous tattooed stranger who most definitely is not on her side ...
Part thriller, part love story, this captivating debut novel about a girl caught in a battle between two ancient magics will appeal to readers of Frances Hardinge and Alice Broadway
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781408884935 |
| Publication date: |
8th February 2018 |
| Author: |
Mary Watson |
| Publisher: |
Bloomsbury Childrens Books an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
398 pages |
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Mary Watson Press Reviews
The most superb collection of character and fantasy and love and landscape I have read since Phillip Pullman's Northern Lights Hilary McKay
A modern day fairy tale ... Throwing romance, magical visions and gruesome rituals into the pot, this is a thrilling and otherworldly depiction of Irish culture Sunday Times Magazine
Beautiful, eerie, dark and dreamy ... An absolutely stunning mix of myth and legend and family saga. I haven't stopped thinking about it Melinda Salisbury
The tentacles of this story reach deep into Ireland's mythological past, in a haunting tale ... The story is riveting, set in a modern country town but at all times laced with reminders of more violent but intriguing times Irish Examiner
In this moody magical thriller, a girl with a secret identity and a talent that doubles as a curse has to outwit her enemies, survive her own damaging power, and follow her heart. For fans of The Call and The Shannara Chronicles Buzzfeed
The Wren Hunt rings with ancient, subtle magic, masterfully transmuted into words. A tale that gets into your bones Samantha Shannon
[I have] fallen under the spell of The Wren Hunt, a beautifully written story and unlike anything I have read ... Magical and real Jenny McLachlan
A beautiful mix of myth and magic and discovering the path you want to tread Karen Gregory
Folklore, secrets, betrayal, magic, forbidden love and dark discoveries. Eerie, atmospheric, seductive and completely captivating Katherine Webber
