Melanie Rees

Some things cannot be mended with baling twine. ﻿Drought has turned the paddocks of Paddle Creek Station to dust. Now the death of Clayton’s older brother has shaken his family to its core and left a gaping hole in Clayton’s memory. A hole his parents won’t even discuss. When Waringa, in the shape of a fox-spirit, tells Clayton it’s up to him to save his family and to free the rain spirits held prisoner by the demonic Red King, Clayton must find a strength within himself he never knew he possessed. But as Waringa guides Clayton towards his ultimate battle with the Red King, his quest brings his whole family closer to the abandoned homestead where his brother died. And as it does Clayton’s actions uncover raw wounds, forcing hidden memories to surface. 15% of the publisher's revenue from the sale of this book will be donated to the charities: Rural Aid and Beyond Blue

Petrichor

Thank you to Hague Publishing for an ARC copy of this book, which will be released in October 2021!

I will start off by saying that I think the target audience for this book is a bit younger than I am, so there were times when I found it a little childish. However, if I had read it a few years ago, this wouldn't have been an issue. Being able to successfully write about the heavy subject of grief in a way that younger audiences can digest is quite impressive. I imagine that there will be many younger readers out there experiencing loss that will be touched by this story.

"She wanted to capture that and address serious issues farmers were facing" - from the About the Author section

I enjoyed the setting a lot. I love when authors are able to use lived experiences to create a realistic environment for their stories, especially when it brings awareness to real-world struggles. 15% of the publisher's revenue from sales of this book will also be donated to the charities Rural Aid and Beyond Blue, which is amazing.

The characters themselves were my least favourite part. Nobody felt like they had that much personality. This can probably somewhat be put down to the length of the book. It was quite short, so not too much room to concentrate on that. Blank characters can have benefits though. Since the focus of the book was dealing with grief, it leaves space for readers to insert their own feelings into the story and leave with a more personal experience.

Just a little personal addition, but I am currently going through grief myself after losing an immediate family member. This was the sort of book I could really benefit from reading right now. Clayton's reaction vs his dad's reaction was extremely similar to what I have seen within my own family, and it was truly touching to be able to read something so relatable. I'm so glad to have been given the opportunity to pick this up.

So overall, really great! I would definitely recommend this to a younger teen. The fantasy elements mixed with the dark theme create a beautiful way to address something that unfortunately everyone has to go through at some point without being age-inappropriate.

Petrichor

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