Simon Thorn in a thorny situation
I just read Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den by Aimee Carter. First off, if you haven't heard of Aimee Carter look her up because her writing is amazing, and she's making it big in the young adult fiction world.
Secondly, the Simon Thorn novel was as amazing as I expected it to be. It was engaging, fun, intriguing, full of twists and misdirections. Aimee has created a new world of magic mixed with animals and has made every kid's dream of becoming their favorite animal come true. I always wanted to be a horse when I was little. In this book, I could be, and I would be a part of the mammal kingdom.
The story follows Simon Thorn, a twelve year old boy who learns that he is from another world, a world that includes five kingdoms (mammals, reptiles, insects, birds, and fish). Not only that but he is a part of this world in a BIG way. I'm not going to tell you because you have got to read the book for yourself.
Eventually, Simon ends up at a school for students of this world called the L.A.I.R. where children learn their animalgam forms and how to use them. Yep, animalgams. Get it? Animal, amalgam. I thought the name was super clever, too. These children can shift into animals. What type of animal is based on genetics and what their parents were. Thing is there's a bit of unrest, to say the least, between the birds and the other kingdoms, mostly because of the Alpha, the leader of the mammals and now the leader of the other three kingdoms as well, though they will never admit it.
The main conflict is Simon trying to find his mother who has been kidnapped by the Alpha. In the process of searching for her, Simon learns all about this new world and a lot more about himself and his family.
It's a great story about self discovery and figuring out who you are, while at the same time the reader is taken on a suspenseful, thrilling journey. It's a little bit like the Spirit Animal series, but I think Aimee does a good job of differentiating this world from that one. That being said, if you liked the Spirit Animal series, you'll most definitely like this one.
Like I said, the writing is amazing, but what really got me is the crafted relationships between the characters. People become unlikely friends and learn to trust each other when the world has been telling them otherwise their whole lives. The characters are vivid and entertaining. They all have their own stories, and Aimee gives you a little glimpse of each of them in this book.
This is the first novel of a series that is set to continue in February that follows Simon Thorn through this new world of animalgams and warring kingdoms. I, for one, can't wait for the next installment.
