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The Guardian Herd #2: Stormbound

Written by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
Published by Harper 2015
978-0-06-228609-3
309 pages Age 8—12 (+)
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“When Star received is powers on his first birthday, he became the most powerful pegasus in Anok. But many were afraid to follow the yearling colt and felt safer remaining with their over-stallions. The rest unified with Star and formed River Herd. Now his new herd is homeless and menaced by predators, causing Star to question his ability to keep them safe. And then the Blue Tongue plague appears. . . Mountain Herd is outgrowing its territory . . . Rockwing, hatches a plan to kidnap Morningleaf and . . . Nightwing the Destroyer is alive, and his rise to power threatens all of Anok.

“Star can heal, but he can also destroy, and he can’t help but question his purpose. Is he truly the one to unite the herds? Or will his dark powers overcome him?”

Review
Wow! Alvarez has outdone herself. Stormbound is a riveting, page-turner, just as Starfire—her debut—was before it, only Stormbound ratchets up the stakes to keep readers spell-bound. Star has survived his first birthday and received his star power, making him not only immortal, but the most powerful pegasus in all of Anok . . . as long as 400-year-old Nightwing the Destroyer remains in hibernation. He does not. Star reaching his first birthday awakens the beast, who must now destroy Star to remain the most powerful, and most dreaded, pegasus in all of Anok. Every inhabitant of Anok fears Nightwing, and with good reason.

The great majority of Stormbound is about gathering the herds to unite against Nightwing the Destroyer and survive, but not all are on board, mainly out of a fear of Star. Some, like Rightwing, are desperate to gain new land. His herd has outgrown its land and is now slowly starving to death. Fearing a rebuff by Star, Rightwing kidnaps Morningleaf as a bargaining chip. The Blue Tongue plague is wiping out Snow Herd, whose over-stallion fears Star more than the plague. All of these plots join to make a unified story that will keep the reader glued to the pages and anguished when Stormbound ends.

Alvarez uses one of the oldest writing techniques to keep readers on edge while waiting for her final installment: overwhelming suspense. The big battle between Nightwing the Destroyer (the original black foal), and Star (the new black foal), begins with a mutual sizing-up, and then . . . the final book of this trilogy cannot be released fast enough. It is the perfect ending to a most captivating and spellbound story that, dare I say, is as thrilling a read as Harry Potter.

There are two series out this year that I highly recommend to fans of action-adventure stories. The Guardian Herd is one. The other I’ll write about next week. That gives you enough time to grab The Guardian Herd #2: Stormbound, and, if new to this series, The Guardian Herd #1: Starfire, and enjoy this absolutely wonderful, imaginative, and addictive series. Stormbound can stand alone, but why miss the dramatic beginning to Star and the herds of Anok? And just how, if at all, does the “Territory of the Landwalkers” figure into Star’s story? Wherever you begin your journey in the land of Anok, Star, his friends, and enemies will stick with you for a very long time.

COMING SOON: The Guardian Herd #3: Landfall
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THE GUARDIAN HERD #2: STORMBOUND. Text copyright © 2015 by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez. Interior art copyright © by David McClellan. Published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, New York, NY.
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Purchase The Guardian Herd #2: Stormbound at Amazon—Book Depository—HarperCollins.

Purchase The Guardian Herd #1: Starfire at Amazon—Book Depository—HarperCollins

Learn more about The Guardian Herd #2: Stormbound HERE.
Learn more about The Guardian Herd #1: Starfire HERE.  [reviewed here]

Ms. Alvarez interviews illustrator David McClellan HERE.  (with sketches)

Meet the Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, at her website: http://www.jenniferlynnalvarez.com
Meet the illustrator, David McClellan,, at his website:  http://davemcclellan.blogspot.com
Find more middle grade novels at the publisher, HarperCollins Children’s Books’ website: http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com

Harper and HarperCollins Children’s Books are imprints of HarperCollins Publishing.

AWARDS for #1: STARFIRE
2014 ABC Best Books for Children: Middle Grade Novel (American Bookseller’s Association)
2014 Kid Lit Reviews Best Middle Grade Novel (as voted by readers)
6-Star Review on KLR

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Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews

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Full Disclosure: The Guardian Herd #2: Stormbound, by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, and received from Harper (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing), is in exchange NOT for a positive review, but for an HONEST review The opinions expressed belong to Kid Lit Reviews, and no one else. This is disclosed in accordance with The Federal Trade Commission 16CFR, Part 255: Guidelines Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

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The Guardian Herd #1: Starfire

Written by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
Harper/HarperCollins Children’s Books      9/23/2014
978-0-06-228606-2
Age 8 to 12              272 pages
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“Once every hundred years, a black foal is born, prophesied to either unite or destroy the five herds of flying horses that live in the land of Anok. He is fated to become the most powerful Pegasus in all of Anok. Star is this black foal. Even though Star has malformed wings that make him unable to fly, the leaders of each herd will take no risks and want to execute Star before his first birthday. With the help of his friends, Star must escape the clutches of the powerful leaders. His epic journey of self-discovery turns into a battle between good and evil that will keep readers eagerly turning the pages.”

Opening

“Star trotted through the dense pine forest, alone.”

The Story

The Pegasi of Anok (mythical winged horses), consists of five herds each with their own leader—the over-stallions—and their own land. None crosses the borders without permission. Wars have been raging between these herds for hundreds of years. Star is a black foal born into the Sun Herd, led by Thunderwing. When Star’s mother died birthing Star, Thunderwing’s mate adopted him, much against her mate’s wishes.

Star, a black foal, was born under the Hundred Year Star. If he can remain alive until his first birthday, he will receive the star’s power, and then become either a destroyer or a healer. No one knows which he will become, not even Star, and this terrifies the over-stallions of each herd. The last black foal born under this star all thought would be a healer. He was a good weanling, but when he received the power, he became a destroyer and wrecked havoc in all the land of Anok. It is up to the over-stallion of the guardian herd—Thunderwing—to kill the black foal before his first birthday, or to let him live and receive his ultimate power. Thunderwing is as scared as the others are and plans to execute Star before his first birthday.

Only Star’s three friends and his adopted mother believe Star will be a healer and seek to keep Star alive so he can receive the power of the Hundred Year Star. The other weanlings (those under one-year of age) bully Star and his three friends, mainly because he cannot fly. He does not fit into his wings, and must walk every like a common horse—a terrible insult to a Pegasus.

One particular weanling has it in for Star and tries to kill him. But in doing so, he crosses into another herd’s land, starting a war. Between this new war and the majority of pegasi wanting him executed, Star knows he must be on his own. Can Star survive without his friends, tend to his own food and water, and remain hidden from all other pegasi? Whether or not Star can survive on his own will greatly determine his future. With five herds looking for him, Star’s odds of survival are slim.

Review

The Guardian Herd has every element a kid wants in an adventure. The author has created an imaginative, highly stylized world kids will appreciate. There are great characters that are easy to understand and like, even the terrifying bully Brackentail. This adventure has tons of action, some with violence. The violence is not bad until the final battle, making this book more appropriate for middle graders on the older end of their age-range.

There are many characters is The Guardian Herd. So many that the author starts with five pages of descriptions so kids know the herds and the pegasi in each herd. I found this section a tad overwhelming and skipped it altogether. I had no trouble remembering who was who and where they belonged. The only thing this list does, in my opinion, is make the story seem cumbersome and it might scare off a reader or two. I would drop it or place it at the end of the story.

Star is a wonderful character. Despite his worthless wings and inability to fly, Star has a warm personality, respects and honors his friends and adopted mare, and is braver than one would think given his situation and fate. Star is a character whose side you will quickly take up. When off on his own, Star’s humor—or the author’s humorous writing—had me in stitches. I loved his friend Crabwing and the things they did in and around the bay.

Granted, there is a huge war near the end of the story and the violence can be just shy of young adult territory, but I do not think it will give any kid nightmares, especially when the scenes that follow these battles are as strong and easy to envision. Once these scenes begin, the war becomes a distant memory. I think these final scenes will override any violent scenes a kid may linger on. The ending is extremely well written and strong. It was nothing as I imagined it might be. I cannot explain any further without spoilers, so this will have to do: the ending is fantastic. If the author does not hurry up and finish the next book, I may start stalking her blog.

The Guardian Herd may not be a New York Bestseller, yet, but it will entertain, and possibly teach your child a few things about friendship, respect, and loyalty. If not, they will still be completely engrossed for a few hours with an imaginative world that actually resembles our own world in many ways. I highly recommend this series for kids age 10 and up. Adults who love fantasy adventures will also enjoy The Guardian Herd #1: Starfire. This is Jennifer’s debut novel with HarperCollins—her first traditionally published book!

THE GUARDIAN HERD #1: STARFIRE. Text copyright © 2014 by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez. Advanced Readers Copy received from the publisher, HarperCollins Children’s Books, New York, NY.

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Get your copy of The Guardian Herd: Starfire at Amazon—B&N—Book Depository—HarperCollins—your favorite book store.

Learn more about The Guardian Herd: Starfire HERE

**Also Available in Audio

Meet the author, Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, at her website:    http://www.jenniferlynnalvarez.com/

Find more exciting stories at the HarperCollins website:    http://www.harpercollins.com/

HarperCollins Children’s Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Here is a twelve-year-old kid’s view of The Guardian Herd #1:  Starfire. Read Erik’s review HERE

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Also by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

The Pet Washer

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Reviewed HERE

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Copyright © 2014 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews