In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

 

"The queen, though tiny in comparison to her wolf, still possessed an enormous presence. Her hair was tightly braided, hanging in a thick black rope over her sky-blue tunic, long enough to reach her knees and matched to deep blue leggings, and a shawl of brilliant copper weave across her shoulders. Ysolda had never seen such deep pigment, the thread made from metal thin enough to bend like fabric. Around her neck was a thick torc of gold, a semicircle of brilliance - the sun made metal."

Ysolda is out in the forest with her sea hawk companion, Nara. She needs to avoid capture by the Ryders who work for the infamous Wolf Queen. The Queen has a plan to dominate all of the realms. Her name changes depending which realm she has claimed and so she is variously called Raani and Seren. The name the Wolf Queen comes from the wolves she uses to travel around her kingdom. They are under her control but they are also wild and fierce creatures.

"She clicked her fingers once, twice, and the wolf heaved itself to its feet, and stared down at Ysolda, something wild slipping beneath its dead eyes. ... Its growl reverberated through her entire body, it lips lifting to reveal white fangs as long as Ysolda's hand. She imaged them plunging into her chest, imagined her blood spilling out across the wood-and-crystal floor."

Ysolda needs to think quickly. She needs to be able to tell a good story. The queen wants power, and she wants to meet and then destroy the legendary ancient wise woman - The Anchorite. Ysolda tells the queen that she knows the way to End-World Wood. Ysolda is desperate to free her older sister Hari who has been captured. Hari is gifted is a listener she can hear the language of the trees. The Queen collects gifted individuals partly to control them but also to use them. Ysolda agrees to talk Seren to The Anchorite in exchange for her sister's freedom. The bargain is struck, and the dangerous journey begins. 

One of the interesting characters in this book is the queen's General Shivani. For reasons that are not explained in this first installment Shivani allows Ysolda to spend the night before their journey to End-World Wood with her sister in the pitch-black dungeons. While she is there Ysolda learns more about the Wolf Queen and also about her own destiny but later in a violent scene the general is killed.

The other very interesting character who unexpectedly helps Ysolda is The Forgiver. Kore is a young girl who is said to possess the powers of forgiveness and foretelling. If you have the paperback edition of this book the description on pages 151-152 could be a terrific extract to use in a book talk with your students. Part of The Forgiver's 'show' feels quite fake but then she takes Ysolda aside and privately gives her a amulet which will allow Ysolda to see the way through a fog. This will save her life in a later scene. She also tells her:

"You are going on a journey. Not the one you think you're on. You'll need to root into the wound. You'll lose the one you love three times. You'll see the clouds as a sea. You'll see roots as constellations. In the highest place you'll find the deepest time. In the deepest place you'll find the brightest light."

I also loved the world building in this story and the references to different cultural practices. 

I picked up this book because I loved two previous books by Kiran Millwood Hargrave but I should have noticed the title also said - "A Geomancer Book". I reached page 266 of the 283 pages before I realised this story would not be resolved. I will now need to WAIT for Book Two - oh no! And I think it might be a year - August 2024 - before I can rejoin the world of Ysolda, Eira (the Wolf Queen's rebellious daughter), and the young servant Sami. A Goodreads reviewer said: the ending was mostly unsatisfying. I wish there was at least a little bit of a resolution towards the end, but it felt almost as if we had stopped mid story to me. This left me wanting more, but not in a satisfying, cliff-hanger type of way. 

I recommend this book for readers who enjoy quests, fantasy, action and stories of loyalty and betrayal aged 11+. 

Book seller blurb: Ysolda has lived her life in the shadow of the wolf queen's tyrannical rule but, safe in her forest haven, she has never truly felt its threat. Until one day when a mysterious earthquake shakes the land and her older sister Hari vanishes in its wake. Accompanied by her loyal sea hawk, Nara, Ysolda embarks on a desperate rescue mission. But when she is forced to strike a bargain with the wolf queen herself, she soon finds herself embroiled in a quest for a magic more powerful - and more dangerous - than she could ever have imagined ...

The start of a new series, this is a beautifully and gently written story that is part adventure, part fairytale, part mystery, and with underlying tones of magic and mythology. With a main character as fierce and brave as any you’d find in a Katherine Rundell novel, themes of environmental consciousness, and elements of Tolkien, it’s an immersive and immensely enjoyable read. Book Trust

This is a story of sisterly love and perseverance, all told in Millwood Hargrave’s lyrical and flowing style. Readings

The Island at the end of Everything

Companion reads:

The Wolf Wilder

Prisoner of Ice and Snow

Impossible Creatures

Windswept

Sky Song