The Harm Tree

The Harm Tree

By Author / Illustrator

Rose Edwards, Tomislav Tomic

Genre

Science Fiction

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

UCLan Publishing

ISBN

9781912979004

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

19-07-2019

Synopsis

You're too young to remember why we needed heroes. You should be glad...Nine years ago, two princes waged a bloody civil war for the right to rule Arngard. The younger prince took the throne and outlawed the ancient beliefs, but some wounds don't heal. New religion replaced the barbaric traditions and finally, there's peace.Torny and Ebba are friends. Sent away by their families, they work together and watch out for each other. Too young to remember the war that tore apart the kingdom, Torny dreams of the glorious warriors of old, while Ebba misses her family, despite the darkness she left behind.But when a man is murdered on the street and Torny finds herself in possession of a dangerous message, the two friends must tread separate paths. These will lead them through fear, through grief, to the source of their own power and to the gates of death itself.As Torny and Ebba are used as tools for the opposing factions of the war, a deep power is ignited in them both. Can they uncover their own strength to finally heal the wounds of a nation?

Reviews

Linda

The Harm Tree is like dipping into a YA version of A Game of Thrones, (sadly no dragons), as it's full of dark magic, politics, bloodthirsty battles and a wonderful protector in the shape of a huge wolf. Nine years before our two main protagonists take up the battle, two princes waged a civil war to rule Angard. The young prince that won this battle outlawed the ancient barbaric beliefs and introduced a new religion, which brought peace to the land or so they thought! Torny and Ebba have been sent away from their families, they have become firm friends and look out for each other. During a visit to the weekly market Torny comes into possession of a golden necklace, this trinket is the undoing of their lives as they know it. Now, unknown to them at the time, they are about to go their separate ways. Will they ever meet up again? Will their friendship survive the dangerous and harrowing journeys that they are about to go on?


This wonderful story, which has been inspired by Norse legends has 430 pages that are full of dark magic, power hungry leaders, mythical night walkers and lots and lots of tense drama, which is all suitable for the 12+ reader, due to some of the gory scenes. The author, through her wonderful writing, immerses the reader into her fictional world and takes them on a journey that is full of twists and turns that you don't see coming. As this dangerous unpredictable journey progresses we, the reader, see it via different perspectives as the author has divided the chapters up between the two young girls and some of her other amazing main characters, making it a real page turner. This is well worth a read and I would easily put it as one of my favourites for 2021. Rose Edwards is going to be a very popular author if she keeps turning out books like this one.


464 pages / Reviewed by Linda Brown

Suggested Reading Age 11+

 

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