Vanya and the Wild Hunt

By Author / Illustrator

Sangu Mandanna, illus Kristina Kister

Genre

Fantasy

Age range(s)

Publisher

Pan Macmillan

ISBN

9781035044757

Format

Hardback

Published

06-03-2025

Synopsis

From the author behind The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Sangu Mandanna's magical adventure series for kids begins with Vanya and the Wild Hunt, with stunning illustrations by Kristina Kister. Perfect for fans of Rick Riordan, A. F. Steadman and Pari Thomson.

Eleven-year-old Vanya Vallen can talk to books. But more importantly, the books talk back. When her family is attacked by a monster she believed only existed in legends, Vanya discovers that her parents have been keeping secrets, and that monsters do exist. Soon, she is whisked off to the enchanted school of Auramere, where she joins the ranks of archwitches and archivists.

Auramere is full of magic ... and monsters. And the Wild Hunt is on the prowl. It's up to Vanya to unmask its leader and stop them from destroying the only place she's ever truly belonged.

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Reviews

Louisa

In Vanya and the Wild Hunt, fantastical creatures and frightening figures from Indian mythology and European folklore inhabit a vibrant fantasy world, spreading out around a single safe haven: a magical library of talking books hidden in the mountains of India.

Taking centre stage against this backdrop meet Vanya, a heroine who is kind and bold - and neurodivergent. For 11 years her parents have kept her secluded from her magical heritage, bringing her up as a regular child in a bookshop in Norwich. She knows she can hear books talking but assumes it's just one more oddity on top of all the other things that make her different, like her ADHD. But when a fearsome monster barges into her home, nothing can stay the same and Vanya sets her mind to finding out truths that her mother is equally determined to keep hidden.

The reader travels alongside Vanya, looking for clues, decoding hints and holding their breath as her thrilling roller coaster adventure brings her closer and closer to a mysterious foe, at last putting in jeopardy friends, family and the safety of Auramere itself.

The unexpected twist at the end had me gasping with surprise as the story turned on its head. It is clear that this is the first in an exciting new series that will appeal to readers who love classic fantasy adventure stories of good versus evil. What next for lovers of Harry Potter and Greenwild? Let me recommend the new Vanya series.

352 pages / Reviewed by Louisa Farrow, teacher

Jacqueline

One day Vanya's family is attacked by a terrifying monster. When she fights it off, her parents are forced to tell her about a magical world she knew nothing about. Vanya travels to the enchanted school in Auramere and learns about this world and the dangerous creatures that are trying to destroy it.

Whilst, in many ways Vanya and the Wild Hunt is a very well repeated story of a child who finds out about magic and go to a magic school, this story is just a bit different. There is something about it that makes both the setting and the characters rather endearing and in consequence, the monsters even scarier.

Vanya is the sort of heroine you would want to be your friend and as the story is told in the first person, she makes a delightful narrator. The story is steeped in mythology and folklore form the UK and India and best of all contains lots of books, libraries and food! The illustrations by Kritina Kiser are a lovely way of bringing some of the people and places to life. Sometimes illustrations can work so well they seem like your imagination on the page and these are those.

The story is gripping - so much so that I had one of those moments when the end arrived unexpectedly and now I will have to wait a year for the sequel!