I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
MY RATING:
Synopsis:
Thirteen-year-old Maura lives in the remote mountainside, where she spends her days with goats and admiring the sky. But her two older sisters are sick, and their illness worsens when a stranger crosses the mountains that she thought were unclimbable.
Maura is thrust into an outside world engulfed by war. Guided by a mother she has never met, a kind boy with a dire wolf pup, and her sisters’ story of the pearl blossom heart, Maura must find her long-lost father to end the war before it reaches her mountain home.
However, the journey has its own risks, and Maura will have to decide whether to fulfill her destiny or give up on her sisters.
- Pages: 172
- Genre: Middle-grade, Fantasy
- Publication date: December 2, 2025 by Shaherazad Shelves
- Format: Kindle
- Source: NetGalley
PURCHASE LINKS:
AMAZON
THE REVIEW:
Ahhh, what a letdown this one was.
DO NOT LET THE COVER FOOL YOU!
This whole story was dry, with no emotion in the characters whatsoever. They were just there, existing within this world and were moved around and about to fulfil whatever they had to fulfil. The whole plot was badly executed, the idea was there, but privying characters from any individuality and development is always going to be a no for me. I really liked the beginning, it was interesting and was promising adventure, family dynamics and just something to look forward to. But there were so many plotholes, things thrown here and there, just because I don’t know why? Things were disjointed and made no sense. A father and a mother who abandoned their children and never came back for 15 or so years, and then suddenly they remembered they have kids lol this was so bizarre, no emotion from the mother, the only glimpse of any feelings I got from was from Tyne and the other billy goats…
I was more interested in the goats and her sisters’ fate than the whole rest of this book…. what a let down, pity the cover and the legend it was based on are the only cool things about it. Definitely not suitable for any children, they will not understand what is going on, and it will not be interesting since they won’t be able to relate to any of the characters.
Click for angry SPOILER
Maura and her mom travel for days, and their exchange is only about what a certain bird is this and that, and that they are nearly there. Hmmm she never met her mother and her mother had not seen her or her sisters in 13 years and all she did was tell Maura she needs to go with her and she can get the cure for her sisters… bitch why didn’t you bring it in the first place if you knew they were ill? You are their mother and should have done as such instead of abandoning your children to fend for themselves in the first place! Agrrhh I’m so mad at Brighid!
When Dara knows more about Maura and her sisters than her own mother does…. I’m still hoping to see some mother-daughter moment
The whole finding her father part was never explained in detail; it was: you needed to find him so he could save the kingdom and we will not tell you why we need you in the first place. Uh, hello, what the hell were you all adults doing for 13 years? Picking berries and scratching your back? And her father has gone for 15 years and done shit! Man, this story is so ridiculous I am still waiting for the fantasy part and for any sort of emotion from the characters and something to actually happen that makes sense…
Overall, 2 stars because of the goats, the cover and the Afterword behind the inspiration for the whole story, which was more interesting than the whole book was.
Lin's Perspective 
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