Akea – His Mother’s Son ~ A Review
Introduction
Akea is no ordinary husky, and taking her place as Wolf Queen was just the first step in the journey set out for her by the Great Wolf. Akea’s world turns upside down when humans raid their home, scattering the pack and capturing her hybrid son. Salvador struggles to adjust to a life in captivity quickly realising not everyone approves of his mother’s rise to Wolf Queen. When the Great Wolf sends him warning dreams, Salvador discovers his true purpose for being there.
“Ms Jade perfectly captures the atmosphere of life as part of the wolfpack and its many challenges. Her stories remind me of Jack London’s Call of the Wild, and with ‘His Mother’s Son’ she proves she not only has a knack for creating realistic and powerful characters, but a talent for describing the wild settings they inhabit with a natural confidence that is quite charming.” Colin Garrow (author)
Review
The description of this book intrigued me, and as a fan of Jack London’s Call of the Wild, I was keen to read Akea – His Mother’s Son. Aimed at younger readers (around 8-12 years), this is book two in the Akea series.
Elizabeth begins by creating a visually spectacular environment before introducing the wolf pack. I haven’t read book one in the series, but the characters are well developed and I found it easy to get to know the individuals. Written from the perspective of the animals, the story is full of heart, compassion, and shows a deep empathy towards how animals might experience their situation.
There are a number of talking points for younger readers to connect with, such as the social structure of wolf packs, and the role of animal parks and zoos. Beautiful illustrations supplement the narrative, which moves steadily towards an exciting conclusion. I read this book in a single setting; it had me gripped from the opening and was hard to put down. Through her writing, Elizabeth engages both with the characters in her book, and with the reader. It is clear that she cares about Akea and her wolf pack, as well as the wider natural environment.
Highly recommended reading; I will catch up with book one in the series, and wait eagerly for the next instalment.
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About the Author
Elizabeth Jade was born in 1998 in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, England, but moved with her family to Wellington in Somerset when she was very young. Her early schooling did not go smoothly, and as a result, she was home-schooled from the age of seven. Her parents soon learned she had a unique slant on life and quickly abandoned attempts to follow the national curriculum in favour of child-led learning.
Elizabeth stumbled into writing at the age of fourteen when she began to suffer from anxiety and depression and quickly found her story ideas pouring out faster than she could get them onto paper. It wasn’t until the age of eighteen that she realised her struggles in school had been due to Asperger’s Syndrome (an autistic spectrum disorder).
As an enthusiastic animal lover, Elizabeth volunteered first at the Conquest Riding Centre for the Disabled and then at St Giles Animal Rescue before moving on to the Cats Protection Homing and Information Centre. Her gifted way with the cats quickly earned her the title of ‘Cat Whisperer’ from the staff. Since she had always possessed such a way with animals, it was only natural for her story ideas to revolve around them.
Elizabeth’s personal experience as a young author with the challenges of autism, depression and anxiety, along with her writing theme of acceptance and overcoming obstacles, have led to her having a junior school class named after her.
Connect with Elizabeth online:
Book Trailer
Website
Blog
Goodreads Author Profile
Facebook
Twitter
Many thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for hosting this blog tour, and offering me the chance to review Akea – His Mother’s Son. Thank you to Elizabeth Jade for gifting me a copy of the book, in return for an honest review. All views expressed are my own.
