Under Wildwood (Wildwood Chronicles #2)

This book is just as magical and intriguing as the first one. It continues the story of the world right on the edge of our world, but this time shows the grittier side of both. Children being used for free labor, assassins of some fanatic religious group, overcoming tyrannical leaders, abandoning your family to live the life you want and the consequences that come with that. I mean I can’t think of a young adult book that does ALL this at once besides this one.

My favorite part is still the illustrations though. They’re so charming, and they help bring the story to life without forcing you to imagine everything a certain way. Every few pages there will be this small image to help guide you, which makes reading it so much more fun.

Not to mention the lessons about growing up in this book are completely unreal. I felt like I grew up just reading it, and I’m 23. No matter how old you are, you’re never too old to get slapped in the face by the reality that you’ll always have to make hard decisions, even if you run away from them. That in itself makes this book worth reading, but the awesome story (and cliffhanger!) make it a must.

This is the sequel to Wildwood – and if you like childrens fiction I suggest you go read that first. This book brings back Prue, Curtis and some other familiar faces from the first book, as well as some new characters – including Curtis two sisters, Rachel and Elsie. Wildwood is suffering with a hard winter and civil unrest after the revolution and Prue is going to have to work to save the wood and all her friends by uniting the country. She must also beware of a mysterious assassin hired by someone in Wildwood to claim her life.

I believe Prue is around 12 and the intended age range for the book is probably about 9-13, so there were times when I was rolling my eyes. At 25, Im obviously not the target audience, so while I found the book a little young at times, I know why – however I enjoy childrens and YA fiction, and if you do too, youll like this book. I did find Curtis to be a little flat – for the sake of staying spoiler free, I just felt he had no real emotion. But overall it was a very fun book and a quick read. Ill definitely be reading the 3rd book!

The other aspect Id Iike to comment on is the physical beauty of this book – the edges of the pages are wonderfully rough and raw. The art by Ellis is awesome – as evidenced by my previous posts. These touches made reading the book even more fun. So if you enjoy the genre, or youve read the first book, definitely pick up Under Wildwood.

I absolutely loved this series! Its well written. Beautiful illustrations. Characters are well thought out. Great storyline. Appropriate for all ages; adults and young adults (12 and up, in my opinion) will be reminded of the magic of childhood. Also appropriate to be read to younger children.

What a wonderful adventure for all ages. Pulls us ala Rowling into a youthful commitment to loyalty and morality with Prue…the quintessential heroine of this magical tale. She has the flaws one would expect with no sugar coating for a preteen and they lend themselves to the telling of the tale. With characters larger than life on both sides of the coin of good vs evil it takes your hand and walks you through to an ending that leaves the reader with a smile and an unforgettable journey easily weaving from Book 1, page 1 to Book 3 the last. Loved it.

The second book in the Wildwood Trilogy — a must-read for all fans of The Decemberists. These books reveal the creative genius of Colin Meloy and really immerse you into the world of Wildwood.

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