Book Review: The Kindling of Greenfyr by Mark Freeman

The Kindling of GreenFyr is the story of Owen McInish, an awkward fourteen-year-old bullied at school and friendless except for his pet cat, Piper. That is until a snow leopard is chased through the woods behind his house by three huge gray dogs with glowing green eyes. Owen saves the leopard from her pursuers, but the animal escapes him as well, only to return later. The cat’s behavior is peculiar, nothing like a wild animal, making Owen even more curious as to its origin. Eventually, the cat allows Owen to pet her. Owen finds himself experiencing friendships as he has never before. Adventures as he has never imagined. And political intrigue as two worlds, long separated, begin to collide.

Before I started it, the only knowledge I had about this book was from a few other 1 ARC Tour reviews, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. Well, that isn't totally true. I knew that the book was really long, as in over 500 pages long.

I was pleasantly surprised with that I found!

Characters:
Owen was a great character, without question. At the start he's a "geeky" kid who is having one major problem with school. He's stuck in that endless circle of being bullied, because he can't tell his parents about what's happening. So, he dreads taking the bus to school in the morning, and seems to feel weak and helpless. After he rescues Orla, in the form of a leopard, from a group of hell hounds, everything changes. Over the course of the book, Owen becomes stronger and more confident in himself. This is especially true when facing unsavory creatures, and loss of people he cares about. My other favorite character was the Aingeal, Winter. At first I wasn't sure of his allegiance, but that may have just been my overly suspicious nature.

Plot:
The story was exciting, unique, and totally unpredictable (in a good way, I had no idea what would happen in the end!). The scenery was amazing, and I really felt connected with the characters. I particularly liked the human/animal dynamic. For example, Owen and Boone (a sort of king of the dogs, the Duine Madra) have an instant and deep connection. Any pet owner can relate to that friendship you develop.

The story reminded me a bit of Lord of the Rings. There were a lot of interesting characters, different places, and a bunch of great names (i.e Orla's home, Quailan, and the creature that was called a Vrok). I can't express what a breath of fresh air this book was. I also thought it was really nice to have a male as the main character. While I understand why most of the YA protagonists are female (women tend to be the biggest group of book buyers), I appreciated reading from a boy's point-of-view. I can't wait for the sequel!

Author's Websites: www.greenfyr.com, twitter (@greenfyr), and youtube: BooneVT

The Kindling of Greenfyr
By Mark Freeman
Published by Publish America
552 Pages
Rating: B+

Check back tomorrow for an interview with the author!