The Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson
MG Fantasy Adventure. 493 Pages. 5 Stars
Synopsis:
Now in hardcover for the first time, featuring all-new illustrations! Our intrepid heroes are caught in the middle of an epic showdown between good and evil in the fourth and final novel of the Wingfeather Saga.
All winter long, people in the Green Hollows have prepared for a final battle with Gnag the Nameless and the Fangs of Dang. Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli are ready and willing to fight alongside the Hollowsfolk. But when the Fangs make the first move and invade Ban Rona, the children are separated.
Janner is alone and lost in the hills; Leeli is fighting the Fangs from the rooftops of the city; and Kalmar, who carries a terrible secret, is on a course for the Deeps of Throg. Monsters and Fangs and villains lie between the children and their only hope of victory in the epic conclusion of The Wingfeather Saga.
Full of characters rich in heart, smarts, and courage, The Warden and the Wolf King is a tale children of all ages will cherish, families can read aloud, and readers’ groups are sure to enjoy discussing for its many layers of meaning. Extra features include new interior illustrations from Joe Sutphin, funny footnotes, a map of the fantastical world, inventive appendices, and fanciful line art in the tradition of the original Frank L. Baum Wizard of Oz storybooks.
My Review:
The conclusion to the saga! And a much belated review.
So, first, I have to admit I was so mad at the title of this book (and the cover) XD I ordered it ahead of time when still reading book 2 so that I wouldn’t have to wait to keep reading. And I put the pieces together before Kal became the Wolf King. So, book 2 spoilers. I was upsetted.
That said, it’s a very pretty cover. All of the new covers are. And the title is fitting.
In many ways, this felt like a book of climaxes. Different story threads here and there all finally crashed together. But we still started out with this beautiful, homey family time. (The blindplopping was epic and I loved this part of the culture and worldbuilding.) Then the story just unravels from there and we push into the long-awaited war.
I really enjoyed following Sara and Gammon and Artham and company. Those were my favorite bits and the plot I was definitely most intrigued by. I wished there had been even more of Arthan and for him. His part seemed smaller somehow and that was a little disappointing. He was absolutely one of my favorite characters. But the whole organization and efforts in Scree drew me in. I wanted to see them fight and rebuild, so those glimpses were satisfying. And the storyline with Maraly was so fun and sweet, too!
The sea dragons also felt like the had a smaller role–a good one, albeit, but I think it could have been even cooler to dig deeper into their history and culture. And the climactic twist I can honestly say I didn’t see coming until it was right upon me. I yelled at the book XD It was a neat way to bring all Naag’s lines together. Also, I’d wondered about the whole “Nameless” thing from the beginning and it was neat to see how that actually tied in, which was not quite how I anticipated, but still really fun.
Oh man, all the Cloven stuff was so cool! I loved the city they found and how that led to another pocket of the world Peterson had built with yet another culture. They were fascinating and I definitely wanted to dig into them more.
And just because I must comment on the ending (without spoilers), I have mixed feelings. I can honestly say I didn’t put the pieces together. I tried to puzzle it out, but it didn’t hit me until it happened and so I was a little stunned. Perhaps I should have seen that coming, but for some reason it just didn’t occur to me. I think it was clever and emotional and fitting. But part of me is glad the ending is just a little open-ended, too. (Though, I also think the end of book 3 hit harder for me, personally.)
And, of course, I still very much enjoyed the world and the characters in this one. The plot did pick up in this last book so that all the pieces finally merged together for the final climaxes of the story. But it still kept that familial, yearning, home-focused feeling that I loved from the first three.
I’m excited to read the Wingfeather tales next! This was a fun saga and I’m really glad I did finally read them.
There’s no foul language and very little MG romance. There’s some mild fantasy violence and thematically the story deals with a lot of brokenness–abandonment, love vs. hate, bitterness, forgiveness, freedom, power, etc. I’d recommend the book for 10/12+.
More:
The first book in the Wingfeather Saga is On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (4 Stars)
The second book is North! Or Be Eaten (5 Stars)
The third book is The Monster in the Hollows (5 Stars)
I rated and reviewed the above on Goodreads. This series should be read in order. Click the links above for more info.
On GraceBought
If you missed it, see my thoughts on the previous books below!
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, North! Or Be Eaten, and The Monster in the Hollows