Fire and Ice (Spirit Animals, #4)

by Shannon Hale

The fourth in the fantasy series about children and their spirit
animals fighting to save their kingdom

Four children separated by vast distances all undergo the same ritual,
watched by cloaked strangers. Four flashes of light erupt,
and from them emerge the unmistakable shapes of incredible beasts
- a wolf, a leopard, a panda, a falcon. Suddenly the paths of these
children - and the world - have been changed for ever.

Enter the world of Erdas, where every child who comes of age must
discover if they have a spirit animal, a rare bond between human
and beast that bestows great powers to both. A dark force has risen
from distant and long-forgotten lands, and has begun an onslaught
that will ravage the world. Now the fate of Erdas has fallen
on the shoulders of four young strangers ... and on you.

Part engrossing book series, part action role-playing game - discover
your spirit animal and join the adventure.

• ISBN13: 9781407139289
• Publish Date: 3 July 2014 (first published 24 June 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Scholastic
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

[Liz (Bent Bookworm)]

~*Check out all my reviews over on The Bent Bookworm!*~

I'm very happy to report that this book was an improvement on the last one in this series (#3)! There was more banter, more feeling, and less confusion overall.

The four kids are STILL having issues trusting each other, and the adults continue to be conveniently swept out of commission by some event or other - which of course forces the four into making BIG DECISIONS. I really like that the series allows the kids to not only make decisions, but forces them to be responsible for them and doesn't really sugar-coat the consequences of foolish ones. In this episode, they are off to the land of frozen tundra in search of the polar bear Great Beast. Again, the cultures they meet bear strong resemblance to ones in actual places in the world, but have different names.

Fire and Ice takes a bit of a darker turn than the previous installments of Spirit Animals. The threat to the kids' families and homes is getting closer, and there are some rather bloody battles and heart-rending scenes, particularly where Rollan is concerned (my poor little street kid just can't catch a freaking break). Still, I think this book will rekindle interest in the rest of the series. I really wasn't sure after Book 3 but I'm going to continue reading!

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