Review of “Urchin of the Riding Stars” (Mistmantle Chronicles)

The Mistmantle Chronicles Book 1: Urchin of the Riding Stars

A mouthful of a title, but don’t be turned off! This book is absolutely worthy of a place in your family library. If you have kids who love Redwall, The Wingfeather Saga, or The Chronicles of Narnia, they’re sure to love this thrilling introduction to the world of Mistmantle.

What is Mistmantle?

An island inhabited by talking squirrels, otters, and hedgehogs! These furry (and prickly) animals live in harmony- until some of the animals become power hungry. Betrayal, manipulation, a puppet king, and a eugenics program ensue.

But on the good side: we have courageous and lovable heroes like Padra the Otter, Crispin the squirrel, and the small but not insignificant eponymous hero of the tale, Urchin. Urchin is a young squirrel with a loyal and true heart. Found as an orphan, he is accepted and loved by the good animals on Mistmantle.

Good and Evil: the Lines are Drawn

This a straightforward black and white, good versus evil, story. The good characters in Mistmantle are heroes, both young and old. The villains are black-hearted and epitomize much of what we see wrong in our secular world: hunger for power and wealth, hatred, and disrespect for human life.

This is one of the most pro-life books I’ve read in a long time, without being didactic at all. The “bad guys” decide that any animals born with birth defects such as poor vision or misshapen claws should be “culled.” As Urchin realizes this means killing newborn baby animals, he recoils in horror and then determines to join the animal underground which hides and raises these defenseless babies.

Crispin, Padra, Urchin, and their friends decide that they must defend the helpless and restore truth and order to the island of Mistmantle.

Spiritual Evil

But what is the dark evil stirring below the castle of Mistmantle? In addition to the obvious plotting of the bad animals, Urchin encounters a spiritual evil deep under the surface of Mistmantle. The evil is awakened by a power-hungry villain, and both fuels and devours him. Who can help? Urchin realizes only the priest of Mismantle can cleanse the island by prayer and fasting. Goosebumps!

Although this is not a Catholic series per se, there are many Catholic elements such as praying to “the Heart” that protects Mistmantle, wise priests, sorcery clearly portrayed as evil, and pro-life lessons.

Sensitive Reader Warning

Now as awesome as this book was, some sensitive children will definitely be upset by the beginning: Urchin’s mother dies giving birth to him. Then later in the book, it’s upsetting to contemplate the “culling” of the newborn disabled baby animals. There’s a lot of tension about whether the bad animals will discover the hiding place of the disabled young ones. And the author does a phenomenal job describing the scary demon haunting the depths of the island. So, for context, my 9 year old who is not particularly sensitive said the beginning was sad, but overall loved this book. But with my more sensitive kids, I’d wait a couple more years. If they’ve already read Redwall, they’ll be fine with this too. The reading level is simpler than Redwall, for context there. Know your kids’ individual needs as always!

The Mistmantle Chronicles series

I’m working through the rest of the series which are fittingly awesome sequels so far. Will update when I’ve read them all.

For now, you can buy Urchin of the Riding Stars from small business publisher Purple House Press or through my Amazon affiliate link.

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