The Feral Child by Che Golden Review!

     

Title : The Feral Child
Author : Che Golden
Pages : 256
Published : June 3rd 2014
Publisher : Quercus Books
Source : Netgalley

“Gripping, mystical and adventurous, young readers will be as hooked as Maddy was the minute she set foot inside that creepy as hell old castle,”Irish World said of The Feral Child. 
 
Maddy, an orphan, is sick of her Irish town, and sick of her cousin Danny, one of the nastiest people you could meet. Mad as hell one evening, she crawls inside the grounds of the castle, the one place she has always been forbidden to go. Once inside, she is chased by a strange feral boy, who she suspects is one of the faerie: cruel, fantastical people who live among humans and exchange local children for their own. 

When the boy returns to steal her neighbor Stephen into his world, Maddy and her cousins set off on a terrifying journey into a magical wilderness, determined to bring him back home. To do so, they must face an evil as old as the earth itself.

Che Golden has created a gripping adventure that interweaves Maddy’s modern Irish experience with the vivid fantasy of the region’s ancient folklore. Readers will enjoy the frank and bold heroine of Maddy, and will be dazzled by The Feral Child’s evocative rendering of Irish folklore and richly imagined alternate worlds.

My Thoughts : 

Maddy is an orphan and her grandparents are looking after her. She hates it in Blarney and is fed up with getting bullied by her cousin and ignored by her class mates. Her Granddad has always told her to never go into Blarney castles ground after dark. She has an argument with them one evening and decides to go into the grounds anyway. There she meets a weird boy who tries to get her to go with him. She is freaked and runs away from him.

Later that night she hears a scratching at her window. When she looks she sees the strange boy taking her next door neighbours young son Stephen. She runs and tells her Grandparents that a weird looking savage boy took Stephen but no one will believe her. The next day Stephen is found on the grounds of the castle and everyone is relieved. Maddy goes to visit him only to see that its not Stephen but a feral changeling. Maddy knows she has to venture into the world of Faerie to bring him home. 

Maddy ends up going into the mound with Roisin and Danny. Not the people she would have chosen but circumstances worked against them. Now all three are in a strange and deadly world and have to rescue Stephen.  

Well this was a complete surprise. The cover drew me in but when I read the blurb I knew I had to read it! I'm Irish so love anything to do with Irish folklore and Faeries. I also loved that it was set in Blarney. Its not too far from me so I've been there before and its beautiful. 

Maddy was an awesome heroine. She lost both her parents in an accident and had to leave London to live in Blarney. It was a big upheaval and she still finds it hard. Her cousin Danny is always bullying her and she has no friends. She is angry a lot and at times hard to like but she is also brave, selfless, strong and kind. The minute Stephen gets kidnapped she knows what she has to do no matter the cost.  

What follows is an adventure that the unlikely heroes have to survive. They are thrown into a world where the trees have faces, the horses can eat you and the wolves talk. Its unlike anything they have ever seen but because they know the old folklore tales they realise that if they follow the rules they may just survive. 

The Feral Child is brimming in action and adventure. Its non stop from the first page and I flew through the book. Its a dark and dangerous world they enter but also really beautiful. I loved the lore and the fact that the Faeries weren't the glittery kind ;) Che Golden has captured the beauty of Ireland along with the fascinating tales we have here.  From its vivid descriptions and creepy atmosphere, the Feral Child is a must read. Its a gripping Faerie Tale and I'm really looking forward to the next installment of this trilogy.