DARLISON, Aleesah Ash Rover: Keeper of the Phoenix Walker, 2014 268pp $14.95 pbk ISBN 9781922179029 SCIS 1647853
Ash Rover lives in a tiny hamlet called Icamore. Most of its menfolk have been called away to war and the only males left are boys. Ash helps his mother keep their smallholding going while they wait for news from the front but time is slipping away and life without his father and brother is tough. One day while sleeping on the job of minding the cows, Ash is hit on the head by what he thinks is a falling rock – but it is hot and glowing and definitely strange. He takes it home where his mother throws it out the window.
The rock turns out to be a phoenix egg and when it hatches, it adopts Ash as its keeper. After a catastrophe strikes the village Ash and his two friends, Taine and his twin sister Rhyll, set out to rescue the phoenix’s mate and defeat the evil wizard Zadoc, whose power is driving the war. In the process, they also rescue the men from Icamore.
The plot is fairly traditional fantasy fare, with many varieties of mythical and magical creature introduced along the way. Character development is not strong but Ash and his friends do grow and mature during their adventures. Young readers who enjoy fantasy or would like to start may find this first in a new series a good place to begin.
reviewed by Lynne Babbage
