The Mistmantle Chronicles Book 1: Urchin of the Riding Stars by M. I. McAllister

Rating: My bookshelf

Reading Level: Late Elementary, Middle School

I loved it. The Green Ember (woodland creatures) meets Lord of the Rings (Think: King Rohan, treachery, noble loyalty).

Possible Concerns:

Drugs. A treacherous captain and his wife poison the king & queen under the guise of taking care of them.
Alcohol. The captian pushes alcohol to the king to obstruct his better judgement.
Culling. The practice of killing the weak babies or the elderly for the betterment of the greater society is pushed by the treacherous captain.
Death of a new mother. In the early chapters a pregnant mother dies immediately after giving birth to the main character.
Use of the term “freak.” The main character is called a freak by the villains.
Use of the term “cocky.” Describing a character who was surprisingly bold in a good way.
Evil influence. The villain regularly visits a dark tunnel to a pit-of-hell kind of cavern. The villain is inspired with evil prophecies, etc., and eventually becomes overrun by a spirit of evil. Later, a good priest goes to that place with candles to bless the place and cleanse it.

Things I liked:

Prayers to The Heart, who who represents God. Blessings such as “May the Heart protect you” and prayers to the Heart point to God.
Honor & Bravery. The main character and his mentors are full of honor and fight for the weak/oppressed.
Loyalty. When a character is falsely accused, his friends stand by him and believe in his innocence.

I’m looking to purchase it right now; this belongs on my bookshelf.