Bravelands – The Spirit-Eaters

Erin Hunter's The Spirit-Eaters is a Bravelands adventure for 10 year olds about a savannah that finally has a leader again, just as something terrible arrives.

What happens

In Bravelands, every animal lives by the Code, and a Great Parent keeps the peace. For a long time there hasn't been one. Now the Great Spirit picks Thorn, a young baboon. Not an elephant or a lion. A baboon! Even Thorn has no idea where to start.

Sky, the elephant who finds him, brings bad news straight away. A pack of golden wolves has come to Bravelands. They kill other animals and eat only the heart, because they believe it lets them steal the creature's spirit.

Meanwhile Fearless, a young lion, is searching for Titan, the lion who killed both of his fathers. He's sworn to kill him. And Titan's own young son, Ruthless, is travelling with him, which is awkward and rather sad.

The story takes turns between the animals, so you get to be an elephant, a baboon and a lion. Each one has worries of their own. Sky can't decide whether to stay with Thorn or go back to her herd. Thorn doesn't know if his mate Berry still loves him. Fearless hates that he missed his chance at Titan.

It picks up in the middle of the series and a lot has already happened. There are plenty of reminders, but it'll make most sense to a reader who's been along for the earlier books.

This one is dark for its shelf. The wolves' victims are found with their chests torn open and their hearts gone. Fearless walks through a whole pride of dead lions, and the book describes one lioness's bare ribs. There's talk of murder and revenge from the very first pages.

A child who gets upset about animals dying probably won't enjoy it. But if you've got a reader who already loves big animal sagas, with loyal friends and proper villains, they'll be gripped.

What to read next

If they'd like to go back a little, Shifting Shadows is an earlier Bravelands book, set while the animals are still waiting for a Great Parent.