Bravelands
The cover of Broken Pride, the first book in the series | |
Broken Pride Code of Honor | |
Author | Erin Hunter |
---|---|
Cover artist | Owen Richardson |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Teen literature, fantasy |
Publisher | HarperCollins |
Published | 2017-present |
Media type | Print, e-book |
Bravelands is a children's novel series written by a team of authors under the pseudonym Erin Hunter, who also wrote the Warriors series. follows the adventures of three animals: Fearless, a lion who was cast out of his pride and starts living among baboons, Thorn, a baboon who tries to rebel against his destiny, and Sky, an elephant whose mother was killed by a lion, gifted with a special ability to read bones. The story is set in the Bravelands, ruled by the Great Mother. The first book in the series Broken Pride was released on 6 June 2017 with a sequel titled Code of Honor expected to release on 6 February 2018. Broken Pride shows the trio becoming close friends with each other in their attempt to answer the call of the wild. The series has been well received, with critics praising the realistic behavior of the characters, the excitement in the novels, and the description of the Bravelands, while criticizing it for its similarities to The Lion King.
Books
Broken Pride
Broken Pride is the first book in the series and was released on 6 June 2017. It begins with the vulture Windrider hearing a roar from Swiftcub, which makes the sky shudder. Swiftcub earns his new name of Fearless, his father, Gallant, is challenged and killed by Titan and two of his lion goons, who take over his pride. Fearless is carried away by an eagle who drops him into a baboon troop called Bright Forest Troop. They are convinced by their Starleaf that he is the Cub of the Stars. A year later, two of the young baboons, Mud and Thorn, are trying to move up from Deeproots, the lowest position in the troop to Highleaf, the highest. Thorn is motivated by the fact that Berry, whom he loves, is a Highleaf, so he will not be able to marry her unless he reaches her position. Nut, his nemesis, tries unsuccessfully to stop him, but ends up stopping Mud. The Great Mother is a part of the elephant tribe Strider and channels the Great Spirit, that rules all the animals of the Bravelands except for the lions. One of the elephants, Sky, thinks that the water hole is dangerous, after she read her mothers bones and gets a vision of a baboon riding a lion, while the water hole is stained red with blood. Bark Crownleaf is murdered and evidence points that he died battling with a hyena. The new Crownleaf Grub throws Fearless out of the troop. Thorn accompanies him till the water hole, where Sky sees them and starts panicking. Fearless finds Loyal, who was a friend of his father, but he ignores the older lion's advice and ventures close to his old pride, now Titan's. Titan, distracted by Fearless' presence, ignores the cheetahs who run off with his son, Ruthless. After being persuaded by Artful, his mate, Titan makes a pact with Fearless if he can retrieve Titan's son, his mother can continue to stay in the safety of the pride. Fearless, with the help of Thorn and Loyal, manages to retrieve Ruthless. At the baboon camp, Grub is poisoned, with the evidence pointing against Nut. Stinger is chosen as the new Crownleaf. Thorn realises that Stinger himself poisoned Grub with the venom from the scorpions' tail, he was also one who killed Bark. The Great Mother is murdered and found dead in the water hole. Around her corpse, the water is stained red with blood and Sky realizes with horror that her vision has come true.
Code of Honor
Code of Honor is expected to release on 6 February 2018.
Critical reception
The first book in the Bravelands series Broken Pride appeared on the New York Times bestseller list.[1] Common Sense Media gave it a rating of 4 out of 5, writing "Some of the situations and descriptions - murdered parents, adults trying to kill youngsters, predators stalking and devouring prey - may be too much for sensitive kids," while praising the book for its family values.[2] School Library Journal criticizes the series for its similarities to the Lion King but writes, "Fans of Hunter's previous series will not be disappointed, and they will be anxious for the next installment in this new series."[3][4] Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review and writes,"Deep characters, a complex plot, rich mythology, and a stunning setting all come together to prove once again that the Hunter collective are master storytellers. Fans of Warriors will thrill at the opportunity to travel from the forest to the savanna in this brand new series."[5][4]
References
- ↑ "Warrior Cats Official Facebook Page". Archived from the original on 11 July 2017 – via Facebook.
- ↑ "Broken Pride: Bravelands, Book 1". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
- ↑ "Middle Grade: The Latest from Erin Hunter, Rachel Renée Russell, & More". School Library Journal. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
- 1 2 "Broken Pride". BiblioCommons. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
- ↑ "BROKEN PRIDE". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 10 July 2017.