Published in the UK as Ferals: The Crow Talker, out March 26th
Published by: HarperCollins, April 28th 2015
Genre: MG, Fantasy
Pages: 288
Format: Ebook
Source: HarperCollins, via Edelweiss
A sinister threat. A city in danger. A boy with the power to command the crows. Ferals is the first book in a dark, action-packed trilogy that’s partThe Graveyard Book, part Batman, and all high-octane adventure.
Blackstone was once a thriving metropolis. But that was before the Dark Summer—a wave of violence and crime that swept through the city eight years ago, orchestrated by the fearsome Spinning Man. Now the Spinning Man is on the move again, and a boy named Caw is about to be caught in his web.
Caw has never questioned his ability to communicate with crows. But as the threat of a new Dark Summer looms, Caw discovers the underground world of Blackstone’s ferals—those with the power to speak to and control animals. Caw is one of them. And to save his city, he must quickly master abilities he never knew he had . . . and prepare to defeat a darkness he never could have imagined.
I'm really sad this book had so many insects in it, because I think it would have been amazing. But I just kept cringing and flinching at every scene with a tonne of spiders and roaches and I almost backed out of the book and stopped reading. I'm glad I didn't though, because the book itself grew in strength in the last half.
I liked Caw, but I didn't have that much of an opinion in him. Mostly I liked his interaction with the crows, and how he refused to back down when his friend was in danger. Lydia, I didn't form an opinion either. Crumb, I didn't like for most of the book, same with Pip although that guy grew on me. The villains felt like carbon copies of a bunch of other villains, but maybe that's to be expected in a book compared to Batman. The setting was fine but it didn't really feel there. Not so much a problem as a personal gripe, though.
The magic is the best thing about this book. Ferals can communicate with and control animals, some cool like crows and foxes, some disgusting like cockroaches. I know this is a book for teenage boys and I know some teenage boys love insects, but it really drew the book down for me. Along with the slow start, this book wasn't as good as it could have been.
Great concept and awesome crows but too many insects for me personally.
Characters ★★★☆☆
Setting/world building ★★★☆☆
