Customer Reviews

The Rose and the Redwood

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Chris Hagler's debut novel features a foster family inside a fanciful forest full of fantastic fauna. Think "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" if the parents of the Pevensie siblings joined in the adventure. "The Rose and the Redwood" is a solid first outing for Hagler. Set in Oregon in 1986, the book begins with two teenage foster children arriving at a new home. Shuffled from family to family after their parents died, the two teens, Derek and Jenny, approach their fresh start differently. The optimistic Derek is ready to accept his new family, but Jenny is an insolent brat unwilling to love or be loved. The grown-ups, Scott and Kate, are a caring couple genuinely thrilled by the opportunity to be parents.
A mysterious fox piques the family's curiosity and ultimately leads the foursome to a mystical, alternative forest universe via the sundoor of a tree. There they find adventure beyond their dreams. The family befriends talking animals who can assume human form, learn about a forbidden prophecy that may or may not involve them and battle a destructive race of evil beings called the Plunder. Hagler has a knack for creating distinct characters you care about. Being privy to the characters' thoughts, you can follow their internal struggles as they interact with each other. The animals play a major role in the plot, particularly two foxes, Krath and Lucia, and a bear named Ursus.
What I liked is the ability to transform into animals and humans is not just a cosmetic contrivance but is actually germane to the plot, particularly in a climactic battle scene and during a rescue attempt.