Urchin of the Riding Stars | M. I. Mcallister

Hello and welcome back! Today I will be reviewing Urchin of the Riding Stars, the first book in the Mistmantle Chronicles.

I got this one off the free cart at the public library. It looked cute and easy, so it was taken home, shelved, and promptly forgotten. A few months later I blew off the dust to finally give it a try. It took me a few days to complete despite its average size, but here we are! So, everyone, welcome the first middle-grade book on the blog.

{This review is completely spoiler-free}

For the animals living on Mistmantle island, the night of the riding stars is a highly anticipated holiday. Mammals of many shapes and sizes gather to watch the streaking, glittering sky and hold their breaths- waiting for the important event that mysteriously always follows the display. It is on one such night that a baby squirrel, pale and brand new, seemingly drops from the heavens. The mysterious little orphan is named Urchin by his rescuers.

Little do the animals of Mistmantle know, Urchin came for a reason.

When murder, evil, and treason begin to pollute the royal palace, the once peaceful island shifts. Someone among them is plotting to overthrow the king and while speculation roils, Urchin finds himself tangled in a multi-layered web. Will he stand up against the evil that begins to poison his beloved home, or will Urchin, and the rest of the Mistmantle animals, be overcome?

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I enjoyed my time reading Urchin of the Riding Stars fairly well; the characters were funny and excellent models of bravery and strength {the good ones, that is}. The interesting thing is, I liked all the characters except Urchin- the main character. He seemed shallow, and even though most of the story was told from his perspective, I felt I knew him less then I did the others! I would have liked to see the little squirrel with a little more personality.

The animals of Mistmantle depend on the Heart as their sustainer and provider. The Heart is representative of the Christian God- the characters appeal to Him to guide them and grant them strength. The Faith elements were pleasant to see popping up in the story- they weren't preachy or cringy, but instead, subtle and thought-provoking.

Although that aspect was well done, the writing was a little hard to follow at times. I can't necessarily say why this was the case, but I would argue that there were portions of the book that would do well to be worded differently, or restructured for clarity and emotional weight.

{Additionally, can I just give a huge shout out to the illustrator?? The illustrations over the chapter headings were so adorable- deliciously similar to those in The Chronicles of Narnia and Beatrix Potter.}

The plot of Urchin of the Riding Stars had strong resemblance to Shakespeare's Macbeth, which I, conveniently, just finished reading. The problem with that plot, however, is that it is rather heavy and dark. Some of the elements in Urchin of the Riding Stars did take me aback slightly.

Now for those of you who have heard this rant before, you will know I am extremely adverse to coddling middle-aged readers. I believe that middle-grade fiction needs to have some theme of evil, or darkness, or heaviness- in order that it may be overcome by goodness, bravery, and light. Because, after all, how is a child supposed to withstand attacks from The Dragon when they didn't know dragons existed in the first place? To see fictional characters fight evil with strength and faith is so important for little minds- which are slowly stepping out from a place of innocence, and growing into what they will become.

However, even with this in mind, there were some moments in which I was surprised at the amount of dark/heavier themes the author inserted. This is not to say the book was overly dark, or promoted any evil. Truth and light do prevail, and it passes just fine for older tweens and teens. However, for ages younger than ten I would argue these elements should have been scaled back. I will provide the content warnings below, but here I will say the book dealt quite strongly with death, murder, and poisonous drugs.

Heavier elements aside, the plot was executed well. I loved the strong themes of good vs evil, endurance, courage, and trust. Additionally, I was not disappointed in the ending- the story wrapped up quite well! Sometimes books are hurried to a close, but the suspense and finale were very well done in Urchin of the Riding Stars.

Well, I would go further but to do that would be getting into spoilers, so I'll leave you with that! Now- the question:

Does Urchin of the Riding Stars make it into my Most Excellent Library?

No. My personal rating is 3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oh my goodness, this is the first 'reject' of the blog, but this book does not live up to all I look for. It was sweet and pleasant- but... Meh. Good, but certainly not excellent.

I was reading some reviews written by others, and it seems as though this book and the Chronicles of Mistmantle have a pretty large fanbase- So if you have read this, I would love to hear your thoughts and whether Urchin of the Riding Stars is in your Most Excellent library!

Thank you for reading, and see you next time- Anne Of Green Gables fans won't want to miss it!

Content Warnings {mild spoilers}

Dark/evil magic:

3/5 intensity level. No spells or incantations

Violence: Lot's here for a middle-grade book

~Any babies who have any physical or mental defect are murdered "culled" by the villain. The actual process is not shown- but there is brief reference to the 'blood', and that it is done by the villain's claw.

~A toddler animal is found with a stab wound in the chest. This was particularly hard for me to read, as I have an infant brother, and have grown quite sensitive to things of that nature happening to babes. The blood is described, and how he must have been lured out. His body was discovered outside his parent's bedroom.

~A character is slowly poisoned

~A final battle occurs- not graphic, but swords and weapons are used.

~Murder is plotted and ordered

~A character is murdered- this one is particularly emotional and upsetting

~A character falls down a pit to their demise

Romance and sensuality:

~Adult characters fall in love, become engaged, marry etc. three couples in all.

Drinking, drugs, and smoking:

~A character is drugged with poison, given a sleeping draft, and constantly fed wine- so he is not in his right mind

Other:

~A female character is told multiple times she should ask a male character to marry her