For this weeks review I want to celebrate the joy of World Book Day celebrated in over 100 countries, which for us in the UK at least means a wonderful assortment of one pound books, available to purchase with a free book token provided through schools. These short reads come in the forms of picture books for younger readers, guides, like this years Lego book and novellas for older readers, and often go unsung by book reviewers because of their short shelf life.
World Book Day helps to inspire a passion for reading that would be impossible without the dedicated work of the authors who take part, and whose World Book Day stories are surprisingly fantastic, but often get missed from their praise list.
This year the book that caught my eye was Kiran Millwood Hargrave's The Wolf Trials and I am delighted I didn't miss the opportunity to tuck into this novella.
From the blurb;
'Eira's always wanted to compete in the Wolf Trails. The winners become part of the Ryders, an elite group of warriors who ride gigantic sea wolves.
'There's only one problem: Eira can't take part, because her mother is the fearsome wolf queen.
'She won't let that stop her, though. Eira decides to disguise herself and compete... but will she succeed? Will she be recognised? And if she isn't, will she survive the Wolf Trials?'
Sitting as the third book in Hargrave's Geomancer series The Wolf Trials also stands strong as a taster for the series for those who have not yet come across In The Shadow Of The Wolf Queen, and will certainly wet the appetite of new readers for the series overall.
Featuring a prequel story to the main books, The Wolf Trials is a fast paced novella, running through the course of two weeks in our characters lives and painting the picture of a much broader fantasy world that will leave readers curious to know more.
Delighting with scenes of action and an enjoyable cast of characters, The Wolf Trails is an easy read that can be enjoyed in the span of a few hours and feels worth far more than it's one pound World Book Day price tag.
Hargrave could have easily thrown out a nothing-story for her World Book Day contribution but delights with this intriguing glimpse into her fantasy landscape, a shock plot twist, and gloriously sweet bread-crumb hints towards the greater story, that is sure to encourage budding readers to pick up her novels and find a passion for fantasy.
Fans of Hargrave should rush to get the novella now while the World Book Day events lasts or risk missing out on a wonderful instalment to her ongoing series.
We give The Wolf Trials Four Stars
ISBN - 978-1-510-11342-8 Cover Price - £1.00
First published in Great Britain in 2025 by Hodder & Stoughton