#MMGM: Deadlands: Hunted by Skye Melki-Wegner (Available April 4, 2023)
REVIEW
Young readers who enjoy Erin Hunter's Warriors series are bound to be fans of this new series focused on dinosaurs. Based on the premise that the dinosaurs evolved intelligence and language after being exposed to the remnants of a fallen star. While many dinosaurs died after the star hit and devastated the landscape, some survived and changed. But a war over territory rages between the plains dinosaurs (triceratops, ankylosaurs) and the mountain dinosaurs (oryctodromeus, iguanodons, and stegoceras). Eleri, a young oryctodromeus, stumbles into a conspiracy just before being exiled for inadvertently saving an enemy soldier. Struggling to survive in the Deadlands, the area devastated by the fallen star, Eleri joins forces with other young exiles; Tortha, the triceratops he saved, Sorielle, a young anyklosaur, and Lerithon, a sauropod. The exiles work together to come up with a plan to stop the conspiracy before both kingdoms can be destroyed, but it's going to take every ounce of ingenuity and strength they can muster to accomplish it. On top of that, they must survive the predators and hazards of the Deadlands as well as a spy. This opening book in a new middle grade trilogy presents readers with a great deal of action and adventure. Frankly, I'm surprised such a story hasn't been done before, because it's a brilliant idea. Dinosaurs are perennially popular with young readers. The story moves along briskly with lots of action and plenty of interesting twists and turns. Each of the main five characters stands distinct in terms of physical and personal character traits. The variety among the characters makes their alliance all the more intriguing. A series that I definitely plan to follow through to the end as I am fully invested in the characters now. A fun series opener that young animal loving readers are bound to pick up eagerly.
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