A rip roaring start to an exciting and exhilarating new fiction series by Jess French.

We are huge fans of Jess French's non-fiction texts and were really looking forward to reading Beastlands: Race to Frostfall Mountain in the hope that her knowledge of the animal kingdom, paired with the skill she possesses for engaging readers and immersing them in her chosen subject would result in an epic start to a new fiction series. She has not let us down. Set on the island of Ramoa, where humans have stripped the lands of nature and beasts alike and now taken to the cities, and where anything beyond the city walls is classed as the Beastlands and is synonymous with danger. Three main realms exist and each is suspicious of the other, but when a deadly disease known as The Scourge is released into the world, there is a race to find a cure to save the cities. All creatures have either been destroyed or domesticated and when hot headed Kayla, a trainee sky rider, has her rare, winged companion, a Pangron called Faro, stolen from her, she goes in search of her beloved beast. On her quest, she meets Alethea, a healer from another enclave, searching for a way to save her grandmother from the Scourge and Rustus, for whom the weight of family expectation has proven to be crushing. Each has something to find or something to prove and during their mission, they discover a sinister plot to create inter-species creatures, known as chimera, for use to achieve power and evil gains. This beautifully written novel is fast paced, exhilarating and combines an exciting mystery with epic adventure. Jess's conservation work shines through in a subtle and non preachy manner. The overarching message to look after nature and avoid the catastrophic effects of stripping the environment and forced breeding is fed through the book yet is almost subliminal in its warning. There is enough escapism for children who have recently lived through the coronavirus outbreak to still see it as a fantasy novel but the message is likely to hit home. We loved it. As fans of Dragon's Daughter, Into the Wild, Greenwild and Fantastic Beasts, we feel as though Jess has taken all of the best parts and created an all powerful chimera of her own. Our only complaint is that we have to wait until 2025 for the next instalment.