Fierce Creatures

Away From Whipplethorn #2

by A.W. Hartoin

Another day. Another disaster.
After surviving a kidnapping and battling with spriggans, Matilda Whipplethorn finds her life in a suburban human house pretty boring. She’s been excluded from school because of her fire-making abilities and her former friends are afraid of her. Salvation comes in the form of a life-threatening illness. Her tutor, Miss Penrose, needs a medication and there’s only one place to get it, the spriggans. Matilda heads back to the antique mall to save Miss Penrose even though it just might cost her everything.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Young Adult Fantasy

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 21, 2013

About the author

USA Today bestselling author A.W. Hartoin grew up in rural Missouri, but her grandmother lived in the Central West End area of St. Louis. The CWE fascinated her with its enormous houses, every one unique. She was sure there was a story behind each ornate door. Going to Grandma’s house was a treat and an adventure. As the only grandchild around for many years, A.W. spent her visits exploring the many rooms with their many secrets. That’s how Mercy Watts and the fairies of Whipplethorn came to be.
As an adult, A.W. Hartoin decided she needed a whole lot more life experience if she was going to write good characters so she joined the Air Force. It was the best education she could’ve hoped for. She met her husband and traveled the world, living in Alaska, Italy, and Germany before settling in Colorado for nearly eleven years. Now A.W. has returned to Germany and lives in picturesque Waldenbuch with her family and two spoiled cats, who absolutely believe they should be allowed to escape and roam the village freely.

Reviews

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun

I love this series. Matilda is spunky and funny and very 'abled' to use her own words. (A bout of snail pox left her mostly deaf) She is also, very much a teenage girl.I am looking forward to the next book and I think my daughters will enjoy the series when they are a little older.

[lina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story

Been reading the series to a to a 5 year old but i think ot is more me.. 5 fairies out of 5

[R.A. White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This young adult/upper mid grade fairy story series continues to impress me. I picked up book 1 for free on a whim, and liked it so much that I ACTUALLY PAID for book 2. The heroine is hearing impaired, her first quest involves saving a brown-skinned fairy baby (who turns out to be quite special), and her sister is on the pudgy side--not the most diverse book ever, but there's enough that I decided to post it on my blog. There are so many fun and interesting creatures in the first book, and even more in this one (does green skinned count as diverse?). Great imagination and great story. Things move quickly and progress logically, and the characters are likeable (or unlikeable in the case of those who aren't supposed to be likable). I was craving a lighter story than I've been reading recently, and this was a perfect fix.
The only downside from my perspective was a few minor typos and a couple of passages where the writing felt a little choppy with lots of short sentences making up the paragraphs, but this hardly annoyed me enough to make me want to drop a star on the rating.
Language: Clean.
Sexual Content: A couple kisses.
Violence: Battles with bad fairy creatures involving magic, swords, claws, etc. Some people are injured/killed.
Over-all Message/Plot: There wasn't really a message, but the plot fit together and kept me interested. I recommend to anyone who likes young adult fantasy of a more light-hearted variety.
More of my thoughts on my blog, rawhitebooksandmore.weebly.com

[Carla Girtman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fierce Creatures written by A.W. Hartoin is a delightful book. Well-written and fast paced with well-developed, captivating characters, it is a book for all ages. The second book in the Away From Whipplethorn series, Matilda is a wood fairy who has a mind of her own and gets involved in a war (not of her doing, but it is all about her) in her quest to find the healing potion to save a beloved friend. Not one to stay put, she finds trouble (or more often when trouble finds to her) because she is determined to do what’s right. Can’t wait to read the third one!

[Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Whipplethorn Series and I loved it. I think it may actually be better than the first. We begin to see Matilda have some love interests and some furious battles. Can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

[Jai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, Matilda, you sure don't look before you fly and now you're being blamed for a war, being smothered by miniature lizards, meeting new and sometimes disturbing beings, and trying to do what's right regardless of others "orders". Read Fierce Creatures and find out how she does.

[Marko-Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do like this series. I intend to follow it.