Wild Born

Spirit Animals #1

by Brandon Mull

Are you wild born?

In the world of Erdas, four children are about to discover if they have a spirit animal, a rare bond between human and beast that gives great powers to both. Separated by vast distances, Conor, Abeke, Meilin and Rollen each see a flash of light... and then the animals emerge.

Wolf, leopard, panda, falcon. Each of the children has summoned a beast from legend. Now their fate is set The four new heroes and their animals must band together in a dangerous quest. a dark force from the past is rising, and only they have the power to stop it.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Adventure, Animals, Fiction, Audiobook, Childrens

202 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

BRANDON MULL is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Fablehaven, Dragonwatch, Beyonders, and Five Kingdoms series. A kinetic thinker, Brandon enjoys bouncy balls, squeezable stress toys, and popping bubble wrap. He lives in Utah in a happy little valley near the mouth of a canyon with his wife, Erlyn, their eleven children, and three mischievous cats. Brandon loves meeting his readers and hearing about their experiences with his books.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kiddo's choice for bedtime story. And that's why I'm reading it, ok?!
(*putting off the light cause the kids are asleep and settling back down with the kindle cause she needs to see who gets that fourth spirit animal*)
I just love Brandon Mull's stories...

[Hosein · Rating 4 out of 5]

ریویوی قبلی رو پاک کردم، بعد از ده سال بهتره یکسری چیز جدید بگم.

نمی‌دونم اثرات نوستالژی بود یا یه چیز دیگه، اما واقعا ازش لذت بردم! یعنی بار قبلی که خوندم، حس میکردم کاراکترها زیادی اغراق آمیزن. اما این دفعه به نظرم اصلا اغراقی توشون نیست، اگه یک بچه که بی‌خانمان و دزده، یک دفعه مهم‌ترین آدم دنیا بشه دقیقا همین ری اکشن رو داره! یعنی کل کتاب با وجود اینکه برای بچه‌ها نوشته شده، یک نوع رئال بودن رو داخلش داشت که سال‌ها پیش من اصلا متوجهش نبودم.

در کل کاملا ارزش خوندن داره، حدس میزنم خیلی سریع برم سراغ بقیه‌ی مجموعه‌ش.

[Tina➹ lives in Fandoms · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 Stars

(D as in Dull)

page 0-70: interesting
page 190-210: good
in between: boring.

40% like

pre-read/buy!
I didn't realized till now,
is this actually the book I'm looking for too!?
the plot says so. (it sounds like Digimon, omg nostalgia!)
please be! please be!

well, it wasn't even close.

[Julianna Helms · Rating 3 out of 5]

**3.5 STARS**

Original can be found on my blog here. (Note: Due to copy-and-paste, formatting and most links have been lost.)

Talk about creative! My brother and I've both been big fans of Scholastic's multi-author series, and this one, Spirit Animals, is no exceptions. Let's have my ten-year-old brother take it away first:

Roark:
This book was just so... COOL. The main characters got the Fallen Four spirit animals, which is so cool. They each had better spirit animals than other people, which is really interesting because they must be awesome to have such cool spirit animals. I also really liked the plot because it tells you a lot about the spirit animals world, which is very fascinating**. It is also good because it switches from person to person so I can get more information from different places.

I think the characters are awesome**. Conor learned how to use his spirit animal faster than everyone else, which was cool. Abeke was the first to learn how to turn the spirit animal into a tattoo. They're all smart, maybe not like Meilin but, while Meilin is the best fighter which is cool because she's a girl [my sister is really good at Kung Fu but my friends don't believe me because she's a girl]***, everyone else can fight well in their own awesome way. Rollan, lastly, is my favorite because he is so funny.

Overall, I give this a 5 out of 5.

Me:
Since I'm just a tad above the targeted age range and the complete opposite of my brother, I can't sing praises for Wild Born without a few (or, I suppose, one really big) reservation(s).

First off, though: Brandon Mull is excellent at world-building. I found it fascinating how he managed to twist four cultures into a cocktail of a world that, though anachronistic, surprisingly retained many of the elements of each culture when it would've been much easier to neglect their foundations. I enjoyed running on a South America-like street with Rollan, being pampered (ephemerally) in an Asian palace with Meilin (Since I'm Asian, the discrepancies in the Asian worldbuilding stood out to me more than the other ones did; still, it is a commendable effort on Mull's part to make it as reminiscent of Asia as possible without compromising the story's overarching world), shake with terror in a Medieval England-esque surrounding alongside Conor, and hunt through wild forests with Abeke that brings images of Native American tribes to the mind.

Yet where he excels, I also reluctantly found fault. Mull's writing is... dull. Quite dull.

It feels plain, especially in the first few chapters, full of telling and detached emotion. It is only after about 50 pages in that I really began to see the characters for who they were. Even then, oftentimes I found myself not exactly enthused--though certainly not unwilling--to dive back into the Spirit Animals world because something about the writing just didn't necessarily captivate me. It missed a spark; a touch of something magical, to fit in rightly with its exquisite world.

Still, I didn't care much about the writing's obtuseness after a while because the action and any scene, really, was just so entertaining. The characters were written exceptionally well in regards to their authenticity. I saw a lot of myself in Meilin, and laughed far too loudly at Rollan, and I could appreciate the humbleness of Conor just as well as I admired Abeke for her bravery. Each character could hold their own, and because of that and the excellent world-building, even with the writing being flat, the plot never ran too slowly.

The verdict? If you stick with the book through its rough beginning, you'll likely find yourself flipping the pages quickly--and if not quickly, then at least satisfactorily. After all, it's not every day you get a middle grade that mashes all the charming bits of the age group together in quite the inventive and ambitious tale. Besides, the spirit animals are, as my brother would say it... SO COOL.

*I received an ARC copy provided by the publisher in an exchange for an honest review. No monetary or otherwise beneficial supplement was exchanged.
**He didn't actually say that. He said cool. I had to change his vocabulary up, I'm sorry. T.T
***He didn't include this in the actual review that he handed me, but he had mentioned it to me before and I thought it was a very valid point. ^.^

Oh! Before y'all ditch this post--Scholastic is doing this cool (GAH! Now I'm turning into my brother!) thing where you can actually play an online game set in the Spirit Animals world hand have your own Spirit Animal. I think it's very innovative, and you should totally check it out here.

[Lazybee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a fan of brandon mull. His writing is simple and enjoyable. It was same here. This is a childrens fantasy novel. Nothing more nothing less.

[Sean Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

My rating might be slightly biased. :-)

[tappkalina]

dnf at 61%

It's so sad I'm starting 2021 with a dnf. I mean, I could have dnf it yesterday, so I'll just count it to last year.

I thought it will be a new favorite, because it's middle grade and has spirit animals, like come on, that's the coolest thing ever! But something didn't work for me. Maybe the too simplicistic writing, or the too many povs.

[- The Polybrary - · Rating 4 out of 5]

~*Follow all my reviews over on The Bent Bookworm!*~

Wild Born is the first in the Spirit Animals middle-grade series (complete with the online game), written by a line-up of amazing writers who have already made their stamp in the world of either MG or YA. I just happened to walk by the series on the shelf at my local library and stopped, attracted by the pretty spines (yes, I'm shallow sometimes). Then I realized that Brandon Mull (Fablehaven series), Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Cycle), and a string of other amazing writers had contributed books...and I was TOTALLY invested before even knowing what they were about!

The story is set in the fantasy world of Erdas - which is clearly based on our world with similar geographical and cultural divides, and in a time where sword fighting and martial arts are common place, and the calvary is supreme on the battlefield. Four kids undergo the coming-of-age ritual of their people, and call forth a spirit animal! That's exciting enough in itself, but these are not just normal spirit animals, but beasts out of legend and almost out of time.

There is a lot of world set-up in this one, but it's presented as the story goes along and I found it fascinating. Also there weren't many scenes where some kind of action wasn't happening as the characters progressed from one bump in the road to the next. I loved it! Especially near the beginning, there was a little more tell vs. show than I like, but it smoothed itself out for the most part.

I love how different all the kids are, and how their bonds with their animals proceed on individual paths. My favorite has to be the nonconformist, Rollan, who wants to do good in the world but refuses to completely believe in the mainstream. Also his spirit animal is a falcon, what's not to love?

The plot is obviously only getting started, but I felt the reunion between the four was somewhat rushed at the end of the book. It's going to be super interesting to see how all these different authors write in the same world and with some (if not all) of the same characters.

4/5 stars. Highly recommend, and these will be going on my shelf at home!

Blog | Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram |

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Via Book Reviews by Niki Hawkes at www.nikihawkes.com

I want to start off by saying I love this author. He perfectly encapsulates the wonders of fantasy while reminding us how much fun it was to be a kid. He manages to do both of these things without sacrificing the quality of his writing (which keeps adult readers engaged and gives a healthy challenge to the younger ones). I am a huge sucker for fantasy books involving animals – after all, it was the Animorphs series by K.A. Applegate and the Redwall series by Brian Jacques that initially sparked my love of reading. So the idea of having my favorite kids author (aside from JK Rowling) tackle an animal story was the best news ever.

I was anticipating a robust, full-length novel… what I got was something slightly different. Turns out, it’s the first installment of a multi-platform series, sort of like The 39 Clues and The Infinity Ring. Brandon Mull wrote this first book and outlined the next five books, but other authors will tell those tales. While cool in its own right, it’s not exactly what I had in mind.

Even though it was different than I’d hoped, it was still a dang good (albeit quick) read. I especially loved the diverse range of characters – there was someone for everyone to root for, giving it a sort of global appeal. All the characters had compelling individual stories but also played really well off of one another – they were my favorite components in the book, and I’m really looking forward to seeing where their journey take them next.

The magic system was also a strong point – I love the magic involved with getting a spirit animal and the benefits that came from having one. The concept was just plain fun. Because it’s a multi platform book, you can read it then go join the adventure online – earning a Spirit Animal for yourself as you help recover the hidden talismans. Sounds like fun, right? I’m probably going to sign in just to see what my animal would be…

Overall, Wild Born was a great adventure that started out with a bang and didn’t let up the entire way through.

Recommended Reading: for those looking for fantasy adventure, excitement, and a whole lot of animal awesomeness! And, of course, for fans of Brandon Mull.

[Sarah Stevens · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series has everything going for it in terms of marketing: famous children's/YA authors, slick site, fast release schedule, corresponding computer game. Although I wasn't thrilled with the 39 Clues series, this sounded like something my kids would like, so I requested them from our library.

But the series just doesn't have any pull - for me OR my kids. Aside from the fact that the whole series structure seems gimmicky (it never feels right when it is a publisher's idea instead of an author's), the story just didn't have any heart or spark.

It's strange, but I can't quite put my finger on where the story is lacking. The characters all have some cool nuances to them, and their different relationships with their spirit animals are done well. But I had to force myself to keep reading it to the end, and even my bookworm oldest child only finished the book because I wouldn't let her play the game otherwise. My second child didn't finish it at all, and books 2 & 3 in the series got returned to the library unread. So although the story seems decently written, it ended up being a total fail for our family.

[Addy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book!! I was excited to finally get to read it.

Violence: definitely some in this area. Minor details of someone getting killed, a good bit of fighting
Romance: none!
Language: clean

I’m glad that this book was clean! Would recommend to ages as young as 9. No language, romance, and just a small amount of violence.

I loved the whole idea with spirit animals. Each of the characters are unique and talented! There is a huge cliffhanger at the end... and I’m so sad I don’t own the next book in the series! Will have to look for it at the library.

Definitely recommend!!

[Niepytana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jestem w wielkim szoku, jak dobre to jest

[Mender · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shouldn't really give it a star rating, I suppose, since I couldn't make it past page 33. I didn't like his last book, and I'd never have picked this one up if two of my favourite authors weren't writing the next two books in the series.

So what happens in the first three chapters? A boy who shows no spark of predator summons a Wolf. A girl who can catch prey during the drought (her logic seems sound) is told off by her Dad for plot purposes, apparently, because in a real drought you don't have that sort of luxury, then summons something else. A Chinese girl summons a panda. War breaks out while she's doing it. It's too disjointedly written to read.

All the animals have vibrant blue and purple eyes and should have been sorted into Sparklypoo.

And the Chinese girl who has spent enough time at 11 years old to have perfected make-up techniques beyond those of her professional servants? Is Secretly Super Skilled at hand to hand fighting since she was five and nobody knows. "All in secret" she learned to use every weapon and "a scant six weeks past her eleventh birthday, she could outmanouver all but the greatest masters."

You know what learning to fight that well is? Ceaseless training. Not done in secret, because it is done and tested fucking constantly. Presenting it as a 'secret' is disrespectful to every child who bothers to put in a thousand hours of sweat and effort to get what they want.

And then I stopped. Flipping to the next chapter shows yet another goddamn pov switch with yet another - you guessed it! - kid going to adopt another magical sparklypoo animal. I'm betting all our pov characters are going to be on the same side which is the side of Good. And the bad guys are going to have no motivations whatsoever other than to be Bad.

I can see what they are going for. Well written, this could all be overlooked. But it isn't well written. Things are hollow, shallow, and boring. This could have been much more. But I'm not going to waste my time on this crap - I'll skip to the next story and hope a competent author can fill in whatever I miss.

[Naofumi Iwatani (from The Rising of The Shield Hero) ☯ (ヅ) ꧁꧂✨ ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ ✿◕ ‿ ◕✿ · Rating 2 out of 5]

when I had first read this, I couldn't read it fast enough, but now that I read it again, I can't help to ask myself, what the hell was I thinking??

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Wild Born (Spirit Animals #1). It moves at a quick pace, getting to the meat of the story within a few pages with a surprising depth considering the shortness of the book. The four main characters are fun to get to know, each one with their strengths and weaknesses.

Conor, who comes from a sheep-herding family is shocked when he bonds with a wolf. He is even further stunned when he discovers that it isn't just a wolf, but Briggan, a Great Beast, who'd fallen in battle long before. But when he finds out that he is needed to help defend his country his lack of confidence doesn't stop him from doing the right thing.

Akebe, who bonds instantly with Uzara, the leopard, finds herself far from home, training for what she doesn't know. Her hunting instincts allow her to quickly develop a close relationship with the leopard, which is good because she finds herself fighting for her life on a regular basis. But her loyalties are immediately put to the test when she comes face to face with the other three and their spirit animals, and discovers they are fighting for the side she thought was the enemy.

Meilin has trained as a fighter most of her life and is stunned when her city is invaded and she is forced to flee with Jhi, her giant panda spirit animal. But her fighting spirit seems to be at odds with the gentle creature she is bonded with and it causes her great frustration. More concerned with getting the animal to obey her commands, will she be able to let go of her demands long enough to establish a bond?

Rollan ends up in jail while trying to obtain medicine for another sick orphan. When Essix, the falcon, shows up, he suddenly finds himself of great interest to a variety of people, both good and bad. Suspicious of their motives, Rollan struggles to decide what he should do or if he should get involved at all. In addition, his falcon doesn't seem to be connecting to him at all.

A fun series for younger middle grade fantasy readers, Mull has once again crafted a fascinating world based on Earth. A series I can comfortably recommend to both general and reluctant readers.

[Hanieh Sadat Shobeiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

با اینکه خیلی باهاش حال کردم ولی سه ستاره میدم چون خیلی پتانسیل داشت و میتونست بهتر باشه. امید دارم که جلدهای بعدی از این پتانسیلش استفاده کنه.

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oooookay, I'll just give the second book a chance and if it is still not to my liking enough, then bye bye.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was too childish for me, and it's unfitting because I believe this book isn't for children lol
It's not geared towards adults either, I would say between 10-18 which is a pretty small window.

It's not for adults for obvious reasons lol but it's not for kids because the vocabulary is pretty thick! Assemblage, pageantry, mews, rove, morsel, rondavel etc. And at parts it gets pretty violent and gruesome. AND the book starts off with so many characters even just in the first chapter children would get overwhelmed and not want to read it.

The story was strictly okay, from the beginning I could see the whole thing laid out, granted this is not a book for adults. I loved how much the love of animals is present, even when a deer gets arrowed for meat: “I’m sorry for taking your life, friend. Our village needs your meat. I got in close and made a clean shot so you wouldn’t suffer. Please forgive me.”

I had my issues:
- Even though the main characters are from completely different cultures and even continents and have zero knowledge of each other they were easily brought together to train together...
- I feel it contradicting that Connor is Devin's man servant and only a sheepfarmer while Devin is this royalty status and yet Connor is amongst the 3 kids who get to go to the nectar ceremony???

- 4 chapters introducing a spirit animal character in each chapter - first is connor, sheepfarmer serving a royalty boy who are both up for the running, connor isn't very confident, summons a wolf which is amongst one of the great beasts which is unheard of - second is Abeke who kills and offers an antelope as a gift to the ceremony, the people are starving but she's late so everyone is more disappointed in her than happy - she gets a leopard which is again unheard of because it's a legendary guardian - weird that her dad was not impressed he wondered if it was for good or evil but the leopard just brought rain which is what the community really needed. And I'm too bored to even write the other two main characters lol

[Dottie · Rating 2 out of 5]

My two star rating should not reflect on Brandon Mull as an author, I really like his books and usually give them a four or five star rating. I'm rating the Spirit Animals series, it's going to be like 39 clues, with each book having a different author. This book was able to establish the characters, go on one adventure, and then it stops. I was really disappointed in this book, I bought it at my kids' school book fair because, one it was by Brandon Mull, I thought it was his new series and not some one time thing, and two my son asked for it, it was the hot item at the book fair. I think the only reason every kid wanted it was because they promoted it so much in a scholastic infomercial that they showed every kid during their library time and played the commercial over and over on the TV within the book fair. I bought it in the fall and my son hasn't even finished it yet, it won't hold his attention and I had to talk myself into finishing it. I got book two from the library but there as so many other books I want to read and so little time to read them in, I'm not going to waste my time reading Hunted and just return it to the library.

[Bert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like that in this Generic Fantasy World crocodiles appear to be the ultimate symbol of a truly evil dude.

Anyway this is ~okay~. It ticks a lot of boxes for the target audience to like (fantasy adventure, cool animals and different cultures are all popular with kids at our school) but the writing is pretty bland and there's not a lot of depth to the characters. There's a hint at one point that it might want to become nuanced and interesting, with neither the good faction nor the evil being entirely good or evil but the book just kind of forgets it ever brought that up by the end. It's hard to read this without thinking it's a concept an author like Tamora Pierce would have done something much more special with.

[Ashley W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wild Born - 4 Stars This is as really great adventure book. It's been on my Arc list for a while and I'm glad I finally gave it a chance. Each character has their own unique attributes. Rollan is shifty but funny and ready to jump into action. Conor is going to be the brave one who holds everyone's morals up and keeps them honest. Meilin is kind of a bitch to Jhi but I almost see that she's had a lot of pressure on her from her father on her to succeed. Abeke is still kind of a mystery, but she's tough. I really enjoy the story. It's dystopian, but still has an element of fantasy. It's great that the four main characters represent different ways of life and social standing.

[Brinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have so many good memories of this series. I still remember buying each book as it came out at my school's book fair every year, and how excited I'd be about it. I needed something light to reread, and this was everything I wanted!

I absolutely love how fast paced this is! As soon as the book starts, we're immediately introduced to our main conflict, and our characters. This has such an interesting concept, and I loved rereading it!

[Atlantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 10 yr old says that this is one of the best books he has ever read. And while I can't agree with him I do see the appeal. It still bothers me that these adventure books put such young children in such mature settings that include violence. I'm glad that I am reading along with my son so that we can talk about it together.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written book that will engage readers interested in adventure and fantasy. Would be a good option to teach students how to read fantasy differently (using maps, keeping track of many characters, etc.).
Great audiobook reader too.

[Arezu Wishka]

ترجمه نشر بهنام به قدری بد بود که بیخیال خوندنش شدم و منتظر انتشارات پرتقالم. در این حد که کانر رو کونور ترجمه کردن! اسم خاصی که انقدر رواج داره!

[Scarlet]

trip down memory lane

[Angigames · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stelle e mezzo
Carino, carino, carino! Questo libro, riservato ai lettori più giovani, ha saputo conquistarmi in poche pagine. La narrazione non è ne banale, ne troppo semplice, il target di lettura trae facilmente in inganno.
Mull da vita ad un primo capitolo veramente bello. La storia racconta le vicende di 4 ragazzini che, dopo la cerimonia del Nettare, scoprono di essere i compagni di 4 rispettivi spiriti animali e non animali qualunque, sono i Quattro Caduti, gli animali leggendari che hanno aiutato gli uomini a sconfiggere un potente nemico.
Ora sono ritornati, anche il nemico è rinato e ora, Conor, Rollan, Abeke e Mellin si ritrovano catapultati in un viaggio straordinario, ma irto di pericoli. Per prima cosa dovranno approfondire il loro legame con i rispettivi spiriti animali, un rapporto basato sulla fiducia, il rispetto e l’affetto… ci riusciranno?
Il libro si divora e trascina il lettore in una terra lontana fatta di tradizioni, magia e una nuova, terribile battaglia all’orizzonte. Certo, averi preferito che Mull avesse approfondito di più alcuni aspetti sia dei personaggi umani che di quelli animali, ma è il primo libro di una serie composta da sette volumi.
Sono straconvinta che ogni volume sarà migliore del precedente!
Le promesse per una serie stratosferica ci sono tutte!
Avevo proprio bisogno di un’avventura così! Devo procurarmi al più presto il secondo volume!
XD

[Nerdy Birdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good middle-aged book. Basically, the book was about four kids. At the age of eleven, as is customary in this magical world, each partakes of a nectar that determines whether or not the child will summon a spirit animal. The animals become connected to the child, and they can lend them strength when needed. The four main characters summon the Four Fallen, a wolf, falcon, panda, and leopard. These magical beasts have not been seen since the last great battle of the world. They signal
The beginning of a new era of danger.
I thought that the differences in each spirit animal help establish a very different POV for each kid. Also, i liked how each main character was from a distinct culture: one a lowly sheepherder, one a ragged, poor orphan, one an insanely rich and prestigious Chinese girl with incredible skilll, and one a wild, brave, African girl. I listened to the audiobook, which was very well done.
Overall a good book, look forward to reading the next ones in the series, especially since Shannon Hale and Marie Lu are writing one of the books in the series.

[Roksana Shevchuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Зізнаюсь, я не очікувала, що книга, яку я читала, аби краще розумітись з молодшим братом, зможе настільки захопити.
Приблизно після 40 сторінки зрозуміла: тепер я читаю для себе.

"Звіродухи" - легке динамічне фентезі, що може вразити читачів будь-якого віку. Ми знайомимось з 4 головними персонажами. Вони ще діти, та на них вже лежить тягар - порятунок світу. Типово для фентезі, на правду. Проте у цьому випадку дорослі таки розуміють абсурд ситуації - чому діти мають рятувати щось. Нарешті! Хоч десь!

До речі, ці 4 персонажі кардинально різні. Різні характери, мотивації та світогляд, через що безумовно цікаво споглядати за їхньою взаємодією.

Найбільше ж мені сподобалась відсутність чіткого поділу на добро і зло, що так звично для дитячої літератури. До самого кінця ми не знаємо, хто хороший, а хто - поганий. І це на краще.

Наприкінці скажу одне: добре, що в брата є всі наступні частини, тому що я хочу продовження! :)

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how this series has bypassed my attention for almost two years. It is one of the greatest portrayals of adventure books I've ever come across. The characters, the plot, the world building were all spectacular. I was drawn in by Nicola Barber's voice and loved every second of my experience. This series is supremely underrated. I know that I've only read the first book, but I truly believe the rest of the books in the Spirit Animals series are going to be amazing. I do worry though because each of the seven books is written by a different author, however I am convinced I will enjoy them all.

(Longer review to come)