Earth Called: Tales of a New World

Tales of a New World #4

by P.C. Cast

Mari, Nik, their newly formed Pack and the Wind Riders are in danger as Thaddeus and the God of Death march ever closer in their quest to destroy and conquer everything and anyone who stands in their path.

The Pack and the Wind Riders must find a way to stop the God of Death before all is lost.

There is one Ralina, Death’s Storyteller. The woman meant to be by his side, recording all his feats of greatness. Instead Ralina’s heeds the call of the Goddess of Life, the only one who can defeat Death and escapes to warn the Pack and the Wind Riders.

In this last installment of the Tales of a New World series, love and goodness are put to the ultimate test as gods, humans, and animals come together to save everything they hold dear.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Fiction, LGBT, Audiobook, Young Adult Fantasy

461 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2023

About the author

PC was born in the Midwest, and grew up being shuttled back-and-forth between Illinois and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with Quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). After high school, she joined the United States Air Force and began public speaking and writing. After her tour in the USAF, she taught high school for 15 years before retiring to write full time. PC is a #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today Best-Selling author and a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Prism, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers’ Best, and the Laurel Wreath. PC is an experienced teacher and talented speaker. Ms. Cast lives in Oregon near her fabulous daughter, her adorable pack of dogs, her eccentric Maine Coon, and a bunch of horses. House of Night Other World, book 4, FOUND, releases July 7th, 2020. More info to come soon about the HoN TV series!

Reviews

[Robert Greenstreet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first three titles in this series several years ago, and when I noticed that the pacing of releases had been elongated for the last book, I reached out to P.C. on Goodreads and she was kind enough to respond that she had been in an accident and had just finished recovering–but her publisher was not interested in picking up the final book in this series, and wanted her to focus on different work instead. She told me that she was determined to finish this story, even if she had to write it on her own time, and I’m (mostly) thankful she did! I’m also thankful that I was able to receive an advance copy of “Earth Called” with enough time to read it and share my thoughts ahead of the May 2023 release.

“Earth Called” picks up where “Wind Rider” ends, with Moon Woman Mari and her Pack having arrived across the Rockies to the plains of the Wind Riders, with Death’s army following, bent on conquering the plains and the entire world.

I’ll begin by saying that the series which “Earth Called” finishes out is not for everyone. Readers looking for anything resembling an anti-hero, moral grayness, purposeless suffering, hopeless battles, or selfishness being rewarded will be met instead with determined compassion, protection of the just, clear right and wrong, and some serious just desserts.

The primary theme of “Earth Called” as well as the entire “Tales of The New World” series is that love and life are more powerful than fear or death–and there is never a single moment of doubt.

One of the things I so appreciate about this book and this series is that the characters we know and love are guaranteed to survive. They struggle, they fear, they find themselves in danger, but things always work out, and I never wonder whether they’ll make it through--only how. Yes, I know that “plot armor” isn’t “realistic”, but I don’t read fiction looking for “realistic”. I want to escape into a world that is more enjoyable than this one. There was only one “good guy” death in this book, of a tertiary character whose sacrifice bought time for the main characters, but it was not anywhere near heart wrenching

It’s worth noting that there are very few surprises in this book. Most major happenings are spelled out in advance, with the only questions being in the details of how things play out.

The “Good Guys” are followers of the Goddess of Life, who in earlier books played a much smaller role in dictating events on the ground. In “Earth Called”, however, She makes multiple appearances, helping the protagonists to survive and flourish in ways they could not have accomplished on their own, directly influencing characters and events in a “Deus Ex Machina” way. But it’s believable because it has happened before, to a lesser extent.

There were a number of places in “Earth Called” where others would say that Cast is “telling” rather than “showing”. I like to think of it as “providing clarity”, instead. Characters speak their whole mind, making sure that exactly what they intended is communicated, leaving no room for misunderstandings or jumping to conclusions, which drives so much drama in many other stories. It does occasionally lead to some rehashing of things already covered, but the straightforwardness is terribly refreshing, and allows me to keep my focus on the actual conflict of the story rather than contrived interpersonal conflict.

For those who have not yet read the other titles in this series, the heavily pro-matriarchy narrative could be jarring. I can’t say that I personally feel as strongly about an absolutely female-led world as Cast apparently does, but the reasoning for it is explained very clearly, even if it does leave precious little room for dissent. And those who do dissent–albeit in a dangerous, obviously selfish manner which illustrates the evils of entitlement–suffer dire consequences

On the negative side, I repeatedly felt that the circumstances of this book’s production were very much to the story’s detriment. Writing this book without a contract asking for it, seems to have given it a cloud of “this needs to be finished” hanging over it, which led to feeling that the pacing was faster than it should have been. For example, the “siege” (if it can be called that) of the final conflict only lasts something like forty eight hours

The God of Death antagonist seems to be an object lesson in the evils of the desire for power and possession, not-so-subtly equated with similar desires in the male sex. There were opportunities for the protagonists to reflect on the nature of Death not being inherently *evil*, rather only acting upon his (necessary) nature to excess, which caused all of the suffering. However no such reflection happened. In fact, during Mari’s sacrifice at the end, it felt incongruous for her to use the word “beauty” in any relation to the character of Death, even about the release of the concept death, since he had been completely painted as the embodiment of every bad thing, up to that point.

Relationships spring into being very quickly, be they romantic, friendly, or of the bonded “Companion” pair variety. It does scratch an itch for characters to get along quickly, but at the same time it's rare for people to actually become that close, that quickly. One that stood out very strongly to me is Ralina, less than twenty four hours after meeting the horse named Bard, becomes bonded to him when his original Companion dies very predictably due to his own pride and poor decisions.

As far as I can remember, there are no same-sex pairings in earlier books, and the one that builds as quickly as every other relationship in “Earth Called” does feel like the “token” homosexual couple, which exists so the author could include the line that “the Pack had no archaic rules against same-sex love”. Very little about the story would have changed if the relationship had not come to be.

Wrapping up, I can recommend “Earth Called” and the rest of the series to readers who would enjoy a cast of authoritative but caring female protagonists; strong themes of justice, kindness, perseverance, and healing; a gentler kind of post-apocalypse far future; clear lines of right and wrong; and a satisfying–if predictable–end to a fairly epic journey.

[Avery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so excited to read this. I am rereading all the rest in order to prepare for it. This is one of my favorite book series of all time.

[Shera (Book Whispers)]

Wait!!! What? There's going to be more!!!!!!! YES!!!!

[Katrina ꨄ⚘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have waited years for this book, and was SO excited to read it, as Tales of a New World is one of my all time fav series and is very nostalgic for me. I’m aware that the circumstances surrounding this book were different than the previous ones, and I do appreciate that Cast took the time to conclude the series, but there are many aspects of this book that disappointing me. To be fair, my expectations were probably a bit too high, but let’s get into specifics:

✩ Pronoun/Name Errors ✩
This was possibly the most annoying thing about this book. During a few separate scenes, the pronouns of a character (a dog, actually) were constantly changed, without there being any mention of a reason, which makes me think it was just an error that slipped through editing.

However, that wasn’t all. There were also scenes where the names of two characters were clearly being mixed up, MULTIPLE TIMES. I was in no way scanning for errors, but this was a bit of a glaring thing and I don’t understand how it wasn’t caught. It was jarring (and confusing) to read.

✩ Character Personalities ✩
So, I’m not quite sure how to explain this one, but…the characters were so bland. Having read the other books in this series and formed attachments to the characters, it was so odd to read this book, where all of the main characters felt flat. If you had taken the names out of a scene of dialogue and asked me to pick who was talking, I would have genuinely no idea because…all of the characters act virtually the same. They say the same cheesy lines, they’re always encouraging and spreading the narrative that love will win. Don’t get me wrong, I love that idea, but it got so repetitive and made the characters seem flat and unrealistic. No one was really distinctive in any way.

✩ Writing Quality ✩
To be fair, it has been a few years since I re-read the other books, but this one seemed vastly different in terms of the writing. It didn’t flow as naturally, and at times the characters spoke oddly formally, as if they were reading from a speech. Even though I really enjoyed the overall story and plot, it was jarring to me.

✩ Conclusion ✩
I was not sure how to rate this because I did fly though it and I found the story intriguing - as I knew I would. However, as I stated right away, there were a lot of things that were disappointing, especially after waiting this long for the book. Overall, I did like it, I just wish I had been aware enough to lower my expectations before reading it. If you have read the other books and enjoyed them, I would say to definitely give this one a try (if only to get some closure to the story) but be aware of these things :)

Thanks for reading!!

[Chaos · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know why I continued but curiosity got the best of me. Pretty much this entire book was talking. Nothing happening, just talking, until the last 20 pages. It was hard to read, not just because of nothing happening, but the amount of povs that felt unnecessary. The only character that I was honestly interested in was Ralina. The book seemed to get away from the point of the series and main characters. I'm tired. Falling asleep

[Meg (fiction_gryphon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book hasn’t made me ugly cry like this in a LONG time. The last 100 pages or so absolutely destroyed me, but in the best kind of way. Couldn’t imagine a better conclusion to the Tales of a New World series!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish there weren't so many POVs from the side characters. I know that some of them were essential to the story--like Ralina--but I felt like this one really went away from the main characters, Mari and Nik.

[KB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Earth Called is the long-awaited conclusion to the Tales of a New World young adult fantasy series.

More perspectives are introduced in Earth Called. We see through Ralina's eyes for the first time as she travels with Death to the Wind Rider plains. It seems everyone has their part to play in the Goddess of Life's plans to reclaim Death. Along the way there are many hardships and many tears spilled (my own included). Sacrifices must be made in order to achieve peace and a bright future.

The way this series ended felt perfect for a celebration of Life. I'm sad to see the end as there are so many stories that could be told within this world with other groups, but I'm happy with this conclusion.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️’s

[Ryan Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely worth the wait. Love love loved this book and how it ended. Always want that little extra at the end but couldn’t have asked for a better end to a series I fell completely in love with. Definitely worth the wait these last few years. Would read this series again down the road.

[Barb Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was a wonderful ending to a series I've been reading since high school. I cried three times. I loved it so much.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been a big fan of PC Cast's work. The House of Night series has always been one of my favorites. This one is definitely joining my favorites. I love how it wrapped up the story so well, even though I really didn't want it to end (even though I devoured it in one sitting!) It was a satisfying conclusion though, wrapping up all of the threads of the previous three books very neatly.

I love how Cast's world has a strong connection to nature and animals, and the character arcs/development was expertly done. The plot was fast-paced, memorable, and it made me want to reread the entire series from start to finish to enjoy it all over again.

I received an advance copy of this book and voluntarily read and reviewed.

[Permanently_Booked · Rating 4 out of 5]

We've been waiting with hardly repressed patience for the final installment since the last novel published in 2018. Earth Called picks up where Wind Rider left off. No worries if you haven't read it yet, there are no spoilers. I adore what Cast did with this book. She took all of the elements, tribes,  animals and powers accumulating through the first three and brought it together in a glorious conclusion.

There are some parts that felt rushed, especially when the buildup was a well layered climb. The bond pairings and couplings felt a little more rapid fire in this book compared to the others too. However, this was such a feel good series that centers around life and love triumphing over death, prejudices and hate that I couldn't put the final book down.

I have always enjoyed the matriarchal or feminine led societys in these fiction fantasy worlds and Tales of a New World is just as evolved in that idea. Some of Cast's series can be a bit abrupt in this arena but I felt this world was more focused on female resilience, strength, power and bonding and flowed smoother. The terrains that are covered in this world are an ode to the excellent world building through the entire series and the magic system holds strong and effortlessly evolves.  Some of my favorite parts.

I alternated between the audiobook and the physical. I absolutely love that Macmillan Audio had Caitlin Davies finish out the audio series. She's carried us through each book and is a voice of character consistency. I also love her spiritual tone. I know, that sounds weird but if you know the elemental context of these books, you'd totally nod in approval too.

Thank you Wednesday books and MacMillan audio for the gifted copies in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Special shoutout to P.C. Cast for finishing out a wonderful book baby amidst other series in progress!

[Barbara McIntosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t tell you what a wonderful series of books this was! I read four books in less than two months. I couldn’t put them down great Reed for all.

[Ashya · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest…I was pretty disappointed with this finale book. I know it’s a YA book but this one felt very juvenile and plainly written. I really loved this series and had been waiting for this book for a while, but it did not live up to expectations. There were plot holes that weren’t resolved and the characters, who were well built up in the first few books, fell flat. And the battle that has been being built up throughout the whole series was very underwhelming. The book was also very predictable. There were also an extreme amount of typos and errors within the book. Characters or pronouns would be swapped which made it confusing to follow along at times.

I do love the message of the book and the fantasy world that was created. I love the connection between people, animals, and nature. I just wish this book upheld the love I have for the first books.

[Linds · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is basically one big summary until the last 20 pages. All the characters did was talk. So. Much. Talking.

Where is Nik? Davis & Cammy? They are hardly mentioned.

I read the first three twice, the last time being in 2021. Perhaps it has been too long since I’ve read the other ones, but this one fell short for me and is a disappointing conclusion to the series.

[Maya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first three books a while ago, before this one was even released, and I originally really liked the story. But re-reading this (although I will admit I skipped over most of Dead-Eye, Death and Thaddeus’ POVs) I noticed a lot of things that annoyed me. What first drew me in with Moon Chosen was the characters, the world and the magic, I liked the premise of breaking the misconceptions between the Tribe and Clan. Those things I liked were lost as the series went on and became about returning Death to the Earth Mother. The themes of friendship and overcoming differences were still there, just not as prevalent and in a more tropey way.
Especially in this book and Wind Rider I noticed that most of characters slowly lost their individuality. They became more alike and one-dimensional, the men especially just became stereotypes. Like wasn’t one of Nik’s traits in Moon Chosen that he was observant? And here he missed a lot of things - like that Davis liked Claudia (a thing he saw in Moon Chosen already) or at the end of this book he didn’t notice that Mari was lying about her illness. The last one was after he spent like three months constantly by her side. All the men became stupider as the series went on, which pissed me off. The matriarchy and woman power themes are fine, but don’t make the men stupid and shortsighted just to make the women seem wiser and more rational. The characters just lacked the depth and personality they had in the first two books.
I know LGBTQ+ representation is important in books, but Dove and River felt like they were a couple solely for that reason. Like River was already set up to be on the ace spectrum - she had never felt attraction to anyone and had no interest in romantic relationships - but she fell in love with Dove right away and had insta-lust for her? There was no confusion or anything about her new feelings, nothing. Besides, the only other two same-sex couples mentioned in the series had their partners killed off. Wilkes partner, Ethan, was killed off-screen in Sun Warrior (a completely unnecessary death imo) and Sheena’s partner, Crystal, was shot in the scuffle with the Skin-Stealers that injured Nik in Moon Chosen. If you wanted representation, why not keep one of them alive, or give more depth to the relationship with Dove and River at least.
And a lot of issues were brushed under the rug and accepted way too quickly. What do you mean there’s no lasting resentment towards the Tribespeople after they enslaved the Earth Walkers for generations? I liked how it took Nik some time to train his mind out of the ways he was taught about the Clanspeople in Moon Chosen, something everyone else kinda just adjusted to right away with the other books. Danita also healed from being raped really fast, which good for her I guess, but it felt unrealistic that she was having sexual intercourse with Antreas a month or two after she was portrayed as being extremely traumatized by it. Also how they resolved the issue with Clayton - how did nobody object to the death sentence on ALL of his followers? Clayton was the only one who actually broke the law, the others could have been exiled or have another serious punishment (also to have a stranger carry it out for them? And Nik offer up his cousin? Come on) But this was also resolved neatly when they all (minus one and a horse) jumped off a cliff to escape Death.
A lot of the romances had very little depth or anything about her. Nik and Mari and maybe Danita and Antreas are the only ones I can think of that had some depth and connection. I wanted to like O’Bryan and Sora since we saw that he liked her and she thought he was a nice guy. But there was only one moment where we saw her think of him in that way before she just suddenly decided to kiss him and they were in a relationship. And Ralina and Renard, it was clear they relied on each other through a traumatic experience and we were told that she loved him (there was a lot of telling rather that showing in this book) but we never saw anything that showed them as more that friends or comrades.
I saw some other reviews critiquing the series on being racist, and I can see where they’re coming from. Not only do each group of people seem to have a designated colour palette, the Earth Walker Clans are similar to things I learned about indigenous peoples in high school - the hunter-gatherer society, their spirituality, having weaving as their specialty and trading with nearby clans. It doesn’t help that they had the beads and feathers braided in their hair (which I think could be a stereotype) and weren’t described in a very good light. And the Tribe of the Trees definitely had a whole white-saviour thing going on.
Most of this book was told from the POV of side characters, characters I felt no connection with if I’m being honest. Like why introduce that Skye is pregnant and then never revisit it? I almost wish we didn’t have a perspective on Death’s army after Ralina left them, to add some suspense and anxiety to the story. I also wish the people in this world valued human connections as much as they did ones with animals. The only reason I’m rating this so high is for nostalgia and that I liked the last couple chapters, which were from Nik and Mari’s POVs.
I almost forgot the spelling mistakes! In the previous books I noticed a couple times that the wrong name was used for a character, but not as much as in this book. And the gender of the wolverine kept changing, once it changed like three times in the same sentence.
That was a long rant. I didn’t realize how much of their book pissed me off. Most of these opinions were made in hindsight after I chewed on the book for a week.

[Bette · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning and middle were pretty slow. I definitely miss Maris povs. The ending though OH THE ENDING!

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found parts of this to be very winded. A lot of unnecessary details, made the book go on forever.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

EARTH CALLED is an enthralling YA fantasy and finale to the TALES OF A NEW WORLD series. The Pack and the Wind Riders must work together against the God of Death whose army and power has been growing. He has plans for the world and for his wife, the Goddess of Life, whose slumber he hopes to end so that she will see what he is doing from his angle. However, Life sees the destruction and the consequences for the things she has created, and she sets her own plans in motion, beginning with Ralina, Death's Storyteller, who travels to warn the Pack and Wind Riders of what is to come.

What I loved: This is such a lush fantasy read with plenty of mythology, magic, action, and world-building. While the story felt full in terms of plot and action, it managed to explain much to the reader along the way. The reader sees more of the animal bonding with the Pack and the Wind Riders, but also of the gods who are wielding their powers towards different ends. The balance between the settings was just right and gave a fuller picture of where the story was heading along the way.

The characters have really come into their own, particularly Mari and Nik, whose transformation over the past books and even into this last one have been big. They have each really grown into who they are and what they want to be. Other side characters, including some new ones, are also really well-constructed and keep the readers invested in their world and story. I also loved all the animals and the way that magic manifests in this world that adds something really special to the story.

Some of the particularly intriguing themes in this last book are between the play of life and death and their balance, the twisting of religion and the ways that different people can wield their religion, the power and strength of love and kindness, and free will/decision-making. There are certainly some overarching themes from the story that are also really thought-provoking, but I was particularly intrigued by the interplay of religion and humanity in this story, as the gods are very present and have their own element of humanity with their own flaws. The twisting of their power and the separate twisting of their teachings/elements by the humans who follow them created some interesting topics to ponder as they reflect themes seen throughout history.

The ending was satisfying, and while it will be sad to leave this series behind, this was a great finale to it all, bringing closure and hope to these beloved characters.

Final verdict: EARTH CALLED is a thrilling and engrossing finale to an epic YA fantasy series. Highly recommend checking this series out if you haven't yet!

Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

What would you do if you knew that your destiny was to be the one that changed everything?

WOW, like WOW. I really did not want this book to end, I loved everything about it, and it was so hard for me to finish because I wasn’t ready for these amazing people and their journey to end. However, like all great things it had to come to an end and seriously all I can say is WOW.

I loved so many things about this series and this book. First, I loved the plot and how it was played out throughout the four books. I really enjoyed that in each book it would pick up right where it left off in the last book, but you would get small side plots throughout the book that all interweaved together in the final book. I thought the author did an amazing job with the attention to detail to really paint a picture of all the landscapes and all the people that you will meet and of course all the characters that you have come to love and hate. I thought this book was well-developed, great attention to details, amazing plot and side plots, the characters were relatable and easy to connect with, the pace of the book was fast and slow, but it was all done just right that you did not mind the slower parts, and you can feel the completeness of the series.

The characters in this book showed the most development, I loved getting to see new characters and their inner battles to the older characters finally showing their true growth. I know Mari; she really got my tears rolling in this book. To see her character grow and the love that she felt for her goddess and her people was beautiful. With Nik it was finally amazing to see his growth complete the 180 from the beginning. I mean heck everyone had their growth completed in this book and it really felt that everyone finally would have the peace that they fought so hard for.

I was able to get the eARC and audio of this book and the narrator did a wonderful job. She was able to grab you when a dramatic scene happened, awed you when a loving moment, had your heart strings in her grip when an emotional scene happened. She really helped bring this book to life.

What I enjoyed about the book the most was: caring female protagonists, strong female characters as well as male ones, kindness to all, learning how to heal, dystopian setting, great characters. I highly recommend this author and this series to all.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press & Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this book.

[Laney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughout the installments of this truly amazing series this has got to be one of the most emotional for me. Not only is this the end of a beloved series and I must now move on to new books, but I will be revisiting this and the whole series. Normally I consume this series with the audiobook version but as I could not wait I borrowed the book from the library. That was a good choice as I finally answered my questions to how this wonderful series ended. It truly ended with a bang.

Most of the characters were able to find the peace and love they deserved. My favorite of this couples of course including Mari/Nik, Dove/River, and Relina/Renard. I liked Sora’s romance to but the previous three made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

When Mari went to sacrifice herself and she heard her “heartbeat” in the family she’d made that truly made me break down and sob at 3am where I am currently writing this review. The companions were by far more talkative in this book which was fun. I truly love this series with all my heart and this was the perfect impactful ending this series deserved. Much love to you P.C Cast as you have made a book series that was cemented in my childhood heart and has followed me to early adulthood. The wait was well worth it and I look forward to more books in which I know you will weave incredible worlds and characters into being. Truly Thank You.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The word "mash" appears 15 times in this book.

It had been a year since I read the 3rd book in the series and once I picked this one up I realized just how repetitive and tedious the dialogue and mundane actions we're to read. I know exactly how Wind riders make mash for their horses, because the author was sure to tell us at least 3 or 4 times. Then remind us another 10 or 11 times that it was what horses ate or that it had to be prepared for night.

Just had to get that out there. I did like the characters and the overall story and of course wanted to see the conclusion so I just tried to scan over those repetitive sentences. Trudging through unnecessarily long bits dialogue and general moving about of the characters was a chore. I am not sure why we had to be reminded at every campfire that they must boil water to make the horses mash, or the specific spot where one sets a cup, to be walked through the process of each dinner, or how to braid hair, exactly where each character is standing and exactly where each companion is, or reminded of the same circumstance every 10 pages, and so on. It would have been a more enjoyable read without all of this. But nonetheless, I feel like the saga has a uniqueness to its world and characters and I wanted to see the final conclusion. Which was....alright. I mean it was fine lol, I don't want to spoil anything. But for as unique as the book was I just expected a little something more.

[Frankie Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I fell in love with the Tales Of A New World series in 2020 or 2019, and quickly collected the first 3 books. I gave up on all hope of getting a 4th book pretty quickly, but I was just surprised with it by one of my family members for my birthday! I had seen a lot of negative reviews so I was slightly hesitant to read it- what if it ruined the series?- but I was not disappointed. Although the writing style does bother me a little bit, what with the rudimentary wording but too many commas and dashes, the plot was just as good as the first 3 books. I've also seen reviews that say stuff like 'all the plot twists are entirely foreseeable' and there is a 'token queer relationship', but I did not see wither of these in the book. Of course the good guys won, but thats kind of the whole point of the series, no? As for the token queers, there had been mentions of queerness since the first book, so I didnt really see any validity in that accusation. I had kind of thought that maybe Thaddeus was in his redemption ark, but he ended up dying, so. But I did really like his death scene, where his lasts thoughts are him realizing that maybe he wasnt in the right the whole time. All in all, I really liked this book, highly recommend to all fans of the series.

[Jaymie Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

This series took over my life for the last month! Thank you to Goodreads for the #giveaway of Book #4. But that meant, of course, I had to start back at #1.

This book (series) will, as they say, "live rent free" in my head for a looong time.

For a book that was super dark, it was also extremely uplifting, full of hope, the goodness in humanity (or whatever they were), the loyalty and wisdom of animals, UNITY and just plain old love.

I particularly loved the animal companions and the "found family" of the series. Everything came together in the end, even things that I didn't realize were not connecting at the time. The book (series) was a little wordy and I felt like each book didn't need to be 500 pages - but I know most people "like big books" so I might be in the majority in this.

I have read and enjoyed PC Cast in the past. I loved the House of Night Series. This is not that. It is more mature, more thoughtful, more everything.

Thank you, Goodreads. This is a series I hadn't heard of. And honestly might not have tried if I had... but I'm so glad that I did.

[Michelle Barth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been one of my favorite series to read/listening to. I enjoyed the way that people had relationships with the animals or their companion. Although the end of the book seems to leave it as an end it also leave it open to the possibility of more. It doesn't tell you how or where they are all going to settle down. they're going to integrate their life with the other people's lives yes. However it leaves it all open. It leaves you with new lives on the way. I could see a possibility of spinoffs with other characters other tribes. The books originally showed each specific information about the tribes. Little by little the series showed you more about each and then slowly put them together but I could see a spinoff or another book that goes a little more in depth with each type of tribe. Either way I enjoyed all of the book and will definitely be looking at reading more by this author.

[Jess | dapper.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having waited impatiently for this installment of the Tales of a New World Series, I have to say that I am not disappointed! While it’s been awhile since I’ve read the previous 3, I was far too excited to do a reread so I dove straight in and found myself confused. While I did catch up with plenty of book left, it did affect the enjoyability initially.

I feel this is likely the conclusion of the saga, and it was a solid one. I enjoyed returning to the lands of each companion world and diving back into this fantasy land. The villain is by far one of my favorites and the whole series is a great build to the end.

Definitely need to read the original 3 before this one, it’s not at all a standalone. I received the audiobook through NetGalley and while it did only have the one narrator, she did a great job with it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Kathryn]

Earth Called is a book about love. Love for those who fail us and wrong us. Love for those who are undeserving. Love for those most deserving. The story does not let love be trampled. Love is a strong decisive magic. This book brings together groups based on their actions and beliefs. Mari loves ferociously. Mother Mare or what ever name chosen by those who follow her loves the people. This book has adventure and drama but it is pulled together for an ending by the power of love.
For students, it points out easily learned lessons on jealousy, greed and lack of respect for others. It suggests standing firm with your beliefs from a position of love is strength. It has strong value lessons. All of the series has a message about strength of character, but this one says, "Love wins".
It is an excellent choice for youth to read.

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know what to say. This book destroyed me. I spent the last hour crying while I read the finale and I know that it will not be the last time I read this book.
I have to admit that I absolutely love this series and have read each book at least 3 times and maybe that’s why I am exaggerating and cannot adopt an objective point of view. Still, I really have to encourage every single one of you to read this book. It was so worth the wait. I have felt so much love for everyone single one of the characters, such great nostalgia, laughed with them and grieved with them. Every loss and sacrifice they made, I felt the pain deep in my heart and still I have the feeling that after finishing it this book left me more whole. If you’ve loved the first 3 books I believe the fourth won’t disappoint you

[Mrs. Kenyon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mari’s new Pack and the Wind Riders do not feel ready to face Thaddeus and the God of Death. They know that if they don’t stop them, then everything will be lost. When Ralina, Death’s Storyteller, is called by the Goddess of Life … the Pack now has a fighting chance. What changes are inevitable? Who can be trusted?

Earth Called is the fourth and final book in the Tales of a New World series. This fantasy adventure starts off kind of slow as the new Pack is formed, but as the chapters flow past, the story does pick up its pace. Cast did a good job weaving together new and old tales into a fresh story, but these four books were probably one book too long. I’m glad I finished the series, but I’m also happy it is over.