In different parts of the world, four children are taking part in an ancient ritual. Rich, poor, high-born, peasant, every child in the world receives the nectar on his or her birthday with both trepidation and excitement. What happens next could change their lives drastically and irrevocably. In Spirit Animals: Wild Born, the first book in a new series by Brandon Mull, these children wait, as all children do, to see if they will be bonded with a spirit animal—an animal of any species who bonds itself to the child, bringing great power and strength to both.
Conor, Abeke, Meilin and Rollan drink the nectar, and each summons an animal. However, these are no ordinary animals. Instead, each child has summoned one of the Four Fallen, four Great Beasts who had given their lives to defeat the Devourer. With the Devourer rising again, gaining power and attempting to conquer Erdas, the Fallen have reappeared and bonded with four children. With the assistance of the Greencloaks—men and women with spirit animals who dedicate their lives to protecting Erdas—the four children and the Four Fallen must band together to defeat the dark force that is quickly rising.
The Spirit Animals books will follow much of the same format as the popular 39 Cluesseries. Each book will be written by a different author (Maggie Stiefvater will write the second installment), and there is an interactive online game where readers can discover their own spirit animal and join in the adventure. Wild Born is fast-paced with plenty of action, and also offers a number of fully realized characters who must discover who they are and what they want. There are no perfect or predictable characters in this series, and the twists and turns will leave readers guessing right up until the end.
