Mistmantle—Urchin of the Riding Stars...It's Not a Fluffy Book

When mice meet Shakespeare…you end up with this book.

This cute children series, written by M.I. McAllister, caught my attention when I saw a review of it online. It didn’t look bad, so why not give it a try?

Urchin of the Riding Stars is about a squirrel who was born on the beach of an island surrounded by a magical fog, after his mother was washed up ashore. He is raised by a kindly she-squirrel and becomes the page of Crispin, a captain of the island. However, things go south when the king’s son is killed and Crispin is blamed for it. He is exiled from the island. The story continues the adventures of Urchin as he sets out to bring Crispin back, as well as the struggles of the island to escape the control of a usurper who is drugging the king and planning to make himself king.

This story has a bit of an old-fashioned, high-class, Shakespearean feel. The writing style is quite unique among this genre. I found it less snappy and driving than I would have liked, and it features a lot of telling, rather than showing. Yes, that is considered a crime in writing, and while I’m not here to condemn it, I can’t say I found it very appealing. Many scenes and moments seemed glossed over to me, because instead of writing the dialogue and detailing the actions of the characters, the author would simply summarize the moment.

I’m not saying the writing is bad, per se. The author can write descriptions and detailed accounts…when she chooses too. She also includes a bit of poetry and style to her writing that gives it a Shakespearean vibe.

The characters are all well-defined and have distinct personalities. Urchin is just an orphan who doesn’t feel like he fits in with the rest of the animals on the island. Crispin is a kind and brave captain who handles his lot very admirably. Overall, all of them are very upright and in general, good is good and evil is evil.

Now for the plot. Think Macbeth, with a bit of Hamlet mixed in there. It’s engaging and intriguing, for sure. I’m all for political intrigue and tragic arcs. But this story also has some incredibly dumb plot points. Like casting lots to find a guilty party…what kind of trial system is this? And this leads to someone getting falsely accused, while the guilty party gets to continue causing damage.

Also, the names are a little weird. It took me a while to get used to the main character’s name, Urchin, which sounds like it could be an insult. A few are very pretty, like Sepia. But the names definitely were a turn-off point.

Concerns

You might be surprised at some of the things I’m going to write in this section. This is not your typical children’s book.

On the surface, Mistmantle seems like a cute Redwall knockoff. But it’s clearly very distinct. The overall tone of the book is darker and while it doesn’t have as much action, it’s far more intense. The opening scene features a mother dying in childbirth. In practically the next chapter, characters are speaking in hushed voices of a disturbing practice happening on the island—culling. That means any weak or defective young ones are put down. Yes, that’s dark. But I’m only getting started, so brace yourself.

The bad guy, Husk, does away with the king’s infant son. He then drugs the grieving king so that he is more or less incapacitated, and rules behind his back and implements laws that enforce evil practices (culling). One character is forced to take her own medicine that she was going to give the queen, and dies afterwards. Coincidence?

The castle has a dark and cursed part to it, as well. We hear a terrifying backstory. Husk has frightening visions of the child he murdered and essentially goes insane.

So in this series, your child is going to be introduced to disturbing practices, terrifying descriptions of very creepy places, horrifying visions, drugs, death in childbirth, and more. I read this as an adult, and even I found it unsettling to read at times. So I can only imagine how much more frightening it would be for a child.

Do I recommend Mistmantle?

Well, it does have some things going for it. The good characters are very good and show moral uprightness. Good is shown to be stronger than evil and in the end, the castle is cleansed. But it’s still a little mature and disturbing for a young audience, especially considering that on the surface it looks like a cute animal series.

Treat this one with utmost discretion. There’s some deep dark stuff in it.

https://amzn.to/3OUanVr