Review: Cavern of Secrets

Cavern of Secrets (Wing and Claw #2) by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by James Madsen.
Harper, HarperCollins, New York, 2017.
MG fantasy, 312 pages + excerpt.
Lexile:  700L .
AR Level: 5.3 (worth 8.0) .
NOTE: This review will contain spoilers for the previous book in the series.

Having narrowly survived the adventures of the last book, Raffa and his human and animal friends now have important decisions to make about what to do next – about the Chancellor and her animal captives, about the families waiting for them, and about their own relationships.

Cavern of Secrets by Linda Sue Park.

Park wisely skips over the grim struggle for survival over the winter the three children spent in the mountains and opens her story as most of the trio’s animal menagerie are awakening from hibernation. Echo does not, which propels Raffa to consider returning home.

I was very impressed with how Park wrote Garith’s hearing loss. At the end of the previous book, we weren’t certain yet how permanent it was, but now we know that it’s long-term if not forever, which means writing a newly Deaf character. And Park does that amazingly well, from Raffa’s irritatingly slow and overly loud talking, to Kuma’s recognition that Garith can still do everything but hear and needs to have tasks and agency just like before.

Most importantly, while Garith eventually lip-reads with some success, it’s accurately shown as a very difficult skill to acquire, which even in the best circumstances is not completely accurate. I was surprised by how well Park wrote this acquired deafness… until seeing the author’s note thanking Cece Bell (of El Deafo) for her help in reviewing those scenes.

The cousins are still not getting along well, but this time both recognize their roles in the struggle – even if they don’t always know what to do about it or choose to do the right thing. Both are also in turmoil with their parents as well, who seem to have very different philosophies about the project they’re all working on together under varying levels of coercion. The boys each have a newfound desire for adult supervision and assistance, while Kama remains as independent and stubborn as ever, continuing to value animal lives and the natural world at or above her own existence.

Raffa grows so much during this book, although much of the gains are subtle. He finally begins to understand that he shouldn’t be relying solely on his special ability, rediscovers his love of apothecary work, recognizes that he’s not a good leader, and tries to work on some of his flaws. Raffa now realizes that not every situation is black and white, and that others might have motivations for their actions which are important to them. After a long time not empathizing with the situation others might be in, he’s finally learning to be more considerate, although he struggles to compromise.

Despite his growth, Raffa still makes mistakes and is realistically a preteen boy – overconfident in his own abilities, noble at the worst moments, and reluctant to face his shortcomings until consequences force him. He’s overly reliant on Echo’s friendship and help, especially when separated from his human friends and family.

We meet up with a variety of old friends both human and animal, and a handful of new characters. Raffa gets several opportunities to do interesting things with his herbals, and has to think cleverly to get through a variety of obstacles to try and meet his goal.

The Chancellor continues to be unreservedly evil, and Uncle Ansel isn’t looking too good either, but most of the other characters are shown to have some reasoning for working with them on the secret project (even if Raffa, and the readers, don’t agree with those reasons). I do wonder if Park will try to have a redemption arc or explanation for Chancellor Leeds in the final book.

Content warnings include coercion, imprisonment, ethnic targeting, ableism, threats, theft, malnourishment and possible starvation, fire starting, animal attacks, deception, drowning, and of course major incidents of animal cruelty as discussed in the last review.

While the ending of the previous book might have felt a bit tense, it’s nothing compared to the cliff Park leaves us hanging from at the end of this one. Thankfully I already have a copy of the next book and can start reading it as soon as I finish this review!

Recommended.

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