Review: Beast of Stone

Beast of Stone (Wing & Claw #3) by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by James Masden.
Harper, HarperCollins, New York, 2018, my edition 2019.
MG fantasy, 360 pages.
Lexile: 700L .
AR Level: 5.3 (worth 9.0 points) .
NOTE: This review will contain spoilers for previous books in the series.

Raffa finds himself imprisoned and separated from his friends – even worse, his parents are frustratingly close but in danger. Feeling alone except for his beloved bat friend, Raffa wonders how he could possibly escape in time to prevent the Chancellor from using botanicals and wild animals to attack the people of Obsidian, let alone figure out why she’s doing such evil deeds.

Beast of Stone by Linda Sue Park.

Linda Sue Park sets the standard high for what a fantasy trilogy should be. The first book was very good, the second stronger than most mid-series installments. I didn’t love that Cavern of Secrets ended with a cliffhanger, but after reading this book I can understand why Park ended at that point.

While we have been organically learning in bits and dribbles about the political system of Obsidian, in this book we find out many more specifics as it is integral to the plot. For those who need a recap, in this fantasy world, there was a cataclysmic event 200 years ago which led to most habitable land being destroyed – earthquakes, landslides, and volcanos completely reshaped the continent.

At that time, only one country escaped mostly unscathed. Even Obsidian had mountains rise and lava flow, but their sole city and, more importantly, much of the surrounding farmland remained intact. For that reason, survivors from all over the continent, collectively called Afters and representing several races, arrived to make new lives for themselves.

Raffa discovers that he is not the only person who knows about the Chancellor’s plans, nor are he and his friends the only ones trying to stop it, although they have played important roles and may continue to do so if they choose. This is tricky although Park makes it look effortless – the children are thanked for their efforts and valued for their knowledge but efforts are made to keep them reasonably safe, and they finally have some mentors to confide in and seek advice from.

All that reflecting on leadership, personal growth, and balance between his unique talents and the need to rely on base knowledge and collaborate with others pays off big time. Raffa learned during his winter in the mountains that skills atrophy if you don’t use them, and that he truly loves pothering beyond just having been born into the trade.

This volume also brings the issues between Raffa and Garith to a close. Spoiler, but I was so happy that Garith is not magically cured, and comes to terms with his deafness, even cracking jokes, working out gestures in a type of home sign, and telling Raffa that he is open to experiments that will help others but doesn’t feel the need for a cure.

When Raffa finally realizes that his intuition and ideas are best implemented when shared and discussed with others, I felt almost as proud as if he were one of my sons! The growth and development of the characters, the pacing, the way Raffa demonstrates true leadership by stepping back so others can shine… I certainly enjoyed the first two volumes in this trilogy, but this one brought the story to a close in a truly satisfying way.

Park also asks some big moral questions. The adults in Raffa’s life – his parents and uncle, those he meets at the camp, and the various politicians running his country – all have different thoughts about pothering, animals, belonging, and rights. His father strictly defines uses of pothering, while his uncle feels pothering can be used however anyone feels would benefit them, even if it hurts others. Chancellor Leeds honestly believes that getting rid of Afters will benefit her country, and some agree with her. Others see the many benefits that Afters brought and argue that they’ve been born and raised in Obsidian too, and are as much citizens as those whose ancestry goes further back.

Within the story Park wisely never answers these questions directly, although young readers can see Raffa’s thinking on various topics as they try to make up their own minds.

Content warnings include false imprisonment, torture, political intrigue, betrayal, deaths of both humans and animals, amputation, family separation, animal attacks, human battling, etc. Some of these happen offscreen and everything is kept MG appropriate.

Highly recommended.