Book Review: The Deadlands: Hunted

My friend Courtney got an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book when it was first released and passed it on to me, knowing my love for dinosaur adventures. I'm thrilled she did, as it turned out to be an exciting new read! The book is primarily aimed at middle schoolers, typically between 8-12 or 13 years old. However, I also think it appeals to readers like me who grew up during the era of popular dinosaur cartoons and movies like The Land Before Time series. Although I didn't watch that particular series growing up, I'm familiar enough with it to understand how this novel could evoke nostalgia for someone.

cover courtesy of goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60316954-hunted

This particular book also has an exciting new twist: there are no human protagonists in the story—it's all dinosaurs. I was surprised at first, thinking to myself, "How can you tell the story with nothing but animals?" Well, let me tell you how. This book answers the question: "What if a few dinosaurs had survived a giant meteor striking Earth? What if they weren't all wiped out at one time?" The dinos in this story are the remaining survivors of what they call the "Fallen Star." That's when the meteor struck and killed almost everyone and ruined parts of their territory. Now, only a few livable places are left, and the dinosaurs are split into different herds. But that Fallen Star changed these dinos. Something it carried in from outer space (they refer to it as some sort of star dust from the meteor) covered them in a mist, and it changed them. They became intelligent. They began to write stories, speak, and have dreams. But it also caused them to build armies and start a war. And it isn't the type of war you would expect. It's herbivore against herbivore, while all the carnivores rule the uninhabitable parts of the land, called The Deadlands.

Now, our main character Eleri, finds himself banished to this horrible Deadlands zone. He and his older brother are princes of their herd, born to be leaders. But when Eleri goes against war protocols, and saves the life of an enemy triceratops, he is banished forever to the Deadlands. There, he discovers something about the carnivores no one expected, and also discovers a lot about himself. He meets other young dinos who have been banished for various reasons, and together, they create a plan to end the war and unite their herds. Will it go as planned? Not to spoil it for you, but probably not, as this is book one in a series and ends on just a bit of a cliffhanger. But if you get hooked in like I did, you won't have a problem reading all three! I've only just finished this first book, so I've got to find the others and fast!

This was such a fun book to read. At first, I was worried I wouldn't be able to keep up with all these dinosaurs. There is a quick description of them all in the front of the book (or at least there was in this ARC version) but honestly, you don't really need it. Every dino is explained pretty well as you read the story. Kids who are obsessed with their dino history will already know what each one is and have no issues. Now, when I worked at the library, kids loved dinosaurs. We had an entire month based on dinosaurs because they liked them so much. That's probably why I'm still hooked on these types of stories, because I had to keep up with their dino demands! However, I still do not have all my dinos memorized. I just did a quick google as I came across some to get a mental picture of what they looked like, and then I was good to go. (Also, just a side note, dinosaur themed stuff is so cute too. That also adds to my love for dino adventures. Dinosaur stickers, toys and such is just too adorable. I am certain they were never that cute in real life, but I digress.)

Back to the book: Eleri meets with a banished triceratops, ankylosaur, and a sauropod. I did have to google the last one, but the author's description helps too! Eleri is an oryctodromeus (definitely had to google that, and no, I cannot pronounce it) who would much rather tell stories than fight in a war. But somehow, he and these other herbivores become entangled in a fight they never planned on. But they have hopes to stop the war all together, not become soldiers themselves. I loved all the different personalities of the dinosaurs in this little exiled herd. They are all very young, which added to the humor of how they handle things, especially the biggest one, the sauropod. He is young but he talks as if he is 300 years old and full of wisdom. It's part of his herd's way of living, but the others have trouble understanding what he's trying to tell them. It's sweet and funny too! He's definitely a "gentle giant."

I think that kids will love it. Those at the older end of middle grade, such as 13-year-olds, will especially like it, I believe. It is quite scary at times! Younger kids may get nervous reading it, but it does end mostly well for all our main characters. It's an exciting new take on something they love and it is also a series, so if they love reading, they've got more to look forward to! My only word of warning: there is one use of a curse word in the story. It really is totally unnecessary, and I'm not sure why the author even put it in here in the first place. That being said, I think older students are mature enough to handle it, but I'd advise parents who don't like that sort of thing to discuss it with them first. It's a use of what people would probably call a "milder" word, or mild language, but still. You all know by now that I don't like language in my books. This book however, does have a lot to like about it, and it will definitely be a good read for reluctant readers. So I wanted to give you the option to read it, but also a heads up for that!

Also, if you worried about this book getting too much into evolution, the big bang and such, this book is not about that and does not bring it into the story. This book stays neutral, and it is just an imaginative story about dinosaurs. (As many of you already know, I am a Christian and write clean or Christian fiction, so that is also what I read and recommend.) But this could be a chance for parents to discuss dinosaurs with their kids further from a Christian viewpoint! I'd recommend Dinosaurs for Kids by Ken Ham, a Christian author who penned this non-fiction title. It's already available on Jasmine Digital in SC if you want to take a look!

Well, I hope you enjoyed that review. And now you know a bit more about why I enjoy dinosaur adventures! I hope you find this series for your students or child, or even for yourself! Happy Reading!