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| Cover art by Matt Griffin |
'A Cage Of Roots', book one of the 'Ayla' trilogy by Matt Griffin begins with 12 year old Ayla trapped and seemingly buried alive. Not exactly the best start for our protagonist, but it does set the tone for the rest of the book, as Matt describes the panic and fear in Ayla really well.
As Ayla struggles with to come to terms with her new surrounding and how she got there, we're also introduced to the other folk in her life; her uncles Lann, Fergus and Taig and best friends Finny, Benvy and Sean. But when they realise that Ayla has gone missing, they band together in a plan to rescue her. But this plan involves the mystical and the fantastical and draws from old Irish mythological tales. The journey to save Ayla is very treacherous and will change everyone forever.
'A Cage Of Roots' is a really good read that's full of relatable characters as well as delving into the fantastic of Irish mythology. I would compare it positively with Neil Gaiman's 'Coraline', in that it's a story about fear, danger, hope, being brave, friendship and betrayal but it's also a fun adventure story with a cliffhanger of an ending. The book is also punctuated with creepy black and white illustrations, also by Matt (who is also an established illustrator), which adds to the overall eerie feeling of the story, especially with Ayla's struggles.
It may be aimed at kids, but this is a good and atmospheric read, no matter what age you are.
Available from:
O'Brien Press
As Ayla struggles with to come to terms with her new surrounding and how she got there, we're also introduced to the other folk in her life; her uncles Lann, Fergus and Taig and best friends Finny, Benvy and Sean. But when they realise that Ayla has gone missing, they band together in a plan to rescue her. But this plan involves the mystical and the fantastical and draws from old Irish mythological tales. The journey to save Ayla is very treacherous and will change everyone forever.
'A Cage Of Roots' is a really good read that's full of relatable characters as well as delving into the fantastic of Irish mythology. I would compare it positively with Neil Gaiman's 'Coraline', in that it's a story about fear, danger, hope, being brave, friendship and betrayal but it's also a fun adventure story with a cliffhanger of an ending. The book is also punctuated with creepy black and white illustrations, also by Matt (who is also an established illustrator), which adds to the overall eerie feeling of the story, especially with Ayla's struggles.
It may be aimed at kids, but this is a good and atmospheric read, no matter what age you are.
Available from:
O'Brien Press
