Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy reading middle grade books and when I read the synopsis of this it sounded really interesting so I was excited when my request was accepted! I really enjoyed the book and despite it being middle grade it dealt with some really relevant issues that affect all of us today and I felt it was done quite well.

This book is about a young girl finding out that she has been made into a guardian and needs to help the animals save the earth. She has to quickly learn what it means to be a guardian especially as the humans have once again begun polluting the planet and destroying the homes of the animals.

She is helped along the way by different animals, Vulpeera the fox, is someone who first believes in her and helps her and becomes a teacher and mentor to her. There is also Proctin the racoon, an exile and one who loves to eat. Each of the animals have distinct personalities and their own backstories which I really liked seeing as it helped flesh out their character arcs and made them more complex. This makes the reader really feel for their story and makes us want to root for them and help them save the earth.

The story revolves around Winter needing to save earth so there are lots of environmental issues spoken about in the book, from how humans are polluting the air and rives and land to how animals are being affected by us building everywhere. I did like seeing these mentioned and I felt that younger readers would be able to understand what was being said though I do feel it was portrayed as black and white when in reality it is much more complex. Not all humans are “bad” and we do need to build homes and roads for us to be able to travel and live. There are also lots of humans who do speak about saving the environment yet aside from Winter, every other human was seen as “bad”.

There is lots of action packed, fast paced scenes and I felt they were quite well balanced between more light hearted, fun scenes. I especially liked the conversations between Proctin and Winter and how their friendship developed. I think the characters were all shown really well but I felt the world building wasn’t as great. It was hard for me to truly imagine what the world looked like as it wasn’t explained as well. It seemed like it was a post apocalyptic world yet it also seemed like it was set at the start of the industrial revolution and there was mentions of the lands behind the mountain that no-one had explored. It felt a little confusing.

The ending was really action packed and there was quite a few revelations and plot twists that I didn’t see coming which made the story even more interesting and left me wanting to know more. I especially want to know what will happen next after the last line!

Overall I really enjoyed the book and I think younger readers will enjoy it too. There was lots of issues that are relevant today included in the story like the environment and deciding who you are and not the labels that people give you. And I’m looking forward to reading the next book.

A decent middle-grade novel. While I was not overly impressed by it, I enjoyed The Rise of Winter nevertheless. The overall theme of protecting the environment and the fantasy worldbuilding was done superbly though but I wasn't interested in the plot. It had some driving force but I wasn't engaged in it. This story had potential though. Loved the characters, especially Winter who was a worthy MC and the LGBTQ+ representation. It got better at the ending (didn't see those plot twists). Although I didn't really like this one, I'd definitely be open to reading the sequel because what a cliffhanger. 6/10 would recommend.

I’ve been saying for some time how much I’ve been enjoying middle grade. When I read the synopsis for this book I just couldn’t not get it… It sounded so interesting and fun! But this was even better than I thought it was going to be. This book is SO incredibly fun, sweet, exciting and gripping!

This is Winter’s story. She was just a young girl when everything suddenly turned upside down. Life as she knew it was gone and she was now being hunted by animals that wanted to hurt her. But weirder of all, they talked and she could understand them! With some animals’ help, she was to become a fellow Guardian of Terra, which she needed to protect from destruction. But that might be simpler said than done…

Winter is a really enjoyable main character. She is caring, friendly, determined and realistic. She is just a kid and she is trying her best to help do her part for the planet. I thought it quite inspiring how she tried to understand everyone’s sides and help everyone. She has a good heart and I loved how much friendship and family meant to her.

As for the Guardians and other animals alike, I freaking loved it! I LOVE animals, and to see them talk and express their feelings is just the perfect thing for me! It’s like a dream come true. Who doesn’t want to understand and talk to animals, right? And if they have magical powers – even better!

There’s a lot of animals, some good, some not so good. They all had their own personality going on and it made it super fun to read it… Vulpeera and Proctin are probably the animals most present in the story, and they are delightful to read about! Vulpeera is a sweet little fox, full of determination and courage, and Proctin is a puffy raccoon with a heart of gold! They are for sure some of my favorites and I loved every bit about them. If you want to get know about more of them, I would definitely recommend reading this! *hint*

As far as environmental messages go, I think they are really important and I did really enjoy how this book made it interesting and magical. We have the problem of humans destroying the earth. But I would have changed a part – in the book we see that building a road is destroying all the habitat around it, and although that road seemed unneeded, many aren’t and people do need roads… I just hoped it would be something more superfluous. But the point is there anyway – humans are destroying nature.

This book uses a bit of Latin in it like Protectorum and Terra. It was quite exciting for me to read those since my mother-tongue comes from Latin. Overall the writing was really accessible, enjoyable and gripping. I couldn’t put it down. There’s just the right amount of fun and tension, and action and information.

Also, there’s a couple of twists that are incredible! I did NOT see them coming and it made me even more excited for the sequel! I can’t wait >.<

This book has an awesome main character, all kinds of talking animals, and magic. I mean… It can’t get much better than that! I absolutely loved this book and I couldn’t put it down. Plus, it creates awareness of what’s happening to our planet, in a way accessible and fun for younger readers.

And just FYI, it does contain violence.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my wish to read this. It is definitely for a younger audience, however I liked the language and dialogue in the story. The main ideas about humanity and nature are topics that everyone should consider, and in today's world of technology it was nice to read a story that brings you back to basics. It's a good start to the series and let's hope the next books will give Winter some more aces up her sleeve against a strong foe.
3.5 stars

*thank you to Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

Wow oh wow what a story!! This is one amazingly satisfying middle grade novel! Even as an adult I found this so very enjoyable. It has sparked my old love for middle grade novels featuring animals again. I enjoyed reading the little touch of gay/lesbian love between to of the animals, a female fox and a female wolf. I hope there is room for them in book 2 as we readers are only told of them and don't get to actually meet them.

There was alot going on with this and I never found it boring. It was fast paced and so well written. The idea of the story is brilliant and that ending!! Ohhhhh! I wish book 2 was out already but I don't even think the author has written it yet so Its unfortunately going to be awhile before I get to but I'm so interested to find out what happens next. Plus there was a twist surprise near the end too but my lips are sealed! I didn't even work it out even though looking back, there were hints. If you have read this you will probably know what twist I'm referring to. Bring on book 2 because this series is going to be awesome! Highly recommend this.

The Rise of Winter sends readers on a breathtaking adventure with Winter Wayfair, a young girl who finds herself at the center of the fight to protect the earth and all its creatures. Surrounded by as many friends as she is enemies, Winter must find a way to use her newfound powers to protect what will otherwise be irrevocably lost. As humorous as it is adventurous, readers are sure to enjoy this exciting tale that reminds us all of the bravery it takes to stand up for what is right.

This book is Mogli if Mogli was about climate change. From the very first page, you want to keep reading and know more about Winter, a strong, funny girl who discovers that she is not as common as everyone else.
One of the best things in this book other than the history itself is the dialogues: funny and smart, complementing the plot perfectly and unveiling the personality of each character. I also loved the talking animals, Proctin, the somewhat cowardly raccoon with a heart of gold became my favorite in his first scene.
This book is amazing at helping kids to understand the price of climate change, and once that they will be the ones paying the price for the past generations mistakes, it is a good thing that they are learning about it since they are young and this is a fun and quick way to do so.

"Terra is rotting from the inside because of the humans.”

“Why would she continue to allow a human to sit on Her throne as your species drains the life from Her core?”

This book had me mostly rushing through my ARC TBR list to get to it. When I finally did, the story fell so flat from the start that it took me 10 days of reluctant reading to finish it. To be fair, when the story is not talking at the reader through the dialogue of the characters, it is a good story, full of adventure and great character development. It is also a very violent story. I would say a little too descriptively violent for younger readers. In fact, it merits a trigger and/or content warning for descriptive violence, including the use of firearms and the very gory effects on bodies those human-shot firearms have.

"Show the rest of the Guardians that the humans are not a plague—that they care more about themselves. Show them that they care about Terra.”

As one ventures further into the plot of The Rise of Winter, the book reads very much like a Luddite allegory/manifesto. I say manifesto, for it is at the same time a “This I Believe” story integrated with a lecture on the evil of human technology and its impetus for the destruction of the Earth Mother, or Terra, for the sake of this story. Think 1984 but with a central ill of climate change and pollution instead of government surveillance.

"’Easiest is not always best,’ Pteron interjected. ‘A problem you humans have struggled with since the beginning of time. You must respect Terra. Always.’”

Humans are evil, destroy the world with their inventions, and even the “good” humans who choose to protect the animals and Terra ruin “Her” unintentionally—and they will continue to do so as long as they exist. The Rise of Winter paints a very grim picture of the state of the earth for young readers. I cannot and will not recommend it. Middle-grade fiction is not the place for heavy-handed, preachy political (whether the author is right about the issue or not) ranting.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, for which I give my own opinion.

I loved this book! I read it with my seven year old and the meaning behind terra and the guardians was lovely. My son loves animals and often talks about protecting the earth and taking care of it. He often picks up random trash he finds and throws it away. So this book touched a piece of my heart because I saw my son in Winter. I adored Winter and he band of animals along the way. The morals of the story are strong and it has a few good twists I was expecting as well. My son really loved the entire idea of guardians and says he wants to protect terra too. I adored the writing and thought the book was really great and a great way to teach empathy to kids In multiple ways. I will be buying the audiobook so my son can listen to it at night. And I’ll be buying it for a few friends and their kiddos for sure!

This is going to be a bit of a flaky review, because truth be told, I didn't feel much of anything with this story. RISE OF WINTER is saturated with cliches: humans vs nature, a Chosen One, a comic relief sidekick, training montages, a picked-on protagonist, a magical talisman, etc. Don't get me wrong, Lyttle's writing is confident and easy to read (although I'm not sure nepotism is something an MG'er will understand?), but it wasn't the sort of book I found myself desperate to return to. With all MG books, it's worth noting that I'm not the target audience. However, it's my home genre, and so many wonderfully fresh stories have emerged in the past few years. This felt woefully stale in comparison.

Winter is ... a protagonist, I guess. Sometimes scared. Sometimes brave. There were goodies and baddies who fell into the nature and machine categories, respectively. I think environmental messages are incredibly important today, however, I think the sheer black-and-whiteness in RISE OF WINTER added little to the conversation. Thing is, people *need* roads. Framing basic infrastructure as BAD isn't helpful, because it's nothing that will change or go away. In general, I struggled with the worldbuilding because I wasn't sure how close to reality it was supposed to be. Presumably, it's set on Earth after a catastrophe, yet the animals didn't seem to fit a particular ecosystem (most are boreal, north american creatures like bears and raccoons, but then there'd be....a cheetah??). In other words, the Guardians seemed to be a worldwide thing, although all the action/conversation is limited to one valley. Is the rest of the world really a toxic wasteland? The school scenes seemed so normal, and yet it's implied this is a heavily post apocalyptic world?

Anyhoo. Perhaps I'm reading too deeply. But I craved more depth, and RISE OF WINTER seemed to barely scrape the surface of the issues it juggled, padding its pages instead with repetitive sequences of Winter learning new powers and getting continuously told how bad/untrustworthy humans were.

There were a couple of good twists, though. Spoiler alert: I didn't guess Alectus was her twin, and the reveal sets up some wonderful tension for the sequel. I'm more conflicted on Arctos's secret, because it felt unnecessary to withhold for so long. But again, Lyttle's writing was wonderful, and propelled me to finish despite the lacklustre plot. Would I recommend? Eh, maybe? I think the genre offers far stronger books on a similar subject, however, there's some serious wish-fulfilment here (I DREAMED of being able to talk to animals and have magic powers!) so I'm certain there's an audience who can look past the cliches to find the story's heart.

I really enjoyed this story along with the environmental message of helping to save the earth. I found the topic to be very appropriate for our world today, especially the different views on what needs to be done. I think middle grader readers would enjoy this as well!
At the beginning it was a little hard for me to navigate through the story with all the different characters, but once I got deeper into the book it was fine.
Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to review this ARC.

This book was a fun, easy, read. I didn't find any parts that could be easily removed in order to improve pacing--the book starts very near the real action of the book. The characters felt well developed, and there's a twist at the end, that you can ALMOST see coming, but it's rather expertly foreshadowed subtly, so you're not POSITIVE the twist will happen, and the reveal still packs a punch.

I love the detail in this story. The universe building is great, and you get a real feel of how the world is laid out--it also feels VERY close to home given the current state of climate change and environmental damage/attempts at damage control.

The only thing that felt slightly contrived was the part where the explored/inhabited world vs. everything outside of this parcel of earth is forbidden and poisoned and treacherous! trope. It's certainly a tool for ensuring that you'll have a sequel where the MC goes OUTSIDE the permitted zone for reasons revealed near the end of the book, but it's not a very creative tool. We've seen this in a LOT of dystopian YA fiction, and I'm ready for a new machine.

All-in-all, a great read with some heavy eco-conscious overtones, which I don't think are out of place in this era. Highly recommend this one!

The book begins with an unusual 🦉 owl who can talk.the owl sees reflection of a young girl in the mountain pool before it.the girl is to be part of the owls plans.

Read this one out loud to my 10-year-old and enjoyed the sweet story and especially the hero, Winter. Recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a very cute book that brings out the idea that the Earth does need saving and every year it gets weaker as humans destroy nature without any thought to the consequences that will happen to Mother Nature and the animals that live around us. Told in middle grade language with characters who are easy to like and interesting to read about, it doesn't preach to the reader, but rather takes them on an adventure with the main character and shows them how they can become protectors like Winter.

A story of a young girl who is being raised by her grandmother after the death of her parents. She discovers that she has been selected as a Guardian of Terra, who assists in caring for Mother Earth and the creatures of the earth. She is one of several Guardians, not all of who agree on the best way to care for the earth. A really interesting and enjoyable story that I enjoyed even though I am an older adult. I would recommend this book and am looking forward to the next book!

The Rise of Winter engrossed me from the first page. At its heart is a strong environmental message about the need to re-balance the destruction caused to the Earth by humans, but ultimately, it is the story of one incredible girl, Winter. She has an amazing journey towards self-discovery which sees her grow into a strong leader who learns the power of self-belief, forgiveness, friendship and, ultimately, the strength needed to be a protector: the protector of the Guardians and of Terra - Earth.
Winter is being bullied at school when she is saved … by a sparrow! She soon learns that she can understand animals when she meets Proctin, a raccoon, who lives under her house: he is an incredibly loveable character with some great comic moments.
When she comes under attack, Winter escapes to The Cove with the aid of Vulpeera, one of the Guardians who becomes her constant companion and mentor. Winter learns of her family history and that she has been chosen to become not only a Guardian, but the Terra Protectorum – Earth’s protector. And so begins her training … and the discovery of her incredible powers … and enemies!
This powerful story includes action-packed escapes, tense journeys, treachery, imprisonment, and believable enemies who exude a real sense of threat throughout which really helps build some incredibly tense moments. It is a real rollercoaster of a read! Can Winter survive against festering jealousy, devastating betrayals, deep-rooted prejudice and hatred? Will she run out of time to save Terra and her friends, or will she be the victor in the final battle?
I really enjoyed The Rise of Winter and would highly recommend it to readers of 9+.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

The environmental message seemed a little strong and pushy in this one. Not a bad story. Surprising twists at the end. Enjoyable story. Pretty well written - from of a British style of English.

Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review.

A new star has taken the stage of middle grade novels. The Rise of Winter is a fantastic new fantasy series filled with adventure, tension, humor, moments of reflection, family, and down-right awesomeness.

Once the rising action starts things go south quickly. Winter is thrust into a conflict bigger than herself: the earth - Terra, mother of all things living and nonliving - is decaying due to human intervention by way of pollution from factories, disrupting ecosystems by building roads, etc. Winter is pulled from all sides. She must uncover the secrets of her family, learn the ways of the Guardians, learn to believe in herself, and stop a whole species from dooming everyone. Not an easy task for a fourteen-year-old.

I liked the setting the author has placed us in. Realistic to reality but altered. It's the onset of industrial revolution. Cars are slowly replacing horse-and-carriage so more roads must be made. Factories are sprouting. Electricity is replacing candles as a source of light. The allusion is stark, current and spreads awareness to real world issues.

I liked the animals the author picked as Guardians and the personalities and end-results of each of them. For the purposes of the book, the animals who are the current Guardians and which domain (sky, land, water) and trait (wisdom, speed, agility, strength) they embody in make sense. I think having humans as a representative Guardian of Terra's creatures not only makes sense but adds fuel to the fire. The contention and mystery, the schemes and secrets gripping the reader in an everlasting hold all the way to the very end.

The names of what powers each Guardian posses sounded a little cheesy or were confusing in pronunciation. From the intended age group point of view, they're perfect.

Alex Lyttle put his all into book one - it really shows! There's so much to love about this book from the lovable characters, striking antagonists, and wonderful world-building. One of the best Middle Grade books I've read in a while and certainly the best MG of 2019 so far. All I can ask now is, "When will book 2 be released?"

The Rise of Winter illustrates beautifully the importance of taking care of the earth and its creatures. Nearly destroyed in the past by humans, Terra, (both a physical place and a Mother Nature force) chooses twelve creatures known as the Guardians to protect and preserve the environment. Of those twelve creatures, one is a human. Each Guardian has a power that is connected to nature and uses the power to protect Terra. Winter, the human guardian, is selected to the dismay of some other Guardians, as Terra Protectorum. The Terra Protectorum is the leader of all the Guardians and is the only Guardian that can harness all the individual powers of the others. Some believe that humans will destroy Terra again, and as such, don't agree with a human being chosen as Terra Protectorum. Winter is a very likable character as she doubts herself yet is determined to do all she can to help protect Terra. As she learns the various powers, enemies of Terra try to thwart her and the Guardians mission to protect Terra from destruction. Many twists and turns! Cute little illustrations mixed with humor in the plot help to lighten up the darkness of the of the Guardians plight. Readers of all ages should read this as again this book illustrates the importance of taking care of the earth and its creatures. It ends with a cliffhanger, so I hope there will be a book two!