I think that this might be my new favourite book by Balen. The language is poetic throughout (unapologetically so but unpretentiously too) even though it's told from the point of view of one of the main child characters. Nature in all her tooth and claw is explored in the book. The fox that the girls believe is leading them to the mother who abandoned them as babies is unaware of the girls in reality and ultimately they have to acknowledge that their mother and her reasons for leaving them will remain a mystery to them. It's a harsh lesson but the girls also see each other as the comfort that they already had, alongside their adoptive mother and family. The language is gorgeously rich yet accessible and the description of the wilderness vivid. It's a beautiful book.

Is there anything Katya Balen can't do? Yet another sensationally beautiful book from her that surely has to cement her as one of the greatest children's writers of this generation.

'Foxlight' is another miracle of a novel from Katya Balen which once again blazes with emotional truth.

Sisters Fen and Rey have grown up with other foundlings in The Light House, a children's home on the edge of the wildlands where they are cared for by Lissa. Unlike the other children, however, they have no story about the mother who abandoned them, only that Lissa found them as babies curled up with the foxes. Fierce Fen and quiet Rey feel this absence in different ways and one day they respond to the call of the wild and set out on an epic quest in search of their mother.

This is such a beautiful story on so many levels. Fen and Rey are both brilliantly real characters; Balen seems to understand the intense longing and anger that children can experience better than any other writer I've encountered, and this is perfectly expressed in Fen's narrative voice. The novel also understands the importance of stories to children, as Fen explains how "We build a mother from words and in the halfllight of the world under our covers she takes shape and might be real." This is really a coming-of-age story about losing one's illusions and discovering the truth, but the truth also has its own beauty, particularly the bond between the two sisters.

This is all coupled with some utterly exquisite writing about nature. Balen never sentimentalises the wild: it is "dangerous and scary and beautiful and complicated". Fen and Rey quickly learn the harsh realities of life in the great outdoors but it still holds an irresistible appeal. As in all the best children's books, food also plays a central role in the story and is lovingly described (I am now desperate to try tinned trifle which is "somehow both delicious and disgusting"!)

This is another must-read for older primary and younger secondary-aged readers - but is also a book that can be enjoyed by absolutely anyone, young or old. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and finished it in one sitting. I was totally caught up in the story of Rey and Fen and their quest to not only find out more about their family but also to discover their link to the illusive fox. The scenes were beautifully described and throughout I felt great empathy for both of the main characters. I can already think of several of my children who will be as invested in this as I was.

Wow. I think this might be the perfect book. The language is sublime, the narrator's voice is unique and searingly heartfelt, and the story is unexpected and beautiful. I wanted to spend an hour re-reading each line, but I had to keep turning the pages.

An enjoyable read about two sisters Fen and Rey who have always been told they were found curled up with foxes. When they see a fox at their foster home they see it as a sign and set off to find their mother. The story is about them trying to find themselves and their place in the world.

I thought this was a book for adults, but enjoyed it very much as such - so obviously a good one for both. I thought it was very sad, but happy too - I loved the warmth of their upbringing, but would have liked to know more about the houses and what had happened before.

Fen and Rey were found on the edge of the wilderness, curled up in a fox next. Living their childhoods at The Light House with other foundlings, they have no knowledge of who they are or where they came from. When a fox appears one night, they take it as a sign to go out into the wild and search for their roots.

Katya Balen writes with such description and feeling that you quickly get absorbed into the lives of her characters. She captures the atmosphere of the wild and nature and how it affects those who allow themselves to be guided by it.

This was a beautiful read and one I will be recommending to the children in my class.

Foxlight
By Katya Balen
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing

A beautifully written story of the sisterly bonds that tie us together through our life and the choices it gives.
Katya Balen has the skill to connect your imagination with her chosen words to take you on this ever changing journey alongside her characters.

Fen and Rey were found curled up in the safety of the foxes at the very edge of the wildlands. With no name and no message, the girls crave their mother and their identity. Fen is loud, determined and free. She feels a connection to the foxes and a calling from the wild. Rey is quiet, shy and loves nature. She reads about birds, plants, the earth and the world around her.
How can twin sisters be the same and so different? Separate and yet connected?

They will always have each other, even if they don't have a mother and they don't know their beginning. But the unknown eats away at them and they want answers. Who was their mother and where is she now?
Why did she give them up?

So it is the appearance of a fox that Fen and Rey see as a sign - to the truth, to their real family, to the beginning.
But the wildlands are dark, cruel and brutal and this journey is harder and more life changing than either of them ever imagined.

This heartbreaking yet heart-warming story about sisterhood, family and accepting love is both consuming and fulfilling. A MUST read for all of us - lovers of humans, nature and finding hope together.

Joanne Bardgett - teacher of littlies, lover of Children’s literature.
#Netgalley
#Bloomsbury

Katya Balen is such a gifted writer and with this story she sensitively explores belonging - the stories people know of themselves and where they come from. Balen’s description carries the book along at a pace as it is so easy to imagine the forest as the characters search for their mother. A beautiful book for children 9+ to read independently or a shared book which could allow for much discussion.

I have recently read “October, October”, the two books have similarities but are both wonderful in their own way.

The descriptions in “Foxlight” are lyrical and magical. The adventures come thick and fast and yet the beauty of the book is Fen finding herself. The life Fen and Rey have in their home feels very grey, not unhappy but hard, much like many orphanage stories I have read or Noel Streatfield books. “Foxlight” feels timeless but probably in the future when climate change has damaged the world. There is a bright future in the book, balance in nature and in the girl’s lives needs to be achieved. There is a magical element with regard to the fox. It should appeal to girls from the age of 10 to 13.

A story of the struggle of two sisters who want to find their true identity. The author portrays the struggle well and how the characters change as a result of their journey in to the wilds. Will they find what they’re looking for or is the truth something they already knew but couldn’t see clearly?

Foxlight almost defies description. A heartbreakingly beautiful story of wildness and nature, loss and belonging, sisters and what it means to be family - perfect!

Part modern fairytale, part nature adventure. This was beautiful and dreamlike, and strangely transcendent. I love the push-pull friendship between the twins, the way they complement and challenge each other. I thing this would especially appeal to people who loved Where the Crawdads Sing. Enjoyable and uplifting.

Two sisters live in a remote children's home with no knowledge of who their mother is. They are drawn to the wilderness around them, particularly foxes as they were found abandoned with fox cubs. After hearing news of "Wilders" that operated nearby trying to return wildlife to the land, and encouraged by the appearance of a fox to lead them, the two girls set out on a journey to try to find their mother. They experience the full force of nature and discover things about themselves that will be life changing.

Both warm and harsh in tone, the rich, lyrical language perfectly evokes the vivid characters and the strong sense of setting.. The unusual, slightly surreal feel keeps the reader intrigued throughout and totally invested in the experiences and feelings of the two girls and the mystery around the story they have imagined for themselves. The importance of family bonds and the relationship between humans and nature are beautifully realised. A subtle, emotive story that will leave you both uplifted but also emotionally up in the air. Very good for those wanting something different or a challenge

Katya Balen’s writing is beautiful and she does not disappoint with ‘Foxlight’. Fen and Rey are sisters who were abandoned as infants. When a fox appears near their foster home, they feel an affinity with the creature and decide to follow it into the ‘wild lands’ to find out more about their past, and their mother. The author describes the beauty and austerity of the wild lands wonderfully. The relationship between the sisters is vividly and heartbreakingly brought to life, as is the warmth and chaos of their foster home. An excellent book which I will certainly recommend to our young readers.

Foxlight by Katya Balen is like a poem, intense and lyrical. Sisters Fen and Rey live in the sanctuary of The Light House, sharing stories of the mother who they believe left them in the care of wild foxes. When a fox breaks into the grounds, disturbing the life they know - the noise and swirl of the other children in the home, the distracted love of their carer - they decide to follow it into the wildlands in search of their mother. But surviving in the wildlands is harder than they imagine, and Fen is soon full of despair and hunger-fuelled anger. They follow a trail of empty houses, finding new clues and tantalising evidence that their mother once existed but is here no more. They accept this loss at last and return home full of knowledge and hope - the wildlands are full of life again. I loved the richness of the writing - the wildness in the girls' hearts and in the recovering landscape. So much is left unsaid and explained, leaving the reader to imagine so much - beautiful! A real masterclass and one I'll be recommending to my students.

I have adored everything that Katya Balen has released over the past few years and this is no exception. Here, we follow twins - Fen and Rey - as they follow a fox into the wild, believing it will lead them to the mother that abandoned them as babies. Katya writes so beautifully about the wildness both in people and in nature, especially children who feel they have a wildness or otherness inside them and who are trying to understand it. It's so difficult to put into words how deeply her prose in rooted in the natural world! The characters here, as in her other books, are so full, even the minor characters who appear briefly on a few pages. Balen is an extraordinary talent and Foxlight is another example of this.
I can't wait to share it with fellow educators and the children in my school, who I know will love it as much as I did. 4.5 rounded up.

An absolutely stunning, beautifully penned novel. Fen and Rey have been adopted, after being found curled up with a fox as two babies. This is their story... but they need to know more. I love how Lissa, who adopted them, is portrayed - the family she has created is a loving, kind and caring one.
Balen's poetic prose immerses the readers in the wildlands as Fen and Rey run away to search for the answers they so desparately need.
At it's heart this is a story of searching for meaning and belonging, a story that will stay with me for a long time. Beautiful.

An enjoyable read about sibling love and finding where you belong. Fen and Rey were easy-to-like, well-written characters and Fen's narration told the story well. The settings were described well, allowing the reader to see the story.