The Mist Children 

by E.C. Hibbs 

5 out of 5 

Synopsis 

When power rises, so does the truth...

The Sun Spirit has risen again and the Northlands are slowly stirring from their slumber. The snow still lies thick, but life moves on, and the villages prepare their reindeer for the long migration to the coast.

However, when Tuomas returns from the World Above, he knows something is wrong. The young people are falling ill with a mysterious sickness, the mages are unable to connect with the Spirits, and there are whispers of a strange little boy haunting the lakes. Although struggling to come to terms with his own power, Tuomas once again joins forces with Lilja and Elin to face an evil which has waited for him for centuries.

But high in the sky, the Spirit of the Lights is watching, and she sees more than any human can...

Review 

Tuomas' people are being plagued by a dangerous mist and mysterious illness. Tuomas has to uncover what is behind it, before he loses those he loves.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tuomas has discovered that he is the reincarnation of the Great Mage - the Son of the Sun.

He "briefly" visits the World Above with his sister, to experience the spirit world he originated from. Whilst there, he notices an unnatural fog rolling in, and his sister tries to keep him away from the danger.

Tuomas goes back to his human body in the World Between, to find a whole month has passed. They decide to take a different migration route, to try and avoid the fog and the danger lurking behind it.

On route, a lot of the kids and young people become ill; but it is not a normal illness. Tuomas is charged to seek out Lilja once more, and discover the cause of this plague, before everyone dies.

I really enjoyed this story. It builds on the first book, and has the same strong story-telling background, but also adds some quite spooky scenes, with the dead boy in the fog haunting everyone's dreams.

I thought the author did a great job of portraying the helplessness in the face of something like illness and death. Will the help of Lilja and the spirits, Tuomas manages to approach everything with a resilient hope.

For a Young Adult book, it really respects its readers. I did wonder at one point if there would be a fluffy ending - this still would have been enjoyable, but I'm kinda glad the author went for a darker and more realistic outcome. I'm not going to expand any further, because I don't want to spoil it.

I also liked following Tuomas' story. He's a young man, still only 15 years old; but everyone only sees him as the Son of the Sun.

In a reflection of the World Above where spirits don't have names, Tuomas feels like he's losing his identity. He grew up with the villagers, and has known them all his life; but suddenly they fear him, and only see the spirit in him.

His unannounced little trip to the World Above has managed to alienate the people closest to him, and you feel sorry for Tuomas, that all his attempts at fixing things and getting them back to how they were before, just don't work.

I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to the final part of the trilogy.

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