Seventh-grader Eren Evers is most at home riding her bike in the woods. She’s always felt “weird,” and doesn’t understand her two best friends’ obsession with crushes and the upcoming school dance, although she does agree to go with classmate Alex Ruiz in order to be part of her friends’ planned triple date.
Before the dance, however, Eren saves an injured bird in the woods—a bird who has magical powers. The bird, Prince Oriti-ti, explains that the birds (a nongendered, egalitarian society) are fighting against an ancient foe, the vile Frostfangs, who prey on people’s doubts. They want Eren to be their champion. Only by developing self-knowledge and the confidence to dispel self-doubt can anyone defeat the Frostfangs. It’s an obvious message, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Eren is full of doubts about herself, but begins training with the birds, who have confidence in her. The Frostfangs influence grows stronger, however, and their insidious whispers of doubt begin to impact not only Eren’s single mother, but also other adults in the town as well as the young people.
Eventually, Alex gets pulled in to help against the Frostfangs, too. When Eren meets Alex’s older sister, who is asexual and panromantic, this helps Eren to realize there is a name for what she (Eren) has been feeling: aromantic. But can she find the confidence to share this with her friends, even when the whole world is at stake?
It feels perhaps a little too convenient that Alex’s sister also has an ace/aro identity and can be a mentor to Eren, but since ace/aro representation has often been in short supply, I’m not really going to complain. Author Jenn Reese also thoughtfully shows the breadth of ace/aro identities by not placing the two characters at the same point on the ace/aro spectrum. Additionally, a different character turns out to be a bisexual boy, another rare but needed piece of representation.
The story reads like a modern-day fable, with plenty of charm and whimsy. Oriti-ti and fellow princes all have names that sound like bird calls (such as Prince Pipidee and Prince Kekeechi), and each has a distinct and often humorous personality. An epic battle at the end provides a satisfyingly exciting conclusion. The real strength of the book, however, is Reese’s careful exploration of Eren’s interior thoughts—the doubts, fears, and insecurities that come with being a tween but that can also take on particular urgency for LGBTQIA youth and make it feel like the world is indeed at stake. As Reese shows, too, even adults are not immune from such feelings. These emotions can be overcome, however, especially with supportive friends and mentors—and it might even be young people who are leading the charge.
Eren and her mother are White; Alex and his family are Latinx.
