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"Heartstopping prequel to When the Sky Falls."
June 2025 Book of the Month
One always has a frisson of anxiety when about to embark on a sequel, or in this case prequel, to a much loved and admired book. Will this live up to the excellent When the Sky Falls? But really, I was foolish to worry! With Phil Earle you are in very safe hands, and I have to say he has absolutely excelled himself with this powerful, evocative historical adventure.
The opening chapter is a masterclass in how to hook a reader; we are deep in the jungle, with ruthless hunters wanting to capture a gorilla and then horrified by the heartbreaking failure of the silverback, who died trying to rescue what we realise later must have been his mate. Then we are immediately immersed into the grim London Docklands in the early 1900’s, the destination for the gorilla, who is a rare and exotic animal with a large price tag.
We also begin to meet the human characters who will be indelibly ingrained in our minds and weave their way into our hearts. Goliath Deeds is a magnificently terrible villain who has plans to rival Charles Jamrach (an actual historical figure) as a purveyor of exotic animals. We also meet Toff Squabble, an orphan taken from the workhouse by Deeds, who claims to be his uncle.
We are not sure what side Toff is on at first. Is he a villain too? Then we meet Nettie and her veterinarian father somewhat unwillingly dragged by Toff to attend a very abused and neglected gorilla giving birth.
Nettie is a wonderful, brave, indomitable character who will not contemplate any animal suffering, and she is still grieving for her mother and baby brother who did not survive childbirth. This adds such a poignant element to what turns into a perilous pursuit of Nettie and Toff and the baby gorilla they are trying to save, Toff has definitely joined the right side by this point, with Nettie’s compassion and bravery bringing out the best in him. It is almost unbearably tense as the peril seems very real for them all.
This is a magnificent, well researched and entirely immersive, can’t-put-it-down reading experience, with a deft weaving of character’s back story with fast paced action. There are some challenging themes of loss, grief, abuse, greed, oppression and death that are ripe for discussion, so this would make a wonderful class read, as well as one that will be passed from reader to reader.
We can only conclude that it is no wonder that Adonis captured our heart in When the Sky Falls when his life had such a shattering start. Simply brilliant!
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A tale of loyalty, loss, betrayal, and rebirth. It is 1911 and London's docks thrum with underhand deals, none so great as the arrival of a valuable, rare and exotic animal, smuggled from the depths of the Congolese rainforest.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed The Dawn of Adonis and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
The Dawn of Adonis features in the following genres: Featured Books for 9+ readers, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Books of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Adventure Stories, Historical Fiction, Animal Stories, The Natural World, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Apes, monkeys and lemurs, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Military and war fiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Large land mammals, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Mammals, Children’s / Teenage: General interest
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
The Dawn of Adonis was written by Phil Earle and published by Andersen Press an imprint of Andersen Press Ltd
The Dawn of Adonis has 231 pages
Yes it is part of Bestselling Adventure Stories series
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
