The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest

Series: Standalone

Author: Aubrey Hartman

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Animals

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review:

Clare is the undead fox of Deadwood Forest. Here, leaves grow in a perpetual state of fall: not quite dead, but not quite alive—just like Clare. Long ago, he was struck by a car, and, hovering between life and death, he was given the choice to either cross into the Afterlife or become an Usher of wandering souls. Clare chose the latter: a solitary life of guiding souls to their final resting place.

Clare’s quiet and predictable days are met with upheaval when a badger soul named Gingersnipes knocks on his door. Despite Clare’s efforts to usher her into the Afterlife, the badger is unable to leave Deadwood. This is unprecedented. Baffling. A disturbing mystery which threatens the delicate balance between the living and the dead.

Desperate for help, Clare and Gingersnipes set out on a treacherous journey to find Hesterfowl—the visionary grouse who recently foretold of turmoil in Deadwood. But upon their arrival, Hesterfowl divulges a shocking revelation that leaves Clare devastated, outraged, and determined to do anything to change his fate.

This delightfully grim tale is a heartwarming exploration of moving on, perfect for fans of Kate DiCamillo and Tim Burton. -summary from Goodreads

The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest was a lovely, nostalgic, emotional read!

This book follows Clare, an Usher to the afterlife, who lives in the Deadwood Forest and guides lost animal spirits to the parts of the afterlife they belong in.

I actually really enjoyed this part of the story. There are four sections of the afterlife: Pain, Progress, Peace, and Pleasure. Pain is for the animals that enjoy pain and like fighting and discord. Progress is for the animals that derive peace from hard work and accomplishing tasks. Peace is for the animals that like rest and peace. Pleasure is for the animal who like fun. I thought this was such an intriguing concept and one I thoroughly enjoyed. Clare helps the animals that don’t quite know where they belong and guides them to where they do.

I really enjoyed Clare. He had such a deep, rich character. Clare was very sweet and kind, as well as strict and hurting- for a variety of reasons. Through his character, deep topics and concepts were explored. Being unwanted and abandoned was explored, and finding your worth. This was a very meaningful storyline, and one I really enjoyed. Clare’s backstory was incredibly sad- just to warn you.

There was also Gingersnipes, who was a fun character and a perfect match for Clare. Gingersnipes was a much more open character than Clare. She also had a rough backstory, though not as rough as Clare’s, and I really liked her. I am looking forward to reading her perspective in the future.

I liked the other characters as well. I really liked Hesterfowl; I thought she was dramatic and a lot of fun. I think there is more to her story, and I hope I get to see it one day. I enjoyed Nine in the beginning, but by the end I really didn’t enjoy him- he was kind of sleezy.

I loved the narrator. They had a presence throughout the story, that I really enjoyed. I love a good outside perspective and when the narrator interacts with the reader.

This book was extraordinarily nostalgic for me. It felt like the old books that follow forest animals I read when I was younger. It was cozy and emotional, and explored complex concepts in understandable ways.

I wished we knew what happened to Clare. The ending was ambiguous, and you knew that whatever happened he was happy, but I still wanted to know. I also felt like there was shift in the story, that could have been explained a little better. It didn’t make the story worse, but it was something I noticed.

This book was sad, but it also had a peaceful ending.

The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, is a beautiful, nostalgic, emotional story following a lonely fox as he Ushers souls into the afterlife and one soul won’t go.