Common Sense Media Review
By Lucinda Dyer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Girl rights a wrong in brilliantly told adventure fantasy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
A girl named Feather lives in a small isolated community in danger of being swallowed up by THE FOREST OF A THOUSAND EYES. Built into an ancient and crumbling Wall, Greyman's Gate is surrounded by a Forest filled with giant eagles, man-sized lizards, poisonous pollen, snakes, and vipers. When a Stranger named Merildun tricks Feather into stealing her community's most precious possession (a spyglass that allows them to see danger coming), she knows she has to make things right. Afraid she'll be labeled a traitor and a thief, Feather decides her only option is to track down Meriden and get the spyglass back. So Feather, along with a small scaled ferret named Sleek, sets out on a sometimes frightening journey into the unknown. As they travel along the Wall, she and Sleek encounter people and communities Feather never knew existed. At the Last Bastion, they've built large wooden monuments to their dead, the people living in the Armory have a store of rusted and broken weapons, those living in the Curve have tamed fruit bats to bring back plums and berries, at Hale Keep they use zip lines between their wooden towers, and at Prospect they have hanging gardens. As the remains of the Wall run out, Feather and Sleek find themselves deep in the Forest and running for their lives. Then there's one last chance to catch Merildun.
Is It Any Good?
While this brilliantly-told story is brief (just 120 pages), it packs a solid message about taking responsibility for your actions into a thrilling adventure tale. Feather may live in a dystopian world in The Forest of a Thousand Eyes, but her life is still relatable to young readers. She's known as a girl who "gets ideas" and, like so many bold dreamers, this often sets her apart. Feather discovers even the best intentions can sometimes go terribly wrong, that you can be braver than you ever imagined, and there are important lessons to be learned from people who are not at all like you.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the choice Feather made in The Forest of a Thousand Eyes to tell the truth about why she left Greyman's Gate. What's the most important lesson you learned after owning up to making a big mistake?
Feather never gives up trying to find Merildun and get back her community's precious spyglass. When have you showed real perseverance trying to achieve a goal or a dream?
How important are illustrations to a fantasy novel? Do you want to see the authors and illustrators visions for the characters and places or do you want to imagine for yourself how they look?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Emily Gravett
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Dystopia , Fantasy
- Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Amulet Books
- Publication date : August 26, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 10 - 14
- Number of pages : 120
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 25, 2025
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