Common Sense Media Review
By Michael Berry
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Satisfying end to highly original, whimsical fantasy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Zita, the May Queen, unwisely conducts a seance that awakens the Verdant Empress, a malevolent spirit that mourns for her long-lost son. Elsewhere in Wildwood, a group of "unadoptable" orphans joins up with a collective of saboteurs to rescue their friends held captive somewhere in an industrial wasteland. And fate brings two old friends closer together as they struggle to protect a blind old man and a bear with prosthetic hooks for hands, the only two who might be able to reanimate a mechanical toy prince.
Is It Any Good?
After stumbling a bit in Under Wildwood, the second volume, The Wildwood Chronicles rights itself and arrives at a satisfying conclusion. Favorite characters return and are displayed in a new light. New threats appear, and the large cast of good guys must be extra-clever in defeating them. Colin Meloy's lively prose and Carson Ellis' evocative illustrations bring the fantastical forest to abundant life. WILDWOOD IMPERIUM is a fitting end to a highly original fantasy trilogy.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how individuals from different cultures can work together to create a community. Have you seen this happen in your life?
How does this third volume compare with the others in the series?
What makes a good leader? What skills must he or she have to organize and maintain a healthy society?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Carson Ellis
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Adventures , Animals ( Wild Animals ) , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Fantasy ( Magic ) , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Balzer + Bray
- Publication date : February 4, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 17
- Number of pages : 592
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : December 4, 2025
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