Ravenous

by MarcyKate Connolly

Overview

For fans of tales by the Brothers Grimm, this novel, inspired by the fairytale "Hansel and Gretel," is a riveting and wholly original story of an epic quest and a heroine who will stop at nothing to save the one she loves most. A companion to the author's Monstrous, it will be enjoyed by fans of that book as well as readers who are new to this fully imagined and rich world. Also includes a bonus story, Precious, a prequel to both Monstrous and Ravenous.

A witch has come to the city of Bryre. She travels in a hut that has chicken feet, and she's ravenous for children.

When the witch captures Hans, Greta's little brother, Greta refuses to let her have him. The two strike up a bargain. Greta will retrieve something the witch desires in exchange for her brother's freedom.To get the prize Greta must travel to Belladoma—a city where she was once held captive. With the help of a new friend, Dalen, a magical half-boy and half-horse, Greta embarks on the journey and tries to overcome both foes and her own weaknesses.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062272768
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/17/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	421
Lexile:	730L (what's this?)
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	1 - 12 Years

About the Author

MarcyKate Connolly is a writer and arts administrator living in New England with her husband and pugs. She's a coffee addict and voracious reader. This is her first novel.

Editorial Reviews

A fantastical adventure fortified by its flawed heroine.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Within this creative realm, Connolly compassionately explores human emotions as Greta grapples with a newly discovered lineage. A welcome return to a complex land of fantasy and friendship.” — Booklist

“Even with her flaws, her fierce dedication to her brother is admirable, and her slow transformation into a more accepting, open person is all the more satisfying given her earlier closed views.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

PRAISE FOR MONSTROUS: “This is a dazzling and unique once-upon-a-time about a girl who is part dragon, part bird, part cat, all hero.” — —Natalie Lloyd, author of A Snicker of Magic

PRAISE FOR MONSTROUS: “Kym’s bravery shines, as she fights against the menacing forces in Bryre and also struggles to figure out where she, a self-described monster of a girl, belongs. This remarkable, absorbing debut will enchant readers.” — —Rebecca Behrens, author of When Audrey Met Alice

PRAISE FOR MONSTROUS: “Pays tribute to classic fairy tales while turning the tradition on its head. A smart, ambitious adventure, led by a heroine whose differences only enhance her humanity.” — —Emma Trevayne, author of Flights and Chimes and Mysterious Times

PRAISE FOR MONSTROUS: “A likely read-aloud that has its share of guts, blood, and grim reality within this fantasy land, Monstrous will keep young readers thinking about trust, good and evil, friendship and loyalty, and devotion to community.” — Booklist

PRAISE FOR MONSTROUS: “Magic, fantastic creatures, mythology, and a bit of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein combine here for an exciting…tale.” — School Library Journal

PRAISE FOR MONSTROUS: “Connolly invokes fairy-tale elements with ease, and... the formidable theme of sacrifice resonates far beyond the final page.” — Publishers Weekly

“Fans of the first installment will seek out this adventure-filled fairy tale” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Even with her flaws, her fierce dedication to her brother is admirable, and her slow transformation into a more accepting, open person is all the more satisfying given her earlier closed views.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

PRAISE FOR MONSTROUS: “Pays tribute to classic fairy tales while turning the tradition on its head. A smart, ambitious adventure, led by a heroine whose differences only enhance her humanity.

Emma Trevayne

PRAISE FOR MONSTROUS: “This is a dazzling and unique once-upon-a-time about a girl who is part dragon, part bird, part cat, all hero.

Natalie Lloyd

Within this creative realm, Connolly compassionately explores human emotions as Greta grapples with a newly discovered lineage. A welcome return to a complex land of fantasy and friendship.

Booklist

PRAISE FOR MONSTROUS: “Kym’s bravery shines, as she fights against the menacing forces in Bryre and also struggles to figure out where she, a self-described monster of a girl, belongs. This remarkable, absorbing debut will enchant readers.

Rebecca Behrens

Within this creative realm, Connolly compassionately explores human emotions as Greta grapples with a newly discovered lineage. A welcome return to a complex land of fantasy and friendship.

Booklist

Even with her flaws, her fierce dedication to her brother is admirable, and her slow transformation into a more accepting, open person is all the more satisfying given her earlier closed views.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

03/01/2016
Gr 5–8—Greta was among Bryre's stolen girls, sent to neighboring Belladoma to appease the perpetually ravenous sea monster called Sonzeeki, first introduced in Monstrous (HarperCollins, 2015). Though Belladoma's greedy king was defeated as soon as evil wizard Barnabas fell, mercenaries have taken over and are using magic for equally avaricious and malicious purposes. The people of the seaside city are still starving, which is why Bryne's good King Oliver plans to send aid to Belladoma, much to Greta's dismay. Greta decides that she and her brother Hans should leave Bryre. But before they can go, Hans disappears, snatched by a beautiful but wicked witch who resides in a feathered cottage that travels on long, clawed chicken legs. To save her brother, Greta steals the map that holds the key to find the cornucopia, an ancient magical item that, as the witch and Greta learn, the mercenaries seek. When Greta is again jailed in Belladoma, miserable memories of her time there flood back, but it is the start of the adventure that allows her to thwart greed, use magic wisely, and uncover the truth about Belladoma and her own family. Her actions also start recovery for the dying city and its newly discovered royal lineage. Greta narrates the story in present tense so that readers make realizations as Greta does. Elements of folktales—Baba Yaga's house and a well-known sibling pair—are evident throughout. While it is not critical to read the first book, it certainly clarifies the relationship among characters and the use of magic. VERDICT Fans of the first installment will seek out this adventure-filled fairy tale.—Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia Public Library

School Library Journal

2015-11-03
Greta—one of the girls sold to Belladoma as fodder for the sea monster who threatens monthly floods in Monstrous (2015)—makes a dangerous deal with a witch to save her brother. Greta's dismayed that King Oliver wants to aid the devastated Belladoma after Monstrous. Still reeling from her trauma, she can't forgive Belladoma for using Bryre's girls as sacrifices. When her last relative, her brother Hans, goes missing, she begs the king for help—but, as she has concealed Hans' existence to keep him from an orphanage, the king thinks it's a ploy to prevent them from helping Belladoma. Hurt they've called her a liar, Greta leaves to save Hans and finds his captor, a Baba Yaga-like witch who eats children and has a house on chicken legs. They strike a deal: if Greta retrieves a long-lost magical cornucopia, the siblings go free; otherwise, they're on the witch's menu. Greta's quest brings her to a village of centaurs and other hybrids, up against mercenaries, and to Belladoma, where her assumptions about its people's callousness are challenged while she works through her trauma. Connolly does an admirable job ensuring each detail introduced eventually serves the plot. Greta tackles issues of compassion and loyalty with the courage and wits she fights with, and the fairy-tale ending will leave readers happy. The finished book will include a prequel novella. A fantastical adventure fortified by its flawed heroine. (Fantasy. 8-14)

Kirkus Reviews