Petrichor – Melanie Rees

I received a free e-book copy of ‘Petrichor’ by Melanie Rees from Hague Publishing in return for my honest review. This was an ARC copy as the YA book is due to be released 15^th October 2021.

The main character is Clayton, a teenage boy who has recently lost his older brother, whose aim is to make his dad happy again. To achieve this Clayton decides he needs to help their farm survive the drought they are currently facing.

He is approached by ‘Waringa’ a fox spirit. ‘Waringa’ tries to guide Clayton on how to defeat the ‘Red King’, to free the ‘rain spirits’ and bring an end to the drought. What follows are several battles which Clayton must triumph to defeat the ‘Red King’.

As much as this book is about Claytons adventures in his battles, it is largely about the grief the family is trying to deal with. I found reading some parts heart breaking as I can only imagine how families would struggle in this way if they were to suffer a loss like this. I really felt for Clayton, and I was nearly in tears at some points.

Hague Publishing will be donating 15% revenue from the sales of ‘Petrichor’ to the charities Rural Aid and Beyond Blue. Both are amazing Australian charities; Rural Aid support farmers suffering with the issues of drought, flood and fire; and Beyond Blue which is a mental health charity.

Overall, I think this is a very beautifully written book about grief and the love a family can have for each other. It delivers a strong message to talk about your grief with the ones you love.

Rating:

💜💜💜💜 (Out of 5)