Book Review :: Wolf Light, by Yaba Badoe

Wolf Light by Yaba Badoe
ISBN: 1786695510
Published by HarperCollins
on 2019-03-01
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 320
Source: HarperCollins NZ
Find at Harper Collins NZ
Goodreads

Born in wolf light, the magical dusk, in Mongolia, Ghana and Cornwall, Zula, Adoma and Linet are custodians of the sacred sites of their homelands. Yaba's debut novel A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars was shortlisted for the 2018 Branford Boase Award and nominated for the 2019 Carnegie Medal.

When copper miners plunder Zula's desert home in Gobi Altai, and Adoma's forest and river are polluted by gold prospectors, it is only a matter of time before the lake Linet guards with her life is also in jeopardy. How far will Zula, Adoma and Linet go to defend the well-being of their homes? And when all else fails, will they have the courage to summon the ancient power of their order, to make the landscape speak in a way that everyone will hear?

Rich in elemental magic, myth and the mysterious magical dusk, Wolf Light is Yaba Badoe's defiant call to protect our environment, to conserve our heritage and to hear the ancient power that connects us.

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My thoughts on Wolf Light

Where to begin. This is a hard review for to me write, as many 1 – 1.5 star rated books are. I wanted to love it, I was ready for some kick-butt girls saving the planet with magic, and in a sense, I guess it was that, but it was not the ‘that’ that I was expecting. 

Top marks for the idea; I really like the concept that three girls linked by myth and magic across the world are taking on the man and conserving and preserving their world. I think that’s so cool and what a great message for us. However! The execution just wasn’t for me. Badoe’s writing style was almost stories-around-the-camp-fire in its portrayal of the plot, and while I do love the occasional book like this (Stepsister had that wonderful fairy-tale feel to it), I just couldn’t get into it in Wolf Light. 

The three girls all came from different countries, different backgrounds, different cultures. The contrast throughout the story was really evident as we moved from Mongolia, to Ghana, to England. I was especially excited when I saw that one of the girls was from Mongolia – very few stories that I’ve read mention the country let alone set it as the homeland of a main character. The descriptions of the land and the cultural aspects were pretty good, but my main qualm was in the name ‘Zula’. Zula is the girl from Mongolia, but as soon as I read it I thought ‘well, that doesn’t sound very Mongolian’. After a quick Google, all the baby name sites I went to had African nations as the name’s origin. 

So unfortunately this was not the book for me. But that doesn’t mean it’s not for you! If you like fables and myths, magic and cross-continent mystical travel, and a good moral, then pick up Wolf Light and see what you think! Then come on back here and let me know what you thought of it. 

Have you read Wolf Light already? What did you think?