THE FOREST YET TO COME

Two siblings with mysterious origins fall under the spell of trickster Reynard in this trilogy closer.

Ever since Sally and her brother, Faolan, emerged from the Forest and entered the Land 10 years ago, the homesteaders who took them in have called Faolan “wolf-boy.” Sensitive to change and uncomfortable with eye contact, Faolan is prone to meltdowns; Sally, believing he’s just doing whatever he wants, resents having to care for him. The homestead is barricaded against wolves, and strangers don’t enter—until Reynard, in human form, arrives. Sally doesn’t remember where she and Faolan came from, and the manipulative fox promises to tell her in exchange for information about the "shapes," benevolent figures who help the homestead prosper. As Reynard commands the shapes to do his bidding and sends the homestead into chaos, Faolan’s visits to Reynard make him a scapegoat, and the homestead Elders exile the siblings. But when Faolan runs away with a wolf pack, Sally must ally with Reynard to find him. Third-person chapters alternate between Sally’s and Faolan’s perspectives, effectively demonstrating Faolan’s loneliness and Sally’s misunderstanding of Faolan’s cued neurodivergence. Helpfully, Reynard’s stories recap the events of the previous books, and Tromop’s black-and-white illustrations effectively convey the rural atmosphere and characters’ emotions. Unfortunately, this tale feels somewhat muddled toward the end: A late twist abruptly introduces an abstract concept, and Sally’s resentment of Faolan isn’t squarely addressed. Most characters present white.

Thought-provoking.