Title: The Silver Road

Written by: Sinéad O’Hart

Cover art by: Manuel Sumberac

Published by: Piccadilly Press (an Imprint of Bonnier Books)

I have always enjoyed the Celtic myths and legends and so when I read the description of The Silver Road – a middle grade inspired by Irish folktales – I knew I had to read it and what a fantastic read it was. This exhilarating, action-packed magical quest with themes of believing in yourself, dealing with grief and finding your place in the world, will have you on the edge of your seats. I particularly liked the intricacies of the plot and how they linked together modern Ireland with Irish mythology and legends.

Rosaleen Darke has started at the local Grammar School as she was awarded a scholarship but is bullied by Emer McGuire and her gang. On top of that she is grieving the loss of her Mamó (grandmother). After a particularly bad day, Rose is unable to sleep and looks out of her window to discover it is hailing. She goes outside to investigate and the hail forms itself into a Frost Giant who gives her the tathlum, a magical red stone that contains the power to do great good, or great evil depending on who wields it.

The next morning Rose shows the stone to what she feels are her only friends since starting at Carriganawn Grammar School – two elderly shopkeepers called Nellie and Gracie and their not-cat, Catshee. They explain she has been chosen as a Guardian to protect Ireland from an ancient evil that is awakening and they open her eyes to a world of mystical magic. Rose is plunged into an exciting adventure where she discovers the Silver Road and how it casts a protective net over Ireland and sees for herself how it is in danger of disappearing due to excessive land development where her father works for Emer’s dad.

The ensuing battle of good versus evil is reminiscent of the battle in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe where instead of animals – an army of spirits, a warrior queen, a wolf-warrior and his pack and an Irish elk join forces to defeat the evil witch, Cethlenn, and her giants from resurrecting her husband Balor who plans to incinerate Ireland and the rest of the world.

Through their courage and determination Rose and Emer manage to work through their differences to join the battle to defeat Balor. They also help their fathers to become more environmentally aware.

There was a brilliant addition by the author of information at the beginning and end of the book outlining the background of the legendary characters and pointing out which ones were from mythology and which were from her amazingly inventive imagination. I found this fascinating.

Ideal for middle-grade who love fantasy based on real legends.

You can buy copies of The Silver Road by Sinéad O’Hart from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org, an organisation which supports a wide range of independent bookstores.

I would like to thank Piccadilly Press and NetGalley for organising a copy of this book for me. Thank you.