Interesting ideas here regarding the balance between protecting yourself and degrees of responsibility. Not to mention the undertones of the nature of narrative and perspective. These ideas are not fully formed or explored in the text and with the sort of meandering nature of the plot it may not land with a middle grade audience.

Lifeling takes a gentle look into what is a life worth. Lonny is a Lifeling and can bring animals back from death, but there is a cost. The story is lovely.

It took me a couple of tries to get into this unusual story, but once I did I was hooked. Set on the outskirts of a small, clearly English town called Farstoke, Lifeling Lonny can bring animals and people back from the brink of death - at the cost of his own years.

Lonny feels trapped in his own home, forbidden to leave by his Father, who just wants to protect him. Consoling himself with pictures of his mother and her travels around the world before she died in childbirth, he resents his brother Midge.

Midge is small, quiet, nimble, able to work the watches his father makes - unlike Lonny, who feels too big and cumbersome in his own skin, which I'm now realising may come from being a 12 year old boy trapped in and older body.

I saw the ending coming but oh, it was still heartbreaking. It was nice to see Lonny finally meet the residents of the town of Farstoke, and discover that not everyone is bad, just complex. And it was especially nice to see him finally connect with his little brother. This book is beautiful.

This story was incredibly written and such an amazing and thought provoking book. Imagine if you had the ability to stop someone or something from dying. Would you do it? What if it cost you time off your own life? Would you still do it? This amazing book gives us the story of a young boy who makes those decisions. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it!

3.5 stars. Sweet and simple story with fun characters, a folklore-ish kind of tone, and a thought provoking concept. I wasn't crazy about the ending but I enjoyed the ride to get there. Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a Lifeling, Lonny has the power to bring things back from the dead.. In order to keep his secret safe, Lonny and his family (brother, father, and grandfather) live in a secluded house away from the village of Farstoke. When circumstances force Lonny to seek assistance from the very people he has hidden from his entire life, Lonny realizes that even good people do bad things sometimes when the life of a loved one hangs in the balance.

I read this book in two sittings because I couldn't wait to see what happened next. The author did a great job detailing Lonny's struggles and his longing for information about his deceased mother. I had a pretty strong feeling about how the story was going to end, but I enjoyed the journey to get there. Highly recommend!

What a magical journey we take when we find out Lonny is a Lifeling and can save something or someone when he gets a buzzing. The only thing is when he does save something, it takes a few days or even a week of his life, “give a bit of life, lose a bit of life.” When Lonny and his brother Midge go into the forbidden town to earn money for food, they find town is not as bad as they were told. Town is getting ready to have a Lifeling festival to give thanks so one day if they need a Lifeling they might appear. Something happens in town and Lonny is forced to make a decision. If he saves something, people will find out he is a Lifeling and his dad has told him tell no one. Does he make the save?