I really wanted to like this book. Going in blind, the preface was intriguing, but beyond that, it took a while to warm up to the main character. Ary was whiny and her portrayal was inconsistent. The pacing was off, feeling rushed at times, and then seemed to drag on. While the characters did start to grow on me, I found many instances where plot points contradicted themselves. Early on in the adventure, Ary notes that earwigs and newts were allies, often attacking together. Then a few chapters later, she describes her surprise that they are working together when her group is attacked by earwigs and newts. Several times the book made mention of the alliance between various inhabitants. The many contradictions were confusing and distracting, making it difficult to appreciate the story. I also felt the tone was a bit in the face and preachy. Much of the dialogue was repetitive, yet contradictory. Again, while I thought the premise was interesting, I think it fell short on delivery. I would potentially consider adding this to the collection if there was room in the budget. I would prioritize other titles.

Canary Mossheart is the granddaughter of the chosen one, but whatever it is that made her grandmother special isn't present in her. Ary is just an ordinary fairy, grieving her father, worried she's going to lose her mother as well, while she watches her world succumb to rot. Years ago, her grandmother failed--she struck out on a mission to save Terra and came back without the rest of her party. Still, though, gran is a hero, and Ary is just... scared. Especially once she leaves Terra. Especially once she discovers that their problems are much bigger than any of them knew. Especially once she discovers that her gran did, in fact, know just how bad things were and hid it from the rest of the fairies.
The cast of characters is delightful--there's Owl, the orphan boy she grew up with who's annoyingly obsessed with Ary's gran; Shrimp, the gentle pill bug who Ary befriends early in her journey; Sootflank, the cranky old newt; and others who are each as wonderful as the next.

The Mossheart's Promise is a beautiful reminder that we don't need to be heroes; we just need to be ourselves.

The Mossheart’s Promise is a unique, heartfelt fantasy that spelunks through sensitive topics such as generational burdens, environmentalism, and families coping with PTSD with compassion and honesty. Courage, kindness, and forgiveness are championed. Mix heralds the quiet strength of a gentle spirit and the bravery it takes to love someone even when they act decidedly unloveable. The characters are diverse and multifaceted, and you find yourself deeply invested in every one of them. Her writing style is simple, but perfectly suited for the youth, innocence, and maturity of our brave little Ary. Though the on-page violence, language, and sexual content is minimal to none, there is sexuality and LGBTQIA+ content. As well, there is a heaviness to some of the themes that might not be helpful for sensitive younger readers to dwell on. Terra’s impending doom, the uncaring, callous cruelty that prowls after our young heroes, and the introduction to sexual preferences and lesbian relationships gives me pause in recommending this to younger, middle-grade readers. Mix crafts a sweet, emotionally complex story that will grip older readers and make younger readers with more difficult backgrounds feel seen and believed in. The Mossheart’s Promise reminds us that forgiveness is its own kind of bravery, but for younger readers, there are brighter roads to that same truth that aren't quite so full of oppressive gloom.

likes
i loved loved loved the world building. would it be weird to say i enjoyed the visions of rot and mushrooms? it created an eerie but middle grade appropriate atmosphere. i absolutely loved the little (but big) world Mix created in the terrarium.

the found family is so beautiful and it so easy to love all of the characters.

writing about undoing trauma and learning to forgive in a way in which a middle grader could get it but an adult could understand it in a much deeper way is amazing.

dislikes
it felt a bit rushed towards the end. pacing was slightly off but not off enough to put me off of the book entirely. sometimes i scratched my
head at certain very small plot holes.


Disclaimer: I was provided this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Mossheart’s Promise (TMP) is an atmospheric, eery, story featuring a young fairy, Ary, who just wants to save her mom but gets pulled into something much, much larger that was left unfinished by her grandmother, and the reader is pulled into a story rife with adventure, suspense, and so. Much. Mold.

This book was reminiscent of The City of Ember and the Gregor the Overlander books, both series which I adored growing up. I sat down to read TMP this morning and just…couldn’t stop reading? I finished this book in less than four hours, I was absolutely consumed with reading it and finding out what would happen next.

The story itself is compelling, but so is the writing style. Mix has done a great job of showing, not telling, the reader what is happening, and it really did feel like I could see what Ary and the gang were going through.

Shrimp and Sootflank have my heart forever and always, and I think they’re also some of my favorite characters ever that I’ve read. I am so happy this book exists, and also I’ll be living in despair knowing that I finished this book before it’s even published and I have to wait who knows how long for book 2. *cries in anguish*

10/10 recommend The Mossheart’s Promise, especially if you loved The City of Ember and Gregor series or enjoy atmospheric writing mixed with a twist on the hero’s journey trope and mold.

A rich and funny story of family, legacy, and climate change. I think both children and adults will take a lot away from this one. I look forward to more from Mix

A good journey and coming-of-age story fighting for a place to belong physically but also psychologically. I liked their world and the angst of trying to save it. The slow pace and slow start always focus on the main character's doubts and comparisons to her grandmother. Not a binged fast pace story. With all the doubts and steps back, at a point, I wanted to read about the grandmother's journey when she was young instead. It takes a lot of time and chapters for the main character to take control of her story and takes on her journey.

3.5 stars. Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to give my honest opinion.

Thank you toHarperCollins Children's Books, Balzer + Bray, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

I thought this was a very sweet middle-grade book. I requested it, aware of the previous controversy, and curious to see how this one improved. I haven't read Mix's previous book, but I do want to state that as a Jew (though I don't speak for everyone), I didn't see anything that could be viewed as antisemitic here.

Ary's a kid, and she's very much doing her best-- and it's not enough, because it never is. Full of the righteousness needed to go out and try to change things, make a difference, and do better, save her mom and her world, she's compelling and courageous. Too, something I enjoyed was the explicit reasoning as to how and why she's not being able to be protected by her adults-- one is dying, and the other is refused. Ary and her friends are the only ones being allowed to go, because of the actions of others.

Our choices impact those after us, and The Mossheart's Promise was a great showing of it. I liked the ending, and I look forward to reading more!

This books honestly made me cry. The emotion I felt at the end of this book was one that I hate to feel but I love it at the same time. Because a good book is ending and it did the hard job of making me feel real life emotion. I enjoyed Ary as she made her way around Terra, as she stumbled through her journey and made friends along the way I loved every piece of this story. It's hard not to love Shrimp and Owl as they follow Ary.

All the characters were lovingly crafted and I could feel how much the author loved writing this story. From every page you could tell that this was a story that Rebecca Mix loved and I loved reading it. Thank you so much for the early access to this lovely book and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

This was such a unique concept for middle grade fantasy! The Fae live in a terrarium which is slowly dying due to mold and it's up to our main character to go a magical adventure to save them. This has family secrets, high stakes, and a touch of whimsy. The nature of the dying fae aside, this book felt like sunshine.

In a world where fairies live inside a terrarium that is being consumed by mold and slowly dying... one girl will have to find a way to go on the journey that her grandmother had gone on, break the curse, and free the fairies from the terrarium if she wants to save her mother. Canary Mossheart is the granddaughter of the great hero who saved the terrarium... or so they say. The terrarium is being overrun by mold, food is scarce, and people are dying. When the mold starts increasing and Ary’s mother is infected, she knows she must go find a way to cue her mother and that means going on the quest that her grandmother had gone on all those years except her grandmother has been hiding so many secrets and has so many lies and when she discovers the truth, it will change everything she ever knew about her family and her world. Ary embarks on a journey with nothing more than the hope in her heart, making unlikely friends, and discovering her own family secrets. This was such an enchanting and epic adventure, it’s the first book in the duology but it ends so well and I can’t wait to see where the next book goes. Arya is just trying to save her mother and living in her grandmother’s shadow is not easy, especially when everyone compares her to her grandmother. Arya just wants to find a place for herself, to save her family, and to prove that she is worthy. The story blends magic with adventure and high stakes with a bit of horror and I had a blast!!

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Balzer + Bray for sending me an arc in exchange for na honest review*