Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips Book Review

BLURB

Lincoln is a good boy. At the age of four, he is curious, clever and well behaved. He does as his mum says and knows what the rules are.

'The rules are different today. The rules are that we hide and do not let the man with the gun find us.' 

When an ordinary day at the zoo turns into a nightmare, Joan finds herself trapped with her beloved son. She must summon her strength, find unexpected courage and protect Lincoln at all costs - even if it means crossing the line between right and wrong; between humanity and animal instinct.

It's a line none of us would ever normally dream of crossing.

But sometimes the rules are different.


MY THOUGHTS

I raced through Fierce Kingdom. It was such a powerful and emotional story which I’m sure will stay with me for a long time. It was the first novel by Gin Phillips which I have read and I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out to see what she does next. 

The novel is told over several hours in which Lincoln and his Mum are trapped inside a zoo which has been infiltrated by gunmen. It is just approaching closing time when the action starts and what starts as a perfectly normal day for Lincoln and his Mum; it soon turns in to a horrific nightmare. In today’s world, you can see how, sadly, this can very easily happen which for me made it all the more frightening. I thought the zoo was a great setting for the story; as well as the danger of the gunmen on the loose, you also have the added danger of the animals some of which can be dangerous. 

The novel also explores the maternal bond between a mother and her son, just how far would you go to protect your child? This must’ve been a difficult subject to explore. And then there was the ending of the novel which was so tense that I couldn’t put it down until I had finished it. You’ll certainly need to take a breather once you have finished this one. 

A powerful and emotive story with an original concept which I’m sure will be a big hit this summer. Thank you to Alison Barrow at Transworld for sending me a copy to review.


Publisher: Doubleday

Publication date: 15th June 2017

Print length: 336 pages


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