Hey bookworm friends, welcome to my stop on the Tale of the Flying Forest Tour. This whimsical little middle-grade fantasy is set to release on October 15th, 2024 so you won’t need to wait long to dive into its magical pages! Please check out my review below and pop by the mood board to see what kind of vibes to expect 😉.
Thank you to TBR And Beyond Tours, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, & R. M. Romero for the e-ARC.
About Tale of the Flying Forest
Author: R. M. Romero
Genre(s): Middle-Grade Fantasy, Retelling
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Hachette
Format Read: E-ARC
Pub Date: October 15, 2024 – Keep an eye out👀
Cover Artist: E. K. Belsher
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After her mother’s death, Anne Applebaum finds solace in the pages of the book of fairy tales her mom gifted her. ‘The World to Come’ tells fantastical stories of the flying forest of Bei Ilai where actual magic exists! So when a raven tells her she has a missing twin brother called Rainer, she doesn’t doubt him for long. After all, Anne has always felt that something in her life has been missing. As she sets off to find her twin brother, she discovers that Bei Ilai is a real place and that’s where Rainer is—only it’s way more dangerous than in the stories!
CWs: child abuse, kidnapping, death of a parent, grief.
Purchase Links
⟡ Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Bookshop.org ⟡
My Review
This was a fun and delightfully whimsical story structured like a classic quest! Our brave protagonist is called into adventure, encounters a series of dangers, and meets magical friends along the way. The first half of the story serves to explore Bei Ilai’s atmosphere and magical creatures as Anne hunts for clues of Rainer’s whereabouts. The story is divided into 7 parts (you see, there is power in the number 7) and while I enjoyed parts 1-3, it wasn’t until the 4th one that I felt the story was truly coming together.
Once it did, however, I was invested and found that Anne and Rainer’s sibling bond was the main strength of this book for me. Both siblings had lost trust in adults in different ways and the devotion, care and support they showed each other was genuinely heartwarming. We also get to meet many creatively charming side characters along the way, such as a fox in a waistcoat and the Librarian of Songs! I think any reader would find the concept of a Librarian of Songs captivating but I especially appreciated the way music and songs played a huge role in the magic system of this world.
“I think you will agree that nothing good could happen in a place where no one was allowed to be different.”
The Flying Forest is a fairytale patchwork of inspirations: from Jewish Folklore to German Folklore. Various elements were also pulled from specific stories by the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perault, and Hans Christian Andersen. It was quirky and atmospheric, and the frequent 4th wall breaking asides solidified the fairy-tale feeling for me. Gentle reader, the narrator speaking directly to me to give opinions or offer assurances could be annoying but it works in the context of this story. E. K. Belsher’s gorgeous in-text illustrations also enhance the bedtime story ambiance of this tale! My favourite illustration is of a giant cat with the lower body of a snake sitting on a throne of mouse skulls, surrounded by books. I know, it sounds hectic but trust me it looks awesome!!
Read If You Like…
- Jewish Folklore
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Portal Fantasy & Quest Stories
- Less well-known magical creatures (such as the Tatzelwurm & Lindwurms)
- Stories About Siblings
- Found Family
Tale of the Flying Forest Aesthetic
About R. M. Romero
R. M. Romero(she/they) is a Jewish Latina and international bestselling author of fairy tales for children and adults. She lives in Miami Beach with her cat, Robin Goodfellow, and spends her summers helping to maintain Jewish cemeteries in Europe. Her work has been named an IndieNext Pick, a Jewish National Book Award Finalist, a two-time Sydney Taylor Notable Book, a Carnegie Award nominee, a Best YA Book by Kirkus and SLJ, and received multiple starred reviews.
Author Socials
I encourage you to check out the other awesome bloggers on the tour schedule below.
October 7th
Review Thick And Thin – Review, Book Look
October 8th
The Moon Phoenix – Review, Playlist
October 9th
Boys’ Mom Reads! – Promotional Post
October 10th
The Clever Reader – Promotional Post
therearenobadbooks – Review
October 11th
Dark Shelf of Wonders – Review, Mood Board
October 12th
Eye-Rolling Demigod’s Book Blog – Promotional Post
October 13th
Second Hand Pages – Promotional Post, Mood Board
Let’s chat in the comments!
Will you be checking this one out? Or, would you rather meet a talking crow or a fox in a waistcoat?
This sounds really good, but it’s the mood board that’s really drawing me to the book😁 Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Thanks for popping by my tour review 🙂 & I’m so glad you liked the mood board those are always so fun to make 🙂
This sounds pretty intriguing. I love whimsical tales, anything with fairytale vibes & learning bits of folklore from various cultures. The fact that it’s illustrated is also interesting and those animal characters sound charming. And I always love different takes on libraries in fiction. I think I’d probably lean towards wanting to meet the fox more. They’re so often the bad guy in folktales so perhaps that not wise but crows can seem kind of ominous too 😂 I’m glad you enjoyed this and I love the mood board. It’s pretty fitting seasonally too.
Yes I always enjoy faiytales & folklore pulled from all sorts of inspirations! & the illustrations are super charming! hehe that’s true foxes are depicted as villains often which is sad because I love foxes! Thank you!! & yeah even though it’s not outright autumnal something about the vibes feel like they fit this time of year lol
Love the moodboard, is a lovely story
Thanks so much 🥰!
I would have loved this book when I was in the middle grades!
Aww I’m glad to hear that and I’m sure it’ll find its audience in lots of people 🙂