Book Review: Gaia's Revenge by J.A. Browne

“Have we weakened Gaia so much that she has become a target for annihilation? My heart suddenly feels twice its weight…For the first time ever, I hate the fact that I am human.”

Gaia, the Mother of All Nature has been poisoned. Her fevers are wreaking havoc and mass destruction across the worlds. Hannah has discovered a destiny she knew nothing about. A sacred bloodline under threat. Now, she’ll discover a world and a heritage she could never have imagined. As the heiress to Gaia and with growing power it falls to her and the Elementals, Constance, Jack and Harriet to save Gaia and all of life itself. But Hannah has a terrifying realisation: Gaia will stop at nothing to get her revenge…

Perfect for fans of The Girl of Ink and Stars, Harry Potter and His Dark Materials.

GENRE: Middle Grade Fantasy

PURCHASE LINK: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: J.A. Browne is the award-winning British author of the children's fantasy series The Earth Chronicles and Ffen Tales. In 2024, her fourth novel Hollow's End Part Two received the Golden Wizard Award for Children's Literature.

Jane graduated with an MA in Creative Writing from Leeds Trinity University. In 2023, she formed part of the regional judging teams for the BBC’s 500 Words children’s writing competition.

Sales of The Earth Chronicles funds the planting of trees.

Follow her on social media @jabrowneauthor

Review

This is the second book of a series. Check out my review of book 1, Hannah and the Hollow Tree, here. And here's the gorgeous cover to tempt you:

Anyway... O.M.G.

Oh my Gaia! This book is so much better than the last. The prose and the plot flow more smoothly, which is a feat considering all the new additions. Not just a whole new world, mind you, but loads of new characters, and they're all introduced in a way that doesn't feel overwhelming. We see more of the new world and learn more about the other characters in a natural way as the story progresses; I really appreciate that, as someone who doesn't like having to read through walls of texts and infodumps.

I also like how we have all these strong female characters without reducing the men to weaklings (though I did laugh at that joke of men disappearing when they're needed LOL). I'm glad that Gran, Joyce and Evelyn remain important characters even with the story primarily revolving around Hannah, because 1) it's great to see family supporting family for a change, and 2) older ladies still being part of the adventure is such a delight, heck yeah. Especially Gran. She's just so badass.

I was pleasantly surprised by [SPOILER]'s storyline, too. It's nice that she's not entirely excluded just because of the choice she made in the past — a choice most mothers would've made, I think.

There were also plenty good twists in the end... including the bonus content! The hardcover edition also contains The Unearthing of Eleanor novella, though do tread carefully if you haven't read the first two books.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️️

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Hi! I'm Marie, a Filipino fantasy author and book reviewer currently based in the UK. I’m the co-author of The Prophecies of Ragnarok, a Norse myth new adult urban fantasy trilogy, and I also have several short stories published in anthologies and literary journals.

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