The book can be read as a standalone story though I think it’s better to read the entire series! It’s actually quite hard to give the storyline of the book without giving any spoiler of the previous books. Let’s give it a go though: Caroline’s excitement at the prospect of the ongoing story has been palpable ever since; Michelle Paver’s writing really does have this effect. Viper’s Daughter by Michelle Paver verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ In a quirky turn of serendipity which we discovered only last month, I have coincidentally met the actual wolf, Torak, who was named after Michelle’s Wolf Brother protagonist’s name! In 2007 I went on a photography day at the UK Wolf Conservation Trust where Torak the wolf is homed – a photograph of him even appeared in a Kids of the Wild’s blog I wrote in 2017 about a Cherokee wolf proverb. It’s a small world!

All the characters immediately feel real, so does their world. The stories are always twisty and exciting – you think the end is coming but no, more twists, more adventure!The UK Wolf Conservation Trust is no longer open to the public but at the time of writing Torak is alive and well and living a very contented life. If only he knew how inspirational that life has been! A big apology for this one, wild parents, but you’re going to need to buy this book and, unfortunately for your wallets, probably the previous six in the series if your offspring haven’t already read them! (links at the bottom) Viper’s Daughter is set in the Stone Age, in the forests of the northern hemisphere, about Torak, a boy, Renn, a girl, and Wolf – a Wolf! This is the seventh book in a series of nine, I’ve read the whole book in about ⅔ of a day (it arrived yesterday!) Viper’s Daughter, by acclaimed author and Guardian Children’s Fiction prizewinner, Michelle Paver, is a children’s historical adventure fiction– is that a genre?! – of epic proportions, set in the snow-bound, far north clan-lands of Scandinavia 6,000 years ago. In COAD we watched Torak grow from a Stone-Age boy of 12 summers to the teen that he is when Viper’s Daughter is set, two years after the the end of the last book, Ghost Hunter.

If you’ve read my recent list of brilliant adventure books for 8 to 12 year olds, you’ll know that we’re HUGE fans of Michelle Paver’s exhilarating six-book Wolf Brother/Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series (COAD). Michelle’s detailed investigation brings to life everything about the ancient culture of the story; the foods they eat, how they cook, their clothes, hunting techniques, the shelters they build. Oh, and the other big news? The entire Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series is to be made into a TV series. It’s going to be epic! Meeting the ‘Real’ Torak Viper’s Daughter transports us along with Torak & Co on a journey farther north than they have ever been before, to where the cold white sun never sets and the last mammoths are struggling for survival. After finishing Viper’s Daughter she’ll undoubtedly read it a couple more times in the coming months and she is now gutted to have to wait a year for the next book. First Edition HardcoverAs Caroline says, the ending of Viper’s Daughter is ‘very satisfying’. The story is complete for those who prefer a standalone tale yet leaves plenty of room for continuation in the next book. Michelle’s clean, simple descriptions of nature and the natural environment bring a gentle, comforting richness to the reading experience. It’s a historical adventure series about clans and bone-kin. In some of Torak’s first adventures he finds himself alone, his parents are dead and he has always lived apart from the clans. He happens upon a lone wolf cub and together they begin their journey to destroy demons and break the Soul Eaters, with the help of their Mage friend Renn. I love the series so much, it’s all about adventure, friendships, clans, demons and Soul Eaters! I love it because I see myself a bit in all of the main characters – loyal, fun, adventurous, wild and slightly stubborn!