Review: The Wildkin's Curse

Three teenagers, Zedrin (of the aristocratic starkin race), Merry (a lesser hearthkin) and Liliana (a magical wildkin), head off on a quest to rescue a wildkin princess trapped in a castle by her starkin father.

Fulfilling this prophecy is their destiny, the only hope of uniting the kingdom.

As they embark on this adventure, there is much in store for the young adults.

Adventure, love, evil and treachery await them, as do their true destinies.

Set in a land of magic and mythical creatures, these characters are fantastical yet human enough that readers can relate to them.

This companion novel to The Starthorn Tree can also be easily read as a stand-along story. This is a new world for children to delve into, and is equally appealing to boys and girls.

The Wildkin’s Curse is a good introduction for children to fantasy, to Tolkien-esque stories that transport them to another land.

Three times a babe shall be born,

between star-crowned and iron-bound.


First, the sower of seeds, the soothsayer,


 though lame, he must travel far.


Next shall be the king-breaker, the king-maker;

Though broken himself he shall be.


Last, the smallest and the greatest -


in him, the blood of wise and wild,


farseeing ones and starseeing ones.


Though he must be lost before he can find,


 though, before he sees, he must be blind,


if he can find and if he can see,


the true king of all he shall be.

Title: The Wildkin’s Curse
Author: Kate Forsyth
Publisher: Pan Macmillan, $16.99 RRP
Publication Date: May 2010
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780330426053
For ages: 12+
Type: Young Adult Fiction

This book is available online