Clovermead Reviews

Gr. 6-9. When 14-year-old Clovermead idly picks up a bear tooth dropped by a visitor to her father's inn, she begins to experience fleeting episodes of transformation. Fur sprouts, claws extend, and she is gripped by bloodlust. The tooth binds her to Lord Ursus, the dark power behind a savage cult of bear worshipers. Her animal nature becomes increasingly difficult to keep in check, especially after an upsetting revelation about her father's past stirs feelings of betrayal, anger, and fear. Randall's decision to incubate dark forces in his heroine, rather than casting her unambiguously on the side of goodness, puts an intriguing spin on the otherwise archetypal fantasy plot. Though the ornate vocabulary ("his tatterdemalion jerkin") and dense blocks of mannered dialogue ("From where in Linstock do you hail?") will present a challenge for all but the most fluent readers, those who persist will find that the pace picks up about halfway through, once Clovermead's grand destiny begins to crystallize. The book's striking cover, by Leo Dillon and Diane Dillon, will entice genre fans.

Gr. 5-7. Clovermead is a blonde twelve-year-old who wants to learn to fight and have adventures. Her saga begins when Sorrel, a tatter- clothed stranger, stops at her father's inn and teaches her swordplay but must ride north to escape a huge white bear after only a few days. Soon another visitor to the inn recognizes her father, Wickward, as a colleague who twelve years ago stole something of great value from the realm of Chandlefort. When Wickward and Clo (and the inn's cook) rout the man, he loses an enchanted bear's tooth in the scuffle, and Clo keeps the tooth for herself. Though possessing the relic seems to transform Clo into a bloodthirsty bear, her desire for power prevents her from discarding the item, thus bringing the fulfillment of a centuries-old prophecy into jeopardy. The lands walked by Clo and her compatriots come alive in deftly drawn word-pictures, and Clo's keen, mischievous personality and gift for gab make her endearing. It's a bit of a stretch that Clo is such a quick-witted youngster and yet doesn't guess the secret of her own identity given so many clues, Clo's maturity often seems that of a six-year-old rather than a twelve-year- old, and the dialogue between Clo and her thirsty tooth tends to drag on. Balancing these flaws, though, is the subtle treatment of the practice of blood sacrifice embraced by the followers of evil. The potential for horrific scenes dripping with gore is converted instead into tightly wound dramatic tension, as most deaths are mentioned without extensive description, defining the danger of Clo's journey, and the blood given Clo's thirsty tooth comes primarily from her own body, underscoring both Clo's inherent goodness and the personal cost of serving the forces of darkness. Readers sympathetic to the trials of Luke Skywalker and Frodo may want to give Clovermead's heroic conflict the once-over.

Fans of fantasy novels will enjoy this story of Clovermead, a 12-year old girl who yearns for adventure. Her's begins with sword fighting lessons from a pilgrim who stops to stay at her father's inn. Not long after, Clovermead finds a mysterious brooch and a bear's tooth, and she discovers her ability to communicate with the world of bears. Clovermead's power over bears is only strong when she feeds the tooth--with human blood--and the descriptions of Clovermead piercing her own arm may be too much for some readers. While the pace of the story is sometimes slowed by the many descriptive passages, in the second half it picks up, as Clovermead struggles to identify her allegiance. Should she remain loyal to Lady Moon and the sign of the crescent, or will she give in to Lord Ursus, who urges her to turn away from her human side and become a bear? Plotlines, which may seem a bit disjointed in the beginning of the novel are tied together in the final three chapters, and Clovermead's wish for adventure is granted.

Clovermead (who at times seems younger than her twelve years) learns that her father harbors a dangerous secret, and they flee the life she has always known. High-spirited and ambitious, Clo is drawn toward the power offered her by a blood-thirsty bear-god, who ends up using her for his own purposes. The complex story addresses serious issues in a fully realized fantasy world.

Grim undercurrents swirl beneath the sparkling surface of an otherwise straightforward fantasy. Clovermead Wickward has spent 12 years dreaming of derring-do, but noble quests rarely employ humble innkeeper's daughters. After she persuades a young warrior pilgrim to teach her swordplay, her quiet life falls apart, as a mysterious pendant and a malicious priest reveal that her father is less--and more--than he has always claimed. Soon Clovermead is fleeing for her life and smack into a long-festering war, one that finds its crucial battleground in Clovermead's own heart. The stark insistence on inherent human darkness does as much as the gory battle scenes and vaguely Freudian symbolism to push this tale into YA territory. Vivacious, loquacious, precocious Clovermead is a delightful heroine and her gradual personality disintegration as she surrenders to anger and fear is truly disturbing. Although this internal focus shortchanges the remaining characters, and offers only teasing glimpses of an intriguingly imagined world, it remains both an effective metaphorical fable of adolescence and a satisfying adventure whose fairytale conclusion leaves room for a sequel. Gulp it down for the thrills; the subtle aftertaste will linger.

La Trobe University Reviews

A medieval land in another world, where magic is a force and a mighty threat looms. It could be "Novels by Numbers" but Clovermead, David Randall's first book, manages to avoid the major traps of a very typical fantasy formula.

Certainly there are predictable elements: the physically and mentally powerful bad guy who almost overwhelms the young heroine, who is gradually discovering her secret powers, as mighty armies face off in battle. Randall sets up the inevitable storyline of confrontation with a minimum of fuss, instead concentrating on developing the character of young Clovermead through it, and letting us follow her worries, uncertainties and choices.

She is the child who has been sheltered in a distant valley, upon whom falls a destiny and powers she has to learn along the way to saving the world. She has helpers, some obvious and some unexpected, and she has enemies, similarly obvious and unexpected. She travels through strange lands and encounters new and surprising people, beings and places. She faces both the natural world and the magical realms and the bears that seem to move between both. Finally, she learns something of her past and the role she must play in the future.

The first episode of any series has the problem of needing to set up the whole situation, but then solving just a bit of it to leave enough for the later parts. But it also have to be both exciting and satisfying enough to make readers want to continue on the journey. Clovermead manages this tricky balancing act by giving us a sympathetic central character who has a lot to learn. How she learns it should make good reading in the sequels.

Library Media Connection

Gr. 9-Up. Randall has created a whimsical, entertaining fantasy. The story opens at Ladyrest Inn where Clovermead and her father Waxmelt live. When an evil bear priest Snuff comes to Ladyrest Inn, Clovermead discovers that years before Waxmelt stole a precious gem from Lady Cindertallow, the ruler of Chandlefort. Clovermead and her father must abandon Ladyrest Inn and are thrust into a war between good and evil in a fight between rival kingdoms and rival gods. Clovermead discovers the truth of her heritage and she must determine which forces are the strongest within her. For visual readers, a most helpful feature of the book is a map of the world of Lady Moon, the setting of the book. Even though the fictional, creative names of the characters are different and enchanting, the characters will stay with the reader long after the book is finished. Randall portrays a realistic adventure about bears, wickedness, and good and evil that will be a great read. There is much action and adventure in this well-imagined, fantasy novel. Randall's novel ends with the reader wanting to know what else will happen to Clovermead-perfect setting for a sequel. Recommended.

Nimble Spirit, The Literary Spirituality Review

Not since reading the Newberry Award-winning A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle have I encountered a fantasy with a heroine as engaging Clovermead. Willful, intelligent, quick-to-learn and beautiful, Clovermead captures the reader from the very first page. Within which, incidentally, she is trespassing into the room of an intriguing border staying at her father’s inn.

Of course she is caught, but not before David Randall, in his first novel, skillfully introduces us to Clovermead without anyone uttering a single syllable: “Clovermead’s flailing limbs radiated an almost palpable energy as she sprang from pillow to blolster and back again.”

Randall has a gift for visual writing. His words form pictures in the mind’s eye that are vivid Technicolor, complete with THX surround sound.

We quickly discover that Clovermead’s idyllic life of work and play, dosed with a healthy portion of relatively innocent mischief, is not what it seems. With the arrival of an evil, mysterious visitor, she discovers that her beloved father has lied to her for the whole twelve years of her long life. This revelation nearly undoes her. Never before has Clovermead been betrayed, and it is the first step on a journey that will lead to either destruction or creation. And only Clovermead herself may choose.

Unfortunately for Clovermead, this places her at the front line in the very real fight between good and evil for control of the world. To tell you any more of the story, however, is to deny you the genuine pleasure of experiencing this book.

The best, and simultaneously the worst, of Clovermead is that it leaves you wanting more. Randall has the gift of making readers believe that Clovermead existed before this story, and that she continues to exist after. The unfortunate news in this is that, according to the publisher, there are presently no plans for a sequel.

Let me therefore make a rare plea to both publisher and author: Please tell us what happens next. Please.

Clovermead need not be left only to the young adults to whom it is marketed: It is a great adventure story for readers of any age who are willing to suspend disbelief and enter into a whole new world.

Ages 12-up. As Randall's debut novel opens, 12-year-old Clovermead Wickward is leading a quiet life with the innkeeper Waxmelt as father and daughter. The author creates a compelling bond between the two, as well as an appealing setting when knights still went on pilgrimage and a fine feast made a day's toil worthwhile. But Waxmelt is not the man she believes him to be. He has stolen something of great value from the monarch Lady Cindertallow, and he has been hunted for years by a follower of the dark Lord Ursus, Snuff--who put Waxmelt up to the task and was betrayed by him. When fearsome Snuff stumbles upon the inn, Clovermead and Waxmelt must take to the road to escape. The author puts an interesting twist on a familiar plot device: after a skirmish with Snuff, Clovermead comes to possess the bear tooth he wears as a necklace, a relic of the bear-priests of Ursus. The talisman begins to speak to her, exuding a narcotic effect on her soul and turning her into a creature with bloodlust-- literally--sprouting fangs and fur. The attraction of Lord Ursus's power becomes more credible as Clovermead comes to the realization of the depth of her betrayal by the adults around her, but at times her inner struggle between good and evil grows convoluted, and several characters' changes of heart come abruptly. Still, this is a writer to watch, and fantasy buffs will get enjoyment from the fast-paced plotting and the turn of events at the end.

Grade 6-9–A challenging high fantasy for those who can keep straight the many details and forces, and who don't mind a good bit of violence. Clovermead Wickward, the 12-year-old daughter of a country innkeeper, dreams of adventure. When a traveling stranger comes to the inn and teaches her sword fighting, her dreams become desires. Shortly thereafter, a nun of the Lady Moon visits and reveals a vision in which the girl discovers a long-lost object. When Clovermead finds a brooch, her father is clearly upset and advises her to keep it hidden. Not long after, a bear tooth with unknown powers comes into her possession and she adds it to the leather cord she wears around her neck. These things foretell a great change in the Wickwards' lives. Clovermead learns that her father stole a gem from the ruler of a nearby kingdom. When his past crime is uncovered, father and daughter set out on a journey to undo the wrong and to find a safe haven. The trip takes them through a variety of trials, including an attack by bears during which Clovermead discovers her uncanny ability to communicate with them and her bear tooth's strange powers. The second half of the story takes on a higher intensity. The tooth draws blood and strength from its victim while making itself almost irresistible to Clovermead. She is caught up in a fierce and gruesome struggle between the nuns of Lady Moon and the evil followers of Lord Ursus and must decide which of the forces deserves her loyalty. The map of the Lands of Lady Moon is very useful. Excellent characterization and a well-developed story make for an intricate and action-packed adventure.

Age M S. Clovermead longs for excitement, but she is far from the conflict raging between the cities of Chandlefort, worshippers of Our Lady, and Low Branding, followers of Lord Ursus. When one of Ursus's bearpriests visits their inn, Clovermead discovers that her father is actually a thief from Chandlefort, hiding for years because he has double-crossed Low Branding. When Clovermead and her father flee, she finds a bear tooth that connects her to Lord Ursus and his appetite for blood. Clovermead finds out what her father has really stolen- Clovermead when she was a baby and the heir to Chandlefort. Now Lord Ursus is ruling her thoughts and actions, and Clovermead is set to destroy both Low Branding and Chandlefort. But Our Lady speaks to the good in Clovermead, and Clovermead finally throws the tooth aside. Lord Ursus retreats, while Clovermead takes her place at Chandlefort. This fully realized fantasy is bogged down in the beginning by all the unfamiliar place names (a map in the front helps) and the flowery speech of the characters. But those who adjust will soon not only be swept up in the rip-roaring fight between good and evil but also might recognize themselves in Clovermead's inner battle between her lust for power at any cost and doing what's right morally. The plot unwinds at a brisk pace, yet a few questions remain unanswered. Readers, especially fans of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, will be left hungry as bears for another adventure.

12 year old Clovermead Wickward is a precocious child, with a kind heart. The daughter of Waxmelt, a seemingly simple innkeeper, Clovermead dreams of adventures far beyond the confines of the inn. But adventure is about to find Clovermead. Sorrell, a young man who is a visitor to the inn agrees to teach Clovermead swordfighting, which Clovermead takes to immediately. But Sorrell seems to have some secrets; Clovermead spies him being chased by a very large bear. Then a nun of the Lady Moon passes through the area and has a vision, which Clovermead finds very mysterious. When Clovermead finds a beautiful brooch, her father admits that the brooch belongs to her. When a vicious stranger recognizes Waxmelt as the man who stole a valuable gem from the Queen, Waxmelt, Sorrell and Clovermead must leave the inn and their comfortable life behind. Clovermead acquires a bear tooth, which she wears around her neck and soon she feels a change coming over her. Her powers are growing day by day as the lure of the tooth grows stronger. Soon Clovermead is caught up in an epic battle between the evil bear-priests of Lord Ursus and the champions of the Lady Moon.

David Randall's first novel is an unusual and riveting story with an engaging prose style and heroine who is within a hair's breadth of turning to evil. Randall's writing has a sly humor which helps balance the horror element of the bear tooth, which drinks blood and continually whispers to Clovermead that it wants more. Clovermead herself is an impulsive, clever, kindly, and sympathetic character with a bit of an edge to her, and her voice rings true. The themes of choice, responsibility and facing hard truths as we grow up are neatly hidden behind a gripping tale of adventure and magic.