Book review of Tree Sacrifice by Harriet Springbett

Tree Sacrifice by Harriet Springbett

Tree Sacrifice by Harriet Springbett

 

A suicide pact. A new responsibility. A desperate bid for harmony. 

 

As Rainbow leaves Brocéliande forest after the events of Tree Slayer, she learns that a much greater challenge faces her. Exasperated by mankind's disrespect for trees, the One Tree has set a terrible event into motion. Rainbow is strictly forbidden from intervening, but thousands of trees across France could die unless she does so. 

 

Her search for guidance will take her to England, where a startling discovery makes sense of her gift and opens new perspectives. She must take the hardest decision of her life. But will her and Eole's sacrifices be enough to save the French forests? 

 

Unknown to Rainbow, help is close by. But it lies in a different world, a parallel world where mankind lives in unity with trees. There, Druana must decide whether she's prepared to risk everything to rebalance her world. 

 

Will Druana and Rainbow ever meet? What would be the cost? For everything gained, something must be lost. 

 

My review

It was a delight to be back with Rainbow and Eole in the third, and final, step of their mission to save the trees of France and fight for a world where humans can live without destroying trees. Many things have changed since we left them in Tree Slayer, for Rainbow, for Eole, and in their lives outside of their special tree partnership. Rainbow needs to learn to prioritise the tasks ahead of her, as well as learn the importance of patience. Eole is struggling to understand where he fits in. Despite nothing seeming to go to plan, Rainbow and Eole are a good team who balance each other well, something that is tested in this book more than in the last book.

 

This might not be a book written for adults, but there was plenty to keep my interest and keep me guessing as to how it would end. It deals well with complex adolescence emotions and relationships, as well as decision making and responsibility, along with an engaging storyline that touched my tree soul. There were so many little details that I loved in this book from Druana sinking her bare feet into the soil and connecting with the tree roots, to Rainbow’s sense of calm and peace as she melts into the trunk of a tree. I might even have detected a bit of inner jealousy as I was reading.

 

This is a book to make you think about trees and our relationship with them. It’s as refreshing as time spent in a forest glade watching the patterns as the leaves dance in the sunlight and feeling the breeze on your face. If you are anything like me, you’ll want to hug the next magnificent tree you come across. I’ve even been looking up Brocéliande (a Brittany forest full of myth and legend) and I hope one day to cycle my bike there and feel a little of the tree magic Harriet has created in this series. 

Brocéliande Forest, Brittany

 

This is the third and final book in the series and although I am sad I won’t get to visit Rainbow again, it came to natural end I was happy with. Sometimes if we feel we don’t belong, it’s not that we are odd, just that we haven’t found the right people to hang around with. I’d love for this book to become the book to read for teenagers (think Harry Potter but with so much more than just magic), who then go on to set up their own TreeWise associations, following Rainbow’s lead to save our trees and planet.

 

The young adult genre might not be your usual read, but I’d encourage you to read the Tree Magic trilogy and share it with the young people in your life.

 

You can read my reviews of books one and two by clicking on the links here:

 

Book review of Tree Magic

Book review of Tree Slayer

 

Purchase Links  

Author Bio

Although Harriet Springbett always wrote stories in her West Dorset home, she qualified and worked as an engineer. During a Raleigh International expedition in Chile she realised writing and discovering life were more important to her than her career. She moved to France, where she studied French at Pau University and then worked as a project manager, feature writer, translator and TEFL teacher. She now lives in Poitou-Charentes with her French partner and their teenage children.

 

Since her first literary success, aged 10, her short stories and poetry have been published in literary journals and placed in writing competitions, including a shortlisting in the renowned Bath Short Story Award. She leads writing workshops, has judged the Segora international short story competition and blogs (very irregularly). Her publisher, Impress Books, now has 3 of her novels and she’s working on her fourth.

 

Author Social Media 

 

Blog 

Facebook 

Twitter 

 

Video interview about the series 

 

You might also like to read my France et Moi interview with Harriet here.

Mum, can I go to a party?

He is no baby now

“Mum, can I go to a party?”

“I guess so, when is it?”

“Mum, that party…”

“Yes?”

“It’s now a sleepover party, that’s still OK though isn’t it?”

“Oh, I guess so, where is it?”

“Mum, that sleepover…”

“Yes?”

“It’s at the salle des fêtes (village hall) in Les Gours, that’s still OK though isn’t it?”

“Oh, OK, but whose party is it? Is there going to be an adult there? What about food and drink? What about girls?”

“Oh Mum!”

Panic! My baby is 14 and although he is responsible and sensible and like the rest of his year group seems to be ready for mixed sleepovers in village halls, I’m not! For a quiet, shy child who has only recently blossomed with the confidence that comes from now being accepted into a group of mates, I was both delighted he wanted to go, but terrified of the ‘what-ifs’ too. Ade and I were wavering and needed help with our decision so I asked another mum with a daughter in Ed’s year if she was going.

“Oh No, No, No, No! They are too young, I don’t know the family organizing it and it’s in a public venue where anyone could turn up. No, she wanted to, but No!”

In a way I was relieved someone else shared my fears and fuelled my argument, as now I knew that if I said no, he wouldn’t be the only one not to be there. I felt mean, but it felt safe and that made me happy. I did however decide to get one more opinion from another family whose son had been invited and who have a slightly older daughter so therefore more experience than us. It was a much more reassuring call. They had known the family for about ten years and were more than happy that they were normal, responsible people. They also told me that this type of sleepover in a hall is ‘the done thing’ for kids in rural France. Their son would be there, their daughter had already been there, done that and it was just a part of growing up. Our decision was changing again and it was agreed Ed could go, so long as he agreed to the rules: no alcohol, no smoking, no drugs, no sex and no leaving the hall (unless in an emergency) and if anyone you don’t know turns up and starts causing trouble RING US, whatever the time.

I’m not sure if kids in France seem to grow up quicker than in the UK or if it’s just that kids of this generation are more advanced than I was at their age. Thankfully I can report Ed had a great time on Saturday and returned home happy, tired and just a little bit more grown up after a night of laughs, music, pizza and selfies, but not much sleep. To think it only feels like yesterday that it seemed so important to be worrying about him not eating solid foods with lumps in or how we were going to progress to dry nights without nappies. I certainly feel tired and old after what turned out to be a busy weekend for us (too busy even to indulge in my patisserie challenge, sorry).