The wonderful people at Random House (specifically Staci Carmichael- who rocks) sent me a copy of Andrew Peterson’s North! Or Be Eaten to review. I’ve already reviewed the first book in the series, On The Edge Of The Dark Sea Of Darkness, and was ever so thankful that I had the second book in the series available to start as soon as I put down the first.

In book one of the Wingfeather Saga, we find out that the three Igiby children are what is known as The Jewels of Anniera, being the king, the throne warden, and the song maiden. Since the dreaded and evil Fangs of Dang (vicious lizard men who are servants of Gnag the Nameless) have now found out who the Igiby children are, they (the children) along with their mother, grandfather, and an old friend are on the run to the north, where they believe the frigid temperatures will keep them safe from the heat loving Fangs.

Where the first book was mostly set up and back story, book two is all action. North! Or Be Eaten keeps up a proper pace for an adventure-fantasy, and is fraught with hidden dangers, jealousy, anger, remorse, and deadly secrets (which are not the same as hidden dangers).

The pace keeps the story hopping, and the unusual world keeps you guessing at what’s going to come next.  The focus is less on the twisted humor (“a nameless evil, called Gnag the Nameless”), and more on story, and while I missed having so much of my kind of humor wrapped up in the story, I actually enjoyed this book more than the first. I will say, though, that reading book one is absolutely necessary before starting book two. There is very little info dropping, and while it’s possible to enjoy book two without book one, that would be like eating the bologna without the bread. Fine for a snack, but not much of a meal.

I would have enjoyed North! Or Be Eaten more if I’d been able to wait until the series is finished. I don’t like having questions dangling about in my head, which is one of the reasons I rarely choose to pick up any books in a series until the whole series is available. Right now, I want to know why Gnag the Nameless chooses to use children for all of his labor. For experimenting, that makes sense- children are easier to mold and control. But for labor? That just doesn’t make sense, yet I can tell that it will. And that drives me up a wall.

I personally think this is a great YA fantasy. I’d place Andrew Peterson’s Wingfeather Saga somewhere between Donita K Paul’s Dragon Keeper Chronicles and Jeffrey Overstreet’s The Auralia Thread series. If you like either one, you’ll surely enjoy this. Just be prepared for some gross-out humor. You can tell this was written with young boys in mind.

To purchase this book, you can visit Random House and search, or go straight to the North! Or Be Eaten’s page. Available August 18, 2009.