A good juvenile fantasy is always welcome and this one is very well done I must say. As in any good fantasy there are some tried and true folklore and fairytale-inspired characters but also a few new ones (hunkypunks are my new favorite fantasy creature and I may even try to dress as one this Halloween).The story begins with a bumbling but well-intentioned goblin called Kull who means to restore the balance of an old prophecy that he halfway remembers by stealing a human baby and replacing it with a changeling. Unfortunately, in the midst of the deed he mixes the babies up, panics and then bails leaving the identical babies in the care of a very confused family.
Years later, the boys grow up and, as these things go, a prophecy is about to come true. Enter Kull, trying to make amends for his earlier error and convinces the boys to enter into a dark forest which to their credit they do despite growing up hearing tales of all the scary folk who live there. On the quest they meet some other forest folk and learn some things about themselves.
One of the central themes of this book is family, there are secrets, some of which are revealed, but others which will be revealed in future installments of this series. I quite like it and I recommend it for ages 8 and up. Some read alikes are Colin Meloy's Wildwood, Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs and The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens.
