Deadlands: Trapped by Skye Melki-Wagner

Title: Deadlands: Trapped

Author: Skye Melki-Wagner

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Prehistoric

Publisher: Walker Books

Published: 4^th October 2023

Format: Paperback

Pages: 304

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: Can five young outcasts save their kingdoms?

As a bloody battle rages between the two surviving dinosaur kingdoms, Eleri and his fellow outcasts, newly exiled from their herds, are searching for evidence to prove a mass conspiracy—a conniving cabal of carnivores have manipulated the herbivore kingdoms into war, so they can feast on the slain.

But after the exiles’ hideout is discovered by a vengeful pack of raptors, they must flee and soon find themselves trapped inside the Fire Peak: the volcanic heart of the dreaded Carrion Kingdom.

Before the exiles can escape, they discover a group of imprisoned herbivores being picked apart—literally—one by one. Can the outcasts stage an elaborate heist to free the prisoners and gather proof of the Carrion Kingdom’s vicious plans before their homelands are destroyed?

~*~

Welcome back to the last surviving dinosaur kingdoms – the Carrion Kingdom and the herbivore kingdom, but it’s a team of outcasts who are trying to end the war. Ever since the Fallen Star struck Cretacea, the dinosaurs were wiped out – ash and toxic rain caused death and despair. Yet there those who survived and who gained a different consciousness and learnt to speak – and the remaining kingdoms went to war.

Trapped picks up in the midst of this battle, where the five outcasts, led by Eleri are trying to prove that the carnivores are poking the flames of war within the herbivores. Yet there are more threats bubbling along – it seems nowhere is safe – and soon, they’re trapped and need to find a way to save themselves and the other prisoners – but will they all be able to escape the Fire Peak before everything is destroyed?

Not many books take place in prehistoric times with dinosaurs as their main characters, yet this series does it well. Bestowing the dinosaurs with human traits gives the story something interesting and gives an insight into the world of dinosaurs and how they understood their world – in this series, Cretacea. As it is the second in a series – as I understand it – I do think it is one where you should read the books in order, as I got the second book first, and had to infer what had come before and a few other things. At the same time, I was at ease enough to read it without having read book one. Perhaps it will depend on the reader.

I found this book to be very interesting – a different kind of dystopian story that read like it could be taking place as the time of the dinosaurs came to an end, in a world where only a few remain. This worked well to create the story and the world of Cretacea, with lots of action amongst many tensions that ensured the plot had its complications where it needed them, and revealed what readers need to know when they know it. The pace was good – it kept the story moving and didn’t lag. Everything was relevant and I felt like I knew where things were which helped make the world what it was. It is an engaging story, one that will be a great addition to the series for current fans and new fans will also enjoy it when they get to this book as they explore the series. In doing something different, Skye has taken the common tropes of dystopia, adventures, and quests, as well as historical fiction, combined them with a healthy dose of fantastic imagination, and created something new and interesting.

Dinosaur lovers and fans will enjoy this series, and it is a wonderful addition to the middle grade sphere, which seems to be growing and gaining a wide array of stories in a variety of genres and styles, so there are lots of different stories. This means that there will be something for everyone – something that all readers can find that they will enjoy and connect with, which is a great thing to encourage more kids and people to get into reading and celebrating books.