Fierce Kingdom: A Novel

Joan takes her four-year-old son, Lincoln, to the zoo often enough that she knows that place inside and out. On one visit, just they are heading out since it’s closing time, she sees something that makes her fear for her life. She grabs Lincoln and starts running in the other direction, looking for somewhere to hide. For the next three hours, they are trying to stay hidden and safe in an incredibly Fierce Kingdom.

It is really hard to talk about this book without giving anything away. And I feel like I can’t do that because there honestly isn’t much substance to this book. It’s not the worst book I’ve ever read, and the plot is certainly intriguing, especially as the mother of a four-year-old son myself. However, it didn’t come across to me as realistic; it lacked the emotion that you think would be involved in a situation like that, and there was also not much character depth. I appreciated the brevity of the story, but when you are going to tell some of it from the other side’s point of view, it would have been nice to have more background information.

Despite the ending of the novel, I didn’t really enjoy Joan’s character, and it didn’t seem like she became quite the hero the author was intending. Also, Lincoln did not make a very believable four year old, especially one in a violent situation. But all of this is my own opinion; it seems to have gotten some praise from other reviewers and authors whom I enjoy. I can’t really recommend it, but if you are looking for a quick read, it is possible you might want to read this one.