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Wilderlore #4
The Night Compass
Barclay and his friends race to find a legendary beast in the Wilderlands before their enemy in this action-packed fourth book in the New York Times bestselling Wilderlore series.
As the election for Grand Keeper looms closer, the villainous Audrian Keyes returns. He claims he has the secret to finding Navrashtya, the Legendary Beast of the Tundra who’s been missing for centuries. And so a team of specialized Lore Keepers must undertake a desperate find her first, no matter the cost.
But the uncharted regions of the Tundra hold countless dangers, from the monstrous Beasts to the brutal cold, yet far more chilling mysteries await them out on the ice caps. Like why Navrashtya went missing in the first place. Or the truth behind this strange Lore that only Barclay can feel, whose power might very well save the mission—or doom it.
As the election for Grand Keeper looms closer, the villainous Audrian Keyes returns. He claims he has the secret to finding Navrashtya, the Legendary Beast of the Tundra who’s been missing for centuries. And so a team of specialized Lore Keepers must undertake a desperate find her first, no matter the cost.
But the uncharted regions of the Tundra hold countless dangers, from the monstrous Beasts to the brutal cold, yet far more chilling mysteries await them out on the ice caps. Like why Navrashtya went missing in the first place. Or the truth behind this strange Lore that only Barclay can feel, whose power might very well save the mission—or doom it.
464 pages, Hardcover
First published March 5, 2024
About the author
Amanda Foody
22 books2,800 followersAmanda Foody is the New York Times, USA Today, and indie bestselling author of All of Us Villains (with C.L. Herman), the Wilderlore series, the Shadow Game series, and more. Her work has appeared in publications including Buzzfeed, Popsugar, Culturess, and Amazon selected All of Us Villains as the Best Young Adult Book of 2021. Originally from Pennsylvania, she lives in Boston, MA with her partner and their orange tabby, Jelly Bean. When not writing, she unironically loves to cook.
The Night Compass, the fourth installment in the Wilderlore series, releases on March 5, 2024. A Fate So Cold, her next novel with C.L. Herman, follows in Fall 2024.
The Night Compass, the fourth installment in the Wilderlore series, releases on March 5, 2024. A Fate So Cold, her next novel with C.L. Herman, follows in Fall 2024.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 13, 2023
As always, a DELIGHT
March 24, 2024
2024 reads: 68/250
this is the fourth book in the wilderlore series.
when audrian keyes claims he has the secret to finding navrashtya, the beast that’s been missing for centuries, barclay and his team set out to find her first. this is, of course, not without danger, as the uncharted regions of the tundra bring them new dangers at every corner.
i loved the setting in this book! if you’re familiar with the wilderlore series you know that the settings play a role in each book. the tundra setting was interesting and i liked how it made barclay and co’s journey more difficult.
going in, i was a bit surprised at the length of this book. however, i do think the length made sense without dragging on or anything. i can’t wait for book five!
this is the fourth book in the wilderlore series.
when audrian keyes claims he has the secret to finding navrashtya, the beast that’s been missing for centuries, barclay and his team set out to find her first. this is, of course, not without danger, as the uncharted regions of the tundra bring them new dangers at every corner.
i loved the setting in this book! if you’re familiar with the wilderlore series you know that the settings play a role in each book. the tundra setting was interesting and i liked how it made barclay and co’s journey more difficult.
going in, i was a bit surprised at the length of this book. however, i do think the length made sense without dragging on or anything. i can’t wait for book five!
March 16, 2024
AHHHHHHHH
This feels like the plot twist at the end of the fourth Harry Potter book. AND NOW I HAVE TO WAIT A YEAR TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS
Full RTC but I’m obsessed with this series
This feels like the plot twist at the end of the fourth Harry Potter book. AND NOW I HAVE TO WAIT A YEAR TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS
Full RTC but I’m obsessed with this series
March 10, 2024
Dang, this series just took a whole new direction and got a lot more intense! I managed to read it all in one day, and I was glued to the story for every minute of it.
March 21, 2024
The characters did get a little annoying for me at times, but they are also young teens so it can make sense. Other than that, I loved it. I loved learning more about Runa and seeing her be more vulnerable. I loved the lore and the adventure and the creatures. The idea for this series is just so good.
March 23, 2024
It's finally time for the fourth Wilderlore book, as our main cast and their friends head to their biggest adventure yet, as the investigation of a murder soon turns into a big expedition to try to find the Legendary Beast of the chilly Tundra. I loved the first three books of the series, and this book certainly continued the winning streak.
This book was really good, and getting to see our main and supporting cast again was a delight, felt like old friends coming for an extended visit. The story is simple but engaging, and the stakes are raised in the book, as not only do they have to try finding the Legendary Beast and keep an incredibly important object out of the hands of the villains, but we find out that Barclay is developing a new, scary power. We get to stick to our main cast as they go on this expedition, get to experience new things, interact with one another, start training to grow even stronger, and it's as engaging now as it was in the first three books. All of this is made even better by the fact that the author did something differently this time around. Personally, one of the bigger drawbacks in the first three books for me is that the Beasts often felt more like secondary characters who only popped up sometimes, but that all changed in this book, as here, the Beasts are very often outside their marks, out in the world interacting with their Keepers and with each other, showcasing lots of personality and making everything so much more fun and engaging. This is what I wanted, to see all the mingling with Keepers and Beasts, and the author definitely delivered.
In general, the setting is adequate. It's very much a lot of the same, but the place gets more dangerous the deeper the group goes into the Tundra, and all the varied personalities and interactions kept me engaged (including some interesting ones between Barclay and Yasha), as did the action sequences, from the main trio training to find new ways to use their Lore powers, to having to deal with dangerous wild Beasts, to battling the villains, there was definitely a good bunch of action in the book to keep me thrilled. Startling revelations added to the story, as well as new characters and especially the very welcome return of other characters we've seen before, especially Ethel.
Sadly, the book did have some negatives. One is that there are a lot of characters, much like in the last book, so not everyone gets a chance to shine. That's understandable, but I was disappointed with how little Nayan, Drissa and especially Ethel got to do. We don't get to explore why Nayan doesn't get along with his sister Hasu (though I suspect that will come to light in the next book), we don't get to see the sickly, enthusiastically geeky Drissa do anything to make him stand out from the crowd beyond his personality, but most disappointing of all, Ethel doesn't do much herself. I had been wanting to see the twins back so bad, they were so important in the first book, I knew it would be great to get them back,see the repercutions of their actions and how they've been doing since last we saw them, so I was beyond thrilled when Ethel made her return (Abel is absent but his not being there is properly explained), but sadly, we barely get anything with her. There is tension from having Ethel accompanying them, and she has one of the best scenes in the book where she later explains herself to Barclay and his friends, why she and Abel did what they did, what happened to cause it and what happened afterwards, and it was so well done, but beyond that, Ethel doesn't do much in the book, doesn't get a chance to shine in battle or bond with the others, and at one point she just stops appearing. That was super disappointing, and I can only hope that she (and maybe also her brother) appear again in future books. Besides that, my other negative is the main villain, Audrian Keyes. I get that he's supposed to be smart and dangerous, but by this point they have him outsmarting everyone and being pretty much invincible in combat, and it's getting quite annoying. I get that the main villain is supposed to be a threat, but going to the point of making him apparently unbeatable and making the heroes look incompetent by comparison gets to be a bit too much. It would honestly be refreshing to see at least one of his plans fail for once. It's just a couple negatives here, but unfortunately, they're glaring enough to keep this from being a perfect 5 star book for me.
But while it may not be a perfect 5, this book was still one very enjoyable ride. That's four books, all of them great, and I'm having an absolute blast. It's such an imaginative series, full of likable characters, imaginative locales, fast-paced action, and every book I finish makes me eagerly look forward to the next one. What adventures could come next for our heroes? What new discoveries will be made? Will Barclay and some of the others get new Beasts to bond with? How am I going to make it through a year of waiting for the next book? I might just re-read the whole series and fall in love with it all over again.
This book was really good, and getting to see our main and supporting cast again was a delight, felt like old friends coming for an extended visit. The story is simple but engaging, and the stakes are raised in the book, as not only do they have to try finding the Legendary Beast and keep an incredibly important object out of the hands of the villains, but we find out that Barclay is developing a new, scary power. We get to stick to our main cast as they go on this expedition, get to experience new things, interact with one another, start training to grow even stronger, and it's as engaging now as it was in the first three books. All of this is made even better by the fact that the author did something differently this time around. Personally, one of the bigger drawbacks in the first three books for me is that the Beasts often felt more like secondary characters who only popped up sometimes, but that all changed in this book, as here, the Beasts are very often outside their marks, out in the world interacting with their Keepers and with each other, showcasing lots of personality and making everything so much more fun and engaging. This is what I wanted, to see all the mingling with Keepers and Beasts, and the author definitely delivered.
In general, the setting is adequate. It's very much a lot of the same, but the place gets more dangerous the deeper the group goes into the Tundra, and all the varied personalities and interactions kept me engaged (including some interesting ones between Barclay and Yasha), as did the action sequences, from the main trio training to find new ways to use their Lore powers, to having to deal with dangerous wild Beasts, to battling the villains, there was definitely a good bunch of action in the book to keep me thrilled. Startling revelations added to the story, as well as new characters and especially the very welcome return of other characters we've seen before, especially Ethel.
Sadly, the book did have some negatives. One is that there are a lot of characters, much like in the last book, so not everyone gets a chance to shine. That's understandable, but I was disappointed with how little Nayan, Drissa and especially Ethel got to do. We don't get to explore why Nayan doesn't get along with his sister Hasu (though I suspect that will come to light in the next book), we don't get to see the sickly, enthusiastically geeky Drissa do anything to make him stand out from the crowd beyond his personality, but most disappointing of all, Ethel doesn't do much herself. I had been wanting to see the twins back so bad, they were so important in the first book, I knew it would be great to get them back,see the repercutions of their actions and how they've been doing since last we saw them, so I was beyond thrilled when Ethel made her return (Abel is absent but his not being there is properly explained), but sadly, we barely get anything with her. There is tension from having Ethel accompanying them, and she has one of the best scenes in the book where she later explains herself to Barclay and his friends, why she and Abel did what they did, what happened to cause it and what happened afterwards, and it was so well done, but beyond that, Ethel doesn't do much in the book, doesn't get a chance to shine in battle or bond with the others, and at one point she just stops appearing. That was super disappointing, and I can only hope that she (and maybe also her brother) appear again in future books. Besides that, my other negative is the main villain, Audrian Keyes. I get that he's supposed to be smart and dangerous, but by this point they have him outsmarting everyone and being pretty much invincible in combat, and it's getting quite annoying. I get that the main villain is supposed to be a threat, but going to the point of making him apparently unbeatable and making the heroes look incompetent by comparison gets to be a bit too much. It would honestly be refreshing to see at least one of his plans fail for once. It's just a couple negatives here, but unfortunately, they're glaring enough to keep this from being a perfect 5 star book for me.
But while it may not be a perfect 5, this book was still one very enjoyable ride. That's four books, all of them great, and I'm having an absolute blast. It's such an imaginative series, full of likable characters, imaginative locales, fast-paced action, and every book I finish makes me eagerly look forward to the next one. What adventures could come next for our heroes? What new discoveries will be made? Will Barclay and some of the others get new Beasts to bond with? How am I going to make it through a year of waiting for the next book? I might just re-read the whole series and fall in love with it all over again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2024
An absolute thrill! I was so waiting for this book and I'm happy to say I've finally finished it :)
Come to the tundra, an area that is full of uncharted waters and ice galore. From the brutal cold, to strange but powerful beasts, to strange survival techniques to remember, and the ever looming threat of Audrian, Yasha, and Audrian's quest to seek out the Legendary beasts, there's alot for Barclay and his friends to deal with. Especially now that Navrashtya, the Legendary beast of the Tundra, has been reported missing for centuries. He is then placed on a team of specialized lore keepers to investigate this matter alongside some familiar faces. Ever stranger yet is the strange lore that only Barclay seems to be able to tap into.
It was lush as ever, with many secrets unfolding that had me gasping and awing at each turn. I loved learning about the mythologies of the land, more about the families and people in the universe, and discovering new creatures. I'm a huge fan of the index in the back with the beast log, which I always refer to each time I see a beast mentioned in the story as a refresher. I cannot wait for the next book in the series to see what Barclay and his friends, new and old, accomplish.
Come to the tundra, an area that is full of uncharted waters and ice galore. From the brutal cold, to strange but powerful beasts, to strange survival techniques to remember, and the ever looming threat of Audrian, Yasha, and Audrian's quest to seek out the Legendary beasts, there's alot for Barclay and his friends to deal with. Especially now that Navrashtya, the Legendary beast of the Tundra, has been reported missing for centuries. He is then placed on a team of specialized lore keepers to investigate this matter alongside some familiar faces. Ever stranger yet is the strange lore that only Barclay seems to be able to tap into.
It was lush as ever, with many secrets unfolding that had me gasping and awing at each turn. I loved learning about the mythologies of the land, more about the families and people in the universe, and discovering new creatures. I'm a huge fan of the index in the back with the beast log, which I always refer to each time I see a beast mentioned in the story as a refresher. I cannot wait for the next book in the series to see what Barclay and his friends, new and old, accomplish.
April 20, 2024
By far my favorite book in a series I adore and sold to tons of kiddos when I was a bookseller.
I thought that the wide cast of kids truly got their chance to shine and Foody did another wonderful job at showing nuance and sensitivity towards the different issues children face. Barclay’s inner voice is so innocent and seeing him learn to work through adult issues in constructive ways makes my heart happy. I am also a sucker for a cute *little* innocent romance and a fun and sweet fantasy world.
But, the biggest improvement from the first three books comes in the way she handles the major conflict. I think the action and hero’s journey are the best in the series and could go toe to toe with the best of middle grade fantasy.
I thought that the wide cast of kids truly got their chance to shine and Foody did another wonderful job at showing nuance and sensitivity towards the different issues children face. Barclay’s inner voice is so innocent and seeing him learn to work through adult issues in constructive ways makes my heart happy. I am also a sucker for a cute *little* innocent romance and a fun and sweet fantasy world.
But, the biggest improvement from the first three books comes in the way she handles the major conflict. I think the action and hero’s journey are the best in the series and could go toe to toe with the best of middle grade fantasy.
March 22, 2024
I mean when has Amanda Foody ever disappointed me? That’s correct, the answer is never!
If at times the book felt a bit slow, it wasn’t because it was bad. I was just slacking, is all.
The last 200 pages perhaps were the most intense ones ever. Some parts made me so scared, sad and boy oh boy my Tadg calling Barclay his best friend. Ah I love all their friendship group and I am also glad Runa and my boi Cyril are back to being friends. 😭
I am sad my prediction (for two books now) haven’t come true yet but there’s 3 more books planned in the series. There’s always a chance with the next book it happens 🙏🏼
My baby girl Hasu 😱 She gonna be killing it!!!
If at times the book felt a bit slow, it wasn’t because it was bad. I was just slacking, is all.
The last 200 pages perhaps were the most intense ones ever. Some parts made me so scared, sad and boy oh boy my Tadg calling Barclay his best friend. Ah I love all their friendship group and I am also glad Runa and my boi Cyril are back to being friends. 😭
I am sad my prediction (for two books now) haven’t come true yet but there’s 3 more books planned in the series. There’s always a chance with the next book it happens 🙏🏼
My baby girl Hasu 😱 She gonna be killing it!!!
April 17, 2024
BEST. SERIES. EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wilderlore is EASILY one of the best series I have read recently, and TNC is my favorite in the series.
I love all of the growth of the characters, especially Barclay. This boy goes from being a scared Elsie who tried to get rid of his beast in the first book to being a full-fledged, powerful lore keeper with a wonderful group of supportive adults, and kids in his life in The Night Compass.
Wilderlore is EASILY one of the best series I have read recently, and TNC is my favorite in the series.
I love all of the growth of the characters, especially Barclay. This boy goes from being a scared Elsie who tried to get rid of his beast in the first book to being a full-fledged, powerful lore keeper with a wonderful group of supportive adults, and kids in his life in The Night Compass.
March 17, 2024
I love this story with all my heart, with all my soul, and I’m excited to go on the next adventure with Barclay and the others, once again. Just by reading about them, makes me feel like I’m also in this adventure, this emotional journey to the right place.
I have finally read Book 4, and the wait was worth it.
Now… I have to wait yet again for the next book :’)
I have finally read Book 4, and the wait was worth it.
Now… I have to wait yet again for the next book :’)
March 19, 2024
Guys best one yet in my opinion. And yes there was a lot of characters it was pretty hard to keep track, though I’m so happy to see Ethel back. I also loved the plot. I hope Yasha finds his way back to the group, one more thing ZINSI KISSED BARCLEY.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2024
This book is AMAZING.
March 8, 2024
I absolutely loved this book. I plan to reread it many times over and I can't wait for number 5.
March 19, 2024
*Thank you to Simon Audio for the gifted ALC*
This series is absolute magic and I love how much it's evolved since The Accidental Apprentice. It's getting dark, y'all. Steve West alternates between a great Scottish accent, a terrifying villainous voice, and narration that kept me totally engrossed. As always, the puzzles and educational elements were so well done. Despite guessing pieces of the puzzle of what The Night Compass was, I didn't see where the overall plot was going and I loved it. We also begin to get some answers into what makes Barclay so special and Runa's history with the tundra, Cyril, and beyond.
I cannot WAIT for Book 5, even if the cliffhanger at the end is absolutely *criminal*.
This series is absolute magic and I love how much it's evolved since The Accidental Apprentice. It's getting dark, y'all. Steve West alternates between a great Scottish accent, a terrifying villainous voice, and narration that kept me totally engrossed. As always, the puzzles and educational elements were so well done. Despite guessing pieces of the puzzle of what The Night Compass was, I didn't see where the overall plot was going and I loved it. We also begin to get some answers into what makes Barclay so special and Runa's history with the tundra, Cyril, and beyond.
I cannot WAIT for Book 5, even if the cliffhanger at the end is absolutely *criminal*.
April 4, 2024
SO GOOD
April 15, 2024
Thank you McElderry Books for the free copy.
I was so excited to be back in the world of Wilderlore. There’s even more surprises in this book and I cannot wait to see what Amanda Foody has in store for our characters.
Barclay and friends have reached the fourth region in this world, the Tundra. Coincidentally, it is also the place where Runa grew up in. We learn more about Runa and her childhood which was amazing to see.
Barclay continues to struggle with comparing himself to Adrian Keyes. He has more confidence in himself but at the same time he is still trying to find his way. Violet is questioning everything she knows about her father. And Tagd is just there for the ride.
Do I want the next book immediately? Yes, because I cannot be left with that cliffhanger.
I was so excited to be back in the world of Wilderlore. There’s even more surprises in this book and I cannot wait to see what Amanda Foody has in store for our characters.
Barclay and friends have reached the fourth region in this world, the Tundra. Coincidentally, it is also the place where Runa grew up in. We learn more about Runa and her childhood which was amazing to see.
Barclay continues to struggle with comparing himself to Adrian Keyes. He has more confidence in himself but at the same time he is still trying to find his way. Violet is questioning everything she knows about her father. And Tagd is just there for the ride.
Do I want the next book immediately? Yes, because I cannot be left with that cliffhanger.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews