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C.A. Allen lives in the Northeastern U.S. with her family and one incredibly quirky corgi. She enjoys black coffee, thunderstorms, and the majesty of trees, which inspired the creation of Arborand. From a very young age she observed the secret life of squirrels in her back yard and decided they were an excellent subject for story-telling.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
A Dewdrop Away is a woodland fantasy novel by C.A. Allen which is suitable for all ages. Following in the great tradition of classics like Watership Down and The Wind In The Willows, Allen’s novel centres primarily on a society of squirrels living on the island of Arborand. Its main characters are spread across various locations in this lavish woodland world, which is also filled with strange prophecies, wicked overlords and dictators, legends and, of course, magic. Their initial stories of oppression, fear and anger towards their society begin to intermingle as the novel progresses, culminating in a joining of forces against some of the most evil creatures to ever be put on the page.
Well written and well thought out in terms of plot, A Dewdrop Away constantly struck me as ‘Lord of the Rings with squirrels’ whilst I was reading it. There is something truly epic and fantastical about the journey that Rupert, Mae and Theo take, but also a great realism to the political and social problems which they face. I was particularly impressed with the tension and occasional moments of horror that C.A. Allen was able to create without resorting to gratuitous description on the page, thereby enabling all types of readers to enjoy the novel. I think it is possible that readers may take one look at this story and brush it off as a children’s novel, but believe me, there’s a lot more than meets the eye to this in-depth look at oppression, freedom and destiny. An excellent read.
