A Dewdrop Away


Fiction - Animals
312 Pages
Reviewed on 03/04/2015
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

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.

    Book Review

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.