D. J. Panec

This enthralling young adult novel explores the complex relationship between humans and nature. The story follows Hawk, a wild human, and Mira, a girl from a hunting village, as they navigate a world where survival often comes at a moral cost. I was drawn in by the vivid world-building and the characters’ emotional depth. Mira’s transformation from a conforming villager to a compassionate rebel is both inspiring and relatable. The tension between her and Hawk adds an engaging layer of show more forbidden romance that heightens the stakes.

While some plot elements feel familiar, Panec’s unique perspective on animal rights and environmentalism makes this story stand out. It’s a captivating read that challenges societal norms and encourages reflection on our choices. Fans of dystopian fiction will likely enjoy this book. show less

Miri is a giant that lives in a village. Her people hunt and eat humans, which their God supposedly commanded them to do. But Miri wants to protest hunting wild humans. Hawk is a human that lives in the wilds with his tribe. Soon Miri and Hawk will meet. Their lives will never be the same.

I enjoyed this book, and the humans as pets made me laugh. The romance was a bit weird, and the book ends with an obvious sequel. Yes, we can agree cannibalism is bad.

A story of survival, changing the status quo, and learning your own strengths, told from the alternating perspectives of the Giant girl, Mira, and the “Wild’ Human boy, Hawk.
Mira is a strong willed, and cunningly intelligent young woman who, in a world where hunting, killing, and eating humans is the norm, is worried that the ‘Wild Humans’ are getting hunted to extinction. She sets up protests and tries to get her fellow villagers to only eat ‘Farmed’ humans, until she realizes show more that Farmed meat and Wild meat are basically the same thing when she spends some time getting to know Hawk. The Humans and Giants are unable to understand the others speech, and so the Giants think humans are dumb animals, put on the earth only for them to hunt and eat.
Hawk is a strong, smart, and resourceful young man, who is more at home in the forest than anywhere else. After being attacked and losing a family member to vicious hunters, he breaks into the Giants’ village to find and destroy their powerful new weapon, and soon after he gets captured and turned into a “pet”. In her excitement at finding her own “wild” pet, Mira begins to teach Hawk how to communicate via sign language, which was taught to her by her friend Breena, who is deaf. But communicating with your pet is a very dangerous thing for a Giant, and consequences are severe. Brilliantly engaging, with Page-turning, seat of your pants excitement, with all the moral and ethical dilemmas to satisfy your burning questions of what is right and wrong in a world of cannibals.
Thank you to the publishers, Treasure Bay Books, for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. show less

The Giants and the Humans are separated by a Great Wall. While the humans are adept at hiding within the forest, the giants regularly hunt them for capture, slaughter, and to consume their ‘wild’ meat.

One day, human Hawk stumbles upon Giant Mira as she sleeps among a field of wildflowers. He is wary, but intrigued, careful not to wake her. Later, Hawk is determined to avenge the death of his brother at the hands of the Giant hunters.

In time, Mira and Hawk reconnect in an owner and pet show more relationship…and eventually fall into a forbidden love which escalates in tragedy for both humans and giants. A story fraught with danger, violence, and cannibalism. Difficult to read at times, but the underlying debate encompasses both sides of immigration and immigrants, the outlawing of guns and their regulation, and raising animals for consumption.

Intriguing, thought-provoking, and at times nauseating, Animals Rising is not a story for the faint of heart, but will draw you into a debate within yourself for heated themes which can challenge a community.

Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers, Treasure Bay Inc., Gloria L. Scott and D.J. Panec for this ARC. show less