Rain is an orphan grub. Sitting at the very bottom of the hierarchy, she works at her Aunt Willow’s farm helping with the animals. When she turns 13, she will be sent to spend the rest of her life working in the Tubes to collect Root for those higher up on the hierarchy. Problem being, she has Tube Terror. The dark narrow spaces of the Tubes cause her to panic, though she must hide her fear to avoid being dosed with Med, which turns grubbers into mindless, automated workers. During all this, she hears strange, piercing cries coming from her Aunt’s barn, which she has been ordered, under no circumstances, should she ever enter. You know what they say, “Curiosity kills the cat.” Rain’s curiosity gets the best of her, and upon entering, she finds… a wild griffin? That can’t be right, wild griffins haven’t existed for years. Turns out the wild griffin is being trained to help get Lady Orla, a girl at the very top of the social rung, into the Academy, where students learn to be Griffin Riders who enforce the law. Lady Orla plans to enter the Academy under the “Law Of The Chosen”, which dictates that if a griffin naturally bonds with you, you must be let into the Academy, no matter your rank. However, the griffin has now bonded with Rain, and won’t attach to Lady Orla. This, naturally, causes problems. The Griffin Land authorities hunted and disposed of all wild griffins long ago, and if this griffin won’t bond with Lady Orla, his life is at stake. A whirlwind of decisions leads to Rain deciding to take Griff (as he’s been so named) to get herself into the Academy. However, being a grub, the government isn’t so thrilled with the idea of the Griffin Land Order hierarchy being thrown into chaos. It’s a battle to survive and fight her way though challenges to prove that she, too, should have a choice in how her life should be lived. Overall, one of my favorite books I’ve read in a long time. Once started, it’s very hard to put down. Looking forward to future books in the series. 10/10, recommend for ages 10-15.

Rain is an orphan grub. Sitting at the very bottom of the hierarchy, she works at her Aunt Willow’s farm helping with the animals. When she turns 13, she will be sent to spend the rest of her life working in the Tubes to collect Root for those higher up on the hierarchy. Problem being, she has Tube Terror. The dark narrow spaces of the Tubes cause her to panic, though she must hide her fear to avoid being dosed with Med, which turns grubbers into mindless, automated workers. During all this, she hears strange, piercing cries coming from her Aunt’s barn, which she has been ordered, under no circumstances, should she ever enter. You know what they say, “Curiosity kills the cat.” Rain’s curiosity gets the best of her, and upon entering, she finds… a wild griffin? That can’t be right, wild griffins haven’t existed for years. Turns out the wild griffin is being trained to help get Lady Orla, a girl at the very top of the social rung, into the Academy, where students learn to be Griffin Riders who enforce the law. Lady Orla plans to enter the Academy under the “Law Of The Chosen”, which dictates that if a griffin naturally bonds with you, you must be let into the Academy, no matter your rank. However, the griffin has now bonded with Rain, and won’t attach to Lady Orla. This, naturally, causes problems. The Griffin Land authorities hunted and disposed of all wild griffins long ago, and if this griffin won’t bond with Lady Orla, his life is at stake. A whirlwind of decisions leads to Rain deciding to take Griff (as he’s been so named) to get herself into the Academy. However, being a grub, the government isn’t so thrilled with the idea of the Griffin Land Order hierarchy being thrown into chaos. It’s a battle to survive and fight her way though challenges to prove that she, too, should have a choice in how her life should be lived. Overall, one of my favorite books I’ve read in a long time. Once started, it’s very hard to put down. Looking forward to future books in the series. 10/10, recommend for ages 10-15.