Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Wow this was such an amazing MG fantasy! I couldn't put it down. The characters have different personalities that make their dynamics so interesting. And the twist??? Totally nailed it

Really enjoyed the concept and plot of this book. Characters were interesting and I would/will be reading this a second time.

☆☆☆☆ /5
(english review below)

Un roman d'aventure qui m'a fait voyager au milieu de créatures étonnantes et avec lesquelles leur donner un nom est plus qu'important.
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Ash Narro, 12 ans, est souvent taquinée pour avoir nommé et parlé à des poupées, des bâtons et d'autres objets comme son fidèle sac de tapis, Wayfarer. Mais dernièrement, les choses dans son petit village frontalier sont devenues beaucoup plus difficiles pour Ash. Une sécheresse en cours, des attaques accrues des Dao vivant dans la forêt et des assauts orageux de mystérieuses Illwen qui changent de forme ont fait ressortir le pire chez les villageois effrayés. Même la mère d'Ash n'agit plus comme elle-même.
Une nuit, lors d'une terrible attaque d'Illwen, Ash se faufile et découvre qu'elle peut apprivoiser les Illwen déchaînés en leur donnant un vrai nom. Après avoir noué des amitiés improbables avec un malade qu'elle nomme Puppy, et avec Fen, le garçon Dao qui a été fait prisonnier par son village, Ash est appelée un traître par son peuple. Ensemble, Ash, Fen et Puppy doivent voyager au cœur de la forêt pour découvrir ce qui a fait que les choses dans son village et dans la forêt de Fen ont si horriblement mal tourné.
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Ce que j'ai particulièrement aimé dans ce roman a été le style d'écriture simple et frais qui m'a plongée dans l'histoire dès les premières pages. J'ai été entraînée avec facilité dans les aventures de la jeune Ash qui souhaite plus que tout sauver tout ceux qu'elle aime. Ses pouvoirs étaient intéressants à connaître d'ailleurs.
L'univers du roman est tout simplement magique. J'ai pris plaisir à imaginer les différents paysages et différents habitants de ce nouveau monde de fantasy. Les descriptions étaient claires et si visuelles que j'ai encore des scènes à l'esprit pendant que j'écris ma chronique.
Ash, Fen et Puppy forment un petit trio amusant et intéressant à suivre. Leurs déboires et leurs victoires m'ont beaucoup faite sourire. Mais ce qui m'a attendrie a été de voir la force de leur amitié et la solidarité qui les liaient.
C'est un jeunesse qui est entraînant par son intrigue prenante et les multiples aventures qui s'y dé roulent. Également, ce roman fait réfléchir sur l'environnement et notre rapport avec la nature.

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ENGLISH REVIEW:

An adventure book that made me travel in the midst of amazing creatures and with which to give them a name is more than important.
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Twelve-year-old Ash Narro is often teased for naming and talking to dolls, sticks, and other objects like her trusty carpetbag, Wayfarer. But lately things in her small frontier village have been getting much harder for Ash. An ongoing drought, increased attacks from the forest-dwelling dao fora, and stormy assaults from the mysterious shape-shifting illwen have brought out the worst in the frightened villagers. Even Ash’s mom isn’t acting like herself anymore.
One night, during a terrible illwen attack, Ash sneaks out and discovers that she can tame the raging illwen by giving them a true name. After forming unlikely friendships with an illwen she names Puppy, and with Fen, the dao fora boy who’s been taken prisoner by her village, Ash is called a traitor to her people. Together, Ash, Fen, and Puppy, must journey into the heart of the forest to discover what caused things in her village, and in Fen’s forest, to go so horribly wrong.
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What I particularly liked about this book was the simple and fresh writing style that immersed me in the story from the first pages. I have been drawn with ease into the adventures of young Ash who wishes more than anything to save those she loves. Her powers were interesting to know elsewhere.
The universe of the story is quite simply magical. I enjoyed imagining the different landscapes and different inhabitants of this new fantasy world. The descriptions were clear and so visual that I still have scenes in mind as I write my review.
Ash, Fen and Puppy make a fun and interesting little trio to follow. Their setbacks and their victories made me smile a lot. But what touched me was seeing the strength of their friendship and the solidarity that bound them.
It's a middlegrade that is catchy with its gripping plot and the many adventures that unfold there. Also, this book makes us think about the environment and our relationship with nature.

I enjoyed this story quite a bit. I like when an author can incorporate topics relevant to our lives in a fantasy tale, but I did feel it was a bit heavy handed. That could have been because hit was middle grade though. It feel like a younger middle grade. Overall I do recommend for the kids.

This is a great high fantasy book I thought it had in-depth characters a good progression and development of the main characters as well as the storyline is well paced and felt natural I’ve never read from this author before so I was a little bit sceptical but I will be looking into more books from him going forward .

An adventurous and wild, spellbinding middle-grade fantasy.
The worldbuilding is vibrant, and the characters are beautifully written.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The unique style of magic, blended with legend and lore, made for a fascinating read. This middle grade fantasy is perfect for upper elementary and even middle school students who love magical tales.

MC Ash Narro lives in a protected village, safe from the cloud forest and the dangers that lurk within it. The dao fora, an indigenous people who live in the cloud forest, are the enemies of the villagers. But both the dao fora and the villagers fear the forest spirits, the vicious illwen. When Ash discovers her ability to control things by giving them a true name, she finds herself on the run, trying to save her people and the land she lives on. Ash tames an illwen by naming it Puppy, turning it into a small puppy who becomes her travelling companion. I also loved the relationships she develops with the dao fora people and how she didn't judge them just because of what the other villagers said. One of the most poignant moments for me happened early on when a dao fora boy is captured. Ash muses that there must be good dao fora people and they can't all be bad. She trusts her instincts and treats the dao fora as human beings instead of as enemies. She is selfless, brave and compassionate.

The author was inspired by the rainforest destruction in Brazil to add the ecological conservation themes to this book. This is such an important message for young readers to see in fiction. Ash grapples with her emotions through the story, and wrestles with choices between what is right and what is easy. Todd Mitchell whisks readers away to this new world that still has a warm familiarity to it. It is a fast paced page turner that children will love.

This is a lovely story, with a beautiful meaning behind that I would recommend to all, young and old readers. 
The magic system remind me a lot to the slow regard of silent things, and I found it very interesting and realistic (?)
Also the story is situated in some kind of victoriana like era in a colonise area that can match lots of places in our own world, and that makes the story easily relatable.
And even though it was a little predictable, it doesn't lessend the quality, it is engaging entertaining and fast paced that there is not a single moment you want to stop reading it.
Review to come to instagram  soon.

THE NAMER OF SPIRITS sends twelve-year-old Ash Narro on an adventure to save the cloud forest, free the forest spirits (illwen), and reunite her people with the forest-dwelling dao fora. It's a fantasy exploration of deforestation filled with fearsome mistcats and sky-high airships, all following a girl who can give object or creature their true name. It's clever in how Ash seeks the names of feelings, too: from dread to hunger to avoidance. And it's cute because of her bond with the adorable Puppy and peculiar, ever-curious Fen.

Throughout her quest, Ash yearns to return home in peace, but I found the family side of the story lacking — most noticeably an underdeveloped subplot with her estranged mom, but also her dad, who seems a compelling character only to drop off the page altogether. Overall I liked the content but never felt all that connected to Ash as a protagonist, or any other one character.

Thanks to Owl Hollow Press for the review copy.

This book grabbed my attention from page one! I loved the main character, Ash, a twelve-year-old who has collected a strange assortment of mundane objects that are special because she’s named them. I adore middle grade that appeals to both kids and adults, and this is one of those books. It’s also a standalone, and it’s refreshing to read a complete story that’s finished in one novel.

Some of the story’s characteristics that really stood out to me were the magic system, the reflection on ecological issues, and the themes of friendship and letting go.

The Magic of Naming

The power of names is not an original concept, but Mitchell gives it new life with Ash, who tames a beast by naming it Puppy. Of course, Puppy becomes her companion throughout her adventures, and he’s one of my favourite characters—playful, adventurous, and full of life. The power of a namer is slowly revealed throughout the story, and it’s not just about giving things, people, and animal names, but understanding them. Ash’s story is full of empathy, where enemies turn into friends and fear is just the other side of courage.

An Environmental Message

In the Author’s Note, Mitchell writes that the book’s ecological themes were inspired by rainforest destruction in Brazil. A repeated saying in the book, “burn or starve,” is a reference to an interview with a farmer in NPR’s series, “The Rain Forest Was Here.” In Ash’s world, “squatters” burn the forests for farm land, because they’re hungry and have no where else to go. The dao fora, people who live in the forest, regularly attack them for burning down the trees. When Ash, from a village who fear the dao fora and consider them enemies, actually meets the forest people and learn how they live, she realizes everyone just misunderstands each other, and how, if they worked together, they could save the forests.

The Theme of Letting Go

In her journey, Ash has to make sacrifices, giving away things that she wants to hold on to and valuing friendship over power. Her selflessness is what makes her a hero, and these sacrificial acts, even the small ones, felt so powerful to me. What a gorgeous story.

Thanks to Owl Hollow Press / Netgalley for an advanced copy for review!

What an absolutely beautiful story. Ash learns how to grow with her gift and shows that you can do good with what you're given. I would highly recommend this for anyone that enjoys reading fantasy - it really made my imagination expand.

The Namer of Spirits is delightful from beginning to end. The plot builds quickly, transporting the reader into a world that, while far away from the present day, feels eerily familiar in its exploration of deforestation, government corruption, and fear. Strong roles are given to both female and male characters, and the protagonist, Ash, is compelling in her fierce desire to save her village, and her confusion about the best way to do this. This book will appeal to readers who love a page-turning adventure, but also appreciate being given something to think about after the last page is turned.

A magical and immersive tale with strands of environmental issues and inner courage woven throughout. This book was so easy to get into, and straight away I had images in my head of Ash's village and the places she travelled. At times the message about caring for the environment were a little too obvious - I realise this is for a younger audience but every now and then it was a bit much!

I loved the idea of a Namer, and the development of Ash and her abilities was magical and clever all at once. I'd love to read more and see how it progresses after the events at the end of the book.

Overall all this was such a wonderful book, and it left me wanting to befriend an Illwen, ride a mistcat, and hug Puppy.

Free eARC via netgalley given in exchange for an honest review.

This book is wonderful. The characters feel so real. Ash is such a normal kid with a very special ability. From start to finish Namer of Spirits is fast paced and wonderful. I'm so glad I read it. The world is well built and well described and it feels like a place you could walk right into. Ash, Puppy and Fen are an interesting and fun cast of characters. This is definitely a book ill read again.

A rich, multi-layered story with a subtle ecological message, and a cast of characters who had my heart from page one, THE NAMER OF SPIRITS is simply spellbinding. Teachers and librarians who are searching for well-written fiction to pair with environmental non-fiction need to snap this one up!