The Counsel of Crows was such a fun and magical book!
I felt like I was with the characters on their little adventures!

The characters are easy to love! Scarecrow, Ayu and Eca are my favorite characters in the book. Twig the bird, the sugar gliders and Bozwell the bard are amazing as well!

The bipeds (man) has done so many things to destroy the world. The evil in the world is unraveling.

I felt like I was reading a little dungeons and dragons Humblewood adventure!!

I am looking forward to The Unraveling book 2!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Authors: Keith Ward; Jeremy Mueller; Karl Buechner, and RB Media for this audiobook ARC.

The Counsel of Crows (The Unraveling #1)
by Karl Buechner
Similar to the Rats of Nimh this book shows the aftermath of human behavior on animals. When the animals find magic and fight back, its humans that are illuminated. Unfortunately just over coming the obstacle to life is not always easy. Corruption can come to the most valiant of ideals. The animal world is not free from greed, and exploitation.

After the evil Fortress Crows attack his village, a young chickadee named Twig must escape their clutches. That is easier set than done but he finds an unexpected source of support in the form of a motley crew of companions.

Nevertheless, it is a big ask for a little bird to find a solution to ensure the survival of the Woodland against such odds.

This is an action packed story which brings alive the world in which it is set. Twig survives some serious challenges, and (my only gripe) the story ends on a cliff hanger. But overall, the narrator of the audio book does a good job, and this gets 3.5 stars.

The Unraveling is a dystopian-type book where the main characters are animals and humans have been wiped out. The story alternates between Twig, a chickadee, and a quartet of animals -a groundhog, a squirrel, and two sugar gliders, on a mission to save their forest from some murderous crows.

You can tell that a lot of thought and planning went into this story. They had some funny parts - I personally loved the battle between Captain Muskrat and Admiral Feathers - and they had some rather serious parts. The animals perspective of how humans treated nature was very well done. The characters had a lot of personality and you really connected with them. The audiobook mentioned how the authors are friends who worked on this book together for a long time and it shows. The battle scenes had a lot of action and description, as did any scene with food.

If I had one complaint about this book, it would be that I thought it was almost too long. Some of the scenes felt like they could have been pared down, as there were a LOT of descriptors. Great for painting the scenery or background, but didn't add much to the story. Overall I enjoyed the book. It was a great amalgamation of the Redwall series and the Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh.

The Unraveling tells a story that’s both gripping and quietly haunting. It unfolds in unexpected ways, drawing you deeper with each chapter. There’s a lot to sit with, and even more to think about once it’s over. A powerful, thought-provoking read.

The Unraveling is a fun middle grade adventure that was very reminiscent of Redwall. I really enjoyed this one. The animals were well-developed characters, and I liked that there was a lot of humor mixed in. I think this will be great for our animal-loving kiddos. The plot moves fast and the action starts at page 1. There were times I felt like the pacing was a little rushed, but kids probably won't mind that. Definitely check this one out!

Thanks to Netgalley, Keith Ward, and RBMedia for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own!

🌟 4 Stars | Audiobook: 4 Stars
The Unraveling is a charming short story perfect for upper elementary to middle school readers (grades 4–7), especially those who enjoy animals and adventurous quests. It’s also a great pick for teachers looking for a read-aloud or small group novel study.
The story naturally lends itself to discussions on plot structure, vocabulary, character types, theme, and other key literary elements. It opens the door to creative classroom activities too—students could listen to a chapter and then respond by creating a scene with Play-Doh, designing something on Canva, or even writing their own mini-quest.
With its imaginative storyline and animal heroes trying to prevent a major catastrophe, The Unraveling is both fun and full of educational potential.

This book plunges you straight into the adventure. Characters are well developed. Reminded me of fantasy stories from my childhood. Stories like Neverending Story and Secret of Nimh.