Young Clay Hopper is tasked with the enormous challenge of saving his family from further devastation at the hands of the demonic Red King; a deity whose mercy is nowhere to be found and hell bent on severing the threads holding the grieving Hopper family together.

A heavy drought caused by the Red King is tearing away at the ravaged land making an already financial situation spiral out of control and bringing the worst of patriarch Walt Hopper out in the process.

With the help of Spirit Guide Waringa, young Clay embarks on the perilous journey to save what's left of his family before he suffers another great loss.

Thank you to the team at Hague Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC! And thank you to Author Melanie Rees for writing this story!

I gave this book 4 stars out of 5 and it was so very well deserved. Initially I didn't see myself enjoying this book due to the early themes explored, but as the story progressed I came to see the reason for it and just how powerfully impactive they are not only on the pages but off as well.

A thoroughly well written, thoughtfully explored and 3 dimensional story exploring the impact of Toxic Masculinity, Suicide, Grief, Financial Hardship, and Family Support in a time of crisis.

I especially enjoyed the clever use of metaphors throughout the story told through the eyes of a young person old enough to fathom tragedy, but still young enough to throw himself into a world of fantasy to cope, unable to face the harsh reality at first.

The name Petrichor itself is very appropriate once you understand it's meaning and get to them end of this tale.

Due to the mild use of adult language (swearing) I would recommend this book to 13 -18 year olds.