Beneath the forest floor, they watch...
Syrah Carthan doesn't know why she accepted a job as the first female fire chief at Sequoia National Park, where decades earlier, a forest fire killed her parents. That day, her brother, Romelo, disappeared, as if pulled into the scorched earth itself. Syrah has always had an uncanny affinity for the natural wonders of the park she protects, but after she sanctions a prescribed burn that goes terribly wrong, she quits her position in disgrace.
However, when another devastating wildfire breaks out, Syrah, reluctantly pulled back into action, discovers an unknown world that has existed underground since the beginning of time. This secret society, built around the forest's complex root system, is now divided into two factions. One is ruled by the Keeper, the giant sequoias' benevolent caretaker. The other by a mysterious undoer, who's determined to wage war on humanity. Through him, nature can retaliate and wipe out the earth's careless ravagers for good.
Torn between human loyalty and preserving the delicate balance of nature, Syrah must make a choice-one that will change both her destiny and that of the world above and below forever.
***
Syrah Williams doesn't always dream, but when she does, she dreams of trees.- Chapter One, Sequoia National Park, Middle Fork Dorst Creek Campground, September 2014
***
(47North, 1 March 2024, e-book, 364 pages, bought from @AmazonKindle via #AmazonFirstReads)
***
***
I thoroughly enjoyed The Canopy Keepers. I've pre-ordered the sequel, A Breathless Sky and look forward to seeing where the story concludes. This is the time of fantasy I love where the fantastical world and the real world come together and chaos ensues. I love the premise of the book, a world beneath the trees. I really wanted to know where the author would take the story. I thought Syrah was a great character, torn between the human world she lives in and the canopy world. This is a well-written and compelling read. I loved it.
