Publisher's Synopsis
Book description:
In the darkest days of WWII, Primrose Holloway longs for colour, for wonder, for escape. Confined to the grey realities of wartime Hampshire - tending vegetables, caring for her younger brother, anxiously awaiting news of her soldier father - she finds her only solace in the brooding Elderfen Woods. But the woods hold more than just trees; they hold secrets, whispers on the wind, and a pull towards something ancient and unknown.
When personal tragedy strikes and the war feels overwhelmingly close, Primrose answers the woods' persistent call. A hidden pool becomes an unexpected gateway, plunging her out of the familiar hardships of 1943 England and into the vibrant, bewildering realm of Elphadora. It's a world operating on dream logic, where the sky is the wrong colour, bizarre and beautiful creatures talk (and sometimes attack), and history unfolds in ways no textbook ever described.
From facing poetry-spouting swan queens to receiving advice from armoured badgers, Primrose is thrust onto a perilous quest through landscapes both dazzling and dangerous. She soon discovers Elphadora is fighting its own war, a complex struggle between the technologically advanced Ark Kingdom and the nature-aligned creatures of the Azure Order. As she uncovers layers of deception and witnesses acts of both cruelty and kindness, Primrose realizes she can no longer be a passive observer.
Forced to choose sides in a conflict she barely understands, Primrose must shed her uncertainty and embrace a strength she never knew she possessed. Can this quiet girl from the English countryside navigate treacherous alliances, harness unexpected powers, and find her purpose in a world teetering on the brink? More importantly, can she ever find her way back home?
The Wars of Primrose is a thrilling and imaginative fantasy adventure exploring themes of courage, perception, the ambiguities of war, and one young woman's extraordinary journey to find herself between two worlds.
