A review by km_allan
Petrichor by Melanie Rees

4.0

Working on the land with his father, Clayton comes across a fox spirit who lets him know the drought they've been experiencing is because of the Red King, a demon who has scared away the rain spirits. Desperate to stop the dry from ruining his family's farm, Clay looks for a weapon to defeat the Red King, all while dealing with the grief of losing his older brother and the hole it has torn in his family. While this is a YA book, it's definitely geared toward younger readers, due to the age of the MC and the way he deals with things. While the issues of grief, loss, and suicide are heavy, this book raises them with care and is well-written. It captures what life on the land is like in outback Australia, and how humans can triumph after tragedy when they open up to each other.