Mark of the Conifer by L.K.D. Jennings
Published: Infinity Publishing, 2018
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
Raptor Sunstrike was born in an eclipse with the mark of the conifer on his chest. His clan abides by the Pact: a verbal agreement between the hunters and the hunted that keeps their numbers in balance. The world Sunstrike is hatched into is both brutal and kind under the guidance of the goddess Sol, until a sect under the leadership of their tyrant Charr threatens that balance with the power of fire.
The Mark of the Conifer is an epic fantasy starring dinosaurs, gripping from start to finish. Sunstrike’s life is as dangerous as any wildlife documentary even without the central antagonist, but once the sadistic Charr and her fanatical brother enter the story, the natural realities of life and death in the animal kingdom become far preferable. Sunstrike experiences loss, works through his grief, makes mistakes and grows into the leader of a revolution.
How dinosaurs might have survived and behaved is well-researched and the anthropomorphized clan system is best compared to Watership Down. Like that classic book, the fight scenes are graphic, with plenty of torn flesh and spilled blood pooling under agonized bodies. This book is recommended as YA, but I read about rabbits ripping each other apart in elementary school, so older middle-grade should be fine.
I read this book over two days while recovering from a virus, and alongside over one hundred gorgeous dinosaur illustrations by the author, the scenes were especially vivid in my fevered state.
I had no idea how much I wanted to read “Clan of the Cave Bears but with dinosaurs” until I was two-thirds of the way through and couldn’t put it down. I blame this on the cover because I wouldn’t have picked it up without catching this bit in the description: “an epic dinosaur fantasy with over 100 full color illustrations.” There’s an illustration on one of the pages that shows T-Rexes spearing a huge dinosaur with fire, and if that had been on the cover, it would tell you exactly why you need this book. Who doesn’t want to read about that? While a lovely piece and fire and pinecones do play a role, I had a hard time understanding what I was looking at until I read the first few chapters. The cover reads even less clearly at thumbnail size.
It would have been a shame if I had missed out on Mark of the Conifers because I loved this book. DINOSAURS!