Amazon Exit Studio Category:  Young Adult/Teen Publisher: Exit Studio ISBN-10:  0983189161 Type: Fiction Pages: 336 Copyright: Apr. 1, 2014 ISBN-13: 9780983189169 12-year-old Mateo returns to his grandparents’ island to deal with a family tragedy. From the moment he arrives, a series of terrifying events turn his world upside down. A stray cat with a mohawk, a ruthless town bully, and a lost ghost mysteriously come together and change his life forever. Mateo, a boy of 12, returns to the island of his grandparents to say goodbye to Minerva, a beloved family member. Unhappy to be back in a place so full of memories, he struggles to make sense of the abrupt and irreparable loss. When the mysterious appearance of a stray cat complicates matters, a series of terrifying incidents turn his life upside down. At the end of his very personal journey, he wonders if Minerva had something to do with the valuable lessons he learns about growing up and discovering that love materializes in different forms and in unexpected places. “The Illuminated Forest" is an imaginative study in parallels: the fine lines that separate the real and the fantastic, the tangible and the mystical, the plausible and the magical. The novel’s heart is contained within the atmospheric, lush descriptions of the geography of an island that breathes and feels along with the characters. The Illuminated Forest is at times a very human portrait populated by flawed characters trying to find balance and renewal, at other times it is a magical escape into another realm when faith has failed them. The Illuminated Forest is a heartfelt story told through magical realism, a literary work that seeks to delve deeply into its characters’ humanity without sentimentality or trite happy endings.           Excerpt There are tales that rise like the early sun, breathe, and take on a life of their own. There are ones that flow quietly and effortlessly until time forsakes them, but there are others that fight until they find their way to the edge of reality, as if coming straight out of a dream. With every sip of water from the stream, the stray cat swallowed the moon and a handful of stars. Weary with exhaustion and not knowing how it ended up there, it lay alone, surrounded by darkness and the agitated sounds of other animals. Luckily, it had found safety in a secluded spot deep in the forest beneath the branches of an orange tree. The stray finally settled in for the night behind a soft, tall fortress of grass that ensured temporary privacy. It now felt protected by a canopy of shrubs entangled with vines and wild flowers. But still the cat could not find warmth, even on the improvised bed of dry leaves and brush. As the creature lay quietly, tired from wandering, it tried to ignore the hunger gnawing at its guts. Soon, the night’s symphony of frogs, crickets, and sleepless birds soothed him to sleep. A sudden far away rumble shook the dew off the jasmine and interrupted the cat’s fitful sleep. As it lifted its sleepy eyes to the sky, it discovered the burning tail of a beautiful falling star whose brilliance transformed the tranquility of an otherwise ordinary night. The stray watched as a thin flash of lighting cracked the sky open to a dazzling rush of shooting stars. Among them, the brightest of them all fell from space at an overwhelming speed, making its fiery way past other stars and planets, following the invisible curvature of space as it began to penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere…

Clarion ForeWord Review
“FIVE STARS! Tender, yet delivered with a punch in all the right places, this perceptive and incredibly empathetic story reveals the depths of despair as the brutal blows of life threaten to snuff out the will to live in Mateo and his feline observer…The Illuminated Forest exhibits characteristics often found in award-winning juvenile and young adult fiction. Filled with beautiful illustrations to enhance the most striking scenes, this childlike fairytale will also appeal to adults seeking sophisticated symbolism and well-honed language typical of fine literature.”

Kirkus Review
“COMPELLING…Endearing and impressive…this heartfelt tale of a young boy’s pain and reluctance to make connections could form an instructive, charming story for younger readers.”

School Library Journal
“Fontánez weaves a tale of loss, anger and hope through the stories of a young boy, a stray cat, an evil and abusive man, a ghost, and the plants and animals of the tropical island. Black-and-white drawings, some covering full pages, give the feeling of a journal in which the author is recording thoughts and impressions. Mateo’s story and the descriptions of Palo Verde’s lush and simple community are QUITE MEMORABLE.”