ALA Booklist
Fans of the Redwall series will be mightily pleased by Jacques' new action-packed adventure featuring the stalwart creatures of Mossflower country. The peace of the abbey is shattered when a trio of rebellious young Redwallers, lead by Horty Braebuck, an audacious hare, run off to join the seasoned adventurers Bragoon and Sarobando on a hazardous quest to the long-abandoned Loamhedge Abbey, seeking a cure for Horty's wheelchair-bound sister, Martha. The abbey comes under siege by the vicious searat Raga Bol, but in true Redwall fashion, heroes emerge: an immense badger seeking revenge against Raga Bol becomes a powerful ally, Martha helps save the abbey, and Bragoon and Sarobando ably guide Horty and his pals on their first adventures away from the abbey and toward adulthood. The action never lets up, the bad guys are satisfyingly evil, and the Abbeybeasts seem like old friends. The story is laced with humor, the feasts are mouth-watering, and the language is rich. Yep, it's another good yarn.
School Library Journal
Gr 5 Up-There are some things you can always count on when you read a "Redwall" story. The bad creatures are really bad. The good creatures are really good. There will be adorable Dibbuns, gluttonous young tricksters, and brave and bold heroes and heroines. Adventure? Your buckle will definitely be swashed. And, of course, there's Redwall Abbey, the heart of a magical land. The fact that the actual stories tend to be somewhat interchangeable is mere quibbling. In this outing, Loamhedge was once a place of healing and magic, abandoned long ago because of a plague. A young wheelchair-bound haremaid named Martha is visited in a dream by Martin the Warrior, who tells her that she will find a cure there. Sarobando and Bragoon agree to make the search, and are soon joined by young scallywags Horty, Fenna, and Springald. Meanwhile, two vermin hordes converge on the abbey, determined to steal Martin's magical sword. They are thwarted by Lonna, a badger out for revenge against Raga Bol, leader of one of the hordes, and by the Redwallers themselves, led by a surprisingly forceful Martha, who in the end regains the ability to walk without any magical help at all. Like its predecessors, Loamhedge is a sophisticated read, filled with larger-than-life characters, more than a little violence, almost incomprehensible dialects, and all kinds of humor. The conclusion is ultimately satisfyingthe good creatures win, the bad creatures lose, and Redwall Abbey remains a refuge and a place of peace. Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library
Publishers Weekly
(Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
Brian Jacques's Redwall carries on with Loamhedge, a deserted abbey that a wheelchair-bound young hare-maid thinks could hold a cure to her lame condition. Two warriors traveling back to Redwall agree to seek out the legendary place, but unwittingly leave Redwall Abbey vulnerable to vermin intruders.
Horn Book
In this sixteenth novel of Redwall, Martha--a haremaid who uses a wheelchair--learns that the cure for her disabling condition may be found at the lost abbey of Loamhedge. As a group of Martha's friends embark on the quest to Loamhedge, a band of vermin lays siege on Redwall in hopes of stealing a treasured sword. Jacques weaves a vivid tapestry, capably mingling several plot strands and creating a myriad of colorfully limned characters.