What if Nala was compelled to team up with Scar for a secret mission?

Six months after the death of her best friend, Simba, Nala finds herself clinging to a rumor that the young cub might actually be alive. But the trip to Garamba is long and fraught with danger- it is definitely a journey her overprotective mother would not let her take. Sneaking out one night, Nala finds her confidence quickly waning, while the pride is in an uproar over her disappearance.

Having felt the pride’s distrust and dislike for him growing, Scar takes it upon himself to track the errant cub. Finding Nala is easier than he expected. The two travel together, uncomfortably helping one another as the perils of the wild come at them from all sides. Nala has never liked Scar and yet finds herself having to rely on him, at least partially, to help her reach Garamba- and Simba. Will that unlikely partnership form a tentative bond, or will it be the biggest mistake Nala’s made in her young life?

This was another well-down book in the series as Rochon delivers more depth about the hierarchy and rules of the lion pride, and the deep love and pains of a mother’s love.

I think I’ll start with the most interesting bit in that this is not only Nala’s story. While she gets a bulk of the character development, there are chapters set aside for Scar’s POV and Sarabi’s POV. Set six months after the “death” of Simba, Nala is struggling through her grief.

She is also struggling that she’s an outcast amongst her fellow peers. They think she thought herself superior being Simba’s best friend, something which she realizes is true and that she had unconsciously did not build tight bonds outside of Simba as a result, but now he’s gone, she doesn’t have many allies. This is especially so since her mother, Serafina, has become smothering to a negative result. She won’t allow Nala to hunt and thus the other lions tease her and don’t respect her to pull her weight.

I enjoy how Rochon incorporates the real dangers a lion might face if they’re not properly trained to fend or hunt food for themselves. Within the pride, she could be exiled for being a burden. Self-esteem wise, Nala is even more down on herself that she is less skilled than the runt. Everyone but Serafina can see how her overprotectiveness will make life harder for Nala when she’s older because she can’t rely on her mother to do everything for her.

Yet Rochon makes plenty of room to emphasize the love and fear behind Serafina’s actions so she doesn’t seem too irrational. It’s just everyone deals with fear and grief differently with Simba’s death. Sarabi has to stay strong because she’s the leader even though Scar’s in charge in-name only. But when Nala breaks away, Serafina realizes how her actions had gone too far. Nala also faces the same fear her mother has as she briefly protects the runt, Adena, who tags along on her adventure. The fear of someone in your care getting hurt is all-consuming and so by the end they come to a better understanding.

Which reminds me I enjoyed getting to know the other lionesses in the pride like the underestimated baby of the group Adena, bragging Ola and others. It made the pride feel more of a family which makes the stakes and tensions between them even more impactful.

Nala’s other big development comes from her desire to prove herself. She has never wanted to be seen as a baby or a coward like when she and Simba went to the Elephant Graveyard. And with her mother’s smothering, she is more eager to prove herself. However, as she ventures on her own for the first time she realizes how many of Serafina’s fears have become her own and she pushes past them.

She also realizes that as much of her journey is to find if Simba is alive, there is a selfish component to it as she wants to be the hero to save the day only to realize she needs the help of the pride and her friends. So yes, Nala gets plenty of development that will serve her when she’s older.

I just really enjoyed how this was not only about Nala, but about community and about motherhood. Plus Sarabi’s POV puts in the difficulties of leadership, treading between duty and keeping tradition alive so not to invite dissent even though Scar is a terrible leader. It really layers the book.

That’s what makes the blurb about it being a road-trip journey between her and Scar so misleading. That part doesn’t even occur until the third act. A bit disappointing if you were lookin forward to that, but I think the depth makes up for it.

Scar’s POV was interesting as he is much as he is in the movie, albeit less snarky funny, but one gets a clear look into his manipulativeness and entitlement that he thinks he should the lionesses should automatically respect him because it’s the law of the pride and it rankles him to no end that he has to scheme to earn it when his brother never had to.

Rochon added another twist when Scar almost has a heart when Nala saves him. His first brush with selflessness (not that he recognizes Mufasa’s love for him) was surprising that I thought maybe the real twist would be that Rochon redeems him. But that quickly faded with all the evidence to the contrary that one act would change his whole world-view.

Overall, a good book delivering on multiple emotional beats and showcasing a new side to the future mate of Pride Rock.

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