This novel, a sequel to Journey to the Magical Places of the Heart, provides a parable for the emotional path a victim of domestic abuse has to take in order to recover from the harm done to her or him. In the previous novel, Shenique is introduced to the reader. She is in a horrible relationship in which her husband, Aisling abuses her in a number of ways. At times, he can be the loving man that she fell in love with, but he can also turn into the terrible Grizzly of Fear. It is due to her inner strength that Shenique is able to flee with her children to an area of safety, which is known as the Meadow of Hope. Along the way, she has some assistance from a number of magical and loving creatures that want to guide her and her two children.

Now mother and children have settled into the Meadow of Hope. Shenique has healed physically, and she is starting to feel better, but there is still more to her journey. She is going to have to return to the Forest of Emotions, a dark place filled with danger and fear, so she can really confront the other scars she received from the abuse: her lose of voice and the ability to feel her emotions freely. To do so, she is going to have to defeat the little Spriggans, tiny stealers of emotions that haunt the Forest of Emotions. Unfortunately, they are not the only thing that can harm Shenique as the forest is filled with the forces of darkness, taking on forms like spiders, trolls, and a force of Grizzlies that include Aisling himself.

Fortunately, Shenique will not be heading into the Forest of Emotions by herself. She will be joined by a companion Philomela, another woman like herself who survived being abused. Philomela has been where Shenique has been and his hoping to help her recover in the same way she has. They will also be accompanied by her inner child, Iolana.

The journey proves to be an adventuresome one. Readers will feel as if it is a blending of folklore, fantasy, and realistic fiction while seeing what it is like to fully confront and become whole once again after overcoming domestic abuse. The characters are all interesting, and Fields' descriptions easily allow the reader to visualize the story as it unfolds, but it is really the journey that Shenique is making on the inside that it is important. The physical journey just symbolizes the steps she is taking.

While this book would likely be great as a tool with bibliotherapy, I think that it probably is helpful for those of us who have not lived with domestic violence to better understand survivors of such situations better. While it is natural for us to feel for them, it is not something that can really be understood without experiencing it ourselves. This novel does provide some of that insight. It was really inspiring.