Ever since his parents died when he was a young boy, Andreas has lived with the Brothers in a cold stone monastery.  Although they treat him with disdain and often abuse him, he has no place else to go.  Then one day he hears a strange voice talking to him that no one else can hear.  Will he finally have a chance to escape his unhappy life?

Forest Over Stone is an unusual read.  Andreas’ life is miserable at first, and reading about the Brothers’ abuse was difficult.  I really wanted him to find a way out.  The mysterious voice he hears, which turns out to be Arden, a forest spirit, seemed to be the perfect escape.  Unfortunately, Arden isn’t as well fleshed-out as Andreas.  None of the secondary characters are, with the exception of the cook that befriended Andreas.  I also had problems believing that Andreas would get over the abuse he’d endured so quickly.  Still, this is an interesting and atmospheric tale, unlike anything else I’ve read.