Girls of Storms and Shadows by Natasha Ngan

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 416

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton 

Released: 5th of November 2019 

Lei and Wren have escaped their oppressive lives in the Hidden Palace, but soon learn that freedom comes with a terrible cost.

Lei, the naive country girl who became a royal courtesan, is now known as the Moonchosen, the commoner who managed to do what no one else could. But slaying the cruel Demon King wasn't the end of the plan---it's just the beginning. Now Lei and her warrior love Wren must travel the kingdom to gain support from the far-flung rebel clans. The journey is made even more treacherous thanks to a heavy bounty on Lei's head, as well as insidious doubts that threaten to tear Lei and Wren apart from within.

Meanwhile, an evil plot to eliminate the rebel uprising is taking shape, fueled by dark magic and vengeance. Will Lei succeed in her quest to overthrow the monarchy and protect her love for Wren, or will she fall victim to the sinister magic that seeks to destroy her? 

What I Have to Say 

This series keeps breaking my heart over and over, and I couldn't be more addicted to it. I just want Lei and Wren to be happy and free and in love, and all this thrilling, captivating and incredibly upsetting stuff keeps happening to them. It's not often that I get quite so invested in certain characters and relationships, but when it happens it is always a sign of an incredible series that I will love forever. I'm so attached to Wren and Lei, and also some of the other girls, that their victories and defeats thrill and hurt me. Ngan is a genius with a pen and her words are truly magic, if cruel, vicious magic that makes me want to cry and scream in frustration, especially with her cruel, heartless endings.

I really liked exploring more of the world in this book after spending so much time trapped in the palace in the first book. It was fascinating to see the different kinds of demons and the way they lived. I especially liked the birds and the way that their palace was set up and streamlined for flight, while also having stairs in place for the steel and paper castes to allow them to walk between levels.

I also loved seeing the different viewpoints throughout the book; seeing glimpses of what was happening with the Demon King and the paper girls who remained back at the palace. It feels weird to say but I think the Demon King's voice was one of my favourite viewpoints as it showed a glimpse into the mind of a monster, showing the way he thinks and also the fact that Lei has gotten under his skin, an incredible victory that I took so much pleasure in.  I also really liked Aoki's chapter even though it was so heartbreaking to read. Her feelings towards the Demon King show the trauma bond that can form between a victim and their abuser and this was a well written insight into those kinds of feelings.

I can't wait and am also dreading the third and final part of this trilogy and seeing how everything comes together. The heartbreak, betrayal, death and beautiful writing make this series such an incredible edge-of-your-seat journey.

My thanks go to Hodderscape for providing me with this free copy! 

Tilly and the Lost Fairytales by Anna James

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 400

Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books 

Released: 19th of September 2019 

A magical adventure to delight the imagination. The curl-up-on-the-sofa snuggle of a series from a uniquely talented author.

Tilly Pages is a bookwanderer; she can travel inside books, and even talk to the characters she meets there. But Tilly’s powers are put to the test when fairytales start leaking book magic and causing havoc . . . 

On a wintery visit to Paris, Tilly and her best friend Oskar bravely bookwander into the land of fairytales to find that characters are getting lost, stories are all mixed-up, and mysterious plot holes are opening without warning. Can Tilly work out who, or what, is behind the chaos so everyone gets their happily-ever-after?

What I Have to Say 

The second book in the Pages & Co series and it's managed to be even better than the first! Though I am biased as I just love fairy tales and anything involving them. And it was set in Paris! What could be better?

The fairy tales and how they worked with book wandering was definitely the best part. It was obvious that James had really thought about the oral tradition of fairy tales, as well as the fact that there are so many different versions of them and how this would affect the rules of book wandering that she had already put in place in the first book. I loved her idea of wild and changeable fairy tales and how easy it is to wander off the path and get completely lost inside the story, unable to return home. It connected beautifully with the heart of fairy stories, and the danger and moral messages contained in them, so beautifully. And it made it fun and exciting when Tilly and Oskar end up lost inside a book of fairy tales.

The politics of the book wandering community was possibly the only thing that put me off the book, though I feel that's more about my own incredible fed-upness about real world politics at the moment, more than the politics in the book itself (although they did seem to mirror our political climate a bit). However, the political scenes and issues were interesting and menacing and I'm looking forward to seeing how they impact further on Tilly and Oskar's book wandering.

I'm also so excited to see how the fact that Tilly is half fictional will impact things, especially with the new abilities that were revealed in this book! I can't wait for the next instalment.

My thanks go to Harper Collins and Netgalley for providing me with this free copy for review. 

The Everlasting Rose by Dhonielle Clayton

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 342
Publisher: Gollancz
Released: 7th of March 2019

With a price on her head, the evil Queen Sophia out for blood, and no idea who to trust, Camellia Beaureguard, the former favorite Belle, must race against time to find the ailing Princess Charlotte, who has disappeared without a trace. Sophia's imperial forces will stop at nothing to keep Camille, her sister Edel, and her loyal guard, Rémy, from returning Charlotte to the palace and her rightful place as queen.

With the help of an underground resistance movement called the Iron Ladies--a society that rejects beauty treatments entirely--and the backing of alternative newspaper the Spider's Web, Camille uses her powers, her connections, and her cunning to outwit her greatest nemesis, Sophia, and attempt to restore peace to Orléans. But enemies lurk in the most unexpected places, forcing Camille to decide just how much she's willing to sacrifice to save her people.

What I Have to Say 

I loved the Belle so much, so I was really excited for this one! It was so easy to sink back into the world of Belles and Beauty work where everything is so defined by how you look. The writing is so evocative and I just love how Clayton shows so many different definitions of beauty in her books. She shows people picking out any skin colour or eye shape even while showing the dark side of this obsession with beauty and pushing the limits of what's possible. 

Everlasting Rose really upped the stakes for Camille and the other fugitive Belles. They really did deep into how much the Belle system is being abused and Sophia tightening her grips on the society. Sophia is such a frightening character. She shows the abuse and addiction of both the thrill of power and of the beauty work that the Belles do. 

I have so many questions about the world. I want to know more about the Iron Ladies and the Gris. I feel like there are more lies to be uncovered and so much more to tell about the world. I look forward to seeing what comes next. 

My thanks go to Gollancz for providing me with this free copy for review. 

Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 304

Publisher: Head of Zeus 

Released: 11th of April 2019 

1906: A large manor house, Wake's End, sits on the edge of a bleak Fen, just outside the town of Wakenhyrst. It is the home of Edmund Stearn and his family – a historian, scholar and land-owner, he's an upstanding member of the local community. But all is not well at Wake's End. Edmund dominates his family tyrannically, in particular daughter Maud. When Maud's mother dies in childbirth and she's left alone with her strict, disciplinarian father, Maud's isolation drives her to her father's study, where she happens upon his diary.

During a walk through the local church yard, Edmund spots an eye in the undergrowth. His terror is only briefly abated when he discovers its actually a painting, a 'doom', taken from the church. It's horrifying in its depiction of hell, and Edmund wants nothing more to do with it despite his historical significance. But the doom keeps returning to his mind. The stench of the Fen permeates the house, even with the windows closed. And when he lies awake at night, he hears a scratching sound – like claws on the wooden floor...

Wakenhyrst is a terrifying ghost story, an atmospheric slice of gothic, a brilliant exploration of the boundaries between the real and the supernatural, and a descent into the mind of a psychopath. 

What I Have to Say 

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It's a great mystery, full of obsession, madness, demons and all things creepy. Paver is a master at creating an atmosphere that pulls you completely into the scene and keeps you there in suspense, unable to put the book down. 

This book really delves into the dark sides of Christianity. It shows the madness and religious fervour that can be brought on by those who would use it as a form of control, but it also explores the nature of questioning the concept of Christianity. Whilst escaping from the control of her father and his version of religion, she also questions the mortality of it all. The idea that everyone is born in sin and have to redeem themselves. I really liked to see all her thoughts and explorations while escaping from the strict rules of her father's household. 

It was really interesting to see the study of the medieval fixation on the afterlife, the fixation on the punishment and demons in hell rather than the bright happy reward of heaven. This really is a fantastic look at the history of Christianity both medieval and during Maud's time. 

A damn good mystery focused on how things went down and what actually happened. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for providing me with this copy for review.

The Great Animal Escapade by Jane Kerr

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Publisher: Chicken House Books
Released: 7th March 2019 

Other Books in the Series: The Elephant Thief (though this book can stand alone) 

Danny works at Belle Vue Zoo, where – alongside training the famous elephant Maharajah – he helps out with the day-to-day tasks of caring for the animals. But when animals start escaping, Danny is the prime suspect: after all, he was a former street urchin and pickpocket. When a man turns up claiming to be his father, the plot thickens. Can Danny untangle the mystery of the animal escapade – and find out where he really belongs – in order to clear his name?

With themes of prejudice, identity and belonging, this new adventure will thrill young readers as they follow Danny on his next adventure set within the walls of Belle Vue Zoo in the late 1900s.

What I Have to Say 

This book has everything. Elephants, villains, diversity, runaway emus, fireworks, danger and mystery. It creates a great world inside Belle Vue with a wonderful cast of characters both human and animal! 

Though it glossed over the harsh conditions that many zoos at the time kept their animals in, it addressed some of the debates over zoo and other animal parks both within the story and in an author's note at the end of the book. I liked to see how Kerr balanced this line between hiding the unpleasantaries of the time period and showing her version of Belle Vue as being on the forefront of animal rights. Showing animals like Emerald, who are the last of their kind being protected in the zoo and their policy of looking after the animals and setting up education about the animal world was a great way to introduce these things to kids without plunging them into the horrific sides that the issue has shown in both the old Victorian zoos and the modern day animal parks. 

I liked the personal struggles between Danny and his family as well. It showed a lot of the tension that can come between children and their adopted families, especially when, in Danny's case, there was the fact that his father was using him (in the guise of the Indian Prince Dandip a character created to help publicise the zoo), to help his enterprise along. I felt they dealt with it very well, showing Danny's feelings on the issues quite clearly and touchingly. 

This was a great story and a really good mystery. I loved everything about it and it made me really want to go back and read the Elephant Thief! 

 

My thanks got to Chicken House for providing me with this free copy for review. 

Slayer by Kiersten White

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 416 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's UK 

Released: 21st of February 2019 

Into every generation a Slayer is born…

Nina and her twin sister, Artemis, are far from normal. It’s hard to be when you grow up at the Watcher’s Academy, which is a bit different from your average boarding school. Here teens are trained as guides for Slayers—girls gifted with supernatural strength to fight the forces of darkness. But while Nina’s mother is a prominent member of the Watcher’s Council, Nina has never embraced the violent Watcher lifestyle. Instead she follows her instincts to heal, carving out a place for herself as the school medic.

Until the day Nina’s life changes forever.

Thanks to Buffy, the famous (and infamous) Slayer that Nina’s father died protecting, Nina is not only the newest Chosen One—she’s the last Slayer, ever. Period.

As Nina hones her skills with her Watcher-in-training, Leo, there’s plenty to keep her occupied: a monster fighting ring, a demon who eats happiness, a shadowy figure that keeps popping up in Nina’s dreams…

But it’s not until bodies start turning up that Nina’s new powers will truly be tested—because someone she loves might be next.

One thing is clear: Being Chosen is easy. Making choices is hard.

What I Have to Say 

I am so excited to have a new YA series set in the Buffy world! It was so great to be in the world of Slayers and Watchers and demons again, even if there's no magic any more since Buffy broke the world. I  loved the new characters. Nina was a great character and I really liked her twin sister, Artemis too, though she was a bit of a bitch in some parts. I liked their relationship and the relationship between Artemis and some of the other Watcher kids. 

The book contained all the heart, humour and even some of the characters we know and love from the TV series (Faith wasn't named, though it was obvious that it was her and there was plenty of Buffy despite the book not being about her). It kept the themes that made the show so great really strong too. It had strong themes of family and friendship as well as showing the shades of gray in the demon world, showing that the black and white world that the Watcher's want to believe in is just not the case. 

I'm interested to see how this series progresses, with Nina being born a Watcher but also having experience of being a Slayer. It will be really cool to see the path she forges between the two, trusting her instincts more as a Slayer would while still having the background and training of a Watcher. 

I can't wait to see what Nina and her friends will face next. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with this free copy for review. 

The Cold is in Her Bones by Peternelle van Arsdale

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 288

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's UK 

Released: 7th of March 2019 

Milla knows two things to be true: Demons are real, and fear will keep her safe.

Milla’s whole world is her family’s farm. She is never allowed to travel to the village and her only friend is her beloved older brother, Niklas. When a bright-eyed girl named Iris comes to stay, Milla hopes her loneliness might finally be coming to an end. But Iris has a secret she’s forbidden to share: The village is cursed by a demon who possesses girls at random, and the townspeople live in terror of who it will come for next.

Now, it seems, the demon has come for Iris. When Iris is captured and imprisoned with other possessed girls, Milla leaves home to rescue her and break the curse forever. Her only company on the journey is a terrible new secret of her own: Milla is changing, too, and may soon be a demon herself. 

What I Have to Say 

This book entranced me. It was a fantastic re-imagining of the Medusa myth, showing prejudice and fear and what people will do when faced with something different. Hulda's story at the start was so heart-wrenching. It was really easy to see how that suffering would change to rage and vengeance. 

I loved Milla a lot. I loved the way that she had to live with her imperfections and how hard she tried to please her mother, a woman who never ever would have accepted her. I loved her snakes and how they were part of her, but also characters in their own right, comforting her and protecting her when she needed it. 

I adored the messages of compassion and empathy. How Milla looked at the people around her and saw their suffering rather than their anger or the demons possessing them. She was so desperate to rescue Iris, even after she faced the demon side of her, she could still see her friend who was in pain and fighting the demon, the way that none of the other people in the village did. 

This is such a great book, a good read for anyone who loves fairy tales. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with this free copy for review. 

To Night Owl from Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 304 

Publisher: Egmont 

Released: 21st of February 2019 

Avery (Night Owl) is bookish, intense, likes to plan ahead, and is afraid of many things. Bett (Dogfish) is fearless, outgoing, and lives in the moment. What they have in common is that they are both twelve years old, and their dads are dating each other.

Bett and Avery are sent, against their will, to the same camp for the summer vacation. Their dads hope that they will find common ground and become friends – and possibly, one day, even sisters.

Against all odds, the girls soon can’t imagine a life without each other. But when the worst happens, and their dads break up, Avery and Bett must figure out a way to get them to fall in love again. Is keeping a family together as easy as they think it is?

From two extraordinary authors comes this moving, exuberant, laugh-out-loud novel about friendship and family, told entirely in emails and letters.

What I Have to Say 

This beautiful reverse Parent Trap style novel was just perfect. I loved the two girls and their voices so much. Their emails back and forth to each other while they tried to split up their dads made me smile and laugh.  They both had such distinct voices and the way they kept saying that they would never meet each other and they were obviously going to be complete strangers at the same time as asking each other random get to know you questions and becoming best friends was completely wonderful. It felt really real and genuine, the way that young girls really interact. 

It was great to see a gay relationship between the parents of the girls. Both had single dads, Avery's dad having never married and Bett's having been married but had his partner die. It was a great way to show the different types of relationships that gay parents can be in. It was nice to see the representation go beyond two gay people in a committed relationship having a child. 

I adored the email format of this book as well. I don't know what it is about a book told through letters or emails or even diary entries, but I just find them so fun to read. They're a bit of a change from the regular style of story, I suppose. I'm not sure I'll ever get bored of all the interesting and different ways that people find to tell a story. 

Perfect for anyone who loves plucky young girls trying to change their parents dating lives. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Egmont for providing me with this free copy for review. 

Asha and the Spirit Bird by Jasbinder Bilan

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Publisher: Chicken House Books 

Released: 7th of February 2019 

Asha lives on the family farm with her mother in rural India.

Her father is away working in the city, and when the money he sends stops suddenly, a wicked aunt arrives. She’s determined to seize the property – and the treasure rumoured to be hidden on the land. Guided by a majestic bird which Asha believes to be the spirit of her grandmother, she and her best friend Jeevan embark on a journey to the city, across the Himalayas, to find her father and save her home …

What I Have to Say 

This was a beautiful story of faith, adventure and family. I loved how determined Asha was, running away from home and fighting so many dangers in order to find her father and save her family. I also loved how deeply religion was woven into the story with Diwali and , showing the rich, vibrant spirituality of Asha's family and so many other hindu families in India.

The idea of ancestors and spirits were also very central to the book, as you can tell from the title, Asha's story revolves around a spirit bird, specifically the spirit of her grandmother returned in the form of a bird. The spirit bird brings magic to the story as well as reinforcing the feeling of family, even when Asha is out on her journey with only Jeevan for company, her grandmother is watching over her and keeping her safe. 

This is just a really, really gorgeous book filled with so much heart. I'm so happy I got the chance to read it. 

My thanks go to Chicken House for providing me with a free copy of this book for review. 

The Last by Hanna Jameson

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 352 

Publisher: Penguin 

Released: 31st of January 2019 

BREAKING: Nuclear weapon detonates over Washington

BREAKING: London hit, thousands feared dead.

BREAKING: Munich and Scotland hit. World leaders call for calm.

Jon Keller was on a trip to Switzerland when the world ended. More than anything he wishes he hadn't ignored his wife Nadia's last message.

Twenty people remain in Jon's hotel. Far from the nearest city, they wait, they survive.

Then one day, the body of a girl is found. It's clear she has been murdered. Which means that someone in the hotel is a killer...

As paranoia descends, Jon decides to investigate. But how far is he willing to go in pursuit of justice? And what happens if the killer doesn't want to be found?

Trigger Warnings: Suicide, manslaughter, child murder, politics, animal death

What I Have to Say 

A unique take on an nuclear apocalypse scenario.Jon Keller is historian visiting Switzerland for a conference when the world ends. It made him a really great character to narrate this, because what would a historian do in a case like this other than start writing stuff down to make a record for someone to read in the future? I kind of liked how the other characters saw him as pretentious, but he was just doing whatever he could to cope with a situation that no one should have to go through. 

It raised a lot of questions about where fault lies when something so awful happens. Having the setting in Switzerland made for a cast of several different nationalities and the American characters got some of the brunt of the other's anger. It raised a lot of questions about how much blame is on the voters. Is it fair to blame someone just because they voted for one person or another? I went in with one opinion, but I have to say that I ended up feeling a lot less certain on the subject. It really made me think. 

This really isn't the average post-apocalyptic novel. It was much less action packed and so much more thoughtful. It had a lot to say about humanity and how people react to these sorts of disasters. 

I was gifted this book by Netgalley and Penguin in exchange for an honest review. 

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 496 

Publisher: Bloomsbury 

Released: 29th of January 2019 

Fall in love, break the curse. 

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom. 

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

What I Have to Say 

Until I read this book, I thought that I was fed up of Beauty and the Beast retellings. I mean there are some amazing ones out there, but in the last few years, we've had rather a lot quite close together. But A Curse So Dark and Lonely is a Beauty and the Beast retelling like no other. It was a beautifully unique take on the story while also keeping the heart of the story strong and powerful. 

Obviously I have to comment on Harper's cerebral palsy. This is the first character I've seen in a fantasy story with a disability like this and I felt it was handled beautifully. I'd love to see a review from some with cerebral palsy myself as I can't say anything about the accuracy of the writing, but Kemmerer made sure that it was a part of who she was and while also making sure not to see her only as her cerebral palsy. Harper was beautiful, strong, capable and determined. She wanted to learn how to do everything and refused to let her disability hold her back, except when it came to dancing (because who isn't going to be put off by passed experiences?) It felt so real and I loved her so much. 

The fact that Rhen went through most of the story not as a physical beast was so interesting. I had my doubts about it at first, but it worked so well. Because at the start of the story? Rhen was a bit of a beast personality-wise. It was interesting to see how much the curse had made him close himself off, how the very fact that he was turning into a monster at the end of every season and killing everyone he cared about was shutting him off and making it pretty impossible for him to find the love that would break the curse. Until Harper of course. Watching him and Harper move around each other and slowly open up to each other was also just perfect. 

I think this is the retelling of Beauty and the Beast that has felt the most real to me. Because the love was so real that it hurt. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for providing me with this copy for review. 

Blog Tour: All the Lonely People by David Owen

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 320 

Publisher: Atom 

Released: 10th of January 2019 

Everyone tells Kat that her online personality - confident, funny, opinionated - isn't her true self. Kat knows otherwise. The internet is her only way to cope with a bad day, chat with friends who get all her references, make someone laugh. But when she becomes the target of an alt-right trolling campaign, she feels she has no option but to Escape, Quit, Disappear.

With her social media shut down, her website erased, her entire online identity void, Kat feels she has cut away her very core: without her virtual self, who is she?

She brought it on herself. Or so Wesley keeps telling himself as he dismantles Kat's world from across the classroom. It's different, seeing one of his victims in real life and not inside a computer screen - but he's in too far to back out now.

As soon as Kat disappears online, her physical body begins to fade and while everybody else forgets that she exists, Wesley realises he is the only one left who remembers her. Overcome by remorse for what he has done, Wesley resolves to stop her disappearing completely. It might just be the only way to save himself.

All the Lonely People is a timely story about online culture - both good and bad - that explores the experience of loneliness in a connected world, and the power of kindness and empathy over hatred.

What I Have to Say 

A look at online culture and community and the loneliness and alienation that exists in our society, All the Lonely People brings us the story of Kate, a girl who has had everything taken from her by the cruel bullying of an alt-right group. It delves deep into the feelings of loneliness and depression she feels at having her online identity stolen from her when she starts to actually fade from society, a beautiful parallel that is so well constructed to bring people right to the heart of her feelings. 

It hit me hard, because I know that feeling. I've felt all of Kat's feelings of isolation and the feelings that the Lonely people, a cult of people trying to disappear from the world just like Kat is. There's a feeling of deep depression where you feel like things would be so much easier if you just didn't exist, if you could just fade out of your life and become someone else, someone who has everything easier, who doesn't experience the same pain as you do, of giving up control and just letting someone else take the reigns instead, because it would be so much easier just to ride in someone else's life and not have to make all the decisions anymore. 

This is going to be a long post, but I just have to applaud David Owen on the beautiful balance of this book. The way that it showed the feelings of the Lonely People, Kat and Wesley and in a wider respect, those insecurities that everyone has. He truly showed things that everyone can relate to, but I especially want to talk about Wesley. This is NOT a love story between a member of an alt-right hate group and his victim. It's not even a friendship story. Because how could Kat ever forgive Wesley. It was perfect, the way that he was made to face up to what he was doing and change his ways without absolving him of the things he did or making Kat forgive him in order to help his character growth. It was the perfect way to show this story and give the message that people can change and recover even if they make mistakes or the wrong choices. It's an important message that I really think is important to give.

How has the internet made your life better and how has it made it worse?

As part of this tour, I was ask to think about my own use of the internet. As someone who grew up in the 90s and early 2000s, the internet was a huge part of my life and informed a lot of my childhood, so obviously, I have a lot of thoughts about this. 

The Good 

Let's start with the easy one. I have made so many friends online. As a teenager, it was an easy way to connect with people who I shared the same interests with. I spent so much time online, having fun and talking to people from around the world who I never would have met. 

In adulthood, this has only grown more because as adults, especially adults who work from home or are unemployed, we don't have the guarantee of seeing our friends every day. Sites like Twitter and facebook have meant that I can get in touch with friends who don't live near me and keep up with their lives. I've kept up close friendships with people from Uni who, without the internet, I'm certain I would have lost contact with. I've also made new friends, from foreign countries. I have two particular friends on twitter who I couldn't imagine my life without. They have given me so much and are always there for me when I need them. They are possibly the only people I talk with every single day and I love them so much. 

The Bad 

Okay so the internet isn't all sunshine and rainbows. It definitely hasn't been for me, as much as it's given me some really great things. 

First up, I want to talk about the social pressure. Whilst being able to talk to people every day can be such an amazing thing, there's also a lot of people online who get offended if you DON'T talk to them everyday. It's caused a lot of problems, because while there are some people I can keep up this kind of communication with, these are rare, special people. Most people, I manage better with a casual relationship where we just talk when we have something to talk about. I've had a few people get mad at me for this, because so many people just expect it from their friends. 

Talking of people getting mad at me, online we mostly communicate through text. Which while it can be easier and less tiring to talk this way, you can't always convey tone and meaning as easily as you can in person. Having Autism, this doesn't come naturally to me. So I have gotten into a lot of arguments with people because of misunderstandings whether it's their misunderstanding or mine. It's led me to believe that we really need to work on using empathy with every interaction, if only everyone in the world would subscribe to that. 

So what is my overall opinion of the internet? 

Let's be honest here, I'm a blogger. If I didn't have the internet, I wouldn't be able to have such a great time reviewing books and being part of the bookish community! Of course I'm pro-internet. It's convenient, useful and so much fun. The good parts definitely outweigh the bad. Though as the book shows, it's created a bit of a breeding ground for hate groups and makes it so much easier to bully, send death threats or spread prejudice. As much as I love the internet, I have to acknowledge the negatives. But the thought I want to leave you with is that I wouldn't be here writing this post without the internet! My life has definitely been improved by having the internet in my life.

 I am so grateful to Sophia Walker and Atom for providing me with a copy of the book and the opportunity to be part of this tour. 

Blackberry and Wild Rose by Sonia Velton

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 416 

Publisher: Quercus 

Released: 10th of January 2019

WHEN Esther Thorel, the wife of a Huguenot silk-weaver, rescues Sara Kemp from a brothel she thinks she is doing God’s will. Sara is not convinced being a maid is better than being a whore, but the chance to escape her grasping ‘madam’ is too good to refuse.

Inside the Thorels’ tall house in Spitalfields, where the strange cadence of the looms fills the attic, the two women forge an uneasy relationship. The physical intimacies of washing and dressing belie the reality: Sara despises her mistress’s blindness to the hypocrisy of her household, while Esther is too wrapped up in her own secrets to see Sara as anything more than another charitable cause.

It is silk that has Esther so distracted. For years she has painted her own designs, dreaming that one day her husband will weave them into reality. When he laughs at her ambition, she strikes up a relationship with one of the journeyman weavers in her attic who teaches her to weave and unwittingly sets in motion events that will change the fate of the whole Thorel household.

What I Have to Say 

This was beautifully written. It delved a lot more into the Huguenot faith and how blind Esther was to what it really means to help people. How her charity wasn't as beneficial to the people she was trying to help than she thought. How she lived in luxury with servants and expensive furniture when so many people, people she employed in her household, people who worked under her husband had so much less. 

I liked both of the women, though. Despite how badly Esther handled things and how abrasive Sara was, there was something about their stories that drew you in and made it easy to get caught up in their hopes and dreams. I wanted Esther to have her own silk and I wanted Sara to be safe and happy. Their story was tragic, though. But the way it ended made a lot of sense and I was satisfied by it. 

In all, this book did just go a lot deeper than I expected it to. I was really glad, because it was interesting to see all the issues laid out and the characters dealing with them. The book showed people with realistic faults, when it would have been so easy to have good characters and bad character, although there are some very, very bad characters. It showed that everyone makes mistakes. 

I'm really happy to have read this book, 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Quercus for providing me with this copy for review. 

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 419 

Publisher: Doubleday 

Released: 1st of January 2019

A dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the Thames. The regulars are entertaining themselves by telling stories when the door bursts open on an injured stranger. In his arms is the drowned corpse of a little child.

Hours later the dead girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life.

Is it a miracle?

Is it magic?

Or can it be explained by science?

Replete with folklore, suspense and romance, as well as with the urgent scientific curiosity of the Darwinian age, Once Upon a River is as richly atmospheric as Setterfield’s bestseller The Thirteenth Tale.

What I Have to Say 

I'm not even sure how to start to say how much I loved this book. Everything from the mysteries, the characters, the plot and the unique narration was just perfect. From the first sentence, I was pulled deeply into the world around the river. I loved how the folk tales surrounding the river were interwoven with the story, how they were spoken of as facts because that's how the locals would see it. Stories passed from mouth to mouth and seen as true despite the fact that it's more local superstition. 

Stories are a massive part of this book, the way that stories were passed by word of mouth, the way that folklore and rumours were spread back then from people talking to one another and spreading the gossip. I loved to see how all the characters were connected and how they found out about the girl and what happened on the night she was found.

I loved the narration so much. The omniscient  narrator connected everything back to the river, talking about the story in terms of the river and conspiring with the reader to tell the story. Often I like to fall into a book and get lost in the story, but in this case with stories at the very heart of the book, it was just the perfect way to tell the story.

Whether you want a story full of magic and mystery or a story full of scientific reasoning this is the story for you. It balances the story perfectly to explain everything reasonably as well as leaving it open for those like me who would rather believe in magic.

My thanks go to Netgalley and Transworld publishing for providing me with this copy for review. 

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 464 

Publisher: Wednesday Books 

Released: 15th of January 2019 

Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

To find the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin will need help from a band of experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian who can't yet go home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in all but blood, who might care too much.

Together, they'll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artifact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the world, but only if they can stay alive.

What I Have to Say 

This has all the workings of a new favourite series! I found the world really interesting and would love to see more of it. I also really liked the characters. They worked well together and had the sort of humour that I love. The book came together perfectly to make just the sort of story I liked

I loved the mythology in it too. The way that the fictional society, the artefacts they seek and the dangers that the team face are rooted in various cultures and mythology, from the biblical tower of Babel, through Chinese numerical code, to the Egyptian Eye of Horus. I loved to see so many different myths brought together to create a story that felt real, like it could be hidden in the shadows, just waiting to be found.

Everything about this book felt rich and detailed. It's definitely a new fantasy novel to look out for!

My thanks go to Netgalley and Wednesday books for providing me with this copy for review. 

The Rumour by Lesley Kara

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 320

Publisher: Bantam Press 

Released: 27th of December 2018 

When single mum Joanna hears a rumour at the school gates, she never intends to pass it on. But one casual comment leads to another and now there’s no going back . . .

Rumour has it that a notorious child killer is living under a new identity, in their sleepy little town of Flinstead-on-Sea.

Sally McGowan was just ten years old when she stabbed little Robbie Harris to death forty-eight years ago – no photos of her exist since her release as a young woman.

So who is the supposedly reformed killer who now lives among them? How dangerous can one rumour become? And how far will Joanna go to protect her loved ones from harm, when she realizes what it is she’s unleashed?

What I Have to Say 

A gripping thriller, perfect for anyone wanting to see a real modern day witch hunt. Set in a small town, it showed the way that rumour can spread and how damaging it can be to small town life and anyone caught in the way, innocent or guilty. To me, it also showed how unforgiving people can be, how people can have their lives ruined forever by things they do when they're children. It raises the moral question of whether someone should be forgiven for such actions and how much penance and rehabilitation they would have to do to get to a point where they aren't waiting for their past to catch up with them. 

It was interesting to see how the rumour spread and Joanna's part of it. How her need to be accepted by the other mothers and therefore get her son more integrated into the school. Her actions of spreading what she felt at the time was a piece of harmless gossip and how it escalated was so interesting to see and really puts across the message that you should be careful what you say. 

The ending was perfect. I didn't see it coming at all and it was so gripping. I enjoyed it completely. 

Want a gripping thriller to curl up with in these cold winter nights, this is a great choice. 

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Bantam Press for providing me with this copy for review. 

The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 352

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's UK 

Released: 4th of October 2018 

They called us the Mercies, or sometimes the Boneless Mercies. They said we were shadows, ghosts, and if you touched our skin we dissolved into smoke ... 

Frey, Ovie, Juniper, and Runa are Boneless Mercies – death-traders, hired to kill quickly, quietly and mercifully. It is a job for women, and women only. Men will not do this sad, dark work.

Frey has no family, no home, no fortune, and yet her blood sings a song of glory. So when she hears of a monster slaughtering men, women, and children in a northern jarldom, she decides this the Mercies’ one chance to change their fate.

But glory comes at a price …

What I Have to Say 

For me this was Skyrim in book form. Or at least Skyrim the way I play it. Tough Nordic Girls battered into warriors by years of harsh winters and fending for themselves. April Genevieve Tucholke's writing drew me so deeply into Frey's world that it felt like I was part of the sisterhood. And it was a beautiful sisterhood. I could have read about these four girls fighting to make something of themselves beyond where their fate had led them all day. 

This for me is the perfect Feminist book. It didn't have the background of so many of the books around where women are subjugated through rape only. Books that try to empower women and show them fighting back while still reducing them to just their bodies. In The Boneless Mercies, the only mentions of rape are alluded to pleasure houses and it shows the few options there are for women without actually showing the violence that is used against them. Coming to the story at the end of the struggle. When the Mercies make the decision to fight for more was the perfect way to show the struggles of women without showing the violence. 

Every word of this book was perfect: the ending and fighting the monster, the Cut-throat-queen,the empowerment of women through the entire book. There wasn't anything I didn't like. It was beautiful and made me feel like a warrior just reading it. 

This is supposedly a standalone, but the ending certainly left it open for more. If I never get to see another story from the Mercies and this world, I will be very disappointed. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with this copy for review. 

Evie's War by Holly Webb

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 300

Publisher: Scholastic 

Released: 4th of October 2018 

In the seaside town of Whitby, when the United Kingdom is on the cusp of World War One, Evie and her family are touched by tragedy when Evie's younger brother Alexander dies unexpectedly.

As Evie's mother and father struggle in their own ways to come to terms with their loss, Evie's older brother David distracts himself with the ever-growing threat of war and Evie and her sister Kitty find ways to keep their spirits up.

But when the threat of war turns into reality and David enlists in the army, Evie's mother is truly heartbroken. And as the family does their best to contribute to the war effort, they also struggle with the sacrifices each of them are forced to make.

Based on the real-life bombing of Whitby in 1914, this beautiful, powerful and important read by Holly Webb is devastating but also wonderfully uplifting

What I Have to Say 

This was everything that I wanted from Skylark's War but didn't get. I loved setting, the relationship between the family members, the angle of loss that was clear from the very start of the book. I loved the way that Evie and her sister Kitty contributed to the war effort (especially the horse blanket) and I loved love loved the dogs. 

I've never thought about dogs during wartime, as so as not to spoil parts of the books, I won't say too much now, but the dogs were definitely my favourite part of the book. It can be hard to find decent representations of dogs in fiction sometimes, but Max and Brandy were perfect. Max was definitely my favourite, he was just written so perfectly. 

The backdrop of Whitby was a very interesting one. I've never read a book set in one of the seaside towns during wartime before. The way that the war touched them in such a massive way, with the bombing of Whitby and the ship really brought home the danger of the war in ways that home front war books often doesn't. 

This was such a sad, dramatic story and was written in an uplifting way. It's a hard balance to write about the subject matter in a way that treats it serious and puts across the horrors of war while also leaving the reader feeling uplifted.

If, like me, Skylark's War left you a little wanting or you just want to see more of the home-front during WW1, I would definitely recommend Evie's War. 

My thanks go to Scholastic for providing me with this copy for review. 

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 374 

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Released: 6th of November 2018 

Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It's the highest honor they could hope for...and the most cruel.

But this year, there's a ninth girl. And instead of paper, she's made of fire.

In this lush fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most oppressed class in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards still haunts her. Now, the guards are back, and this time it's Lei they're after--the girl whose golden eyes have piqued the king's interest.

Over weeks of training in the opulent but stifling palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit being a king's consort. But Lei isn't content to watch her fate consume her. Instead, she does the unthinkable--she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens the very foundation of Ikhara, and Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide just how far she's willing to go for justice and revenge.

Trigger Warnings: Kidnap, sex trafficking, forced prostitution, rape, animal death.

What I Have to Say 

I have been looking forward to this book ever since I heard about it, which was a very long time ago. Every step in between from seeing the cover to finally getting hold of a copy at YALC this year has added to the excitement. It was so, so amazing to read it after all this time. I'm so glad it was good, because with that amount of hype it would have been a huge letdown! But it lived up to my excitement and now I'm desperate for the sequel. 

So lets talk about girls. This book is LGBT and the girl that Lei falls in love with is my new crush. A beautiful, bad-ass girl with hidden secrets that just make me love her more. The LGBT representation in YA has been so much more geared towards male pairings that it's just so amazing for me to have such a beautiful fantasy book that has two girls who are madly in love at it's centre. 

The world building was beautiful. Gorgeous and inspired and so wonderful to see so many of the different parts of Asia represented in the girls. I hope we'll get to see more of the world in the next book. I could do a whole paragraph on the world-building, but the girls are at the heart of this novel and I've only had time to talk about two of them! Every one of the girls is wonderful. I loved all of them. It was interesting because I couldn't help but love each character for the way they affected me, but at the same time I found myself hating a couple of them because of their actions.  I am fully invested in all of them though. I want to see them reach their full potential and get out of the horrible position they're in!

I really cannot wait to find out what happens next. These girls have far from reached their full potential, because like the title says, they may be paper, but at their hearts they are fire.

My eternal gratitude goes to Hodderscape for having ARCS on their stall at YALC. 

Soulbinder by Sebastien de Castell

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 400

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 4th of October 2018 

Kellen and his murderous squirrel cat, Reichis, are on their own. They've heard rumour of a mythical monastery, known as the Ebony Abbey. It's a place that outsiders can never find - but Kellen is getting desperate. He's been told that the monks inside the Ebony Abbey know more about the Shadowblack than anyone else - and that they even know how to cure it.

Then Kellen and Reichis are separated and for the first time, Kellen must face the world alone - and venture deeper into shadow magic than he ever knew he could.

What I Have to Say 

This book hurt my heart a lot. For one thing, Kellen started off not knowing if a couple of his friends were dead and we were kept in suspense through most of the book!! I'm not going to tell you which friends or if they survived but it was a really rough ride! I teared up several times. It really reminded me just how much I loved these characters and how much I never want anything bad to happen to any of them ever! Too bad these books are basically about Kellen and his friends suffering through various attempts on their lives! 

I've said before how much I adore this series. I've mentioned that Kellen just feels like such a realistic character and how awesome Reichis is (I was gonna say cute but then I thought he might decide to eat my eyeballs if I said that! I'm pretty sure the fact that he's trapped between the pages of a book wouldn't be enough to stop a squirrelcat!). I don't want to keep writing the same post over and over again for each book. But I don't have much else to say really. The books are so amazing and they've kept such a great standard for the whole series. There's only a few series that have been able to maintain the same level of enthusiasm from me for this long. 

I think something that did hit me on this retelling was how good the overarching narrative was. I was fortunate enough to meet De Castell at a blogger meet earlier this month and he talked about how Kellen's story is connected very closely to his own feelings of being Canadian and growing older to find out how badly the native Canadian population have been (and still are) treated. I've always liked that it's a story that shows a people who have invaded and basically wiped out the people who owned the lands they inhabit and the fact that it really doesn't shy away from this fact and the horror that Kellen feels to be Jan'tep because of this, but I think that after hearing the author talk about it, it felt more prominent to me. It's a really important subject matter and I'm really glad to see people writing about it when so many people try to forget or hide it. 

Do I really need to say go read this series again? What are you waiting for, it's fantastic!? 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for providing me with this copy for review.