The Silver Road by Sinéad O'Hart

Pages: 230 

Publisher: Piccadilly Press 

Released: 28th of September 2023 

Myth and magic combine in this unforgettable adventure drawing on Irish folklore, f rom award-winning author Sinéad O'Hart.

The seandraiocht - the Old Magic - isn't remembered like it once was. Its power is fading...

When Rose is entrusted with a powerful stone by a Frost Giant, she is swept into an adventure full of danger. The stone can be used for great good or great evil, depending on its keeper. It leads Rose to discover the magic that runs through all of Ireland. A magic that is threaded together beneath the the Silver Road. But the Silver Road is under threat.

Now Rose must keep the stone from falling into the wrong hands and embark on a quest to find its rightful owner and keep the magic alive . . .

A stunning new fantasy adventure for children, drawing on Celtic folklore. Perfect for fans of Catherine Doyle and Ross Montgomery.

What I Have to Say 

A sweet story about believe and friendship and Irish Folklore with a really strong message of conserving nature. I really enjoyed this book. I liked Rose a lot, the only problem I had was that she didn't really do much. For most of the book we were waiting for the action to start and then in the final battle at the end, she mostly just sat on the side-lines and watched except for a things. 

Other than that, I don't really have a bad word to say about this book. I loved the Irish folklore and the emphasis on sharing and telling the old folklore. I loved the Not- Cat with it's little fern ears and the stag that came in a the end. I think there's a lot in this that kids would be interested in.

Read for Irish culture, a strong environmental message and cute animals. 

3 stars 

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

The Star-Spun Web by Sinéad O'Hart

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages:  384 

Publisher: Stripes Publishing 

Released: 7th of February 2019 

With her passion for scientific experimentation and her pet tarantula Violet, Tess de Sousa is no ordinary orphan. When a stranger shows up at Ackerbee’s Home for Lost and Foundlings, claiming to be a distant relative come to adopt her, Tess hopes to find some answers to her mysterious origins. But as she adjusts to her new life at Roedeer Lodge, it becomes clear that Norton F. Cleat knows more about Tess – and the strange star-shaped device left with her when she was abandoned as a baby – than he’s letting on. And when Tess discovers that the Starspinner is the gateway between her world and a parallel world in which war rages, she realizes she may be the key to a terrible plan. A plan she must stop at all costs...

What I Have to Say 

Parallel worlds, science-enthusiast characters (male and female) and a whole load of mystery. This was a very promising start to this new series! Apart of my arachnophobia having a couple of issues with Violet (although less squirmy moments than I'd expected). 

I really liked Tess as a character, but I did feel that she didn't do that much for most of the book. The book was more focused on the way she studied the Starspinner from a science perspective, but I prefer a much more action packed adventure story. It picked up towards the end, but I do hope that there's more adventure in the next book. 

I really liked the way they wove in the historical elements with Tom's world. It was interesting to have him in Dublin during WW2 while Tess was in her own world, connecting to him through the starspinner. It was really interesting to see what was happening in Dublin during WW2 and how it was woven in with the plot in Tess's world. 

I'll be interested to see what happens next to Tess, Tom and their friends! 

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