Meet Me at the Surface by Jodie Matthews

Pages: 272

Publisher: Fourth Estate 

Released: 15th of February 2024 

EVERYTHING THAT COMES FROM THE GROUND HAS TO GO BACK DOWN, EVENTUALLY…

Merryn grew up on the wilds of Bodmin moor, raised by her mother and her aunt in an old farmhouse. Here, the locals never leave the decaying village, fear for the future of their farms and cling desperately to the folkloric tales that are woven into their history. Except Merryn, who has escaped to Manchester for university, briefly untethering herself from her past.

When Merryn returns home for the memorial service of her ex-girlfriend Claud, she finds her childhood home stranger and more secretive than ever. She’s sure that her mother is hiding something. The villagers are hunting on the moors at night, but for what? And then there’s a notebook, found in an old chest of drawers, full of long-forgotten folklore than seems to be linked somehow to Claud…

What I Have to Say 

Unfortunately this one missed the mark. I wish I could have enjoyed it more, but it just didn't draw me in. On paper, it is everything I love in a book, but the reality of it didn't match up. I think the thing I found most off-putting was the unpleasant descriptions. I don't really want to read detailed descriptions of skinning eels, thanks. 

The characters also didn't really capture my attention. It seemed their only interesting points were the relationships to each other. I didn't get much of a sense of who they were as people. Claud and Merryn's relationship was very toxic, which is okay when it's done well, but all I saw in this was Claud's absolute cruelty towards Merryn. 

This just wasn't what I wanted from this book. 

Two Stars 

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Fourth Estate for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

A Midwinter's Tail by Lili Hayward

Pages: 224 

Publisher: Sphere 

Released: 12th of October 2023 

It's nearly Christmas and committed Londoner, Mina Kestle, is close to signing a deal that will make her career and give her everything she's ever wanted. And then she receives a mysterious letter in the post along with an ancient key, sent by her long-estranged godfather . . .

Davy Penhallow is an artist who lives on the tiny Cornish island of Morgelyn with only his pet cat, Murr, for company. Mina hasn't seen or heard from him in decades, but now it seems he wants her to look after his cottage - and his cat - while he recovers from a stroke in hospital. Mina doesn't know why Davy has written after all these years, but she intends to do what's sort out the cottage and the cat and then get back to London in time for her career-saving meeting, before everything she's built comes crashing down around her.

But the more time Mina spends in the cottage, looking after Murr and remembering the magic of Cornish folklore, the harder it becomes for her to tear herself away. And when she discovers that a set of ruthless property developers are coming for Morgelyn, she realises she might be the only one who can stand in their way to save the island, Davy's cottage and Murr's home.

As Christmas draws ever closer and echoes of the past - her own and the island's - wash up in her memory, Mina begins to unravel a generation of secrets... and discover what it is she has truly always wanted . . .

What I Have to Say 

This was the perfect little story for Christmas. Steeped in Cornish legend, it had the warm cosy feel to it that you want from a nice Christmas read. It also had absolutely everything you get from a Christmas movie.  I do feel I read it a bit early to really get into the Christmas spirit, but I can't deny that it would be good to read on Christmas eve! 

I loved how much this book centred around the cat, Murr. And how right from the start Murr is set up as a mythical cat of the sea. Though the characters don't believe this, the book led me to believe in Murr's power right from the start and I loved the magical realism feel that it gave to the book. 

It was great for cat lovers and anyone interested in Cornish mythology or even just anyone who loves a good underdog fights against big developers story! 

4 stars 

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

The Birdcage by Eve Chase

 

Pages: 400

Publisher: Penguin

Released: 28th of April 2022 

Kat, Flossie and Lauren are half-sisters who share a famous artist father - and a terrible secret.

Each has found their way of burying it. Over the years they've grown apart, and into wildly different lives. But an invitation to Rock Point, the Cornish cliff house where they once sat for their father's most celebrated painting, Girls with Birdcage, reunites them.

Rock Point is a beautiful, windswept place, thick with secrets, electrically charged with the one subject the family daren't discuss. And there is someone in the shadows watching the house, their every move. Someone who remembers the girls in the painting. What they did.

The sisters must unlock the truth to set themselves free - and find each other again.

What I Have to Say 

This book was a bit of a flop for me. I liked the setting a lot. It really captured the windswept cliffs of Cornwall well and the weather that was backdrop to the whole book was described really well. I also liked the characters. It was easy to get to know and care for them. But what really put me off was the way the cliffhangers were handled. 

So every few chapters we'd leave the present day story and go back to see what happened to Lauren in 1999. A lovely way to drill up tension and occasionally leave the reader on a cliffhanger desperate to read on, right? Well it would have been if every single cliffhanger hadn't resolved with the characters all safe and happy and the author telling the reader how the cliffhanger had resolved. It's like every bit of action that happened was only half written. I'm not completely against telling. It can work in some circumstances. But in the case of this book, I wanted to stay in the drama and actually see how it was resolved. 

There was also a bit at the end that didn't quite make sense. Something was explained about the grandfather and it was only in one paragraph without much detail. It seems like the sort of thing they might fix before the finished copy though. 

All in all, not the best read for me. 

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

Wolf Light by Yaba Badoe

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 202

Publisher: Zephyr

Released: 4th of April 2019 

A leopard dances under the moon. 

A wolf prowls. 

A red-beaked bird flies free.

Three girls born on the same day in wolf light are bound together to protect the world. They can dazzle or destroy. They have wind-song and fire-fury at their fingertips, but their enemies are everywhere.

From the bleak steppes to the tropical forests of Ghana and the stormy moors of Cornwall, the lands they love are plundered and poisoned. The girls must rally to perfect their skills and prove the strength of sister-magic.

Steeped in elemental myth, Wolf Light is a call to us all to hear the ancient power within us and conserve our heritage.

What I Have to Say 

This is a beautiful coming of age story about three girls, magic and sacred roles of protection. Though it was little too character based for me, being more about the girls developing and growing into their roles and powers, I really enjoyed the premise of the book. I loved the fact that these were three different girls, from three very different cultures and places, with three different forms of power. 

I really liked how much power was connected to nature. How the girls were protecting their particular environment from the people who don't respect it and want to use it for their own gain. I liked the way that each girl's personal bond with the land they were tasked to protect was so seeped in their culture and traditions. 

The other thing that I found really good about this book was how distinct each girl's perspective was. How you could tell which girl was which before they were identified. 

If you like very character driven coming of age stories full of magic, culture and respect for the environment. 

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

Skylark's War by Hilary McKay

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 320

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Released: 20th of September 2018 

Clarry and her older brother Peter live for their summers in Cornwall, staying with their grandparents and running free with their charismatic cousin, Rupert. But normal life resumes each September - boarding school for Peter and Rupert, and a boring life for Clarry at home with her absent father, as the shadow of a terrible war looms ever closer. When Rupert goes off to fight at the front, Clarry feels their skylark summers are finally slipping away from them.

Can their family survive this fearful war?The Skylarks' War is a beautiful story following the loves and losses of a family growing up against the harsh backdrop of World War One, from the award-winning Hilary McKay. 

What I Have to Say 

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. It wasn't a bad at all. I think if I hadn't had high expectations of it, I probably would have liked it a lot more. But the fact that I was hoping to love it made it disappointing. 

I liked the characters a lot though. The way that Clarry and Peter were treated by their father was very sad, I was glad when they went to Cornwall and found Rupert and had a much nicer time. It was interesting to see how the relationships developed and grew before changing over the course of the war. 

I loved the letters between the characters and the way that they interacted, but I do feel like it would have been nice to see Clarry doing a bit more than just going to school during the war. I wanted her to achieve something, the same a those around her, but I couldn't help feeling disappointed that we saw the war more through the other character's lives while she was at school. 

I guess I just wanted more from the book. It was touching and gave a good look at the time period, but I wanted more. 

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