31 March 2020

Am Reading - Born in Fire

Born in Fire - Fire and Ice Trilogy #1
by K.F. Breene




What they say: Supernatural Bounty Hunter isn’t the sort of thing you see on LinkedIn. But with a rare type of magic like mine, I don’t have many options. If people found out what I could do—what I am—I would kiss my freedom goodbye.

So dangerous or not, the job is mine. And it was going fine, until an old as sin vampire stole my mark, and with it, my pay day.

Knowing I’m poor and desperate, he has offered me a job. I’ll have to work by his side to help solve a top secret case.

Everyone knows not to trust vampires. Especially a hot elder vampire. But without any other jobs coming up, I’m stuck. As I uncover a web of lies and treachery, revealing an enemy I didn’t know existed, the truth of my identity is threatened. I might make it out alive, only to end up in a gilded cage.

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30 March 2020

Book Box Club Unboxing March 2020

Book Box Club Unboxing March 2020

I give you my unboxing of the March 2020 'Mythical Monsters' box.

You can watch my unboxing video at the bottom of this post. 





Subscriptions:
I went for the full subscription for six months. You can select monthly, or 3 monthly, 6 monthly or soon I believe 12 monthly, as well as signing up for the pure books version, which comes without the swag and goodies.

The box itself:
It comes in a very cute and neat turquoise box, with paper filling to protect the books and goodies, plus very attractive gift wrap around the book (or in this case books).


I think this is my favourite theme of the three boxes I've received so far! I LOVE the wall hanging and all the artwork is fab!!!


Inside:


A special clubhouse invite with personalised access code to chat to the authors.

Mythical Monsters Wall Hanging with Artwork by Klara Hawkins.

Nessie Tea Strainer by Ototo Design.

Dragon Well Loose Tea by the True Tea Company.

Niffler Magnet with Artwork by Emily Carrier.

Iorek enamel pin by Book Box Club.

Bookish extra bookmarks: Michael O'Mara Books, Usborne and Bloomsbury.


I'll be reading the book over the next couple of weeks, so watch out for my review coming soon!







My Unboxing video:



Check out my YouTube Channel!




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29 March 2020

New Release - Please Return To: Toby Solano



Please Return To: Toby Solano
by Frank Morelli




PLEASE RETURN TO: Book #2
Middle Grade Fiction; Humor; Action; Adventure; Epistolary; Middle Grade
Publisher: INtense Publications LLC
Published Date: March 27, 2020



Toby Solano is the new kid in town. No one in Mapleton knows he exists, which is tough to swallow for a boy who descends from Lucha Libre wrestling royalty. Back in El Paso, Toby could snap his fingers and the seas would part as he walked the hallways at his old school.

But when his dad gets body slammed into submission and his career goes into a tailspin, Toby decides to take his anger out on his classmates, which gets him kicked out of school and shipped off to Mapleton with his mom. 

Toby hates his new town, he hates his classmates and, most of all, he hates Mr. Finkelstein. But when he finds his teacher’s missing journal under the tires of a moving truck, the drama of the famed Mapleton Wrestling Federation opens wide for him. Armed with a journal’s-worth of wrestling lore, will Toby be able to build friendships and help the Mort-tician regain his title? Or, will he fall back on his old ways and bully himself right out of Mapleton Middle School? Find out on the slightly-wrinkled pages of Please Return To: Toby Solano.

Author Spotlight:

Frank Morelli is the author of No Sad Songs, a 2019 YALSA Quick Picks nominee and winner of an American Fiction Award for best coming of age story. The first book in his debut middle grade series, Please Return To: Norbert M. Finkelstein, was released in September 2019. His fiction and essays have appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, Cobalt Review, Philadelphia Stories, and Jersey Devil Press. A Philadelphia native, Morelli now lives in High Point, NC where he has been a classroom teacher for almost twenty years. He holds an MFA in Fiction from National University and thinks dogs are the most respectable beings on the planet. Connect with him on Twitter @frankmoewriter or on his website frankmorelliwrites.com.

Contact Links
Twitter: @frankmoewriter
Instagram: @frankmorelliauthor


Purchase Links

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28 March 2020

Review - The Upside of Falling

The Upside of Falling
by Alex Light




What they say: It’s been years since seventeen-year-old Becca Hart believed in true love. But when her former best friend teases her for not having a boyfriend, Becca impulsively pretends she’s been secretly seeing someone.

Brett Wells has it all. Being captain of the football team and one of the most popular guys in school, he should have no problem finding someone to date, but he’s always been more focused on his future than who to bring to prom. When he overhears Becca’s lie, Brett decides to step in and be her mystery guy. It’s the perfect solution: he gets people off his back for not dating and she can keep up the ruse.

Acting like the perfect couple isn’t easy though, especially when you barely know the other person. But with Becca still picking up the pieces from when her world was blown apart years ago and Brett just barely holding his together now, they begin to realize they have more in common than they ever could have imagined. When the line between real and pretend begins to blur, they are forced to answer the question: is this fake romance the realest thing in either of their lives?


I received a copy in the Feb 2020 Book Box Club book which I purchased myself.

What I say: I've been reading lots of fantasy and dystopian stories recently, so jumped at the chance to read The Upside of Falling because it gave me the chance to sink me teeth into some YA contemporary! 

Bookish Becca loves a romance book, but doesn't believe love can last and is not worth the risk of potential heartache. One embarrassing confrontation with a former friend later and she finds herself with popular football captain and all-round dreamboat, Brett, posing as her boyfriend. Brett for his part does it to help her out and to assist with his family expectations. There are lots of fake romance stories out there but what I liked here was that it evolves organically and the relationship comes from a kind place.

Both main characters have different experiences in terms of their home lives and on paper they shouldn't work, but thank cuteness, they do!

I read The Upside of Falling in the height of all the horror going on in the outside world and it was the perfect tonic to the anxiety and upset in real life. I enjoyed the cute story and slow burn between Becca and Brett. I would have liked a little more development and dare I say it, drama, but I liked the characters and the plot made me smile.

Where do I find some Jelly Bells?

4 Stars in my Sky!
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27 March 2020

Cover Reveal - The Cursed Crown

TheCursedCrown_specialpromo

May Sage & Alexi Blake will be revealing art from The Cursed Crown every month leading up to the December 1st release! 

Today’s art comes from Salome Totladze

Check it and an exciting new excerpt out now!

CursedCrown_2_2_final


Title: The Cursed Crown
Author: May Sage & Alexi Blake
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Illustrator: Gabriela Dea Julia
Typography by Sylvia Frost from The Book Brander Boutique
Release Date: 1st of December




My lips hitch up an inch as the hulking, slender man bends down to whisper in my ear. “A divided kingdom without a leader is weak. You will fall. You will fail. You will all die without my kindness, little girl.”
He expects me to falter, shiver, and drop my gaze to the ground like the flock of gentry buzzing around him.
My eyes widen in feigned dismay. “Kindness? Why did no one think to tell me you had any?”
I have to allow him that one concession: Rydekar is fun to tease.
He doesn’t even smile. I don’t think anyone has taunted him. “I have none. You will beg nonetheless.”
I just may, in his dreams. And in my nightmares.



No one was ever born less suited to ruling than Rissa, the thorn of the seelie realm—a half-fae so wild she’s spent the better part of a hundred years in the woods.
For all her flaws, she’s the last of the high court bloodline, and the southern king seems to think that’s reason enough to slap a crown on her feathered head. He needs her to unify the seelie forces. She needs him to forget about that nonsense.
In an effort to aid her people without condemning herself to a lifetime of misery, she sets off on a journey to find the one person with a stronger claim to the throne than hers: the cursed prince.
Sealed in the mountains of the Wilderness, under many spells, the heir of the first seelie queen is the only royal strong enough to protect the fae lands from their immortal invaders.
Surviving the untamed tribes and awakening a thousand-year-old prince seem a lot easier than ruling an entire kingdom where everyone hates her very nature.
And her choices won’t come without consequences.


Pre-Order for a Limited Time Sale Price!

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excerpt 2 graphic

Exclusive Excerpt:

Long have I heard tales of the cursed prince. I’ve seen dozens of paintings and statues of his effigy.

None prepared me for him.

Tharsen is said to be beautiful, when he is exquisite. They tell us of his luminous aura, when it’s brighter than that of a burning star. He is beyond gods and monsters, beyond fae and man.

I’ve never felt so strong a draw to anyone—anyone at all. It’s blinding and painful, claiming a piece of me. Capturing my mind.

We’re kin, he and I. I am the daughter of his brother’s great-great-great-great-grandchild, I think. Yet I feel like I am an insignificant sparrow and he, the fiercest of the beasts soaring the sky. Barely the same species. He’s everything I’m not. The dream to my nightmare.

One only needs to look at him to fall under his spell.

Yes, he’ll do. He’ll rule all of Denarhelm, and all will be only too pleased to bow at his feet. They’ll crawl to him and beg to be permitted to serve.

I can’t deny that the thought terrifies me. This creature could bring an end to the free will of the folk, with no more than a glance.

I dare to caress the icy wall encasing him.

Then I step back, startled. It feels…

Alive.

His pulse beating so hard I can sense it through the ice. That shouldn’t be possible, but I left the realm of possibility the moment I entered his eternal prison.

He’s a myth come alive. A painfully striking prince under a curse.

I suppose that makes me the hero of the story. The brave princess who rescues him, so that he may rule and I may return to the shadows, where I belong.

My story ends where his begins.

I will return to the solitary woods I’ve claimed as my own, and let the kings of the world play games of war.

Just as I wanted. Everything is within my grasp.

So why am I hesitating?




Stay up to date on teasers and teasers with The Curse Crown Facebook Group!


Author Spotlight:

May Sage is a USA Today Bestselling romance writer dabbling in different genres, although the readers who follow every series know they’re all related.

When she isn’t writing, she spends her time with her German Shepherd, her two Savannahs, and her black rescue cat, in England. She loves reading, ballet, running, and cake. Mostly, cake.

Follow her on Facebook or join her newsletter for the latest update.


Connect with May Sage:

Website * Facebook * Newsletter * Instagram

Connect with Alexi Blake:

Facebook * Twitter


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Spotlight - Worse Than Weird

Worse Than Weird
by Jody J. Little






What they say: Readers who love Leslie Connor and Ann M. Martin will adore this story of a citywide scavenger hunt and a girl who learns that family—and weirdness—is relative.

Summer Coding Camp 

Incoming 7th graders only 

Eight-week session begins June 28 

This is it, my summer plan. 

Hoping to ditch two months of chicken coops, kale, and her parents’ antiscreen rules, Mac MacLeod sets out to win a citywide food cart scavenger hunt and the money she needs for the summer coding camp of her dreams.

But Mac discovers more than just clues during her cross-city sprint—like how her weird parents might not be the worst thing compared to the circumstances of those around her.

With the same humor and hope of her debut novel, Mostly the Honest Truth, Jody J. Little gives readers another spunky, unforgettable character to root for.

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25 March 2020

Whatcha Reading Wednesday - Ravenous

I love a reread!

Ravenous - The Ravening #1
by Erica Stevens







What they say: The world didn’t end with a bang, it didn’t go out in a ball of fire and fury, nor did it end in ice. But in some strange way, ice was the end; or maybe it was the beginning of something more.

Bethany is stunned and horrified when she finds herself suddenly alone in a world that was alive only moments before. Terrified, she flees into the streets of her town, looking for answers, and desperate to reach her family. Panicked, she is nearly captured by the monsters hunting her until Cade steps in to rescue her. Dark and distant, most people in school are wary of Cade, yet oddly fascinated by him. They had once been close as children, but it has been years since Bethany has had any real contact with Cade. As their situation becomes even more perilous, Bethany struggles to come to terms with her past, her terrifying new reality, and her growing love for a boy that is powerful, mysterious, and perhaps even more frightening than the aliens hunting them. Aliens that want more than their lives, they also want their blood.


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23 March 2020

The Lost Link is LIVE!!

THE LOST LINK by Michelle Bryan is out now! Check out the fantastic new paranormal romance and be sure to grab your copy today!

Title: The Lost Link

Author: Michelle Bryan

Genre: Paranormal Romance

About The Lost Link:



I die every night in my dreams.

Add to that the hallucinations of people I've never met and creatures that don't exist, and you can see why I don’t let anyone in. People don't take well to weirdos that can't tell reality from illusion.

That all changed the day a dragon attacked. Yup, that’s right. A real-life, smoke-breathing dragon hunted me down in the middle of a school day. I only escaped because a Faerie forced me to jump through a fire portal into a realm of magic. Normal, right?

Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder, I met him. The Fae prince. Eyes of jade, ebony hair, and a smile that made my knees weak. Too bad he was my mortal enemy sent to finish what the dragon started.

Now, faced with parallel worlds, a daring escape plan, and an evil queen bent on taking over the universe, only one thing is for certain. I’m in way over my head.




Get Your Copy Today!


Exclusive Excerpt:

Unlike my early morning hallucination of him, Zorro appeared fully fleshed out this time. His dark hair was cropped tight to his head, with a hairline that dipped into a widow’s peak. His golden skin was bronzed darker across the planes of his face—high cheekbones chiseled by the gods, strong jaw, straight nose. Dark fringed eyes so emerald green it looked like he was wearing a pair of cheap colored contacts.

On his hip a long, broad sword hung, his hand lightly touching the red hilt, and his sleeves pushed up over forearms tanned and corded with muscle. His hands and arms were covered in markings, etched both with scars and tattoos. Beautiful as he was, he was forbidding and scary, and a chill encapsulated my whole body.

I found myself drawn back to those eyes. Luminous, mesmerizing and achingly beautiful, they drew me in like a moth to a flame. I think I even took a couple of steps closer before the jolt of electricity in my wrist brought me to my senses. My birthmark caught aflame and buzzed over my skin in response to his presence, no doubt. Every single nerve ending reacted, from my toes to the roots of my hair. Pulling me toward him like I was some old nail and he was giant magnet. What the hell was happening here?

My brain yelled at me to run, but did I listen? No. I took another step closer. I couldn’t help myself even though my gut was telling me this man equated danger. Just as dangerous as the beast I was running from.

Then Zorro grinned. A thousand-watt smile emphasized with deep dimples in both stubbled cheeks and I rooted in place like I’d just stepped in quicksand. I still wasn’t sure where ‘here’ was, but they had a hell of a dentistry service from the look of those teeth. Man coulda made a killing doing toothpaste commercials, for sure.

The hand holding the hilt of the massive sword relaxed its grip, and I breathed a little easier. Okay. He obviously didn’t consider me a threat. Good to know he wasn’t about to lop my head off. I lowered my fists as he crossed his arms and my gaze jumped from the tats to the broad chest and wide shoulders. My eyes dropped lower, down to the narrow waist emphasized by the sword sheath hanging low on his hips, and muscled thighs encased in tight pants. Denim? Leather? I wasn’t sure. What I did know was that he filled ‘em out damn fine.

“Hello, Bridjette. It’s good to see you too.”

His smooth voice glided over me with the softness of a silk sheet, and gave my goosebumps, goosebumps. The way he emphasized see, however, told me he was well aware of where my eyes were situated right now. Heat infused my cheeks and I yanked my gaze back to his amused face.

A million questions banged around my brain, but my tongue refused to utter a single one. It stayed stuck to the roof of my mouth as I swallowed a dozen times trying to unglue it. His eyes alit with green fire stared into mine, so intent a heated blush encompassed my entire body and my knees weakened. I swear I could feel the charisma oozing from his damn pores. Was he putting a spell on me or something? Finally, I managed to croak, “You can’t be real.” Closing my eyes, I released a pent-up breath, blowing the hair plastered to my forehead. “None of this is real, Jette. You need to find the closest pharmacy else the next article of clothing you’ll be rocking will be a straitjacket.”




Author Spotlight:

I wish I could say I've climbed Mt. Everest or ridden in a hot air balloon around the world, but alas I lead a very quiet life in Nova Scotia, Canada. The only adventures I go on are in my books. But what adventures they are!

When I'm not reading or writing I have a day (bill paying) job as a chocolate shop manager. So yes, I work with both books and chocolate! Living the dream.

The rest of my time is spent with my three favourite guys; my hubby, my son and my crazy fur baby. We are a family of geeks, fans of Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, lovers of books and players of video games. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads


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22 March 2020

Coming Soon - The Last Human

The Last Human
by Zack Jordan



What they say: The last human in the universe is on the run from a godlike intelligence in this rip-roaring debut space opera. 

Sarya is the civilized galaxy's worst nightmare: a Human.

Most days, Sarya doesn't feel like the most terrifying creature in the galaxy.

Most days, she's got other things on her mind. Like hiding her identity among the hundreds of alien species roaming the corridors of Watertower Station. Or making sure her adoptive mother doesn't casually eviscerate one of their neighbors. Again.

And most days, she can almost accept that she'll never know the truth--that she'll never know why humanity was deemed too dangerous to exist. Or whether she really is--impossibly--the lone survivor of a species destroyed a millennium ago.

That is, until an encounter with a bounty hunter and a miles-long kinetic projectile leaves her life and her perspective shattered.

Thrown into the universe at the helm of a stolen ship--with the dubious assistance of a rebellious spacesuit, an android death enthusiast on his sixtieth lifetime, and a ball of fluff with an IQ in the thousands--Sarya begins to uncover an impossible truth.

What if humanity's death and her own existence are simply two moves in a demented cosmic game, one played out by vast alien intellects? Stranger still, what if these mad gods are offering Sarya a seat at their table--and a second chance for humanity?

The Last Human is a sneakily brilliant, gleefully oddball space-opera debut--a masterful play on perspective, intelligence, and free will, wrapped in a rollicking journey through a strange and crowded galaxy.

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21 March 2020

Historical Fiction - The Mirror & the Light

The Mirror & the Light - Thomas Cromwell Trilogy #3
by Hilary Mantel




What they say: If you cannot speak truth at a beheading, when can you speak it?

England, May 1536. Anne Boleyn is dead, decapitated in the space of a heartbeat by a hired French executioner. As her remains are bundled into oblivion, Thomas Cromwell breakfasts with the victors. The blacksmith’s son from Putney emerges from the spring’s bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry VIII, settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen before Jane dies giving birth to the male heir he most craves.

Cromwell is a man with only his wits to rely on; he has no great family to back him, no private army. Despite rebellion at home, traitors plotting abroad and the threat of invasion testing Henry’s regime to the breaking point, Cromwell’s robust imagination sees a new country in the mirror of the future. But can a nation, or a person, shed the past like a skin? Do the dead continually unbury themselves? What will you do, the Spanish ambassador asks Cromwell, when the king turns on you, as sooner or later he turns on everyone close to him?

With The Mirror & the Light, Hilary Mantel brings to a triumphant close the trilogy she began with Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. She traces the final years of Thomas Cromwell, the boy from nowhere who climbs to the heights of power, offering a defining portrait of predator and prey, of a ferocious contest between present and past, between royal will and a common man’s vision: of a modern nation making itself through conflict, passion, and courage.

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20 March 2020

Imagine Me - Coming Soon

Imagine Me - Shatter Me #6
by Tahereh Mafi




What they say: The explosive finale to the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Shatter Me series.

Juliette Ferrars.

Ella Sommers.

Which is the truth and which is the lie?

Now that Ella knows who Juliette is and what she was created for, things have only become more complicated. As she struggles to understand the past that haunts her and looks to a future more uncertain than ever, the lines between right and wrong—between Ella and Juliette—blur. And with old enemies looming, her destiny may not be her own to control.

The day of reckoning for the Reestablishment is coming. But she may not get to choose what side she fights on.


Coming 31st March 2020

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18 March 2020

Whatcha Reading Wednesday - King of Scars

King of Scars
by Leigh Bardugo







What they say: Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.

Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried—and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.

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16 March 2020

Coming Soon - Slime

Ooh!!!

Slime
by David Walliams







What they say: The new children’s book from No. 1 bestselling author David Walliams – a fantastically funny tale illustrated by artistic genius, Tony Ross.

WELCOME TO THE ISLE OF MULCH…
This little island is home to a large number of horrible grown-ups. The school, the local park, the toy shop and even the island’s ice-cream van are all run by awful adults who like nothing more than making children miserable. And the island is owned by the most awful one of all – Aunt Greta Greed!
Something needs to be done about them.
But who could be brave enough?
Meet Ned – an extraordinary boy with a special power. SLIMEPOWER!

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15 March 2020

Am Reading - The Upside of Falling

The Upside of Falling
by Alex Light




What they say: It’s been years since seventeen-year-old Becca Hart believed in true love. But when her former best friend teases her for not having a boyfriend, Becca impulsively pretends she’s been secretly seeing someone.

Brett Wells has it all. Being captain of the football team and one of the most popular guys in school, he should have no problem finding someone to date, but he’s always been more focused on his future than who to bring to prom. When he overhears Becca’s lie, Brett decides to step in and be her mystery guy. It’s the perfect solution: he gets people off his back for not dating and she can keep up the ruse.

Acting like the perfect couple isn’t easy though, especially when you barely know the other person. But with Becca still picking up the pieces from when her world was blown apart years ago and Brett just barely holding his together now, they begin to realize they have more in common than they ever could have imagined. When the line between real and pretend begins to blur, they are forced to answer the question: is this fake romance the realest thing in either of their lives?


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14 March 2020

Review - The Good Hawk

The Good Hawk - Shadow Skye #1
by Joseph Elliott




What they say: In a mythic Scotland, two unlikely heroes must make a dangerous journey to save their people.

Agatha is a Hawk, brave and fierce, who protects her people by patrolling the high walls of their island home. She is proud of her job, though some in her clan whisper that it is meant to keep her out of the way because of the condition she was born with. Jaime, thoughtful and anxious, is an Angler, but he hates the sea. Worse, he’s been chosen for a duty that the clan hasn’t required for generations: to marry. The elders won’t say why they have promised him to a girl in a neighboring clan, but there are rumors of approaching danger.When disaster strikes and the clan is kidnapped, it is up to Agatha and Jaime to travel across the haunted mainland of Scotia to Norveg, with help along the way from a clan of nomadic Highland bull riders and the many animals who are drawn to Agatha’s extraordinary gift of communication. Thrilling and dark yet rich with humor and compassion, this is the first book in the Shadow Skye trilogy, written by a wonderful new voice in fantasy and introducing a welcome new kind of hero.

More info!

I received a copy in the Jan 2020 Book Box Club box (paid for myself)

What I say: I received The Good Hawk as part of the January 2020 Book Box Club Deadly Secrets box. Deadly secrets is a perfect way to describe the book because it's full of both! Think of a fictional version of the Isle of Skye, set in a past where clans are at war and magic is real (or is it?), and you're still not even close to covering everything in the story.

Agatha is tolerated by her clan (just) and has to hide her true self. Her innocence made me smile and I loved seeing her come into her own. The diversity Elliott has included with Agatha is really important and I particularly appreciated how celebrated she is, without being a box ticking opportunity.

Jaime also goes through a lot in the story. He finds his courage and voice in a world where he doesn't have many choices. I did like the idea of a seasick angler!

The myths of Scotland are so interwoven within the story that I could almost believe that they were real. Elliott never shies away from the horrible truths of life: we see death, betrayal and madness, as well as friendship and love.

The book shows many different ways of being heroic and brave. It highlights the importance of being yourself and not changing for anyone. 

I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next...

4 Stars in my Sky!
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