Review: The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne (#Ad)

I was sent this proof for free by Orbit Books for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Links with an asterisk (*) are Ad: Affiliate Links, which means if you make a purchase through them, I'll make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne

Published: 28th July 2022 | Publisher: Orbit Books | Source: Publisher
Mary McMyne’s Website

Everyone knows the story of Rapunzel in the tower, but do you know the tale of the witch who put her there?

Enter a world of dark magic, mysterious woods and evil princes. This is the truth they never wanted you to know, as only a witch might tell it.

With her strange black eyes and even stranger fainting spells, Haelewise is shunned by her village, and her only solace lies in the stories her mother tells of child-stealing witches, of princes in wolf-skins, of an ancient tower cloaked in mist where women will find shelter if they are brave enough to seek it.

But when her mother dies, Haelewise is left unmoored. With nothing left for her in her village, she sets out to find the tower of legend-a place called Gothel, where Haelewise meets a wise woman willing to take her under her wing.

But Haelewise is not the only woman to seek refuge at Gothel. It's also a haven for a girl named Rika, who carries with her a secret the Church strives to keep hidden. A secret that reveals a dark world of ancient spells and murderous nobles behind the world Haelewise has always known.

The Book of Gothel is a lush, enchanting retelling of the tale of Rapunzel from the witch's perspective, perfect for fans of Circe and The Bear and the Nightingale. From The StoryGraph.

Purchase from Bookshop.org*
The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features vomit, someone late to starting their period, semi-vague sex scenes, pregnancy, morning sickness, childbirth, reference to abortion, reference to stillbirths, child neglect, sexual assault and threat of rape, male rape, references to stoning, violence against women, anti-Semitism, suicide, and reference to torture.

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Review: A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

Links with an asterisk (*) are Ad: Affiliate Links, which means if you make a purchase through them, I'll make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

Published: 2nd September 2020 | Publisher: Picador | Source: Bought
Natalie Haynes’ Website

This is the women’s war, just as much as it is the men’s. They have waited long enough for their turn...

This was never the story of one woman, or two. It was the story of them all...

In the middle of the night, a woman wakes to find her beloved city engulfed in flames. Ten seemingly endless years of conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over. Troy has fallen.

From the Trojan women whose fates now lie in the hands of the Greeks, to the Amazon princess who fought Achilles on their behalf, to Penelope awaiting the return of Odysseus, to the three goddesses whose feud started it all, these are the stories of the women whose lives, loves, and rivalries were forever altered by this long and tragic war.

A woman’s epic, powerfully imbued with new life, A Thousand Ships puts the women, girls and goddesses at the centre of the Western world’s great tale ever told. From The StoryGraph.

Purchase from Bookshop.org*
The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features vomit, blood, visceral, gorey descriptions, arson, grief, mention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, suicide, ableism, rape, and infanticide.

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Review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Links with an asterisk (*) are Ad: Affiliate Links, which means if you make a purchase through them, I'll make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Published: 21st September 2017 | Publisher: Bloomsbury | Source: Bought
Madeline Miller’s Website

Greece in the age of Heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia. Here he is nobody, just another unwanted boy living in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles.

Achilles, “best of all the Greeks,” is everything Patroclus is not—strong, beautiful, the child of a goddess—and by all rights their paths should never cross. Yet one day, Achilles takes the shamed prince under his wing and soon their tentative connection gives way to a steadfast friendship. As they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something far deeper—despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.

Fate is never far from the heels of Achilles. When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows Achilles into war, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they have learned, everything they hold dear. And that, before he is ready, he will be forced to surrender his friend to the hands of Fate.

Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart. From The StoryGraph.

Purchase from Bookshop.org*
The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features vomit; blood; grief; self-harm; two on-page sex scenes, one m/m, one f/f (semi-vague); ableism; human sacrifice; and numerous rapes, including male rape.

Continue reading Review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Review: The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith

The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith

Published: 31st August 2021 | Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers | Source: Bought
Sasha Peyton Smith’s Website

In 1911 New York City, seventeen-year-old Frances Hallowell spends her days as a seamstress, mourning the mysterious death of her brother months prior. Everything changes when she’s attacked and a man ends up dead at her feet—her scissors in his neck, and she can’t explain how they got there.

Before she can be condemned as a murderess, two cape-wearing nurses arrive to inform her she is deathly ill and ordered to report to Haxahaven Sanitarium. But Frances finds Haxahaven isn’t a sanitarium at all: it’s a school for witches. Within Haxahaven’s glittering walls, Frances finds the sisterhood she craves, but the headmistress warns Frances that magic is dangerous. Frances has no interest in the small, safe magic of her school, and is instead enchanted by Finn, a boy with magic himself who appears in her dreams and tells her he can teach her all she’s been craving to learn, lessons that may bring her closer to discovering what truly happened to her brother.

Frances’s newfound power attracts the attention of the leader of an ancient order who yearns for magical control of Manhattan. And who will stop at nothing to have Frances by his side. Frances must ultimately choose what matters more, justice for her murdered brother and her growing feelings for Finn, or the safety of her city and fellow witches. What price would she pay for power, and what if the truth is more terrible than she ever imagined? From The StoryGraph.

The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features vomit, blood, gun violence, mutilation of corpses, historical abuse of Native Americans, and attempted rape.

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Review: The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

Published: 14th May 2019 | Publisher: Scholastic | Source: Won
Nafiza Azad's Website

Azad's debut YA fantasy is set in a city along the Silk Road that is a refuge for those of all faiths, where a young woman is threatened by the war between two clans of powerful djinn.

Fatima lives in the city of Noor, a thriving stop along the Silk Road. There the music of myriad languages fills the air, and people of all faiths weave their lives together. However, the city bears scars of its recent past, when the chaotic tribe of Shayateen djinn slaughtered its entire population -- except for Fatima and two other humans. Now ruled by a new maharajah, Noor is protected from the Shayateen by the Ifrit, djinn of order and reason, and by their commander, Zulfikar.

But when one of the most potent of the Ifrit dies, Fatima is changed in ways she cannot fathom, ways that scare even those who love her. Oud in hand, Fatima is drawn into the intrigues of the maharajah and his sister, the affairs of Zulfikar and the djinn, and the dangers of a magical battlefield.

In this William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist novel, Nafiza Azad weaves an immersive tale of magic and the importance of names; fiercely independent women; and, perhaps most importantly, the work for harmony within a city of a thousand cultures and cadences. From The StoryGraph

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features death, infant death, murder, grief, PTSD, a hostage situation, violence against children, and the threat of sexual violence.

Continue reading Review: The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

Review: The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (#Ad)

I received sent this eProof for free from Orbit via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

Published: 12th September 2019 | Publisher: Orbit | Source: NetGalley
Alix E. Harrow's Website

In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.

In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.

Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

Lush and richly imagined, a tale of impossible journeys, unforgettable love, and the enduring power of stories awaits in Alix E. Harrow's spellbinding debut--step inside and discover its magic. The StoryGraph

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features racism, an animal attack, animal cruelty, forced instituionalisation, self-harm, abduction, and torture.

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Review: All the Murmuring Bones by A. G. Slatter (#Ad)

I received this eProof for free from Titan Books via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

All the Murmuring Bones by A. G. Slatter

Published: 8th April 2021 | Publisher: Titan Books | Source: NetGalley
A. G. Slatter's Website

'My mother was a witch and she left me behind...'

Miren O'Malley was orphaned as a young child and brought up by her grandparents on their isolated, rambling estate, Hob's Hallow. Long ago her family prospered due to a deal struck with the mer: safety for their merchant ships in return for a child of each generation. But for many years the family have been unable to keep their side of the bargain and their fortunes have suffered as a result. When Miren's grandfather dies, her grandmother plans to restore their glory - but at the price of Miren's freedom.

All the Murmuring Bones is an irresistible tale of family secrets, dark mysteries, magic and witches, and creatures of myth and the sea. A spellbinding story about strong women and the men who seek to control them.

For readers of Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden. The StoryGraph

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features violence against women, murder by burning alive, and mentions of forced marriage and incest.

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Review: The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (#Ad)

I received this eProof for free from Orbit via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

Published: 13th Octover 2020 | Publisher: Orbit | Cover Designer: Lisa Marie Pompilio | Source: Publisher
Alix E. Harrow's Website

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters--James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna--join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There's no such thing as witches. But there will be. From Goodreads.

Rep: Disabled protagonist; lesbian protagonist; Black, lesbian main character, trans woman secondary character, Native American secondary characters.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features a (vague) sex scene; a description of an open wound; birth; abortion; mention of stillbirth; ableism; racism; homophobia; transphobia; an abusive, homophobic conversion school/prison; child abuse - physical violence; sexual assault; an angry, violent crowd; violence against women; torture; use of scold's/witch's bridles; a witch trial; discussion of burning witches, with descriptive detail.

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Review: Witch by Finbar Hawkins (#Ad)

I was sent this proof for free by Head of Zeus for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Witch by Finbar Hawkins

Published: 1st October 2020 | Publisher: Head of Zeus | Cover Designer: Edward Bettison | Source: Publisher
Finbar Hawkins' on Twitter

Set in the 17th century, a breathtaking debut, and a potential prize-winner, about the power of women, witchcraft, fury, revenge and the ties that bind us.

After witnessing the brutal murder of her mother by witch-hunters, Evey vows to avenge her and track down the killers. Fury burns in her bright and strong. But she has promised her mother that she will keep Dill, her little sister, safe.

As the lust for blood and retribution rises to fever pitch, will Evey keep true to the bonds of sisterhood and to the magick that is her destiny? From Goodreads.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features vomiting, killing of an animal, hair catching alight, ableism, possible blackface, assault, abduction as arrest, a young woman being followed by a predatory man, sexual assault, violence against women, description of violently breaking bones, murder, a dead body being abused, a witch trial, and women and children hanged.

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Review: The Golden Key by Marian Womack (#Ad)

I was sent this review copy for free by Titan Books for the purposes of providing an honest review.

The Golden Key by Marian Womack

Published: 18th February 2020 | Publisher: Titan Books | Cover Designer: Julia Lloyd | Source: Publisher
Marian Womack's Website

An extraordinary, page-turning Gothic mystery set in the wilds of the Norfolk Fens from the BSFA-shortlisted author.

London, 1901. After the death of Queen Victoria the city heaves with the uncanny and the eerie. Séances are held and the dead are called upon from darker realms.

Samuel Moncrieff, recovering from a recent tragedy of his own, meets Helena Walton-Cisneros, one of London’s most reputed mediums. But Helena is not what she seems and she’s enlisted by the elusive Lady Matthews to solve a twenty-year-old mystery: the disappearance of her three stepdaughters who vanished without a trace on the Norfolk Fens.

But the Fens are a liminal land, where folk tales and dark magic still linger. With locals that speak of devilmen and catatonic children found on the Broads, Helena finds the answer to the mystery leads back to where it started: Samuel Moncrieff. From Goodreads.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features the word g*psy, and prejudice against the traveller community, misogyny of the time, animal cruelty, animal death, people in a catatonic state, child death, mention of abusive marriages, child abuse, mention of death by suicide, and problematic language around suicide.

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Review: The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

Published: Del Rey | Publisher: 3rd October 2019 | Cover Design: Head Design | Cover Illustrations: Aitch | Source: Bought
Katherine Arden's Website

Following their adventures in The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower, Vasya and Morozko return in this stunning conclusion to the bestselling Winternight Trilogy, battling enemies mortal and magical to save both Russias, the seen and the unseen.

The Winternight Trilogy introduced an unforgettable heroine, Vasilisa Petrovna, a girl determined to forge her own path in a world that would rather lock her away. Her gifts and her courage have drawn the attention of Morozko, the winter-king, but it is too soon to know if this connection will prove a blessing or a curse.

Now Moscow has been struck by disaster. Its people are searching for answers—and for someone to blame. Vasya finds herself alone, beset on all sides. The Grand Prince is in a rage, choosing allies that will lead him on a path to war and ruin. A wicked demon returns, stronger than ever and determined to spread chaos. Caught at the center of the conflict is Vasya, who finds the fate of two worlds resting on her shoulders. Her destiny uncertain, Vasya will uncover surprising truths about herself and her history as she desperately tries to save Russia, Morozko, and the magical world she treasures. But she may not be able to save them all. From Goodreads

My other reviews of The Winternight Trilogy:
The Bear and the Nightingale (#Ad) | The Girl in the Tower (#Ad)

WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features sex scenes - one scene fades to black and another is one sentence, animal cruelty and death, mob mentality, violence against women, descriptions of bloody violence, threat of rape, sexual assault, attempted murder by burning, torture, suicide, and murder of a pregnant woman and child destruction.

Continue reading Review: The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

Review: The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale (#Ad)

I received sent this eProof for free from Del Rey via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale

Published: 8th February 2018 | Publisher: Del Rey | Cover Designer: Head Design | Cover Illustrator: Laura Barrett | Source: NetGalley
Robert Dinsdale's Website

The Emporium opens with the first sign of frost...

It is 1917, and while war wages across Europe, in the heart of London, there is a place of hope and enchantment.

The Emporium sells toys that capture the imagination of children and adults alike: patchwork dogs that seem alive, toy boxes that are bigger on the inside, soldiers that can fight battles on their own.

Into this family business comes young Cathy Wray, running away from a shameful past. The Emporium takes her in, makes her one of its own. But Cathy is about to discover that the Emporium has secrets of its own... From Goodreads.

Rep: Main character who develops with PTSD.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features teenage pregancy, discussion of forced adoption, discussion of male rape, discussion of violence, arrest and punishment not equal to offence, katorga/penal labour, starvation, suicide ideation, war, death, discussion of gas attack, PTSD, discussion of injuries and wounds, and false imprisonment.

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Review: The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden (#Ad)

I received this eProof for free from Ebury Publishing via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

Published: 25th January 2018 | Publisher: Ebury Publishing | Cover Design: Head Design | Cover Illustrations: Aitch | Source: NetGalley
Katherine Arden's Website

For a young woman in medieval Russia, the choices are stark: marriage or a life in a convent. Vasya will choose a third way: magic...

The court of the Grand Prince of Moscow is plagued by power struggles and rumours of unrest. Meanwhile bandits roam the countryside, burning the villages and kidnapping its daughters. Setting out to defeat the raiders, the Prince and his trusted companion come across a young man riding a magnificent horse.

Only Sasha, a priest with a warrior's training, recognises this 'boy' as his younger sister, thought to be dead or a witch by her village. But when Vasya proves herself in battle, riding with remarkable skill and inexplicable power, Sasha realises he must keep her secret as she may be the only way to save the city from threats both human and fantastical... From Goodreads

My other reviews of the Winternight Trilogy:
The Bear and the Nightingale (#Ad)

WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features fire and arson, crossdressing/woman pretending to be a boy, transphobic undercurrents, slavery, burned bodies, abduction, threat of rape, forcibly removing a woman's clothing in public, sexual assault, stillbirth, and violence against women.

Continue reading Review: The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden (#Ad)

Review: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (#Ad)

I received this eProof for free from Del Rey via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Published: 5th October 2017 | Publisher: Del Rey | Cover Design: Head Design | Cover Illustrations: Aitch | Source: NetGalley
Katherine Arden's Website

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.

After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales. From Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features discussion of abortion, death in childbirth, people freezing to death, the dead crawling out of their graves, death by vampire, and sexual assault.

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Review: Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly (#Ad)

I received this eProof for free from Hot Key Books via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

Published: 14th May 2019 | Publisher: Hot Key Books | Source: Publisher
Jennifer Donnelly's Website

'In an ancient city by the sea, three sisters - a maiden, a mother, and a crone - are drawing maps by candlelight. Sombre, with piercing grey eyes, they are the three Fates, and every map is a human life . . .'

Stepsister takes up where Cinderella's tale ends. We meet Isabelle, the younger of Cinderella's two stepsisters. Ella is considered beautiful; stepsister Isabelle is not. Isabelle is fearless, brave, and strong-willed. She fences better than any boy, and takes her stallion over jumps that grown men fear to attempt. It doesn't matter, though; these qualities are not valued in a girl. Others have determined what is beautiful, and Isabelle does not fit their definition. Isabelle must face down the demons that drove her cruel treatment of Ella, challenge her own fate and maybe even redefine the very notion of beauty . . .

Cinderella is about a girl who was bullied; Stepsister is about the bully. We all root for the victims, we want to see them triumph. But what about the bullies? Is there hope for them? Can a mean girl change? Can she find her own happily ever after? From Goodreads.

Trigger Warning: This book features discussion of considering suicide, threat of sexual assault, dead bodies, and war.

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Review: Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton

Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton (Bought) - Once, a witch made a pact with a devil. The legend says they loved each other, but can the story be trusted at all?

Long ago, a village made a bargain with the devil: to ensure their prosperity, when the Slaughter Moon rises, the village must sacrifice a young man into the depths of the Devil’s Forest.

Only this year, the Slaughter Moon has risen early.

Bound by duty, secrets, and the love they share for one another, Mairwen, a spirited witch; Rhun, the expected saint; and Arthur, a restless outcast, will each have a role to play as the devil demands a body to fill the bargain. But the devil these friends find is not the one they expect, and the lies they uncover will turn their town—and their hearts—inside out. From Goodreads.

Continue reading Review: Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton

Review: Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning (eProof) - Everyone knows what happens in the end.
A mermaid, a prince, a true love’s kiss.
But before that young siren’s tale, there were three friends.
One feared, one royal, and one already dead.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. A freak. A curse. A witch.

A girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and, though the girl denies it, Evie is convinced that her best friend actually survived. That her own magic wasn’t so powerless after all. And, as the two girls catch the eyes—and hearts—of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after.

But her new friend has secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad, or on two legs, unless Evie finds a way to help her. Now Evie will do anything to save her friend’s humanity, along with her prince’s heart—harnessing the power of her magic, her ocean, and her love until she discovers, too late, the truth of her bargain.

The rise of Hans Christian Andersen’s iconic villainess is a heart-wrenching story of friendship, betrayal, and a girl pushed beyond her limits—to become a monster. From Goodreads.

I received this eProof for free from HarperCollin's Children's Books via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Continue reading Review: Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

Review: Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama (bought) - Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.

Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago. From Goodreads.

Trigger Warning: Rape is a feature in this book.

Continue reading Review: Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Review: The Girl with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke

The Girl with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke (eProof) - When sixteen-year-old Ellie Baum accidentally time-travels via red balloon to 1988 East Berlin, she’s caught up in a conspiracy of history and magic. She meets members of an underground guild in East Berlin who use balloons and magic to help people escape over the Wall—but even to the balloon makers, Ellie’s time travel is a mystery. When it becomes clear that someone is using dark magic to change history, Ellie must risk everything—including her only way home—to stop the process. From Goodreads.

Continue reading Review: The Girl with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke

Review: The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy

The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy (eProof/review copy)* - Every seven years something goes missing in the remote town of Sterling: people's reflections, the stars in the sky, the ability to dream. Aila realises that her mother may be to blame for the curse. But some mysteries are buried very deep and some secrets want to stay hidden - and one young woman's desire to uncover the truth may not be enough to save Sterling from the past.

A beautifully told story of love, loss and finding the truth - no matter how difficult that might be. From Goodreads.

Trigger warning: This book features a suicide attempt.

Continue reading Review: The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy