Blog Tour: A Far Away Magic by Amy Wilson

Today is my stop on the blog tour for A Far Away Magic by Amy Wilson. Amy is stopping by with a guest post on her inspiration behind writing A Far Away Magic, plus a giveaway!

Writing Magic.

I have always enjoyed reading books with magic. I loved The Magic Faraway Tree, and Diana Wynne Jones’ novels will always have a very special place in my heart. I’m currently reading VE Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic series, and completely carried away by it. I love the possibility, the beauty, and the darkness that comes with magic, the exploration of worlds and people, of action and consequence.

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The Cover for Bookshop Girl by Chloe Coles

The cover of my friend and colleague, Chloe Coles' debut UKYA novel, Bookshop Girl has been revealed, and I just had to share it here on the blog!

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Review: The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton (eProof) - I am a Belle. I control Beauty.

In the opulent world of Orléans, the people are born grey and damned, and only a Belle's powers can make them beautiful.

Camellia Beauregard wants to be the favourite Belle - the one chosen by the queen to tend to the royal family.

But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favourite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that her powers may be far greater - and far darker - than she ever imagined.

When the queen asks Camellia to break the rules she lives by to save the ailing princess, she faces an impossible decision: protect herself and the way of the Belles, or risk her own life, and change the world forever. From Goodreads.

I received this eProof for free from Gollancz for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Trigger Warning: This book features sexual assault.

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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.

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Review: Mosquitoland by David Arnold (#Ad)

Mosquitoland by David Arnold 

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

When her parents unexpectedly divorce, Mim Malone is dragged from her beloved home in Ohio to the 'wastelands' of Mississippi, where she lives in a haze of medication with her dad and new (almost certainly evil) stepmom.

But when Mim learns her real mother is ill back home, she escapes her new life and embarks on a rescue mission aboard a Greyhound bus, meeting an assortment of quirky characters along the way. And when her thousand-mile journey takes a few turns she could never see coming, Mim must confront her own demons, redefining her notions of love, loyalty, and what it means to be sane. From Goodreads.

Trigger Warning: This book features sexual assault, suicide, forced treatment by father of a mental illness the main character doesn't seem to have, very negative stereotype of a person with what I believe to be Schizophrenia, an intersex slur, and likening a person with Down's Syndrome with a pet.

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In Light of the Recent Articles on Sexual Harassment in the Children's Book Industry, How We Readers React Now is Important

This past Wednesday, Children's Author Anne Ursu published Sexual Harassment in the Children's Book Industry on Medium, an article she put together after holding an anonymous survey for people who have experienced sexual harassment in children's book industry. I implore you to read it. It highlights clearly just how big the problem is. There are anonymous stories in the article that made me feel sick. There have been threads from various people within the book industry on Twitter discussing the post, and it's clear this isn't really anything new, but with the #TimesUp and #MeToo campaigns, people are starting to listen. People speaking out in support of those anonymous survivors, and criticising the industry that puts male authors on pedestals, values their voices over women's - an industry that is inherently sexist, and so allows for an environment in which sexual harassment happens.Check out threads from Christine Lynn Herman, Mackenzi Lee, Patrice Caldwell, Shannon Hale, Heidi Schulz, Gwenda Bond, Ally Condie, Laurel Syder, Heidi Heilig, Melanie Conklin, and Jessica Day George - though I'm sure there are more I haven't come across.

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