The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

'We have your daughter'

Frida Liu is a struggling mother. She remembers taking Harriet from her cot and changing her nappy. She remembers giving her a morning bottle. They'd been up since four am.

Frida just had to finish the article in front of her. But she'd left a file on her desk at work. What would happen if she retrieved it and came back in an hour? She was so sure it would be okay.

Now, the state has decided that Frida is not fit to care for her daughter. That she must be re-trained. Soon, mothers everywhere will be re-educated. Will their mistakes cost them everything?

The School for Good Mothers is an explosive and thrilling novel about love and the pressures of perfectionism, parenthood and privilege.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! We had a pretty normal week here on the blog. Here's the roundup in case you missed anything. 

The Secret of Splint Hall by Katie Cotton

1945. War has ended, but for sisters Flora and Isobel the struggles still continue. They’ve lost their father and had their home destroyed in a bombing raid, and now they must go to live with their aunt and her awful husband Mr Godfrey in their ancestral home, Splint Hall.

From the moment of their arrival it seems that this is a place shrouded in mysteries and secrets. Who are the strange men who arrive with packages at night? What is the source of the strange blue sparks coming from the ground? And why do the locals seem to hate their family so much? As the girls begin to unearth an ancient myth and family secret, the adventure of a lifetime begins.

This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg

The Winslow family lives by five principles:

1. No one can know your real name.

2. Don’t stay in one place too long.

3. If you sense anything is wrong, go immediately to the meeting spot.

4. Keeping our family together is everything.

5. We wish we could tell you who we are, but we can’t. Please—do not ask.

Poppy doesn’t know why her family has been running her whole life, but she does know that there are dire consequences if they’re ever caught. Still, her curiosity grows each year, as does her desire for real friends and the chance to build on something, instead of leaving behind school projects, teams, and crushes at a moment’s notice.

When a move to California exposes a crack in her parents’ airtight planning, Poppy realizes how fragile her world is. Determined to find out the truth, she mails in a home DNA test. Just as she starts to settle into her new life and even begins opening up to a boy in her math class, the forgotten test results bring her crashing back to reality.

Unraveling the shocking truth of her parents’ real identities, Poppy realizes that the DNA test has undone decades of careful work to keep her family anonymous—and the past is dangerously close to catching up to them. Determined to protect her family but desperate for more, Poppy must ask: How much of herself does she owe her family? And is it a betrayal to find her own place in the world?

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday, all! This week we have NO books from our lists, but next week is busier. Best of luck to everyone publishing this week!

Welcome to your Life by Bethany Rutter

Serena Mills should be at her wedding.

Instead, she’s eating an ice cream sundae and drinking an obscenely large glass of wine in a Harvester off the M25.

Everyone thinks she’s gone mad. She’s jilted the man everyone told her she was ‘so lucky’ to find.

But Serena wants to find love. A love she deserves – not one she should just feel grateful for.

So, she escapes to the big city and sets herself a challenge:

52 weeks.

52 dates.

52 chances to find love.

Easy, right?

#Bookpost!

Happy Tuesday! We almost didn't have anything to post this week, but then a book arrived just in the nick of time! There's no official cover yet, so we've added in the filler cover and you can click on it to see the goodreads page.

Man Down by James Goodhand (spoilers in review)

Will Parks is being followed.

Someone is watching him, feeding him glimpses of the future - steering him down paths he would never have dared to take alone.

But these supernatural tip-offs are doing more for Will than just boosting his popularity, or keeping him out of trouble in the dead-end town he calls home. They have a purpose.

Because a tragedy is coming. One that only Will can prevent. But only if he is ready to step up. Only if he's prepared to become the man he's meant to be.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! Here's the weekly roundup of activity on the blog in case you missed anything.

Young Oracle Tarot by Suki Ferguson and Ana Novaes

This enchanting treasury of all things tarot for readers ages 10 and up gives a fascinating insight into the history, secrets, and practice of tarot.

Featuring a foil-detailed cover, a ribbon marker, and stunning illustrations, Young Oracle Tarot reveals for young oracles-in-training what tarot is, how to read the cards for themselves and for others, and how this ancient mystical practice can be used for self-reflection, self-care, problem-solving, and much more.

For hundreds of years, people have sought answers to life’s big questions in tarot cards. This book will help young truth-seekers use the cards to navigate their own trials and triumphs, from family life, friendships and relationships, to school, work and health.

Everything readers need to get started on their tarot journey is contained in Young Oracle Tarot, starting with the rich history behind the cards and flowing forward to how they can be used today when relating to ourselves and to others, with simple card explanations and guidance for completing different readings.

The book includes:

A timeline of tarot through the ages

Examples of how today’s young readers can make the most of tarot

Tips on how to conduct personal readings and reading for others

Explanations of all the cards in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, as well as information on other decks

Guidance on how to practice 1-card daily readings, 3-card draw readings, and Celtic Cross readings

A glossary of mystical terms

This magical guide will initiate readers into a powerful global tradition and empower tweens and teens to trust their intuition, recognize their strengths and talents, and reflect on and process situations and problems that are important to them.

Cat Tarot by Megan Lynn Kott

This entertaining modern twist to the classic tarot combines authenticity with a feline sense of humor in a complete deck for experienced and new readers alike, including 78 tarot cards and a guidebook on how to get the most out of the cat's wisdom.

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday, all! This week TWO books from our lists published!

The Rumor Game by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra

All it takes is one spark to start a blaze.

At Foxham Prep, a posh private school for the children of DC’s elite, a single rumor has the power to ruin a life.

Nobody knows that better than Bryn. She used to have it all—the perfect boyfriend, a bright future in politics, and even popularity, thanks to her best friend, cheer captain Cora. Then one mistake sparked a scandal that burned it all to the ground.

Now it’s the start of a new school year and the spotlight has shifted: It’s geeky Georgie, newly hot after a summer makeover, whose name is on everyone’s lips. When a rumor ignites, Georgie rockets up the school’s social hierarchy, pitting her and Cora against each other. It grants her Foxham stardom . . . but it also makes her a target.

As the rumors grow and morph, blazing like wildfire through the school’s social media, all three girls’ lives begin to unravel. But one person close to the drama has the power to stop the gossip in its tracks. The question is—do they even want to?

From Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra, authors of the Tiny Pretty Things duology (now a Netflix series), comes the edge-of-your-seat social thriller everyone will be talking about.

#Bookpost!

Happy Tuesday, all! A nice quiet week to give us a chance to catch up a bit.

Hide by Kiersten White

The challenge: spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don't get caught.

The prize: enough money to change everything.

Even though everyone is desperate to win--to seize their dream futures or escape their haunting pasts--Mack feels sure that she can beat her competitors. All she has to do is hide, and she's an expert at that.

It's the reason she's alive, and her family isn't.

But as the people around her begin disappearing one by one, Mack realizes this competition is more sinister than even she imagined, and that together might be the only way to survive.

Fourteen competitors. Seven days. Everywhere to hide, but nowhere to run.

Come out, come out, wherever you are.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly roundup of activity here on the blog.

Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye

This is what they deserve. They wanted me to be a monster. I will be the worst monster they ever created.

Fifteen-year-old Sloane can incinerate an enemy at will—she is a Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods.

Under the Lucis’ brutal rule, her identity means her death if her powers are discovered. But when she is forcibly conscripted into the Lucis army on her fifteenth birthday, Sloane sees a new opportunity: to overcome the bloody challenges of Lucis training, and destroy them from within.

Sloane rises through the ranks and gains strength but, in doing so, risks something greater: losing herself entirely, and becoming the very monster that she ahbors.

Reclaim the Stars ed by Zoraida Córdova

Reclaim the Stars is a collection of bestselling and acclaimed YA authors that take the Latin American diaspora to places fantastical and out of this world. From princesses warring in space, to the all too-near devastation of climate change, to haunting ghost stories in Argentina, and mermaids off the coast of the Caribbean. This is science fiction and fantasy that breaks borders and realms, and proves that stories are truly universal.

Authors include Vita Ayala, David Bowles, Daniel José Older, J.C. Cervantes, Sara Faring, Romina Garber, Isabel Ibañez, Anna-Marie McLemore, Yamile Saied Méndez, Nina Moreno, Circe Moskowitz, Maya Motayne, Linda Raquel Nieves Pérez, Claribel A. Ortega, Mark Oshiro, Lilliam Rivera and Zoraida Córdova.

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday all! For a minute there I thought this would be a week without a #BookBirthday post - which would be sad, as this is our ONE THOUSANDTH POST! We thought about doing something celebratory, but we couldn't think of anything, so we're just going to do the same old same old BookBirthday instead. BookBirthdays are something to celebrate anyway!

Blogtour: Big Sky Mountain by Alex Milway

Welcome to Big Sky Mountain: a home for everyone!

Rosa has come from the city to live with Grandma Nan in the wilds of Big Sky Mountain. And what surprises are in store for her! Grandma Nan is not exactly an ordinary grandma, and Big Sky Mountain is like nowhere Rosa has dreamed about before. From canoeing down rapids to making friends with the local animals, life never stays still for long on Big Sky Mountain.

Welcome to Big Sky Mountain: a home for everyone!

There is never a dull day on Big Sky Mountain! Rain or shine, there is always something that needs doing. Rosa and Grandma Nan are busy building a bigger cabin when a storm strikes, and a host of animals descend for shelter. There is one unexpected visitor: a tiny wolf cub. This little wolf doesn't seem like the scary, giant-fanged forest wolves that Rosa has heard about! Can the cub really be part of their pack? Rosa and Grandma Nan set off into the forest to find out . . .

#Bookpost!

Happy Tuesday, everyone! We had a good week for new books here on the blog. As always, click on the covers to learn more about each title.

Making Myths and Magic by Shelly Campbell and Allison Alexander

So you want to write speculative fiction?

It’s time to get that fantastic world that’s been stuck inside your head for years, complete with dragons and androids, onto paper! Whether you’re starting your first or tenth novel, Making Myths and Magic was written for you.

Fantasy author Shelly Campbell and editor Allison Alexander have teamed up to provide a comprehensive resource, distilling the information they’ve learned from years in the publishing industry. To keep you inspired and engaged as you grow in your craft, they take a deep dive through science fiction and fantasy novels, movies, and TV shows.

Within these pages, you’ll learn how to tackle structure, dialogue, tropes, diversity, mythology, riddles, prophecies, fantastic creatures, weapons, technology, magic systems, languages, and more!

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! As this week included the start of the month we had one extra post, and we were on a blogtour!

Arcanum Tarot deck by Renata Lechner

Mystical insights await within the stunning imagery of the Arcanum Tarot. From the creator of the Thelema Tarot this deck features realistic figures set among lush and magical landscapes. Designed to connect the deepest parts of your soul to the highest realms of the divine, the Arcanum Tarot will show what you need to see in order to move forward toward your destiny.

Where are you, Puffling? Board book by Erika McGann and Gerry Daly

A puffling has gone in search of adventure - now her puffin parents can't find her anywhere!

They talk to the seal and the gannet and the rabbit; they walk to the huts and the cliffs and the cove. They hear lots of stories of the puffling helping others, but they just cannot find their fluffy, black chick.

Finally, they spot her - on a boat out at sea!

The puffling is too small to fly home, so the animals of Skellig work together and come up with something very clever...

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday, all! This week there are SIX books from our various lists publishing.

Em and Me by Beth Morrey (minor spoilers in review)

You can't change your past

But what comes next is up to you

That’s what life turns on, isn’t it? The choices and moments that change everything

Once upon a time, Delphine Jones had big dreams. Clever, beautiful and ambitious, she was going to get an education, travel the world, make her mark. But somewhere along the line, it all went wrong… Now Delphine is a struggling single mum, serving coffee for a living, fishing coins out the back of the sofa to make ends meet. All she wants is a safe place for her and her daughter Em, yet nothing she does makes a difference.

But there is one thing she never gave up: hope.

When a brief reprieve from her daily grind forces her to look outwards, she begins to remember who she is and what she’s capable of. Her world opens up, offering new opportunities, adventures – even love – if only she can put the past behind her.

Can hope bloom into something more for Delphine and Em?

Blog Tour: The Beast and the Bethany 2

Once upon a very badly behaved time, 511-year-old Ebenezer kept a beast in his attic. He would feed the beast all manner of objects and creatures and in return the beast would vomit him up expensive presents. But then the Bethany arrived.

Now notorious prankster Bethany, along with her new feathery friend Claudette, is determined that she and Ebenezer are going to de-beast their lives and Do Good. But Bethany finds that being a former prankster makes it hard to get taken on for voluntary work. And Ebenezer secretly misses the beast’s vomity gifts. And neither of them are all that sure what “good people” do anyway.

Then there’s Claudette, who’s not been feeling herself recently. Has she eaten something that has disagreed with her?

#BookPost!

Happy Tuesday, all! Later today we have a blogtour visit, but this morning as always is #Bookpost time! A good week (we've even reviewed a couple of these already) and this week is shaping up to be just as good as well. As always, click on the cover to see more details about the book.