Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! With no #Bookpost and no #BookBirthday this week, it's been quieter than usual on the blog, but we still have all the usual reviews.

Leila and the Blue Fox by Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Tom de Freston

She was very tired.

She lay down, her soft head on her soft paws.

The sunset licked her face.

The snow covered her like a blanket.

Fox wakes, and begins to walk. She crosses ice and snow, over mountains and across frozen oceans, encountering bears and birds beneath the endless daylight of an Arctic summer, navigating a world that is vast, wild and wondrous.

Meanwhile, Leila embarks on a journey of her own - finding her way to the mother who left her. On a breathtaking journey across the sea, Leila rediscovers herself and the mother she thought she'd lost, with help from a determined little fox.

Based on the true story of an Arctic fox who walked from Norway to Canada in seventy-six days, a distance of two thousand miles, this compelling, emotional and beautifully illustrated story is the perfect gift for 9+ readers.

The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi

Red is the blood of the elite, of magic, of control.

Blue is the blood of the poor, of workers, of the resistance.

Clear is the blood of the slaves, of the crushed, of the invisible.

Sylah dreams of days growing up in the resistance, being told she would spark a revolution that would free the empire from the red-blooded ruling classes’ tyranny. That spark was extinguished the day she watched her family murdered before her eyes.

Anoor has been told she’s nothing, no one, a disappointment, by the only person who matters: her mother, the most powerful ruler in the empire. But when Sylah and Anoor meet, a fire burns between them that could consume the kingdom—and their hearts.

Hassa moves through the world unseen by upper classes, so she knows what it means to be invisible. But invisibility has its uses: It can hide the most dangerous of secrets, secrets that can reignite a revolution. And when she joins forces with Sylah and Anoor, together these grains of sand will become a storm.

As the empire begins a set of trials of combat and skill designed to find its new leaders, the stage is set for blood to flow, power to shift, and cities to burn.

Ember Shadows and the Fates of Mount Never by Rebecca King

In the magical village of Everspring, everyone receives a fate card before their twelfth birthday, sent down from the mysterious Mount Never. It tells them their purpose, their profession and how old they’ll be when they die.

Nearly 12-year-old Ember Shadows has always believed she is destined for great things. But when her fate card arrives, it’s blank. What does that mean? Then, worse still, her sister’s card decrees she will die before her next birthday. No way is Ember’s going to let that happen.

Determined to challenge what – or who – is responsible for these cards, Ember sets off up the mountain, a place no one is allowed to go. She encounters forbidden realms full of magic, trickery and curious creatures. In a thrilling race through a magical landscape, Ember Shadows must uncover the secret behind the fate cards in order to save her sister …

But will Ember like what she finds at the top of the mountain?

(lack of) #Bookpost!

Happy Tuesday, all!

B, who receives more books than the other two of us put together, is away from home this week, and it happens that we haven't got anything either. I'm sure there'll be a build up next week or the week after! For now, we are working our way through our TBRs instead.

Have a good week!

Curse Undone by Brandie June

In the sequel to Gold Spun, Nor discovers she is more than just a miller’s daughter when she is revealed to be not only half-fay, but the heir to a kingdom she despises. 

Two crowns. Two kingdoms. One chance to rule.

Nor and King Casper are captured by the fay army and forced to face the indomitable Faerie Queen, Marasina. At her command, Casper is thrown into a mysterious prison while an even sinister fate is in store for Nor—a deadly fay poison that reveals Nor’s true nature. She’s not only half-fay. She is Queen Marasina’s heir.

Revealed to be like the very creatures she despises, Nor must not only find a way to free Casper but also navigate a court that is as deadly as it is beautiful. Her allies are few, and though Pel claims to want friendship, Nor finds she cannot forgive his betrayal. As tensions mount and war looms between the kingdoms, Nor must choose a side, before it’s too late.

In this epic conclusion to the Gold Spun duology, Nor discovers that a glamour and a curse may be two sides of the same coin.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! We've had a week of very hot temperatures, so we've been happy to stay inside and read.

The Light Thieves by Helena Duggan

Who would you trust to save the world...a boy or a billionaire?

The earth has shifted on its axis and a mysterious dark mark has appeared on the sun - the whole world is in peril! But billionaire tech genius Howard Hansom has a plan...

When Grian's sister goes missing he's convinced she has run off to Hansom's new city to help save the world. But when Grian and his two friends Jeffrey and Shelli track her there they find that nothing is quite as it seems.

Why is everything so secret? Where is the mysterious Area 13? What does Howard Hansom want with all the people he has enticed to live in his city?

The days are getting darker but what's really happening to the sun?

Let Down your Hair by Bryony Gordon

Barb may have zero friends IRL, but online, she is popular. Like, several-hundred-thousand-followers popular. Or at least, her hair is popular. Because Barb's hair is glossy and beautiful. Which is why hairbrush manufacturers pay her stupid money for a 30-second clip. But most of the time Barb just wants to be a normal teenager, who has friends and a life. One who isn't confined to her bedroom on the 12th floor of the tower-block flat she shares with her aunt making content. One who can go about her business without everyone obsessing over the way she looks. Barb just needs to save up some money to make a new life for herself.

But it's soon clear something isn't right. Because when Barb runs her fingers over her scalp, she feels something smooth and different. She gets out her mirrors and combs for a video and sees it ... a bald patch the size of a ten pence coin, slap bang in the middle of her head.

Barb has alopecia.

In this stunning retelling of Rapunzel, Barb must learn that she is so much more than her hair and that there is no such thing as a happy ending ... just lots of complicated new beginnings.

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday, all! This week there is ONE book from our lists publishing.

Tune in Tomorrow by Randee Dawn

She’s just a small town girl, with big mythic dreams.

Starr Weatherby came to New York to become… well, a star. But after ten years and no luck, she’s offered a big role – on a show no one has ever heard of. And there’s a reason for that. It’s a ‘reality’ show beyond the Veil, human drama, performed for the entertainment of the Fae.

But as Starr shifts from astounded newcomer to rising fan favorite, she learns about the show’s dark underbelly – and mysterious disappearance of her predecessor. She’ll do whatever it takes to keep her dream job – though she might just bring down the show in the process.

#Bookpost!

Happy Tuesday, all! We received several new books this week that we can't wait to dig into!

As always, you can click on the covers to learn more about each book.

The Lost Girl King

Amy and Liam Bell have been packed off to stay at Gran's house in the wilds of Connemara for the summer. Out for a walk on the first morning of their holiday, they trace the flight of a hawk to a nearby waterfall - only to watch the bird disappear through it. Intrigued, the children follow and soon realise they've discovered the entrance to Tir na nOg, the legendary land of eternal youth. But they've been tricked. Almost immediately Liam is captured by a troop of headless horsemen who take him to Tarlock, the ruling sorcerer of Tir na nOg, who is seeking the bones of a human child for a sinister new spell. Packed with edge-of-your seat adventure, incredible imagination, humour and warmth, The Lost Girl King is the rare kind of story that has you reading long past lights out.

Weekly roundup!

Happy Sunday, all! With no #BookBirthday this week, and one less review than normal, it's been a pretty lean week on the blog! I'm sure we'll make up for it another time, though.

The Railway Children Return by Linda Chapman

The Railway Children Return tells the story of a group of children evacuated to a Yorkshire village during World War Two. There they meet Bobbie, (played by Jenny Agutter) now a grandmother, and her daughter, Annie (played by Sheridan Smith) and a runaway US soldier who needs their help.

No Way Home by Jody Feldman (spoilers in review)

In this propulsive new thriller, a dream summer in Italy turns into a harrowing ordeal for an American exchange student.

Tess Alessandro is living a dream: she was selected for an incredible exchange program in Rome, where she's spending the summer taking in the beautiful sights and sounds and tastes of Italy. Her Italian counterpart, Sofia, is staying with Tess's family while she's away. Sure, her host parents barely speak English, but they seem cool enough.

Until that morning when Tess's hosts make her join their video chat. Sofia is standing over Tess's sleeping parents, and she's brandishing a knife. "Do everything we say, or they will die." Tess is suddenly forced to complete a series of crimes without her passport, cash, credit cards, or privacy. Somehow, she must find a way to uncover their shocking plan and outwit these criminals before she—and her family—end up dead.

#Bookpost!

Happy Tuesday, all! We got a nice mix of books this week. As always, you can click on the cover to learn more about the book.

Alex Neptune: Dragon Thief by David Owen

For as long as Alex Neptune can remember, the ocean has been trying to kill him. So he's not too happy when a bunch of sea creatures drag him to the abandoned aquarium on the hill, where an imprisoned water dragon needs his help. But how can he say no to a magical myth?

Recruiting his tech-genius best friend Zoey, legend-lover Anil, a sharp-shooting octopus, four acrobatic otters and a thieving seagull, Alex plots a heist to break the dragon out. And suddenly discovers the power of the ocean at his fingertips...

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly roundup of posts.

No One is Alone by Rachel Vincent

Michaela is a junior in high school, close with her single mom. Her dad lives a few towns away and pops in and out of her life only on holidays and birthdays. They barely know each other beyond surface obligations.

That is, until her mom dies. Suddenly on her own, Michaela has to move in with her Dad . . . and learns he's been married with kids all this time, and she was the product of an affair. Before she can even grieve her mother, Michaela is thrust into a strange house with a stepmom and three half-siblings, including new sister Emery, who is in the same grade and less than thrilled at the prospect of sharing her room and school life. Will Michaela be able to let go of everything she's ever known-and find herself anew-with a family who didn't ask for her in the first place?

Don't Let in the Cold by Keely Parrack

The storm isn't the only thing they'll have to survive.

It was supposed to be just one night in the cabin: one night for Lottie and her brand new stepsister, Jade, to try to get along. When a solar flare causes a massive blackout―no power or cell signal―Lottie knows they've got a long night ahead of them.

Then, in the dark, someone else shows up at the cabin―a stranger named Alex, claiming to be lost and needing shelter from the coming snowstorm. But later that night, Lottie spies him in the driveway talking to two mysterious men in a pickup truck, and she's sure he's lying about why he's here.

Before Lottie can find out more, a fire forces her, Jade, and Alex out into the blizzard, where they must rely on one another to get to safety―wherever that is. In the remote, freezing Tahoe wilderness, they have to survive more than just the elements. Soon it becomes clear that Alex's accomplices are hunting for all three of them, in a scheme that's gone too far and taken a chilling, deadly turn.

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday, all! This week there are no less than NINE books on our lists publishing!

Spellstoppers by Cat Gray

Welcome to Yowling - a secretive seaside village where magic is just one step away...

Max has spent years thinking he is cursed, because whenever he touches anything electrical it explodes. But then he is sent to Yowling and discovers he is a Spellstopper, someone with the rare ability to drain dangerous build-ups of magic and fix misbehaving enchanted items.

When Max's Grandad is kidnapped by the cruel Keeper of the malfunctioning magical castle that floats in the bay, only Max's gift can save him. Together with his new friend Kit, Max throws himself into an adventure filled with villainous owls, psychic ice cream and man-eating goldfish. But can he really pull off the biggest spellstop ever?

The perfect summer-holiday magical adventure for fans of Diana Wynne Jones, Catherine Doyle and Thomas Taylor.

#Bookpost!

Happy Tuesday! This week we received TWO new books, and we were so eager that we have already read them both! Click on the cover to learn more about the books and see our reviews linked below.

Out There: Into the Queer New Yonder ed by Saundra Mitchell

To conclude the trio of anthologies that started with critically acclaimed All Out and Out Now, Out There features seventeen original short stories set in the future from fantastic queer YA authors.

Explore new and familiar worlds where the human consciousness can be uploaded into a body on Mars…an alien helps a girl decide if she should tell her best friend how she feels…two teens get stuck in a time loop at a space station…people are forced to travel to the past or the future to escape the dying planet…only a nonbinary person can translate the binary code of a machine that predicts the future…everyone in the world vanishes except for two teen girls who are in love.

This essential and beautifully written collection immerses and surprises with each turn of the page.

The House of Shells by Efua Traoré

Kuki refuses to believe in the curse of the Abiku.

Her destiny is not to die young!

Her biggest problem right now is moving house and fitting in at her new school.

One evening while exploring, Kuki spies a driveway lined with giant palm trees. It leads to an abandoned beach house of shadows and scattered sea shells.

And in the fading light, she meets a girl called Enilo.

They become friends – the best of friends.

Until Kuki makes a terrifying discovery …

Weekly roundup!

Happy Sunday, all! The end of another week here on the blog.

Once Upon a Fever by Angharad Walker

Since the world fell sick with fantastical illnesses, sisters Payton and Ani have grown up in the hospital of King Jude’s.

Payton wants to be a methic like her father, working on a cure for her mother’s sleeping fever. Ani, however, thinks the remedy for all illness might be found in the green wilderness beyond the hospital walls.

When Ani stumbles upon an imprisoned boy who turns everything he touches to gold, her world is turned upside-down. The girls find themselves outside the hospital for the first time, a dark mystery unravelling ...

Orla and the Wild Hunt by Anna Hoghton

Orla and her brother go to stay with their gran in Ireland. Grieving the death of their mum, the children revel in the comfort of their grandmother’s house and her magical storytelling. But soon after they arrive, Gran vanishes. Helped by a local boy – and a peculiar creature found in the garden shed – they set out to find her. Shadowed by a shape-shifting darkness known as the Wild Hunt, the children – and especially Orla – must put their sadness behind them if they’re to rescue their beloved Gran.