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 ...

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It took a little while for this book to get going...there's some necessary set up first...but once it gets going it really gets going, and it never stops. Payton and Ani are fantastic characters, and the whole idea...that emotions can manifest so strongly they affect the real world...is wonderful. The links between different emotions and the diseases they caused were really clever.

It's a great lesson, that we shouldn't try to stifle our emotions, but the book isn't preachy at all; this is a great story first and foremost. Children will love following the two very different adventures undertaken by the two very different sisters, and seeing where they end up is very satisfying! The gothic undertones add a touch of horror, but not too much for the more easily frightened. (By which I mean I was ok so most children should be!)

This is a great, really imaginative read and I really enjoyed it. Highly recommend.

Once Upon a Fever publishes on the 7th of July, 2022. I recieved a free copy and am giving an honest review.