Fablehouse, a mysterious mansion surrounded by ancient woodland, is Heather's new home. Roaming the countryside with some of the other mixed-race kids who are in care there, she finds a stone tower that feels strangely magical. There they meet Palamedes, the Black knight from King Arthur's court. He warns them that danger lurks in a world beneath their feet.
Heather, Pal and friends set off to rescue children who have been taken to this threatening underworld. No child will be forgotten on their watch. Heather and friends realise they have been specially chosen for this quest. They must use the talents they've been given in the battle to save Fablehouse and all the children who have found shelter there.
I absolutely fell into this beautiful book - it's the perfect book to curl up with on a dreamy, sunny afternoon!
Heather and her friends are the children of Black GIs and white British women, abandoned and hated in the wake of World War 2. They find shelter and protection at Fablehouse, a children's home specifically for children in their situations. The magical stone cairn draws them to it every day; everything seems better when they're close to it. Until the day they find it torn apart, and a young Black man lies unconscious nearby...
Mixing Arthurian legend with Fae myths and genuine British history, this wonderful story sucked me in at once. Heather is a wonderful character, justifiably angry at the world she lives in but still compassionate and willing to set her anger aside to help other people. Her little found family - one of my favourite tropes - is amazing; I can't pick a favourite of them, and they were all necessary in the end.
E.L. has a wonderful touch with atmosphere, painting the hazy, sunny days above ground and the claustrophobic, terrifying land below with equal skill. The growth of the children was wonderful to watch. I love that, although this is the first of a series, it's not a cliffhanger; there's a couple of obvious hooks for the next one, and I probably missed some less obvious ones, but a reader could stop at this one and not feel that they were missing too much.
I can't wait to read more of this, and I think it would be an incredible movie or mini series. Absolutely brilliant.
Fablehouse publishes on the 8th of June, 2023. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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