Puffling Colouring Book by Gerry Daly

A brand new colouring book for fans of Where Are You, Puffling? Gorgeous black and white illustrations from the original picture book for children to colour in. A perfect gift!  

Twitch by MG Leonard

Can a birdwatcher outwit an escaped convict?

Twitch has three pet chickens, four pigeons, swallows nesting in his bedroom and a passion for birdwatching. On the first day of the summer holidays, he arrives at his secret hide to find police everywhere: a convicted robber has broken out of prison and is hiding in Aves Wood. Can Twitch use his talents for birdwatching to hunt for the dangerous prisoner and find the missing loot?  

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

An incendiary and utterly compelling thriller with a shocking twist that delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism, from an exceptional new YA voice. Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students' dark secrets to light. Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power. Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they're planning much more than a high-school game...  

Weekly roundup

 Happy Sunday, all! It's been busier than usual as we got some books in last minute, so here's this week's roundup in case you missed anything.

Sunny Song will never be Famous by Suzanne Park

 Sunny Song's Big Summer Goals:
1) Make Rafael Kim my boyfriend (finally!)
2) Hit 100K followers (almost there…)
3) Have the best last summer of high school ever

Not on Sunny's list: accidentally filming a PG-13 cooking video that goes viral (#browniegate). Extremely not on her list: being shipped off to a digital detox farm camp in Iowa (IOWA??) for a whole month. She's traded in her WiFi connection for a butter churn, and if she wants any shot at growing her social media platform this summer, she'll need to find a way back online.

But between some unexpected friendships and an alarmingly cute farm boy, Sunny might be surprised by the connections she makes when she's forced to disconnect.

Blogtour: The Demon of Yodok by Adria Carmichael

To celebrate the release of the latest novel in the Juche series, The Storm of Storms, we're going back to the book that started it all! The Demon of Yodok! Read on for more details and a chance to win a signed hardcover edition of the novel!

Children of the Quicksands by Efua Traore

City girl Simi is sent to stay with her long-lost grandmother in a remote Nigerian village.

There’s no TV, internet or phone. Not a single human-made sound can be heard at night, just the noise of birds and animals rustling in the dark forest outside.

Her witchlike grandmother dispenses advice and herbal medicine to the village, but she’s tight lipped about their family history. Something must have happened, but what? Determined to find out, Simi disobeys her grandmother and goes exploring. Caught in the sinking red quicksand of a forbidden lake, her fantastical journey begins …

I'm Speaking Now: Black Women Share Their Truth

Now more than ever, the strong, independent, courageous voices of Black women are being heard loud and clear. They share their truth about life, love, family, faith and hope in these 101 personal stories and 12 powerful poems. The world is listening.

Black women are speaking, for themselves and their families, and everyone is listening. This unique collection of stories is for readers of all colors, not just the Black community, as these contributors share their dreams, their triumphs and failures, and their lives, which have unique challenges and hardships that are not well understood by others. Readers of color will recognize their own struggles in these pages, and white readers will benefit from an inside view of Black life in America, Canada and beyond.

These 101 stories and 12 poems, written by and for Black women, cover it all—from fierce to funny—about hopes and dreams, fears and realities, identity and self-discovery, family, children, even hair. Each one starts with a quote connecting you to a wellspring of wisdom from historical and contemporary Black women.

“We are speaking now,” says Breena Clarke, coauthor of this book. “Because the moment is now, in this collection of first-person narratives. This is an opportunity to hear the often silenced voices of Black women, writing for you and because of you. These are stories of universal human experiences but also reflect the specificity of Black women’s lives in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.”

Everyone will benefit from this look into the culture, wisdom, and everyday reality of the Black experience, with 11 chapters, each starting with a powerful poem:

• The Shoulders We Stand On
• Where We Come From
• Everyday Struggles
• Stand Up, Speak Out
• Raising Our Children
• Family & Food for the Soul
• Taking Care of Me
• Sisters, Friends
• Loving Black Men
• Identity & Roots
• Self-Discovery

Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth

Aideen has plenty of problems she can’t fix. Her best (and only) friend is pulling away. Her mother’s drinking problem is a constant concern. She’s even running out of outlandish diseases to fake so she can skip PE.

But when Aideen stumbles on her nemesis, overachiever Meabh Kowalski, in the midst of a full-blown meltdown, she sees a problem that—unlike her own disaster of a life—seems refreshingly easy to solve. Meabh is desperate to escape her crushing pile of extracurriculars. Aideen volunteers to help. By pushing Meabh down the stairs.

Problem? Solved. Meabh’s sprained ankle is the perfect excuse to ditch her overwhelming schedule. But when another student learns about their little scheme and brings Aideen another “client” who needs her “help,” it kicks off a semester of traded favors, ill-advised hijinks, and an unexpected chance at love. Fixing other people’s problems won’t fix her own, but it might be the push she needs to start.  

Happy BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday, all! This was a good week, with FIVE books from our various lists publishing either today or on Tuesday.

Amber Undercover by Em Norry

I'm Amber Roberts. Just your average teenager. Life revolves around school and my best mate, Vi. Nothing too dramatic, and certainly nothing dangerous.
Well. That's how things used to be. But now, my life is way more complicated: Mum and Dad have a massive secret and Vi's being all moody. But, bigger than that-I've just been recruited as a secret agent! That's right. Me. An actual spy. Exciting? It would be, if I had a clue what I was doing . . .  

The Cousins by Karen McManus

The Storys are the envy of their neighbours: owners of the largest property on their East Coast island, they are rich, beautiful, and close. Until it all falls apart. The four children are suddenly dropped by their mother with a single sentence:

You know what you did.

They never hear from her again.

Years later, when 18-year-old cousins Aubrey, Milly and Jonah Story receive a mysterious invitation to spend the summer at their grandmother's resort, they have no choice but to follow their curiosity and meet the woman who's been such an enigma their entire lives.

This entire family is built on secrets, right? It's the Story legacy.

This summer, the teenagers are determined to discover the truth at the heart of their family. But some secrets are better left alone.

Light Seer's Tarot by Chris-Anne

This 78-card tarot deck and guidebook is a healing tool and guide to explore both the light and shadow sides of our nature.

By reimagining the traditional tarot archetypes and symbols in a contemporary, boho, and intuitive style, The Light Seer's Tarot expresses the light and shadow sides of our natures and explores the lessons that can be learned from both.

The expressive characters who live within the landscapes of the cards tell stories, ask questions, and provide guidance. This deck is an ideal companion as you seek to uncover the places in your life-and in yourself-that are most in need of illumination.  

This review is image heavy.

The (Un)Popular Vote by Jasper Sanchez

Vaseline on the teeth makes a smile shine. It’s a cheap stunt, but Mark Adams knows it’s optics that can win or ruin an election.

Everything Mark learned about politics, he learned from his father, the congressman who still pretends he has a daughter and not a son. To protect his father’s image, Mark promises to keep his past hidden and pretend to be the cis guy everyone assumes he is. But when he sees a manipulatively charming candidate for student body president inflame dangerous rhetoric, Mark decides to risk the low profile he assured his father and insert himself as a political challenger.

One big problem? No one really knows Mark. He didn’t grow up in this town, and he has few friends; plus, the ones he does have aren’t exactly with the in-crowd. Still, thanks to countless seasons of Scandal and The West Wing, these nerds know where to start: from campaign stops to voter polling to a fashion makeover. Soon Mark feels emboldened to get in front of and engage with voters—and even start a new romance. But with an investigative journalist digging into his past, a father trying to silence him, and a bully front-runner who stands in his way, Mark will have to decide which matters most: perception or truth, when both are just as dangerous.  

Weekly Roundup

Happy Sunday, all! Here is the weekly roundup of everything we've done this week on the blog.

The Boyband Murder Mystery by Ava Eldred

'I have long believed that loving a boyband brings with it a wealth of transferable skills, but I'd never imagined solving a murder would be one of them...'

Harri and her best friends worship Half Light - an internationally famous boyband. When frontman Frankie is arrested on suspicion of murdering his oldest friend Evan, Harri feels like her world's about to fall apart. But quickly she realises that she - and all the other Half Light superfans out there - know and understand much more about these boys than any detective ever could.

Now she's rallying a fangirl army to prove Frankie's innocence - and to show the world that you should never underestimate a teenage girl with a passion...

The Apocalypse Seven by Gene Doucette

This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whatever.

The whateverpocalypse. That’s what Touré, a twenty-something Cambridge coder, calls it after waking up one morning to find himself seemingly the only person left in the city. Once he finds Robbie and Carol, two equally disoriented Harvard freshmen, he realizes he isn’t alone, but the name sticks: Whateverpocalypse. But it doesn’t explain where everyone went. It doesn’t explain how the city became overgrown with vegetation in the space of a night. Or how wild animals with no fear of humans came to roam the streets.

Add freakish weather to the mix, swings of temperature that spawn tornadoes one minute and snowstorms the next, and it seems things can’t get much weirder. Yet even as a handful of new survivors appear—Paul, a preacher as quick with a gun as a Bible verse; Win, a young professional with a horse; Bethany, a thirteen-year-old juvenile delinquent; and Ananda, an MIT astrophysics adjunct—life in Cambridge, Massachusetts gets stranger and stranger.

The self-styled Apocalypse Seven are tired of questions with no answers. Tired of being hunted by things seen and unseen. Now, armed with curiosity, desperation, a shotgun, and a bow, they become the hunters. And that’s when things truly get weird.  

Boy in a White Room by Karl Olsberg

A boy wakes to find himself locked in a white room. He has no memories, no idea who he is and no idea how he got here.

A computer-generated voice named Alice responds to his questions – through her, he is able to access the internet. He gradually pieces together his story – an abduction, a critical injury, snippets of his past … But how can the boy tell what’s real and what’s not? Who is he really?

A gripping YA sci-fi thriller by German and Spiegel-bestselling author, Karl Olsberg. Boy in a White Room was nominated for Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis 2018, Germany’s most prestigious youth fiction award.  

Happy #BookBirthday!

 Happy Thursday all! Sorry we're a little late with this. This week we read TWO books from our various lists.

Aetherbound by E K Johnston (mild spoilers)

Set on a family-run interstellar freighter called the Harland and a mysterious remote space station, E. K. Johnston's latest is story of survival and self-determination.

Pendt Harland's family sees her as a waste of food on their long-haul space cruiser when her genes reveal an undesirable mutation. But if she plays her cards right she might have a chance to do much more than survive. During a space-station layover, Pendt escapes and forms a lucky bond with the Brannick twins, the teenage heirs of the powerful family that owns the station. Against all odds, the trio hatches a long-shot scheme to take over the station and thwart the destinies they never wished for.  

Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean

Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in—it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it’s always been Izumi—or Izzy, because “It’s easier this way”—and her mom against the world. But then Izzy discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity… and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess.

In a whirlwind, Izzy travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn’t all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard who just might be her soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight.

Izzy soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself—back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s “Japanese” enough. Will Izumi crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairytale, happily ever after?

Gilded Tarot Royale by Ciro Marchetti

One of Llewellyn's bestselling tarot decks is now available with brilliantly refreshed artwork and an updated guidebook. With borderless cards, richer colours, and stylish design improvements, the deck retains its powerful readability with a more contemporary look to engage its many fans and new users alike. Following the RWS style and abounding with medieval magicians, priestesses, emperors, and knights, the Gilded Tarot Royale will continue to inspire tarot readers for years to come.  

This review is image heavy.

Don't Breathe a Word by Jordyn Taylor

Present Day:
Eva has never felt like she belonged... not in her own family or with her friends in New York City, and certainly not at a fancy boarding school like Hardwick Preparatory Academy. So when she is invited to join the Fives, an elite secret society, she jumps at the opportunity to finally be a part of something.

But what if the Fives are about more than just having the best parties and receiving special privileges from the school? What if they are also responsible for keeping some of Hardwick’s biggest secrets buried?

1962:
There is only one reason why Connie would volunteer to be one of the six students to participate in testing Hardwick’s nuclear fallout shelter: Craig Allenby. While the thought of nuclear war sends her into a panic, she can’t pass up the opportunity to spend four days locked in with the school’s golden boy. However, Connie and the other students quickly discover that there is more to this “test” than they previously thought. As they are forced to follow an escalating series of commands, Connie realizes that one wrong move could have dangerous consequences.

Separated by sixty years , Eva's and Connie’s stories become inextricably intertwined as Eva unravels the mystery of how six students went into the fallout shelter all those years ago . . . but only five came out.

Weekly roundup!

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly roundup. It's been a quieter week here, but just in case, here's what you missed.

In the Ravenous Dark

A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead.

In Thanopolis, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them—and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic. But when she accidentally reveals her powers, she’s bound to a spirit and thrust into a world of palace intrigue and deception.

Desperate to escape, Rovan finds herself falling for two people she can’t fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling, rebellious princess; and Ivrilos, the handsome spirit with the ability to control Rovan, body and soul.

Together, they uncover a secret that will destroy Thanopolis. To save them all, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld, and find a way to trust the princess and spirit battling for her heart—if she doesn’t betray them first.  

The Swallow's Flight by Hilary McKay

Erik and Hans are German boys. Ruby and Kate are English girls. They grow up in worlds that would never meet, until war tumbles their lives together.

Then one September afternoon there are choices to be made.

How is courage lost, and found?
Who is really the enemy?
And what does friendship truly mean, in the middle of a war?
Meanwhile Rupert and Clarry work secretly for peace – and a brighter future for them all . . .  

Happy #BookBirthday

Happy Thursday, everyone! This week we have EIGHT books from our lists publishing.

Noah's Gold by Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Steven Lenton

Being the smallest doesn't stop you having the biggest ideas.

Eleven-year old Noah sneaks along on his big sister's geography field trip. Everything goes wrong! Six kids are marooned on an uninhabited island. Their teacher has vanished. They're hungry. Their phones don't work and Noah has broken the internet. There's no way of contacting home . . . Disaster!

Until Noah discovers a treasure map and the gang goes in search of gold.  

Your Body by Harriet Evans and Lirios Bou

What’s in your body? Have you ever been shown?
That you have a skeleton,
made up of… BONES!

Tug the tab to reveal all that hides in your insides. From nose to toes, there’s plenty to discover with the magically dissolving windows in this bright board book.

The Yearbook by Holly Bourne

Most likely to...be forgotten
Working on the school newspaper, Paige is used to dealing with fake stories. How popular girl Grace is a such an amazing person (lie). How Laura steals people's boyfriends (lie). How her own family are so perfect (lie).

Now Grace and friends have picked their "best" high-school moments for Paige to put in the all-important Yearbook. And they're not just fake. They're poison.

But Paige has had enough of all the lies in her life. And with the help of Elijah - the only boy who could ever understand her - she's going to reveal the truth.

Weekly Roundup

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to this week's roundup of everything we did this week!

Blog tour: Things to do Before the End of the World by Emily Barr

One minute you're walking in the park, hiding from a party. Then you discover that the next nine months will probably be your last. Everyone's last. You realise that you happen to be alive at the time when your species becomes extinct.
You have to decide whether to go with it meekly like you usually do, or to do something brave, to live your last months with all the energy and bravery you can muster, to rage against the dying of the light.

Olivia struggles to live her real life as fully as she wants to. She plans out conversations and events in her head but actually doing them and interacting with other people is hard. When the news breaks that humans have done such damage to the earth that there's only nine months of safe air left everybody makes bucket lists and starts living their best lives - everyone, that is, but Olivia who is still struggling to figure out who she wants to be.

Then out of the blue comes contact from a long-lost cousin Olivia didn't even know exsisted. Natasha is everything Olivia wants to be and more. And as the girls meet up for their last summer on earth Olivia finds Natasha's ease and self-confidence having a effect on her. But what if Natasha isn't everything she first appears to be . . . ?  

The Exploding Life of Scarlett Fife by Maz Evans

Scarlett Fife has BIG FEELINGS. And when she has BIG FEELINGS, they explode out of her like an over-squeezed stress ball.

Scarlett’s in big trouble after a BIG FEELINGS episode leads to a runaway hamster getting into the vicar’s trousers at her aunty’s engagement party. If she loses her temper ONE MORE TIME, she’s going to miss out on her trip to Mega Awesome Sicky Fun World, the best theme park on the planet.

But feelings are like slime in a party bag. No matter how much someone tells you to keep it in, it’ll always find its way out. And very soon, Scarlett notices that every time she pushes her feelings down, something explodes. Like … really, properly explodes.

It might be her teacher’s slimy green smoothie. A huge pot of purple paint. Or a massive pile of elephant poo at the zoo. And let’s hope Scarlett doesn’t get mad at Aunty’s wedding – that wedding cake is HUGE …  

Sea by Britta Teckentrup

Discover a world beneath the waves that is teeming with life, from tiny graceful seahorses to darting tropical fish and from electric eels to humpback whales. A colourful array of sea creatures is brought to life by award-winning illustrator Britta Teckentrup in this delightful peep-through picture book.

If You Were There by Francisco Garcia

A powerful, evocative and deeply personal journey into the world of missing people

When Francisco Garcia was just seven years old, his father, Christobal, left his family. Unemployed, addicted to drink and drugs, and adrift in life, Christobal decided he would rather disappear altogether than carry on dealing with the problems in front of him. So that’s what he did, leaving his young wife and child in the dead of night. He has been missing ever since.

Twenty years on, Francisco is ready to take up the search for answers. Why did this happen and how could it be possible? Where might his father have gone? And is there any reason to hope for a happy reunion? During his journey, which takes him all across Britain and back to his father’s homeland of Spain, Francisco tells the stories of those he meets along the way: the police investigators; the charity employees and volunteers; the once missing and those perilously at risk around us; the families, friends and all those left behind.

If You Were There is the moving and affecting story of one man’s search for his lost family, an urgent document of where we are now and a powerful, timeless reminder of our responsibility to others.

Happy #BookBirthday!

 Happy Thursday, all! This is a middling busy week, with FOUR books from our various lists publishing.

We Were Wolves by Jason Cockcroft

Boy lives in a caravan on his own in the woods. His dad, John, is in prison and promises to get out soon. All the boy needs to do is survive alone for a little while longer.

But dark forces are circling - like the dangerous man in the Range Rover, who is looking for his stolen money. And then there are the ancient forces that have lain asleep in the woods for an age...

Sometimes: A Book of Feelings by Stephanie Stansbie and Elisa Paganelli

Your body’s full of feelings:
like the tide, they ebb and flow. Sometimes they lift you high
and sometimes they bring you low.

This heart-warming introduction to feelings follows a brother and sister as they navigate the highs and lows of their day. From fear to bravery, anger to peace, this gentle story in pictures offers a simple guide to life.

Supernatural Tarot Deck and Guidebook by Minerva Siegal and Matthew Skiff

The long-running television series Supernatural is now an illustrated tarot deck! Featuring original artwork inspired by classic tarot iconography, the 78-card deck includes all your favorite characters from Sam and Dean to Bobby Singer to Castiel to Crowley. The deck also comes with a helpful guidebook explaining the meaning of each card as well as a few simple spreads for easy readings. It’s the perfect gift for Supernatural fans and tarot enthusiasts alike!

 

(Please note this review is image heavy.)

Weekly #Roundup

Happy Sunday, all! Here is your regular roundup of our activity this week, just in case you missed anything!

An Alphabet of Animals by Harriet Evans and Linda Tordoff

Which animals are hiding behind the alphabet in this stylish lift-the-flap book? Uncover a colourful collection of creatures from snappy alligator to happy zebra as your little one learns their ABC!

Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee (mild spoilers)

Noah Ramirez thinks he’s an expert on romance. He has to be for his popular blog, the Meet Cute Diary, a collection of trans happily ever afters. There’s just one problem—all the stories are fake. What started as the fantasies of a trans boy afraid to step out of the closet has grown into a beacon of hope for trans readers across the globe.

When a troll exposes the blog as fiction, Noah’s world unravels. The only way to save the Diary is to convince everyone that the stories are true, but he doesn’t have any proof. Then Drew walks into Noah’s life, and the pieces fall into place: Drew is willing to fake-date Noah to save the Diary. But when Noah’s feelings grow beyond their staged romance, he realizes that dating in real life isn’t quite the same as finding love on the page.

In this charming novel by Emery Lee, Noah will have to choose between following his own rules for love or discovering that the most romantic endings are the ones that go off script.

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday! This is a slightly busier week on the blog, with FIVE books from our various lists publishing.

Wolfstongue by Sam Thompson

Deep in the forest, foxes live in an underground city built by the wolves they enslaved. Using the power of speech, they keep the wolves under their harsh rule. Wolves Isengrim, Hersent and their pups use secret passages to move between the animal and human worlds. When Isengrim is injured, a young boy named Silas comes to his aid. Silas finds speech difficult, but as his friendship with the wolves grows, he must fight to protect his new friends, and find his own voice.

Inspired by the author’s own son’s difficulty with speech and his love of wolves, Wolfstongue is a beautifully written, thoughtful fantasy adventure that has the feel of a future classic in making.

The Crocodile who came for Dinner by Steve Smallman and Joelle Dreidemy

Hotpot and Wolf have found an egg. A CROCODILE egg! Is the crocodile a fearsome, ferocious beast? No! He’s snuggly, cuddly and looking for some friends.

GROW by Isabel Otter and Pau Morgan

The seeds are ready to GROW!

Explore the magic of seeds that grow and use clever peek-through holes to reveal the journey from seed to plant.


Made from 100% recycled board.

The Astonishing Future of Alex Nobody by Kate Gilby Smith

Have you ever thought what it might be like if you were famous in the future? A brilliant middle-grade adventure for fans of Ross Welford - a story about friendship, courage and embracing our talents even when they make us stand out.

On the day Alex was born, crowds surrounded the hospital. On her first day of school, people spied from the gates. And recently, strangers came to watch her perform in her school play ... as the llama.

But why? Alex has always been a nobody.

Then a mysterious boy named Jasper starts at school and he alone seems to know the answer. But before he can tell Alex, he disappears ... into the year 2100. Can Alex brave traveling into the future to discover what's happened to him and to unravel the secret of her own astonishing destiny ... before time runs out?

Isadora Moon meets the tooth fairy! By Harriet Muncaster

 

Isadora has a wobbly tooth! Vampires frame their fangs, but fairies leave teeth for the tooth fairy. Isadora isn't sure what to do until one night she meets a magical mouse called Mignonette.

With Mignonette's help, Isadora will make a new tradition. One that is totally unique, just like her!

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, everyone! We've had a busy week here on the blog, so here's your regular roundup in case you missed anything.

Flossie McFluff by Eoin O'Brien and Audrey Dowling

In a deep leafy wood, by a slow-moving stream,
Where butterflies flutter through golden sunbeams,
Lives a beautiful fairy called Flossie McFluff.
She’s tiny and shiny, but Flossie is tough.


She has magical powers; she knows magic words;
And she cares for the trees and the bees and the birds.
Wee Flossie lives high in an ancient oak tree,
And lives for adventure, as we shall soon see …

Three stories in rhyme about a little fairy who looks after the forest.

In the first tale, she gives some litter louts a scare, then she helps a lonely banshee find some friends, and finally helps her leprechaun friend Paddy Potts find his missing gold.

Rogue: Untouched by Alisa Kwitney

 

Rogue’s frightening new mutant powers keep her at arms-length from the world, but two strangers offer a chance to change her life forever, in this exhilarating Marvel Super Hero adventure

Young Rogue’s life is a mess: she lives alone in an abandoned cabin, works a terrible diner job and hides from everyone. The powers she has started to develop are terrifying her. When your first kiss almost kills the guy, it’s hard to trust anyone – even yourself. Then two people arrive in town who could change her life, and she finally gets a choice: follow a mysterious billionaire who says she’s scouting for gifted interns, or the handsome card shark with eerie red eyes. Except they’re not the only ones watching her… Rogue will have to trust in herself and accept the powers she’s trying to suppress to decide her own fate – before someone else does.

The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird

Only men are affected by the virus; only women have the power to save us all.

The year is 2025, and a mysterious virus has broken out in Scotland--a lethal illness that seems to affect only men. When Dr. Amanda MacLean reports this phenomenon, she is dismissed as hysterical. By the time her warning is heeded, it is too late. The virus becomes a global pandemic--and a political one. The victims are all men. The world becomes alien--a women's world.

What follows is the immersive account of the women who have been left to deal with the virus's consequences, told through first-person narratives. Dr. MacLean; Catherine, a social historian determined to document the human stories behind the "male plague;" intelligence analyst Dawn, tasked with helping the government forge a new society; and Elizabeth, one of many scientists desperately working to develop a vaccine. Through these women and others, we see the uncountable ways the absence of men has changed society, from the personal--the loss of husbands and sons--to the political--the changes in the workforce, fertility and the meaning of family.

In The End of Men, Christina Sweeney-Baird creates an unforgettable tale of loss, resilience and hope.

This can never not be real by Sera Milano

 

FIVE TEENAGERS
WITH NOTHING IN COMMON,
THROWN TOGETHER
BY AN ACT OF TERRORISM,
CAN'T SURVIVE THE NIGHT
WITHOUT EACH OTHER.

In the unremarkable town of Amberside, the unthinkable has happened: Terrorists have attacked a local festival. No one knows why, and no one knows who the attackers are, but that doesn’t matter. What matters first is survival. And what matters after that is survival, too.

In this brilliantly written account of hope, humour and humanity, five ordinary teenagers are caught up in a truly extraordinary situation. It’s a heart-pounding and gripping account of the fight for survival, told from multiple perspectives, as the attackers prowl the festival grounds.

Happy #Bookbirthday!

Happy Thursday! This week we have only ONE book from our lists publishing, but it's a good one.

Scattered: Zommunist Bk 3 by Camille Picott

America, 1985. Anton can’t forgive his brother’s stupidity. Furious his elder sibling left on a mission without rescuing their captured family friends, the hot-headed teenager impetuously sets off to run his own dangerous extraction. But his reckless infiltration into the Soviet’s prison camp only results in his own apprehension.

Nonna never forgot war’s cold caress. A gritty WWII survivor, she’ll do whatever it takes to prepare the boy in her care from an imminent mutant zombie attack. But when she learns the youngster’s secret, she’s terrified his life is already forfeit.

Brutally tortured for the location of their remaining stronghold, Anton can barely hold on one second longer when he’s unexpectedly rescued by a desperate defector. And with the regrets from her past only fueling her protective instincts, Nonna vows to sacrifice everything to shelter her young charge.

Can they survive the conflict’s ugly reality and save the lives of those they love?

Scattered is the redemptive third tale in the Zommunist Invasion zombie apocalypse series. If you like startling bravery, gruesome battles with the undead, and deeply drawn characters, then you’ll be gripped by Camille Picott’s edge-of-your-seat story.

The Super Secret Diary of Holly Hopkinson by Charlie P Brooks and Katy Riddell

 

 These are the memoirs of ME, Holly Hopkinson, aged almost ten, except without any of the rubbish adults usually put in, thank you very much.

My dad just lost his job, which means me and the rest of my family have to leave London and move to the middle of nowhere, which is a TOTAL DISASTER! There’s no Wi-Fi, the local kids are FERAL and there’s animal poo EVERYWHERE.

But then for my birthday, my eccentric aunt gave me a magic pocket watch, which I can use to hypnotise and CONTROL people. I actually wanted a new phone, but I won’t complain because this new power is REALLY FUN and has led to the MOST unexpected things – including a visit to the QUEEN.

Maybe the countryside isn’t so bad after all…

Blog Tour: Borrowed Treasure by Jessica Tastet

 

Congratulations to author, Jessica Tastet on the release of her latest novel, Borrowed Treasure! Read on for more info and a chance to win a digital copy of the book!

The Wild by Owen Laukkanen

FROM THIS MOMENT ON, YOU'RE A BEAR CUB. YOU'LL LEARN RESPONSIBILITY AND RESPECT. HOW TO SURVIVE. IT'S EASIER IF YOU JUST ACCEPT IT.

Dawn isn't a bad person--she's just made some bad choices: wrong guy, wrong friends, wrong everything. But she wasn't expecting her parents to pay a boatload of money to ship her off to OUT OF THE WILD, a wilderness boot camp with a bunch of other messed up kids to learn important "life lessons." It's true that Dawn and the other cubs will learn a lot--but it's not what any of them expect. Because what happens in the woods isn't what their parents planned. Sometimes plans go very wrong. And this is one of those times. Suddenly Dawn is more scared than she's ever been in her life. And you will be too.

Weekly #Roundup

 Happy Sunday! We've had a good week here on the blog. Here's the roundup in case you missed anything!

Her Last Holiday by CL Taylor

You come to the retreat to be healed. You don’t expect to die.

Two years ago, Fran’s sister Jenna disappeared on a wellness retreat in Gozo that went terribly wrong.

Tom Wade, the now infamous man behind Soul Shrink Retreats, has just been released from prison after serving his sentence for the deaths of two people. But he has never let on what happened to the third victim: Jenna.

Determined to find out the truth, Fran books herself onto his upcoming retreat – the first since his release – and finds herself face to face with the man who might hold the key to her sister’s disappearance. The only question is, will she escape the retreat alive? Or does someone out there want Jenna’s secrets to stay hidden?

The master of suspense is back. Prepare yourself for the latest heart-in-mouth rollercoaster ride from the Sunday Times bestseller.

Turtle Rescue by Jonny Marx and Xuan Le

Join Flora and Fauna, the world’s GREATEST explorers, as they hang up their ice picks, put down their rucksacks and enjoy a well-deserved holiday. When the sea turtles stop showing up to lay their eggs in the golden sands, however, Flora and Fauna are called into action. They must sail to the reef to investigate, but it looks like an ENORMOUS storm is brewing…With flaps and paper effects throughout, who knows what WILD creatures they’ll find along the way.