If you would like to know more about Jasbinder click here www.jasbinderbilan.co.uk/ Support your local indie bookshop and buy your copy here uk.bookshop.org/shop/HuntingRaven
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Princess Cimorene is not your average princess. She is bored of being an average princess. She is sick of being taught how to embroider when actually she wants to learn how to fence and cast magic spells. But she is always told that she isn’t fitting the stereotype and her parents despair of her. So one day they choose a prince for her to marry and this spurs Cimorene to seek her own destiny and becomes a dragon’s princess instead. This role suits Cimorene down to the ground and becomes happy within her new setting with Kazul, a dragon in need of someone to translate her scrolls and concoct magic potions. However, things are not always what they seem in the world of dragons and soon both Kazul and Cimorene have a plot they need to uncover before it becomes too late. I read this book while I was school (and, I’ll admit, that was a long time ago!). This book has not aged nor the sentiments that it holds. It is about breaking the stereotypes and succeeding even when the odds are against you. Cimorene is head strong and knows her own mind and becomes a pivotal part of the secret world of dragons. She proves her worth and is helpful, kind and generous without loosing her independence and drive. This book is perfect for anyone who loves positive role models and a fast paced tale with quirky and crazy characters within a highly believable world. I would highly recommend this and I can’t wait until my daughter is old enough to read this! Read this if you love kick-ass princesses, a pinch of magic and a whole lot of dragons and wizards! If you would like to know more about Patricia Wrede click here pcwrede.com/ Support your local indie bookshop and buy your copy here uk.bookshop.org/shop/HuntingRaven
There are few books that have a haunting presence way after you put them down. This is one of those books. It seems to marry the idea of magic and folklore seamlessly without taking away the reality of the plot. The book is set on the fictional island of Mirasol where the idea of people being tainted and becoming monsters is seeped within their culture and collective thinking. Rosa has The Calm where it renders her mute but she bares the scars which prove she has it which mark her out as something to be feared and punished. To this end she is kept at home with only her housekeeper and father and a laptop as her connection to the outside world. Rosa lives for her online friends and revels in the fact that they are from far-flung places but one day she discovers Ansel95 and realises that he maybe too close for comfort. Rosa starts to explore ore about her past which is starting to impact on the present and everything that she seems to hold dear will be suddenly making her question what she knows. This book is beautiful, sensitive and heartfelt with some much passion and character. Rosa is so likeable and friendly despite her upbringing and I loved the stories told from her mother’s point of view too. There are moments of tension where you hold your breath but also moments where you wish you could embrace the characters and hold on to them tight. I simply loved this book and felt that it could have lasted so much longer. I want to know what happens to Rosa next and to Ansel95. I loved it and would recommend to those of 12+. If you would like to know more about Candy Gourlay click here www.candygourlay.co.uk/ Support your local indie bookshop and order your copy here uk.bookshop.org/shop/HuntingRaven
Publisher: Anderson Press Saorise is a typical teenager who has just finished her Irish Leaving Cert and has all the emotions of any teen who has just finished school and is embarking on the next part of her life journey. Her Dad has already got it all planned for her: Oxford and then great things. For Saorise though it is not quite plain sailing. She wants to party, kiss girls and watch horror movies but her summer is interrupted by the entrance of Ruby: rom com fan, optimist and all round nice girl. She challenges her to a summer romance but can everything be a rom com montage without anything serious coming between them? I’ll be honest, I wish this book had been around when I was Saorise age as I would have lapped it up (even more than I did in my late 30’s!) This book has all the wonderful bits of a classic romance (and all the troubled waters that come with it) as well as goofy, quirky and likeable characters that you can’t help but fall in love with. The waters do get choppy: the book covers teen romance and break ups, dementia and the idea of what it is to be family. However, when the book ended I felt a great sense of being at peace with everything and that I was satisfied with the ending (which doesn’t happen often). I heartily recommend this book to readers aged 14+ who enjoy a good romance as well as characters that are packed full of sass and conviction. I particularly loved the relationship between Saorise and her father as it painted such a true picture of what some daughter/ father relationships can be like but also how, sometimes, we don’t always appreciate what our parents sacrifice for us until we have the maturity to understand it when we are older. As a footnote I will be picking up a copy of Smyth’s next book as soon as I am allowed back into a bookshop… if it is anything like this one then I will be hooked yet again! Support your local indie bookshop and order your copy here uk.bookshop.org/shop/HuntingRaven If you would like to know more about Ciara click here ciarasmyth.com/
This is the second book in the awesome Alex Unlimited series. Alex is a special agent who can conjure up versions of herself who have special expertise. This mission requires someone who can speak with ghosts. But this mission seems different to all the rest. Instead of her taking a back seat she is asked to take the lead which is unusual and leaves Alex with a sense of control and responsibility that she has never felt before. But all is not what it seems. Alex is still lost has she still has no idea about her past and where she came from but it is proving difficult to find any answers to her burning questions. This book is just as good as the first in the series (which, I find, isn’t always the case when it comes to trilogies). It is jam packed with quick action and nail biting episodes (which caused many a late night for me!). Alex, the main protagonist, is brilliant and kick-ass and an agent that we could all be friends with. She is quick thinking and astute but is aware of her flaws and pitfalls. I really loved this book (as I did the first one) as it shows a greater depth to Alex but also leaves some of the loose ends still hanging (which, I hope, may get tied up in the third and final book. You can tell that Dan Jolley writes for comics as well as the pace is just as breath taking and really shows the real time events as they happen. Alex is so believable (even though her circumstances really aren’t!) I would be recommending this book for anyone aged 12+ - although it is a little spooky at times with a few quick action fights too! Read if you like real-life action heroes, a touch of the unexpected and a bit of romance thrown in for good measure. If you would like to order your copy and support your local indie bookshop click here uk.bookshop.org/shop/HuntingRaven To find out more about Dan Jolley click here danjolley.com/
Three bullets is a book like no other. It is stark, raw and full of pent up anger reflecting a society that has ended up with nothing but a war torn country being taken over by the worst parts of society. It is dystopian fiction at its most disturbing. The story is that of Marti who puts herself first who is the complete opposite of her travelling companion, Maude and who feels little empathy for her younger brother, Rowan and little sympathy for the world which is collapsing around them. Self preservation is her top priority and stuff anyone who gets in her way. But her journey changes her in many ways: physically, mentally and emotionally. This book is not for the fainted hearted. It was packed to the brim with issues and really harrowing incidents. This is not a book to enjoy rather a book that will make you think more carefully about the world as it is today and how close we sometimes come to some of this dystopian future. It is, at times, a deeply uncomfortable read and I sometimes needed to take a break from it to let some of the words sink in and settle before moving on. Having said this, it is an extremely compelling read and I found it very hard to put down. This book is not suitable for younger readers. I would recommend it for 16+ Thank you to Andersen Press for this review proof. You can order your copy here and support your local indie bookshop! For more information about Melvin Burgess click here melvinburgess.net/news/
Firstly, thank you to Anderson Press for sending me this. Phil Earle is one of my favourite authors! This story is set in 1941 in a city during the bombing raids of World War II. City upon city are being turned to rubble and children are being evacuated to a safer place in the countryside. That is all except Joseph Palmer who arrives in the city to be taken in by a stranger. A stranger who doesn’t seem to want him or care for him. She is trying to keep her family business , a zoo, from crumbling within and its residence from starving. One such resident is Adonis, a silverback gorilla. Joseph realises that not only does the woman he now lives with holds so many secrets but that there is also something more about this gorilla than first meets the eye. This book is gripping from the very first page and was very hard to put down. The characters are real and engaging (but not always instantly likeable). The situations and issues are hard and fast but with time for the reader to try and fully comprehend what might be going on inside these character’s heads. What I liked most about this book is that it left many things unsaid and didn’t tie everything up in the end. There were still questions that were left unanswered and relationships left unexplored. This book is so powerful and evokes all the mayhem, worry and panadamodium that surrounded the blitz at its height so much that you can almost taste the acrid smoke left over by a bombing raid. Read this if you like: heart wrenching stories full of passion, stubborn but likeable characters and a book that will leave you thinking about it way after you put it down. |
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