Friday, 8 November 2019

REVIEW: Goodnight Mister Tom - Michelle Magorian

Title: Goodnight Mister Tom
Author: Michelle Magorian
Publisher: Puffin
Format: Paperback
Pages: 358 Pages
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads Blurb

London is poised on the brink of World War II. Timid, scrawny Willie Beech -- the abused child of a single mother -- is evacuated to the English countryside. At first, he is terrified of everything, of the country sounds and sights, even of Mr Tom, the gruff, kindly old man who has taken him in. But gradually Willie forgets the hate and despair of his past. He learns to love a world he never knew existed, a world of friendship and affection in which harsh words and daily beatings have no place. Then a telegram comes. Willie must return to his mother in London. When weeks pass by with no word from Willie, Mr Tom sets out for London to look for the young boy he has come to love as a son. 

Wednesday, 30 October 2019

Believe in the Impossible Readathon

Added from the #Believeathon Twitter Page
During November, I am going to join in with the Believe in the Impossible Readathon (#Believeathon) hosted by Gavin over at GavinHethrington (see the announcement video from the man himself down below)

Wednesday, 16 October 2019

REVIEW: Court of Shadows (#2) - Madeleine Roux

Title: Court of Shadows (#2)
Author: Madeleine Roux
Series: House of Furies
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Hardback
Pages: 416 Pages
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads Blurb

After the frightful events of last autumn, seventeen-year-old Louisa Ditton has settled into her role as a maid at Coldthistle House, but she has not settled into what that means for her humanity.

As Louisa struggles to figure out whether she is worthy of redemption, the devilish Mr Morningside plans a fete— one that will bring new guests to Coldthistle House. From wicked humans to Upworlders, angelic beings who look down upon Mr Morningside’s monstrous staff, all are armed with their own brand of self-righteous justice.

Even a man claiming to be Louisa’s father has a role to play, though what his true motive is, Louisa cannot tell. The conflicts will eventually come to a head on the grounds of Coldthistle House—and the stakes include Louisa’s very soul.

Monday, 14 October 2019

REVIEW: Every Heart a Doorway (#1) - Seannan McGuire

Title: Every Heart a Doorway (#1)
Author: Seannan McGuire
Series: Wayward Children
Publisher: Macmillian Audio
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Cynthia Hopkins
Time: 4HRS 44MINS
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads Blurb

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

Friday, 11 October 2019

REVIEW: Horrorstor - Grady Hendrix

Title: HorrorstÓ§r
Author: Grady Hendrix
Publisher: Quirk Books
Format: Paperback
Pages: 243 Pages
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads Blurb

Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.

To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.

Wednesday, 9 October 2019

REVIEW: Days of Blood and Starlight (#2) - Laini Taylor

Title: Days of Blood and Starlight (#2)
Author: Laini Taylor
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Publisher: Hodder & Staughton
Format: Paperback
Pages: 513 Pages
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads Blurb

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.


Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

Monday, 7 October 2019

REVIEW: The Near Witch - V. E. Schwab

Title: The Near Witch
Author: V. E. Schwab
Publisher: Blackstone Audio Inc
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Heather Wilds
Time: 9HRS 28 MINS
Rating: ⭐⭐

Goodreads Blurb

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger-a boy who seems to fade like smoke-appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi's need to know about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.