Monthly Archives: May 2023
The Thief of Farrowfell by Ravena Guron – Blog Tour Book Review
About the Book
Welcome to Farrowfell where edible magic is the hottest commodity, traded between those who can pay or – in the case of Jude Ripon, the youngest thief in Farrowfell – those who can steal it!
Twelve-year old Jude Ripon has never been taken seriously by her family of magic-stealing masterminds. To them, she’s just the youngest, only good for keeping watch while they carry out daring heists. Desperate to prove her worth, Jude decides to steal valuable magic from the fanciest house in town…
But Jude’s stolen prize was protected by a curse. While attempting to untangle the mess she’s made, Jude discovers just how far her family will go to stay at the top of the criminal world.
Suddenly, her quest to become a true Ripon isn’t straightforward any more…
An epic debut middle-grade series from FAB Prize winner Ravena Guron, author of UKYA, This Book Kills.
About the Author
Ravena Guron is a British Indian biochemist turned lawyer turned YA author turned MG author, a superb new voice who brings her own captivating brand of energy, wild adventure and joy to the genre. The Thief of Farrowfell is the first in an intended series following Jude Ripon, and was shortlisted for Penguin’s WriteNow scheme, as well as being highly commended in the Faber FAB Prize. Ravena is a Londoner through and through: born, raised and educated in London, she lives there still.
About the Illustrator
Alessia Trunfio is an illustrator who lives in Rome. After graduating with an Animation Degree from the International School of Comics in Rome, Alessia has worked as a background artist for some of the most important animation studios in Italy.
What I Thought
The book arrived to me with its own bag of edible magic which tasted very yummy, hopefully I have got away without turning into a Lilthrum.
I’ve only managed to read the start so far – it only arrived at the weekend and then I had a health blip – so I will add my full review and reshare this post when I do. Here are my initial impressions.
The reader really gets drawn into this new world with a bang and I love that we start with a heist and immediately see the edible magic in action. What a fun magic system – although it appears not all magic is tasty. We get an immediate sense of the pressure that Jude is putting on herself to really belong to the Ripon family and we just as quickly see why she doesn’t already have that. With a sense of competition and not collaboration amongst this family of thieves. I want to do an Encanto shout out with the magic house chucking open doors and windows, I wonder how big a character it will play.
Poor Jude doesn’t manage to get the big reveal about her daring heist and captured magic, and it’s probably a good thing no one noticed if the curse turns out to be true.
Things soon start going wrong for the Ripons – is it just bad luck or cursed bad luck? Will Jude get the blame or will she manage to prove herself and find her place in her family. I like the rival relationship between her and her older sister but I can sense there is much more to that story. There’s some clever hints that things aren’t so rosy in the Ripon spotlight.
I can already tell this is going to be such an expansive world with plenty of opportunity for more adventures once this one is wrapped up. I probably won’t get to finish this until the weekend but I’m looking forward to finding out more about what Jude’s magic yo-yo can do.
Huge thanks to Bee at Kaleidoscopic Tours and the publisher Faber for the gifted copy for the purposes of an honest review. Do follow along with the tour using #ThiefOfFallowfell for more reviews and content.
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Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman – Blog Tour Book Review
About the Book
Revolution’s a bloodthirsty business . . . Scarlet is a thrilling reinvention of the tale of The Scarlet Pimpernel with the addition of magic and even more mayhem.
Revolutionary France is no place to be, especially for aristocrat vampires facing the guillotine. But the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel are determined to rescue them. And they have an ace up their sleeve: Eleanor, a lowly maid from an English estate with a striking resemblance to French royalty.
For Eleanor, the League and their legendary deeds are little more than rumour – until she’s drawn into their most dangerous plot yet. The mission? Travel to France in disguise, impersonate Queen Marie Antoinette and rescue the royal family. If they succeed, it’ll be the heist of the century.
But there’s more to fear than ardent Revolutionaries. For Eleanor stumbles across a centuries-old war between vampires and their fiercest enemy. And they’re out for blood . . .
Scarlet is the first book in the Scarlet Revolution trilogy, set during the turbulent French Revolution, and featuring all of Genevieve Cogman’s trademark wit and fast-paced plotting. It’s perfect for fans of The Invisible Library series, Kim Newman and Gail Carriger.
(From https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/genevieve-cogman/scarlet/9781529083729)
About the Author
Genevieve Cogman started on Tolkien and Sherlock Holmes at an early age, and has never looked back. But on a perhaps more prosaic note, she has an MSc in Statistics with Medical Applications and has wielded this in an assortment of jobs: clinical coder, data analyst and classifications specialist. Although The Invisible Library is her debut novel, she has also previously worked as a freelance roleplaying game writer. She is also the author of The Masked City and The Burning Page, both in The Invisible Library series. Genevieve Cogman’s hobbies include patchwork, beading, knitting and gaming, and she lives in the north of England.
(From https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/genevieve-cogman/6979)
What I Thought
I’m sure I’ve seen a Scarlet Pimpernel film at some point but can’t really remember much about the plot so I did go in to this book with a pretty open mind having been hard sold by the addition of vampires. I am now affectionately thinking of this as The Marie Antoinette Switch meets Interview with a Vampire meets Six of Crows.
In essence this first book of the trilogy is a heist story where a lowly English maid gets dragged into a plot to save Marie and her children from the revolutionaries.
Eleanor as a character is immediately relatable and despite the uncertainty we may feel as the reader in knowing whose side we are meant to be on we definitely know that we want to see Eleanor safely through this.
The English Aristocrats in the League are a mix of foppish personalities and a rag tag bunch but there are a number of points that as the reader we are left questioning if what they are doing is truly right. But equally the revolutionaries are chopping people’s heads off left right and centre. Including those of vampires.
Eleanor has been living in the home of an English Vampire and her view of what vampires are has been understandably swayed by her own experience. But are they as honourable as Lady Sophie has seemed to be. Her journey into France has her questioning everything she has ever known.
Vampires are just an accepted part of this world which otherwise reflects what things were like at the time of Revolutionary France so I was a bit surprised by the addition of some extra supernatural magic which definitely plays a part in this book but will definitely have more prominence as the story develops across the trilogy.
I do think lots of seeds have been sewn in this book that means the role of Vampires and 🤐 will take centre stage as we enter book two. I’m intrigued about how the League will fit into this wider world view and excited to see more badass women spies.
Thanks to Black Crow PR and the publisher TOR UK for the gifted ARC. All opinions are my own. Check out the rest of the tour stops to see other people’s views.
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Straight Expectations by Calum McSwiggan – The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour Book Review
About the Book
The brilliant debut novel from author, presenter and LGBTQ+ advocate Calum McSwiggan!
Seventeen-year-old Max has always been out, proud and just a little spoiled. Frustrated by the lack of romantic options in his small-town high school, during an argument with his lifelong best friend Dean, Max lashes out and says he wishes he had never been born gay.
Max gets more than he bargained for when he wakes up to find his wish has come true – not only have his feelings for boys vanished, but so has Dean.
With his school life turned upside down and his relationship with his family in tatters, Max sets out on a journey of rediscovery to find a way back to the life he took for granted, and the romance he thought he’d never have.
A deliciously romantic YA debut that’s What If It’s Us and One Last Stop!
Add it to Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61335651-straight-expectations
About the Author
Calum McSwiggan (born 21 May 1990) is a British YouTuber, blogger, and online radio presenter. McSwiggan creates video content on LGBT+ issues, mental health, and sex and relationships.[2][3][4] He began creating YouTube videos in 2013 and began hosting The Calum McSwiggan Show on Fubar Radio in 2017.
What I Thought
This is a modern and gay version of Big with our protagonist Max wishing away his gayness in a fit of frustration and being transported into what his life would have been like if he was straight. The absolute horror! (There is a Freaky Friday reference made in the book but I chose Big because the switch here only directly affects the one person).
The switch does take a little time to happen but I think it’s important for the plot that we spend time with the characters in their present reality first. We also get a slightly extended resolution which, for me, allowed more time for everything to be wrapped up leaving this as a very satisfying stand alone read – not that I’d be against reading more books featuring these characters.
I think fans of Simon James Green and Heartstopper will eat this up both because of the humour, and in that it features a whole diverse cast and I loved how intersectionality was addressed too with Max being forced to face up to his white gay privilege.
I really appreciated how all the side characters were explored as individuals in their own right and not just in terms of how they fit into Max’s life. And gosh this is the second YA book I’ve read in a row that features the parents!
Fans of musicals will also be in luck reading this and I don’t think I’ll be alone in desperately wanting to see the drag versions of Mean Girls and Little Shop of Horrors become a real thing.
Thanks to The Write Reads and the publisher for access to the gifted eARC. Opinions are my own. Do check out the tour to see other people’s views.
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