The Book of Stolen Dreams by David Farr – Blog Tour – Author Guest Video
About the Book
When Rachel and Robert are passed a stolen book by their librarian father, they have to go on the run and protect it at all costs. With their father captured and everyone hunting for the Book, they must uncover its secrets and track down the final, missing page.
But the cruel and calculating Charles Malstain is on their trail. When the children discover the astonishing, magical truth about the Book, they resolve to do everything in their power to stop it falling into his hands. For if it does, he could rule forever.
Step inside the pages of an immortal adventure and discover a truly unforgettable journey of wonder, courage and magic…
About the Author
David Farr is one of the UK’s leading screenwriters and directors for film, TV and theatre. In 2009, he was appointed Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, where his productions of The Winter’s Tale, King Lear and The Homecoming all opened to critical acclaim. David is known for his work on Spooks and his 2016 BBC adaptation of The Night Manager, starring Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddleston. He completed his first feature film, Hanna, in 2009, and has since adapted it into a hugely successful series for Amazon Prime, and has recently adapted The Midwich Cuckoos for Sky. The Book of Stolen Dreams is his first novel.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DavidFarrUK
Author – Guest Video – What books would you protect at all costs?
So over to you – What books would you protect at all costs? Do tell me in the comments below or over on one of my social channels.
Do check out the rest of the blog tour for more interview questions and some reviews (banner to be added later). I believe I have a gifted copy on the way so I will share my thoughts when I’ve had time to read. Thanks to Blue at Kaleidoscopic Tours and the publisher.
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Regency Faerie Tales by Olivia Atwater – Blog Tour Series Review
I’m absolutely delighted to be on the blog tour for this charming and comforting book series set in the Regency period with the hunt for a suitable match very much the order of the day – but with added faeries. Please do skim read the later synopses to avoid slight spoilers for the earlier books.
About the Books
Book 0.5 – The Lord Sorcier
(Novella – included in the back of Half a Soul)
How the Lord Sorcier came to get that title. Focuses on his relationship with his best friend in the midst of battle with the French.
Book 1 – Half a Soul
It’s difficult to find a husband in Regency England when you’re a young lady with only half a soul.
Ever since she was cursed by a faerie, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear or embarrassment – a condition which makes her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Season – but when the strange, handsome and utterly uncouth Lord Sorcier discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into dangerous and peculiar faerie affairs.
If Dora’s reputation can survive both her curse and her sudden connection with the least-liked man in all of high society, then she may yet reclaim her normal place in the world. . . but the longer Dora spends with Elias Wilder, the more she begins to suspect that one may indeed fall in love, even with only half a soul.
Bridgerton meets Howl’s Moving Castle in this enchanting historical fantasy, where the only thing more meddlesome than faeries is a marriage-minded mother.
Book 1.5 – The Latch Key
The Lord Sorcier ponders fatherhood whilst remembering his own childhood with a faerie father.
Book 2 – Ten Thousand Stitches
(Novella – download after newsletter signup)
Faerie godfathers are supposed to help young ladies find love. Unfortunately, no one told Lord Blackthorn that.
Effie has most inconveniently fallen in love with the dashing Mr Benedict Ashbrooke. There’s only one problem; Effie is a housemaid, and a housemaid cannot marry a gentleman. It seems that Effie is out of luck until she stumbles into the faerie realm of Lord Blackthorn, who is only too eager to help Effie win Mr Ashbrooke’s heart. All he asks in return is that Effie sew ten thousand stitches onto his favourite jacket.
Effie has heard rumours about what happens to those who accept help from faeries, but life as a maid at Hartfield is so awful that she is willing to risk even her immortal soul for a chance at something better. Now, she has one hundred days – and ten thousand stitches – to make Mr Ashbrooke fall in love and propose. . . if Lord Blackthorn doesn’t wreck things by accident, that is.
From the author of HALF A SOUL comes a whimsical faerie tale set in a magical version of Regency England, with an enchanting Cinderella twist.
Book 3 – Longshadow
Proper Regency ladies are not supposed to become magicians – but Miss Abigail Wilder is far from proper.
The marriageable young ladies of London are dying mysteriously, and Abigail Wilder intends to discover why. Abigail’s father, the Lord Sorcier of England, believes that a dark lord of faerie is involved – but while Abigail is willing to match her magic against Lord Longshadow, neither her father nor high society believe that she is capable of doing so.
Thankfully, Abigail is not the only one investigating the terrible events in London. Mercy, a street rat and self-taught magician, insists on joining Abigail to unravel the mystery. But while Mercy’s own magic is strange and foreboding, she may well pose an even greater danger to Abigail’s heart.
From the author of HALF A SOUL comes a queer faerie tale romance full of love and defiant hope. Pick up LONGSHADOW, and return once more to Olivia Atwater’s charming, magical version of Regency England.
About the Author
Olivia Atwater writes whimsical historical fantasy with a hint of satire. She lives in Montreal, Quebec with her fantastic, prose-inspiring husband and her two cats. When she told her second-grade history teacher that she wanted to work with history someday, she is fairly certain this isn’t what either party had in mind. She has been, at various times, a historical re-enactor, a professional witch at a metaphysical supply store, a web developer, and a vending machine repairperson.
Searching for more Regency faerie tales? Sign up for the Atwater Scandal Sheets at oliviaatwater.com and get ongoing updates, along with the exclusive novella.
What I Thought
Sharing my thoughts in the order I read and the order I also recommend you read them. I have tried to keep these spoiler free although later book reviews may spoil the earlier ones.
In summary I loved how quick these were to read and how well they fitted into the mixed genres. I also really enjoyed the mix of subtle social commentary alongside the romance. I can definitely see me returning to these time and again.
Half a Soul
This was an excellent first book and I loved everything about it. It definitely gave me Pride and Prejudice vibes. The relationships / both romantic and of friendship were engaging and dynamic.
Dora is autistic coded and although there seems to be a quest for a cure to her ‘Half a Soul’ I felt that this was subverted in a positive way.
The mystery of the sleeping sickness amongst the children in the workhouses also added an extra element of suspense and was satisfyingly resolved.
The Lord Sorcier
Definitely read this one after Half a Soul, mainly because it has quite a different feel being a war story and focusing purely on friendship rather than romance. Loved to see more of the history that we got snippets of in Half a Soul.
The Latch Key
Parenting is hard and are we doomed to make the same mistakes our own parents made, or can we learn from them? That’s the theme of this short tale that follows on from Half a Soul.
Ten Thousand Stitches
Initially I was a little unsure about this one but with very appropriate reason as it turns out. I can’t really say why without spoilers but I did ending up loving this too.
This does focus on different characters so could be read as a stand-alone.
I enjoyed the focus on the serving class too and Downton Abbey vibes were strong here.
Lord Blackthorn made a very engaging faerie godfather and it was fun to learn societal etiquette along with him.
This had a great female friendship in it and the focus on righteous anger concluded in a positive way.
Longshadow
It was great to return to some of the characters from book one, and particularly to see Abigail older. We also have a return to the mystery element of book one as well as a queer romance and magic galore.
Proving oneself to your parents and finding your place in the world also come through as strong themes so I do feel that this one read as the most Young Adult of the three.
Again this can be read as a stand-alone but I think you will get more from it having read Half a Soul first especially as Lord LongShadow first appears as an ominous presence there.
All three female protagonists have agency and inner strength and the romances are swoon worthy but also not about changing the fundamental part of who these women are. Being accepted for your authentic self is a theme that runs through these stories.
If you like the sound of this series here are some more historical fantasy books to check out.
Recommended by Me
Recommended titles in the books
A huge thank you to Tracey at Compulsive Readers and publishers Orbit for the gifted copies for the purposes of an honest review. Do check out the rest of the tour and see what everyone else thought.
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With Fire in Their Blood by Kat Delacorte – Blog Tour Book Review
About the Book
‘Startingly original… Readers will be lured into this tumultuous world of warring families, forbidden power, and heart-searing romance’ – Lyndall Clipstone (Lakesedge, Forestfall)
From the word-of-mouth fantasy sensation Kat Delacorte – the standout debut star of 2022 YA Lit Con (YALC) – comes the first instalment in a new YA fantasy duology.
Packed to the brim with bisexual and queer representation, With Fire in Their Blood is a simmering supernatural romance set in the crumbling Italian city of Castello, where mafia clans make the rules, dark magic pulses the streets and the sins of the past threaten to consume the present. . .
When sixteen-year-old Lilly arrives in Castello, she isn’t impressed.
A secluded town in the Italian mountains is not where she saw her last years of high school playing out.
Divided for generations by a brutal clan-family war, the two halves of Castello are kept from destroying each other by the mysterious General, a leader determined to maintain order and ‘purity’. . . whatever the cost.
Lilly falls in with the rebellious Liza, brooding Nico and sensitive Christian, and sparks begin to fly. But in a city where love can lead to ruin, Lilly isn’t sure she can trust anyone — not even herself.
And then she accidentally breaks Castello’s most important rule: when the General’s men come to test your blood, you’d better not be anything more than human…
Perfect for lovers of Chloe Gong, Renée Ahdieh and V.E. Schwab, With Fire in Their Blood is quality YA storytelling at its best by an exciting new voice in YA fantasy.
About the Author
Kat Delacorte was eleven years old when her family moved from the United States to a small town in central Italy. She soon began writing stories about her new friends developing superpowers, and she hasn’t looked back since. She graduated with a BA in History from Columbia University, and lives in Venice, Italy.
What I Thought
This was such an enjoyable read. Super pacy and broodingly atmospheric. Think fantasy dysptopia – West Side Story meets The Wicker Man meets Carrie.
When they say make your setting a character, this book is exactly what they mean. The dilapidated Italian city of Castello is spooky, claustrophobic (no wifi!) and decidedly menacing. With its skulls and roses emblems, a secret key, clan wars and untold power built into its brick and marble.
The history of bloody clan wars has been overtaken by the focus on a new combined enemy – The Saints – and literal witch hunts against them including monthly blood tests to weed out the impure. The divided city and the pious general all gives echoes of Nazi Germany and the truce is tenuous.
The characters are all murky. Morally grey, conflicted and damaged in one way or another. This book is also filled with teenage angst and sexual tension.
Protagonist Lilly is an intriguing heroine. Her complex history with both of her parents form a large part of the plot and despite their absence on the page and the absence of their love in her heart their influence is a huge driver in this story and I’m intrigued to find out even more next time.
Liza, Christian, Nico – and Alex (who sadly doesn’t get a mention on the blurb) are all generally engaged with separately by Lilly with her almost acting as a catalyst in their complex relationships. I’d be interested in seeing more of them interacting with each other in the follow up.
We see more of the Marconi clan in book one than of the Paradisos but in the glimpses we see of the latter they are dripping with riches and cruelty. Chrissy (wake up – I don’t like you) is a girl in a red dress – think Cha Cha from Grease out for bloody vengeance. The love stories included aren’t across clan divides so it’s not quite West Side Story/Romeo and Juliet in this aspect.
This is the first in a Duology and I’m super intrigued to read book 2 which is set up perfectly at the end of this one (with this book rounding out it’s own story well too).
Huge thanks to The Write Reads and the publisher for the gifted copy for the purposes of an honest review.
Do see what everyone else thought by following the hashtag #WithFireInTheirBlood.
kirstyes 