This collection of thoughts can't accurately be called poetry, not because it doesn't rhyme but because it isn't artful or well thought through. It is bare but not minimalist, true without being interesting. I think Ziggy Albert's has lots of significant moments and thoughts, which is nice for him, but does not make an interesting or significant book.

Banana Hunt is a delightful children's book, with witty words and a colourful collage of illustrations. The simple story is very cute and silly, and the pictures are so beautifully detailed and intricate. I love a book with a hidden treasure hunt, and I admit to only finding nineteen of the twenty hidden pink bananas when I went through to find them. I'll have to wait and see if my nieces can spot them all!

Bronte is the first girl to go to knight school, and she is not happy with how lazy and unadventurous the knights are. She jumps straight into danger, and tries to save everyone single-handedly, whilst dragging her new friend Tonkins into increasingly dangerous situations, which he does not want to be in. A cute book in many ways, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me.

to me these characters do not sit as entirely realistic.
For my personal tastes, the overall sincerity of this book is exhausting. I find the intense yearning tone to be dull after a prolonged period, and the truth of every line to be tiring.

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed this immersive story of magic breaking into modern day Ireland. I enjoyed the ancient characters being brought to life as well as the new creatures and stories created by the author. I find myself more interested than ever in ancient Irish folklore, and look forward to reading more

This book was emotional and sweet and very intense. A lot of exploration of human nature and culture, womanhood, motherhood and religion. I would say this book is well written, not among the greats but decent enough that the story comes through well.
I like the characters and find the settings very vivid.

This children's horror novel was such good fun. Easy to read, and very entertaining. The Stephen King references are numerous and delightful. This is just the kind of book I would give to a 12 year old who loves scary stories, but isn't quite King age yet.

There is also a nice level of depth with the different kids going through the various struggles of childhood and family life.
I would read more by this author, and look forward to book two!

Wow. I Feed Her to the Beast is one exhilarating ride, I honestly couldn't put it down. Laure Mesny is the flawed MC I have been dying to meet for a long time. I had high expectations for this book when I picked it up, and it met so many of them head on.
If you are looking for an unapologetic and fierce main character, then this book is for you.

Faruq and the Wiri Wiri is a very sweet children's books about food, curiosity and gender expectations.
I was overjoyed opening the book when it arrived, it is so colourful and beautifully printed. The illustrations are all creative and detailed, perfect for little eyes to roam and discover.

TBH I think I would have DNF'd it if I wasn't listening to the audiobook while doing a big load of housework. It felt more inconvenient to switch books than to just finish this one once I had started.

Was it funny at times? Yes. But was it also disturbing and weirdly normalising of violent and murderous behaviour based on personal assumptions about someone's character? Also yes.

Colourful but Dismal
This historical novel was more sad and horrifying than anything else.
Two kids across time, both in dreadful situations, both being abused and ultimately in bad lives. I felt sad reading it and It didn't get any better by the end, the end was the worst. I just wanted something about it to be redeemable, but even the interest level waned in the shadow of the awful things.

I actually loved this book. I previously enjoyed A Throne of Swans by these authors, and I feel that this ancient era suits their writing style even better than the European fairytale, even though that tends to me more my style.
I figured out a few things early on that made me think there wouldn't be any surprises, but even still at the end there were a few unexpected revelations, which is always fun.

Overall I am happy to have read this inflammatory, provocative book. I enjoyed the general concept a great deal, and I would recommend it to specific people. Strong parallels exist with between The Quickening and Brave New World, 1984 and Fahrenheit 451. That's not to say that if you loved those books then you should read this one - it is certainly not of their class.

I think that if you like quick thrillers, this is an enjoyable story. There are exciting elements, fun twists and interesting implications. Sam Blake has a good way of writing the world we know in a reasonably familiar way without being boring. Not my top read of the year (or month) but I did enjoy this, and would read more from Sam Blake in the future.
I would recommend this to fans of Megan Miranda and Kate Atkinson.

This is truly a very strange book, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It felt like the Addams family (although the Addams family is somehow far more functional) meets a steampunk fairytale. I think it would make a fun cartoon. The writing style was not my absolute favourite, it was rather simplistic and had a vibe I didn‘t quite get on with.

Lexie Elliott does not disappoint with this beachside thriller, filled with tension and atmosphere.
Fast paced and exciting. I love Elliott's writing.

I truly enjoyed this story, and rate it with The Girl From Widow Hills, which I loved last year. The sense of place and culture were spot on, and the intrigue kept me guessing all the way through. I flew through this book and would recommend it to thriller and mystery readers wholeheartedly. I look forward to many more stories from Megan Miranda!

All The Girls Are So Nice Here is an intoxicatingly ugly story about what it takes to fit in. It is youthful and fun at times, and heavy and mature at others. I hope that the official copies of this book carry a trigger warning, for suicide and bullying specifically.

I would recommend this book to fans of Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, and Megan Miranda.

I like the general outcome of the plotline, and thought it was a fun story. The end was a little bit jittery, and I think it could have used a fair amount of reworking, but overall it got us there in the end.

I would recommend this book to fans of Megan Miranda and Michele Campbell. 3.5 stars.

I love the concept of this book. I'm a huge book/language nerd, and there's nothing better than a truly clever play on words.
Yet, I didn‘t have the highest of expectations for The Word Trove. This level of anthropomorphism makes the story read almost like an allegory, like Pilgrim‘s Progress, rather than as a fully imagined, fleshed out story world.
I would recommend this book to language nerds, and lit-lovers looking for a quick and easy read.

Another lovely fairytale, carefully reworked by Donnelly's expert hand.
It took me a little while to get into, but eventually I couldn't put it down. There are a few derivative elements, but overall this is a wonderfully immersive fairytale retelling. I particularly like the King of Crows as an addition, and the way she wrote the seven brothers. Recommended for fairytale and folklore lovers!

I think this is probably not a book for the Jane Austen purist, but I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who loves the Regency era, and wants a fresh, feminist look at one of history's most popular novels.

Raybearer is packed with story, and filled with beautiful souls from start to finish. It is full-on and intense, and wonderful. I would recommend this book to all types of readers, but specifically to lovers of magical folklore and fairytales. If you loved Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly, Thorn by Intisar Khanani, or The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis, then you must pick up Raybearer.

Overall I enjoyed The Wife Who Knew Too Much. The characters were well thought out for the most part, and the story, though predictable in places, had fun twists and turns that I wasn't expecting. I would recommend this to fans of Megan Miranda.

I greatly enjoyed the first book in the Revolution Spy series, The Bastille Spy, and have been eagerly awaiting this sequel. The Scarlet Code picks up just soon enough after the first book to be immediately accessible, but just long enough that you get the idea that things have been ticking along while we were looking away.

I have to say that I was delighted to love this book, as I was a touch disappointed with the end of Miranda‘s last book, The Last House Guest. I loved the characters, the setting and the plot, but the last few chapters let it down. The Girl From Widow Hills, however, kept its flow and manoeuvred it‘s way to a graceful and surprising finale. Highly recommended.

I truly enjoyed this journey between Camino and Yahaira, as each of them came to terms with who their father had been, and opened themselves up to be able to accept their new sister. There's a sense of realism in this story, showing the cracks and damage people live with every day, the fears and the failures. Mirrored to that, it shows the graces that we are afforded; the kindness of loved ones, the daily miracles and the comfort of nature.

I definitely look forward to reading more books by this author; I love his poetic descriptions and unusual sentence structures.
I would definitely recommend this book to a wide variety of people. It‘s a great murder mystery, but also pure drama. The small town element will appeal to a lot of people, and if you love Stephen King‘s scene setting but want a change of pace, I would wholeheartedly recommend We Begin at the End.

I love the classic fairytale feel mingled with middle eastern culture, in a world uniquely its own. I would absolutely recommend Thorn to any lover of classic fairytales and their retellings. I would rate it above Throne of Swans and just a speck below Stepsister. It is perfect for fans of Gail Carson Levine and Robin McKinley.

I really loved Anna K. For me it was the perfect balance of silly fun and genuine story. The setting was genuinely fun, and the characters were beautifully flawed-yet-loveable.
There really isn‘t a better way to describe this than to say it‘s like reading Gossip Girl meets Russian Lit. I would highly recommend this as a summer read!

The Foundling is captivating and beautiful historical novel. From chapter one I was desperate to know how it was going to turn out. The
characters are three dimensional, the personal stakes are so high for everyone I had to read fast before I got too stressed.
I flew through it, and couldn't wait to finish. Halls has a gift for storytelling, and it's a privilege to enjoy her writing. Would recommend to fans of Laura Purcell or Mary Shelley.

From page one, Gravity is the Thing had me literally laughing out loud. The tone of this book is so fantastically whimsical in a practical everyday sort of way, it's almost hard to describe. Abigail has a bit of a Miranda Hart thing going on, and I Iove the way her imagination works.The short snappy chapters were perfectly matched to the tone, and also highly effective at the whole “I'll just read one more“ tactic.

This beautifully atmospheric dark drama is full of moody setting and passion-filled youth. I immediately get Rebecca vibes from the writing, and from me that is a sublime compliment. The Gothic tones and corrupt understory both blend into an artistically thrilling piece of fiction.

I loved the this thrill packed book, and I found it fairly impossible to unravel the truth before the end. If you like bold, determined protagonists who will absolutely not take no for an answer, then look no further than Haven‘t They Grown. Full of twists and turns, you won‘t be able to stop thinking about it until you know what‘s really going on.

Overall, I would say that whilst I had issues with the structure and believability of this book, The Pact is an enjoyable and quick read if you are looking for something young, snappy and challenging of negative social norms. There are some loveable characters and some sweet moments, as well as some very painful and challenging scenes, which effectively highlight some of the things that have gone so wrong in our modern culture.

I found the mystery element to be very engaging, and I have to admit I only figured it out a few pages before the characters in the book did. The rabbit trails the author leads down are convincing and viable storylines. I enjoyed the back and forth between the present and the 80's, which gave variation to the story as well as feeding us new information about what happened back then slowly as it was needed.

This folklore noir is a short but languorous work of fiction, and I guarantee that it will capture your imagination for weeks after you finish the last line. For fans of local legends and dark history, this book will certainly keep you on your toes.

My overriding feeling whilst reading this book is a sense of wonderment that any of us are still alive. The facts presented are very incredible, and show just how delicate and yet tenacious life is.
This is a very intelligently written book, which is also attention-grabbing and easy to flip through. Each chapter focuses on a different film related to the theme of the chapter, and uses it to draw out different ideas and concepts.

With The Fire On High is a beautifully developed, emotionally perceptive and soul warming story of a teenage woman's struggle for wholeness. Emoni's path is riddled with pain and fear and difficulty, but her story shows the beauty that can be found in the rockiest of places, and the value of the simple things in life like love, good food, and above all, family.

I greatly enjoyed this book. It took me a while to get through, but mainly because the pace is of such a nature that you don't feel the need to rush through the story. I thought the balance of freaky and intense was very good, never pushing into the gratuitous or distasteful.
I recommend this book to those who enjoy the classic slow Gothic novels of Anne Radcliffe, as well as those who enjoyed the Haunting of Hill House and The Woman in Black.

As a whole, The Museum of Broken Promises is an intelligently written and emotionally searing journey. With true to life characters and a slow but consistent pace, you will walk through this story in Laure's shoes and see her world unfold around you.

This story is high intensity, without a moment of breathing space. It s full on from page one, and although that was a bit exhausting at times, I think overall it added to the stress-filled anxiety of the piece.

Recommended to lovers of modern sci-fi, and conspiracy theorists who enjoy scaring themselves about the impending robot takeover.

If you are looking for a thrilling adventure novel, you could do much worse than The Bastille Spy. It's a thrill ride from start to finish, with bad-ass girl power, and charming pirate and revolutionary heroism. Every chapter is fun and engaging, and I have a sneaking suspicion many of us will read it through the night just to find out what happens next.

Overall, this book was fantastically adventurous, and phenomenally feminist. The setting was exciting and absorbing, and the characters were complex and believable. I would recommend this book to fans of Samantha Shannon's Bone Season series and Wynonna Earp,

When the night comes, Clementine tries her best to fulfil her duty, but when her Lucky Night takes a turn for the worst, her instincts kick in, causing her to make a big mistake.
Forced to make a run for it, Clementine and Aster find themselves with a group of girls ready to do what it takes to fight their way to freedom.

Overall, I liked this book a lot more than I expected to. It was fun yet thoughtful, and deeply human. The characters were loveable and interesting, and the story was simple in the right ways but complex enough to keep you reading.

Brigitta is a young Austrian teenager. She is strong and fierce, and quick witted, but she is also a Jewish war orphan with nothing left to lose.

When Brigitta arrives in England, she has only one thought in mind - get to Summerland estate and find out once and for all the truth about her past.

Influencer Natalie didn't tell anyone where she was going, so no one knows she's missing until it's too late.
Andrew, manager of Shanamore Cottages doesn't know who killed his only guest, or how they knew that there was a hidden camera in the bedroom, recording everything.
Audrey is desperate to move into proper journalism. When she's given the opportunity to write a piece on the missing starlet, she is ready to make this the story of her career.

After my initial reaction, I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced thriller. The twists were brilliantly thought out, and the characters were each intriguing in their own ways. The switch between present and past tense gave the book dimension, and the foreknowledge that gave made it even more exciting to try and figure out what was going on. I would recommend this book to fans of Hannibal, Top of the Lake, and intense murder mysteries.

I loved this twisty family thriller, which was easy to devour in less than 24 hours. I had no clue before I started reading it that the family lives in Bristol, and was amazed to read apt descriptions of places less than a mile from my house. It was a little uncanny, as though I was reading something I had forgotten that I had written.