Tag: Magic

Lola and Larch #1: Lola and Larch Fix a Fairy Forest – Sinéad O’Hart

Illustrations – Rachel Seago

Lola and Larch meet during a storm. Larch has lost her way. Lola is excited by the prospect of having her very own rabbit.

Only Larch isn’t a rabbit; she’s a tree fairy with wonky magic. Sometimes she’s a fairy. Sometimes she’s a rabbit. Sometimes she’s even a fairy with bunny ears.

While Lola’s mother, a forest ranger, is busy investigating an odd purple mist in the forest, Lola gets to know her new friend. It turns out being a magical creature doesn’t mean you don’t have problems, the most pressing of which for Larch right now is the shadow on the forest floor that could spell danger for her village.

I haven’t found a Sinéad O’Hart book that I haven’t liked yet and don’t expect to anytime soon. I loved getting to witness the beginning of Lola and Larch’s friendship. I appreciated Larch’s range of emotions and the fact that she’s different, giving readers the opportunity to learn to celebrate their differences while having adventures along the way.

I really enjoyed Rachel Seago’s illustrations. The details line up well with the story and the characters, especially Larch, are very expressive.

While I loved them all, one in particular has me fascinated. On page 64, Lola is laying on the grass while Larch is mid feast. There’s a snail making its way across the garden wall. I’m not sure if this is pareidolia (who knew there was a word for it?!) or if there really is supposed to be someone wearing glasses hiding behind the shrub on the right side of the picture. Either way, I can’t stop looking at it!

Lola and Larch in the garden

The nighttime scenes accompanied by white text were some of my favourites.

I initially puzzled over bad fairy Euphorbia Spurge’s name. Then I Googled it and discovered that this works perfectly for her. I saw this plant described as ‘elegant yet tough’ and learned that its sap is poisonous and a skin irritant.

She may not technically be poisonous (although the sequel may prove me wrong) but being a power hungry baddie certainly speaks to her toxicity. I can’t help wondering if I could trick her into helping me out on the nights I have trouble sleeping…

I’m always drawn to the Grandma in children’s books and Lola’s Grandma is adorable. She didn’t leave her belief in magic behind in childhood so I really hope at some stage Larch breaks Rule the First for her.

Rule the First. Never reveal yourself to an Adult Human Creature, for they are Foolish and Not to be Trusted.

I trust you, Grandma!

I would have loved this book as a kid. Adult me found it delightful. It’s one of those books I’d happily read to a child. More than once.

I’m keen to see what this green haired fairy and her Child Human Creature get up to next.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Nosy Crow for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Lola can’t believe her luck – the rabbit she’s rescued is actually a fairy in disguise. Now she has her very own fairy! There’s just one problem. Larch, the rebellious fairy she’s rescued, is convinced that Lola is her human…

But while Larch and Lola discuss the merits of snail slime for breakfast and try to decide who should be in charge, there’s a bad fairy on the loose. Evil Euphorbia Spurge wants magic, and Larch is full of it. Soon it’s a battle of wits, wands and fairy wings as the new friends take on the wildest fairy in the woods…

Beautifully illustrated throughout, Lola and Larch is a heartwarming, funny celebration of friendship. It’s the perfect series for 7+ readers who like fairies, magic, and very naughty rabbits!

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Emily Wilde #2: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands – Heather Fawcett

“We are about to involve ourselves in a great deal of danger, much of it strange and unsettling.”

It’s time for Emily and Wendell to search for Wendell’s door and I, for one, am thrilled to have been invited to tag along for this quest. My enthusiasm may not be as contagious as that of Ariadne, Emily’s niece, but I have more field experience than her, having already accompanied Emily and Wendell to Ljosland, so my excitement is tempered by a tad of caution.

I also have some insider knowledge; Wendell’s stepmother is sending assassins to dispatch of him but my clothing is inside out so I’m confident I will be successful in evading any of the Folk’s attempts to enchant me.

“Oh, what a quest this is!”

The grumpy romance of the first book blindsided me in the best way possible. I wasn’t expecting it, thank goodness, or I probably wouldn’t have picked up the book in the first place. I actively avoid books that contain romance, which brings me to the second part of the blindsiding. I learned that I love grumpy romances, or at the very least, I love Emily and Wendell’s grumpy romance.

Their romance wasn’t quite as grumpy in this book, although they did have their moments. Their relationship has grown more comfortable since we first met them. That doesn’t mean we’re grumpless, though. Rose, who I absolutely adored, despite trying my hardest not to care a jot about him, does his very best to bring the grumpy with him wherever he goes.

I’m usually quite wary of sequels of my favourite books. They come with an almost impossibly high expectation of brilliance, having to compete with the joy of discovery you felt with the first book. This sequel didn’t disappoint.

In fact, I’m having trouble figuring out which book I loved more. There was the comfort in already knowing the main characters alongside the introduction of new characters, who managed to hold their own.

I love Emily. She’s lousy at small talk but is getting better at insults, her aim needs improvement and her journals contain footnotes. I adore the footnotes and need more of them!

Meanwhile, Wendell is a man after my own heart.

“There is nothing trivial about good coffee.”

If anything ever happens to Shadow, I will be bereft. I’d also like to put it out there that Poe can bake for me anytime.

I’d appreciate someone sharing Knight College’s postal address with me so I can submit my application to study dryadology.

If you have not already met Emily and Wendell, please make their acquaintance in preparation for this quest as there is prerequisite knowledge that will make this one more fulfilling.

Ensure you pack some carrots and maybe don’t look too closely at the faerie art. Be sure to bring enough pencils.

“Give me another pencil.”

“I only had the one on me!”

“One? Who are you?”

Handy hint: Do not allow Professor Eustacia Walters access to any of your books. If you ask me, she’s the true villain of this book.

If it is at all convenient, I would very much like to read the third book immediately.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit, an imprint of Little, Brown Book, for the opportunity to be delighted by this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore, and has catalogued many secrets of the Hidden Folk in her encyclopaedia with her infuriatingly charming fellow scholar, Wendell Bambleby, by her side.

But Bambleby is more than just a brilliant and unbearably handsome scholar. He’s an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother, in search of a door back to his realm. 

By lucky happenstance, Emily’s new project, a map of the realms of faerie, will take them on an adventure to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambleby’s realm, and the key to freeing him from his family’s dark plans. 

But with new friendships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors, and of her own heart.

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Casander Darkbloom and the Threads of Power – P.A. Staff

Illustrations – Nathan Collins

When I tell you I finished this book in one sitting, that only tells you part of the story. I haven’t been able to concentrate enough to read for over a month so it’s saying a lot that Cas, Warrior and my other new friends not only introduced themselves to me today but grabbed my attention and held onto it.

We’re introduced to Cas, who doesn’t remember anything before waking up outside of a curiosity shop. A curiosity shop that I would happily live in, mind you.

Brought to a school for the magically gifted by a stranger, Cas soon learns that he’s the Chosen One, AKA the Foretold. As such, he’s the only one who can stop the nefarious Master of All. It’s been prophesied, after all.

You know this story, right?

The wonderful thing is you actually don’t. At all. Yes, the writings of She Who Must Not Be Named are alluded to at one point but this is not that story.

Welcome to Wayward, in the Balance Lands.

“A halfway place between this world and the Normie world. And everywhere else. That’s how it got its name – Wayward. Way through the wards.”

The Balance Lands are a mirror image of the Normie world so things may look familiar but there are some significant differences. Normies don’t travel between worlds using reflections. They don’t have Puggle the Nuggle or Hobdogglin. They probably don’t have a chute from their bedroom to the library, but they absolutely should.

I had a couple of favourite characters, Warrior and Mrs Crane. The tips of Warrior’s hair change colour with her moods! As if that wasn’t enough to endear her to me, she’s a heart of gold wrapped inside a protective layer of attitude. She’s a badass. She’s a bit of a mystery. She has pain and passion, and she’s an outcast.

Meanwhile, Mrs Crane is the school librarian. As the keeper of the books, she’d have to be pretty boring to not grab my attention. Mrs Crane is anything but boring. She also has biscuits.

Cas, Warrior, Paws and Fenix are four friends who I really enjoyed getting to know. They’re all Abnormies so their magic doesn’t work like ‘normal’ magic. What I loved more than anything about this book is the message that being different isn’t something to be ashamed of.

“Whatever people tell you about who and what you are, always remember this: normal doesn’t exist. Everyone is different, from the points of our fingers to the tips of our toes. Being different is what’s normal. It’s what makes each one of us magic, each one of us strong.”

Nathan Collins’ illustrations complemented the story well. From the quirky characters to the creatures unique to Wayward, they matched the tone of the book.

This is the first book in a series that you’d better believe I’ll be continuing.

Favourite no context quote:

“I’m armed with a blanky and I’m not afraid to use it!”

Thank you so much to Walker Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

A boy with no memory. A world searching for a hero.

Casander Darkbloom has no memory, lives outside a curiosity shop, and experiences random surges of uncontrollable energy in his limbs. When he inexplicably brings a stuffed raven to life, he unravels a strange and thrilling magical world. A world waiting for Cas to save it.

Cas is the Foretold, the one prophesied to defeat the malevolent Master of All. Under the protection of Wayward School, Cas must learn to master his magical abilities. But, as he soon discovers, all may not be quite as it seems – and Cas will need to take control of his own destiny if he is to find the strength to fight the powers of evil.

Spectacular and imaginative, this thrilling fantasy novel celebrates difference and how what makes us unique is also our greatest strength.

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Thornhedge – T. Kingfisher

“Remember us, and if you can, find your way back to us in time.”

You know those special reads that cause you to immediately search out a signed copy as soon as you reach The End, if not sooner, because it’s now one of your forever books? Welcome to Thornhedge and check out my pretty Broken Binding preorder.

description

You probably think you know this story … a princess trapped in a tower in an enchanted sleep … the whole Sleeping Beauty thing. You’ve seen the Disney movie. You’ve read the retellings. You may have even read the original. You’ve absolutely questioned the lack of consent of that kiss.

But you don’t know this story. See, this isn’t the princess’ story. It’s Toadling’s. I unequivocally adore Toadling, with her blue-black tears and her determination to complete the task she was given so long ago.

“But we are not always given the choices that we want.”

Toadling is an absolute sweetheart whose loyalty is strong enough to endure for centuries and who wants nothing more than to be with her family. Not the family of her birth; the one who adopted her after she was stolen.

Toadling’s got a job to do, though, and it involves the princess in the tower that this story is not about. Unbeknownst to dear Toadling, although soon to be knownst, a knight has commenced a quest and it’s quite possible he’s going to make a right mess of the status quo.

“This is my place,” she said finally. “You are in it.”

This is a story of aching loneliness and not entirely fitting in anywhere. It’s found family and deep connections. It has magic and it is magical. It’s dark and it’s delightful and, I have to agree with the author here, it is sweet.

T. Kingfisher has quickly become one of my favourite authors and this novella has confirmed why. Toadling lives in my heart now and she’s not leaving anytime soon.

Favourite no context quote:

“This would be easier if you could turn into a toad”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this novella.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

There’s a princess trapped in a tower. This isn’t her story.

Meet Toadling. On the day of her birth, she was stolen from her family by the fairies, but she grew up safe and loved in the warm waters of faerieland. Once an adult though, the fae ask a favor of Toadling: return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Simple, right?

If only.

Centuries later, a knight approaches a towering wall of brambles, where the thorns are as thick as your arm and as sharp as swords. He’s heard there’s a curse here that needs breaking, but it’s a curse Toadling will do anything to uphold…

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Fat Witch Summer – Lizzy Ives

“Will you run away with us? And choose your own destiny?”

A group of teenage witches go on a road trip… That’s all I needed to know to pick up this book. I was ready for the bonding that comes from shared experiences and the hope our four witches would meet some interesting people along the way.

Thrash really wants the Gift of Sight. Her mother wants Thrash to have the Gift of Glamour. This is a problem for Thrash because, in this matriarchal society, mothers get to choose which Gift their children receive. What’s a girl to do?!

Well, if you’re Thrash, this is the perfect opportunity to go on a road trip with three witches from school she barely knows. They’re on a mission to liberate the Gifts they want. They didn’t expect things to spiral this much out of control.

I was entirely on board with learning how magic works in Thrash’s world. I thought some bonding time between myself and the girls was inevitable but didn’t connect with any of the characters. There were also fewer scenes involving Thrash, Saki, Em and Cresca bonding and more with a bunch of people chasing them across the Thirteen States than I expected.

This is marketed as a body positive novel and there are some elements of that. This was offset for me by many of the characters having significant struggles with their bodies, though, including those who use magic to change their appearance.

While this was an entertaining read, I wasn’t captivated by it like I’d hoped. I’m left with quite a few unanswered questions, the most pressing of which is, did Takoda survive?

I definitely need a magical bottomless trunk to store all of my books.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sword & Rose Press for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Sixteen year old Thrash doesn’t enchant eyeliner over her lids or clear her acne with magic. She is plus-size, but she doesn’t hate what she sees in the mirror – that’s the realm of her mother, Osmarra, a slim and elegant Glamour witch. When Thrash unexpectedly breaks a mirror with her mind, she discovers she has a knack for magic and will receive one of the three sanctioned Gifts: Glamour, Growth, or Sight. The only problem is that mothers choose the Gifts, and Osmarra is convinced that the Gift of Glamour will fix her daughter’s looks.

When Thrash fails to persuade Osmarra to accept her as she is, a trio of cool witches who call themselves The Lunes offer her an out. Their leader, fiery and charismatic Cresca, recruits Thrash for a road trip to New Salem University, where the girls plan to steal their own Gifts. As Thrash crosses the magical Thirteen States of America, Osmarra hot on her heels, she discovers bewitched diners, haunted tourist traps, and a secret about the Gifts that will change the Thirteen States forever.

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Emily Wilde #1: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries – Heather Fawcett

“One doesn’t need magic if one knows enough stories”

This book made a liar out of me. I’ve been proudly declaring my romantiphobia for years. I’ve gleefully avoided books that even hint at a romance in the blurb. When I find undisclosed mushy bits, I feel cheated.

And all of this time it turns out that I absolutely adore grumpy romances. Or maybe it’s just Emily Wilde and Wendell Bambleby’s snarky banter that I’ve waiting for my entire life.

Eight years ago, Emily, then 22, was Cambridge’s youngest adjunct professor. She’s still hoping to receive tenure. Bambleby is her friend, her only friend. You can’t exactly accuse them of being warm and fuzzy.

The problem with Bambleby, I’ve always found, is that he manages to inspire a strong inclination towards dislike without the satisfaction of empirical evidence to buttress the sentiment.

Bambleby, for his part, gives as good as he gets.

‘We cannot all be made of stone and pencil shavings’

Grumpy banter is my new favourite thing. I love these two!

For the past nine years, Emily, who has a “heart filled with the dust of a thousand library stacks”, has been hard at work, researching and writing her book. She’s only got one chapter to go, which is why she finds herself in the “delightful winter wasteland” that is Hrafnsvik, Ljosland.

Emily is loveable in all of her social awkwardness. Practically as soon as she meets some villagers, she finds a way to accidentally alienate herself.

How was it that in trying to remove my foot from my mouth, I invariably managed to shove it in even deeper?

There are faeries (obviously) and other magical beings, there’s danger and adventure and just so much snark. And there’s Shadow, who I adored.

I wasn’t entirely sure if this would be the book for me when I started reading but it utterly enchanted me. I can’t wait to spend more time with these grumps!

“How does one manage to affix toast to the ceiling?”

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party – or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.

So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, muddle Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.

But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones – the most elusive of all faeries – lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all – her own heart.

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The Magician’s Daughter – H.G. Parry

“We need to bring magic back into the world.”

If ever there was a book that could make you believe in magic, this is it.

Me? Well, I already believed. But now I believe even more.

Biddy has grown up on the island of Hy-Brasil with Rowan, who is sometimes a raven, and Hutch, who is sometimes not a rabbit. Unlike Rowan and Hutch, Biddy doesn’t have magic.

At almost seventeen, Biddy has never left the island.

She was a liminal person, trapped between a world she’d grown out of and another that wouldn’t let her in.

Throughout her life, Rowan has flown to the mainland. He always returns before dawn … until the day that he doesn’t.

This world invited me in and made me feel at home. I accompanied Biddy as she transformed from a sheltered, bookish girl to a young woman who‘s beginning to discover what she’s capable of.

“In every fairy tale ever told, it’s a bad idea to tangle with a magician’s daughter.”

As I walked alongside her, I not only saw through her eyes but felt what she was experiencing.

My favourite vicarious experience was Biddy’s relationship with Rowan and Hutch. I’m always a sucker for stories that introduce me to found families. This one, though, made me care so deeply about the individuals and their bond that even thinking about the connection between Rowan and Hutch being severed was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

This was a stressful read, in the best way possible. When the characters were in danger I not only feared for their safety but the effect it would have on the others if anything bad happened to them.

Although this is a story of magic and adventure, it is also bookish in so many wonderful ways. Most of what Biddy knows of the outside world, she learned from books and she prepares for new experiences by reading. Their castle (yes, they live in a castle!) has a library with thousands of books. There’s also a library inside a tree!

I’m not sure how this magic works but this read gave me the comfort I feel rereading a childhood favourite while delivering the anticipation of a new book that you can’t put down.

This is going to be one of my favourite reads of the year. I need to read everything this author ever writes.

“It’s all complicated and messy and wild and glorious.”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit, an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group, for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Off the coast of Ireland sits a legendary island hidden by magic. A place of ruins and ancient trees, sea-salt air and fairy lore, Hy-Brasil is the only home Biddy has ever known. Washed up on its shore as a baby, Biddy lives a quiet life with her guardian, the mercurial magician Rowan. A life she finds increasingly stifling.

One night, Rowan fails to return from his mysterious travels. To find him, Biddy must venture into the outside world for the first time. But Rowan has powerful enemies – forces who have hoarded the world’s magic and have set their sights on the magician’s many secrets.

Biddy may be the key to stopping them. Yet the closer she gets to answers, the more she questions everything she’s ever believed about Rowan, her past, and the nature of magic itself.

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