Tag: NetGalley

A Botanical Daughter – Noah Medlock

Simon does his work in the basement. His “cadaverous creations” range from social commentary to the whimsical.

It wasn’t his fault he was good at stuffing God’s creatures and posing them to lampoon the social mores of the day.

Gregor works in the light, cultivating floral and fungal wonders from near and far, guided by his imagination and innovative spirit.

He had better things to do – there was botany afoot.

Simon and Gregor have never had the opportunity to have a child. Until now. Their relationship is unconventional for the time and, as a result, secret. The same could be said of their daughter.

I’ve been obsessed with this cover since I first saw it. I also may have been a tad obsessed with the blurb.

Sometimes the reality of a book doesn’t line up with your expectations but that’s not the book’s fault and it’s not always the worst thing that could happen.

The writing was more poetic than I thought I’d find and that was a pleasant surprise. There was a formality to some of the writing, which I also didn’t expect, but that fit well with the time period in which the book takes place.

I was awed by the amount of research that must have gone into the potential repurposing of each plant. As someone who has successfully managed to kill an air fern, I’m clearly not the most horticulturally minded person. As a result, I sometimes glazed over when I encountered details that were beyond me.

I swear I will see the day when humans fully understand the botanical kingdom, and the botanical kingdom fully understands us.

I never really connected with Simon or Gregor but I had a soft spot for Jennifer. I wanted to spend more time with Rosalinda.

I spent the entire book waiting for hell to break loose and probably hyped it up too much in my mind. There was the body horror I’d hoped for but not as much as I’d wanted.

To be fair, I’m not sure there’d ever be enough body horror for me. At this point, I may be somewhat immune. I’ve just binged all of the Saw movies and wasn’t squeamish once. If you’re not as bloodthirsty as me, you’ll probably find the right amount of body horror here.

And, you never know, you may be invited to very-high tea.

Now all we can do is hope, pray, and water.

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

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

It is an unusual thing, to live in a botanical garden. But Simon and Gregor are an unusual pair of gentlemen. Hidden away in their glass sanctuary from the disapproving tattle of Victorian London, they are free to follow their own interests without interference. For Simon, this means long hours in the dark basement workshop, working his taxidermical art. Gregor’s business is exotic plants – lucrative, but harmless enough. Until his latest acquisition, a strange fungus which shows signs of intellect beyond any plant he’s seen, inspires him to attempt a masterwork: true intelligent life from plant matter.

Driven by the glory he’ll earn from the Royal Horticultural Society for such an achievement, Gregor ignores the flaws in his plan: that intelligence cannot be controlled; that plants cannot be reasoned with; and that the only way his plant-beast will flourish is if he uses a recently deceased corpse for the substrate.

The experiment – or Chloe, as she is named – outstrips even Gregor’s expectations, entangling their strange household. But as Gregor’s experiment flourishes, he wilts under the cost of keeping it hidden from jealous eyes. The mycelium grows apace in this sultry greenhouse. But who is cultivating whom?

Told with wit and warmth, this is an extraordinary tale of family, fungus and more than a dash of bloody revenge from an exciting new voice in queer horror.

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Bite Risk: Caught Dead – S.J. Wills

The moon was almost full when I got my claws on this book. Six Howl nights have passed since I first met Sel, which is appropriate because that’s how long it’s been since the Rippocalypse.

It was much easier getting into Tremorglade this time around because it’s no longer cut off from the outside world. Thanks, Sel. Now the entire world has been introduced to the corpus pilori virus. Thanks, Sel!

When you’ve already helped cause the end of the world, what’s left to be afraid of?

The people of Tremorglade have had a long time to get used to turning into Rippers and would be only too happy to lend a hand to the newbies, especially Olive. Depending on your perspective, transforming into a Ripper once a month is either the best thing ever (think Ripper Cultists) or the end of the world.

Immutables, people who don’t Turn, are now in the minority and some have little dog syndrome. They’re trying to convince anyone who’ll listen that Rippers should be put back in their cages, but Rippers aren’t dangerous anymore, right? Right?

The main characters don’t know who to trust and neither did I. I viewed practically everyone with suspicion and wondered if that was in part a result of the us versus them mentality of some of the characters. Fear of the other was the impetus for a whole bunch of dastardly deeds.

Having several narrators telling the story can be distracting for me sometimes but it worked really well here. It’s a good thing, too. Otherwise we wouldn’t know what was happening for entire sections as you don’t remember what you do when you’re Ripped out.

My favourites from the first book all returned for the second in some form or another and I got to meet some of the newbies. My favourite new character wasn’t a newbie at all. She was there all along but because she’s only eleven, Sel hasn’t really paid that much attention to her before, even though they’re next door neighbours.

Mika is oftentimes the voice of reason. She’s determined, persistent and gutsy. And she has a pony called Jelly Bean. I absolutely adore her!

After waiting six entire full moons to be able to sink my teeth into this book, I got sucked straight into it. The story was engaging from page 1 and was as good, if not better, than the first book.

I hoped all book that there’d be an opening at the end for a third book and, oh boy, is there an opening! I need the next book really soon, preferably before the next full moon!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

After Sel Archer and his friends uncover a conspiracy that turns the whole world upside down, it seems that the residents of Tremorglade are finally free. Adults can Turn at the full moon with no restrictions, no longer locked in cages and left to roam free. But the town’s new found fame is at risk as attacks begin to happen on Howl Night. Rumours of a foul, unkillable beast begin to stir … someone or something is plotting to control the Turned once and for all. 

A blockbuster teen horror series for fans of Skuduggery Pleasant, join Sel and his friends as they navigate a nail-biting horror story, dodging terrifying adults and even more terrifying beasts. Discover the first heart-pumping instalment with the multi award-shortlisted Bite Risk.

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Hamlet is Not OK- R.A. Spratt

Selby lives in an apartment above her parents’ bookstore. It sounds to me like she’s living the dream. Not so much, though. Selby’s not like the rest of her family. She doesn’t do well in school and she’s not a fan of books.

She’s pretty well caught up on all of the soap operas she binges but that doesn’t count as an accomplishment to her parents. And she may have forgotten to do her homework for the past six months.

Now her binge watching days are over and she has a hobbit for a tutor. Okay, maybe not literally but she has trouble seeing Dan, one of her older brother’s friends, as anything else.

A good author can make words come alive but not usually to this extent. Before they know what’s happening, Selby and Dan are in the story.

‘There are stranger things in heaven and earth than in our imaginations, Selby.’

In spending time in the pages of Hamlet, themes of grief, loss and mental health are explored.

‘It’ll be fun. You might even learn something.’

Speaking of, you may stumble across some accidental learning.

I’m not quite sure where this book fits. It reads like a middle grade book but the main character is 16 and my library categorised it as YA. If this had been published when I was a kid, I probably would have read it when I was 10 or 11. I usually liked reading about kids who were older than I was but the Shakespeare would have tripped me up.

If you’ve somehow made it this far without reading Hamlet or at least picking up on the basics of the story by osmosis, you’re in for some major spoilers.

This book is a reader’s dream come true, playing with the magic of bringing a book to life. If I had the ability to transport myself into a fictional world, I probably wouldn’t be choosing one with such a high body count, but Selby didn’t get to choose her English homework.

‘I told you if you saw the play performed live it would make more sense to you.’

I couldn’t read a book like this without thinking about the stories I’d choose to spend a few chapters in if I had the chance. The chocoholic in me wants to hide out in Wonka’s factory for a while. Kid me would have wanted to live inside The Neverending Story, after the whole Nothing business was fixed. Ultimately, though, I think I’d want to spend with my kindred spirit, Anne Shirley Cuthbert.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Independent Publishers Group and Penguin Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Australia, for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Selby hates homework. 

She would rather watch TV – anything to escape the tedium of school, her parents’ bookshop and small-town busybodies. 

So Selby didn’t plan to read Hamlet. She certainly never planned to meet him. 

This novel transports Selby, and the reader, into the cold and crime-ridden play itself. Here she meets Hamlet: heavy with grief, the young prince is overthinking and over everything. Selby can relate. But unlike Hamlet, Selby isn’t afraid of making decisions. In her world, Selby is used to feeling overlooked. But in the bloody, backstabbing world of Shakespeare, Selby’s good conscience and quiet courage might just save some lives … hopefully before Hamlet stabs one of her classmates.

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The Spell of a Story – Mariajo Ilustrajo

A young girl comes home after her last day of school with terrible news. She has to read an entire book during the school holidays.

Just one? For the entire school holidays? That is terrible news.

She hates books.

Blasphemy!

Her sister takes her to the library,

Ooh, the mother ship!

where she’s introduced to the book that will change her life.

Okay, so what you’re telling me is the sister is the hero of this story.

I love books. I love books about books. I love books about loving books.

The words in this one are wonderful, sure, but it’s the illustrations I keep going back to. Our soon to be kindred spirit is absolutely adorable!

Seeing our reluctant reader glued to the page is what joy is made of. Witnessing the moment she transforms into one of us is pure magic.

Prior to their visit to the library, the colours are muted. You can see more vivid colours beginning to escape the pages in the library and when the girl begins to read.

Muted colours

Once her imagination sparks, though, that’s when the colours come to life.

The colours come to life

I appreciated the sneaky inclusion of the author’s other books on the classroom bookshelf. Be on the lookout, as I always am, for Mary Poppins. You may also find a Lost polar bear.

You don’t need a spell to convince me of the life changing magic of books. My hope for this book is that it’s the first adventure for tomorrow’s bookworms.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, an imprint of The Quarto Group, for the opportunity to read this picture book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

From the award-winning creator of Flooded and Lost comes a magical story about the joy of discovering a connection with books for the very first time.

This brightly illustrated adventure story is perfect for kids who claim to hate reading, as the enchanting narrative opens their eyes to a fantasy world created by words on a page.

In this spellbinding story, we meet a little girl excited for the end of term. No more school! However, she’s given the very unreasonable task of reading a whole book over the holidays. A whole book? but she HATES books. Luckily, her sister takes her to the library and says she has just the thing.

Slowly, the little girl is drawn into a world of adventure inside her own imagination, for the very first time. Even the greyscale world starts to fill with colour as she is carried away in the story. A little fennec fox leads her to meet fairytale witches and creatures as they find ingredients to cast a special spell at the end of her book.

The little girl is dismayed to learn that this spell seemingly hasn’t changed a thing. However, the little fox points out that she is completely transformed: discovering the power of her imagination has changed her forever.

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The Glass House – Anne Buist & Graeme Simsion

We meet Hannah a few weeks after she begins working as a registrar in the Mental Health Services’ Acute Unit at Menzies Hospital.

Acute psychiatry is the emergency medicine of mental health: for the stuff nobody saw coming. Until someone close to them becomes paranoid or overdoses or begins cutting themselves.

We follow Hannah as she finds her feet in this role while working towards her goal of being accepted into the psychiatry training program. Along the way, we’re introduced to Hannah’s colleagues and patients. It’s confronting meeting people experiencing some of the worst moments of their lives and throughout this book you’ll witness what mental health emergencies can look like.

I got off on the wrong foot with Hannah. Her appearing to casually ‘diagnose’ a colleague she barely knows and her blind spot about how beneficial therapy could be for her irked me.

As for getting therapy myself, it’s not at the top of my to do list right now.

Her ability to put off getting therapy surprised me too. The people I know who work as psychologists and social workers all have regular supervision appointments. I expected to be attending the psychiatry equivalent with Hannah, even if she didn’t go to therapy herself, but if this was part of her life she didn’t invite me along.

Hannah slowly grew on me as I made my way through the book but my own bias prevented me from warming to her much. I’ve noticed in my own life that people in helping professions who are hesitant to work on themselves are less likely to be able to sit alongside me as I work on myself. Hannah’s reluctance to do so, while I knew there’d be a reason behind this, meant that I never really trusted her.

It didn’t help that sometimes her judgements about patients and lack of sensitivity infuriated me.

‘How can she bear to be so pathetic?’

This is challenged by a coworker. Thank you, Jon.

Connecting with a main character isn’t essential, though. I’ve liked plenty of books where I didn’t and liking Hannah isn’t necessary to enjoy this book. There are so many other people to meet, both patients and staff.

There were some, like Nash and his clear disregard for the value of social work, that I wanted to steer clear of. Then there were others I wanted to spend all of the book with.

Carey’s insight made me want to get to know them better and I loved Elena’s ability to think and work outside the box. I wanted to go back in time and advocate for Chloe and Brianna.

This book provides a rare glimpse at what working in this field is like, from an insider’s perspective. You feel the pressure of making the right call because the wrong one could result in someone’s death. You witness the struggle to free up beds to work within the parameters of a healthcare system that’s flawed at best. You see the power struggles amongst the staff and are wearied by the politics.

I found it interesting that by beginning the chapters with just a snippet of conversation or a scenario about someone we don’t know yet, it invites you to make a judgement call on what diagnosis the patient will be given, and indeed who the patient will be. It’s easy to start seeing people as diagnoses, not people, like when Nash talks about patients as PD’s (meaning personality disorders), stripping them of their humanity.

I don’t have a problem per se with diagnoses or with appropriate mental health treatment. My bugbear is when peoples’ normal and expected responses to trauma are given a diagnosis that’s then used to discredit their character and reliability. This didn’t play out as much as I expected here but I still cringed whenever a personality disorder was diagnosed.

I kept thinking that this is what a mental health spinoff of 24 Hours in A&E might look like. This book provided mini case studies that ran the gamut of mental health emergencies.

I can see this working well as the first in a series. I’d be interested in watching Hannah grow in both her personal and professional life over time.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Psychiatry registrar Doctor Hannah Wright, a country girl with a chaotic history, thought she had seen it all in the emergency room. But that was nothing compared to the psychiatric ward at Menzies Hospital.

Hannah must learn on the job in a strained medical system, as she and her fellow trainees deal with the common and the bizarre, the hilarious and the tragic, the treatable and the confronting. Every day brings new patients: Chloe, who has a life-threatening eating disorder; Sian, suffering postpartum psychosis and fighting to keep her baby; and Xavier, the MP whose suicide attempt has an explosive story behind it. All the while, Hannah is trying to figure out herself.

With intelligence, frankness and humour, eminent psychiatrist Anne Buist tells it like it is, while co-writer Graeme Simsion brings the light touch that made The Rosie Project an international bestseller and a respected contribution to the autism conversation.

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The Butcher of the Forest – Premee Mohamed

Veris is wearing her pyjamas when she’s given a quest by the conqueror of her land. She needs to find his children. Or else.

“If you do not recover my children your village will be razed to the ground and burnt, and we will roast your people alive upon it and eat them.”

So, no pressure. I suppose they don’t call him the Tyrant for nothing.

It’s not like the north woods are dangerous or anything…

“They told us no one ever gets out.”

I appreciated that Veris isn’t a spring chicken when we meet her, not that pushing 40 is old by any stretch of the imagination. She’s already done the impossible so she’s bringing knowledge hard won by experience. She’s also bringing traumatic memories she didn’t have the last time she stepped into the woods.

I’m a huge fan of body horror so that sat well with me. I encountered a number of oddities in the north woods, my favourite of which were the guardians.

I enjoyed this read but I’m left wanting more. Details about Elmever: its history, its inhabitants, why it is the way it is. The full story of Veris’ first time there. The backstory of the Tyrant, because you know he has to have a backstory to become … that. I also wanted to get to know Eleonor and Aram better.

I’m sure I’ll get some of this in the sequel. There’s absolutely going to be a sequel. It’s been set up so there’s really no other option.

I’m keen to read it but part of me is frustrated too. I wish this had been a novel instead, one that fleshed this story out some more and provided a conclusion. My need to know is trumping my frustration, though, so I’ll definitely be there for the sequel.

“I’m ready to go back to … to the woods.”

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

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

At the northern edge of a valley ruled by a ruthless foreign tyrant lies a wild forest, home to otherworldly creatures and dangerous magic. The local people know never to enter — for no one who strays into the north woods is ever seen again. No one, that is, except Veris Thorn.

When the children of the Tyrant vanish into the wood, Veris is summoned to rescue them. She has only one day before the creatures of the forest claim the children for their own. If she fails, her punishment will be swift and merciless.

To stand a chance of surviving the wood, Veris must evade traps and trickery, ancient monsters and false friends, and the haunting memory of her last journey into the forest. 

Time is running short. One misstep will cost everything.

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Sworn Soldier #2: What Feasts at Night – T. Kingfisher

Prodigal wastrel Easton is returning to Gallacia with Hob, kan horse, and Mr Angus, kan long time friend, whose grunt vocabulary is impressive.

All things being equal, Easton would prefer to be in Paris but Miss Potter is coming to visit the fungus and practice her Gallacian.

What trash has the wind blown in, then?

It’s all very grim and grey, but that’s as Gallacian as carved turnip shutters. It’s not usually this quiet, though.

It seems that trouble follows whenever this trio are together. The current trouble involves the very real complications that result from a superstition coming for you. What feasts at night, besides me? It’s best if you find out yourself but it’ll take your breath away.

I loved the descriptions that reminded me early on that I wasn’t invited along for a simple catch up amongst the friends who survived the first book: “a tangle of vines draped over a bare tree like spilled entrails.”

Speaking of the first book, you really should read it before this one. This could be read as a standalone in a pinch but you’ll want to read What Moves the Dead once you’ve finished this one anyway. Plus, there’s spoilers for the first book here and you really don’t want anyone ruining the fun for you.

I’m aware that this is a cop out but I can’t choose a favourite in this series. I felt more dread in the first book but I enjoyed the interaction between the characters more in this one.

The depiction of PTSD (called soldier’s heart here) is authentic. PTSD invades every aspect of your life, regardless of the shape of the ‘war’ you survived. The impacts Easton experiences in this series are realistic.

I love catch-all phrases and I found one here that I’m going to have fun irritating people with, particularly when someone asks how I am when it’s a throwaway line, not a genuine inquiry.

“I’m keeping”

Make sure you save some mushrooms for Miss Potter and see if you can get the Widow to smile.

“Hmmph!”

It might be a good idea to check under your pillow before you go to bed tonight.

I now have a more pressing need for a book that gives Miss Potter centre stage. I see this taking place in England. Easton and Angus visit her, perhaps for a wedding. There’s a mycological emergency of sorts, possibly involving fairies…

“Until next we meet, young sinner!”

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

When Alex Easton travels to Gallacia as a favour to their friend, Britain’s foremost mycologist Miss Potter, they find their home empty, the caretaker dead, and the grounds blanketed by an uncanny silence. The locals won’t talk about what happened to the caretaker. None of them will set foot on the grounds.

Whispers of an unearthly breath-stealing creature from Gallacian folklore don’t trouble practical Easton. But as their sleep is increasingly disturbed by vivid nightmares and odd happenings perplex the household, they are forced to confront the possibility that there is more to the old folk stories than they’d like to believe.

A dark shadow hangs over Easton’s house. And nobody will rest until justice is done.

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The Book of Doors – Gareth Brown

‘Don’t let the world pass you by.’

The first thing you learn about Cassie is that she works in a bookstore. So, basically, she’s a kindred spirit.

It’s just beginning to snow as she’s getting ready to close Kellner Books for the night. Mr Webber, a regular, is mid coffee. He’s reading The Count of Monte Cristo again. Mr Webber loves the classics.

‘A good story is just as good the second time around.’

This is the night that Mr Webber gives Cassie a book. All books are special but this one is life-changing. I mean, more than other life-changing books. Cassie gets a glimpse of just how much when she gets home that night. You see, Venice isn’t usually in her bedroom.

This is the Book of Doors and the possibilities are endless. It’s one of the most coveted books in the world and many who seek it have nefarious agendas.

Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door.

The heart of this book for me was Mr Webber. He was an absolute sweetheart. He could have been on every page and I still would have wanted to spend more time with him.

I wasn’t a fan of the way two characters spoke at times. One of the baddies was misogynistic, racist and made light of domestic violence at one point. You can be the biggest Bad without resorting to any of this and, other than making me despise them more, it added nothing to the story. Neither did Izzy body shaming herself.

I’ve decided I should never live above a cheesecake shop. I am, however, ready to move in to the Shadow House.

This book contains a lot of magic. My favourite magic, though, was the ice cream that didn’t go off in ten years. Not that ice cream will ever have a chance of expiring in my home but I liked the idea that, if you were so inclined, you could go back and finish off that ice cream you started eating a decade ago. Although, now that I think about it, if you’re the sort of person who could leave ice cream unfinished for years, I’m not sure I trust you. This type of magic may be wasted on you.

I don’t know if you can read this book without thinking about how you would use the Book of Doors. I’d be walking through my maternal grandparents’ front door in the 90’s. They were my favourite people and there are so many things I want to tell them about: what’s happening in my life, stories they’d laugh at, movies and books I know they’d love. I’d want to hear more stories about their lives and have the opportunity to have random conversations with them about whatever.

I also thought about which book other than the Book of Doors I’d like to have in my possession. There are so many that wield enormous power, that could be used to change the world, for better or worse. I think the Book of Joy is the one for me, though. The possibilities alone make me smile.

‘It’s always about the books, isn’t it?’

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bantam Press, an imprint of Transworld Publishers, Penguin Random House UK, for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Because some doors should never be opened.

New York bookseller Cassie Andrews is not sure what she’s doing with her life. She lives quietly, sharing an apartment with her best friend, Izzy. Then a favourite customer gives her an old book. Full of strange writing and mysterious drawings, at the very front there is a handwritten message:

This is the Book of Doors. Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door.

Cassie is about to discover that the Book of Doors is a special book – a magic book. A book that bestows extraordinary abilities on whoever possesses it. And she is about to learn that there are other magic books out there that can also do wondrous – or dreadful and terrifying – things.

Because where there is magic there is power and there are those who will stop at nothing to possess it. 

Suddenly Cassie and Izzy are confronted by violence and danger, and the only person who can help them is Drummond Fox who has a secret library of magical books hidden in the shadows for safekeeping, a man fleeing his own demons. Because there is a nameless evil out there that is hunting them all…

Because this book is worth killing for.

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Here Be Dragons – Susannah Lloyd

Illustrations – Paddy Donnelly

Our arrogant pompous self assured knight is on a mission: to find a dragon. He’s determined, he has a map and a trusty steed who is, quite frankly, the brains of the operation.

The knight trusts his own judgement and buries his head in the map, oblivious to the signs he passes. Even the literal ones.

The knight misses the signs

This is one of those picture books where the words and the pictures tell vastly different stories. If we trust the knight, we’ll believe there’s nothing to see here, but we know better.

Paddy Donnelly’s illustrations tell us the other story. It’s not only the dragon the knight fails to see. He misses practically the entire story. Just some of what he misses are a unicorn, treasure and the real heroes of this story.

If I’d read this as a kid, I would have loved pointing out all of the times I found the dragon. Adult me may have also enjoyed doing this but also loved seeing the expressions on the animals’ faces.

My favourite expression happened early in the book, when the knight is in Ye Olde Shoppe. He may have purchased that map and bargain bin sword or he may have appropriated them when the shopkeeper’s back was turned. What’s not in doubt is how bored his horse is; without a word you can see they’re well acquainted with the knight’s self-aggrandising behaviour.

I read a lot of picture books. Not all of them make a lasting impression. This one has. I borrowed it from the library in 2021 and as soon as I saw it again I knew I had to reread it. It was just as much fun as I remembered.

I got even more out of the illustrations this time around. There’s so much to see. It’s taken me four reads to pick up on the fact that the bunny flying through the air is still visible when you turn to the next page.

I’m definitely going to be reading this again.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, an imprint of The Quarto Group, for the opportunity to read this picture book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Children will love this hilarious book about a silly knight who goes in search of a dragon to battle!

The other knights have told him that there’s no such thing as dragons, but he says, ‘Forsooth! There is TOO such a thing!’ You just need to know where to look!

And luckily, this knight has something very special that no one else has – a map that says: ‘HERE BE DRAGONS’!

So, he sets off armed with the map, his sword, and his trusty steed. He travels straight to the spot marked ‘X’, past shiny treasure, some suspicious bones and many signs telling him to TURN BACK!

But alas, he’s too busy looking at his map to notice. He wanders up and down a spiky hill (the dragon’s back), shouts into a burrow (the dragon’s nose), and eventually walks into a very dark cave (the dragon’s mouth).

In this laugh-out-loud story, young readers will love seeing the hapless knight search for the dragon, all the while not seeing how close he truly is to the beast!

Will he see the dragon before it’s too late?!

With expert storytelling from the author of This Book Can Read Your Mind, Susannah Lloyd, and whimsical illustrations from the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal nominee, Paddy Donnelly, this is a book that will delight time after time. Kids will love coming back to the bookshelf and seeing if they can spot the fearsome dragon in the background. Comedic illustrations with hidden clues hinting at the dragon’s whereabouts accompany funny and lively text which kids and parents alike will love to read aloud!

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Polyvagal Prompts – Deb Dana & Courtney Rolfe

Naming our experience begins the process of letting go of judgment and self-blame and making room for curiosity.

I first encountered Polyvagal Theory about a year ago but initially had trouble getting past the sciencey bits so hadn’t made it to the understanding part. That changed when I read Our Polyvagal World by Stephen Porges and Seth Porges. So many lightbulbs went off in my head I may as well have had the sun in there.

Suddenly I made sense to me. Not only that, other people also made sense. My optimism was tempered by a history of thinking something’s a great idea, knowing it would be better for me if I incorporated it into my life and momentum fading as life invariably happens.

This stuck, though, so much so that I now think in terms of colours. Thanks to the bazillion times I watched Twister in the late 90’s, I began to think of the ventral vagal state as ‘greenage’.

Twister greenage meme

Thanks, Dusty!

And you know what? It also stuck and I’m delighted to report that apparently it’s contagious. The fun of hearing people who usually speak quite formally casually mentioning greenage makes my green that much brighter.

Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to read more about Polyvagal Theory. I started at the end of this book because of course I did. Actually, it is suggested as an option in the Introduction so this wasn’t me going rogue.

There you’ll find A Beginner’s Guide to Polyvagal Theory and a glossary. The Beginner’s Guide can act as either an introduction or a refresher. I found it helpful to revisit what I’d previously learnt.

The guided prompts are presented in a logical progression, although you can work through them in any order. I’d be interested to discover how my answers change over time.

I absolutely loved the haiku examples to describe each state. I’ve gotten so used to understanding what state I’m experiencing in terms of colour, I tend to get confused when I read dorsal, sympathetic and ventral. These helped a lot.

Dorsal:

How long have I sat

No voice, no movement, slow breath

Far away from you

Sympathetic:

Look around, danger

Who is safe and who is not?

Get me out of here

Ventral:

A bright heart beaming

Wrapping all with love and warmth

Holding space for you

Overall, I was encouraged, knowing that I’m still implementing what I learned from reading Our Polyvagal World. I also appreciated being reminded of some things I’ve unintentionally let go of along the way. I plan to pay closer attention so I notice glimmers throughout my day and will be on the lookout for awe inspiring moments.

I’m keen to read more about Polyvagal Theory so don’t be surprised if you hear more about it from me in the near future.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Discover the remarkable ways your nervous system works in service of your safety and wellbeing.

Polyvagal Theory, developed by researcher and scientist Dr. Stephen Porges and popularised by therapist Deb Dana, has impacted countless lives. It has changed the way therapists work with their clients and provided a pathway toward healing for those who have experienced hardship or trauma. 

In Polyvagal Prompts, Deb Dana and Courtney Rolfe invite readers to explore their nervous systems through Polyvagal Theory with engaging questions and exercises, which readers can respond to directly in the pages of the book. Readers are guided in noticing their systems, listening with curiosity, and reflecting on what they learn. The prompts can be used as a daily practice or to explore specific topics at the reader’s own pace, and are also ideal for helping clients track and reflect upon their polyvagal-informed therapies. 

No matter how readers decide to explore, Polyvagal Prompts offers an invaluable opportunity to begin the life changing journey of befriending one’s nervous system.

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