A book about a family rebuilding their ideas and assumptions about life when 15-year-old Miriam collapses and stops breathing.

This was really enjoyable and I loved how the story built up the picture of a pretty ordinary British family that had a bad thing happen and now have to figure out how to move on and continue living, despite having a bad cloud above them reminding them of life’s fragility. I really enjoyed Adam’s narration and some of the things he brought into the life about some of the difficulties he faced about being a stay-at-home dad. We learn about sexism in the workplace all the time but I definitely think there were times Adam experienced the same thing being a house husband, which is still quite rare even in today’s society - such as when he was accused of being a pervert because he was waiting for his daughter at the swimming pool. Some of Adam’s observations about his role, his wife’s role as breadwinner and just how he adjusted to Miriam’s sitaution really got me thinking.

I went back and forth between liking and disliking Miriam. At times she was a bit up herself but her precociousness was also a little bit admirable at times. I don’t think I had such strong beliefs when I was 15. Rose was a very believable eight-year-old from her usual childish antics to the way she reacted to Miriam being allowed to stay in bed all day and ‘watch TV’ while she still had to go to school. The family as a whole was pretty great and for the most part I really enjoyed how they communicated with each other and how Adam and Emma spoke about things in a mature and truthful way to Miriam and Rose.

The little story about Adam’s dad and his eventual journey to England was enjoyable though my attention did waver a bit when Adam went on about Coventry Cathedral.

Overall, an enjoyable story, great and engaging writing style and I’m glad I picked it up!

I was provided with a free copy of this book by Head of Zeus in exchange for an honest review.

In the 1900s, Joseph Radcliffe is a liberal American living in an Ireland under British rule and acting as lawyer to many Irish Republicans (Fenians) set to hang. When his son runs away to South Africa to attempt to join the British army and fight in the Boer War, Radcliffe goes after him, accompanied by his American army comrade Ben Pierce.

I ended up really enjoying this. It was well written with a gripping story, a well researched tale in history and an excellent setting. Going into this book, I basically knew nothing about the Boer War and I can safely say now I definitely know a lot more than I did. I never knew there were so many Irish on both sides of the Boer War - Irish fighting with the ‘Ductchies’ in a simple attempt to kill some Brits, and the Irish who joined the British Army. I really enjoyed a lot of the book that was set in Dublin, Ireland and all the dialogue from the Irish characters was really apt and fitting from the way some things were pronounced, to the crude joviality of the characters and the certain phrases and slang which are still used in Ireland today.

One of the journeys within this book that I enjoyed the most was that of Ben Pierce. Pierce fought alongside Joseph Radcliffe in the American Civil War (I think) and is African-American. The way he was treated in South Africa as a black man riding alongside a white with equal status was interesting to follow, as was the reaction to some of the native Africans seeing him. The fact that he had to get all sorts of documents signed by a Colonel to grant him temporary ‘white man’ status was just crazy but again, a complete education for me. The way he lost his freedom when he was separated from Radcliffe was again an interesting bit to follow - the fact that he had to suddenly pretend to be an African helping out the troops and none of them recognised him as Radcliffe’s companion.

I received a free copy of this book from O'Brien Press in exchange for an honest review.

A Hollow in the Hills follows along with the Dubh Linn series and sees Izzy Gregory, Jinx, Dylan and some new friends continue in the dangerous world of the face and all it entails. Now dangerous ex-Matriach Holly has released a terrible ancient power called The Fear and Izzy and her friends need to figure out how to stop it killing everyone.

I really enjoyed this book - just as much, if not more than the first. I felt like this book was really easy to jump right into and I felt more at home in the story quicker than last time. I’m not sure if this was because I was already aware of the Dubh Linn streets and the orders and types of fae and who everyone was, or if it was because the main plot point of The Fear was just easier for me to wrap my head around then Izzy having an angel soul inside of her like the first book.

I LOVED the idea of the firshee - male versions of the banshee that inspired such fear in people that they dropped dead basically (normally after raking their nails across their face and eyes with the fear of the creatures). I also loved as usual the use of real places around Dublin such as the Leprechaun Museum being used to house of the older fae leaders, and that’s a bit of a go-between/in-between place among the normal human world and Dubh Linn.

I thought Izzy had some fantastic character development in this book. She’s grown up a lot and really accepted her role in the fae world. I loved that she had been training and she was able to really take charge in situations in this book rather than let Jinx fight all her battles (which he did still try to do of course). Izzy’s relationship with her parents has changed slightly but in a very realistic way - her dad is a bit more bossy and controlling now she knows how true role as a Grigori and that he’s now training her to be one. And I thought it would be realistic that Izzy would pull back against his tight reins a bit now and again.

I really loved Jinx and Izzy’s relationship though it’s strange because there’s never been much lovey doveyness about them or even time in the books for them to get very cosy with each other but their love and relationship still seems very real and strong to me. Everything is so fast-paced all the time in these books that events always take place within a few days and Jinx and Izzy just need to run along with, while also holding on to each other’s hands.

I also really enjoyed the burgeoning relationship between Dylan and Silver and Dylan really coming into his own and understanding the power he has as Silver’s touchstone. And Clodagh finally getting in with everything, and I liked the inclusion of Ash as well who made a nice addition to the team!

And the end was so heartbreaking and explosive and entertaining and i just don't know if I can handle what's coming next.

Artichoke Hearts centres around the life of 12-year-old Mira Levenson as she reaches the point in her young adult life where she suddenly has to face up to a lot of changes - from her family, her love life and even her own body. Mira narrates her own dealings with facing up to the loss of her dying grandmother, her first period, her first crush and much more.

I will start off by saying I loved the audiobook for this. The narrator was Tania Rodrigues and she did such a great job with each character and she was really, really nice to listen to. She had the excited adolescent voice of Mira, the childish voice of Krish and then the gravelled, older voice of Mira's gran Josie down to a tee. She was great!

This book is diverse with many of its characters from Mira and her family who are Indian-Jewish and range from Mira's dark skin and brown hair to Krish's blonde hair and blue eyes. There's also boys in her class who become friends - Ben who is Nigerian/Irish and then Jide who was adopted from Rwanda after the genocide. There was a huge range in the types of people with this book and I really felt like it showed what living in England and particularly near London is like today with multicultural societies.

I loved hearing about how Mira dealt with her first period and that it wasn't just skimmed over. There were a few chapters over the course of a couple of days where she obviously still had and was still dealing with it - I particularly loved when she was in school and had to go to the bathroom between every class to make sure she wasn't leaking - so realistic and relatable, I was the exact same.

Mira's blossoming relationship with Jide is literally the cutest thing ever. It's total innocence and they are both SO cute around each other - particularly when they sent all the text kisses to each other. Cute cute cute!!!!

I would totally recommend this book for anyone looking for something cute to read and something really relatable to your own pre-teen life. I love Mira and can't wait to continue on with her story.

I was sent a free copy of this book by O’Brien Press in exchange for an honest review.

This is the conclusion to the Dubh Linn series and starts off with Izzy trying to pick up the pieces of her life after the devastating ending of A Hollow in the Hills. Izzy turned to something to drastic in order to save Jinx and now she is paying the price. Meanwhile, Dubh Linn is beginning to fall apart as Holly massacres her way through the Aes Sidhe and angels and demons are loathe to side against her. Izzy and her friends now need to save the world - both fae and human but not everyone will come out of it okay.

This was a great conclusion to an amazing trilogy. Like all the other books in this series, this book kept me on my toes and had me completely hooked until the very end. I just couldn’t put it down. Each book in this series takes place a couple of months apart from each other yet the actual action in each book takes place over only a few days which means everything is very intense and fast-paced, not to mention action-packed. Izzy had to overcome so much in this book, and almost had to build herself back together piece by piece, and I was so proud of her, watching her overcome her difficulties and really go from strength to strength in this book.

Another character who totally shone in this book was Dylan. He was fantastic and showed such strength and fortitude and really came into his own with his power. Ruth called him her other hero at her book launch and I really have to agree with this. He is an absolutely cutie and can I just say also how awesome Clodagh was. She showed fae, angel and demon just how great an ordinary human girl can be. Go Clodagh!

I really enjoyed the conclusion and it didn’t come without some heartbreak unfortunately. It was fantastic to read a series about Irish mythology and legends, set in Dublin and with an “authentic Irish voice” as Sarah Rees Brennan described Ruth and she’s very, very right. I can’t wait to see more of Ruth’s work, and also hope for more in the Dubh Linn world in the future - because I need more about the Keeper and that organisation AND/OR a prequel series about Rachel please and thanks :D

I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.

Arthur Penhaligon is a normal kid with some normal friends until one day when a weird ‘Crow Man’ begins to show up everywhere. Before he knows it, all sorts of strange events are happening to Arthur and he ends up involved in a destiny he never knew he had.

This is a cute middle-grade King Arthur retelling and it was super quick to get into and i thought it was a fast, fun read. Everything seemed to happen very quickly, yet not so quickly all at once. I thought at times, things took a while to happen - or more like it took a bit long for Arthur and his friends to really figure it out.

I thought Arthur’s relationship with his friends was brilliant and I loved their interactions and how they listened and trusted each other, not to mention how they were there for each other. I also really appreciated that Arthur told his parents what was going on with the Crow Man for the most part. In a lot of other books or similar scenarios the kids or characters would lie and it can be pretty frustrating, especially if it could lead to a dangerous situation.

I do think things took a bit long to be actually explained though and the reader, while clearly knowing more or less what was going on, was still left in the dark without the finer details - even near the end. Nothing was really explained about what exactly was going on and why. It almost felt a bit more like a short story or a story excerpt or something, a felt like a bit more was missing.

3.75 stars

Martha Lost was left in the lost property office in Lime Street Station in Liverpool when she was a baby and 16 years later, she’s still there. Now Martha is on the hunt to find out who she is and where she came from while also helping other lost things find their home, including an old suitcase full of Beatles memorabilia.

This was a whimsical, fun read with a touch of magical realism about an innocent 16 year old discovering the world is more than just the lost property office. I really liked Martha and she definitely had an addictive sense of personality, even if she could be a little bit silly sometimes. She was infectious, I guess, and she had a way of bringing people together like Elisabeth, George Harris and William. Everyone had their own little story and everyone was lost and found in a way I guess. The sideline story about Mal Evans and The Beatles was pretty interesting and I didn’t know anything about it so I guess I was learning along the way. I really didn’t like Max nor the weird relationship that briefly happened - it was a little but abusive and manipulative at times I think and I don’t know why the others did’t try and nip it in the bud from the very start which was annoying.

I think people who live in Liverpool or know Liverpool well would like this as there’s so much tidbits about the area and about The Beatles history there. For me as someone who has never been, the city came alive for me in the pages, even though the majority of the book is set in the train station.

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

All Heart continues the story of July Carter as she settles back into life helping her father train racing courses. Life is a bit different for July now she has a new boyfriend, an ex-racer horse of her own to turn into a dressage prodigy and now her father is a freelance trainer as well meaning a flurry of new horses to fall in love with and agonise over.

This story was almost as good as Stay the Distance and it felt so great to be back with July and Kali and laughing over Lighter’s antic. July has some good character development over this book and she really sorts some things out that were still a bit unresolved at the end of the last book. July is going through a lot of things that would be familiar to other younger readers just out of high school - she’s in an in-between place and is trying to figure out where the best place for her is. Is it remaining at the stables, going to NYU with her best friend or could it be something else.

While July figures out her future, there’s also stuff going on with Beck. I did hate seeing them go through a bit of awkwardness as I really love these two together and weirdly, it made me want to read Stay the Distance again and I think once I’m off my book buying ban in a few months, I’ll order a physical copy for myself.

July learns her lessons - in both the horse world and her personal life. She knows when she’s wrong and when to apologise or admit that she was wrong and it’s a really admirable trait in her. She learned to sit down and talk when she needed to and to take a breath and believe in herself at other times.

I’m already looking forward to another book because I can’t wait to see how Kali gets on!