I received a free copy of this book from Head of Zeus/Zephry in exchange for an honest review.

Full video review to come.

Sante Williams is part of a travelling circus family led by Mama Rose who found Sante as a baby, washed ashore in a trunk full of jewels and other strange objects. Now 14 years old, Sante is suddenly about to discover the truth about where she really comes from and avenge the loss she experienced at so young an age.

This book was a wonderful, quirky tale full of love, strength, friendship and magic. The story flowed really well and i really loved Sante as a character and the connection she had to others around her like Priss and Cobra. Also just need to add in here now delicious the cover is for this, absolutely stunning.

This story was just magical, beautiful and evocative but it also touched upon darker things like sex trafficking, especially underage children. It also brushed upon the topic of immigrants and how often people fleeing their own country for a better life are scammed by those who promise to take them to a better place, and they end up dying in the middle of a foreign ocean.

I just think this book and Yaba Badoe was able to blend the seriousness of a lot of the things Sante was facing up against with the beauty and freedom that was the subtle magic she possessed and the type that Cobra and Cat had as well. I really enjoyed it, and I also loved the glimpses into the circus life and the different acts they all performed.

3.5 stars

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

Portia White has always been in the shadow of her smarter, prettier twin Alex until one day something odd happens and Portia finds herself transported to Ancient Egypt where she finds out she has the magic power of Heka. When Portia realises Alex and another girl Selene have also been transported, they must figure out what’s going on and how to get home.

I really enjoyed this and it was pleasant journey for me from going to a book about Ancient Rome (Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman) to one about Ancient Egypt. From the get go, i just really liked Portia and I think I really connected with her doubts in her self belief and self worth and her new struggles to connect with her twin and best friend when they suddenly want different things.

I feel like Portia had some really great character development in this book and I really saw her grow as she came into her powers and really became a leader for Alex and Selene in a way she had never been before. I didn’t really like Alex and the obsession with ‘twinning’ and I actually just wanted her to get lost most of the time (would have totally preferred her to have just stayed in the other world). I liked Portia’s older sister relationship with Selene and how they protected each other, it was lovely to read and unlike Alex, I liked Selene who also had some great character development throughout.

There were some bits abut the Heka and the Star that I think at one point went over my head so at times, I was a bit confused about what was going on but I think it might have been cause I was slightly ill when reading so my attention probably wavered a bit at that point.

I really loved Portia’s relationship with Merenptah/Seti. I thought they seemed to have a genuine chemistry and especially the second time they meet there is just so much chemistry, I was begging them to kiss!

I thought the second last chapter ended really abruptly and I would have liked it to have been wrapped up a little bit better. I am presuming there’s going to be another book coming out in this series/trilogy and will definitely be reading!

I received a copy of this book from Penguin Ireland in exchange for an honest review.

My Name is Leon follows the journey of a young black boy who is taken from his mother, along with his baby brother Jake, when she can no longer care for them. At first, Leon is happy because Jake is with him and he can look after Jake but then because Jake is white, he gets adopted quickly and Leon is left alone with his foster mother Maureen. Leon starts learning what it's like to deal with the unfairness of life, and begins to learn about race in the backdrop of 1981 England riots.

This was an extrenely pignant and moving book and it was written really, really well considering it was told through the eyes of Leon who is a child. Leon's voice was childlike but at the same time not too much. He saw some things with an alarming clarity and I loved seeing how he understood and misunderstood some situations and how he reacted. I really loved his relationship between Maureen and then Sylvia - though I do think he gave Slyvia a bit of a hard time.

There were times in this book were I felt really moved by something Leon did or thought. For example, the way he showed his anger and frustration when Jake is taken away to his new family and he tore his room apart. I got a lump in my throat and I wanted to cry because I could feel his pain and his anger so deep and he just had no way to express it other than throw things around.

I loved his blossoming relationship with Tufty and Mr Devlin and how, particularly through Tufty, he and the reader started to learn about some of the racial tension happening between people of colour in the UK at the time and the police. I knew very little about this, so it was a learning experience for me as well. I like how Leon became to understand his own race and how he needs to stand up for himself through observing Tufty and his friends.

This book was a pretty fast read with Leon's sometimes simple observations making the reading quick and easy. However, this doesn't mean that the story doesn't lack depth or power. It is a lovely, quiet powerful book and one that will stay with me for a while.

4.5 Stars

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

Ada and Corianne are living in Boston in 1919 and are extremely skilled hemopaths. Hemopathy is a form of magic where the people with the power of hemopathy can create illusions through art whether it be a wordsmith, a songsmith or an artist. The Hemopathy Protection Agency (HPA) is closing in on Ada and Corianne’s tails and they are at risk at being thrown into an asylum and losing everything and everyone they love.

I loved this - the setting, the AMAZING female friendships, the magic system. It was great. At the start of the book, I felt like as a reader i had been thrown into the quick of it and it took me a while to really gather the details of the story around me and get into it but soon it wasn’t long before I was devouring each chapter.

Ada and Corinne are amazing characters - strong in themselves, their powers, their opinions. They’ve been allowed blossom into amazing women by their protector Johnny Dervish who looks after them by running a club where hemopaths perform. The brief romances the girls have are very much in the background and the main relationship focused on in the book is the girl’s friendship which I loved.This book contains characters of colour and different sexuality and no fuss is made of either (except some of the racism Ada experiences as a black woman in 1919 America).

The story was engaging and really kept me on my toes as the girls showed more of their powers (I really loved their way of practising their illusions against each other as a game) and then as they tried to solve the mystery of the asylum’s basement. There were twists and turns, especially in the second half and it left me gasping and not knowing what would come next.

And can I say how beautiful it is that at someone's last moments, Corianne has the power to send them anywhere in the world for their dying breath. So emotional and beautiful.

I really loved the end, and I hope this isn’t the last of Ada and Corinne cause I'd love more.

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

This middle-grade book is set during the events of the September 11 attacks in New York and focuses on two different families and how they deal with the effect the attacks have on their families.

Elizabeth’s father and Brandt and Jared’s mother both work in the attacks and they end up meeting together in the Dominican Republic and realising they can help each other heal their families. This book is whimsical and a bit magical in places with dreamy writing and a childlike optimism that really seems to beam from the pages. I really enjoyed it. It was avery quick read and I read it in two short sittings but I was really invested in the story and I really connected with Elizabeth and Brandt in particular and just how lovely they were. I really wanted to hug them. Brandt’s reactions to his mom and brother Jared (who appears to be slightly on the autistic spectrum possibly) was really wonderful and it made me think of all the things children can probably see and understand around them that adults can’t.

I really loved the very last scene in the book. It really came alive for me and I actually felt a bit emotional at imagining everyone together, and beginning to heal and realising there were so many things life had to offer when you’re able to look past that grief. This book is about loss, grief, companionship and support and it’s really lovely and I definitely recommend it to everyone to read.

I am debating between a 4(4.5) and 5 star here because while this book isn't like, my favourite fantasy book ever, it was very, good. The world is so complex but well thought out and the characters are written so well. I got sucked into this book without really realising it, and there were some heartbreaking moments in it as well that made me wanna clutch at my chest, like seriously. I also really liked the reveals and how cleverly written they were. But if this was a true 5-star read I would know, so it's down as a 4-star for now but who knows, maybe that will change in a couple months.