Victoria Stitch: Bad and Glittering review

Twins, Victoria Stitch and Celestine, are denied their royal birth-right. Celestine accepts the decision with good grace, but Victoria Stitch is consumed with her obsession for power.

The twins are like moonlight and sunshine - could it be possible to break free of the role you have been given, rewrite your story, and change your own destiny?

This is a gorgeous start to a new middle-grade series and is perfect for readers ready to move on from the Isadora Moon books.

Reading Victoria Stitch is such a sensory experience. The illustrations are beautifully Gothic and the setting is sumptuously described. It was one of those books where I want to eat the food and live in the world.

I loved the deliciously dark touches of this book, from the plot to the characters. Victoria is a fascinating character with so many depths and her relationship with Celestine felt really believable. 

This book really is a breath of fresh air. The plot is super unique and the dark fairy tale quality is great. I also found the magical system inventive and accessible for younger readers.

I had a lot of fun reading this and I can't wait to see what Victoria Stitch gets up to next!

The Polar Bear Explorers Club by Alex Bell - review

Publisher: Faber & Faber (31 Oct. 2017)

I received this book in exchange for an open and honest review.

It sounded like a respectable and worthy enough death for an explorer - tumbling from an ice bridge to be impaled upon a mammoth tusk - but Stella really, really didn't want that to happen, just the same.

Join Stella Starflake Pearl and her three fellow explorers as they trek across the snowy Icelands and come face-to-face with frost fairies, snow queens, outlaw hideouts, unicorns, pygmy dinosaurs and carnivorous cabbages . . .

When Stella and three other junior explorers get separated from their expedition can they cross the frozen wilderness and live to tell the tale? (Publishers' blurb)

I don't know how Alex Bell does it. Frozen Charlotte and Charlotte Says are two of the creepiest YA books I've ever read - I still can't look at dolls in the same way. Then, this book came along and it's one of the sweetest, quirkiest and most action-packed middle grade books I've ever read! I've heard this described as being the new Northern Lights. It could definitely have that same lasting appeal, and as a bonus is more accessible too!

Every detail about this book is really imaginative and surprising, even down to the creatures and plants of the world. These touches really complimented the magical setting and plot line.

The characters in this book are absolutely lovely, especially the group of children. All of them had unique qualities that different people could relate to, and certain characters had really interesting story arcs. It was refreshing to have characters that were surprising and multi-faceted! 

I liked the fact that this book explored some fantasy tropes and completely flipped others, which made for a fresh and fun reading experience. It also delved into some really emotional subjects, such as grief, in an empathetic way. 

My only regret is that this would be the perfect book to read on a really cold, preferably snowy day. That might be a good excuse to read it again!

If you liked the sound of this, now try The Prisoner of Ice and Snow by Ruth Lauren, which I reviewed here. 

Prisoner of Ice and Snow Blog Tour Guest Post - Top 5 Inspirational Books by Ruth Lauren

Publisher: Bloomsbury (7th September 2017)

Author: Ruth Lauren

Valor is under arrest for the attempted murder of the crown prince. Her parents are outcasts from the royal court, her sister is banished for theft of a national treasure, and now Valor has been sentenced to life imprisonment at Demidova, a prison built from stone and ice.

But that's exactly where she wants to be. For her sister was sent there too, and Valor embarks on an epic plan to break her out from the inside.

No one has escaped from Demidova in over three hundred years, and if Valor is to succeed she will need all of her strength, courage and love. If the plan fails, she faces a chilling fate worse than any prison ...

An unforgettable story of sisterhood, valour and rebellion, Prisoner of Ice and Snow will fire you up and melt your heart all at once. Perfect for fans of Katherine Rundell, Piers Torday and Cathryn Constable. (Publishers' blurb) 

I'm so happy to join the blog tour for this amazing book. Ruth Lauren has shared the books that inspired her, and then I'll tell you all the things that I loved about this book!

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Top Five Inspirational Books

Hi, and thank you for having me on YA Under my Skin!

Here are the top five books that influenced the writing of PRISONER OF ICE AND SNOW (#2 and #3 I actually read after writing but they’re relevant!)

1) One from my childhood, THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE. I adored this classic, and still do. Wolves, snow, girls—if you’ve read Prisoner, you’ll see the influence!

2) Katherine Rundell’s THE WOLF WILDER. This book is gorgeous and brilliant. The Waterstones website uses this book and the next one in an ‘if you liked this then try Prisoner’ capacity and I am completely thrilled about that (even if it is entirely to do with the frozen Russian setting).

3) THE WOLF PRINCESS by Cathryn Constable. Another comp on Waterstones website with a wonderful Russian setting and an exciting adventure filled with girls.

4) THE HUNGER GAMES (well, Buffy, and all girls with bows, but you get the idea. I love a bow.)

5) SCENE AND STRUCTURE by Jack Bickham. This is a writing craft book with the subtitle ‘How to construct fiction with scene-by-scene flow, logic and readability’ and I found it endlessly helpful. If you’re a writer and you haven’t read it, I highly recommend!

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Thanks so much for sharing your inspirations Ruth! I'm fascinated by the books which influence authors that I admire.

Now it's time for my review, and I have so many good things to say about this book! I haven't read any middle grade books for ages and this was a fantastic book to get me back into them. 

My absolute favourite part of this was the relationship between the sisters. I love books for all ages that explore sibling relationships and this book did it so well! It was great that both sisters had different strengths and how much they loved each other. I related to both of them and I think they'll appeal to a lot of people. 

Valor was probably my favourite character because she was so brave and resourceful. Like Ruth, I also love a girl with a bow and arrow! It was great to see so many women in this book who had personal strength and political power. My least favourite fantasy trope is worlds where men are considered superior and I really appreciated how this book smashed stereotypes to bits. 

The plot was so exciting that I had to read this book in a couple of sittings, and I haven't done that for a long time! It was so much fun to work out Valor's next move. 

This is a fabulous book for a middle grade audience and for anyone who wants adventure and great characters!

There are lots of amazing spots on the tour to come and you can check them out below.

Dream Magic by Joshua Khan - blog tour

Publisher: Scholastic (6th April 2017)

In a world ruled by six ancient Houses of Magic, a girl and a boy begin an epic and dangerous journey of discovery . . . Lileth Shadow, princess of darkness, is struggling with her growing powers. Castle Gloom is filling with ghosts, zombies roam the country and people throughout Gehenna are disappearing. Then Lily is attacked in her own castle by a mysterious sorcerer known as Dreamweaver and his army of jewel-spiders whose bites send victims to sleep. Thorn, and his giant bat Hades, must save Lily from the realm of sleep and help her overcome the evil Dreamweaver in order for her to reclaim her kingdom. (Publisher's blurb)

I wish this series had been around when I was a child. It has all the horror, humour and fantasy that I ever could have wanted. I loved Shadow Magic, the first book in the series, and if anything I enjoyed this one more. 

Sometimes, I have a problem with sequels. I like being introduced to new worlds and am disappointed if there are no new ideas or conflicts. This book explores the world's mythology in more depth and creates new elements. The Gothic feel of the first book really hooked me into this series and I enjoyed how this book was even more inventive with the horror. I found it genuinely scary and disturbing in places, but no so much that I'd worry about a child reading it.

The characters are another part of this series that I really enjoy. Lily is an excellent hero, who revels in the darkness that she has inherited and isn't always virtuous in how she handles it. Her friendship with Thorn is great and I find the chemistry between them really entertaining. The secondary characters are also very strong. In what other series would my favourite character be a troll called Dott?

If I had to say one thing I wasn't keen on, it's the idea that women are forbidden to use magic. I understand that this was included to provide additional conflict, which it did successfully, but this is a fantasy trope I'm not a big fan of. I think it was Samantha Shannon who said that if you're creating your own fantasy world, there's no reason why men and women can't be equals.

A real strength of this book was the plotting. The compelling mystery and unexpected events kept my interest in a way that will appeal to adults and children. There was something very fresh and original about the plot that made it very hard to predict!

This has become one of my favourite middle grade series and I can't wait for the next instalment. Dream Magic comes out today, so if you like what you've read you can buy it now!

Iron Fist Blog Tour - Andy Briggs Interview and review

The Rules: if you find a secret inventory of utterly deadly battle tech.

1) Do not try it.
2) Do not tell anyone.
3) Do NOT let thieves in behind you.

What’s more secret than top-secret? The Inventory. Home to the deadliest inventions the world isn’t ready for. Invisible camouflage. HoverBoots. Indestructible metals. Plus a giant creature of chaos: war robot Iron Fist. No one has ever broken past the state-of-the-art AI security system. (Seriously, most bad guys have no idea this stuff is even there.)

Problem 1: the security robot wasn’t ready for a gang of kids wandering in.
Problem 2: they’ve ONLY brought the ruthless Shadow Helix gang in behind them. Seriously dumb, but it’s a bit late for ‘sorry’.

Say hello to trouble: the Iron Fist is in the wrong hands!

Title: The Inventory: Iron Fist (The Inventory #1)
Author: Andy Briggs

Release Date: 5th May 2016
Genre: MG Sci-Fi / Adventure
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Goodreads Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29919809-the-inventory
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Iron-Fist-Inventory-Andy-Briggs/dp/1407161792


I'm so excited to kick off the 'Iron Fist' blog tour today and to host an interview with the author Andy Briggs. This is a brilliant, action packed middle grade for people who love Alex Rider and Percy Jackson as much as I do!

Please check out the interview and my glowing review below.

As technology plays such an important role in the book, what invention would you like to become a reality?

There are so many inventions I would like to see become a reality – such as teleportation (which would save me driving everywhere), jet-packs (if I don’t have a teleporter, then it would make flying a whole lot more fun)… or something to make me invisible!

But that’s a rather self-centred view because technology is probably our only hope in saving the world, and we are slowly making progress. Imagine generators that could create water out of thin air in arid famine hit regions – well, they are being prototyped. Or advanced purifiers that turn polluted water into drinking water – we have them. It extends to clean energy and other excellent inventions that make the world a better place, rather than merely a convenient one.

What was your favourite book as a child?

There are many, many books I loved. The Hobbit, Stig of the Dump, Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World, to name just a few. However, if pressed, if asked about ANY book, then there is one book, one series, that you probably have never heard about and it’s sadly out of print. The series is called Captain Cobwebb, written by Gordon Boshell. In particular, Captain Cobwebb and the Red Transistor is the one book that comes to mind. I remember my brother getting if for me from the library when I had chicken pox. He delivered it by flinging the book from the doorway so he didn’t have to breathe my germs. And when I read it, it was a wondrous extraction from the real world.

Do you have any writing or editing rituals?

I really had to think about this question as I didn’t think I did… but it turns out I do. When I start a project I always like to get myself a little present – a toy, figure, cool Lego kit – something that is vaguely connected to what I am doing. It provides a visual stimulus and, when I am stuck for ideas, something to play or chase the cats with. I also drink copious amounts of tea when writing. In fact it’s rare not to find a huge mug of tea next to my laptop. I love movie soundtracks and I create playlists that I listen to when I write, nothing with lyrics in, it has to be instrumental. I often find myself going back to particular tracks when I am writing action, or switching to something slower for more emotional moments.

If you could meet any author, who would it be?

I think my perfect author meet would be with the amazing Michael Crichton, who wrote Jurassic Park and sadly passed away in 2008. He had a superb grasp of technology and such a diverse range of interests that clearly impacted his writing He’s something of a role model for me! Despite his fierce imagination, I believe his best book was a non-fiction title called Travels. I heartily recommend it.

Have you got any ideas for your next project?

Too many. I have just written the first draft of the second Inventory book, out later this year, and will be starting book 3 soon. However, I have a couple of scripts I want to get done and have an idea for a new MG book I have wanted to write for a while now. It has had plenty of time to digest in my head, now I need to get it onto the page! Sadly, I can’t really tell you the details of any of them!

If you could be friends with any of the characters in Iron Fist, who would you choose?

Well, Dev is the main hero in the series and he’s something of an unusual boy with an odd gift – so he would be an interesting friend to have. However, Lot is the daughter of an Air Force test pilot and she is the kind of girl who doesn’t take any nonsense and is a bit of a thrill seeker. I think she’d be terrific fun… if a little scary sometimes.


Now for the review...


A couple of years ago, I went through an obsessive middle grade action phase and read every Percy Jackson, Alex Rider and Artemis Fowl book. Since then, I’ve had a serious drought in this genre (until now). Iron Fist hooked me in right from the start and I gobbled it up in two nights.

There were so many great things about this book.

My favourite aspect was the multiple third person viewpoints. I love seeing unexpected perspectives such as friends of the main character and villains. I haven’t come across this in much middle grade that I’ve read and if it’s done this well I’d like to see more of it!

This leads onto my other favourite aspect – the characters. There was a brilliant and unpredictable cast to choose from, especially Lot. She flies planes and is all around tough and fearless (reminding me at times of Rey and Katniss).

I’m not always a fan of technology in books because I generally don't understand it. In ‘Iron Fist’ the technology seamlessly blended actual inventions with fictitious ones. I loved how the tech in this book was both accessible and integral to the plot. It made this book feel really creative and unique.

I’ve found it hard to think of anything I didn’t like about the book. The only idea that I came up with was that I would’ve liked to know more about the bad guys. Their backstories and motivations were hinted at but it might have been interesting to get to know them as well as I did the main characters.

This is my favourite middle grade book that I’ve read for a long time and I can’t wait for the next in the series! It's out today so buy it now!

Return to the Secret Garden Review and Giveaway - Blog Tour

 

Author: Holly Webb

Release Date: October 1^st 2015

Genre: Historical MG

Publisher: Scholastic UK

Format: Hardback and E-book

‘It's 1939 and a group of children have been evacuated to Misselthwaite Hall. Emmie is far from happy to have been separated from her cat when she is sent to a huge old mansion. But soon she starts discovering the secrets of the house - a boy crying at night, a diary written by a girl named Mary, and a garden. A very secret garden...’ (Publisher’s blurb)

I was so happy to join this blog tour, because I adored ‘The Secret Garden’ as a child! It was one of those classics that drew me into a different world, and ever since I’ve loved visiting the gardens of old castles and stately homes (sadly I’ve never found a secret one though). The sequel is a beautifully written, delightful book that a new generation of children will love.

I don’t often review middle grade books, but I really enjoyed this one. I was pleased that it felt in keeping with the original book, as I feel quite protective of my childhood favourite! The writing style was lyrical and descriptive, creating a world and characters that felt very real.

Reading it reminded me of what it was like to be a child; that feeling of being so curious and excited about the world. Emmie’s narrative voice was perfect, both childlike and very evocative of the World War 2 time period.

Probably my favourite part of the book was the threads linking it to ‘The Secret Garden’. Without giving too much away, there were many allusions to the first book, such as wonderfully written excerpts from Mary Lennox’s diary.

I’d be hard pressed to say something I didn’t like about this book, even though I’m long past the target age range! The only issue some readers might have is that there isn’t masses of action, but I’d argue that’s the point of the book. I wanted to get wrapped up in the dream world of the secret garden again, and felt no desire for explosions or battles with mythical creatures (well, no more than usual).

I would highly recommend this book to people who loved the original, and anyone who wants to be immersed in a world that is somehow whimsical, and yet true to the pain and beauty of reality. Please go out and buy this book for yourself, or somebody else who will love it!

If you liked the sound of this, now try:

Goodnight Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian

Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce 

The lovely people at Scholastic are giving away a copy of The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett and a copy of Return to the Secret Garden by Holly Webb to one lucky blog tour follower! [UK AND IRL ONLY]. Please click on the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/320ab7e460/