A Snowfall of Silver review

 

Thank you to Scholastic for the gifted copy!

A snow-dusted love story. In the Autumn of 1931, eighteen-year-old Freya Trevelyan runs away from her home in Cornwall to follow her dream of becoming an actress. When she is invited to join a theatrical company about to head out on tour, Freya thinks the path to success is clear, and, amidst all the glamour and bustle of stage life, she finds - for the first time - a place to belong. But can reality ever live up to her expectations? What if her life - and falling in love - turn out to be nothing like she planned? An enchanting coming of age romance about following your dreams - even when they aren't quite what you expected.

Laura Wood is one of my favourite authors and A Snowfall of Silver is an absolutely gorgeous romance set against a backdrop of wintry weather and the theatre.

I thought I couldn't love characters as much as the ones in A Sky Painted Gold. Not only do a few of my faves turn up (hello, Robert), but I also really enjoyed meeting the characters in A Snowfall of Silver. Freya is so much fun! Her dramatic nature and craving to follow her dreams are irresistible and entertaining. There's also a likeable cast of secondary characters and I definitely took a shine to Kit. Laura Wood creates the best book boys!

The setting of this book is so evocative of winter, with cosy snowed-in scenes and invigorating wintry walks. The descriptions are deliciously sensory and the food scenes made me very, very hungry. 

This is one of those books that is full of so much happiness, as well as dealing with thought-provoking subjects. The combination of the theatrical setting and a girl chasing her dreams make this an uplifting read.

A Snowfall of Silver is a beautifully written historical romance that is a perfect read for snuggling up on a wintry evening (or any time). I can already see myself rereading this every year.

If you liked the sound of this, try Laura Wood's other books or Theatrical by Maggie Harcourt.

I, Ada blog tour extract

Ada Byron is rich and clever, but she longs to be free. Free to explore all the amazing ideas that come to her imagination, like flying mechanical horses and stories inspired by her travels. Free to find love and passion beyond the watchful gaze of her mother and governesses. And free to learn the full truth about her father, the notorious Lord Byron. Then Ada meets a man whose invention might just change the world - and he needs her visionary brilliance to bring it to life . . . A wonderfully witty and poignant portrayal of the young life of Ada Lovelace, the 19th-century mathematician who is hailed as the world's first computer programmer.

How amazing does this sound? Today is my stop on the blog tour for I, Ada and I'm so excited to read this book! The opening chapters have really grabbed my attention and I have an extra from the beginning of the book to pique yours.

Kirkby Mallory, Leicestershire 

May 1821

I am in the vegetable garden of my grandparents' estate, hunting for fairies. Hunting is the wrong word, because I do not intend to kill and eat the fairies – I would simply like to observe their gossamer-winged ways, and perhaps, if I can, to be friends with them. My suspicion is that these particular fairies live beneath cabbage leaves, and so that is where I am looking when I see the spider's web. Strung like a silvery scarf between the plants, it could have been wrought by the fairies themselves. I've never seen one so close. I stretch out one finger – not to touch, just to get a better sense of it, so intricately woven, so slight and yet so strong – when I hear Mamma.

'Ada, where are you? Ada!'

Obeying the summons, I scramble up via a wheelbarrow onto the low garden wall. I intend to jump off the wall in one neat movement, but the hem of my dress catches on something, and I end up tumbling off it like Humpty Dumpty and into the arms of my mother.

'What in heaven's name were you doing, Ada?' she says, as she sets me down upright and pats the earth from my skirts. 

'Looking for fairies. They're quick, you know – so quick that I can't quite catch them. But I mean to, one day–'

She makes a loud, impatient sound with her teeth as she drags me back along the path towards the house. 'Fairies! I never heard such foolishness. Why must you tear about so?'

'Stillness is for statues,' I protest. 'You wouldn't want me to be motionless all the time, would you, as though I were a horrid, sad, dead thing?'

*   *   *

The warmth and humour of this immediately captivated me and I can't wait to read the rest of the book! Thank you to Andersen Press for the gifted copy and for including me on the blog tour.

Chasing Shadows Blog Tour

This is the last stop on the blog tour for 'Chasing Shadows' by T.A. Williams. Let me tell you a little bit about the book and then we'll get to the review.

Amy had it all – money, brains and beauty. And then the accident happened.

The Present Day: Left blind and without her family, Amy feels she needs to get away. On a trip along the Camino, she is accompanied by the mysterious and troubled Luke. Having been set up to help Amy by a mutual friend, Luke finds he is also running from his past…

1314: A Templar Knight, Luc, is also running. He meets the wife of a former comrade, now blinded in a terrifying attack: Aimee. Taking her under his wing, they must journey together through a dangerous world.

As they travel through the stunning scenery of Northern Spain, this couple, so very like Luke and Amy, emerge from the shadows of time carrying a treasure of inestimable value. (Publishers' blurb)

I don't read much historical fiction but I was really excited by this blurb. I found this an enjoyable, romantic read and I really liked the historical elements. 

My favourite aspect of this book was the modern story line running alongside the historical one. It definitely kept me interested and was easier to follow than I expected. I loved the fact that Amy and Luke were researching the time period and visiting the locations from the time of the Templars.

The historical aspects were threaded neatly into the narrative, without feeling overpowering, and felt well researched. I also enjoyed the modern Spanish setting and found it very authentic.  

Some elements of this book were a little predictable and I found the fixation on Amy's beauty to be distracting at times.

Despite that, I really liked Amy and Luke as characters. It was refreshing to read about a blind character, especially one portrayed as a rounded person where her blindness is only one aspect. On Jess Hearts Books' blog tour spot (which you can read here), I learned that the author T.A. Williams gave a lot of thought to the writing of a blind character and I think this showed.

After reading this, I'm determined to read more historical fiction and I'll check out more of T.A. Williams' books in future.