Blog Tour: Review for Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan 
Publisher: Hodder
Release: 11th July 2019 (paperback)
Genre: Fantasy, YA, LGBT+ romance
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

  

Synopsis:

"Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It's the highest honour they could hope for...and the most demeaning. This year, there's a ninth. And instead of paper, she's made of fire.

Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. Ten years ago, her mother was snatched by the royal guards, and her fate remains unknown. Now, the guards are back and this time it's Lei they're after - the girl with the golden eyes, whose rumoured beauty has piqued the king's interest.

Over weeks of training in the opulent but oppressive palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit a king's consort. There, Lei does the unthinkable - she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens her world's entire way of life. Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide how far she's willing to go for justice and revenge."

Review
Do you ever read the synopsis of a book and immediately know you’re going to love it? That’s what happened to me with Girls of Paper and Fire. From the lush fantasy world rich with Asian culture, to the f/f slow burn romance, to the feminist take on concubine palace life, I was here for it all and Natasha Ngan delivered!

Girls of Paper and Fire takes a trope that’s been done many times in fantasy and gives it a much needed diverse, feminist revamp. I loved the characters, the demon castes, the culture, the political intrigue and court life. I loved how the magic and history of the world was still fully realized despite our main character being trapped in the palace, something that lesser writers would find hard to pull off, but Ngan executes flawlessly. This book just encapsulated so many of my personal preferences that I like to see in books.

However this book is by no means an easy read and should be read with a trigger warning for rape, physical and emotional abuse, animal cruelty and bestiality but what I really respected about Ngan’s handling of these topics is how our main character Lei doesn’t come away from these traumas unscathed. I feel like so many times in fantasy books the heroine is the only character who somehow manages to avoid abuse by using her wits, striking up a friendship with her captor or “being different from other girls” a message that has never sat well with me and I feel sends a harmful message on the “types” of girls who are abused. I really appreciated how Natasha Ngan wasn’t afraid to show exactly what life is like as a paper girl through her main character Lei’s own personal experiences. Although it was brutal, it felt real and honest to what so many girls go through in our own world.

Overall Girls of Paper and Fire is an accessible, important and diverse fantasy story. The ending was so intense that I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I read those final few pages. This is one of my new favourite books and I can not wait to read Girls of Storm and Shadow.

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Blog Tour: I Hold Your Heart by Karen Gregory

Hey everyone and welcome to my stop on the I Hold Your Heart blog tour! Today I am sharing a guest post from Karen Gregory on five things to know about her main character Gemma from I Hold Your Heart.

· Music. Gemma is a singer-songwriter who loves country music and writing her own songs. Her love of music is a big theme in the book and most especially how her relationship to music develops and changes over time.

· Friendship. Gemma’s lucky to have a supportive and loving group of friends, including her best friend Esi and singing partner Cal.

· I Hold Your Heart is set in a town by the sea, and the beaches and sea Gemma’s grown up with play a big part in her life and how she sees the world. She also works in the Beach Café with Esi.

· Family. Gemma has a younger brother, Michael, who is a rising football star. While her relationship with Michael is a loving one, she sometimes feels overlooked by her parents, something Aaron is able to play on as time goes on.

· Big-hearted. Gemma makes some mistakes throughout the course of the book, but she’s fundamentally a big-hearted and loving person. Hopefully this shines through!

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Blog Tour: Kingsbane by Claire Legrand

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Kingsbane blog tour! Kingsbane is the second book in the Empirium trilogy by Claire Legrand and I'm so excited to be sharing an extract from the book today for my stop on the tour.

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Blog Tour: Beauty Sleep by Kathryn Evans

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Beauty Sleep blog tour! I'm excited to be kicking off the tour by bringing to you today an interview with the author Kathryn Evans and to be giving you the chance to win a copy of the book!

Hi Kathryn, welcome to the blog! Can you tell us a little bit about Beauty Sleep and what sparked the idea behind it?

The very first idea was an image that came to me of a girl waking up in a high tech room and having no idea where she was or why. I guess fairy tales are so deeply embedded in my subconscious, I was thinking about a modern sleeping beauty without even realising it.

In Beauty Sleep, Laura is cryogenically frozen. How much research did you have to do on cryogenics for this book?

Quite a bit – I wanted it to be convincing. I read a lot about the theory but also the human stories behind it. While I was writing the early drafts, there was a very sad story in the news about a 14 year old girl who wanted to be cryogenically preserved and had to go to court to win that right. She did, and I think it will have eased her pain towards the end of her life. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/nov/18/teenage-girls-wish-for-preservation-after-death-agreed-to-by-court

But there was also a story about a women who died in a cryo-chamber used for ‘cold therapy.’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11987722/Coroner-finds-woman-who-died-trapped-inside-cryotherapy-chamber-suffocated.html

I also visited an ice chamber in a spa – it wasn’t for me!

What does your typical writing day look like? 

Pretty much every day is a writing day. My life is quite busy because we run a small farm growing fruit plants. I’m usually at my desk by about 8.30 but I tend to work at one thing in short intense bursts of 20 minutes to an hour at a time. Unless I have a tight deadline, I alternate farm work, volunteer work for SCBWI (I manage the finances), writing, editing, interviews and domestic stuff. My daughter usually rings daily too and we often chat for about an hour! Then in the evenings I have fencing training or dancing and I always finish the day by reading in bed.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Read and write every day. Learn your craft – there are some excellent organisations that run courses and some brilliant books and websites on writing. I blog for one called Notes From The Slushpile. If you can join a writing community, online or in real life, it’ll help a lot. My friends from Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators have been my loudest champions and biggest supporters. It took me fifteen years to get a publishing deal, it’s nice to have some pals around when you’re dealing with a lot of rejection! It’s also a real joy to see your friends succeed – it gives you hope!

What books would you recommend to fans looking for similar stories to your own? 

I’ve been waiting for the Black Mirror anthology to come out but it’s still not available! Teri Terry writes excellent thrillers with a sci-fi edge – her book Mind Games is one of my favourites. Christopher Edge writes for younger people but I still love his take on science fiction. For a more apocalyptic take on the genre, try Eugene Lambert’s The Sign Of One. Obviously The Hunger Games and Divergent And Scott Westerfield’s Uglies series. And the classics! I was such a fan of John Wyndham, HG Wells, Margaret Atwood, Aldous Huxley – I could recommend books forever and a day.

Can you tell us a bit about what you're working on next? 

There’s always a heart in my stories – More of Me is about searching for your own identity and growing up, Beauty Sleep is about modern society but also about dealing with loss – my new book is about equality – or the lack of it. I think that’s all I can say about it, I’m editing it with my agent at the moment so it still feels a bit fragile – but it’s very much in my style, a strangely original thriller with a sci-fi edge.

And lastly what three words best describe Beauty Sleep?

Exciting, Emotional, Enchanting. 

For your chance to win a copy of the book enter over on Twitter

🌟GIVEAWAY🌟
RT & Follow for your chance to win #BeautySleep by @KathrynEvansInk UK only!@Usborne #UKYA #Giveaway #win #bookbloggers pic.twitter.com/YuRKVCuawl

— Jess Hearts Books (@JessHeartsBooks) May 10, 2019

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Blog Tour: Pulp by Robin Talley

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Pulp blog tour! I'm such a huge fan of Robin's writing and brilliantly diverse books so it really is a pleasure to have her on the blog today sharing her top writing tips. I hope they prove helpful for all you budding authors out there!

Robin Talley’s Top 3 Writing Tips 

1. Start with a plan. Personally, I’m a big outliner — I use spreadsheets to plan my novels, then more spreadsheets to revise them — but you don’t have to make an official outline if the prospect seems overwhelming. It is good, though, to have some ideas in your head of where a story might go so you don’t wind up floundering when you get past the beginning. And if you think there’s any chance you might forget what you had in mind, write it down. You don’t have to follow your original plan to the letter by any means, but having a record of it can be a jumping off point as you keep brainstorming if nothing more.

2. Try to write — or at least think about writing — as close to every day as possible. This can be hard, especially in the middle of holidays and travel and other obligations, but for me, once I’ve started a writing project I need to keep working on it or I’ll lose the momentum and it will be much harder to dive back in. I try to plan in advance when I’ll squeeze in pockets of writing/brainstorming time even during busy periods — when my daughter is napping, for example, or for an hour at night after an evening with my extended family.

3. Read as much — and as widely — as possible. This is my biggest tip, especially for writers who are just starting out. You should always be reading something. Definitely make sure you read in the genre/category you’re writing in, but read outside it, too. If you write YA, then make sure you’re reading YA, but also read adult and middle grade books. If you write thrillers, then by all means read your favorite thriller authors, but also make a conscious effort to read outside your comfort zone. Contemporary stories, fantasies, nonfiction, even fanfiction — all of it helps develop your writing muscles and expand your thinking.

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Blog Tour: The Light Between Worlds

Hey guys and welcome to my stop on the The Light Between Worlds blog tour! I was lucky enough to read an early copy of this and really enjoyed it so keep an eye out for my review soon. Today I have a guest post for you from the author Laura Weymouth all about writing soundtracks and how it influences her writing.

A Soundtrack for The Light Between Worlds – Laura Weymouth 

I’m one of those writers who strongly prefers listening to music while working. The Light Between Worlds was plotted, drafted, and revised to music, and here’s what I listened to throughout the process.

While plotting, I prefer to listen to songs with lyrics that sum up the mood or theme of whatever scene or arc I’m working on. For The Light Between Worlds, I had two key songs for both Evelyn and Philippa – for Ev, they were Old Days by Ingrid Michaelson (“Maybe what you think of me won’t change, but I still hold on to the old days”) and The Light by Regina Spektor (“I know the morning is wiser than the nighttime, I know there’s nothing wrong, I shouldn’t feel so down.”)

For Philippa my songs were Half the World Away by AURORA (“And when I leave this island, I book myself into a soul asylum, I can feel the warning signs running around my mind”) and Drink You Gone by Ingrid Michaelson (“Like a sinking ship while the band plays on, when I dream you’re there I can’t even sleep you gone.”)

While actually drafting and revising, I tend to prefer music without lyrics – generally movie scores. From the moment I started seriously working on The Light Between Worlds, I knew what its soundtrack would be. One of my favorite films is The Village – originally pitched as a horror film, it’s really not a frightening movie so much as an exploration of the lengths we’ll go to in order to protect the things we love and perceive as good in this world. And it has one of the most ethereally beautiful, haunting scores you’ll ever hear. Every word of The Light Between Worlds was written to that score, and now I can’t listen to it without seeing the woods outside Evelyn’s boarding school, dripping with late winter rain.

Laura Weymouth is the author of The Light Between Worlds (Chicken House, £7.99). Find out more and read the first chapter here.

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Blog Tour: Two Dark Reigns

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Two Dark Reigns blog tour! I'm a proud member of the poisoner court and so for today's post Kendare Blake is sharing her very own song choice for each court and I'll be adding my own addition for us poisoners. Plus! I'm going to be giving away a copy of Two Dark Reigns over on Twitter so make sure you don't miss that.

Kendare's Playlist 

Poisoners: Billie Eilish, "See Me in a Crown" I've heard from several readers that this song makes them think of Katharine, and the dramatic, slightly offbeat melody feels very Arron to me. 

Elementals: Florence and the Machine, "Shake it Out" Elementals love big soaring voices, and songs with a lot of movement. Florence and the Machine always sounds like a dance to me, and I can see all of Rolanth dancing right along with her.

Naturalists: AWOLNATION, "Bad Wolf" This one is for Arsinoe, although the beat and the antithetical vibe does feel very naturalist. Mostly though, there's a line that goes, "Mother*ucker I'll be back from the dead soon" and I can totally hear Arsinoe saying that. If Arsinoe swore.

And for my addition for us poisoners I'm going with Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift, especially the music video which is fantastic and perfectly captures the poisoner energy and aesthetic. Basically it's a big mood.

Have you read this series? I'd love to know which court you belong to and what song you associate with it!

10 Reasons Why You Need to Read My All-Time Favourite Series

The other week I finally picked up Strange the Dreamer. I don't know why I waited so long to read it because I adored the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor but now I like to think it was waiting for the right time to come into my life because this was certainly a case of reading the perfect book at the time I needed to read it and it quickly became my favourite book, like, ever.

It's the first book I ever tabbed because there were so many parts I didn't want to let just slip away. I wanted to hold onto them and cherish them and be able to return to my favourite moments whenever I wanted.

I gushed about this book a LOT on social media and I was so incredibly lucky to then be sent an early proof copy of Muse of Nightmares which I read straight after finishing Strange the Dreamer and, of course, absolutely loved. This has quickly become my new all-time favourite series and there was no way I could ever write a constructive review about either book so instead I wanted to share with you my top reasons for why you need to read this series.

1.) Laini Taylor has the most beautiful, lyrical, writing ever. I was lucky enough to attend a talk with Laini whilst she was on tour for Dreams of Gods and Monsters and she said she can spend hours tinkering around with sentence structure and you can totally tell. Every paragraph reads like poetry yet is so easy to read and sink into. Her writing is pure sorcery and like nothing else I have ever read. I ran out of purple sticky tabs whilst reading this series because there were so many quotes I needed to tab. I could easily get my whole body tattooed in Laini Taylor quotes and I may run out of skin before I'm done. If you love beautiful, otherworldly writing you need to read this series.

2.) Lazlo Strange loves books and I love him for it. The main character in Strange the Dreamer is Lazlo and he's a librarian and fellow book lover. From the start I had an instant connection with Lazlo in the only way that a book lover meeting a fellow book lover can. This series pays homage to the readers, the dreamers, the ones who believe in the impossible and because of that I think every reader can find a bit of themselves in Lazlo.

3.) Despite this book being classed as fantasy it actually has a great mystery at its heart. What was the city of Weep and what happened to it? Like Lazlo you quickly become consumed with needing the answers and that burning need to know more makes it so easy to fly through this book in the same way you would a mystery novel. Especially as the answers typically only lead to more questions in this series.

4.) Laini Taylor writes characters you come to care about with your whole heart. Even the secondary characters who we perhaps only get a handful of interactions with in each book I absolutely loved and want whole stories about.

5.) The characters are incredibly complex. In this series you get to hear from characters from opposing sides and each one is so morally grey. Even the characters considered the villains in this book have their reasons and I love how this series shows there are two sides to every story.

6.) If romance is your thing this book has the sweetest, purest romance ever that is literally something from a dream it's so perfect. Lazlo and Sarai are such cinnamon rolls and not to be dramatic, but I would die for them.

7.) A reoccurring theme with Laini Taylor's books is exploring what it means to be a monster and what it means to be a hero. She takes all the old stereotypes in books and shakes them up giving such depth to her characters and the reasons behind their actions, both good and bad.

8.) A large part of why I had such an intense connection with this series is because of the way Laini Taylor handles trauma. I have PTSD and suffer from nightmares and it's a theme that's covered in this series. She shows that there is hope and a way to move forward after trauma and it was a message I badly needed to hear.

9.) There's nothing worse than a brilliant first book and a rubbish finale that leaves you with so many questions, but both of these books are just as strong as each other and complement one another perfectly. It's an expertly plotted series that neatly ties all the threads together for a satisfying ending where all those burning questions I mentioned at the start are answered.

10.) And finally, if none of my above reasons have convinced you just look at the covers! They're absolutely breath-taking and a must for any book collector. I promise that the stories they hold inside are just as beautiful.

If you have yet to read this series, then frankly I am jealous of you because you have such a wonderful journey awaiting you. Now go ahead and get started already! There are mysteries to uncover and monsters to defeat. But before you go I want to share with you a quote from the book itself that I think captures this series perfectly.

"You’re a storyteller. Dream up something wild and improbable," she pleaded. "Something beautiful and full of monsters."

“Beautiful and full of monsters?"

“All the best stories are." - Strange the Dreamer

Blog Tour: A Storm of Ice and Stars

Hello everyone! Today is my stop on the A Storm of Ice and Stars blog tour and I'm so excited to be bringing to you an interview I did with author Lisa Lueddecke all about folklore, mythology and life as an author. I hope you enjoy reading it!

Hi Lisa, welcome to the blog! Firstly, can you tell us a bit about A Storm of Ice and Stars? 

Hello, and thank you for having me on your blog! A Storm of Ice and Stars is a prequel novel to my first book, A Shiver of Snow and Sky. It is set at an earlier time, and follows a different set of characters. You don’t have to have read the first one to read this one, but you will probably get a lot more out of it if you do.

What can fans of your previous book A Shiver of Snow and Sky expect from this one?

If you loved the icy setting and the folklore in the first book, then you can expect more of that from the second book. Telling little stories within a bigger story is something that I love to do, especially if it adds to the history and depth of the world. We also get to explore a little bit more of the island of Skane in this book, which I loved doing.

I love the folklore and mythical creatures in your books. Are they based on any particular mythology? Or are they a product purely of your own imagination? 

I did a lot of reading of folklore and mythology when I started writing these books. Some things inspired me in one way or another, but mostly just reading about various things got my wheels turning, so to speak, and helped me to imagine a rich folklore for my own world. I really tried to immerse myself in Scandinavian legends and whatnot to get a feel for the environment and the lore, but Skane isn’t based off of any one place.

Your writing is so atmospheric and lyrical, are there any writers who influence your writing style? 

Reading Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted really inspired me to write fantasy. And although I don’t think that other writers’ writing directly influences my own, I always feel inspired when I read something by Leigh Bardugo (although I haven’t read all of her books).

What’s been your best moment as an author so far?

Honestly, doing my first event in London last year and getting to meet people who had read my book was a high point for me. It left me a bit teary. Even knowing that one person bought and read my book was life-changing.

What does your typical writing day look like? 

Prior to being pregnant and having my day to day life significantly changed, I would write from early morning until I felt like my creativity was waning. I have always loved writing in the very early morning, around dawn, as I feel like that’s when the day is new and exciting, and it makes me feel like anything can happen.

Do you have any advice for aspiring fantasy writers? 

Look for inspiration everywhere you are, in sunrises and sunsets, in rainstorms and snowstorms, and in everything that you do. A lot of scenes that I have written have been born from moments in my real life, in one way or another, whether dialog or setting descriptions. Understand your world, and have fun building it. If you aren’t having fun, that will be obvious to your readers.

What books would you recommend to fans looking for stories similar to your own?

I haven’t read the whole series yet, but I loved The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. It has a wintry setting, as well, and I just loved it. I have also started reading Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, and although I haven’t finished it yet, I am loving the snowy landscapes and the mystery!

Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next? 

I’m working on something that I’ve always wanted to write. It’s been in the back of my mind for a while, so I’m exploring it and seeing where it takes me. I can’t say much about it right now, but I can assure you that it’s a fantasy.

And lastly, what three words best describe A Storm of Ice and Stars?

Frozen. Heartache. Bravery.

 A STORM OF ICE AND STARS by Lisa Lueddecke out now in paperback (£7.99, Scholastic) 

@LisaLueddecke www.lisalueddecke.com 

#ICEandSTARS

My Fall TBR

Autumn is officially here and it's by far my favourite time of year! As the leaves change colour and the nights draw in there is nothing better than snuggling up under a blanket with some hot chocolate and a good book so today I wanted to share with you the books on my TBR for fall.

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Synopsis "Cassidy Blake's parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.

When The Inspectres head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn't sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn't belong in her world. Cassidy's powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead, in order to save herself."

I started reading this one the other day and I'm so excited to continue on with it! Ghosts, Scotland and a little girl who can see the dead sounds like the perfect autumn read for any age!

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco 

Synopsis "Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world."

I've heard endless good things about this series especially recently following the release of the third book in this series Escaping from Houdini. Stalking Jack the Ripper sounds like the perfect historical mystery for this time of year!

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White 

Synopsis "Elizabeth Lavenza hasn't had a proper meal in weeks. Her thin arms are covered with bruises from her "caregiver," and she is on the verge of being thrown into the streets . . . until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, an unsmiling, solitary boy who has everything--except a friend.

Victor is her escape from misery. Elizabeth does everything she can to make herself indispensable--and it works. She is taken in by the Frankenstein family and rewarded with a warm bed, delicious food, and dresses of the finest silk. Soon she and Victor are inseparable.

But her new life comes at a price. As the years pass, Elizabeth's survival depends on managing Victor's dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim, no matter how depraved. Behind her blue eyes and sweet smile lies the calculating heart of a girl determined to stay alive no matter the cost . . . as the world she knows is consumed by darkness."

Nothing screams Halloween quite like Frankenstein so I'm ridiculously excited to dive into this YA retelling from the perspective of Elizabeth. I am also obsessed with this beautiful cover!

Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer 

Synopsis "Nita doesn’t murder supernatural beings and sell their body parts on the internet—her mother does that. Nita just dissects the bodies after they’ve been “acquired.” But when her mom brings home a live specimen, Nita decides she wants out — dissecting living people is a step too far.

But when she tries to save her mother’s victim, she ends up sold on the black market in his place — because Nita herself is a supernatural being. Now Nita is on the other side of the bars, and there is no line she won’t cross to escape and make sure no one can ever capture her again.

Nita did a good deed, and it cost her everything. Now she’s going to do a lot of bad deeds to get it all back"

This book is pitched as "Dexter meets This Savage Song" and if that doesn't make you want to read it I don't know what will. This gruesome, dark fantasy about monsters and body parts sounds like the perfect Halloween read.

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand 

Synopsis "Beware of the woods and the dark, dank deep.

He’ll follow you home, and he won’t let you sleep.

Who are the Sawkill Girls?

Marion: the new girl. Awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never find.

Zoey: the pariah. Luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Maybe she’s broken—or maybe everyone else is.

Val: the queen bee. Gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Words like silk and eyes like knives, a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies.

Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires.

Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight… until now."

Sawkill Girls is probably my most anticipated book on this list. Fun fact, I actually queued for over an hour to get an arc of this at YALC and I've been saving it for Autumn. It sounds like the perfect YA horror story and I'm so excited to read it!

 What books are on your TBR for fall?

My Favourite Fictional Schools

It's that time of year again, back to school season. Whether you're going back to school as a student or teacher or your school days are long behind you, I thought that today it would be fun to reflect on some of my favourite fictional schools. Because whether you hate school or love it I think we can all agree that there are some fictional schools we'd all love to attend.

Deepdean from Murder Most Unladylike 

I was one of those children who always wanted to go to an all-girls boarding school and Deepdean - the school that our main characters Hazel and Daisy attend in the Murder Most Unladylike series - takes me right back to those days. Okay, so people get murdered on the regular but that just adds to the creepy historical boarding school allure don't you think? Whether it's exploring the school solving crimes or having a bun break with Hazel, Deepdean is a school I'd love to attend.

Aglionby Academy from The Raven Boys 

Next on the list is Aglionby Academy and thus my fascination with old buildings and boarding school continues. Like Blue, I'm totally enchanted by The Raven Boys and I'd love to attend a Latin class or two in Borden House. The Raven Boys is so atmospheric and perfect for fall reading.

The Red Church from Nevernight

The Red Church is not a school for the faint of heart gentlefriends, for The Red Church is a school that trains the most feared cult of assassins. That being said, it’s by far one of my favourite schools on this list. It won major points for its library, a metropolis for "dead books" including all the unfinished books out there in the world that have been abandoned by their authors. I was in my element exploring The Library of Niah with our main character Mia, let’s just say it puts the Beauty and the Beast one to shame.

Watford from Carry On

If you love Harry Potter (especially the fanfic based on this world) you will love Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. Watford is a school for magicians and has some serious Hogwarts vibes. If you like stories about chosen ones, magic and have always considered yourself a Drarry shipper this is the back to school read for you!

The School of America In Paris from Anna and the French Kiss

If you're more of a contemporary reader I'd highly recommend heading back to school with Anna and the French Kiss. The School of America In Paris is exactly as its name suggests. Going to a boarding school in Paris has been my dream since reading and watching Madeline as a little girl and this book brought that all back to me! Autumn is the perfect season to explore Paris and having Étienne St. Clair as your lab partner and tour guide makes the experience even better.

St. Vladimir's Academy from Vampire Academy 

This is an oldie but a goodie. Vampire Academy is one of the books that made me rediscover my love for YA back in the day and this series still has such a big place in my heart. St. Vladimir's Academy is a school for vampires where half human half vampires are trained to protect Moroi - the royal vampires in this world. This series is seriously addictive, so much fun and honestly stands the test of time now that vampires aren't the in thing anymore. Just don't judge this one on its movie okay? I promise the books are better.

Hogwarts from Harry Potter 

Obviously, I couldn't list my favourite fictional schools without including Hogwarts. Like so many people who love this series Hogwarts is my home and every September I get nostalgic to hop on the Hogwarts Express and read this series all over again. If for some reason you've never read Harry Potter but have been meaning to this is the perfect time of year to do so. From getting sorted into your house, to dinner in the Great Hall, to exploring the castle grounds Hogwarts is hands down the school we'd all love to attend and is one we'd all go to willingly no matter our age.

If you've started back at school I hope you have a wonderful year! 

I'd love to know, what’s your favourite fictional school?

6 Books I Want to Read Before the End of the Year

With September and the final part of the year fast approaching I got to thinking about all of the books still on my TBR that I want to read before the end of the year, so today I wanted to highlight the six at the very top of my TBR because your girl always loves a list and if I put it out into the world I'm way more likely to actually get around to reading them!

Strange the Dreamer is a book that I've been desperate to read ever since it was first released last year and for some reason or another just haven't gotten around to. With the final part of this series Muse of Nightmares out really soon, now seems like the perfect time to read this duology back to back and soak up all of the beautiful Laini Taylor words all at once.

Sci-Fi is a genre that has been very neglected by me over the past couple of years and This Mortal Coil is a book from that genre that I've heard nothing but good things about. This sounds like a fresh new spin on zombie books and also looks at genetic modification a subject that I find so fascinating. I have a feeling I'm going to love this one and am itching to pick it up soon!

The release of the final book in the Throne of Glass series Kingdom of Ash is just around the corner and I've heard that Tower of Dawn is required reading before the final book. I'm currently reading it now and despite a huge 600+ page book from Chaol's point of view seeming really daunting at first, I'm surprised by how much I'm enjoying it!

Sky in the Deep is a 2018 debut that I've heard nothing but good things about from everyone who has read it this year. This is set during the winter months so I've specifically been saving it for cooler weather and I'm so excited to get to it over the next few months, all snuggled up under a blanket with a candle burning!

THUG has been on my radar for the longest time and I still haven't gotten around to it! I think I'm a bit intimidated by how good it's supposed to be. The movie adaptation is being released this October and the trailer looks awesome so I'm making it my goal to read it before then so I can go and support this important story in the cinema.

Scythe is such a well loved book that everybody seems to have read this year but me. The world sounds so fascinating, population control is another subject that I just find endlessly interesting and the idea of scythes already just blows my mind! I'm so so excited for this one and think it'll make a great Halloween read!

 Have you read any of these books? 

What books do you want to read before the end of the year?

Blog Tour: Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter

Hello everyone! Today is my stop on the Pieces of Her blog tour and I'm thrilled to be hosting a Q&A with Karin Slaughter. I'm a huge fan of this author so it's honestly such an honor to have her on the blog. Read on for Karin's thoughts on literary success, writing inspiration and what she likes to read when she's not writing.

What is your favourite underappreciated novel? 
I tend to read a lot of popular fiction. I could go back to GONE WITH THE WIND—it was definitely appreciated in its time, but I don’t think as much now, because it was such a cultural movement, and the movie has overshadowed it. In the book Scarlett is much more nuanced, she has a lot more marriages and a lot more children. And also, just as a time capsule for going back to the Lost Cause. There’s a solid explanation for what you see happening not just in the South, but in the country, regarding the Civil War. Even Kanye West saying “slavery was a choice.” You can find roots for that in works like GONE WITH THE WIND. This idea of the noble confederate, when in fact that wasn’t it at all, right? As a piece of history, it’s interesting, but also as a foundation for what later became a movement. But then you also have a really freaking good story.

What does literary success look like to you? 
To me, it means I get to write the stories I want to write. I’ve never been censored, my editor Kate Elton has always trusted me and believed in what I was doing. I think sometimes editors might publish a book they’re not actually so excited about, and Kate is always excited about all kinds of books, whether it’s rereading Daphne du Maurier, or reading my stuff, or Eleanor Oliphant, or whatever. She loves popular fiction. And I think sometimes people don’t embrace that. They don’t accept their love of popular fiction because they think they have to be this way, or that way. So success to me is basically, I get the write exactly what I want to write, and that’s given me the confidence to write things like PIECES OF HER, because it’s a little different, but I feel like my publishers will support me.

Your novels are so character driven. Where do you draw your inspiration? Do people in your day-to-day life ever see themselves reflected in your books?
I don’t think anyone ever really sees themselves in my books. Even if I take pieces of them, sort of like when you hear your voice on a voicemail and you’re like “where’s my sultry voice? Who’s this twelve year old?” I learned that lesson pretty early on because I did put one of my neighbors, growing up, in my first book. And she was really mean—I can say this because she’s dead now—she was this old lady who lived on the corner. We had really big lots that the houses were on because we were in a country setting. It was much faster to go home through her yard, and she wouldn’t let us, she’d turn the hose on us. And so there were certain things she did and said, if you heard them, you’d say, “Oh that’s Miss So-And-So.” I put those characteristics in the book. And at one of my first signings, this woman, she was there. She came up, and said “I know who that character is…” And I was thinking “Oh, crap.” And she goes, “It’s Mrs. So-And-So down the street!” And I was like, “Yes ma’am, please don’t tell her.” So, I think there are things that other people see in you that you don’t see in yourself. I don’t think any person sees another person the exact same way. There are all different kinds of shades. My sister really liked her—probably because I was kind of tubby and I couldn’t move fast so I always got wet. I learned really early on, don’t worry about putting people in the book. In this book in particular, I really wanted to write about how things have changed for women. If you look at Laura’s generation of women, which isn’t that far off from my generation of women, there weren’t a lot of options for what you were going to do with your life. You’d get married, have kids, maybe you would have a job. Maybe you might have a career but it would be nursing or teaching or one of those womanly types of jobs, but your focus would be your children of course. And then you look at what Andy is looking at, and in some way she’s at a stalemate because she has so much choice. She could be a doctor, a lawyer, an astronaut, anything. In a way, Laura was paralyzed by her limited choices, and now Andy is paralyzed by having too many choices. That was something I wanted to write about, and I think women in their 30s today are like women in their 20s when I was growing up. There’s sort of this 10 year soft-landing that young women get, and young men, that we didn’t get before. I remember very clearly when I graduated from high school, my dad was so proud of me, and he took me aside and said “I’m so proud, you can do anything you want. You just can’t move back home.” It would have been a stigma to move back home. It would have been a failure. And it’s interesting because I travel a lot, and when I was in France, or Denmark, or whatever, every place I’ve gone to has a phrase for “helicopter parents.” In Denmark it’s called “curling parents”—like the Olympic sport of curling where the move the broom ahead of the puck so it has an easier way to go. And I think it’s a 20th century phenomenon—not necessarily socioeconomic. I think there’s a desire for all parents to want their kids lives to be easier, and do what they can. Some people have more resources.

What are your favourite books and movies? Are you usually drawn to thrillers, or do you stay away from them when you’re writing? 
I read all kinds of stuff. I can’t read when I’m writing because I need to focus on my story and I don’t want to read something else, and suddenly I’m writing like someone else. It’s very important to me that my writing has a voice and I don’t want anything to clutter that up. But I do read magazines and blogs and look at cat pictures; I just can’t read books. I love historical fiction. I’ve been reading a lot about that lately. I’ve been reading about reconstruction; I read this really fascinating book called MASTERLESS MEN about the South during the time of the Civil War. And people who go on my Goodreads will probably think “what the hell?” But I do love reading crime novels—Lisa Garners, Lisa Unger, Sara Blaedel, Lee Child, the usual suspects. I don’t like slasher movies because they scare me. The stupider they are, the more terrified I’ll be. You know, the person’s standing and talking to someone and then someone else goes up behind them, that freaks me out. But I love SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and subtle scary movies. I don’t like anything with demons and Satan because I was raised to be terrified of those things, and no matter what I do I’m always worried about that. It’s in my blood. My favorite movie of all time is called CLAY PIGEONS. It’s very dark and funny and fantastic.

Don't miss the rest of the blog tour!

Review for The Corset by Laura Purcell

The Corset by Laura Purcell 
Publisher: Raven Books
Release: 20th September 2018
Genre: Historical Fiction, Adult Fiction, Gothic Fiction
Source: Proof copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis:

"Is prisoner Ruth Butterham mad or a murderer? Victim or villain? 

Dorothea and Ruth. Prison visitor and prisoner. Powerful and powerless. Dorothea Truelove is young, wealthy and beautiful. Ruth Butterham is young, poor and awaiting trial for murder.

When Dorothea's charitable work leads her to Oakgate Prison, she is delighted with the chance to explore her fascination with phrenology and test her hypothesis that the shape of a person's skull can cast a light on their darkest crimes. But when she meets teenage seamstress Ruth, she is faced with another theory: that it is possible to kill with a needle and thread. For Ruth attributes her crimes to a supernatural power inherent in her stitches.

The story Ruth has to tell of her deadly creations - of bitterness and betrayal, of death and dresses - will shake Dorothea's belief in rationality, and the power of redemption.

Can Ruth be trusted? Is she mad, or a murderer?"

Review
In a Victorian prison for women, teenager Ruth Butterham is awaiting execution for the most peculiar of crimes. Ruth claims she can kill with intent through her sewing, cursing her pieces as she stitches so that the wearer of her garments meets an untimely death. Is Ruth really a murderer or just mad? As Dorothea Truelove, an eccentric young heiress with a morbid fascination for murder sits with Ruth day after day and listens to her story unfold she begins to question everything she thought she knew about science, fate and those who kill.

I fell in love with Laura Purcell’s writing last year when I read her debut novel The Silent Companions and was highly anticipating her follow up The Corset. Purcell has a real talent for writing about the strange and the macabre, her books have such an unsettling atmosphere about them. When you’re reading a Laura Purcell book you get so caught up in the uneasy sensation of wrongness that makes her novels so deliciously dark and impossible to put down.

The book is told in a dual narrative between Ruth and Dorothea with Ruth’s chapters relaying her past, and Dorothea’s reflecting on Ruth’s case. I must admit that although the dual narrative worked well I much preferred Ruth’s chapters and was always impatient to get back to her story. I came to care deeply about Ruth in a way I wasn’t anticipating. Her past is horrifying to read about, and I so badly wanted to wrap her up in cotton wool and get justice for her.

Whilst The Silent Companions was spooky The Corset is a different sort of read and feels more disturbing than scary compared to its predecessor. However, both books have the same unique paranormal element to them that makes them stand out against your typical gothic horror stories. The Corset looks at the idea of curses, intention and magical thinking asking the question can we really hurt others with our thoughts alone? It’s a question I puzzled over whilst reading Ruth’s story right up to the final page.

The Corset is an absolute blighter of a book that’s screaming to be adapted into a BBC series. The brooding atmosphere, nuanced characters and lingering sense of dread is gripping stuff and perfect for autumn reading. Laura Purcell is the queen of gothic chillers and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Review for Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake

Girl Made of Stars 
by Ashley Herring Blake 
Publisher: HMH Books
Release: 15th May 2018
Genre: YA, Contemporary, LGBT+
Source: ARC gifted from a friend

Synopsis: 

""I need Owen to explain this. Because yes, I do know that Owen would never do that, but I also know Hannah would never lie about something like that." 

Mara and Owen are about as close as twins can get. So when Mara's friend Hannah accuses Owen of rape, Mara doesn't know what to think. Can the brother she loves really be guilty of such a violent crime? Torn between the family she loves and her own sense of right and wrong, Mara is feeling lost, and it doesn't help that things have been strained with her ex-girlfriend and best friend since childhood, Charlie. 

As Mara, Hannah, and Charlie navigate this new terrain, Mara must face a trauma from her own past and decide where Charlie fits in her future. With sensitivity and openness, this timely novel confronts the difficult questions surrounding consent, victim blaming, and sexual assault." 

Review 

Mara's just trying to get through her break up with her ex-girlfriend Charlie and write for her school's feminist newspaper when her world comes crashing down around her. Mara's twin brother and rock Owen has been accused of rape. The victim? Her best friend Hannah. Mara knows that Owen would never, could never, do such a thing. But she also knows Hannah and she would never lie about something like that. As Mara tries to navigate this new world and make sense of what happened that night memories of her own concealed trauma come back to her and Mara is finally forced to confront her own truth.

Girl Made of Stars was one of my most anticipated books of 2018, the impossible situation Mara finds herself in felt like such a timely and important subject matter that I was so ready for and despite such high expectations this book did not let me down at all. I'm not sure I have the words to eloquently articulate how much I loved this book. It was everything I needed a book about victim blaming and female solidarity to be.

One of the aspects I loved about this book is that Mara and her mother both identify as feminists, yet they still desperately wanted to believe Owen's version of events. One of the most important messages this book holds is what a grey area rape can be. Men we love and respect can rape, people in relationships can be raped, women who have had sex with their attacker before can be raped and when those women step forward with their stories they deserve to be believed and supported in ways that the legal system and society is not doing right now. I loved the message at the heart of this story on the importance of believing women, even when it's easier not to.

There is so much diversity in this book which I always appreciate, and I loved the complicated relationship Mara had with her ex-girlfriend Charlie and her own sexuality. Another thing this book does so well is show the after effects of abuse and the trauma that follows. It's something I could personally relate to and my heart broke reading about these girls, their broken parts and their inner strength. I loved how Ashley Herring Blake didn't shy away from the harsh truths of rape culture. This book holds no easy answers, but it does offer hope and show that there is life after abuse. Girl Made of Stars is a truly beautiful yet heartbreakingly important read that I can't recommend enough.

Her Name Was Rose Blog Tour

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Her Name Was Rose blog tour! Today I'm interviewing the author Claire Allan on writing, life swaps and what she's working on next...

Q1.) Hi Claire, welcome to the blog! Can you tell us a little bit about Her Name Was Rose and what sparked the idea behind it? 
Hello! Thanks for having me here. Her Name Was Rose is the story of two women, and is told from the perspective of Emily D’Arcy, a woman who lives a fairly uninspiring life while she battles the demons of her past, which included an abusive relationship. The book opens as Emily watches Rose Grahame, a woman who seemingly has it all, die in an horrific hit and run accident outside a busy shopping centre. Emily becomes obsessed with the notion that she, who had little to live for, should have died instead and begins to stalk Rose’s social media. Slowly she wheedles her way into the life Rose left behind – but all is not what it seems and Rose’s life may not have been as perfect as Emily believed it to be.

Q2.) Her Name Was Rose is a new direction in genre for you, what made you decide to write a thriller?
It all came around fairly accidentally but it was a happy accident. I wanted to write something darker than my previous novels – more as a challenge to myself than anything else. It wasn’t my original intention to write a thriller but as the first draft of the book developed I was encouraged to go all out and release my dark side. I don’t think I believed I would ever be capable of writing a thriller, so it was a challenge and one which surprised me. I loved writing it. It was exhilarating.

Q3.) In Her Name Was Rose the main character Emily slips into Rose's old life. If you could live as someone else for a day who would you choose? 
Writing Rose’s story has shown me that not everyone’s life is as perfect as it may seem on the outside so I think I’d always be cautious choosing someone to live as for a day! That said, I’d say living as Luisana Lupilato, aka Mrs Michael Buble, would be quite lovely for a day.

Q4.) What does your typical writing day look like?
My writing day starts after I’ve left the children to school and walked our puppy, Izzy, who is always much nicer to be around when she has been able to burn off some energy first thing. I like to be writing by about 10.30, which gives me a solid four hours until I have to leave for the school pick up.

Until two years ago I also worked as a journalist and most of my writing was done in the evenings and that’s a habit I’ve not really kicked yet. Once the homeworks/ dinner/ housework is out of the way I tend to write a little more from about 8pm onwards.

My schedule changes depending on what stage of a book I’m at. If I’m approaching deadline or in the final quarter of the book I can spend hours and hours lost in writing. But along with drafting a book I also have to factor in time for edits, answering emails from readers and my publishers, reading proofs, keeping up with social media and planning for creative writing sessions or panel talks.

Some days I also feel the need to factor in binge watching Four in a Bed or Couples Come Dine With Me too.

Q5.) Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? 
Every published writer is someone who was exactly where you are right now. And they all wondered if they would ever do it too. And they all wondered, and probably still wonder, if their books are good enough. Be brave. Write the book. Allow yourself the time to follow your dream. Take advice but remember it’s ultimately your book and no one else can tell your story just the way you can.

Q6.) What’s been your best moment as an author so far?
I’ve had a number of really incredible moments over the years but if I’m being completely honest it was probably attending the Irish Book Awards last year as part of team Harper Collins. It was my first time at the awards, and I was sitting beside one of my very best writing pals Fionnuala Kearney and we just grinned at each other that we were in a room with Ireland’s best writers and we were there legitimately as writers in our right. That and visiting Harper Collins HQ and hearing the Avon team speak so enthusiastically about Her Name Was Rose were my two “pinch me” moments.

Q7.) Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next? 
I’m working on my second thriller, ‘Apple of My Eye’ which is due to be published in January 2019. It’s a story of a mother’s obsession with protecting her bond with her daughter, and the lengths she will go to stop someone from hurting her. It was my most challenging write to date – and I loved it.

Q8.) And lastly, what three words best describe Her Name Was Rose? 
Gripping, honest and relevant!

Don't miss the rest of the blog tour! 

The Death of Mrs Westaway Blog Tour

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on The Death of Mrs Westaway blog tour! The Death of Mrs Westaway is one of my favourite reads of 2018. If you like bleak family dramas with an Agatha Christie style mystery running through it then you are going to love this book! Today I've had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Ruth Ware for my stop on the tour and I'm also giving one of you lucky lot the chance to win a signed copy of The Death of Mrs Westaway and a special set of signed tarot cards to go with it!

Hi Ruth, welcome to the blog! Can you tell us a little bit about The Death of Mrs Westaway and what sparked the idea behind it? 

The Death of Mrs Westaway is about a tarot reader, Hal Westaway, who receives a letter telling her that she has inherited a substantial bequest from her grandmother Hester. There is just one problem - Hal’s grandparents died many years ago, and this woman is a total stranger to her. However she sets out to collect the bequest anyway.

I’m not sure where exactly the idea for the novel came from, but the character of Hal is easier to pin down - having written three books where the main character was someone who stumbles into events through no fault of their own, I wanted to do something very different for my fourth. So I came up with the idea of a girl who sets out to commit a crime, and in doing so sets the whole complicated mechanism of the plot in motion.

What can fans of your previous books expect from this one?
I hope they’ll find some similar pleasures - a twisty plot, an atmospheric setting, and a dogged and determined main character. But it’s a little bit different too. It’s a little bit darker, a little bit more gothic than some of my previous books. And although my love of Christie is still there, students of literature will probably be able to see a strong influence from Daphne du Maurier in the settings and some of the characters.

Tarot cards play a huge role in The Death of Mrs Westaway, have you ever had a tarot card reading?
I have now - but I only went for one about halfway through writing the book. Prior to that I’d never had a tarot reading, and before I started researching for the book, I knew almost nothing about the meaning of the cards. I am not sure why I’d never tried it - I’m not a very superstitious person, and I suppose I was worried about being sucked into something embarrassing or some kind of con. Actually it was very entertaining!

Your books are constantly compared to Agatha Christie's work, does she influence your writing style?
Not my writing style, I don’t think. But definitely my plotting. I strive to do what she does so well - arm the reader with all the information they need to solve the plot, but still surprise them.

What’s been your best moment as an author so far?
Oh wow, gosh. There are so many! Probably finding out that Reese Witherspoon had read and loved my first book.

What does your typical writing day look like?
I have school age kids so I get up, get them ready for school and walk the little one to class. Then I get home about 9.30 and (try to) write until I leave to pick them up around 3. I say “try to” because I have good days and bad days. Some days I sit right down and write all the way through until pick up. Other days there’s an awful lot of dallying on social media…

Do you have any advice for aspiring thriller/mystery writers?
Just read lots in the genre I think, and pay attention to what you enjoy and how the writers pull the wool over your eyes.

What books would you recommend to fans looking for stories similar to your own? 
I love Erin Kelly, Megan Abbott, Sarah Vaughan, AJ Finn, SJ Watson, Lisa Jewell…

Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next? 
Book five, obviously!

And lastly, what three words best describe The Death of Mrs Westaway? 
Dark, gothic, twisty!

If you'd like the chance to win a signed copy of The Death of Mrs Westaway and tarot cards head on over to Twitter to enter! 

⭐GIVEAWAY⭐
Win a signed copy of #TheDeathofMrsWestaway by @RuthWareWriter and a signed set of tarot cards!
RT & Follow @JessHeartsBooks to enter
UK only #bookbloggers #thriller #blogtour #giveaway #win https://t.co/UTQ04unNi3 @DeadGoodBooks @HarvillSecker pic.twitter.com/geHtqAn1RJ

— Jess Hearts Books (@JessHeartsBooks) June 29, 2018

 Don't miss the rest of the blog tour