Waiting on Wednesday #21



SECRETS OF SKIN AND STONE
by Wendy Laine


Publisher: Entangled Publishing


Summary 


Something is wrong in Hidden Creek. The sleepy Alabama town is more haunted than any place fiend hunter Grisham Caso has ever seen. Unearthed graves, curse bags, and spilled blood all point to an evil that could destroy his gargoyle birthright. The town isn’t safe for anyone, and everyone says fiery Piper Devon knows why. 
Piper wants to leave Hidden Creek behind. She’s had enough of secrets—they hide in the shadows of her room and tell her terrible things are coming. Too-charming city boy Grisham might be her only chance to save herself. 
To survive, Piper and Grisham have to shed their secrets and depend only on each other. But what lurks in Hidden Creek still might take everything away from them, including each other.


PUBLICATION DATE:
JUNE 5TH 2017


What is your #WaitingOnWednesday this week? Comment below as I'm excited to see what everyone else is looking forward to! 






REVIEW: The Inquisition

THE INQUISITION
by Taran Matharu


Pages: 417 paperback
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Publication Date: May 5th 2016
ISBN: 9781444924244


Summary 

On trial for a crime he did not commit, Fletcher must face the Inquisition who will decide his future - the process is gruelling, lead by those who will do anything to see him suffer and haunted by ghosts from the past with clues to Fletcher's tragic origins.  
But Fletcher has little time to dwell on these new revelations when the king announces a deadly challenge to the graduating students at Vocans. One that involves entering Orc territory to complete a risky mission. With loyal demons by their sides, commoners and nobles, dwarves and elves must overcome barriers of class and race and work together to triumph. The reward: a fortune in gold, the safety of an empire and PEACE. 
With the entire empire watching, Fletcher has much to prove, but there are those out to get him and it soon becomes clear that there's a traitor in their midst, trying to thwart the mission and create unrest within the Empire.  
With everything stacked against him, Fletcher must use everything in his power to fight his way to victory.

Review

**Spoilers for those who haven't read The Novice**

So if you haven't guessed this week is all about the Summoner Books! The Inquisition is the second book in the series and carries on a year after the end of The Novice. It is just as captivating as its predecessor and with such high expectations after book one it did not disappoint. 

The Inquisition starts with Fletcher and Ignatius in jail, where he has been since the Tournament a year ago. The trail is right around the corner and Fletcher doesn't know what to expect, but a year is a long time and he is ready so seal his fait. With the help of old friends and some new Fletchers trial unravels in the most unexpected of ways but that is just the start of the dangers that face our misfit group of friends. Throughout the book we follow Fletcher, Othello and Sylva as they are pushed to their limits and tested further than anyone thought possible when sent into the heart of the Orc Jungle. 

I'll be honest after The Novice I didn't know how Taran Matharu was going to keep up the pace. More often than not sequels fall short of the books before them and I was worried this might fall into the same trap. However, I am glad to report than I was mistaken!! The Inquisition keeps up the same level of adventure, the same intense relationships and most importantly still left my jaw on the floor with all its unexpected plot twists. 

Throughout this installment we get to know more about Fletchers past, most importantly where exactly that little naked baby in the snow at Pelts gates came from. As a reader we get to see the inner workings of the Elves and Dwarves in more detail and finally understand why the King (up until this point) is such a bastard towards the other races. One of the things I love most about these books is that as much as it is fantasy there is a strong message within its text that translates to the real work. The strong emphasis on inclusion and not judging people by how they look on the outside is heartwarming and the fact that it takes just one person to see someones worth no matter their race, colour, gender is a strong message I wish more people today remembered. 

Overall I adored this book just as much as The Novice and even though it may have included one of my pet hates (cliffhangers) I wouldn't change a single word. This book sets up nicely for the final installment of the Summoner series and I can't wait to find out what happens next. 

REVIEW: The Novice

THE NOVICE
by Taran Matharu


Pages: 416 paperback
Publisher: Hodder
Publication Date: January 2016 (First published May 5th 2015)
ISBN: 9781444923995

Summary 

When blacksmith apprentice Fletcher discovers that he has the ability to summon demons from another world, he travels to Adept Military Academy. There the gifted are trained in the art of summoning. Fletcher is put through grueling training as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire’s war against orcs. He must tread carefully while training alongside children of powerful nobles. The power hungry, those seeking alliances, and the fear of betrayal surround him. Fletcher finds himself caught in the middle of powerful forces, with only his demon Ignatius for help. 
As the pieces on the board maneuver for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands. The Novice is the first in a trilogy about Fletcher, his demon Ignatius, and the war against the Orcs.

Review

Okay so confession time, I am guilty of judging a book by its cover and when Hachette sent me an early copy of the final book in this series, The Battlemage, I kind just ignored it because it didn't look like the kind of book I would enjoy. HOWEVER, when I was putting in away I decided I might as well read the back and honestly? I went straight out and bought the first two books. I wasn't expecting to like this book but the characters and the story are so well thought out and polished that I fell right into the pages and didn't want to leave. 

The Novice is the story of Fletcher, a fifteen year old boy from a little village where he isn't regarded as anything special. However, when his little mountain town of Pelt opens its gates to trade one day the town plays host to a most unsuspecting guest. Rotter is an old army man and from his days in the military he has a whole arsenal of unique things to sell, one of these things being the diary of a late Battlemage. It is this diary that opens Fletchers eyes to what he could truly be and when one thing leads to another he finds himself enrolling at Vocans Academy, a school for those with the ability to summon demons. From this point Fletcher is thrust into a world he never imagined he would be a part of and in the middle of a war between the races no less. With dwarves, elves, humans and orcs all at each others throats it is make or break time for Fletcher and his new friends. Can Fletcher be anything other than a blacksmith from a small town?

There is something about this book that hooks you in from page one! With strong Middle Earth vibes and Hogwarts feels The Novice has easily become one of my all time favourite fantasy books. It is filled to the brim with twists and turns, characters that make you smile and others than make you want to slap them. You get to see Fletcher become something he never thought he could be, important. It is one of those books that I don't want to say too much about in fear of spoiling it for those of you who haven't read it yet but here is what I will say. I haven't loved a friendship like this since Hermione, Ron and Harry and the story kept me guessing from the very beginning. The world of demons Taran creates in enthralling and kept me hooked from the first page right up until the last in book 3. 

Overall this book in beautifully crafted and unique. There isn't a moment throughout the whole book where you aren't cheering Fletcher and his misfit group of friend on and the relationship between Ignatius and Fletcher made me smile from start to finish. I adored this book and if you haven't read this series yet what are you waiting for? Be gone with you and read The Novice!! 


REVIEW: Darkmere

DARKMERE
by Helen Maslin


Pages: 368 paperback
Publisher: Chicken House
Publication Date: 6th August 2015
ISBN: 9781910002346
Received From:  Chicken House


Summary 


A castle. A curse. A dangerous summer.


Leo has invited Kate and a few friends to spend the summer at his inheritance, Darkmere Castle: as wild and remote as it is beautiful. Kate thinks it will be the perfect place for her and Leo to get together - but instead, she's drawn into the dark story of a young nineteenth-century bride who haunts the tunnels and towers of the house. And whose curse now hangs over them all.

Review

I started reading Darkmere almost two years ago but for some reason couldn't get into it. However, when I was having a bit of a clean I found it at the back of my bookshelf and thought I would give it another go. WHY DID I EVER STOP READING THIS?!?! I don't know what was wrong with me back in 2015 but I was obviously having a bad week because Darkmere is insane! I was hooked from the first chapter and by the half way mark it had me properly spooked. So as my mother always says, better late than never, here is my review of Darkmere

This book follows two very different girls at very different times as they find themselves at Darkmere Castle. Firstly, and predominantly, Kate. Kate unsuspectedly finds herself part of the cool group at her new school but when the hottest boy at Denborough Park invites her to spend the summer with his friends at his castle (yes I said castle) she doesn't realise her life is about to get flipped upside down. Secondly we have Elinor, a young woman who through unforeseen evens finds herself lady of Darkmere Castle decades before Kate and her friends are even born. Both girls have to discover the hard way the true nature of their lords of Darkmere and in hand find themselves on a path that will interlink the past with the present as both Kate and Elinor fight for their lives and the lives of the people they hold most dear. 

There is a real sense of the past repeating itself with this book and I found it rather clever the way in which the writer connects these two girls and the people around them. There is a strong and rich history to the foundation of this story and a mix of characters that you will either love or hate! However, the thing I liked the most about this book was the way in which the castle spoke to its inhabitance, the way the deeds of the past affected the people of the present and how both set of characters unwittingly became one. 

There was a real spook factor to this book and you will not find me visiting any castles or isolated beaches any time soon! The story was compelling and had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. It had me wanting to know what was going to happen next, hoping for a happy ending and at one point wanting to give Leo a mighty good slap. Overall though this is one of those books that was thoroughly entertaining and would recommend it to anyone! Although maybe not is you plan on reading this book on the beach... I probably wouldn't recommend that at all.


REVIEW: One Italian Summer

ONE ITALIAN SUMMER
by Keris Stainton


Pages: 288 paperback
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Publication Date: May 4th 2017
ISBN: 9781471406386
Received From: Hot Key Books

Summary 

It's been a year since Milly, Elyse and Leonie's dad died, and a year since their last trip to Rome. Summer's here again, and once again they are heading with their mum to Italy - but what's it going to be like going without Dad? Rome still holds its familiar charms - the sun is still as warm, the gelato as delicious, the people as welcoming. But nothing is quite as it once was ...  
With grief still raw for all of them, Milly is facing the additional awfulness of having to see Luke again - gorgeous, gorgeous Luke, who she had a fling with last year, and who she made a total fool of herself with - or so she thinks. What's going to happen this time? What's more, things between Milly, her sisters and their mum are rocky - Leonie is being tempestuous and unpredictable, Elyse is caught up with her new boyfriend, and Milly feels like she just doesn't know how she fits in any more.  
Over one Italian summer, can Milly find a way back to the life she once had?

Review

This book made me so happy I don't even know where to begin! It is the perfect book for summer with its picturesque backdrop of Rome and it's will they won't they romances. One Italian Summer is the first Keris Stainton book I've read and if this is anything to go by I'm off out to get the rest of her books right now! It was effortless and charming from the very start and I didn't want to put it down.

One Italian Summer is the story of Milly, the middle child in a family thats holding on by its finger tips. After their fathers death Milly, Elyse and Leonie have to find a way to live with the heartbreak of loosing the most important man in their lives because as much as it feels like everything is falling apart life keeps on going. However, with a family wedding this summer the girls get whisked away to Rome, where family comes together, love interests are around almost every corner (normally kissing someone else) and Milly and her sisters have a chance to really heal.

This book got me right in the feels guys! I mean I'm a proper daddy's girl so any book like this was going to choke me up but there was something about the way in which Keris Stainton writes that drags you into the page and makes you feel every word. There was a genteelness to One Italian Summer that felt effortless to read and the characters are all so incredibly captivating that you couldn't help but fall in love with them right along side Rome.

One Italian Summer feels like a movie, you can imagine the ups and downs, the will they wont they romances and the sadness behind the characters all playing out on screen in glorious technicolor. Maybe it's just me but when a book translates like that when reading I find them all the more engaging, which is a testament to the writer. The story is full of highs and lows, a wedding, nights under the stars, ice cream and even a mini road trip that will make you swoon.

Overall this book is one of my all time favourite summer reads, I would put it atop of any must reads  list for the beach and with the sun now finally starting to show its face it is the perfect time do crack open One Italian Summer and immerse yourself in Milly's story. You wont regret it! 

Waiting on Wednesday #20



THE GIRLS GUIDE TO SUMMER
by Sarah Mlynowski


Publisher: Orchard Books
ISBN: 9781408343869


Summary 


Sydney Aarons is leaving her Manhattan townhouse for a summer backpacking around Europe with her best friend, Leela. They're visiting London, France, Italy, Switzerland and everywhere in between - it's going to be the trip of a lifetime. 
BUT... The trip gets off to a bad start when Leela's ex-boyfriend shows up on their flight out of JFK. When they touch down in London, Leela Instagrams their every move in the hope Matt will come and find them... Which he does, along with the most gorgeous guy Sydney has ever seen. 
Will Sydney's summer fling last the distance? And what will happen when they all head home?


PUBLICATION DATE:
15TH OF JUNE

I'm actually super excited about this one as it actually just landed on my doorstep a few days ago. I have a few books ahead of it on the TBR pile but I'll hopefully get around to it soon :) P.S. I now have a blog Instagram!!! Go check it out <3



What is your #WaitingOnWednesday this week? Comment below as I'm excited to see what everyone else is looking forward to! 






BLOG TOUR: Wishbones

WISHBONES
by Virginia MacGregor

Pages: 384 paperback
Publisher: HQ
Publication Date: May 23rd 2017
ISBN: 9780008217297
Received From:  HQ
Summary 

Feather Tucker has two wishes:

1)To get her mum healthy again

2) To win the Junior UK swimming championships

When Feather comes home on New Year’s Eve to find her mother – one of Britain’s most obese women- in a diabetic coma, she realises something has to be done to save her mum’s life. But when her Mum refuses to co-operate Feather realises that the problem run deeper than just her mum’s unhealthy appetite.

Over time, Feather’s mission to help her Mum becomes an investigation. With the help of friends old and new, and the hindrance of runaway pet goat Houdini, Feather’s starting to uncover when her mum’s life began to spiral out of control and why. But can Feather fix it in time for her mum to watch her swim to victory? And can she save her family for good?


Review

"We carry the past with us, and sometimes that past is so very, very sad that it haunts us and damages us." 

I know I say this a lot but honestly I was taken aback by this book! It wasn't at all what I expected and it got me right in the feels. There is something about the way in which Virginia MacGregor constructs a story that has you needing more and questioning everything right up until the last page. 

Wishbones is the story of Feather and her Mum as their family is pushed to breaking point when Feather finds her mum in a diabetic coma on New Years Eve. Before this point Feather just saw her Mum as her Mum, not the most obese woman in Britain. Her weight didn't affect who she was but after New Years everything changes and Feather takes in upon herself to get her Mum healthy. However, people don't just shut themselves in their homes and start eating themselves to death, something must have triggered it and as Feather goes on a journey to get her Mum back she is about to discover more than she ever imagined possible. 

This is one of those books that matter because it brings into focus something really important. Eating disorders aren't just something people decide to do because they are bored it is a disease and as well as this an eating disorder isn't just someone who goes to extremes to loose weight, it works the other way to. We live in a time where more and more people (women especially) are shouting out body positive messages but as a whole when people see someone who is over weight words like lazy, fat, ugly, shame get thrown around all too easily. As someone who is over weight (no where near Feather's mum overweight but still) I could sympathise with Feather's Mum on a lot of things, for example not wanting people to see you. I've struggled with my anxiety a lot over the last few years and having people give you dirty looks, shouting abuse in the street and the instant judgements you get can make changing even harder. I think the one thing this book really puts across is that no matter the nature of an eating disorder there is always a reason behind it. Whether that be an illness, a major event/tragedy or something else completely, what is important is that we as a society stop judging and start empathising. This book shows exactly what a little empathy and support from the people around you can do. 

What I loved about Feather was that even when she was doing my head in (and there were a couple of moments) her heart was always in the right place. She wanted what was best for the people around her and throughout the book she becomes a much more understanding character. The book isn't just about her mother though, there is the typical teenage shenanigans, love, friendship and a strong emphasis on working hard to achieve your dreams. It is books like this that make me remember why I love YA so much. 

Overall I would whole heartedly recommend Wishbones to anyone and everyone. It is has moments that will make you laugh out loud and moments that will have you fighting back the tears. It was unpredictable and engaging from the very first chapter and filled to the brim with characters that you can't help but fall in love with. So what you waiting for, go read Wishbones and find your inner Feather. 


EXTRACT

was born seven weeks premature. An incubator baby. Tubes stuffed up my nose, eyes screwed shut, looked like a tiny wrinkly vole. 
I wasn’t meant to survive. When the nurse put me into Dad’s arms for the first time, he said: She’s light as a feather. That’s how I got my name. 
Kids at school think it’s funny, the boys especially. Featherweight champ, they say. Quack quack, they chant, waddling with their feet turned out. 
Tweet tweet, they chirp, flapping their arms. I was so small that doctors came up from London and peered at me through the incubator walls and journalists sneaked onto the ward to ask questions and take photos. 
I wonder whether that was what made Mum hospital- phobic – the scare she got from me being so small. And then I think about her other phobias too and where they came from, like her leaving-the-house phobia and her swimming phobia and her running-out-of-food phobia. 
You were the tiniest baby Willingdon had ever seen, Dad’s told me more times than I can remember, like I’d won a prize. Anyway, it’s all turned out to be what Miss Pierce, my History teacher, calls ironic, because people say the same thing of Mum now – except the opposite: that she’s The Big- gest Woman Willingdon Has Ever Seen. People sometimes ask me if I’m adopted. I know what they’re thinking: how can someone so small belong to someone who takes up as much space as Mum? 
People are still really interested in Mum and her weight and the fact that she hasn’t come out of the house in years. Last summer, I found Allen, a reporter from the Newton News, hiding behind our hedge with his camera angled at Mum’s bedroom window. He said he’d give me a hundred pounds if I let him take a photo. I told him to get lost, obviously.  
Anyway, Mum’s been chubby ever since I’ve known her, it’s just the way she is. What’s more important for you to know is that she’s the best mum in the world. A mum who’s funny and clever and always has time to listen and doesn’t obsess about stuff like homework and being tidy – or eating vegetables. And although she’s a little on the large side, she’s beautiful, like proper, old-fashioned movie-star beautiful: long, thick, wavy hair, a wide, dimply smile and big soul- ful eyes that change colour in different lights – sometimes they’re blue and sometimes they’re green and sometimes they’re a brown so light it’s like they’re filled with flecks of gold. 
Whenever I think about Mum and how awesome she is and how close we are, I realise that there can’t be many daughters out there as lucky as me. 
So Mum being overweight has never mattered to me. 
As far as I’m concerned, there are a million worse things a mum can be. 
That is, it never mattered until last night, New Year’s Eve, when everything went wrong. Really, horribly wrong.


If you want to know more about this book why not check out the rest of the tour stops, see what other bloggers thought of Wishbones, enter giveaways and get to know Feather and her Mum. 



REVIEW: Wayfarer

WAYFARER
by Alexandra Bracken


Pages: 534 paperback
Publisher: Quercus Children's Books
Publication Date: 17th January 2017
ISBN: 9781786540027
Received From:  Quercus Children's Books

Summary 

All Etta Spencer wanted was to make her violin debut when she was thrust into a treacherous world where the struggle for power could alter history. After losing the one thing that would have allowed her to protect the Timeline, and the one person worth fighting for, Etta awakens alone in an unknown place and time, exposed to the threat of the two groups who would rather see her dead than succeed. When help arrives, it comes from the last person Etta ever expected - Julian Ironwood, the Grand Master's heir who has long been presumed dead, and whose dangerous alliance with a man from Etta's past could put them both at risk. 
Meanwhile, Nicholas and Sophia are racing through time in order to locate Etta and the missing astrolabe with Ironwood travelers hot on their trail. They cross paths with a mercenary-for-hire, a cheeky girl named Li Min who quickly develops a flirtation with Sophia. But as the three of them attempt to evade their pursuers, Nicholas soon realises that one of his companions may have ulterior motives. 
As Etta and Nicholas fight to make their way back to one another, from Imperial Russia to the Vatican catacombs, time is rapidly shifting and changing into something unrecognisable ... and might just run out on both of them. 

Review

I was a little late to the Passenger hype but having now read both instillments of the the duology I am officially a fangirl! It was only a couple of months between reading both books but I found when I started Wayfarer I noticed how much I had really missed Etta and Nick. The character's, the story, the world in which Alexandra Bracken creates is riveting and magical and everything you could possibly want from a YA fantasy.

**Spoilers for those who haven't read the first book** 

Wayfarer starts where Passenger finished, with Etta lost in a time line that is not her own, her mother on a mission no one quite understands and Nick helplessly trying to find his way back to the girl he has unquestionably fallen for. In a quest to stop the Ironwoods from changing history Etta and Nick are pushed to their limits. The dangers and the risks are bigger than ever before and it's no longer as simple as saving Etta's mother anymore. The whole of history as they know it is at risk and with new faces bringing more trouble that ever before will Etta and Nick make it to the end of the story in one piece? 

"Love. Sacrifice. Release"

There is something about these books that just make me happy. There are moments that are heart breaking but when I'm reading them I can truly escape into the world in which Alexandra Bracken creates. There is something in it for everyone! There are pirates, adventure, history, fantasy, love and friendship. It is very rare you find a book that has so much and does it so well but Wayfarer is definitely one of them! As the final instillment of this duology, I was worried it wouldn't live up to the first book but in a way I think it surpassed it. There was something about the development of our favourite time travelling protagonists that kept me on tender hooks from the very first page. I'll admit I normally get a little wherry of the whole cat and mouse chase but the worlds in which these characters travel between are magical and dangerous all a the same time and I found myself needing to know what happened next.

Overall this was the perfect end to Etta and Nicks story. There was no questions left unanswered and it felt complete. Yes, I'm sad there isn't another book but Bracken managed to conclude in a way that left me completely satisfied. I know this is a story I will go back to and read again because after reading both books I care about these characters. This is YA at its best and I hope you all love(d) it as much as I did.


"Then may the best pirate win"


Waiting on Wednesday #19



THE HAWKWEED LEGACY
by Irena Brignull


Pages: 304 paperback
Publisher: Orchard Books
ISBN: 9781408341896


Summary 


Poppy Hooper doesn't want to be the queen of the witches.
But some problems can't be left behind.
Some love stories can't be forgotten.
Some friendships won't be broken.
And some enemies won't stay dead…
The battle for the throne isn't over yet.


PUBLICATION DATE:
JUNE THE 1ST


What is your #WaitingOnWednesday this week? Comment below as I'm excited to see what everyone else is looking forward to! 






REVIEW: The Hawkweed Prophecy

THE HAWKWEED PROPHECY
by Irean Brignull


Pages: 425 paperback
Publisher: Hatchette Children's Group
Publication Date: 16th June 2016
ISBN: 9781408341704
Received From: Hatchette Children's Group


Summary 

The babies were born as the clock struck twelve. A bat fell from the air mid-flight. A silver salmon floated dead to the surface of the river. Snails withered in their shells, moths turned to dust on the night breeze and an owl ate its young. The spell had been cast. 
Poppy Hooper has managed to deceive her father into believing that there is nothing mysterious or unnatural about her. He ignores the cats that find her wherever she goes, the spiders that weave beautiful lacy patterns for her, even her eyes - one blue, one green with an extra black dot orbiting the pupil. 
Ember Hawkweed is a pitiful excuse for a witch. When the other girls in her coven brew vile potions, Ember makes soap and perfume. Fair and pretty, Ember is more like a chaff than a witch. One of the Hawkweeds will be queen of the witches - but everyone knows it won't be Ember. 
When the two girls meet, Poppy discovers her powers, and finds out the truth. Bound by their unlikely friendship and the boy they both love, the girls try and find their place in the world. But the time of the prophecy draws nearer - and the witches won't give up the throne without a fight.

Review

If I'm being completely honest when I got this book I had no idea what it was about. Maybe it's because I was MIA from the blogging world when it came out but I hadn't even heard of it until it landed on my doorstep. The first thing I noticed about this book was the cover, instantly I was super excited because it is so beautifully designed I couldn't help but want to read it and as soon as I had read the blurb I was hooked. 

The Hawkweed Prophecy is a book about two girls from two very different ways of life. Poppy Hooper hasn't had the easiest of lives, moving from school to school because she always managed to get herself into trouble and peculiar things follow her around like a shadow. Then there is Ember, a witch like no other, her abilities are minimal at best and she finds herself drawn to things other witches in her coven dismiss. Both girls have one thing in common though, they both feel like outsiders in their world. However, when their lives collide they strike an unlikely bond, teaching each other about the worlds they are from and finding themselves drawn to each others ways of life. Throughout the book they both discover where they truly belong, but with the witches way of life at risk and Poppy's family reaching breaking point will they be able to find peace without starting a war. 

As much as the blurb hooked me once I started reading I was in two minds about this book as it took me a little while to get into. The story itself is captivating and unique but I struggled a little to connect with our main characters. It wasn't until about half way through that I started to feel like I knew them, which in hand made the story come alive for me. The Hawkweed Prophecy has a real emphasis on friendship and how sometimes it isn't all smooth sailing, some friendships you have to fight for. There is a strong coming of age feel to the book with a magical twist that I found really intriguing. 

If you follow my reviews then you'll know the reason I normally fall in love with books is because I can connect with the characters but with this book that wasn't why I enjoyed it. In fact I really struggled to like Poppy as a character for a while as I found her quite selfish in the beginning but it was Irena's way with words that kept me hooked. Her way of telling a story is descriptive and engaging, I could easily imagine being in the forest with these girls and that was what had me coming back for more. 


As a whole I did really enjoy this book. There was a real weight on family and friendship that was both endearing and heart breaking at times. There was magic and betrayal, first loves and prophecies. This book had a little something in there for everyone and I would definitely recommend reading it, especially as the second book, The Hawkweed Legacy, is out the 1st of June!