Blade Breaker by Victoria Aveyard (Review)

Blade Breaker by Victoria Aveyard

Blurb

Fighting beside her band of unlikely companions, Corayne is learning to embrace her ancient lineage and wield her father’s powerful sword.

But while she successfully closed one of the Spindles, her journey is far from over.

Queen Erida’s army marches across Allward with her consort, Taristan, right beside them, opening more portals into nightmarish worlds, razing kingdoms to the ground.

Corayne has no choice but to assemble an army of her own if she’s to save the realm as she knows it. But perilous lands await her and the companions, and they face assassins, otherworldly beasts, and tempestuous seas all as they rally a divided Ward to fight behind them.

But Taristan has unleashed an evil far more wicked than his corpse armies. Something deadly waits in the shadows; something that might consume the world before there’s any hope for victory.

Review

This is another book that I have taken way too long to read. I really do not know why I have delayed reading this book because I absolutely loved Realm Breaker and couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I probably should have read it sooner because then it wouldn’t have taken me so long to remember what happened in the first book and remember the different characters.

OK, I know I spent a lot of time going ‘that’s from Tolkien’ but I generally do that with every fantasy book I read because every fantasy author does tend to be heavily influenced by Tolkien. I mean The Wheel of Time series by Jordan almost has direct quotes from The Lord of the Rings! However, this didn’t put me off this book and just like The Lord of the Rings I could not put this book down.

I love the characters within this series and I spent a great deal of the book worrying about the fates of Dom, Sorasa, Sigrid, Andy, Corayne and even Charlie at times. I dreaded turning a page and reading of something happening to one of these characters. I loved seeing the relationship between Dom and Sorasa develop. I loved seeing how Sigrid would happily challenge anyone to an arm wrestle and win and face any battle with bravery and bravado. The loyalty in this group of companions was moving to see.

Queen Erida might be a baddie but I do like her character. She was the child who was meant to be a boy. Her parents wanted a prince and instead they got a princess and so she has spent her life learning to be strong, learning to rule with a rod of iron and show no weaknesses. Although she is a pampered princess she is hard and unyielding and now with Taristan’s help she is showing her people and the rest of the Ward just what she is made of and her thirst for power. I do wonder what lies ahead of her and wonder whether she will need Tristan’s help for much longer or will she outgrow him?

This book left me with a lot of questions which I hope the next book will answer for me.

I am so pleased I have the next book to read so I can be put out of my misery. I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. I happily give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons and will happily read this book again.

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About the author

Victoria Aveyard (1990) is an American writer of young adult and fantasy fiction and screenplays. She is best known for her fantasy novel Red Queen.

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The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Review)

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Blurb

Carlota Moreau: a young woman, growing up in a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of either a genius, or a madman.

Montgomery Laughton: a melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his scientific experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers.

The hybrids: the fruits of the Doctor’s labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities.

All of them living in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Doctor Moreau’s patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction.

For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite.

Review

Why did I take so long to read this book? This book sat on my TBR for so long and I really can’t tell you why because I am yet to find a book by Moreno-Garcia that I haven’t loved. It took me quite a long time to finish this book but that was because this thing called work kept getting in the way of my precious reading time.

This book is a really clever take on the H. G. Wells story called The Island of Doctor Moreau. I loved this refreshing new take on a classic and I thoroughly enjoyed the feminist twist that Moreno-Garcia included.

I really enjoyed how this book was told between Carlota’s and Montgomery’s perspectives but that was also one thing that slightly let this book down for me because some chapters I found too repetitive. Carlota was a very interesting and unconventional character who was both beguiling and annoying at the same time. It was very hard to make her out at times but all became clear as the story continued.

Montgomery was a very sad character who had many demons lurking that were created by his extremely tragic back story. The man had hardly known a moment of happiness or peace in his life but to me he was a fascinating character who really added to the story. He was loyal, he was sensitive, he was kind and understanding and cared for others but he was also brash and hard with a temper.

This book was very much a slow burner for me but I didn’t mind that as it just added to the feeling of suspense. This book was a great historical fiction read with a sci-fi twist that really felt like a classic sci-fi story just like Wells. Moreno-Garcia did brilliantly at keeping the original feeling of a Wells sci-fi novel but with a modern edge and I loved it. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons.

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Foyles | Waterstones | WH Smith

About the author

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of several novels, including Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. She has also edited a number of anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows (a.k.a. Cthulhu’s Daughters). Mexican by birth, Canadian by inclination.

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The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan (Review)

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan

Blurb

The seals of Shayol Ghul are weak now, and the Dark One reaches out. The Shadow is rising to cover humankind.

In Tar Valon, Min sees portents of hideous doom. Will the White Tower itself be broken?

In the Two Rivers, the Whitecloaks ride in pursuit of a man with golden eyes, and in pursuit of the Dragon Reborn.

In Cantorin, among the Sea Folk, High Lady Suroth plans the return of the Seanchan armies to the mainland.

In the Stone of Tear, the Lord Dragon considers his next move. It will be something no one expects, not the Black Ajah, not Tairen nobles, not Aes Sedai, not Egwene or Elayne or Nynaeve.

Against the Shadow rising stands the Dragon Reborn…..

Review

This was a reread for me but I will be honest I had forgotten a great deal and I definitely think I enjoyed this book more on the second read. At times I could not put this book down.

Perrin has always been my favourite character in the series and I loved the fact we got so much more of Perrin in this book and Perrin on his own without Rand all the time. I also loved how we ended up back in the Two Rivers and got to meet people from the first book again and see their characters develop further. Perrin’s chapters were definitely the chapters I couldn’t put down and flew through.

My least favourite character in the series so far is Mat. Mat has got to be one of the most annoying characters I have ever come across in a book series. I keep hoping he will improve and become less annoying. I have many books to read to see whether a less annoying Mat will ever happen.

I would have really liked to have seen a bit more of Egwene in this book but once she met the wise ones she kind of disappeared from the story and just became a background character. Thankfully, we got to see plenty of Nynaeve and Elayne in this book as I always love Nynaeve’s spirit and stubbornness. They had plenty of dangerous adventures of their own.

Rand is definitely growing up in this book. He accepts who he is and his destiny and he starts to plan and work out exactly what he needs to do to fulfil his destiny. I really enjoyed seeing this side of Rand and I liked how he integrated in with Aiel.

I absolutely loved this book but I am glad I decided to read it alongside other books. At being just over 1000 pages long it was a long slog at times and I needed some light relief. I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons.

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Foyles | Waterstones | WH Smith

About the author

James Oliver Rigney Jr. (1948-2007) was an American author of epic fantasy who wrote under the pen name Robert Jordan. Jordan also wrote historical fiction under the name of Reagan O’Neal, a western as Jackson O’Reilly, and dance criticism as Chang Lung.

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The Amber Crown by Jacey Bedford (Review)

The Amber Crown by Jacey Bedford

Blurb

In this new epic fantasy, three societal outcasts must work together to fulfil the orders of a dead king’s ghost or risk their nation falling to a tyrant

The king is dead, his queen is missing. On the amber coast, the usurper king is driving Zavonia to the brink of war. A dangerous magical power is rising up in Biela Miasto, and the only people who can set things right are a failed bodyguard, a Landstrider witch, and the assassin who set off the whole sorry chain of events.

Valdas, Captain of the High Guard, has not only failed in his duty to protect the king, but he’s been accused of the murder, and he’s on the run. He’s sworn to seek justice, but his king sets him another task from beyond the grave. Valdas doesn’t believe in magic, which is unfortunate as it turns out.

Mirza is the healer-witch of a Landstrider band, valued and feared in equal measure for her witchmark, her scolding tongue, and her ability to walk the spirit world. When she’s given a task by Valdas’ dead king, she believes that the journey she must take is one she can never return from.

Lind is the clever assassin. Yes, someone paid him to kill the king, but who is to blame, the weapon or the power behind it? Lind must face his traumatic past if he’s to have a future.

Can these three discover the real villain, find the queen, and set the rightful king on the throne before the country is overcome?

Review

Firstly, thank you to Jacey Bedford who very kindly sent me a copy of The Amber Crown in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to get into this book as I found the world building rather confusing to begin with. Instead of a completely new world Bedford has taken a lot of influences from the real world and added them to the world she has created for The Amber Crown. The book is told from the perspective of three people, Valdas, Captain of the High Guard, Mirza a healer-witch and Lind an assassin.

There were certain aspects of this book that I found rather upsetting and I do believe that this book could be quite triggering for some people. Certain scenes have certainly stayed with me and I would rather they hadn’t. Lind is a particularly broken character who is desperately trying to make his way in the world. Valdas is trying to get justice for his dead king but I couldn’t help but wonder if he would have got the resolution quicker if he had taken his mind off sex occasionally.

Mirza was my favourite character in this book. Mirza has had to fight people’s opinions since she has been born. She was born with a witch mark which makes people fear her and hate her but she defies them all. She does her duty to her people and always tries to help everyone.

I enjoyed this book but I am pleased it is a standalone book because I personally did not find it had the detail in the world building to stand up to being a series. I would also not be able to deal with Valdas for anymore books. The book having short and snappy chapters and a quick storyline made this book a quick and enjoyable read. I give this book 3 out of 5 Dragons.

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Purchase Links

WH Smith

About the author

Jacey Bedford is an English writer who is published by DAW in the USA. She lives and works behind a desk in Pennine Yorkshire. She’s had stories published on both sides of the Atlantic. She has seven novels out now. Her newest is The Amber Crown, published by DAW inJanuary 2022. Previous books are: Empire of Dust, Crossways, and Nimbus, science fiction (space opera) which make up the Psi-Tech trilogy. Winterwood, Silverwolf and Rowankind make up the Rowankind trilogy. These are historical fantasy, set in 1800, with a cross-dressing privateer captain, the jealous ghost of her dead husband, and a sexy wolf shapechanger.

Jacey is secretary of the UK Milford Writers’ Conference, a peer-to-peer workshopping week for published SF writers. She also hosts Northwrite SF, a critique group based in Yorkshire.

She’s been a librarian, a postmistress and member of internationally touring a cappella trio, Artisan. When not writing she arranges UK gigs for folk artists from all over the world.

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The Midnight Folk by John Masefield (Review)

The Midnight Folk by John Masefield

Blurb

Talking paintings and animals help Kay in his attempt to outwit the witches and locate his great-grandfather’s buried treasure.

Review

I have read the Kay Harker books in completely the wrong order but I am kind of glad I did. I absolutely love The Box of Delights and think it is a wonderful book filled with magic and fantastic characters. However, if I had read The Midnight Folk first I doubt I would have bothered to read The Box of Delights afterwards.

I really struggled with this book as it was just such a jumble of characters and plot lines. I understand that Masefield was going along the lines of a dreamlike structure but it just lacked the refinement of The Box of Delights. The Box of Delights had structure but this book had no structure that I could tell. This book also has no chapters so it is one long story with divides. The Box of Delights had chapters with relevant chapter headings and it really helped give structure to the story.

Kay is an orphan but we aren’t told why but it is clear that he hasn’t had an easy childhood so far. Yes he has a big house and a fab garden to run around in but his governess is not a nice woman and the maid Ellen who looks after him tells him terrifying tales which would give any child nightmares. What Kay needs is someone to love him and make him feel safe.

I will be honest I didn’t like Kay very much in this book. I found him rather annoying and not very loyal to his friends. He knew his friends were in danger but his attitude was very much ‘oh I can’t help otherwise I will be late for breakfast or tea, if you are still in trouble I will help you later’.

I really struggled with this book and almost gave up several times with it. I certainly wouldn’t inflict this book on a child or read it again which is a shame as The Box of Delights is so good. Overall, I give this book 2 Dragons out of 5.

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Harper Collins | Waterstones | WH Smith

About the author

John Masefield (1878-1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967.

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Diddly Squat: Pigs Might Fly by Jeremy Clarkson (Review)

Diddly Squat: Pigs Might Fly by Jeremy Clarkson

Blurb

Another year on the Diddly Squat Farm and Jeremy is still knee-deep in mud and endless challenges.

Welcome back to Clarkson’s Farm. Since taking the wheel three years ago Jeremy’s had his work cut out. And it’s now clear from hard-won experience that, when it comes to farming, there’s only one golden rule:

Whatever you hope will happen, won’t.

Enthusiastic schemes to diversify have met with stubborn opposition from the red trouser brigade, defeat at the hands of Council Planning department, and predictable derision from Kaleb – although, to be fair, even Lisa had doubts about Jeremy’s brilliant plan to build a business empire founded on rewilding and nettle soup. And only Cheerful Charlie is still smiling about the stifling amount of red tape that’s incoming . . . But he charges by the hour.

Then there are the animals: the sheep are gone; the cows have been joined by a rented bull called Break-Heart Maestro;. the pigs are making piglets; and the goats have turned out to be psychopaths.

But despite the naysayers and (sometimes self-inflicted) setbacks, Jeremy remains irrepressibly optimistic about life at Diddly Squat. Because It’s hard not to be when you get to harvest blackberries with a vacuum cleaner.

And, after all, it shouldn’t just be Break-heart Maestro who gets to enjoy a happy ending . . .

Review

I have loved all the Diddly Squat books so far so when I saw this one was out I put it on my wish list and my lovely husband bought it for me for Christmas. I read it almost immediately and basically read it in one sitting.

Again, this book has the same beautiful illustrations separating the chapters as the previous books and the book is in the same format as the previous books.

As much as I loved this book I did miss Lisa, Kaleb and Charlie. In ‘Diddly Squat: ’Til the Cows Come Home’ Lisa, Kaleb and Charlie featured a lot more which I really enjoyed so I missed them this time. Although the story of Lisa with the pigs was hilarious.

I liked this book because it is year three of Clarkson as a farmer and you can see he is getting into the swing of things. He is also still trying his hardest to highlight the plight of the poor farmers and what they have to go through to try and make a living.

There were some deeply poignant moments in this book which really showed a different side to Clarkson and a side we don’t often see on TV. I loved his story about Pooh Sticks and what that story means to him and what Winnie-the-Pooh means to him.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book but it was too short! When I reached the end I found myself wanting more so I hope the next one might be longer but I know it all depends on his newspaper column. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons.

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Foyles | Waterstones | WH Smith

About the author

Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born April 11, 1960) is an English broadcaster and writer who specialises in motoring.

He writes weekly columns for The Sunday Times and The Sun, but is better known for his role on the BBC television programme Top Gear.

From a career as a local journalist in the north of England, he rose to public prominence as a presenter of the original format of Top Gear in 1988. Since the mid-1990s Clarkson has become a recognised public personality, regularly appearing on British television presenting his own shows and appearing as a guest on other shows. As well as motoring, Clarkson has produced programmes and books on subjects such as history and engineering. From 1998 to 2000 he also hosted his own chat show, Clarkson.

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The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights by various authors (Review #57)

The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights by various authors

Blurb

The tradition of a haunted tale at Christmas has flourished across the centuries. These twelve stories, authored by some of today’s most loved and lauded writers of historical and gothic fiction, are all centred on Christmas or Advent, boldly and playfully re-imagining a beloved tradition for a modern audience. Taking you from a haunted Tuscan villa to a remote Scottish island with a dark secret, these stories are your ultimate companion for frosty nights.

Featuring new and original stories from Bridget Collins, Imogen Hermes Gowar, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Andrew Michael Hurley, Jess Kidd, Natasha Pulley, Elizabeth Macneal, Laura Purcell, Susan Stokes Chapman, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Stuart Turton, and Catriona Ward.

Review

I spotted this book by the checkout when I went to buy a pile of books from the bookshop and thought that looks intriguing. I’m so pleased I decided to buy it because once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down.

Some of these stories really creeped me out but there wasn’t one story that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy. The one which really got to me was The Gargoyle by Bridget Collins, I will be honest I wasn’t keen on switching my lights off at night after reading this story. I was convinced I would see something moving in the moonlight or hear something moving. I did feel disappointed with this story because I felt like it finished just as it was getting interesting. I wanted to know more!

I find it far too hard to choose a favourite story from this book but I think the ones I enjoyed the most were Inferno by Laura Shepherd-Robinson, The Salt Miracles by Natasha Pulley and Widow’s Walk by Susan Stokes-Chapman. Widow’s Walk was predictable but very cleverly done, nothing was quite said out loud so it made your imagination run wild. The Salt Miracles was excellent and a really good story I would have loved more of, in fact I would happily have read a full book about this storyline.

Quite a few of these stories were along the lines of if you are bad you get punished which could be a little repetitive but because the stories were so varied I didn’t mind this at all. Some of these stories were new authors for me but I will definitely be exploring more of their work especially Natasha Pulley whose writing style I absolutely loved. Her use of description painted the scene perfectly and I loved her characters.

I really loved this book and as all the stories were set either in Advent or Christmas it was the perfect read for December. I think I will read The Haunting Season next year during spooky season. I give this book a big 5 out of 5 Dragons.

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Foyles | Waterstones | WH Smith

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Classic Victorian and Edwardian Ghost Stories edited by Rex Collings (Review #56)

Classic Victorian and Edwardian Ghost Stories edited by Rex Collins

Blurb

This is a book to be read by a blazing fire on a winter’s night, with the curtains drawn close and the doors securely locked. The unquiet souls of the dead, both as fictional creations and as ‘real’ apparitions, roam the pages of this haunting new selection of ghost stories by Rex Collings.

Review

I chose this book as one of my October spooky reads but I must admit I didn’t read it until after Halloween. I always love a good Victorian ghost story so I was really excited to read this book. Thankfully, it did not disappoint.

I’m not entirely sure about the first few stories of this book because they didn’t really feature any ghosts and hardly felt like ghost stories to me. In fact I’m still trying to understand why The Story of Mary Ancel by Thackeray was even included in the book because it didn’t include a ghost and couldn’t even be considered as eerie in my opinion.

This book contains one of my all time favourite little ghost stories and that is The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde. I’ve read this short story many times but I was quite happy to read it again in this book. My other favourites were the stories by Charles Dickens who never disappoints. The Haunted Doll’s House by Montague Rhodes I found rather creepy and I’m not sure I will ever look at my doll’s house in the same way again. The Tapestried Chamber was also rather creepy and I’m not sure I ever want to sleep in a room with tapestries on the walls after reading this short story.

I really found this book to be quite a mixed bag of stories but all of them I either liked or thoroughly enjoyed. I’m not a huge fan of horror so this was the perfect book for me. Give me a good classic ghost story and I am happy and this book had loads. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and give it 4 out of 5 Dragons.

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Foyles | Waterstones | WH Smith

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Hauntings by Neil Oliver (Review #55)

Hauntings: A Book of Ghosts and Where to Find Them Across 25 Eerie British Locations by Neil Oliver

Blurb

For longer than recorded history there have been tales of spirits and of places where our hackles rise and our skin turns cold.Bestselling historian Neil Oliver travels the British Isles on a deliciously spine-chilling tour that spans several centuries and explores more than 20 sites – castles, vicarages and towers, lonely shorelines and forgotten battlefields – to unpick their stories..Oliver invokes his family’s history alongside that of kings and queens past as he probes why our emotions and senses are heightened in certain locations where the separation between dimensions seems gossamer thin. Our landscape is riven with these places, creaking from the weight of the secrets they hold, the echoes of tragedy and dark deeds . From Inverness to Devon, Co Dublin to Norfolk, Hauntings casts an enjoyably eerie glow with stories that, told generation after generation, are inextricable from place – and considers why they matter.

Review

I was quite excited about this book but wow what a surprise I had when I read it. This sadly is my most disappointing book of the year and I’m quite surprised I actually finished it because quite frankly the man is an over opinionated bottom and that is the polite version.

My first problem with this book is the fact that it has very little ghosts in it. Each chapter briefly mentions a haunting and by briefly I mean maybe a paragraph or two, the rest of the chapter is history and Oliver’s opinions or about how he is grieving for his dad. The best chapter and most informative about the hauntings was the one on Glamis castle. I really enjoyed that chapter and it made me do further research into the castle and its hauntings.

The second problem I had was Oliver’s opinions that personally he should have kept to himself. His opinions on people who use antidepressants were definitely uncalled for and the fact he didn’t mention it just once but kept bringing it up was even worse. I really didn’t feel like it was his place to judge. I can understand how he was trying to explain certain feelings and possible sightings of ghosts by environment and the individual people but it was not a balanced argument and overly critical.

My final issue was the fact that Oliver clearly has some guilt regarding his father and is not grieving well so he used the book to help. When deciding to read a book about haunted places in the British Isles I was really not expecting to have this thrown at me every chapter and really didn’t see the link. Overall, I was not happy with this book and think it is wrongly titled, I give this book 2 out of 5 Dragons.

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Foyles | Waterstones | WH Smith

About the author

Neil Oliver is a Scottish archaeologist, historian, broadcaster and writer who has become widely known as the presenter of BBC television’s series A History of Scotland and Coast.

His first fiction novel, Master of Shadows, is published by Orion in September 2015.

He lives in Stirling with his wife and three children.

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The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths (Review #52)

The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths

Blurb

Forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway uncovers the bones of a Victorian murderess while a baby snatcher threatens modern-day Norfolk in this exciting new entry in a beloved series.

Every year a ceremony is held in Norwich for the bodies in the paupers’ graves: the Service for the Outcast Dead. Ruth has a particular interest in this year’s proceedings. Her recent dig at Norwich Castle turned up the body of the notorious Mother Hook, who was hanged in 1867 for the murder of five children. Now Ruth is the reluctant star of the TV series Women Who Kill, working alongside the program’s alluring history expert, Professor Frank Barker.

DCI Harry Nelson is immersed in the case of three children found dead in their home. He is sure that the mother is responsible. Then another child is abducted and a kidnapper dubbed the Childminder claims responsibility. Are there two murderers afoot, or is the Childminder behind all the deaths? The team must race to find out-and the stakes couldn’t be any higher when another child goes missing.

Review

It was so good to be reading a Ruth Galloway book again. These books are definitely my comfort reads and during the busy month of December it was the perfect read for me.

Every book in this series I just think the books get better and better but one thing lets this book down for me and that was the lack of my favourite character, Cathbad. Yes he was there on the phone and then there in person about half way through the book but he just wasn’t there enough like he usually is. However, I did love Thing his dog appearing more in this book. I think Cathbad is wonderful, he is eccentric, kind, other worldly and above all an old soul who loves everyone. The book just didn’t feel complete without his presence and of course his purple cloak.

Ruth is her usual chaotic self in this book, trying to juggle work and be a good mom to Kate. Being a single mom is hard but Ruth manages so well and I think Griffiths portrays the struggle of a working single mom brilliantly with Ruth. I also loved seeing Kate’s character starting to appear in this book. She is no longer a baby but a toddler who is starting to know her own mind. I am also with Ruth, why can’t people call Kate by her name and not change it to another form of Kate.

There were some difficult storylines in this book but I thought the parallel of finding the remains of Mother Hook a woman dating from the Victorian times and the present day child abductor worked brilliantly. I also enjoyed Ruth’s involvement with both cases.

I really enjoyed this book and it nearly got a full 5 dragons but I missed Cathbad too much! This book gets a big 4 dragons out of 5.

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Foyles | Waterstones | WHSmith

About the author

Elly Griffiths was born in London and began her career in publishing, she then turned to writing full time. In 2016 she won the CWA Dagger in the Library for her work. Griffiths lives in Brighton with her family.