Category: Uncategorized

Blog Tour Review: the Girl Who Couldn’t Lie by Radhika Sanghani

Another day, another stop on a book tour! Today we have the Girl Who Couldn’t Lie by Radhika Sanghani, a middle grade contemporary with just a hint of magic. We follow a girl named Priya whose grandmother died about a year ago and left behind a bangle she claimed was magical.

Priya is overwhelmed with school, her social life, her home life and her training for the Teen Olympics, and her people pleasing tendencies have subsequently got out of control. One night, she puts on the bangle and quickly realises her Ba was not joking about its magical properties… suddenly she is forced to tell the truth.

Her life starts to change, mostly for the better after a rocky start, and I think this is a great endorsement for mot trying to please everyone so much you forget about what you want yourself. I’ve read a piece by the author saying that she hopes this inspires others to do the same (sans bangle) and I know it’s given me a push to make an effort with it. My ex-therapists would be so proud!!

Priya is a phenomenal character that I think everyone will find something to relate to in, and I loved her friendships with Sami and Mei; the way she finds the courage to stand up to her bully and also confess her crush to Dan Zhang; the effect her bravery has on those around her, especially her parents. There’s also a lot of laughs to be had and as I often say in books including grandmotherly grief, it means a lot to me and makes me think of my own gran who died a few years ago.

The tantalising teaser for the author’s next book at the end has me very excited for more from her!

Blog Tour Review: the House at the End of the Sea by Victoria M. Adams

hello everyone! It’s day two of busy blog tour week and I’m thrilled to be sharing my review of a book I thoroughly enjoyed, the House at the End of the Sea.

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Blog Tour Guest Post: Creating the Cover for Dinosaur Pie

Happy Friday everyone! Today I have a new blog tour post for you, about Dinosaur Pie by Jen Wallace. Illustrator Alan O’ Rourke has described the process of making the cover, which I found super interesting and hope you do too!

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Guest Post: Where Hannah Messenger is Set by Bryony Pearce

Hello everyone! Today I had the pleasure of being part of the cover reveal for Bryony Pearce’s new middle grade Hannah Messenger and Gods of Hockwold. Bryony very kindly wrote a guest post to tell you a little bit about it, and I’m delighted to share it with you now!

Read more: Guest Post: Where Hannah Messenger is Set by Bryony Pearce

When I had decided that Hannah Messenger and the Gods of Hockwold was going to be about the Greek gods in their retirement, I had to decide where in the world the novel was going to be set. Where, in short, had the gods retired to?It made sense for them to retire to Greece, but honestly, it wouldn’t have been funny to set the novel in Greece.Humour requires incongruity (putting two things together that wouldn’t usually belong).  So where would it be funny to put the retired Greek gods?  I decided that a small English village would be funnier than a Greek island, with the village council, cricket pitch, church of England vicar, local pub and primary school. And then I found it. A village in Cambridgeshire with the BEST name that was the MOST incongruous place for the gods to end up. It’s a place called Hockwold cum Wilton.Yes. Hockwold. Cum. Wilton. Don’t you love it!And the BEST thing about Hockwold cum Wilton is that it added so much of its real self to the story. It is as if it was DESIGNED for my novel! Hockwold cum Wilton was originally two villages: Hockwold and Wilton. So, I decided to make Hockwold the ‘god’s’ side and Wilton the ‘human’ side. There is a real marker stone between the two halves of village, which marks where Hockwold ended, and Wilton began. This marker stone genuinely has a carving of ram on it. A ram is the sign of Zeus. Yes really.There really is a cross on the green, which I have changed a little so that the gods see it as a sword.  The Tudor manor house (Hockwold Hall) where Zack and Zane live is real.Hockwold cum Wilton is also conveniently located for visiting Cambridge prison, which was very helpful for providing the entrance to Tartarus (prison of the gods).I hope I’ll get to write a book two and if I do, more of the village history will most likely enter my fictional world – the fact that a Roman hoard of treasure was found in Hockwold in 1962 (what else might have been unearthed?) and the original village was situated a mile further south, but was burned down when it got infected by the black death (I love facts like this).Sometimes a place just calls to you and that is what Hockwold did to me. Apologies if you live in Hockwold cum Wilton and I have taken too many liberties with your home, but it was just SO perfect for Hannah.If you look at my gorgeous front cover, designed by the immensely talented Claire Powell @misspowellpeeps you will see Hannah and her friends (and their pets) and a few other clues about what is going to happen in the story!

Love from Bryony

thank you so much for reading! Are you planning to pick this up, or have you read anything else by this author? What’s your favourite Greek myth or deity? I’d love to chat in the comments!

Amy xxx

Blog Tour Review: Scrap by Guy Bass

Hello everybody! Today, I’m delighted to be part of the blog tour for Guy Bass’s latest from Little Tiger. Onto the post!

Read more: Blog Tour Review: Scrap by Guy Bass

I really enjoyed Skeleton Keys when that came out a few years ago, so when I was approached to be part of the blog tour for a book by the same author, I of course said yes. This one is quite different in terms of genre, but retains the humour and heart I went into it expecting. It follows the last two humans left on the planet Somewhere 513 and they enlist the help of famed robot K1-NG – the only robot to defend humans when his compatriots evolved and revolted- who now lives stripped of his glory and magnificence among piles of trash. They want him to help then get to another planet, because the very fact they are human puts them in danger on 513. Gnat and Paige have a really lovely relationship as siblings despite their bickering, and though Scrap gets the title, they too are very important to this story.

Scrap, formerly known as ‘King of the Robots’ is a character that will deservedly capture the hearts of readers. He is true to himself and generally very endearing, from the way he speaks to his kind actions. I thought the villain was deliciously evil; I’m not sure why but for some reason they kind of reminded me of the baddie in a Place Named Perfect . Perhaps it is due to them both having very specific ideas of what things should be like , and a desire to demolish anyone who stands in their way. The book I have mentioned there is an absolutely sensational middle grade from 2017 that I’d still really recommend, just as I’ll recommend this to any fan of heartwarming sci-fi who wants to see excellent characters and equally great world building- there is so much backstory to it that is slowly revealed over the course of the book. The ending sets things up nicely for a sequel, and I’m interested to see what happens next for Scrap, and human sisters Gnat and Paige who have become his friends.

thank you so much for reading! Have you read this, or are you planning to? What about any of Guy’s other books? Or what’s your favourite sci-fi story? I’d love to chat in the comments!

Amy xx

Blog Tour: My Family and Other Romans

Hello everybody! Today, I’m delighted to be part of the blog tour for Marie Basting’s new book My Family and Other Romans , with both a guest post from the author and my review. Let’s go!

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Disability and Friendship by Courtney Smyth

Hello everybody! Today, for my last post of May, I have a great piece from upcoming debut author of the Undetectables, Courtney Smyth. They’ve written about disability and friendship, which isn’t discussed nearly enough. Onto the post!

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