The dead of Fidelis are unhappy and only Darwin and Yejide can appease their anger and their pain.
Women in Yejide’s family live between two worlds, with one foot in the living and one with the dead. Ever since her aunt died, her mother has been slowly inching closer to the dead. When she finally lays down her burden it is up to Yejide to lift it back up again and to fix the negligence that her mother’s grief made way for.
Continue reading “‘When We Were Birds’ by Ayanna Gillian Lloyd”To be published 17/02/2021…
Rosie lives in London and studies in Oxford and in the autumn she will marry her perfectly normal and safe fiancé, Richard. Raisa was born in Russia where she lived with her mum and dad and sister until her dad and sister were shot and her mum took her and fled and never spoke of it again. The problem? Rosie and Raisa are the same person; one woman who is haunted by a past she does not understand and cannot escape from.
Continue reading “‘The Porcelain Doll’ by Kristen Loesch”
Greta, Giselle, Pfennigeist: these are the roles that Vanja plays so that nobody knows her real name, and she can let the girl she once was wither away and disassociate herself from the pains that that life held. At least until she can steal enough money to escape for good, and then she’ll create a new story and a new life and finally get far enough away from her godmothers, Death and Fortune, that they won’t be able to maintain their hold over her anymore.
Continue reading “‘Little Thieves’ by Margaret Owen”To be published 22/02/2022…
Each year a maiden is sacrificed to the Sea God to hold back his storms for another year. This year the Sea God’s Bride is the girl that Joon loves and his sister will not let them be separated. Minna is not the prettiest girl in the village, or the most graceful, or the most talented, but she will not let this stop her taking the place of the Sea God’s Bride and jumping into the sea herself. When she arrives in the spirit realm, it is not as she expected. The Sea God is asleep and her red string of fate seems confused about which way to lead her. After a series of emotional events, Minna must end things exactly how she began: by choosing her own fate.
Continue reading “‘The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea’ by Axie Oh”To be published 17/02/2021…
Joan is a monster. Her gran has always been honest with her about that, although she has never quite explained what exactly that meant. When Joan accidentally uses her powers she is thrust into a world of monsters more dangerous and more complicated than she could have imagined. And where there are monsters, there are also those that slay them. Nothing is quite as it seems and Joan learns that she has more secrets than she knew. Secrets she doesn’t fully understand and can’t trust anybody with.
Continue reading “‘Only a Monster’ by Vanessa Len”To be published 30/01/2022…
This book dissects the anthropological origins of magical beings, with a particular focus on wizards. The wizard’s female counterpart, witches, get a bit more attention in the second half of the book, whilst fairies are the main focus of chapter ten. It discusses the earliest origins of the myths and how they have been warped by oral tradition, changing times, and fanciful literary and artistic renderings. It explores the possible truths behind the magic, linking various pieces of (often quite morbid) evidence together into a bigger picture.
Continue reading “‘The Origins of Wizards, Witches and Fairies’ by Simon Webb”
Eleanor had a rough start to life. As a child she nursed her sick mother until her death, after which point she was taken in by a kind and wealthy friend who vowed to raise Eleanor as her own daughter – but Mrs Pembroke followed Eleanor’s mother to an early grave and now there is only Mr Pembroke to care for her. Mr Pembroke, who isn’t inclined to let Eleanor live in his house for free or raise her into the Lady his wife intended. Mr Pembroke, who can’t manage his finances and seems content to drunkenly watch as the house slowly falls down around him. Mr Pembroke, who likes being the only man in a house full of young maids, who likes it a bit too much…
Continue reading “‘The Shadow in the Glass’ by J J A Harwood”To be published 12/05/2022…
With both her parents dead, bailiffs knocking down the door, and four younger sisters to support, Kitty Talbot needs money. As a woman in regency England this is no easy feat. She can think of only one option that will generate sufficient funds in the required timescale. Kitty must marry rich.
Continue reading “‘A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting’ by Sophie Irwin”To be published 28/04/2022…
Elektra: bought up in the shadow of the Trojan War, a war which is destined to leave her parentless and alone and filled with a simmering vengeance. Clytemnestra: a sister, a wife, a mother, but when grief overcomes her she will lose them all. Cassandra: she only ever wanted to serve Apollo, but when he asks for more than she can give it will destroy her and render her powerless as the world goes up in flames. The lives of these tragic woman give us a damning insight into the less explored impacts of the Trojan war and shows us just how far reaching its consequences were.
Continue reading “‘Elektra’ by Jennifer Saint”
When Evangeline’s sister, Marisol, announces that she is getting married in two weeks, there’s only one problem; Evangeline is in love with the groom and, up until the announcement, she had thought he was in love with her too…
Her solution? Track down the mythical Prince of Hearts and convince him to stop the wedding. Unfortunately, his methods are a tad unorthodox, and his price of three kisses clearly has its own agenda. The consequences lead Evangeline far from home and playing a deadly dance with a string of powerful men. But in the end, is it the women she should be watching out for?
Continue reading “‘Once Upon a Broken Heart’ by Stephanie Garber”
Escape to the Bookshelf