Tag: ARC

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Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise

Firstly, a huge thank you to Titan Books for sending me a copy of Wendy, Darling in exchange for an honest review!

Publisher: Titan Books
Publication Date: 01/06/2021
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Fantasy Retelling | Young Adult

CW: abuse, mental health institutions

Blackwells.co.uk

For those that lived there, Neverland was a children’s paradise. No rules, no adults, only endless adventure and enchanted forests – all led by the charismatic boy who would never grow old.

But Wendy Darling grew up. She left Neverland and became a woman, a mother, a patient, and a survivor. Because Neverland isn’t as perfect as she remembers. There’s darkness at the heart of the island, and now Peter Pan has returned to claim a new Wendy for his lost boys…

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The Coward by Stephen Aryan

Firstly, a huge thank you to Caroline and Angry Robot Books for sending me a copy of The Coward in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Angry Robot Books
Publication Date: 08/06/2021
Length: 412 pages
Genre: Fantasy

CW: violence

Blackwells.co.uk

Kell Kressia is a legend, a celebrity, a hero. Aged just seventeen he set out on an epic quest with a band of grizzled fighters to slay the Ice Lich and save the world, but only he returned victorious. The Lich was dead, the ice receded and the Five Kingdoms were safe.


Ten years have passed Kell lives a quiet farmer’s life, while stories about his heroism are told in every tavern across the length and breadth of the land. But now a new terror has arisen in the north. Beyond the frozen circle, north of the Frostrunner clans, something has taken up residence in the Lich’s abandoned castle. And the ice is beginning to creep south once more.


For the second time, Kell is called upon to take up his famous sword, Slayer, and battle the forces of darkness. But he has a terrible secret that nobody knows. He’s not a hero – he was just lucky. Everyone puts their faith in Kell the Legend, but he’s a coward who has no intention of risking his life for anyone…

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Blog Tour – Threadneedle by Cari Thomas

Welcome to my stop on the Threadneedle blog tour! Huge thanks to Random Things Tours for giving me the opportunity to take part in this! I was provided a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Harper Voyager UK
Publication Date: 27/05/2021
Length: 576 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy | Young Adult

CW: abuse

Blackwells.co.uk

Within the boroughs of London, nestled among its streets, hides another city, filled with magic.


Magic is the first sin. It must be bound.


Ever since Anna can remember, her aunt has warned her of the dangers of magic. She has taught her to fear how it twists and knots and turns into something dark and deadly.

It was, after all, magic that killed her parents and left her in her aunt’s care. It’s why she has been protected from the magical world and, in one year’s time, what little magic she has will be bound. She will join her aunt alongside the other Binders who believe magic is a sin not to be used, but denied. Only one more year and she will be free of the curse of magic, her aunt’s teachings and the disappointment of the little she is capable of.


Nothing – and no one – could change her mind before then. Could it?

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Madam by Phoebe Wynne

Firstly, a huge thank you to Quercus Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Madam in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Quercus
Publication Date: 18/02/2021
Length: 400 pages
Genre: Gothic | Thriller | Historical Fiction

CW: n/a

Blackwells.co.uk

For 150 years, high above rocky Scottish cliffs, Caldonbrae Hall has sat untouched, a beacon of excellence in an old ancestral castle. A boarding school for girls, it promises that the young women lucky enough to be admitted will emerge “resilient and ready to serve society.”


Into its illustrious midst steps Rose Christie: a 26-year-old Classics teacher, Caldonbrae’s new head of the department, and the first hire for the school in over a decade. At first, Rose is overwhelmed to be invited into this institution, whose prestige is unrivaled. But she quickly discovers that behind the school’s elitist veneer lies an impenetrable, starkly traditional culture that she struggles to reconcile with her modernist beliefs—not to mention her commitment to educating “girls for the future.”


It also doesn’t take long for Rose to suspect that there’s more to the secret circumstances surrounding the abrupt departure of her predecessor—a woman whose ghost lingers everywhere—than anyone is willing to let on. In her search for this mysterious former teacher, Rose instead uncovers the darkness that beats at the heart of Caldonbrae, forcing her to confront the true extent of the school’s nefarious purpose, and her own role in perpetuating it.

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The Iron Crown by L.L. MacRae

Firstly, a huge thank you to Lauren for sending me a copy of The Iron Crown in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: 28/05/2021
Length: 568 pages
Genre: Fantasy

CW: n/a

Blackwells.co.uk

Fenn’s first and only memory is finding himself in the middle of a forest, face to face with a dragon spirit mocking him, all knowledge gone apart from his own name.


Lost and confused, his only hope for answers is Calidra—a woman living on the edge of the world with her partner. Forced to return home when her father dies, Calidra has put off facing her estranged mother for seven years, and she begrudgingly helps Fenn, forging papers for him so he can avoid the Queen’s Inquisitors.


But her mother is the least of her worries when they discover an ancient enemy is rising again. It should be impossible with the Iron Crown in power—and Fenn is terrified he might unwittingly be playing a part in the war’s resurgence.


Surrounded by vengeful spirits and powerful magic, Fenn’s desperate attempt to find his way home might well alter the fate of Tassar, and every power in it.

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The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne

Firstly, a huge thank you to Orbit Books for sending me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Orbit Books
Publication Date: 06/05/2021
Length: 496 pages
Genre: Fantasy

CW: graphic violence

Blackwells.co.uk

After the gods warred and drove themselves to extinction, the cataclysm of their fall shattered the land of Vigrið.

Now a new world is rising, where power-hungry jarls feud and monsters stalk the woods and mountains. A world where the bones of the dead gods still hold great power for those brave – or desperate – enough to seek them out.

Now, as whispers of war echo across the mountains and fjords, fate follows in the footsteps of three people: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman who has rejected privilege in pursuit of battle fame, and a thrall who seeks vengeance among the famed mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.

All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods…

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