Is It A Seed?

Emily Ann Davison, Adriena Fong. Flying Eye Books. (32p) ISBN: 9781838741587
Is It A Seed?

Is It A Seed?

A lovely little package arrived from Flying Eye Books a few days ago.

What happens when a child finds an seed that they don’t recognise?

Two children find an unknown seed in the garden and decide to plant it to see what happens.

Throughout the book they let their imagination run as wild as an out of control creeper and have lots of thoughts on what could come from this one seed, and each page brings a fancier flight of imagination.

An enchanting story that holds your hand and encourages guessing about what the children are going to imagine next, all beautifully illustrated with lots of lovely little asides on each page.

A story about imagination and potential that can come from the unknown, but also about friendship, blended families, and nature.


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Griz Grobus

Simon Roy. Image Comics. (200p) ISBN: 9781534397866
Griz Grobus

Griz Grobus

There’s a lot of really good graphic novels out there right now and this is another example of a great one, great art and a couple of really good stories.

The main story is set on a settled planet and follows the life of a scribe who is determined to get back lost knowledge from before of the intergalactic empire.

They awaken a robot who has it’s own agenda regarding a particularly gnarly root vegetable, grave robbers (sorry researchers), a society degrading from high-tech to pastoral, and a genuinely nice constable.

The other story is another in-universe tale that some of the people are reading called “The Tale of Azkon’s Heart, and it is this that has the fantasy element, and a lot of humour.

In this we follow the exploits of a goose, pacifist cook, hungry sorcerer, and the spirit of the God of War. There’s a nice little twist in that the action of one of the characters in the main story influences the story line of this.

All this great story telling is supported with luscious illustrations that have a seventies feel to them, especially as everyone else says, Tintin.

I received this from NetGalley and Image Comics in exchange for an honest review.


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The Honey Witch

Sydney J. Shields. Little Brown Book Group. (368p) ISBN: 9780356522524
The Honey Witch

The Honey Witch

Marigold remembers happy times with her Grandmother on the island of Innisfree which were cut short by memories of fire and chaos.

Years later living in the land of Bardshire Mari feels so out of place, a land of talents and gentry Marigold is nether but wants to run wild and be herself.

It is here that we discover that Marigold is a Honey Witch, as is her grandmother but which her mother didn’t want as to be a Honey Witch is to be cursed never to be loved, never to find your soulmate. Mari grabs the opportunity with both hands and this is where the adventure starts.

Another in my journey through the land of cozy fantasy, full of flowers, honey, friendship, and a world that accepts love for whoever you want to love, though chaperones are required no matter.

Well imagined world which is based on the duality of magics and that a Honey Witch who nourishes life should be paired with an Ash Witch who cleanses rot and decay to make the place clear for growth.

I really enjoyed the descriptions of the cottages and châteaux, the freedom that Mari really enjoys as she learns her powers, the different honeys and their uses, and the love that grows that is forbidden.

Slightly more perilous than my last cozy fantasy read, especially the descriptions of pushing against the curse and the build up to the end section, but still a cozy read with some really fun parts.

And it’s great that one of the characters is a tattoo artist as you don’t really see that in books much, and the use of the tattoos she did on herself was perfect, though it has made me want another tattoo.

A great little read and I’m really hoping that we get to visit this world at some point again.


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Sisters of Sword and Shadow

Laura Bates. Simon and Schuster. (400p) ISBN: 9781398520042
Sisters of Sword and Shadow

Sisters of Sword and Shadow

Cass is thrown into an adventure almost from the very start and grabs it with one outstretched hand, taking her away from the domesticity of her family home.

Set in the era of the Arthurian court we are introduced to an alternative court where women run the castle they are in and truly believe in equality and honour, but have to hide it due to the patriarchal powers around them and some of the deeds that they’ve committed to get to where they are and to keep them there.

I really enjoyed the various training montages throughout that concentrated on the martial training of the young women, and the physical and mental development of the main character which is well described.

This is not a book for someone who wants a nice gentle read as it is full of peril/revelation/battle which really ramps up in the last quarter of the book, especially when the Big Bad is finally let loose upon the world these women have nurtured.

A great twist on the Knight genre, with old British myths woven throughout, and the ending leaves so much open for a revisit to this world.

I received this from NetGalley and Simon Schuster in exchange for an honest review.


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Scotland’s Forgotten Past

Alistair Moffat. Thames & Hudson. (224p) ISBN: 9780500297803
Scotland's Forgotten Past

Scotland’s Forgotten Past

To be honest, yes it was the cover…

Alistair Moffat has decided to regale us with some facets of Scottish history that he feels have been mislaid and has set them out in this stunningly beautiful book full of great illustrations by Joe McLaren.

Each little incident is set out over three or four pages and it written in a light-hearted, often humorous manner.

It is a lovely little collection of what-ifs exploring the ways that Scotland could have diverged at any time during its long history, how a very distinct geography influenced the history also.

I love this style of book set out in small chapters making it easy to be a bedside book to dip into at night but I can never resist just reading the whole book in almost just one sitting.

I especially loved the chapter “The Cave of Headless Children” I also loved how we were told to remember that different people worshipped in different ways.

The little chapter about reivers and their relationships to American presidents was also eye opening and explains a lot…

There is something here for everyone and written in a light accessible manner making history really live.


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