Tag: middlegrade

ARC, books, middlegrade, Review

Book Review: The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton

by Rosina @ Lace and Dagger Books1 Comment on Book Review: The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton
Book Review: The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton

You might not see many middle-grade reviews on my blog, but this year I’ve decided to finally start picking up some of the kids’ books I’m interested in. Having read some of Dhonielle Clayton’s YA books, I’ve been interested in this one since I first heard about it last year. It’s a fun magical school book filled with adorable friendships, fascinating world-building and plenty of black girl magic.

Ella Durand is the first conjurer to attend the Arcanum training institute. The magic school in the clouds had been closed to her people up until now. The other students think she’s weird and fitting in isn’t easy, but she makes friends with fellow misfits Brigit and Jason. But when the Ace of Anarchy breaks out of prison, the conjurers are blamed. Suddenly, school becomes even harder for Ella. Especially when her favourite teacher disappears shortly after. If Ella is going to clear her family’s name, she needs to start by exploring her powers.

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ARC, books, middlegrade, Review

Book Review: Escape to the River Sea by Emma Carroll

by Rosina @ Lace and Dagger BooksLeave a Comment on Book Review: Escape to the River Sea by Emma Carroll
Book Review: Escape to the River Sea by Emma Carroll

Journey to the River Sea was one of my favourite books as a child. I still have the old battered copy that I bought at a school book fair. When I knew this book was going to be a thing, I decided I was going to reread the first book and then the new one. When I was lucky enough to get an e-arc through NetGalley, I put both on my TBR and read them back to back.

Set in 1946, Rosa Sweetman has been living in Westwood after having left her home and family in Vienna as part of the Kindertransport. But now all the other children have returned home, and Rosa is still waiting. After a mysterious visitor comes to Westwood, Rosa decides she wants to join her in visiting her family in Brazil. The visitor is on a quest to find a Giant Sloth, and Rosa would love to be part of that. This trip turns into more of an adventure than Rosa knows, and she finds jaguars, a new family and herself along the way.

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books, middlegrade, Review

Book Review: Like A Charm by Elle McNicoll

by Rosina @ Lace and Dagger BooksLeave a Comment on Book Review: Like A Charm by Elle McNicoll
Book Review: Like A Charm by Elle McNicoll

I don’t read much middle-grade, so it’s not an age group that you see many reviews for on my blog. But I do like to pick it up from time to time, and this year I am aiming to read more of it. The instant I heard about Like A Charm, I knew that it was a book that I needed to read. It’s one that I both would have adored as a kid and now as an adult too.

Like a Charm follows Ramya, a 12-year-old girl who can see through magical creatures glamour. After her Grandad dies, she’s pulled into her family’s secrets and the world of the Hidden Folk. Ramya has always been different because of her disability, and now her differences can be used for good.

I mentioned in that brief summary that Ramya is disabled, and her disability is dyspraxia. It might not be one you’ve heard much about – unless you’ve seen a particular character’s intro episode in Doctor Who – but it’s essentially a learning disability that can affect motor skills. It’s something I’ve had all my life, and I was diagnosed when I was 3. So I’ve never known any different. When I was Ramya’s age, I was still just calling my dyspraxia motor skill problems. I didn’t know much about it. I’d certainly never seen my disability in books or any other form of media. I really wish I had. Maybe then I’d have seen that yes, I was actually disabled, but that was okay. That you could still be the hero, even if you might trip over a lot of things trying to defeat the monsters.

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ARC, blog tour, books, middlegrade, Review

Blog Tour: Fireborn by Aisling Fowler

by Rosina @ Lace and Dagger Books1 Comment on Blog Tour: Fireborn by Aisling Fowler
Blog Tour: Fireborn by Aisling Fowler

You might not see much middle-grade on the blog, but I certainly read some. Fireborn Twelve and the Frozen Forest by Aisling Fowler is a book that I have been incredibly excited about. I’ve been lucky enough to get on the blog tour for it with Write Reads Tours.

Fireborn follows a young girl called Twelve who has been training within the Hunting Lodge to become a Hunter. She doesn’t get along with her fellow huntlings, but she knows she’s one of the best. So when the lodge’s walls are breached and one of the girls is taken, she knows she has to go track her down herself.

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Book Review: The Language of Ghosts by Heather Fawcett

by Rosina @ Lace and Dagger BooksLeave a Comment on Book Review: The Language of Ghosts by Heather Fawcett
Book Review: The Language of Ghosts by Heather Fawcett

When I first saw about this book I thought it sounded amazing and my younger brother agreed. When Heather Fawcett did an international giveaway for bloggers to receive a copy both he and I were so excited. And when we won? Well, I wanted to get to it as soon as possible. Unfortunately, my brother wasn’t in the mood for a fantasy book when it arrived. He’s reading something about a wheelchair car instead, go figure. But I was happy to pick it up first and I enjoyed it so much. And he’s excited to get to it when he’s in the mood too.

The Language of Ghosts mostly follows Noa, a princess who lives on an enchanted island that travels the seas with her dark magician – in this world a dark magician is just one speaks more than one magical language- brother and their youngest sister Mite. As they travel the seas they find out King Xavier, the enemy who stole the throne, is looking for s mysterious magical language that could turn the tide of the war.

There’s bugs, magic, pirates and cake eating serpents. What more could you want? Other than cake to eat whilst reading this, of course.

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