The Mermaid Call by Alex Cotter

What a lovely shiny proof with beautiful mermaid tail chapter illustrations! I wanted to read this as soon as I heard of it and I was so happy to get my hands on a copy.

Book Summary

A gripping story of myth and mystery about a legendary mermaid and her dark power. When the truth comes out, will it bring freedom or a terrible retribution?

Vivien’s never going to win the Mermaid Crown and she knows it. Does she care? Who wants to be rewarded just for being pretty anyway? So she joins Alice on her quest to find the mermaid of the lake instead. But as the legend starts to unravel, it reveals an ugly truth. And leads the girls into terrible, watery danger… 

Vivien always tries to keep everyone happy and not cause any fuss, but in her head she's really funny and sarcastic. She wants so desperately to be normal, with a typical family and non-frizzy hair, and lots of friends. But despite this her moral compass never goes too far astray. Her best friend Eleni is kind of bitchy, she seems to care more about impressing the cooler than cool Hero. I thought her second-best friend Eric should definitely be promoted to first!

Vivien doesn't even really believe in the mermaid but her desires for a new friend and to make her mum take more of an interest in her, it makes her do anything to help Alice with her search. While following the instructions to find the mermaid, she starts to doubt her convictions, maybe the mermaid is real, and maybe that's not such a good thing?

This was such an uplifting read which kept me rooting for Vivien the whole time. I really wanted her to realise she's wonderful just the way she is.

Mermaid Lemonade is the perfect cocktail to sip while reading stolen diaries and planning secret investigations into mermaids. Half fill a glass with ice and add a splash of blue curacao and 60ml rum, add more ice and then top with lemonade. Do it gently and you'll get the blue colour fading gradually through the drink.

Spellstoppers by Cat Gray

Spellstoppers has just been released so if you want a new adventure full of selkies, owls and countless magical creatures, get down to your bookshop now!

Book Summary

Welcome to Yowling - a secretive seaside village where magic is just one step away...

Max has spent years thinking he is cursed, because whenever he touches anything electrical it explodes. But then he is sent to Yowling and discovers he is a Spellstopper, someone with the rare ability to drain dangerous build-ups of magic and fix misbehaving enchanted items.

When Max's Grandad is kidnapped by the cruel Keeper of the malfunctioning magical castle that floats in the bay, only Max's gift can save him. Together with his new friend Kit, Max throws himself into an adventure filled with villainous owls, psychic ice cream and man-eating goldfish. But can he really pull off the biggest spellstop ever?

How amazing to find out that what you thought was a curse, is actually an amazing and very rare power!

After pretty much destroying everything electrical in his house, including his mum's new electric car, she decides to send Max to stay with his grandfather for the summer. There he discovers that he's inherited the power to Spellstop, and he can use this to help people. Some of the enchanted items sounded really interesting, I wouldn't mind a kettle that magically pours whatever I want to drink.

There are lots of wonderful characters but I think the captain is the funniest and my favourite. On the other hand, I will no longer look at owls in quite the same way...

I loved how quickly Max and Kit bonded over their magical adventures and both were willing to do anything to help each other. They made such a good team.

Author Bio

Cat Gray is an author and journalist, based in London and Ireland. She started her journalism career at the age of 19, interviewing musicians and celebrities in between attending classes, then went on to be an editor at a series of glossy magazines, including Harper's Bazaar and Town & Country.

Since she was very young, she's always believed that there's an adventure just around the corner, and this is reflected in her magical fantasy stories. Spellstoppers is her first book. 

I've found this beautiful Spellbound Cocktail on The Honey Bee website which is perfect for Spellstoppers. 60ml vodka, 30ml triple sec, 45ml lemon juice, 15 ml grenadine and 15ml blue curacao. Pour all into a shaker with ice and add a sprinkle of purple shimmer dust. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.

The Midnighters by Hana Tooke

I'm delighted to be part of the blog tour for this book which was just released on 23rd June. First of all we must take a moment to admire the cover, 'Welcome to the Midnight Guild' written on the back makes the book even more intriguing than it already was, but the real beauty in on the inner cover which was a lovely surprise!

Book Summary

Find the courage to be extraordinary . . .

Ema Vašková has always felt different. In a family of famous scientists, there's not much room for superstition or omens - but they seem to follow Ema wherever she goes. It doesn't help that she appears to predict events before they happen, and has a peculiar fear of shadows . . . When Ema is sent to stay with her eccentric uncle in Prague, she fears she'll lose the chance to ever fit in. But then she meets Silvie - a girl who finally sees Ema for the extraordinary person that she is. Soon the girls are meeting for secret midnight adventures, and facing Ema's fears together. But then disaster strikes. Silvie goes missing - and it's up to Ema to find her. Now she must gather the courage to hunt the city, find her friend, and uncover the secrets of the one clue Silvie left as to where she might be - inside the mysterious Midnight Guild . . .

Poor Ema, she's so misunderstood! She KNOWS she can feel things that are going to happen and yet no one believes her. Her family is full of logical scientists and there's no room for hunches and feelings. Most of the time, people don't even notice that she is in front of them till she speaks.

Sylvie is a complete mystery, she seems like she's escaped from a circus, but she has plenty of secrets of her own. When they meet, Sylvie helps Ema begin to face her fears but then she disappears and Ema has to face everything that's ever scared her in order to find and rescue Sylvie. In her search, Ema looks for clues that Sylvie may have left her, and discovers The Midnight Guild. It sounded marvellous when I first heard of it,  but then seemed like it could actually be quite sinister. There's lots of magical adventure and mystery and the descriptions of Prague made me want to visit.

There's a treat at the end of the book as the epilogue is wonderful, I really enjoyed it. But don't try to skip ahead, it won't make sense until you've read the rest of the book!

Author Bio

Hana Tooke grew up near Amsterdam, in a house filled with peculiar clocks and a head filled with a peculiar imagination. She's been a singer, a teacher, and even a mad-scientist, but these days she spends her days writing stories, sculpting puppets, and collecting curiosities. She lives in Bath with two humans a cat and a skeleton marionette.

Hana’s debut novel, The Unadoptables, was one of the bestselling middle-grade books of 2020. You can find her on Instagram

To make the Stroke of Midnight cocktail, pour 30ml Cointreau and 5ml grenadine into a champagne flute, then top with champagne.

 Mix & Match 14

I have read A LOT this month so to keep up with all the reviews, here's another mix and match post. Today I am posting from Greece so I'm using a unique Greek liqueur called mastiha in 3 different ways. To start, you can just enjoy a delicious shot of mastiha. A very simple drink is to try mixing it with pink grapefruit tonic. Or make my Mastiha Magic cocktail with 1 shot each of mastiha and lemon juice, 1/2 shot triple sec and a dash of Angosturra bitters. Stir with ice, then strain into a short, ice filled glass.

The Light Hunters by Dan Walker

Years ago, the Light Hunters were applauded, even revered. Until a fatal error of judgement turned the people of Daven against them. However, there are a few people who still believe in them and would love to see them back in action, fighting monsters.

Lux is one of those, and even more, he can actually use Light. I really felt for him, having to keep his power a secret from the people around him, even his best friend. Of course it all comes out eventually and he and Maya are drawn into the Light Hunters' world.  

I loved the idea of Light as a powerful force, like magic. All the light technology was fascinating. This was a really exciting start to the series and I am looking forward to book 2 which is out soon.

All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages by Saundra Mitchell

So, I probably should have expected it, but this book is quite romance-heavy which is something I'm generally not too interested in. However, I did still enjoy a lot of the stories. I started off with the authors I already knew, but I think my favourite stories were Roja, by Anna-Maria McLemore, and Walking After Midnight by Kody Keplinger. Both of whom are new authors for me.

The Journey After the Crown by Andrew Mackie

After losing both parents, twins Violet and Daisy are desperate to find work. Through a series of events, they end up serving on the Queen's official tour of Australia. As glamorous as this sounds, the reality is far from it! This is quite a slow paced book but it gives a tantalizing glimpse into life behind the scenes, how everyone answers to someone, even those that seem so high ranking to a lowly maid like Violet. I found Daisy so incredibly frustrating, it was hard to really get into the book when I disliked one of the main characters so much. The was an interesting author's note at the end, about how the idea for the book first came to her. It's amazing how a whole book can come from one scene.

The Colour of Hope by Ross MacKenzie

Imagine the entire world in black, white and grey, imagine not even knowing what colour is. But the world wasn't always like this. Years ago, a prince was born without colour and when he grew up, he used a spell to remove colour from everywhere, so he wouldn't have to be the only one without it.

How awful it would be to have a world without colour! The descriptions by the older people who can still remember it are really amazing, I wouldn't have known where to start. The magical way colour is described, how it warms and lights up the world, it's so evocative. I also loved all the fantastical elements in the book, Sandy's magic caravan and all his potions. The author has also managed to make a fantastic Death character who almost rivals the Discworld character.

After loving Nowhere Emporium trilogy, I was very happy to find the author had this new book coming, I love his writing.

Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin

The book starts with a lovely map, which really helps when the characters talk about all the different places.

The whole story is so fantastical, with sky fish, cumulous whales, floating cities and of course the paper animals that walk and talk and seem so alive!

There is one shocking revelation after another, it definitely kept me gripped and wanting to keep reading. I found all the different relationship dynamics very interesting, though I felt bad for Kurara, not having anyone truly close apart from Haru.

As usual with most books, I found myself loving the animal companion, they are always my favourite characters! Akane is a great one, such a sweetheart, so loyal and caring, and so intelligent, though his master doesn't seem to realise it.

I will be eagerly awaiting news of the next book!

The Billow Maiden by James Dixon

Book Summary

Ailsa's mum is ill, not the first time, so they spend the summer with her aunt and uncle. Aunt Bertha, Uncle Nod and their dog Moxie live on an island off the coast, by a beautiful fishing village surrounded by beaches and clifftops. Ailsa and Moxie spend their whole time there exploring these beaches and cliffs, until one day they find a hidden cave. Inside the cave, they find Hefring, a strange woman not keen on strangers.

Ailsa slowly gets to know who Hefring is. She is a selkie, a mermaid, a billow maiden from ancient myth. However, she is stuck on land and slowly dying. It is up to Ailsa and her new friend Camilla to save her, but there are plenty of obstacles in the way - not least Ailsa's own fears and her mum's illness.

This was a really delightful story that I just didn't want to stop reading! It was full of Norse mythology which I loved. I don't know as much about it as I do about some other mythologies, some of it was familiar to me but there was also lots of newness. I would love to find out more about some of the stories mentioned.

The scenery was beautiful, I could imagine running around the island with Moxie, exploring the endless caves and beaches. Though I probably would have been a lot more hesitant than Ailsa, she's so brave, diving into all these new places. Ailsa's friendship with Camilla is lovely too. Though Camilla seems so clever and worldly wise, she needs a friend as much as Ailsa does and together they can get through anything. One of the things I loved while reading was how "aye" is basically an answer for any question or comment made by anyone in this book! The perfect all-encompassing statement :)

I found this lovely looking cocktail on proofcocktails.nl which also has lots of other interesting cocktails which I will be trying out ASAP!

To make The Selkie’s Tears, stir the following ingredients in ice and then strain into a cocktail glass. 45ml scotch whiskey, 22ml Lilet Blanc, 15ml King's Ginger (ginger/lemon liqueur), 3 dashes of celery bitters. Then garnish with some samphire. Apparently the selkies love this garnish!