The Croaking Raven by Guy Hale

As part of the blog tour I have an intriguing excerpt from the book to whet your appetite! First a bit about the book.

Book Summary

DC Toby Marlowe has just landed his dream posting but the quiet streets of Shakespeare’s Stratford are about to suffer a reign of terror. A name from the past

has returned, intent on revenge. A series of murders go unsolved but Toby realises that the killer seems to be following the plot of Hamlet.

Can Toby and his boss, DS Fred Williams, find the killer before all the actors at the RSC are dead?

The Croaking Raven doth bellow for revenge.

Excerpt

Return of the Prince

Oliver Lawrence lay on his bed. In the distance he could hear the sounds of Casablanca. The call to midday prayer had begun and the voice of the Muezzin floated from the top of a nearby minaret, borne on the warm winds of the Sahara as they headed for the north west coast of Morocco.

Oliver was a long way from home. Fifteen long years away.

Forced from a great future by a web of jealousy and lies, a bitter crop that had been planted by those he trusted most. They had nearly destroyed him and he had run. Run until he could not hear their lies or their taunting. Run until he had found a place to shelter, recover, and plan his revenge.

It had taken fifteen years. Years when he should have been confirming his reputation as the greatest stage actor of his generation. He had not wasted his time. In the quiet beachside community of Ain Diab, he had sheltered from the seething turmoil that was Casablanca. As the early May heat had begun to rise, so had his desire for revenge.

To make The Raven Cocktail, add the following ingredients to ice and strain into a tall glass - 30ml vodka, 30ml rum, 30ml blue curacao, then slowly pour 30ml Chambord over a bar spoon so floats on top of the drink. In my experience it actually always drops to the bottom rather than floating but it still looks and tastes just as good!

The Good Snooze Guide of Great Britain: The British Isles through a pleasant haze by Robin Bennett

Book Summary

The British Isles through a pleasant haze.

This small tome is a celebration of taking it easy, of loafing about but it’s also a chance to write about some of the most pleasant spots in Britain. So it could also be considered a guide book - but for lazy people.

This book is a guide to various interesting places in Britain, with notes on how good they are for napping, which is obviously a very important factor when deciding on holiday destinations or places to visit!

Each month has a different location and little anecdotes about the place and the author's experiences there. I was inspired to visit the Founder's Library at Royal Holloway, though surprisingly, it appears to be the only place that wasn't great for a nap.

Lovely humorous writing, very enjoyable, much like one of Robin's naps. The snippet of one of his other books made me want to read that as soon as possible. If you enjoyed Notes on a Small Island, then you'll love this too, it has a similar humour to it. It would also make a great gift! 💖

I made a Lazy Lover cocktail which is perfect for sipping as you pick your next napping spot. Muddle 3 slices of cucumber in a shaker with a pinch of salt. Add 30ml mezcal, 22.5ml Gentian liqueur, 7.5ml sugar syrup and 7.5ml pink grapefruit juice. Shake with ice and strain into your glass. Garnish with a slice of cucumber.

The Wild Ones by Antonio Ramos Revillas

Translated by Claire Storey

Book Summary

An impactful story about the heroism of surviving on the social periphery.

Fifteen-year-old Efraín and his two younger brothers live in a house on the hillside in Monterrey, Northern Mexico.

They are left to fend for themselves after their mother is wrongly arrested for theft.

Má has raised her boys to keep out of trouble with the local gangs and to study for their future, but they are viewed by society as good-for-nothings or criminals simply because of where they live.

The only people offering any kind of support are the local gang members – but everything comes

with a price tag.

This is quite an easy read, despite the difficult subject matter, and though it looks middle-grade from the cover, the main character was older than I expected so I'd put it more at young adult.

It was a bit too slow going for me, not a lot really happens. But there was a good lesson about how much stuff we have around us that we really don't need. I don't think I'm rich, but Efrain would probably have considered me quite well off! Reading about what Efrain went through to support his family and the things he had to do, I felt quite emotional at times.

Author Bio

Antonio Ramos Revillas is a Mexican author of books for adults and your people.

In 2015 he was selected to participate in the Mexico 20 project by the Hay Festival. The project brought together twenty Mexican writers under the age of forty and paired them with British translators, resulting in

the Mexico 20 anthology, published by Pushkin Press.

Antonio has received numerous regional and national awards for his writing.

On an international level his novel La guarida de las lechuzas won the Fundacion Cuatrogatos prize in Miami as well as winning the International Latino Book Award.

His YA books have been recommended by IBBY Mexico, Salvajes is his third book to be chosen for the White Ravens.

This was the first time I've made a Wild Rose Margarita and I was surprised how well all the different ingredients fit together.  Shake the following ingredients with ice - 45ml tequila, 15ml triple sec, 25ml Savoia Americano Rosso (I substituted with aperol) 10ml rose sugar syrup, 15ml lime juice, 7.5ml gin. Strain into a cocktail glass and enjoy!

Skyfleet: March of the Mutabugs by Victoria Williamson

Book  Summary

When the skies turn deadly, a young heroine must rise from the ashes...

Twelve-year-old Amberley Jain has faced incredible challenges since the crash that took her parents and paralysed her legs. Now, with her best friend Ricardo Lopez about to be sent away and a swarm of mutated insects closing in on the Skyfleet base, the stakes have never been higher. Something monstrous is driving the mutabugs north from the contaminated meteor site known as the Cauldron, and the only plane capable of stopping it - the Firehawk - lies in pieces in the hangar.

Determined to honour her parents' legacy, Amberley hatches a daring plan. With Ricardo's help, they stow away on a supply train, trading his most treasured possession for the parts needed to repair the Firehawk. After secret test flights, the legendary jet is ready for action. Now, Amberley and Ricardo must confront the deadly swarm and save their home, discovering their inner strength and the true meaning of friendship along the way.

If there's anything worse than giant mutated bugs, its giant mutated bugs that regenerate!

Amberley and her best friend Ric are determined to show the rest of the base what they can do. Neither wants to be sent away to the farming villages with the other orphans, Amberley knows she can be the best flyer and Ric the best engineer they've ever had. They just need a way to prove themselves!

This is a fast-paced, quick read. Screwball Sydney and her wombat are amusing characters, just the right amount of encouraging and insane. I really enjoyed Amberley and Ric's attempts to fix Amberley's parents old Firehawk jet and make everyone see what they can do. Together they showed that nothing should stop you trying for your dreams and I found the end particularly touching and uplifting.

Author Bio

Victoria Williamson grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, and has worked as an educator in a number of different countries, including as an English teacher in China, a secondary science teacher in Cameroon, and a teacher trainer in Malawi.

As well as degrees in Physics and Mandarin Chinese, she has completed a Masters degree in Special Needs in Education. In the UK she works as a primary school special needs teacher, working with children with a range of additional support needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, physical disabilities and behavioural problems.

She is currently working as a full time writer of Middle Grade and YA contemporary fiction, science fiction and fantasy, with a focus on creating diverse characters reflecting the many cultural backgrounds and special needs of the children she has worked with, and building inclusive worlds where all children can see a reflection of themselves in heroic roles.

Victoria’s experiences teaching young children in a school with many families seeking asylum inspired her debut novel, The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, an uplifting tale of redemption and unlikely friendship between Glaswegian bully Caylin and Syrian refugee Reema.

You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website.

I used to love a June Bug cocktail when I was younger, now it seems some of the ingredients are a bit harder to find, but I did find this one on Difford's Guide which is a great website for pretty much any cocktail you can imagine. I remember it having a much greener colour but it still looks pretty tasty!

To make the cocktail, shake all the following ingredients with ice, then strain into your glass. 30ml each of coconut rum, melon liqueur, banana liqueur, 120ml pineapple juice and 30ml lime juice.

The Christmas Party by Mikayla Davids

Book Summary

A family reunion. A shocking secret. A night to die for.

On a snowy Christmas Eve, the Bailey family are gathered at an isolated hotel in the English countryside. They’re reuniting for the first time since the accident that shattered their lives ten years ago. 

It’s a time for love and forgiveness. But someone has an ulterior motive…

The perfect daughter

The success story

The single mother

The alcoholic 

The husband

The jealous sister

The murderer

As the clock strikes midnight, one member of the party is found dead at the foot of the grand marble staircase.

Everyone is a suspect. But which one of them is a killer?

I enjoyed Mikayla Davids' previous book The Couple on Holiday (see my review here) so I jumped at the chance to join the blog tour for her new audiobook.

There's an immediate mystery, even before any mention of the murder. What could have happened to break this family apart? There are flashbacks and clues throughout the book and for me this was the biggest puzzle. Despite reading about the murder early on, the victim is not revealed till much nearer the end.

The story is told by different characters so you get all sides of the story and also realise how unreliable any of them could be. The different narrators were very good, keeping the personalities separate.

I loved how the secrets just kept coming. There are sooooo many and they were gradually doled out like sweets, which kept me hooked.

I must say I found it hard to trust Erin from quite early on, though I won't say whether I was right not to! I soon started to suspect she might have more motivations for organising the reunion, as well as reconciliation.

The conclusion is left quite open ended which I was slightly disappointed with, but it makes you wonder what could happen next and definitely sets up for more books.

Serve a Christmas Daiquiri at your next party, your guests will love it. Add 50ml rum, 15ml lime juice, 15ml Velvet Falernum and 15ml cranberry juice to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a star anise.

The Blood Texts: You’d Better Watch Out by Frank Cadaver

Warning, this is extremely creepy! Definitely not one to read at night, especially if you haven't been perfectly good recently. Full of spooky imagery and terrifying descriptions. It also got me surprisingly emotional at the end. Read on for more and an extract from the book... if you dare!

Book Summary

Fourteen year old Evangeline knows she isn’t good. She knows she might even be a bully to her quiet, studious classmate Olivia. But when her Dad returns home with a sinister looking Watching Elf, desperately hoping it will push her to behave, ‘just in time for Christmas’, she’s positive he’s lost the plot. Just how old does he think she is?!

But then footsteps scuttle past flickering fairy lights, when she’s sneaking to places she shouldn’t. A malevolent figure is reflected in her phone screen, when she’s about to share malicious photographs. And, when a bullying teacher is brutally attacked during her detention, Evangeline starts to wonder: is this Watching Elf more than just a doll?

And not to be forgotten, is Olivia. Always perfect Olivia. There’s just something not right about her; she’s got a part to play in this but Evangeline can’t quite figure out what. All she knows is Olivia may not be as innocent or as perfect as she seems…

Extract

PROLOGUE - THE BLOOD TEXTS

2004...

“You’re scared.”

“I’m not scared!”

“You’re the one who wanted to do this!”

“I’m just saying, the coach is gonna go. We’ve got to get back!”

“Whatevs, run away then,” Mason scoffed, his black Korn hoodie up over his ears, his legs straddling the metal track in what he would never admit was his One Tree Hill pose. From the path below, his friend sighed and turned away up the dripping, decayed exit ramp. As the New Animal rollercoaster rumbled far above them, joined by the muffled screams of its passengers, Mason couldn’t help but call after him.

“Go on then, biatch!” he shouted. “Run back to teacher! But I won the challenge! I’m keeping the magazine! It’s MY trophy!”

The magazine was tucked down the back of Mason’s baggy jeans, and it was why they were here in the first place. The Blood Texts – the most gruesome and gory of his older sister’s horror magazine collection. When he’d discovered a feature among The Blood Texts’ creased pages about Smithson’s Theme Park, just one week before their school was visiting it, he and his friend’s next graffiti challenge had been clear: they would tag the OLD ANIMAL ROLLERCOASTER, HOME OF REBECCA’S HEADLESS GHOST!

“Rebecca didn’t keep her arms and legs inside the ride. Rebecca wanted to wave to the camera. But once the ’coaster sped up, she started slipping out too far, and when the loop-the-loop went through the tunnel, her head clipped a boat on the old River Rapids. Her boyfriend had to sit the rest of the ride next to her headless corpse. After her family sued, Smithson’s shut the Old Animal ride and built the New Animal over top of it. But The Blood Texts says they never tore the loop down. It’s still down there, and Rebecca’s ghost an’ all . . . searching for a head to replace hers.”

His friend had grinned then, and they’d gone toe-to-toe with sick jokes about the tragedy. It was what they did – like Jackass, like Dirty Sanchez – like grinning the blood out between your teeth after stacking a rail grind. Like sneaking past warning signs down an unmarked tunnel to graffiti the last bones of a deadly rollercoaster that Smithson’s Park didn’t mention in their ads.

MA$ON

He was getting better, he decided, as again the New Animal rumbled and screamed above. The dollar sign used to just look like he’d screwed up the ‘S’, but now it looked legit, like the $ in the rapper Ma$e. He leant closer to study it, when the battery light began to fade orange.

“Dumb torch,” he growled. The batteries were the big Eveready ones he’d tea-leafed from his sister’s new hi-fi; how were they failing already? Mason – BANG – smacked the torch with the – BANG – palm of his hand, trying to get some juice from the batteries, but the orange bulb still – BANG – wouldn’t BANG—

Splash...

It came from below, quiet, but unmistakable.

“Tyler?”

There was no answer. Mason shone his torch down, lighting up twisted metal, bolts and rails, to the brown, stagnant water of the closed river rapids beneath. Seeing nothing, he turned to point the beam behind him. The grey fake river wound further down the gloomy tunnel, surrounded by knackered SM_LE _OR TH_ C_MERA! signs, tattered rope queues and decayed plastic animal models. Then, with a sudden thought, he looked up to where the last surviving tracks of the Old Animal twisted and climbed, before stopping dead against a concrete slab that Smithson’s had built to hide this infamous deadly loop-the-loop.

Huh...? The screams. The rollercoaster screams, from the New Animal.

Why have they stopped?

Splash...

At the second splash, Mason whirled the torch back down again, a cold stab of fear in his gut.

There was nothing.

And then...

Soft ripples raced across the grey water, before a ride boat bobbed gently down the river below. Mason’s mouth felt suddenly dry. The boat was filthy, worn and circular with seats around the edge and a wheel in the middle. The insides were strewn with something black and matted, and as he climbed down to the bottom rail, Mason saw what it was and fought back the urge to scream.

Hair. Long, human hair. And blood.

Mason pulled out the magazine tucked behind his waistband and stared at the picture on the open page.

“It’s true,” he croaked out loud. “The Blood Texts. It’s true.”

It was the last thought his head got to have.

The Blood Texts. It’s true.

Who is Frank Cadaver?

He was born in the witching hour, beneath a blood-red moon, and under a bad sign. His first words were not fit to print. Now he scratches stories with yellowed fingernails, across the mouldering walls of the abandoned nuclear power station he calls home. If you like what you read, we’ll dare you to find out more…

I started this book while on holiday and had an amazing Pomegranate Caipirinha. This also looks quite Christmassy so I thought its a good fit for the book. Cut half a lime into chunks and muddle in a cocktail shaker with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Add 60ml of cachaca and 15ml of grenadine, stir and then pour into your glass. Add crushed ice (or smaller cubes) to half fill the glass, drop in a handful of pomegranate seeds, stir and top with more ice. Garnish with more pomegranate.

Spooky Scary Book Tag

Thanks so much to Twirling Merry Book Princess for the tag! Check out their answers here and also the original creator of the tag Shelby Masako. I'm tagging anyone who wants to give it a try.

What Goes Bump in the Night? Name a book that legitimately scared you while reading it

Nightbooks by J.A. White. This was extremely creepy and even the film adaptation was good!

Jack-o’-Lanterns & Classic Costumes: A book you always reach for during Halloween time

I don't re-read much so I don't really have one but if I have to pick I would say some of my spooky graphic novels.

Black Cats & Magic Mirrors: A book you love that is laced with superstition and/or magic

Threadneedle by Cari Thomas was absolutely full of superstition AND magic!

Witch’s Brew: Favourite witch character in any book/series

I was thinking and thinking of all the many witches in many books but when I thought of this there was no doubt of my favourite! Mildred Hubble from The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy

Ghouls & Ghosts: A book that still haunts you to this day (good or bad)

I read Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr as a child and never forgot it. I was so happy to find an old library copy being sold and snapped it up.

Haunted Graveyard: You’re all alone in a haunted graveyard; you get one book to give you comfort. Which is it?

Mort by Terry Pratchett was the first Discworld book I read and its one of few books that I have re-read many times. I think it's probably my favourite of the series.

The Undead: Favourite supernatural creatures to read about

This has to be ghosts, I've really enjoyed lots of spooky ghostly books recently and I love that there are so many types. They can be good, evil, misunderstood and anything in between!

In the Dead of Night: Pick a book with a black cover

I have to say this is quite a common colour for my creepy books but I've chosen The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane by Julia Nobel for this one.

 

Spooksmiths Investigate: The Cinderman by Alex Atkinson

Book Summary

Indigo and Rusty might live in a funeral parlour, but they don't believe in ghosts. That is, until Indigo knocks over an old urn, accidentally releasing the Cinderman: a terrifying ash monster, who will smother their town in ashes and turn everyone into zombies, unless they can stop him by sunset.

Using their newly awakened Spooksmith skills, Indigo and Rusty set out to enlist the help of other ghosts. But can the Blasted Banshee and Chuckles the Phantom Toddler really help them find the Cinderman's true name and put him in his grave for good before Ashmageddon strikes?

Despite living in the creepiest town ever (Greyscar) and creepiest street (Deadman's Drive) in an actual funeral home, Indigo still doesn't believe in the supernatural. Even ghostly whispers can be mostly ignored. It takes the whole town covered in ash to finally convince her that something is not normal!

Here is a monster so terrifying that even the banshee is afraid of it. The most chilling thing is how everyone just carries on, as if they're all in a trance and only Indigo seems to really notice how strange it is. Luckily not all ghosts are so scary and the other ones in this book might try to be spooky but they're actually pretty funny.

Phrank the pheasant is probably the star of the show. I don't know what anyone would do without him. The ending might have been very different if he wasn't around.

I was intrigued by the hints about the relationship between Indigo and her twin, Rusty and really wanted to find out more what exactly happened between them.

Author Bio

Alex Atkinson loves scary books filled with oddball characters. She blames her idyllic North Yorkshire childhood spent playing murder-in-the-dark and listening to her dad's blood-curdling bedtime stories. After studying English and Politics at Newcastle University, she worked as a website content editor. She now lives in a village in Hertfordshire with her husband, kids, dogs and tortoise, but dreams of abandoned buildings, ghosts and zombies. SPOOKSMITHS INVESTIGATE: THE CINDERMAN is her debut novel.

I've mad a Basil (Sm)Ash. Muddle a bunch of basil in your cocktail shaker, then add ice and 60ml gin, 20ml lemon juice and a dash of sugar syrup. Shake well and pour into an ice filled glass. I actually like the bits of basil so I didn't bother to strain into the glass but you're probably supposed to if you're being strict!

In Universes by Emet North

Book Summary

Raffi works in an observational cosmology lab, searching for dark matter and trying to hide how little they understand their own research. Every chance they get, they escape to see Britt, a queer sculptor who fascinates them for reasons they also don’t—or won’t—understand. As Raffi’s carefully constructed life begins to collapse, they become increasingly fixated on the multiverse and the idea that somewhere, there might be a universe where they mean as much to Britt as she does to them…and just like that, Raffi and Britt are thirteen years old, best friends and maybe something more.

In Universes is a mind-bending tour across parallel worlds, each an answer to the question of what life would be like if events had played out just a little differently. The universes grow increasingly strange: women fracture into hordes of animals, alien-infested bears prowl apocalyptic landscapes. But across them all, Raffi—alongside their sometimes-friends, sometimes-lovers Britt, Kay, and Graham—reaches for a life that feels authentically their own.

Raffi is looking for dark matter, but really I think she's looking for solutions to all the problems she's ever had in her life. The idea of infinite parallel worlds takes her into the possibilities of endless universes.

At the beginning if feels a bit like the rambling of someone's mind, but I related to so much of it and found it so interesting that I didn't care. However I did feel like maybe I was missing some deeper meaning. This is probably the most surreal thing I've ever read. Some chapters more so than others, in some universes everything is very normal, while in others, people turn into hordes of bees or falcons. At first I wasn't sure if it was a metaphor, but it is actually really what she says!

I can definitely relate to Raffi's bewilderment at the start of the book. The feeling that you should know what you're doing but just don't, like you've been left behind in a lesson sometime ages ago and have no idea how to catch up! I also liked how the universes are so different in some ways but usually have some thread continuing from the previous ones, people or themes. 

Some of the stories are so harrowing that I kept hoping for something happy. Some do end quite hopefully, but many... not so much. I was also waiting for something that might pull all the stories together at the end but I think it's more like a collections of essays.

To make a Parallel Universe cocktail, mix 30ml (equal measures) of rum, Cointreau and grapefruit juice in a shaker with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

I couldn't find any grapefruit juice so instead bought a red grapefruit and made some fresh juice. For that reason the cocktail is probably not quite the right colour. I also think it could do with a little sugar to sweeten it.

PAX and the Forgotten Pincher by David Barker

Book Summary

Cut off from the rest of the country, New London life is tough, the truth is slippery and friendships are vital.

Pax has made it through the trials of his first year at Scholastic Parliament, but any hopes of a quieter second year are quickly dashed when he makes a shocking discovery in the school’s basement. A new student also joins the school, acting suspiciously and muscling in on Pax’s friendship with Samuel. At least being reigning champions in the Parliamentary Polls allows Pax and his friends the freedom to explore the city at weekends. But drone raids and cyber-attacks disrupt life in New London while a paranoid mayor cracks down hard on terrorism.

The second book in the Pax series is even better and more gripping than the first! Adventurous and emotional with just a little touch of romance.

The characters are more defined now and Pax, Samuel and Megan have built up a great friendship after the events in book one, but the introduction of a fourth student to their little group mixes everything up and causes havoc.

I love the references to what was the distant past for them. An iPhone is an ancient bit of technology to Pax, but still looks modern to Albert. And the way words are contorted, Pincher sounds far more sinister than pensioner. No wonder people are terrified of them!

Today I've made a Bee-Bop's Knees (renamed for the robot Bee-Bop, you'll see why when you read the book). In a shaker with ice, add 60ml gin, 22.5ml lemon juice, 15ml honey syrup (reduce if you don't want it too sweet) and 10ml orange juice.

Mix & Match 16

I've been wanting to try the Midnight in Morocco cocktail for some time so here's my chance, though I must admit I skipped the habanero as I'm a wimp who can't take spiciness! Shake up your cocktail to bring back the summer sun, then take your pick of today's books and relax.

Shake the following with ice: 60ml tequila, 15ml crème de violette, 15ml orgeat, 20ml lime juice, 10ml maraschino and a dash of habanero bitters. Strain into your favourite cocktail glass.

Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch

Morgan's life is turned upside down when King Uther Pendragon kills her father and uses magic to force her mother to marry him. While her sisters are happy enough to be married off to lives of luxury, Morgan won't stop fighting against the king and his sorcerer, Merlin.

I loved the way the legend of King Arthur is incorporated, but even if you are very familiar with the story,  you still don't know exactly what will happen. Familiar and unfamiliar characters from legend are not necessarily as you expect them to be!

Breaking news, book 2 - Le Fay is out now too, so looking forward to reading it!

The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood

Another wonderful story from the Marlow Murder Club. I never tire of reading about Judith Potts and her friends, Suzie and Becks. This time there is a murder at a planning meeting, but the victim is the mayor who everyone seems to agree is a perfect saint! They can't find any reason why anyone would want him dead. Lots of clues lead to many discoveries and confessions, evidently everyone on the council has something to hide but can they find the actual murderer?

Each novel gives a little more insight into the superb characters. They all have their own talents which helps them solve whichever case they are working on. I love how their initially reluctant interactions have turned into best friends who always look out for each other.

The writing was excellent and kept me hooked throughout and the narrator was perfect for the character. I really hope the series continues.

Whispa and the Waves by Ffion Jones, illustrated by Elena Mascolo

An incredibly touching story about a young mermaid's struggle to calm the storms, both inside herself and in the world around her. 

Whispa is such a sweet, caring character and the illustrations and colours are gorgeous.

A History of My Weird by Chloe Heuch

Mo has just started a new school and everything is different!

I liked Mo right from the start. I really sympathised with her school troubles and was overjoyed when she made a friend and found some nice older kids who watched out for her. It was great to see her trying to keep her own personality, despite other people wanting to change her. Some action packed adventure as well as an emotional ending that left me with tears in my eyes.

I'm not knowledgeable enough to say if the autism representation is 100% correct or not, but to me it seemed very sensitive and well done. I feel like I learnt a lot about the concerns people might have.

The World According to David Hockney

This was full of great quotes and gave me an idea of the artist's personality, which I never really knew much about. A couple of my favourites:

You wouldn't be an artist unless you wanted to share an experience, a thought. I am constantly preoccupied with how to remove distance so that we can all begin to sense we are the same, we are one.

It used to be you couldn't be gay. Now you can be gay but you can't smoke. There's always something.

It's good to rest and read.

The Soultrapper by Stanislava Buevich

Book Summary

Childhood friends Stef and Paul embark on an immersive virtual reality adventure, only to discover that The Disappearance of Eden Rose holds more than just puzzles and challenges. Encountering a mysterious character named Ollie James, they uncover a chilling link to a real-world tragedy: the unsolved deaths of numerous children over a decade ago. As they delve deeper, Stef and Paul realise they're not just playing a game - they're racing against time to unravel a shocking cover-up and undo its damage, risking their lives in pursuit of truth.

It was very easy to get into this book, I liked both the main character and the writing style right from the start. I felt immersed in the world, almost like I was playing the game too.

I love puzzles so the idea of a game with puzzles integrated into it sounds so much fun to me. Though of course without the sinister undertones and the fear of not making it out again! One thing I would really have liked would be to know some of Stef's thought processes. She's so clever but I have no idea how she solves the mysteries, we're just told that it's fallen into place and she's figured it out.

There are a few layers of mysteries to the game. I had my suspicions with regard to the ultimate baddie but mostly the twists were unexpected and satisfyingly surprising.

This was a really gripping story that I enjoyed so much and I'll be looking out for more by this author!

Author Bio

Stacy Buevich is a British writer and a film director with many award winning short films. She started writing novels during lockdown (wait did that really happen?), beginning with a magical mystery Maya Fairy, that she wrote for her daughter. Since then she has written several more and not planning to stop.

I've made a Lost Souls cocktail to go with this thrilling book. Shake the following ingredients with ice and strain into a glass. 30ml mezcal, 22.5ml Grand Marnier, 22.5ml beetroot juice, 15ml lime juice, dash of sugar syrup and a few drops of chocolate bitters.