Harry Potter: a journey through a history of magic by British Library
Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408890776 (Age: All Harry Potter fans) Highly recommended. If you are a Harry
Potter fan then this book is a MUST HAVE! After bringing this book
home I made the mistake of showing to my son (a new Harry fan) and
it has been a struggle to get any time with the book myself! Harry Potter: a journey through a history of magic is a wonderful
book showcasing the amazing collection of artefacts put together for
an exhibition for the British Library to celebrate 20 years since
the first instalment of the record breaking series.
This book intertwines the daily lessons and faces of Hogwarts with
the ancient history and art of magic that has been recorded over the
last thousand years. As I read the chapters I really got a sense of
where J. K. Rowling was able to explore her ideas and add meaning
and appropriate description to particular scenes such as the Bezoar
stone or the first documented use of incantations.
I particularly loved the hand-drawn maps and pictures by J. K.
Rowling, with little questions on the side where you can see her
thinking, and also how well planned out her story is. In addition to
this you get to see copies of both hand-written and typed draft
pages of various books - complete with words crossed out, re-typed
and questions raised as to where she may go with that idea next.
When I asked my son why he enjoyed this book so much it was a pretty
simple answer from him - the illustrations! He loved Jim Kay's
artwork which were taken from the illustrated editions. He said they
were "colourful, funny and looked just like them"
I think that this book would be a wonderful gift for any Harry
Potter lover, at any age, and also a great addition to a school
library to add more meaning and understanding to this popular
series. 10/10 from both myself and my Harry Potter obsessed child!
Lauren Fountain
Mallee boys by Charlie Archbold
Wakefield Press, 2017. ISBN 9781743055007
(Age: 13+) Teenaged Sandy and his older brother Josh live with their
father on a farm in Mallee country. These family members all love
and care for each other in a blokey household where wife and mother
Ellie is painfully missed following a fatal road accident. It is
clear that each person is lost in their own way and the household
barely manages to function at times when anger, hurt and frustration
rise up and smother respectful communication and cooperation.
Aside from the bereavement two years previously, the family members
struggle to deal with life's common challenges. Josh and his father
work hard to earn a meagre living by cropping the marginal land and
must manage with outdated and unreliable machinery, hard seasons and
limited liquidity. Sandy yearns to complete his final years of study
in Adelaide and applies to schools which can provide academic
content and support which he can't access at his local school. The
entrance examinations place a great deal of pressure upon both Sandy
and rejection letters diminish his self-esteem.
Importantly, the story also considers the position of both boys as
they try to meet girls and establish relationships in a setting
where the limited population offers little opportunity to make
friends with new people. I liked the way that awkwardness, lack of
confidence and heart-ache were portrayed so realistically within a
plot which presented every-day rural life simply and
unapologetically.
The characters in this novel are entirely authentic and the author
is clearly very familiar with the setting as she depicted them
fondly and respectfully, without resorting to stereotype. It was
pleasing to see that a vital plot development which strains
friendships and tests family relationships was exactly the kind of
event which could take place in a country setting. The resolution
and conclusion are similarly satisfying for being measured and
affirming.
This refreshing and intelligent story suits readers 13 and over.
Rob Welsh
Starlight Stables series by Soraya Nicholas
Brumby rescue, book 5. ISBN 9780143787440 Barmah brumbies, book 6. ISBN 9780143787433
Penguin, 2018.
(Age: 9-12) Recommended. Themes: Friendship. Horses and horse
riding. Brumbies. Soraya Nicholas' Starlight Stables series
is packed full of fun, friendship and horses. Twelve-year-old Poppy,
Milly and Katie enjoy their weekends riding, caring for their
ponies, competing in events, camping out and experiencing new
adventures.
In Brumby rescue Poppy accompanies her Uncle Mark, a
veterinarian to a horse auction. Poppy enjoys listening to the
auctioneer, the buyers bidding on the horses as they are paraded
around the ring. She is alarmed at the fate of some older and
unwanted horses as they are sold to the Meat Man. Poppy passionately
bids on a wild brumby using all of her savings and some extra money
from her uncle. A new chapter in her life begins as she learns to
gain the wild horse's confidence with the assistance of her Aunt
Sophie. Poppy and her friends still enjoy cantering across the
country side on their horses, helping out in the stables and going
home each week for school. This story explores the dynamics of
taming a wild creature, shows the patience and resilience required,
and displays how family and friends help in tough times. Barmah brumbies continues with Poppy, Millie and Katie keen
to ride in the Barmah Muster. Aunt Sophie looks into the
possibilities and decides they will join in the Barmah Heritage Ride
instead, spending five days riding in the forest and camping in the
muster yards. There's the excitement of a one-day horse event before
they leave with Poppy and her pony Crystal winning the competition.
Poppy, Millie and Katie help at the campground, and Storm the brumby
seems to recognise the sounds and smells of this familiar country.
Aunt Sophie rides Storm while the girls love participating in the
ride on their ponies. Their decision to sneak out of camp and search
for the wild brumby herd causes problems as they become lost and
their uncle and aunty have to frantically search for them.
Soraya Nicholas shares her knowledge of horsemanship and the
responsibilities of being a horse owner in these exciting Australian
stories. Her characters are realistically portrayed, they struggle,
share their concerns and encourage one another. She brings the
countryside to life and shares her passion for wildlife rescue and
respect for the environment. The Starlight Stables series is
perfect for readers who like animal and nature novels and for horse
lovers.
Rhyllis Bignell
Bush birthday by Lorette Broekstra
Bush birthday. ISBN 9781925267051 Bush bedtime. ISBN 9781925267068
Allen and Unwin, 2018
(Age: 1-4) Themes: Counting. This is a new range of books featuring
a cast of ten Australian bush baby animals. The same cute, fluffy
baby animals with oversized heads and big eyes appear in both of the
books and the stories are short, playful and colourful. They
cleverly explore language and counting concepts and are therefore
perfect for early childhood settings. Bush bedtime counts from one to ten (ONE climbs up the tree,
And TWO climb down, etc.) and also features positional and
directional words (up, down, through, out, on, between, behind, by,
in, at). The number words and the focus vocabulary words are in a
different colour to encourage beginning word awareness. The story
begins with one animal setting out on a journey and on each page
another animal joins the group. At the end of the book all of the
animals find themselves at the billabong for platypus's birthday
party. Bush bedtime is opposite in that it counts backwards from ten
to one. It is a take on the classic rhyme Ten in the Bed, however,
this version starts off with "There are TEN out of bed". One by one,
the animals get sleepy so as "NINE crawl low" kookaburra sneaks off
to bed and as "TWO climb on the bed" wallaby tucks himself in. Once
"There are TEN in the bed, It's time to say... Goodnight!"
The animals are all smiley and having oodles of fun, making music,
bouncing high and dancing. This title also features adjectives (low,
high, loud, quiet, big, small), which are bolded and made to look
like their meaning (e.g. "high" is stretched upwards, while "low" is
stretched out sideways).
Nicole Nelson
Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Unearthed book 1. Allen and Unwin, 2017.
ISBN 9781760292157
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Themes: Science fiction. Adventure.
The Undying, an alien race, has left behind technology on Gaia, an
abandoned planet, that will save the earth and there is a race to
discover more of it. Jules Addison has come to Gaia as a scholar,
convinced by his father that there is a secret warning contained in
a message that tells of danger to those who uncover it. Meanwhile
Amelia (Mia) Radcliffe has won passage on a space ship because she
is a clever scavenger who just wants to make enough money to save
her sister back on Earth. When the two confront other scavengers
after their equipment, they decide to work together to find out the
secrets that the Undying have left behind.
From then on it is all action as the pair race across the planet
with the scavengers in hot pursuit. They have to pool their
abilities once they reach the hidden temple and the way they work
out the clues and avoid all the obstacles and traps makes for an
exciting read. Told in alternating chapters by Jules and Mia, the
reader gains an in-depth understanding of the character and
motivation of each and can sympathise with both as they work toward
such different goals. They are both intelligent and clever and
gradually see where the other is coming from and gain a measure of
trust. The snappy dialogue between the two is often funny and gives
the reader some relief from the ever present danger and action.
Even before I knew that Unearthed would be made into a film
I found myself agog with the sheer speed and action in the book and
could easily imagine it on the big screen. In fact it reminded me a
lot of Indiana Jones and Lara Croft movies and the story line would
have great appeal to audiences who enjoy the action adventure movie
and book. And the ending is sure to keep the reader waiting
impatiently for the next episode in the story.
Pat Pledger
Nicola Berry series by Liane Moriarty
Pan Macmillan, 2017. Nicola Berry and the petrifying problem with Princess Petronella.
ISBN 9781760554736 Nicola Berry and the shocking trouble on Planet Shobble. ISBN
9781760554743 Nicola Berry and the wicked war on the Planet of Whimsey.
ISBN: 9781760554750
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Themes: Humour, Space Travel, Competitions.
A trio of funny space travel books about Nicola Berry are
rereleased, after first appearing in 2009. Nicola Berry and the petrifying problem with Princess Petronella
is the first of this three-book outer space adventure series for
young readers written by adult author, Liane Moriarty. Each of the
books is about 200 pages long, with about 40 chapters, making it an
encouraging read for mid to upper primary readers.
Nicola Berry's life is changed completely when an odd looking man
from another planet, Globagaskar, comes to earth on an even odder
mission. This very tall person is on the lookout for someone to
travel back to his planet, where as the Earthling Ambassador, she
will try to convince the very spoilt princess on Globagaskar that
earth is not to be used as a waste disposal dump.
She is not sure that she has the wherewithal to convince the girl,
but off she goes with the blessing of Earth's inhabitants behind
her. And once on Globagaskar her confidence begins to ebb.
Moriarty has developed a fascinating premise, akin to The
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) where earth
is to be destroyed to make way for a super highway, and her
characters are bubbling with enthusiasm and self doubt tackling the
huge problem.
The other two in this fine series, Nicola Berry and the shocking
trouble on Planet Shobble and Nicola Berry and the wicked
war on the Planet of Whimsey were also first published in
2009, and have been rereleased as well.
They are just as funny as Nicola and her friends, The Space Brigade,
find themselves in all sorts of trouble, but in using their
considerable cleverness manage to elude their pursuers. Wonderfully
entertaining, hilarious and with lots of jokes about society's hang
ups, the series will be eagerly picked up by new readers.
Fran Knight
Tracy Lacy for Classy Captain! by Tania Lacy
Ill. by Danielle McDonald. Tracy Lacy bk 2. Scholastic, 2017. ISBN
9781760275969
(Age: 8-11) Themes: School Life, Humour, Friendship. Tania Lacy's
high octane character Tracy Lacy returns in Tracy Lacy for
Classy Captain! Time for Tracy to leave the familiarity of
primary school with all of its hideous experiences and humiliating
incidents and start fresh at Northwood High. Of course nothing goes
to plan, her very first day is a disaster, there's an embarrassing
situation at lunchtime, and Tracy inhales a blowfly and expels it in
a large snot tentacle which lands on Year 12 student Lisa Harmes'
uniform. Screaming and pandemonium occurs and Tracy decides to
either move to Latvia or stay at home for the rest of Hell School!
When the Year 7 Class Coordinator Mr Master announces there will be
a vote for a boy and girl class captain for the whole year level,
Tracy decides it is her time to shine. Her rival and arch-enemy from
primary school Victoria Fuller is there to thwart Tracy's dreams.
She shares Tracy's dreadful art drawing from her early days at
school, her rainbow pony Oomphoff who farts rainbows with the other
Year 7s. Poor Tracy Lacy is disgraced again. With her loyal friends
Ag and Ponky's support she bounces from one disaster to the next.
She even scores her Daily Working stats - Mood, Sucky Moments,
Unsucky Moments, and 'TRA-LA-FO-CLA-CA' or Tracy Lacy for Class
Captain moments.
Tania Lacy's over-the-top character Tracy Lacy's distinctive voice,
side thoughts and side-side thoughts with her unusual family and
laugh out loud school incidents make this an amusing novel. Danielle
McDonald's expressive caricatures add humour and liveliness to
Tracy's diary entries. With flourishes, starry borders, bold sized
text and an array of fonts, Tracy Lacy for Classy Captain is
a visually exciting novel. Themes of self-acceptance, resilience,
loyalty, puberty, coping with the transition to high school, family
life, making the right choices are included.
With a large dash of comedy and some cringe-worthy moments this
novel is just right for preteen readers both girls and boys.
Rhyllis Bignell
That inevitable Victorian thing by E.K. Johnston
Dutton Books for Young Readers, 2017. ISBN 9780735231597
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Themes: Fantasy. Alternative British Empire,
Diversity, Romance, Duty. Genetics. Readers will find themselves in
a very different political and scientific world when they encounter
Victoria-Margaret, a direct descendant of Queen Victoria who has
travelled incognito to Toronto to be presented as a debutante at her
cousin's ball. She is excited to have the opportunity to shed the
trappings of royalty and meet people as a normal young woman.
Helena, too has been invited to the debutante ball. She is the
daughter of a pre-eminent geneticist, and as her mother's daughter
must present a happy face even when uncertain in the social whirl of
tea parties and dances. August Callaghan is also in Toronto for the
ball and is overjoyed to be meeting Helena again, hoping to cement
their childhood attachment, even though he is frantic about the bad
decisions he has made about his family's shipping empire which is
under siege from pirates. The three discover an unusual bond, which
will fascinate the reader.
E.K. Johnston is an author who is not afraid to take risks and write
very original and thought provoking books. Her first book, The
Story of Owen : dragon slayer of Trondheim (2015 YALSA Best
Fiction for Young Adults (Top Ten), 2015 William C. Morris YA Debut
Award Nominee) grabbed my attention and I have followed this author
with interest since then. Her story of an empire that has been built
on making diverse genetic royal marriages instead of the princes and
princesses marrying white royalty from Europe is unique and raises
lots of questions about what the world would be like now if Queen
Victoria has made those decisions. Throughout the book are snippets
of conversations that Victoria-Margaret has on the net with the
partner that has been chosen for her as genetically compatible and
Helena too finds a partner who suits her genetic profile.
This is a novel that will challenge readers as they follow the well
described characters of Margaret, Helena and August who must make
some difficult decisions about their sexual orientation and duty as
they come of age.
Pat Pledger
Rain fall by Ella West
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760296834
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Murder. Crime. Thriller. New Zealand.
Coal mining. Rodeos. Horses. Living in Westport on the south island
of New Zealand, where rain is measured in metres, Annie is stuck at
home one afternoon when the police surround the neighbouring
property; the owner, Pete, having fired at the local police station
the night before. Without warning the house blows up, shattering
Annie's windows, and muffling their eardrums, but Annie's first
thought is for her horse, Blue, fractious at loud noises. She takes
him for a ride on the beach, and there meets Jack, the son of the
detective sent to the area to help with the search for a missing
body. The idea that her neighbour, Pete, was involved with any of
this is puzzling, the reclusive young man still grieving for his
mother who recently died.
The crime thriller that follows is taught and involving, set in the
most inhospitable of places where it never seems to stop raining.
West evokes the setting with ease, informing us of of the coal
mining that underpins the community, Annie's father a train driver
who take the coal south to Greymouth, where it is taken by other
drivers across the ranges to Christchurch. But the worldwide
downturn in coal production is seeing the demise of the town and its
population, and layered within the story are varying points of view
about coal, tree felling, rodeos and isolation.
West's writing is compelling, far better that the adult thriller I
recently put aside in disgust, after being lured by the idea of 'a
bidding war' for its publication. Readers can breath in West's
atmospheric, if soggy setting, she peoples her novel with credible
players, and makes their interaction absolutely believable. The
climax builds steadily, drawing the reader into this small world and
its undercurrents, as Annie and Jack follow a light, headed into the
mountains.
This is a terrific crime story, and would make a good class text
with its layering of themes and ideas, smart central characters and
stunning setting. I was excited to see this new book
by New Zealand author, Ella West after reading Night
vision (2014) and was just as absorbed reading it from
cover to cover in one sitting.
Fran Knight
The Susie K Files by Shamini Flint
Ill. by Sally Heinrich. Allen & Unwin, 2017.
Life of the party. ISBN 978176029 6681
Game changer. ISBN 9781760296698
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Themes: School. Difference.
Fitting in. Problem solving. Susie K is a problem solver, she loves
all things science and despite Mum's best efforts at pushing Susie
to fit in, she just does not. So mesmerised by her problem solving
efforts she actually keeps a filing cabinet of her attempts to solve
problems, each file containing the problem, the experiments she
carries out to explore the problem and her attempts to solve it. A
few examples are given at the start of the story to explain just
what she does. She would love a pet but is highly allergic to them
so solves the problem by getting a goldfish. George becomes her
confidante through the stories. Sally Heinrich's cute line
illustrations underline the humour in the text adding another level
of fun for the reader.
But as children read they will discover Susie's main problem, that
of fitting in. All readers will sympathise with Susie as it is a
universal problem that scans all ages and types of people.
The second in the series, Game changer will entreat younger readers
as Susie must solve a major problem with Sports Day coming up at
school. Being a devoted scientist and problem solver, sports does
not figure into her realm of skills; she is hopeless at them all, so
must do something to change this state of affairs.
Funny, wittily illustrated with an engaging main character, this
series is sure to please middle primary people.
Fran Knight
Star Wars: What is a droid? by Lisa Stock
Star Wars: DK readers level 1. DK 2017. ISBN 9780241301272
(Age: 6+) Star Wars. Droids. Space. The first in a series of readers
produced by DK, concerning the series Star Wars, this book
uses a format that is readily accessible to newly confident readers.
The book is 24 pages long and is divided into twelve sections of two
pages each with colourful illustrations and between twenty and
thirty words on each double page spread. The subject matter is
appealing to younger readers, the format is easy to use, and the
whole has an index and contents page teaching new readers skills of
using a non fiction book. The first of four, What is a droid?,
Blast off!, Rey to the rescue and The adventures
of BB-8, this one tells the reader the difference between good
and bad droids, then talks about several individually. C-3P0 and
R2-D2 take up the next four pages and will be easily recognised by
readers, and after this follows a range of droids used in the series
of films. I had no idea there were so many! After this is a two page quiz
and a glossary, making a complete book for young readers to absorb
and test themselves. The text does not play down to early readers,
and the illustrations add to the fun of the book. Early readers will
love recognising the droids they have seen in the films, and enjoy
the quiz at the end.
Fran Knight
Championship dash by Michael Panckridge
Big Bash League book 6. Penguin Random House, 2017. ISBN
9780143782292
(Age: 8-11) Recommended. Themes: Cricket; Overcoming difficulty.
The Kangaroo Flat Galahs are a team of junior cricketers who come
from a small but supportive community and have to battle uphill in
order to make a mark in the regional competition against the
Edenhope Eagles. They are desperately under skilled and don't even
have a full team - even if you count Fatty Bumbar, the coach's bull
mastiff. But then a mystery cricketer revitalises their team.
Allunga seems to come out of nowhere, but her gentle manner and her
amazing cricket skills combine to instil hope and success in the
ragtag team as they make their way to the State T20 championships to
represent their region of Western Australia. With star cameo
appearances from the real T20 stars, this is a wonderful book for
young readers who love cricket. Ironically I read this book while
the T20 competition was in play, and I felt genuinely impressed in
the way some basic cricket skills were communicated within an
appealing story for young readers. I will be recommending this to
both male and female readers who enjoy sport, or who just enjoy a
story where the central characters need to face difficulty and work
together in order to have any hope of success. It has real
heart-warming qualities.
Carolyn Hull
The Polar Bear Explorers' Club by Alex Bell
Ill. by Tomislav Tomic. Faber and Faber, 2017. ISBN 9780571332540
(Age: 8-11) Recommended. Themes: Fantasy, Explorers and exploration.
Stella Starflake Pearl was saved as a young child from the Icelands,
an unexplored land and adopted by her rescuer Felix. This pale white
girl lives in a beautiful mansion with a polar bear, unicorns, pygmy
dinosaurs and mean Aunt Agatha who wants to send Stella off to
boarding school. Her one desire is to be an explorer, a navigator
and sail away with her father on his next expedition. He is a member
of the Polar Bear Explorer's Club that bans women from embarking on
their adventures, much to Stella's disgust. She is surprised and
delighted when Felix relents and the very next day, Stella and her
unicorn Magic set sail aboard The Bold Adventurer.
Stella is feisty and fearless. She soon befriends Shay the captain's
son and wolf whisperer and Beanie who is studying to be a medic.
They are handicapped by the Ocean Squid Explorers Club who are
accompanying them especially Ethan, a self-centred boy who dislikes
Stella, Beanie, and Shay. The fast-paced adventure includes an
ingenious escape from a collapsing ice bridge, navigating
subterranean caves and tunnels, problems with wolves and a herd of
woolly mammoths. With the young explorers separated from the others,
they learn to deal with the extremely cold conditions by relying on
each other's abilities.
Tomic's black and white sketches are styled to look like 19th
century drawings recorded by explorers. As the four young explorers
journey across the ice and snow, we see the daring sleigh ride
across the ice bridge, the magnificent sparkling castle rising in
front of them and the opulent entrance to the Polar Bear Explorers'
Club. Alex Bell's magical world captures the imagination, her
settings are detailed, her narrative lyrical, with her magical
creatures and humans filled with both wonder and danger. Read aloud
to a middle primary class, this fantasy promises to keep the
students engaged, and there are more adventures ahead for Stella and
her friends.
Rhyllis Bignell
The Wolf, the Duck and the Mouse by Mac Barnett
Ill. by Jon Klassen. Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406377798
(Age 4-10) Highly recommended. This is a modern day humourous pour
quoi or origin fable that explains why wolves howl at the moon. A
mouse gets swallowed by a wolf and in the belly of the beast meets a
duck. "I may have been swallowed, but I have no intention of being
eaten", the duck declares over a fine breakfast of bread and jam.
So, does duck want to get back to the outside? Of course not: down
here is no need to worry about being gobbled up! The two new friends
feast, dance and feast some more but all this ruckus is giving the
wolf a stomach ache, making him the perfect target for a hunter. "We
must fight. We must try. Tonight we ride to defend our home",
declares the mouse. So scare away the hunter they do, and are in
exchange for their help the wolf grants them a favour (gobbling them
up again, of course!), thereby resigning himself to a lifetime of
howling at the moon in pain ("Oh woe! Oh woe!).
While definitely a quirky tale, this never seems to stray to the
ridiculous. The friendship formed between the duck and the mouse is
endearing and the way they save the wolf and live (somewhat)
harmoniously with it in the end is pleasing and chortle-worthy.
Jon Klassen's illustrations are fantastic, especially when mouse and
duck are dining at a long dining table dressed in their Sunday best,
white top hats over their eyes and red wine spilling from their
raised glasses. Their charge (brandishing hockey sticks and kitchen
utensils) to scare away the hunter is also spectacular. Washed out
browns and greys lend the book a sombre feel but despite its macabre
subject matter it is really rather upbeat and the inside of the wolf
is warm and homey (walnut brown tones). Both the illustrations and
the language have an olden day, fairy tale feel (the hunter's
tobacco pipe, record player, "flagon" of wine, duck wears a nightcap
to bed, "Oh woe, oh shame", "I fear this is the end").
This really is a timeless tale that despite its uniqueness seems
somehow familiar. It will appeal to old, young and probably everyone
in between.
Nicole Nelson
I'll keep you safe by Peter May
Quercus, 2018. ISBN 9781784294946
(Age: Adult) Although a murder mystery, I'll keep you safe is also very
much a love story. Niamh and Ruairidh Macfarlane are a husband and
wife team, successful fabric weavers from Scotland, who are now much
sought after in the Paris fashion world. But Niamh has just received
an email saying that her husband is having an affair with fashion
designer Irina Petrov. Is that the explanation for his recent air of
distraction, and the secret messages he seems to be getting? When
from the window she sees Ruairidh leave their hotel to meet Irina in
the courtyard below, she rushes downstairs to see them departing in
Irina's car. Running to follow them she sees the car explode in a
ball of fire, both occupants killed instantly.
Looking back over their life together, Niamh tries to understand
what has happened. Is her husband still her one true love, the man
who promised to always keep her safe? Their lives have been
intertwined since they met as children when they were first brought
together by a moment of danger, and there have been moments since
then, when their friendship has been tested, but in her heart Niamh
has always known that Ruairidh was the only person she wanted to
spend her life with.
Lieutenant Sylvie Braque has the task of solving the crime,
following the leads thrown up by family feuds, broken friendships,
and the competitive fashion industry. An underlying theme throughout
the novel, is the question of values, how does one balance love,
duty, and family ties? Is it only when confronted with death that
each person is forced to work out what their true values are?
The setting for all this is the wild and brooding world of bog
marshes, sea spray and storm ravaged cliffs - the Isle of Lewis, in
Scotland, is a stark contrast to the fashion world of Paris. Connecting
it all is the Dark Web, where a killer can be hired to destroy with
a car bomb. The reader is compelled to read until the last page to
find out just what happened between Niamh and Ruairidh.
Helen Eddy
