Crowvus Book Blog

  Review After the disaster which was my last read for this Challenge, I immediately realised that this book was perfect for laying that ghost to rest, which is topical because that is the theme of this entire story: Brigid Cleary is driven to avenge the brutal torture and murder of her mother, Bridget Cleary, who was a real-life victim of extreme domestic violence in 1895. A historical note at the beginning of the book shares the facts. Mathilda Zeller creates the world clearly and the characters are mostly very well developed. You find yourself longing for Brigid to find the peace that she's so desperate for; being thankful - or perhaps wishing - for friends like Florence and Adelaide, and falling in love with Edmund and willing him not to let you down. Perhaps the only character who convinced me less than entirely was Mr Baxby. I felt like the whole story could have been rewritten from his point of view and he would have been a sorry character. How lovely to be back with charact...

  Just to start off with a point of clarification: this book was advertised to me as Upper Middle Grade. It is definitely not Upper Middle Grade. The first clue is the length (around 93k), but it also contains drug taking, domestic violence and school shootings, as well as including curse words. Reading it, I stubbornly continued to see Vincent as being 15, rather than 13. The review which follows – and the stars awarded – views it as a Young Adult book. I have so much I want to say about Even Heroes. The first thing is that I was desperate to know how it ended, which is a sure sign of a good book. I was invested in the characters from early on, but I really did not like Vincent. He’s exceptionally judgmental about everyone around him and, because it’s all from his point of view, you get every sniping thought which goes through his head. But that’s not a bad thing at all – for a protagonist who fancies himself a superhero, the antihero vibe works very well. I felt particularly so...

  This is a fascinating book, blending history and fantasy in a way which makes each seem somehow more believable. Marie Powell uses historical figures and settings to give an expert voice to her work and makes the reader believe that they could be reading an exciting history of Welsh culture rather than simply a work of fiction. Powell’s descriptive writing is beautiful and evocative, although sometimes I feel a Young Adult audience may have preferred a slightly different descriptive to dialogue ratio. Overall, a clever mix of fantasy and history to shed new light on a dark period of British history.

We at Crowvus are delighted to bring our newest story to the market! Honour's Rest is a young adult magical realism, filled with danger and adventure, with a good dollop of self-sacrifice on the side. We were lucky enough to persuade the main character of the book, Pendragon Devon, to come and answer some of our questions. Perhaps, after you've read the book yourself, you have a question for him too. Feel free to write your questions in the comments below. Here's a bit of background on the Rite, for those who are unsure: The Rite is definitely not  magic (but really, it is, just don't tell Napier we said that). There are 2 ways of channelling the Rite, each having their own pros and cons, and it's not so clear-cut as to be good vs bad. But that's enough from us...let's hand over to Pendragon. What is a Rendelf, and why is the job so important? Because there are two different forms of the Rite, I think the Rendelf was set up to make sure peace was kept betwee...

Our 2nd #IndieHero is Violet L.S! Violet write Young Adult books, and is a published author at age 16! Not only that, but her book "School of Secrets" gets wonderful reviews on Amazon. Check out the links at the end of the interview! School of Secrets Blurb Willow Adair is given the chance to lead a new life, but everything comes with a price. Hallows Island is home to the most elite Supernatural school in the country, Westwood Academy. For Willow Adair, her acceptance into the school is a chance for her to escape her hateful coven and possibly learn more about her dangerous powers. But upon her arrival, Willow realizes that the school has secrets, ones that might be more dangerous than Hers. While dealing with a Supernatural social ladder, a possible love interest, and keeping her friends at arm's length, Willow will also have to solve the killings of several girls who hold a shocking resemblance to her. She's sure whoever's killing them is co...

This fine #IndieApril, we are featuring independent businesses on our blog. These could be indie authors, indie publishers or indie booksellers. The independent community has a lot to offer the literary world, and we would like to show you the startling skills and talents of these indie heroes! First Indie Hero: Dorothy A Winsor Author of "The Wind Reader" Blurb for "The Wind Reader" Stuck in a city far from home, street kid Doniver fakes telling fortunes so he can earn a few coins to feed himself and his friends. Then the divine Powers smile on him when he accidentally delivers a true prediction for the prince. Concerned about rumors of treason, the prince demands that Doniver use his "magic" to prevent harm from coming to the king, and so Doniver is taken--dragged?--into the castle to be the royal fortune teller. Now Doniver must decide where the boundaries of honor lie, as he struggles to work convincing magic, fend off whoever i...