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Blog Tour Review - The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton

 Blog Tour Review - The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton A glamorous media darling, a surprise heiress, and the magical competition of a lifetime. At sixteen, Honora “Nora” Holtzfall is the daughter of the most powerful heiress in all of Walstad. Her family controls all the money–and all the magic–in the entire country. But despite being the center of attention, Nora has always felt like an outsider. When her mother is found dead in an alley, the family throne and fortune are suddenly up for grabs, and Nora will be pitted against her cousins in the Veritaz, the ultimate magical competition for power that determines the one family heir. But there’s a surprise contestant this time: Lotte, the illegitimate daughter of Nora’s aunt. When Lotte’s absent mother retrieves her from the rural convent she’d abandoned her to, Lotte goes from being an orphan to surrounded by family. Unfortunately, most of them want her dead. And soon, Nora discovers that her mother’s death wasn’t random–it w...

Review - Skyborn by Sinéad O'Hart

Review - Skyborn by Sinéad O'Hart


The circus has seen better days, but for Bastjan it’s home. He will do anything he can to save it, even if it means participating in a death-defying new act. But when that fails to draw in the crowds, the ringmaster makes a deal with a mysterious man by the name of Dr Bauer.

In exchange for his help, Bauer wants a box that belonged to Bastjan’s mother and came from her birthplace – the faraway island of Melita. Bastjan is desperate to keep his only memento of his mother out of Bauer’s hands. And as he uncovers more about the strange objects contained within, he realizes it’s not only the circus that’s in terrible danger…


With the most daring young heroes, the most villainous villains, with circuses and airships, shapeshifters and lost cities, with all of the mystery and adventure, excitement and intrigue, Sinéad O'Hart's Skyborn is an utter triumph of a book!

Skyborn has been written as a prequal to The Eye of the North, Sinéad O'Hart's first published novel, though either book works perfectly well alone. It reveals the origins of one of the most fascinating, fun and intriguing characters in Eye, the orphaned boy called Thing. It turns out he wasn't always called Thing, and he wasn't always travelling the world alone. 
The Eye of the North is one of my absolute favourite books, so dipping back into that world was a real treat and Thing isn't the only familiar face to make an appearance. Knowing a little of how the story ends for some of the characters gave the whole thing a really interesting twist, and actually kept me guessing right up until the end. It took twists and turns I just never saw coming, like an aerialist spinning and shifting effortlessly on silks. And like an enraptured circus audience, I just sat back and enjoyed, open mouthed, at the skill on display.

In style, Skyborn is a Victorian-esque fantasy with strong steampunk elements, an aesthetic I absolutely adore. There are fantastical creatures in this book, but like in all of the best fiction the real monsters are all too human! The depiction of casual cruelty made the everyday seem monstrous and had me rooting for the young heroes from the start.

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕

Skyborn by Sinéad O'Hart is out now, published by Little Tiger Group.
I was given a review copy via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

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