ZEINA STARBORN AND THE EMERALD KING

 by Hannah Durkan. Artwork by George Ermos;  

    

                                                                                  

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction. If you are here for a Sunday Selfie, please head to my post about Valentine!

 

Without further ado, lets get stuck into this weeks adventure. 

AUTHOR:  Hannah Durkan

 

Cover art by: George Ermos

 

Published by: Hachette Childrens Group

 

Publication date: Paperback, 6 July 2023

 

Paperback ISBN:   978 1 510 11185 1

Cover price for Paperback: £ 7.99

Available on Kindle at £4.49

 

Pages:  304

 

Age range:  9+

Any dogs or cats? No. Well, sort of.

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

YES! Lots of spoilers as to Book 1, and some as to cast and plot direction of Book 2.

Thank you to... 

 

We are exceedingly grateful to Hachette Children's Group and NetGalley for the privilege of getting to Read & Review this much-anticipated sequel before publication.

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.

First and foremost, the books we review are those we like and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they and their children and friends and students will enjoy.

 

The plot

This is the second book in the series and picks up shortly after the events of the first. Whilst I didn't review Book 1, Seina Starborn and the Skywhale, on the this blog, I did on the NetGalley review site. That review is copied here for you:-

I was not entirely sure what to expect from this adventure but soon found myself lost in the thick smogs of a dystopian world of contrasts. Rich and poor – Aboves and Belows, spend lives and indeed continents apart from each other. They only meet at the smog line or when one is a servant or employee to the other. 

Whilst the rich cruise in airships or the famed hotels built on the backs of colossal living sky whales up in the upper atmosphere, the poor work in smog and can only dream of escaping. 

Zeina Starborn, 11year old daughter of an airship engineer, is lucky. She lives with her father in his workshop on the 50th floor of the Willoughby Towers and gets to see the airships and clear skies. She dreams of voyaging beyond her daily life spent in the smog and being like her heroine, the famed adventuress, Vivianne Steel. She also desperately wants to travel by airship and visit the Willoughby Whale, the largest and most luxurious of the celebrated sky whale hotels. The hotels built on 'tamed' whales' backs cruise in the upper atmosphere and visit the sights of the four known continents.  

When Zeina literally bumps into Jackson Willoughby, the son of Lord and Lady Willoughby, the owners of the biggest and grandest of all the sky whale hotels, the Willoughby Whale Hotel, the adventure starts to weave itself into a series of events that make Zeina's dream become a reality. For Jackson, who doesn't really know his parents, just wants to keep his feet firmly in his earthbound velocycle, it soon becomes a nightmare. For both, there will be lessons in trust, friendship and the values that matter. 

Crammed with delightfully tense, murky and high flying, suspense-filled action and adventure, this has plenty to involve the active mind. A plot filled with pirates known as Smog Rats that terrorise the airships and the rich in the floating palaces to spies and those with more deadly plans had us guessing to the end. 

The book does, of course, have messages too. It is redolent of the situation we find in our world, with the environment and the endangerment of species and the treatment of indigenous peoples across the ages and continents. 

An excellent read. And one to provoke discussion at home and in the classroom.

*** 

All that said, let's get on with this adventure, and it IS one heck of a ride!
 
Zeina and her father now work alongside the Smog Rats, which we have now discovered are fighting the tyranny of the Aboves and freeing all the Sky Whales from the abdominal diabolical STAN systems that hold these sentient beings against their will to become mere means for floating hotels.

Jackson, the now orphaned son of the creators of the STAN system, won't rest till the last whale is freed. With Vivianne Steele and his uncle Hamilton now dead, he wants to fight with the Smog Rat crews, who are the freedom fighters of the story. But it has been months since their ship, the Nightjar, was sent into action, and Jackson and Zeina are kept back from the front line. 

Zeina helps her father invent devices for the cause, but she, too, wants to be doing other things. Her latest machine, to create clean energy from the sun, is stalled as she can't rest till some other friends on a mission return home. Jackson's stress isn't helping matters either!

When the Nightjar's sistership, the Osprey, returns with their friends, including Prince Katu, a Kotarth prince, it has a new passenger, an Above, called Nedra. A one-time thief and master of disguise, she escaped being a prisoner in the Above mines and now seeks refuge with the Rats, Zeina, and her friends. Katu brings a secret message for the fearsome Captain Parr, who is in charge of the Nightjar. It is a mission to seek an alliance in the Northen lands with the new King of the Feln. 

They are a race of huge bearlike beings, warriors, but also guardians of the Sky Whales in all their forms. The meeting will take place in the Glacial Palace at the time of the Equinox celebration.

If the Katu and Parrs negotiations succeed, an alliance between the Feln, Kotarth and Smog Rats would be sealed. The Feln ruler, known as the Emerald King, is keen to see Zeina's gadgets, especially the solar power unit, which promises clean energy, so very different from the pollution smog energy of the Above. 

But, things are put at risk when an anonymous reporter for the Smog Rats, called Pseudonym, reveals critical and sensitive information that annoys the King. So much so, the King decides that unless Captain Parr finds and turns over for trial and punishment, Pseudonym, who, from the information disclosed, must be a part of the Smog Rats crew, the treaty and effectively the tipping point in the fight against the Above's, is off. 

Through it all, Jackson, who has been forced to go on the mission instead of rescuing Sky Whales, is seething, which spills over into his actions along the way.
When they head to the meeting by sledge rather than airship, the crew and friends realize something isn't quite right in the land of the Feln, and their journey across the thinning ice becomes perilous.

When suddenly the King vanishes along with Zeina's new gadget, the whole book and adventure explode into the most daring of life-threatening cliffhanging adventures.

Which is where I have to say goodbye. Rest assured, dear readers everywhere, the thrill of an action-packed movie awaits the imagination.

So, what did we think?

This sequel goes above and beyond. In fact, it voyages to a whole new level and new continents in pursuit of adventure. And my, has Hannah come up trumps!

An epic, edge-of-the-seat adventure in a world akin but deliciously different to Lyra's from His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman, but geared squarely BUT without limitation to Middle-Grade readers. Everything to love and marvel at!

 

The writing is bold, pacy and engaging, with twists and turns, betrayals and surprises aplenty. It is also super relevant to our lives, dealing with pollution, corruption and the broader global impact of actions and greed.

 

I can't add to that, as there are heaps to enjoy and take on board with this adventure. We both gasped at the concluding chapters, and then Mrs H had tears, followed by a cheer towards the end. 

 

I may just have said too much there, but let me tell you now, the adventure was one I wish I could have been a part of!

 

As I sometimes say, how Hannah can raise this already very high bar, I don't know. I, for one, will be queueing up to read and review to find out. 

So . . .

Crunch time. 

 

One to treat the adventure-loving Middle-Grade reader in your family or even in yourself!

Want to buy a copy?

To get a copy, please DO NOT take a Sky Whale! Take a gentle stroll or even cycle, to your local independent bookshop. There are plenty out there, and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.

 

Hannah Durkan's  web page can be found HERE or type this: https://www.hannahdurkan.com/

 

George Ermos' Behance web page can be found HERE or type this:  https://www.behance.net/GeorgeErmo

 

Hachette Childrens Group's web page can be found HERE or type this: https://www.hachettechildrens.co.uk/contributors/d/

 

That's it for this week. I hope you'll tune in again soon for more adventures in Middle-Grade writing!

 

Till laters!

ERin

Michael, the Amazing Mind-Reading Sausage Dog!

 by Terrie Chilvers; Artwork by Tim Budgen. 

                                                                                        

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my Sunday into Monnday Book Review and selfie featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction.

 

If you're here for a selfie, scroll on down!

 

This week we are proud to host the final, tail wagging leg of a Book Tour for this new kids' adventure featuring one determined Sausage Dog called Michael. 

 

Before we do the honours, let's just nip over to Upper Much-Mousing to see what Erin is up to . . . .

"What are you doing, dear?" Mrs H had just entered the Manor House's library room. She held a tray with Erin's mid-morning snack and a brown paper-wrapped package. It had been delivered by No Brakes Home Delivery Service, an offshoot of Mrs Singh's ever-increasing attempts to diversify her corner shop empire. Sadly, the name lived up to the quality of Farmer Clarksins's old Land Rover, which Mrs Singh had salvaged from the village pond after a late-night revel had gone awry.

"I'm practising my clairvoyance, Mrs H," Erin replied, taking her paw away from her temple.

"Are you any good?" Mrs H's raised eyebrow reflected the scepticism she had come to expect from Erin's numerous and failed endeavours, no matter how well-intentioned. There was always a first time, though; she decided to put her companion to the test. "Hmm. Well, tell me what you have divined so far?"

"Well, for starters I knew you were going to come in here at this very moment. And that you'd have a book wrapped in brown."

Mrs H rolled her eyes and sighed. "Hardly a surprise given it was delivered by the courier, earlier and I ALWAYS bring your snack and post at this time. But go on, is there anything else?"

"Well, I knew you'd roll your eyes and say that."  

"I always say that, dear."

"I knew you'd say that too. And if you don't believe me, I wrote it down on this piece of paper and sealed it in an envelope I posted yesterday." Erin pointed to the small white envelope sticking out of Mrs H's apron. "Go on, open it."

Mrs H did just that and raised both eyebrows in surprise. "Almost word-perfect, Erin. I am almost impressed. Tell me, though, what is in the package?"

"Hang on." Placing a paw to her temple again, Erin closed her eyes and gave a somewhat constipated look that had Mrs H quite taken aback. "It's coming through. Yes, it's a free book about sausages. No. No hang on, it's about a dog made of sausages. No, drat. The mist is clearing now and I see the name Michael and an amazing adventure."

Mrs H delved into the cardboard packaging to reveal a red-covered book with a Dachshund on the cover. "Most impressive, dear. But tell me, how much would this morning's special delivery cost. If it hadn't been free that is. If you get it right I'll let you off your chores. Wrong, and you'll have to help me sort out my chores. How's that sound?"

"Easy peasy." Erin strained again and let out a low meditative chant. Her eyes snapped open, and she smiled. "It is a snip at only £6.99 from all good bookshops."

"Sorry dear, but that is incorrect. It actually cost £699 plus a hefty tip to the courier so he can have physio on his back."

The smile on Erin's face disappeared instantly."What! It can't be. The price I paid on the site was £6.99."

"Ahha. Got you. The price of a book may be £6.99, dear, but the price for 100 copies is one hundred times more. I think you have been, how they say, rumbled. Fortunately, I have spoken to the publisher and they will take back ninety-eight copies and credit my card."

"Oh. Well, I guess I need to practice some more then, Mrs H. Still look on the bright side, at least you don't have to carry them to Mrs Singhs to post back."

Mrs H smiled. "That is one blessing for sure, dear. YOU, however, as part of your chores, will be doing it. I'll get the pony and trap ready and you can take her and the surplus books back to Mrs Singh where you can help package them up. Then you can do the shopping" With that, Mrs H turned and strolled out of the room, leaving Erin wide-eyed, stunned and wondering how her scheme had gone so terribly wrong. Which, of course, Mrs H had known all along it would, and that wasn't down to mind reading!

And now, on to today's main feature and the star of our book review who really does have a talent.

This week we have a rather delightful dog called Michael, who discovers his very own superpower, which he hopes will raise him to star status . . .

Image ©

AUTHOR:  Terrie Chilvers

 

Artwork throughout by: Tim Budgen

 

Published by: Firefly Press

Publication date for the Paperback: 8 June 2023

 

Paperback ISBN:   978 - 191 544 4134

Cover price for Paperback: £6.99

KINDLE price: £2.79

 

Pages: 182

 

Age range:  6 upwards

Any dogs or cats?  Lots of super talented dogs.

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

This is quite a short book, so Yes, some as to plot direction and characters.

 

 

Thank you to... 

We are exceedingly grateful to Graeme Williams and Karen of the Firefly Press Publishing Team for inviting us to host the final stop.

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.

First and foremost, the books we review are those we like and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their children, friends and students will enjoy.

The plot

Michael is a young and ambitious Dachshund. He lives in Snuffles-by-Sea, in a house he inherited from his Aunt. He is a sausage dog who just knows he is destined for fame and fortune. A superstar in the making. The only thing is, he doesn't know what his superstar ability is. The most famous dog in the town is a Chocolate Labrador called Susan, who won the talent show for balancing peanuts on her nose. Michael knows he can do better. But it isn't until he is in the park one day that he discovers what he is good at. He hears a nearby dog talking to himself about his new fav stick. But when Michael looks, the dog, Stanley Big Dog, has his mouth full of stick. The penny drops and our hero realises he can read minds. But to prove it isn't a one-off fluke, he enlists Stanley to help him practice mind reading. 

One thing leads to another, and Michael and Stanley enter the Snuffles-by-Sea talent show, where the star is none other than Susan. Things don't go as planned; Priscilla the Pug calls Michael out as a fake! When Michael cant read Priscilla's mind, it seems to the audience her allegation is true. But Michael knows it isn't, and for some bizarre reason, a pug's mind is unfathomable and unreadable. Nonetheless, still determined to be a superstar, he calls a meeting in the local cafe called the Pork Chop Café. Quite by chance, Stanley's Uncle, Humphrey Huge Dog, is in town. He happens to be on the hunt for new talent for a review show in Hollywoof, no less.

Now it's fair to say wheels start to turn, and before too long, Michael, aided and hindered by Stanley, are embroiled in attempts to get to Hollywoof, where they hope to find fame and fortune.

Whether they succeed and how much misunderstanding, chaos, and destruction ensues, I'll let you, dear readers, find out for yourselves. Believe me, when I say I wasn't quite expecting the grand showdown at the end. And who knew balancing peanuts on ones nose was such an art. Not I for sure, but then I am just a cat.


So, what did we think?

I love the concept of creatures set in their own human-like worlds, tackling human-like desires, emotions and situations. Not giving anything away here, but Michael has choices to make and rejection to face. Michael learns about more than just seeking stardom. How he rises to the occasion, or otherwise, is well dealt with. 

Life's lessons are always better told and explored through a fun medium, which this book ably does.

The message is clear that each of us has an important part to play, and nobody is an island.

I enjoyed the double act of Michael and Stanley Big Dog. Stanley reminds me of all the happy-go-lucky big dogs out there who get singularly focused on sticks and their food and who sometimes come up short in the good sense department. In fact, which of us can't point to dogs we know that act just like the characters in this book and make us smile and love them even more for it.


So . . . .
Crunch time. 

 A fun, easy-to-read adventure delightfully illustrated by Tim Budgen that will definitely appeal to the younger reader. 

So, if you want a little something different, something to share over a weekend or a long trip, then Michael, the Amazing Mind-Reading Sausage Dog is for you. But whatever you do, don't leave the sausages lying around!

Want to buy a copy? 

To get a copy, please head down to your local independent bookshop. Sticks, sausages, spangly waistcoats and balancing peanuts are optional. There are plenty out there and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.

But hang on, we also have

***** A GIVEAWAY *****

Sorry, it's not pork chops this time. Mrs H has checked her pension pot, and decided that two lucky commenters will each receive a copy of this as a gift from Mrs H and me, subject to there being a delivery service from Amazon to your neighbourhood!

Two names will be pulled from Mrs H's biscuit tin on Monday 19th June 23, so don't delay.  

Terrie Chilvers' web page can be found HERE or type this: https://www.terriechilvers.com/

 

Tim Budgen's web page can be found HERE or type this: https://timbudgen.com/

 

Firefly Press' web page can be found HERE or type this: https://fireflypress.co.uk/

 

And now, the Sunday-into-Monday Selfie. 

 

We are joining Janet Blue from the Cat on My Head blog for the weekly parade of selfies from all manner of companion creatures, Dogs and Cats, from across the pond and around the globe. 

To go to Janet's blog selfie page, please click this LINK. or type / cut and paste https://thecatonmyhead.com/look-into-my-eyes-2/

I shall leave you with a picture of me, sadly minus any pork chops or sausages! 🙂 🙂

 

Till laters!

ERin

 

The Silver Road

 by Sinéad O'Hart;  

          

                                                              

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction. If you're here for the selfie, please scroll down!

 

Our book review this week is from the brilliant Irish writer, Sinéad O'Hart.  As you may recall, we reviewed her recently released book, The Time Tider, a few weeks back. This adventure is quite different, though no less exciting for the younger reader. 

 

So, without further ado, gather your nearest and dearest together beside a fire, have a hot drink to hand, and settle in for an adventure into myth and legend. 

 

 

AUTHOR: Sinéad O'Hart

 

Cover art by: Manuel Šumberac

 

Published by: Bonnier Books UK. 

 

Imprint: Piccadilly Press.

 

Publication date for the paperback:  28 September 2023

 

Paperback ISBN:   978 - 1800 785 090

 

Cover price for Paperback £7.35

Kindle Price: £4.74

 

Pages: 192

 

Age range: 8 upwards

Any dogs or cats? A very much Not Cat kind of cat called Catshee. More on that in the story.

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters.

 

 

Thank you to... 

 

We are exceedingly grateful to Sinéad, Bonnier Books/Piccadilly Press Publishers and NetGalley for the privilege of getting to Read & Review this exciting new release before publication. 

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review. 

First and foremost, the books we review are those we like and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their children, friends, and students will enjoy.

 

 

The plot

 

Ireland is a land of mystery, magic, legend and myth. Where time holds the truth of gods, witches, giants and all manner of creatures that helped shape their past and traditions. But the magic wanes when the magic is no longer passed down through tales, recalled around the fireside and man's destruction of the land and old ways through 'progress'. Dangerously so, and enough that something begins to awaken from deep within the earth, aided by a witch. 

 

In the (fictional) town of Carriganawn, Young Rose Darke lives with her parents and twin younger brothers. Late one night, hearing a strange sound outside, she ventures into the garden, armed only with her mother's best wooden spoon. 

 

Before her, a large ice giant forms from the falling hail. Voiceless, it gestures she should take a reddish, oval stone from its grasp. Having done so, the strange yet unthreatening giant leaps into the sky and is gone, swallowed into a peculiar darkness. 

 

Confused, Rose returns to bed and thinks it is a dream. But waking to find the stone is real, along with her mother's wrath for ruining her spoon, she wonders what is going on? 

 

Rose won a full scholarship to a posh Grammar School but comes from a poorer but good family who happens to live on a council estate on the other side of town. This fact is made clear by Emer, a girl in her year who makes her life less than good. Unfortunately, Rose can't retaliate or cause a stink as her dad is employed by Emer's father. It would go badly for them all if he lost his job.

 

Rose takes a different way to school to avoid Emer and her friends, passing along a lesser-used road with shops. Here she finds friendship in the unlikely shape of the elderly lady, Nellie, who owns a sweet shop, and Gracie, an equally older gent who owns the cobblers shop on the opposite side of the road.

 

Now, the stone is known to Nellie and Gracie, who have much to share with young Rose. When she ventures into their parlour for a cup of tea and to pass some time and share her woes, she is soon shown a hidden world beyond the ordinary facade of the sweet shop. The two elderly folk are not mortals but beings from long past whose job is to protect the Silver Road, the magic network of threads that crisscross Ireland, its magical lifeblood, if you will. They also protect a large and mythical cauldron inset into a mound in the green garden beyond the back kitchen door. The cauldron can grant wishes if it so chooses.

 

But the adventure soon takes off as the purpose of the stone gifted by the Ice Giant is revealed to Rose. In fact, her destiny is to be a hero and wield the stone's destructive power for good.

 

When the stone is lost and found by Emer, things worsen, and Emer falls under its power. 

 

Through these events, the heatwave that is affecting the town is worsening. It seems the witch is the cause, and the heat is only a taste of the destruction to be unleashed when she awakens the monster that is her beloved and imprisoned husband. The light from his evil eye will scorch the earth. 

 

With the power in the Silver Road weakening because of human kinds' rape of the land and development, Nellie and Gracie's powers are weakened. 

 

With the stone lost and only a magical cobblers hammer in her belt, Rose sets off to stop an impending cataclysmic event and evil arising from the dead and depths of the mythology.

 

I have to let the reader discover what happens next, the surprises that follow, the support Rose gets from unlikely quarters, and the fights that take place. 

So, what did we think?

 

Mythology and legend rewoven and told for a modern younger audience with aplomb and zest worthy of the first story weavers. I dare say Tolkien would have been impressed also!

 

We are not great lovers of complex names or convolutions of historical epics, but thankfully this book has both a prologue that sets the scene and an appendix to enlighten us further as to characters and their place in history, or in the case of where the author has created them, their inspiration. 

 

The action takes off about halfway through, and I found it hard to put down, especially once the not cat becomes involved and we reach a sort of gathering of forces. 

 

Which all makes me think of the Lord of the Rings. The eloquence of the introduction of characters, their journey, wants and needs. Friendships and enemies. Surprises and, to a degree, heartache. 

 

We loved the cover, too, the relevance of which you'll discover once you read the story.

So . . . . 

Crunch time. 

 

A book for lovers of Irish and Celtic mythology, as well as an excellent wholesome adventure. With some environmental undertones as well as those of friendship and responsibility.

 

This ticks all the boxes, and I can't imagine any younger reader not wanting to read more about the actual characters that have lent themselves to this story in one shape or another and to read similar books.

Want to buy a copy?

To get a copy, please follow your own Silver Road – mindful of ogres, giants, ghosts and huge stags, down to your local independent bookshop. Plenty are out there; each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, factual, magical, fun and adventure story you desire.

 

Sinéad O'Hart web page can be found HERE or type this: https://sjohart.wordpress.com/

 

Manuel Šumberac's web page can be found HERE or type this: https://www.manuelsumberac.com/

 

Bonnier Books web page can be found HERE or type this:  https://www.bonnierbooks.co.uk/

And finally, here is my selfie 🙂 🙂

 

Till laters!

ERin