Black Gables is a deliciously dark, spine-tinglingly spooky and gloriously gothic mystery that swirls with danger, frights and secrets … an absolutely riveting read.

Twelve-year-old Rosella Frawley’s mother has lost her memory after an accident so the family have returned to the place where she grew up, Black Gables, in the hope that the familiarity of her childhood home will trigger her memory to return.  But Black Gables is not a place for hope …

Rosella starts the local school, Black Gables, named after its entrance:  the black gables of the workhouse that had once stood there.  She immediately feels the suffocating atmosphere as fingers of thick, greenish fog reach from the lake that edges the school.  There is no laughter as children arrive, and Rosella reluctantly enters the school as a strange assortment of teachers appear, expecting work to be completed in silence.  And then she meets the seriously sinister headmaster, Mr Edge …

And so begins an intriguing, creepy mystery with a lyrical and surreal quality that held me completely enthralled as Rosella tries to make connections with the past and discover the secrets of Black Gables and the lake ghouls.  Could Mr Edge be communicating with these ghouls?  Will Rosella’s determined efforts to seek the truth put her in danger? And, is everyone at the school quite what they appear?

This is an intensely eerie, chilling and dark mystery that sent shivers down my spine and kept me eagerly turning pages – sometimes from behind my fingers!  Black Gables feels like a place both lost and hidden in time, yet waiting for a renewal which creeps ever closer with an inexorable feeling of foreboding as Rosella gets more and more entangled in her search for the truth before time runs out. 

The portrayal of the teachers and students is just incredible!  I absolutely felt the sense of the macabre and the strangeness which emanates from them with their old-fashioned clothing, draconian attitudes, unusual appearances and assortment of creatures.  I loved that rather unsettling feeling with a few of the characters as I didn’t know if Rosella should trust them, but hoped she could.  Mr Edge is a particularly sinister character not least because, whilst everyone adulates him, creepiness oozes from him. 

Rosella is an incredibly sympathetic young girl who is struggling to deal with her mum not recognising her daughter, and hoping desperately that the family’s return to Black Gables will help her mum’s memories return.  She senses something is not quite right with the school and refuses to become another compliant student.  Instead, she is determined to discover the truth that hides in the lake and shows great courage in standing up for herself and others as she pursues her investigation.

The perfect spooky season read … visit Black Gables … if you dare!    

Thank you to Mikka at Everything With Words for sending me an early copy of Black Gables in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rosa by Starlight is a stunning, beautifully told contemporary fantasy adventure where magic flows, bringing the chance of hope and happiness for a young girl in need of both.   

Following the death of her parents, Rosa has been living with her aunt and uncle.  They treat her cruelly including locking her in her room at night, taking away her fairy tale books and cutting down her apple tree in order to replace it with the artificial grass that is their business. 

As Rosa’s world becomes more insular and lonelier, she finds magic when a large, black cat walks through her window – and the window is closed!  Rosa adores Balthazar who helps her find a beautiful Venetian glass bead bracelet in her garden, but what connection could this bracelet have to Rosa? 

The discovery of the bracelet coincides with Rosa’s aunt and uncle’s announcement of a trip to Venice which they intend to take when Rosa is on a school trip to Wales.  When the school trip is cancelled at the last minute, Rosa must accompany her aunt and uncle to Venice …

Once in Venice, Rosa finds herself abandoned by her cruel, heartless aunt and uncle.  Staying in a hotel run by the Mancinis, she begins to explore the city – noticing its cats – and its magic.  When Rosa finds herself in incredible danger, can magic save her?  Will she find the friendship and family she desperately wants amongst the cats and people she meets in Venice?

Whilst Rosa’s story is a heart-wrenching exploration of loneliness, told through the window of magical realism, it is also a story imbued with a sense of awe and a feeling of hope.  The Venetian setting of shadows and light adds to the magic of the story and gives the reader a sense of being ‘outside of reality’ as they explore the Venice Rosa experiences from its hotels and piazzas to its bridges and waterways … and her unique bond with its feline friends.

Rosa is an incredibly sympathetic young girl who has felt loneliness from a young age after her cold, heartless aunt and uncle become her guardians.  She has a gentle and kind nature, but also an inner strength, determination and resilience which gives her hope as she takes small freedoms and makes connections that may bring her happiness.

The illustrations are absolutely stunning and complement the magical, heartfelt story-telling perfectly.

A magical, timeless and beautifully told story that is just perfect for readers of 8+.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Evenfall:  The Golden Linnet is an incredibly gripping, magical fantasy adventure that swept me into a world hidden within our world, a world where an age-old battle between good and evil is fought on an epic scale.  

Sam has a feeling that there is more to life than he is currently experiencing so, when he finds that he is part of an ancient organisation, The Order of the Evening, his life changes forever.  His mum has died in a tragic accident and his dad has been unwell since her death, but could there be something sinister behind what has happened to his parents?

Determined to find out more about the Order and his place within it, Sam finds himself seeking its artefacts and learning more about those who protect it – and him.  But Sam is not the only one seeking these artefacts and he is in unimaginable danger.  Can he protect the Order from those who seek to usurp its magic and goodness and destroy the world?  

This is an absolutely riveting, intricate fantasy adventure with an epic scope that kept me utterly enthralled as I learned more about the history of the Order and Sam’s role within it.  I was kept on edge as the levels of danger increased for Sam and his friends as they are pursued relentlessly, never being quite sure of who they could trust.

Sam is an incredibly sympathetic character who is grieving the loss of his mother and desperate for his father to get well again.  He forms a wonderfully close and trusting friendship with Ish and Goz and they work brilliantly as a team showing courage and determination in the face of incredible danger.

A powerful fantasy with friendship and family at its heart, perfect for readers of 10+.

Thank you to Toppsta for sending me a proof copy in exchange for my honest review.

August has been wonderful – the first half spent reading lots and catching up, and the second half on holiday in Disney World which was absolutely fantastic. Just what I needed, but now ready to head back to school to meet a new class and see what the year brings!

Books I’ve read:

I’ve read 13 books this month: 10 physical copies and 3 e-books.

NetGalley:

My feedback ratio is at 97%. I haven’t requested any books this month much as I am tempted!

Books sent by publishers:

I am grateful to have been sent 9 books by Publishers this month. 

Books bought:

I’ve only bought one book this month, but I am also very excited that I finally got a subscription for Fairyloot (Adult Book) as I had signed on to the waiting list ages ago!

How has your reading month been? Have you read any of these? Have you any of them on your TBR?

I absolutely loved meeting Aliya in her first adventure, Aliya to the Infinite City so was really excited to return to her time-travelling world in Aliya Aboard the Time Train and what a thrilling, action-packed and danger-filled adventure it turned out to be! You can read my review: https://bookcraic.blog/2024/08/09/review-aliya-aboard-the-time-train/

On today’s Blog Tour, Laila introduces the Blog Tour and I have the first letter from Aliya to her grandfather as she travels on the Silver Express.

Blog Tour introduction:

I began writing the Aliya series as an attempt to ignite my own children’s interest in their country’s fabulously rich history and culture. At first I imagined it would be a series of non-fiction books in the style of Horrible Histories, but soon after starting my imagination hijacked me. I ended up writing a highly fantastical story packed with everything from naughty flying carpets to scary ghoul-maidens who run student hostels and, not to forget, a time-travel academy located in an alternate Egypt.

As a writer, I can vouch for the idea that you don’t really know where your story is going to take you. Still, while the Aliya series mainly is an action-packed adventure, I’m hoping that the backdrop of Egyptian characters and historical places will be enough to inspire my young readers (and old) to learn more about the fascinating history of Egypt and the middle east.

The fictional letters you will find here are ‘written’ by Aliya to her grandfather as she traverses history aboard the Silver Express, the time travelling train featured in my latest instalment: Aliya aboard the Time Train. The letters are intended as an accompaniment to the books and explore a variety of historical and cultural subjects, such as food, clothing, housing, and education throughout Egyptian and middle eastern history.

To read all the letters, check out all the stops of this blog tour! I have prepared classroom resources for all the letters that you can access for free on my website www.lailarifaat.com. Be sure to check them out! I hope you’ll enjoy Aliya’s adventures and learn as much from them as I have! 

Letter 1: Eat like an Egyptian (Ancient Egyptian Food)

Dear Geddo, 

I’m writing to you from my compartment on board the Silver Express. It’s night now, and my coach is quiet, and the lights are dimmed. Since we took off from the Grand Central station and whooshed into the time-tunnel, I’ve been moving around as if in a dream. Watching time pass by outside at such speed is making me light-headed, but also: this train really is something out of this world. The Silver Express is even more magnificent on the inside than on the outside, with thick carpets and glossy wooden panelling. They’ve got a 24/7 operating chocolate fountain in the first-class carriage! All genie coach-attendants sleep in sweet little lanterns that hang at the end of the coaches, and they redecorate the lounges and the dining coach to fit with each stop on our itinerary. Right now, they are Ancient Egyptian themed in anticipation of our first stop. The digital timeline display in our compartment shows me that we’re fast approaching the Old Kingdom. That’s sometime in 2649 BC!

Today at our Ancient Egypt-themed dinner, we got treated to a real banquet. As we walked into the dining coach, we discovered that the genie waiters had all dressed up (or undressed rather) to look like Ancient Egyptian servants, in loincloths and short-sleeved linen shirts (Charlotte, our prude Victorian chaperone, nearly fainted). Once we were seated, they poured scented water on our hands and gave us garlands made of lotus flowers to wear. Charlotte was offered a cone of fat infused with perfume to wear on her head. It was supposed to melt into her hair to make it smell good. The fat cone is like an ancient Egyptian gift bag, but it didn’t go down well with Charlotte who, after she had carried on about the nerve to offer her a fat cone, kept telling us how surprised she was that the ancients had healthy food. 

Each dinner guest got served a newly baked loaf of emmer-wheat, a staple in the ancient Egyptian diet. It was delicious but quite compact. Soliman, our genie guide, said that this was because the low gluten content prevented it from rising well. The ancient Egyptians liked shaping their bread into all kinds of forms and we had fun guessing the shape of our loaves. Aion’s was horse-shaped, and mine was a spiral. Victoria kept nagging Aion to switch with her because hers looked like a headless hippo. Some of the loaves had spices in them like coriander, and some had dried fruits, like dates and figs. 

The rest of the food was served on a long table. Soliman told me that the crew had prepared for the feast by going shopping in the Old and New Kingdoms. Imagine that! I recognized most of the food, so not sure why they bothered to time-travel to get it. Ancient Egyptian vegetables are onions, spring-onions, lettuce, and cucumbers, just like our short, chubby ones at home in modern Cairo. I recognized other foods as well: Mallow (khobbiza) and lentils, both brown and yellow. The meat and fish were just like ours too, just cooked differently. They even had a lot of the disgusting stuff you and great-Aunt Gigi try to convince me is ‘healthy,’ like cow-feet soup. Some of the modern travellers started making a fuss about the whole cow-head that sat in the middle of the table on a ceramic platter. I was mostly surprised at the exotic meats. There was cooked hartebeest, addax, oryx, ibex, gazelle, hippos, and even crocodile! 

For dessert we got cakes and pastries sweetened with honey and dried fruits. Did you know that the Ancient Egyptians believed that honey had been created for the god Ra’s tears, the drops turning into bees? The signature sweet dish was a high, conical tiger-nut-cake coated with honey. It looked a bit like the fat cone the waiters wanted to put on Charlotte’s head. There was fruit too, many of which reminded me of home: dates, grapes, melons, figs, and juices made from pomegranate and doum (like the juice you drink in Ramadan). They also drank cow’s milk, did you know that? 

All in all, most of the food reminded me of what we still eat back home in Cairo, apart from the exotic animals and the tiger-nut cake. I don’t know why Charlotte had to make such a fuss. She only touched the fruit and a bit of the bread. She even insisted that the waiter’s remove the boiled cow-head because ‘it was looking’ at her. 

There was music and dancing too performed by the genie staff, but I’ll tell you about that later. I better go to sleep now. We’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow. By the way, if you hear some strange news about the train…don’t worry. Should anything happen (you know what I mean), Professor Fayrouz is here to protect us. We’ll be safe, I promise. 

Your granddaughter, 

Aliya 

About Laila Rifaat

Laila moved to Cairo, Egypt, in her twenties to explore her father’s native country. She fell in love with the country and has lived in Cairo for over 30 years now. It remains a main source of inspiration for her stories. She has an MA in English and Comparative Literature and has worked as an ESL and IGCSE teacher. Nowadays she’s a full-time writer and stay-at-home mum to her four kids. Find out more at www.lailarifaat.com.

Thank you to Megan Farr and Chicken House Books for inviting me to be part of the Blog Tour, and to Laila Rifaat for providing these wonderful letters.

Do check out the other stops on the Blog Tour:

Detective duo Peggy and Stu are back for two more sleuthing adventures in Tangletree Mysteries:   Peggy and Stu Play the Wrong Notes – and what fantastically fun-filled adventures they are.  This is a full colour graphic novel series that young readers of 6+ are going to absolutely adore as they enter Tangletree Wood for fun, daring and mayhem in two different mysteries:  Trumpet Trouble and Cake Crimes.

Peggy is keeping a secret … she is no ordinary dog, but a super sleuth who has her own office in Tangletree Woods so, when her owner brings her for a morning walk, she finds the opportunity to wander into the woods to visit her friends … and find some cases to solve.

Trumpet Trouble

Peggy discovers that Tangletree Town is having a Spring Dance, but a dance needs music – and musicians!   When Peggy and Stu discover that musical genius, Joan’s trumpet will only pay horribly wrong notes, they find themselves with a case to solve as they chase the trumpet, which seems to have a life of its own, into town.  Cue music, mayhem and mischief-makers!  Can this detective duo solve the puzzling case and save the Spring Dance from the wrong notes?

Cake Crimes

Peggy is drawn into Tangletree Town by the delicious smell of cakes and buns and the discovery that the mayor’s statue is going to be unveiled.  A new bakery has popped up in the town square which is drawing all the inhabitants for irresistible cakes and buns, but could there be more to the baker than meets the eye?  When a sweet tooth becomes a tooth ache … and a pop-up dentist appears, can the super sleuths make the connection and solve the crime?

Each of the mysteries is about 60 pages in length which is perfect for newly-independent readers.  I loved the Tangletree Gallery which introduces the characters readers will meet in the stories.  The panelled illustrations are playful, energetic and vibrant – fantastically appealing and full of humour and personality.  The stories are told through character speech interactions and sound effects to convey actions.  The overall layout of the panels and the use of a font in mostly lower-case lettering makes this super-readable for younger readers to follow independently.  But I think this is also a series that will appeal to older readers who enjoy graphic novels and mysteries.

A delightfully fun graphic novel which I have no doubt young readers will enjoy delving into again and again.  I’m so glad there’s more adventures for this daring duo in Peggy & Stu Hear Something Strange.

Thank you to Antonia Wilkinson and Welbeck Children’s Books/Hachette Children’s Group for inviting me to be part of the Blog Tour for the second graphic novel in the Tangletree Mysteries series.

Do check out the other stops on this Blog Tour:

I’m currently reading a book for adults, The Gathering by a new favourite author. This one is a horror set in Alaska where vampires are entitled to protection, but not everyone agrees. A detective who grew up in Deadhart is back and trying to solve a murder case.

I finished another book for adults, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches which was just gorgeous. I was so excited to see there’s another coming in March next year. I also finished Spellcasters which was a fun read for younger children. Jenny moves to a new town where she makes three new friends who form a band. They have magical powers through objects handed down by their ancestors which they use to help defeat an evil spirit. I also read the Aliya Aboard the Time Train which was a wonderful second book in this series: I have posted my review. I also read Ghost Tide which is such a spooky read: I have posted my review. Finally, I read Black Gables which is another brilliantly spooky read out in October and perfect for this time of year. The cover reveal hasn’t been done yet so I haven’t posted an image.

I’m heading to Disney World so will be taking a few books to read on my flight. I’m hoping to read Auntie Medusa and Me.

Due to my holiday, I’m going to be taking a couple of weeks break from my Blog except for a couple of Blog Tours coming up. I’ll return to posting reviews at the start of September.