The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox

Available now

Here’s a list of CW from The StoryGraph.

From the Publisher:

With the stroke of a pen, twenty-three-year-old Ivy Radcliffe becomes Lady Hayworth, owner of a sprawling estate on the Yorkshire moors. Ivy has never heard of Blackwood Abbey, or of the ancient bloodline from which she’s descended. With nothing to keep her in London since losing her brother in the Great War, she warily makes her way to her new home.

The abbey is foreboding, the servants reserved and suspicious. But there is a treasure waiting behind locked doors: a magnificent library. Despite cryptic warnings from the staff, Ivy feels irresistibly drawn to its dusty shelves, where familiar works mingle with strange, esoteric texts. And she senses something else in the library too, a presence that seems to have a will of its own.  

Rumors swirl in the village about the abbey’s previous owners, about ghosts and curses, and an enigmatic manuscript at the center of it all. And as events grow more sinister, it will be up to Ivy to uncover the library’s mysteries in order to reclaim her own story—before it vanishes forever.

Reader Friends, this book contains a secret family, a secret library, a secret society, and a magical secret! It’s just secrets on secrets on secrets! I’m a sucker for a gothic romance and one that contains a hidden library with magical powers? Instantly hooked. I listened to this one on audio and the things I did to make sure I could keep listening…my floors were so clean and my house has never been so free of dust.

Fox does an excellent job of crafting one of the most sympathetic and enraging characters I’ve read. Ivy, young, alone, and living in poverty, is like a fish out of water in her new home. She wants nothing more than to spend her days in the hidden library cataloging and reading every book she can reach, but her household staff do everything in their powers to keep her away from her precious books. Unsure of how to truly conduct herself, Ivy is torn between asserting her place of power in the home and her easy-going, non-confrontational nature. At every point that I wanted to shake Ivy for acting so naive and trusting, the author not so gently reminds the reader of the era in which Ivy lives and her lack of agency as a young, single woman. Nearly every character felt like they had their hands tied in some way when it came to protecting Ivy, which was both infuriating and begrudgingly made sense with the story.

I really enjoyed how much Ivy was completely enthralled by her new home and it’s secrets. A former abbey, Ivy’s new home is incredibly large and she is constantly getting lost in newly discovered halls and rooms and there are even hidden passageways! She is hopelessly in love with her Library and immediately wants to share her new-found literary wealth with the rest of the village. It’s pretty hard to get too mad at a character who finds herself newly titled and her first thought is to start a Bookmobile!

For such a charming and magical story, this book is actually quite dark and disturbing. There is some serious gaslighting that goes on and Ivy is placed in some seriously dangerous situations by people who are supposed to care for her so definitely take care when reading this one.

If you want to add this enchanting tale to your library, you can click on the cover above or here for ordering information. I borrowed the audiobook version from my local Library using the Libby app so don’t forget to check if your Library already bought it for you.

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Weyward by Emilia Hart

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CW: Here’s a list provided by The StoryGraph. Please check before reading.

From the Publisher:

I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great-aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she suspects that her great-aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.
1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. When Altha was a girl, her mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence of witchcraft is laid out against Altha, she knows it will take all her powers to maintain her freedom.
1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.
Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an astonishing debut, and an enthralling novel of female resilience.

This book is absolutely captivating! Beautifully written with lush descriptions, this book broke my heart over and over again-but in a good way, promise. If you enjoy books that combine female rage with a healthy dose of female empowerment, this book should be on your TBR. Hart effortlessly wove together the lives of three incredible women into a compelling and enthralling story of love, revenge, and resilience. The incredible descriptions of Weyward Cottage and it’s gardens were absolutely enchanting and I loved how books were an integral part of Kate’s story. Her love of them, her aunt Violet’s gorgeous collection of science based books and books by women authors, and how a bookstore became so important to her own story. You can tell the author has a deep love and appreciation for books and that love shone on the page.

Weyward, with it’s gorgeous cover and lush writing, is actually a pretty dark and haunting story of tragedy and trauma. But underneath that darkness is a great deal of hope and love. This book has an extraordinary ending that stayed with me for weeks after reading. It’s a powerful and enthralling story and once again, I can’t believe this another debut author! I don’t know what Emilia Hart has planned next, but I can’t wait to read it.

This book was my March 2023 Book of the Month pick and yep, I waited way too long to read it. If you’re interested in BOTM, you can use my referral link to get your first book for $5. Full disclosure: I get a free book when you use my link. I spend my own real money on BOTM and have really enjoyed the wide selection of books and authors and the ease of skipping a month if you’re not into any of the titles.

If you would like to add this enchanting novel to your shelf, you can click on the cover above for ordering information. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Affiliate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen

Available now

This book is utterly enchanting! This was my most recent pick from Book of the Month and it was perfect to read during the winter holidays-but don’t wait until next Christmas to read it! Grab it now if you’re looking for a snow filled world full of magic, mystery, and danger.

Twin sisters Natasha and Clara were cursed by their godfather on the day of their christening. Clara, declared Light and Natasha, Dark. Clara grows up the golden child, full of life, charm, and beauty. Natasha, shadowed by her sister, grows up plain, studious, and ignored. Together, the girls grow up wealthy thanks to the deep pockets of their godfather Drosselmeyer who funds their parents ostentatious lifestyle and social climbing.

On the night of their 17th birthday, their godfather Drosselmeyer comes to the annual gaudy and drunken family Christmas Eve party with gifts for his goddaughters. For Natasha, a garish and terrifying clown doll the size of a man, capable of moving on its own. For Clara, a small nutcracker that appeared both incredibly cheap and magical. More shockingly, Drosselmeyer was there to announce the engagement of Clara to Conrad, a young man from a prominent family and Natasha’s not-so-secret secret lover. Later that night, furious, heart broken and bereft, Natasha finds herself swept away to a magical land alongside her sister. But the two don’t remain together for long. When Clara is taken away by the now lifelike nutcracker in a horse drawn carriage, Natasha finds herself alone in a magical candy-filled world seemingly made from Clara’s dreams.

What follows is a dark and deadly adventure through the lands of the Sugar Plum Fairy. An adventure that leads Natasha on a twisted mission of revenge and retaliation.

This book is incredibly dark. Please don’t go into this Nutcracker retelling expecting anything light or fluffy. Even the scenes through the magical candy filled lands are very disturbing. I can’t even look at a gingerbread man the same way. It’s full of dangerous magic, violence, deception, greed, and borderline child abuse. The characters are not likeable, not even remotely likeable. But the world building is very well done and finely detailed and I found the story incredibly compelling. And that cover! Stunning. If you’re in the mood for some serious sibling rivalry, absolutely atrocious family members, wicked wealthy people, and dark magical lands, this is definitely a good pick for you!

I bought my book through Book of the Month and if you use my referral link, you get your first book for $5 and I get a free one! Or, pick this up from your local Library or bookstore. You can also find ordering information by clicking on the book cover above.

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Pride Reads: The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

There are numerous lists (yay!) of amazing books to read during Pride Month, and all year long! Here is one of my favorites!

Available Now

Hey all! This week is the #TransRightsReadathon and I’m rounding up some of my favorite books by, or featuring, trans people. If you’d like more information about the origins and goals of this movement, you can find it here.

Reader Friends! Buckle Up! This is a glorious, captivating wild ride through the lives of the rich and elite.

When Mars’ sister dies under mysterious and bizarre circumstances after unexpectedly returning home from her elite summer camp, Mars becomes consumed with the need to find answers to their twin’s death. On the night of Caroline’s death, she brutally attacked Mars, seemingly intent on ending their life. But in a moment of clarity, she apologizes to them before tragically dying. After her death, a brain tumor seems to be the cause of her erratic behavior but Mars is convinced there is more to the story.

After convincing their parents to let them take Caroline’s place at Aspen, the exclusive summer camp for the children of the wealthy and connected, Mars returns to the place that is a great source of trauma and pain. Mars’ gender fluidity and nonbinary identity goes against the very core of Aspen and it’s incredibly gendered values. Once at Aspen, Mars does their best to get in with the girls from Cabin H, better known as the Honeys. Caroline was a part of the Honey’s and they are convinced they have all the answers. But the Honey’s exist outside of the rules of Aspen and Mars is constantly shadowed by Wyatt, a leader in training and nephew to the camp’s director. As Mars gets closer to the answers they seek, they discover a world where people disappear, memories are altered, and the power of the Honeys seems to know no bounds.

This is a dark, twisting, captivating story of love, power and betrayal. I was so enthralled by the darkness in the story that I flew through this book in one sitting. The Honeys is a perfect blend of the horror, mystery, and paranormal genres told through the eyes of a grieving twin. It’s so much more than a story of a mysterious death. It’s an examination of greed, wealth, family expectations, toxic masculinity, and the way societal expectations about gender and generational wealth impacts teens. Nearly every activity at Aspen is based on gendered roles and expectations and how someone like Mars, a nonbinary teen who refuses to change for others, is forced into unsafe situations and ridicule when they reject the pressure to conform.

It’s also a lesson in underestimating the next generation-they are terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.

This book is fantastic-definitely give it a shot. If you’d like to add this book to your shelf, you can click on the book cover or here for ordering information.

This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases. As always, these are just my opinions and ramblings and all mistakes are my own.

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

Available Now

Hey all! This week is the #TransRightsReadathon and I’m rounding up some of my favorite books by, or featuring, trans people. If you’d like more information about the origins and goals of this movement, you can find it here.

Reader Friends! Buckle Up! This is a glorious, captivating wild ride through the lives of the rich and elite.

When Mars’ sister dies under mysterious and bizarre circumstances after unexpectedly returning home from her elite summer camp, Mars becomes consumed with the need to find answers to their twin’s death. On the night of Caroline’s death, she brutally attacked Mars, seemingly intent on ending their life. But in a moment of clarity, she apologizes to them before tragically dying. After her death, a brain tumor seems to be the cause of her erratic behavior but Mars is convinced there is more to the story.

After convincing their parents to let them take Caroline’s place at Aspen, the exclusive summer camp for the children of the wealthy and connected, Mars returns to the place that is a great source of trauma and pain. Mars’ gender fluidity and nonbinary identity goes against the very core of Aspen and it’s incredibly gendered values. Once at Aspen, Mars does their best to get in with the girls from Cabin H, better known as the Honeys. Caroline was a part of the Honey’s and they are convinced they have all the answers. But the Honey’s exist outside of the rules of Aspen and Mars is constantly shadowed by Wyatt, a leader in training and nephew to the camp’s director. As Mars gets closer to the answers they seek, they discover a world where people disappear, memories are altered, and the power of the Honeys seems to know no bounds.

This is a dark, twisting, captivating story of love, power and betrayal. I was so enthralled by the darkness in the story that I flew through this book in one sitting. The Honeys is a perfect blend of the horror, mystery, and paranormal genres told through the eyes of a grieving twin. It’s so much more than a story of a mysterious death. It’s an examination of greed, wealth, family expectations, toxic masculinity, and the way societal expectations about gender and generational wealth impacts teens. Nearly every activity at Aspen is based on gendered roles and expectations and how someone like Mars, a nonbinary teen who refuses to change for others, is forced into unsafe situations and ridicule when they reject the pressure to conform.

It’s also a lesson in underestimating the next generation-they are terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.

This book is fantastic-definitely give it a shot. If you’d like to add this book to your shelf, you can click on the book cover or here for ordering information.

This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases. As always, these are just my opinions and ramblings and all mistakes are my own.

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

Available Now

Reader Friends! Buckle Up! This is a glorious, captivating wild ride through the lives of the rich and elite.

When Mars’ sister dies under mysterious and bizarre circumstances after unexpectedly returning home from her elite summer camp, Mars becomes consumed with the need to find answers to their twin’s death. On the night of Caroline’s death, she brutally attacked Mars, seemingly intent on ending their life. But in a moment of clarity, she apologizes to them before tragically dying. After her death, a brain tumor seems to be the cause of her erratic behavior but Mars is convinced there is more to the story.

After convincing their parents to let them take Caroline’s place at Aspen, the exclusive summer camp for the children of the wealthy and connected, Mars returns to the place that is a great source of trauma and pain. Mars’ gender fluidity and nonbinary identity goes against the very core of Aspen and it’s incredibly gendered values. Once at Aspen, Mars does their best to get in with the girls from Cabin H, better known as the Honeys. Caroline was a part of the Honey’s and they are convinced they have all the answers. But the Honey’s exist outside of the rules of Aspen and Mars is constantly shadowed by Wyatt, a leader in training and nephew to the camp’s director. As Mars gets closer to the answers they seek, they discover a world where people disappear, memories are altered, and the power of the Honeys seems to know no bounds.

This is a dark, twisting, captivating story of love, power and betrayal. I was so enthralled by the darkness in the story that I flew through this book in one sitting. The Honeys is a perfect blend of the horror, mystery, and paranormal genres told through the eyes of a grieving twin. It’s so much more than a story of a mysterious death. It’s an examination of greed, wealth, family expectations, toxic masculinity, and the way societal expectations about gender and generational wealth impacts teens. Nearly every activity at Aspen is based on gendered roles and expectations and how someone like Mars, a nonbinary teen who refuses to change for others, is forced into unsafe situations and ridicule when they reject the pressure to conform.

It’s also a lesson in underestimating the next generation-they are terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.

This book is fantastic-definitely give it a shot. If you’d like to add this book to your shelf, you can click on the book cover or here for ordering information.

This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases. As always, these are just my opinions and ramblings and all mistakes are my own.

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R. F. Kuang

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I was lucky enough to go into reading Babel with very little information about the book. I knew it was about Oxford University in the nearish past and that was about it. Having recently read The Poppy War, I knew I was in for gorgeous writing and a well executed plot, but I was not prepared for the scope and emotional impact this book would deliver!

If you would like to enjoy that same experience, know that I loved this book highly, highly recommend it. Now stop reading and go buy it or put it on hold at your library. Bye!

If you want some more excited ramblings…thanks for staying!

Robin Swift finds his life forever changed when, after his mother’s death, he is taken from his home in Canton to the home of Professor Lovell in London. His days are spent with tutors, learning Greek and Latin, and spending hours memorizing new vocabulary and learning how to adjust to life in London. These grueling days of study are all in preparation of his enrollment at Oxford University and a lifelong career of words, languages, and translations. In Robin’s world, a complicated magic system employs the use of silver bars and match-pairs, words that trigger a magical event, to make life easier and in some ways, just function. Finding students who are fluent in multiple languages are crucial to the creation and maintenance of these silver bars.

Once Robin is fully enrolled at Oxford, he discovers that there is a much darker side to the world around him. He and his fellow language translation students, Babblers to those at Oxford, find themselves the subjects of racism, colonialism, and sexism, as well as many other forms of discrimination, all while their work and study is crucial to everyone’s daily lives. Together, Robin and his friends discover how friendship can become family, how hard work and determination are just as important as love and hope, and how to forge a path towards a better world.

This book is incredible! It truly is a masterpiece of fantasy fiction. Kuang has crafted a book for adults who grew up wanting to be a part of a magical school and shows us all the good and evil parts of that experience. At first, I felt it was moving along too slowly and was anxious for the real action to begin. But then once the action began, I had a true moment of Ah! That was why we had to see them all develop this incredibly close and fond friendship that made them a family. We are shown all the ways they hurt through overt racism and discrimination, as well as the microaggressions they have to endure by those closest to them. We watch them go from innocent, people-pleasing children to brilliant and disillusioned adults who know that world cannot continue forever as it is. Babel is a glorious mix of dark academia, found family, magical realism, and historical fiction. Kuang has created a brilliant world and I cannot wait to see what comes next.

If you would like to add this amazing book to your shelf, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

Available now

I loved The Cartographers. Absolutely, 100%, could-not-put-it-down loved it! It’s a wonderful combination of magical realism, locked room mystery, and family drama. Our main character Nell Young had a falling out with her father nearly a decade ago. Both are cartographers who worked together at the New York Public Library and had been incredibly close until one day, Nell found an old gas station map at the Library and after showing her father, was immediately fired. Fired, by her own father. Now, Nell has received the devastating phone call that her father has died in his office and that seemingly worthless map that ruined Nell’s life is hidden in his desk. Determined to find out why this particular map is important, Nell sets off on a dangerous and unbelievable journey that uncovers long held family secrets and just may lead her to a second chance at happiness.

This is one of those tricky books that I feel describing the best parts ruins the wonderful surprises found within. If you really want to stay spoiler free, just walk away now and read this book. It truly is fabulous. If you don’t mind some very minor spoilers, pull up a chair.

The map that ruined Nell’s life is highly sought after by a mysterious group known as The Cartographers. The maps go for unbelievably high prices online and those that claim to have copies are warned off from trying to sell them. It is through this map that Nell discovers more about her parents’ college days and the events that led to her mother’s death. While trying to discover the significance of the map, Nell adds it to an online database and very quickly, she discovers the devastating consequences of her seemingly benign actions. As Nell tries to continue researching her map, she finds herself calling in one last favor to her ex, Felix, who worked with her alongside her father, before the map incident. What I really liked about these interactions is that Felix and Nell both still have feelings for each other, but it’s far from a smooth transition back into a relationship. They both hold old wounds from their first time together and neither one wants to be hurt again. It all felt very real how they were drawn together and fall apart again throughout the novel.

I struggle with books where flashbacks are heavily used because I find myself getting pulled out of the story. I never felt this with The Cartographers. The story flowed so easily between the two timelines and it never felt unnecessary or clunky. The way the plot is slowly revealed is really well done and I was enthralled from the very beginning.

I absolutely loved this one, highly recommend it, please read so we can talk about all the things!

If you would like to add this wonderful novel to your shelf, you can find ordering information here:

This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw

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It’s a bit too long for me to realize that I tend to bring dark, creepy books set in the woods on vacation. Nearly all of our vacations revolve around hiking and staying in remote cabins. Coincidence? Maybe. I have always loved the woods and spend as much as my free time walking trails and looking for new parks. Luckily, I’ve never come across the level of weirdness found in A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw.

Set in the wilds of Northern California, Travis Wren is searching for Maggie St. James, a woman missing for 5 years. Using his unique ability to glean memories from objects, Travis finds more than Maggie’s last location, he finds the location to the mysterious village of Pastoral. But immediately after finding it’s location, Travis also disappears.

What began as community of free thinkers wanting a simpler way of life, has become something far darker. A severe sickness seems to plague anyone who leaves the border of Pastoral and the rains bring illness and death. When a child is born premature, the village becomes divided over taking the baby to a hospital or allowing nature to take its course. As tensions rise, the tightly knit community slowly begins to unravel, revealing the key to many, many mysteries.

A History of Wild Places is dark, twisting, and utterly compulsive. I was immediately drawn to the characters and invested in their journeys and their very survival. From the beginning, you can feel an underlying tension that builds throughout the novel, culminating in an explosive reveal. Ernshaw has crafted an interesting world within Pastoral where you can understand the allure and sympathize with the characters living there, but you can also feel that there is something just not right with their idyllic way of life. I am an absolute sucker for the book-within-a-book and we get that with the Maggie’s book series that she writes for children and may contain clues about and where Maggie disappeared. This is by far one of the most atmospheric novels I’ve read in quite some time.

If you are interested in adding this intriguing and compulsively readable novel to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest

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This is hands down, one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s hilarious, full of heart, quirky, and just an absolute delight.

When Seattle police detective Grady narrowly misses a plane crash due to a last minute flight change by his travel agent Leda, he knows he has found the one person who can help him solve a cold case. With her ability to see flashes of memories while holding objects, Leda makes a perfect partner. But Leda hasn’t really spent a lot of time honing her ability and uses it mainly as way to draw customers to a friend’s bar where she performs karaoke inspired by objects people bring her. Can her unpredictable gift help solve Grady’s cold case and possibly, the case of her murdered fiancé?

I loved this book so much! It was full of hijinks and amazing friendships where everyone has great quippy banter. Leda was a really fun character. She has this amazing gift of seeing flashes of memory when she handles objects and has a devoted following at her friend’s bar where she gets to drink for free while she wows crowds with her Klairvoyant Karaoke. Her day job is the owner-operator of Foley’s Far-Fetched Flights of Fancy and I think that is one of the best fake business names I’ve ever heard. That business name? Tells you about everything you need to know about the tone of the book. Even though our characters are searching for a killer, it’s done in a very light-hearted and sarcastic way. Leda and her best friend Niki take over the bar’s whiteboard to create a “murder board” and manage to wrangle all the bar’s employees to help in solving the murder of Leda’s fiancé and another victim. Detective Grady Merritt takes his job very seriously and truly wants to solve the case, but also feels deep down that trusting Leda is key to finding his murderer. There are some great scenes where Grady and Leda are trying to question witnesses but it devolves so quickly into chaos.

The story moves along very quickly and I was completely enthralled from start to finish. It’s so well plotted with so many twists and funny moments that I never wanted to put it down. Luckily, I had this with me on vacation last month and was able to read it in pretty much one sitting. The humor is great, the friendships were delightful, and the plot never gets to gruesome. Sorry, I just want to keep you telling it’s delightful because that’s the best description-it’s just absolutely delightful. If you like Darynda Jones and any of her series, you will love this.

Seriously, pick this book up. It’s amazing. If you’d like to get your own copy, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post also contains affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, and I earn from qualifying purchases.

Burning Girls and Other Stories by Veronica Scanoes

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Burning Girls and Other Stories is a fascinating and magical collection of short stories from Veronica Schanoes. Showcasing the resilience of women, this collection draws on historical events and folktales and paints them in a new light. In Phosphorus, my favorite of the collection, we learn of the horrors of an unsafe workplace and the devastating and deadly consequences that can be found when workers, often women, are left with no power. In Among the Thorns, the opening story, a young woman seeks revenge on the people who murdered her father. Powerfully told, you can feel the anger and grief grown inside Ittele as she learns of her father’s death and the way the village that murdered him gloated about his death. After her mother dies, she sets out to seek revenge and learns there is more to the world than she knows. 

How to Bring Someone Back from the Dead explores the tortuous journey of grieving someone you love and the understandable reaction to want them back. 

While many of the stories focus on the grief and loss, at the heart of it, this collection highlights the strength and resilience of women. In the end, the women move on under their own terms and in their own way. 

Beautiful, dark, and expertly put together, this collection is one that should be on everyone’s shelf. If you would like to get your own copy, you can find ordering information here:

The Boy, The Bird & The Coffin Maker by Matilda Woods

Isn’t this a gorgeous cover?

I’m pretty sure I heard about this book from one of the dozen book-related podcasts I listen to but for the life of me, I can’t remember which one. The title was catchy and I remember some raving about wonderful writing but I couldn’t recall what the book was actually about. It came as part of a huge stack of Library holds and I was worried I wouldn’t get a chance to get around to it. Luckily, the Hubs had a meeting and The Kid was occupied and the chicken needed some time to roast which left just enough time to devour this little book about love, family, and believing in something bigger than yourself.

The Boy, The Bird & The Coffin Maker is about those three things-a little boy who needs a home, a loyal bird, and an old man who needs a family. When sickness hits the small magical village of Allora, where the fish literally jump out of the sea and into your arms, few are spared. Alberto, who used to be the furniture maker, becomes the coffin maker when his wife and three children die alongside many others in the village including the original coffin maker. Now all alone, Alberto devotes his time to ensuring the villagers all have a coffin and a funeral when they pass. After the death of a local woman, Alberto begins to notice food missing from his kitchen. When he finally catches the thief he is surprised by how young the culprit is and can’t figure out where the boy had come from. Could the recently deceased woman had a child? How did no one ever know? It turns out, Tito and his mother had been on the run for years trying to stay ahead of his cruel father. With Tito is a mysterious bird who won’t leave Tito’s side. But Tito won’t need to be alone if he can just learn to trust Alberto and start a new life as a coffin maker’s apprentice. When Tito’s father comes to Allora looking for his son, Alberto has to do all he can to keep Tito safe.

With this being such a slim, little book, I don’t want to give too much more away. The writing is absolutely gorgeous and I really loved this story. Alberto is a genuinely kind and compassionate person who wants what’s best for TIto. Opening up his home to Tito allowed him to finish grieving for his lost family and to find a purpose to continue on with his life. The mayor of the town is a wonderfully rich buffoon who hires Alberto to make him a the grandest and most expensive coffin. Their interactions were very funny and I loved how Alberto was always able to semi-politely run him off.

The character of Fia, Tito’s mysterious bird, was very interesting. Alberto has no idea what type of bird she is and after injuring her wings, she doesn’t fly as well as she should. At the beginning of the story, Fia fits inside Tito’s shirt pocket. Throughout the story she steadily grows larger and larger until at the end, she becomes so large her wings span half the room. It’s with her discovery of a ruby flower that Alberto and Tito have a way to escape Tito’s father.

The writing was absolutely wonderful and I really enjoyed this story. While it’s a middle grade novel, don’t shy away from it if you completed middle school a few decades ago-it’s a great book.

You can get your copy, and help support the site, here:

Matilda Woods has another book, The Girl Who Sailed the Stars, set to be published in June of 2019.

Full disclosure- I borrowed this copy from my local library.  Always check your library first and if they don’t have it, recommend they buy a copy.  We really do like getting recommendations!