Was it the prehistoric remains or perhaps the taxidermy exhibition that had reduced the whale-boned encased pillar of society to a quivering mess? Or is there something odd about a striking painting on loan from the National Gallery?

Mathematical savant Jane Piper is determined to find out. Deposited on the doorstep of the local orphanage as a baby, she owes her life and education to the Quinns' philanthropic ventures and Elizabeth has no one else to turn to.

The historical notes at the back of The Girl in the Painting tell us that it is based around a series of unconnected historical events that really happened. I’d love to know about your inspiration for the story - was there an event in particular that inspired you? Or did the characters come to you first? 

Without a doubt the character of Elizabeth came first. Maitland is a fascinating town full of beautifully restored buildings and I could see Elizabeth, in 1911, walking down the street. The focus of the story became Who is Miss Elizabeth Quinn? 

I feel like it must be hard sometimes to decide how to bring together historical events into a story like this (which you do so beautifully!), and what to leave out. Were there any really cool stories/events you came across while working on The Girl in the Painting that you would have liked to have included in the book but that didn’t quite fit? 

I have a hankering to write an entire book about one piece of research! I have some good friends in Mudgee and I have spent time in the area and visited Hill End several times. I’ve always known that one day it would end up in a book so I revisited Hill End. The museum had been revamped—it used many, many photographs from The Holtermann Collection and brought alive the life and times in the area. So off I went to investigate The Holtermann Collection. I discovered that it wasn’t until after the Second World War that the 3500 wet plate glass negatives had been found in a GARDEN SHED behind a house in North Sydney! I’m trying to ignore my itchy fingers and finish the books I am currently working on! (If you’re interested, they were acquired by the State Library of NSW and have been restored and can be viewed on line.) There’s such a story in that! 

I really love the way that we meet Elizabeth and Michael in 1913, and then learn more about them as their younger selves grow. When you were writing them, did you start with them in 1913 and then learn more about them as you wrote? Or did you have an idea of their backstories when you started? 

 As I’ve said, Elizabeth came first, and Maitland, so the story started there, followed by the question how did they get there! 

Did you have a favourite scene to write, or one that was particularly difficult to write?  

There was one integral scene which was rewritten. It was very close to the end of the book (Oh! Difficult. Spoilers. I don’t think I want to explain!!) Suffice to say it had ramifications throughout the entire story but after much angst I know it was the right decision! 

Can you tell us anything about what you are working on next? 

 I’m currently deep in the structural edits for my November, 2020 release THE CARTOGRAPHER’S SECRET. It tells the story of Evie Ludgrove who lives in the shadow of her father’s obsession with Ludwig Leichhardt! No more spoilers! I’m also playing with my 2021 story THE PALAEONTOLOGIST. Quite where it will go I am not sure but it is a mystery set in the Hunter Valley, at a ‘real’ place called Bow Wow Gorge! (How could I bypass such a wonderful name?) So this time the setting came before the characters! 

Lastly, I’d love to know what you are currently reading, or whether there is something you have read recently and loved that you would like to recommend to us? 

Because of my editing I am re reading one of the books that were central to my research for THE CARTOGRAPHER’S SECRET—WHERE IS DOCTOR LEICHHARDT? by Darrel Lewis. I’m also reading one of Nicole Alexander’s books RIVER RUN. I love Nicole’s books and somehow have managed to miss the last couple. I recently finished THE LOST FLOWERS OF ALICE HART which I highly recommend. 

Thank you so much! 

My pleasure! Thank you for the invitation. 

***

Thanks again to Harlequin Australia for sending me this gorgeous book, and the others featuring in the HERSTORY campaign. You can check them all out here, and my other #HERSTORY blog posts are all here.

 

xo Bron

Middlegrade fantasy is my favourite thing to read at the moment. There are just so many great stories coming out in this category at the moment. One of the things I'm loving is the increasing amount of diversity I feel like we are seeing in stories for kids (or perhaps I'm paying more attention?). Joseph Elliot's recent novel The Good Hawk, is a great example of middlegrade fiction that is about a young person with a disability, without being a story about that disability.

Agatha is a Hawk, brave and fierce, who protects her people by patrolling the high walls of their island home. She is proud of her job, though some in her clan whisper that it is meant to keep her out of the way because of the condition she was born with. Jaime, thoughtful and anxious, is an Angler, but he hates the sea. Worse, he’s been chosen for a duty that the clan hasn’t required for generations: to marry. The elders won’t say why they have promised him to a girl in a neighboring clan, but there are rumors of approaching danger.

When disaster strikes and the clan is kidnapped, it is up to Agatha and Jaime to travel across the haunted mainland of Scotia to Norveg, with help along the way from a clan of nomadic Highland bull riders and the many animals who are drawn to Agatha’s extraordinary gift of communication. 

The Good Hawk is the first book in the Shadow Skye series, and I'm so pleased this is goingt to be a series because I can't wait for more!

The story is set in a mythic version of Scotland which, for me, added to a kind of grand and spooky atmosphere created in the book - I could feel the mist and see the lochs, and it was fun to try and place the other locations they talked about too. Actually, I thought the world building in general was fantastic. I liked the way that people's powers worked, and the way that the society was structured gave a great opportunity to explore the issue of figuring out where you fit in, which is one of my favourite themes in kids' literature.

I mentioned above that the main character - Agatha has an intellectual disability, which is referred to but remains unnamed in the book. I loved that this was just part of her character rather than a big focus of the story. What we do see is that she tends to think differently from other people, and this is often a strength for her, rather than a weakness. I loved her development through the story - the way that she defies stereotypes and expectations others have of her.

Jaime's arc is also wonderful. His uncertainty about where he belongs and what he is doing is at odds with others seem to see him, which I think is a great reminder that people who seem confident and capable might not feel that way inside, and is also a great contrast to Agatha's confidence and boldness as their points of view alternate with the chapters. I also really liked contrast between them of Jaime's uncertainty about fitting in coming from within, whereas Agatha knows she can do a great job but is dealing with other people thinking she doesn't fit in. 

The Good Hawk had my heart racing (and breaking!) at times, but that is balanced well with wonderful adventure and a decent amount of humour, to deliver a story that is really hopeful and fun at its heart.  

xo Bron

***

The Good Hawk by Joseph Elliot

Out now from Walker Books 
Source: I received a free advance copy from Walker Books (Thank you!)
Category: Middlegrade/upper primary (ages 9+) historical fantasy adventure
Themes:  magic, friendship, power, revolution
Format: Paperback
Pages:
RRP:
 

The Good Hawk on Goodreads 

Find Joseph Elliot online here

March and April have been brilliant months for new releases this year (and there are still a few to come before April is done!). One of my most anticipated books for 20202 - Sarah Epstein's Deep Water was released a week or so ago, and celebrated with an online launch last week. I managed to read it before the event and absolutely ADORED it! I loved Sarah's debut - Small Spaces (my review is here) - and I think this one is just as wonderful.

Henry Weaver is missing.
Three months ago, thirteen-year-old Henry disappeared from The Shallows during a violent storm, leaving behind his muddy mountain bike at the train station.

Mason Weaver is trapped.
While Mason doesn't know who he is or what he's capable of, he knows the one thing binding him to this suffocating small town is his younger brother, Henry.

Chloe Baxter wants answers.
Why would Henry run away without telling her? One of Chloe's friends knows something and she's determined to find out the truth.

As Chloe wades into dangerous waters and Mason's past emerges, a chilling question ripples to the surface: how far would you go to keep a secret?

If you've read my reviews before you'll know I love an authentic friendship, and Deep Water hits that nail on the head. At the heart of this story is a fantastic group friendship, with all kinds of different dynamics happening - crushes and bickering and, of course, Henry's disappearance, are all impacting the friendship and the way is changing feels really natural. I also really enjoyed the setting - the small town vibe comes through clearly without ever feeling caricature-ish.

The story unfolds from two different points of view, and in different directions - Chloe's starts 'now', three months after Henry disappeared, while through Mason we see what happened in the lead up to the event. I think this worked absolutely brilliantly - the voices were different from each other, and it was a really cool way to put details together.

Sarah's Small Spaces remains one of the creepiest YA books I've read, and while this one wasn't exactly creepy, it is dark and there is a really tense atmosphere that builds as the story plays out. I read it in just a few sittings, and with my heart in my throat for most of the book.

Deep Water touches on a lot of different issues throughout, from typical teen worries about crushes and fitting in, to alcoholism and domestic violence - so I would give a content warning for that  (as well as the more obvious theme of a missing teen and the fact that the story largely depends imagining what might have happened to them).

I found this one a completely engaging thriller. It was a really satisfying read that kept me guessing, and made me cry a bit at times too! Officially it's YA - adult readers shouldn't let that stop them from picking it up too! (I just realised I said the same thing about Small Spaces!)

xo Bron

I loved watching Sabrina the teenage witch as a teen, and have been intrigued by the recent Netflix re-boot - but haven't quite got around to watching it (so many tv shows to watch!).

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Season of the Witch by Sarah Rees Brennan gives us a peek into Sabrina's life right before where the TV show kicks off...

It's the summer before her sixteenth birthday, and Sabrina Spellman knows her world is about to change. She's always studied magic and spells with her aunts, Hilda and Zelda. But she's also lived a normal mortal life - attending Baxter High, hanging out with her friends Susie and Roz, and going to the movies with her boyfriend, Harvey Kinkle.

Now time is running out on her every day, normal world, and leaving behind Roz and Susie and Harvey is a lot harder than she thought it would be. Especially because Sabrina isn't sure how Harvey feels about her. Her cousin Ambrose suggests performing a spell to discover Harvey's true feelings. But when a mysterious wood spirit interferes, the spell backfires in a big way.

Sabrina has always been attracted to the power of being a witch. But now she can't help wondering if that power is leading her down the wrong path. Will she choose to forsake the path of light and follow the path of night?

Despite not having seen the Netflix series I quite enjoyed this one. It gives enough info about the characters to stand alone really well. From what I have seen/heard of the series it is pretty dark (particularly compared to the '90s version) and the book had a definite creepy factor too. Every second chapter comes from the perspective of someone who is watching Sabrina's story unfold, and the way these bits were written really was a bit chilling - I also loved the way they were written on black paper.

This was a fun and quickish read - I think Sabrina fans in particular will love it.

xo Bron

***

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Season of the Witch by Sarah Rees Brennan

Out now from Scholastic Australia (who kindly sent me this copy)

Category: YA 

Themes: Friendship, family, fitting in

Format: Paperback(288 pages)

RRP: $16.99

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Season of the Witch on Goodreads.

Anh Do must be one of Australia's most prolific authors at the moment - I feel like he has something new out all the time. I haven't read his lower primary books - like the WeirDo or Hot Dog series - but I have picked up some of his newer middlgrade/YA books - including his most recent release, E-Boy

Part human. Part robot. All hero!

Ethan is supposed to be doing regular teenage things - like playing sports and hanging out with friends.

He is not supposed to be in hospital getting a brain tumour removed by Gemini, a high-tech android doctor.

But just as the operation begins, the medical facility is hit by an unusual bolt of lightning…
When Ethan wakes up he discovers that things are different. He's always been good with computers, but now his skills are next-level. Ethan almost feels like he's…part of the machine.

And what about the android Gemini? If Ethan is now part robot, does that make the robot part human?

Ethan will need all his new skills just to stay alive.

This was a pretty fun read that I think will really hit the spot in it's target audience.

The plot sets a cracking pace, with a lot of action through out, and it has a great mix of humour and heavier issues.

I had a bit of trouble putting my finger on just what age group this should be recommended for. The Allen and Unwin website has it at 10-14 year olds, and I actually think it would work for reluctant readers a bit older than that too. The writing has a middlegrade feel in terms of the language, and the size of the font, length of the book etc, but also the characters are a bit older (Ethan is either at university or clever enough to be doing some study there) and there are some themes and plot points that could work for older readers, even though they are still suitable for readers at the lower end of that age range. For instance, Ethan has a crush on his doctor, he has friends in a romantic relationship, and we see some hints of political corruption. I think the inclusion of these sorts of themes could make this a great bridging book for readers who struggle a bit with reading and find that where the reading level of books suits them the content is too young - something I often see comments and recommendation requests around.

One of the key themes drawn out in the book is that classic sci-fi question of whether artificial intelligence can be sentient - what happens when the line between robot and person becomes blurry, and what rights does a machine have? I really enjoyed this element of the story, and I think this could really be a great starting point for interesting discussions with young people. Another great issue that I think is well handled, and could spark some good thinking, is about whether violence is ever justified - something that Gemini starts to 'think' about. For instance, is it ok to hurt 'bad guys' if you're saving hostages? I think this is a wonderful seed to plant, and to get young people considering.

I think this series is going to be another hit. I think it will be a great bridging book for reluctant readers, particularly boys, to move into chapter books, and - to be honest - I'm quite interested to find out what happens next!

E-Boy byAnh Do

Out now from Allen and Unwin

Source: Thanks to Allen and Unwin for sending me a copy for review. All views are my own.

Category: Middlegrade/Upper primary (ages 10+) science fiction adventure

Format: Paperback

Pages:  232 pages

Yesterday I posted my review of The Daughter of Victory Lights (check it out here if you missed it). I loved this book, and today I'm sharing a little Q&A with author Kerri Turner, who was kind enough to answer some questions I had for her about her books and writing. Enjoy! 

In the notes at the back of The Daughter of Victory Lights you tell us a bit about some of the actual people/events that you drew on for the story, and I was really struck by how perfectly you have pulled these together into a beautiful story – for instance in the way that Evie’s training on spotlights during the war helps her find a place on the Victory. When you were first inspired to write The Daughter of Victory Lights did you start with the events and then put characters in, or did Evie and Flynn come to you first and you built the story around them?  

The characters definitely came first. The very first spark of inspiration for this book was the Victory boat, and from there I quickly became familiar with the character of Evie. I knew she worked on the boat, and that she was not a performer but doing something behind the scenes instead. I had to work my way backward into finding the events that would have led to her working on this boat, and that’s how I came across the 93^rd Searchlight Regiment, which opened up a world of possibility for the story. With Flynn, I knew that he was an American man (as I wanted to give a different perspective of those wartime and post-war years), and I had certain events that I needed him to be around to witness or take part in. I also knew that he was suffering from PTSD as a result of his work during the war and that this would inform a great deal of his story. The Graves Registration Unit fit with everything I had planned, and allowed me to go deeper into the kinds of awful, unheard-of experiences so many suffered through. 

One of the key themes that comes up throughout The Daughter of Victory Lights is the difficulty so many people experienced with getting back to ‘normal’ life after the war. Was this aspect of post-war life something that you were particularly interested in drawing out of Evie and Flynn’s stories, and can you tell us a bit about whether you had to approach writing each character differently given the different kind of challenges they faced? 

While doing my research (which is when a majority of my storyline is formed), the effects of post-war expectations was a subject matter that I kept coming across again and again. People who had lived through the war brought it up in nearly every interview or memoir I read – whether they were returned servicemen told to be strong, stoic and emotionless leaders of their families, or women systematically silenced when it came to their wartime work and forced back into rigid domestic roles. So while I did have to approach the two characters differently, it was the sameness of their experiences that I ended up wanting to capture. Flynn struggles with PTSD (although it was called shellshock back then), while Evie struggles with the societal expectations of getting married and having children, and the familial rifts caused by not following the excepted life script of the time. For both of them, this results in a sense of not fitting in, of being abnormal or ungrateful; but also of not knowing that everyone else is struggling too. And that’s what it came down to: after the war, despite the many different experiences, despite the fact they’d survived, despite peace being declared and life supposedly getting better, there was this silent, internal struggle that many were going through. A shared experience they didn’t know they were sharing. I wanted to put that on the page.  

The Daughter of Victory Lights is your second novel, following The Last Days of the Romanov Dancers which was released in 2019. Was the experience of writing it very different to working on your debut novel? 

I actually began work on this novel before I even got a publishing deal for my first book. Which is something I’m very grateful I did, because it helped me avoid the dreaded second book syndrome we hear so much about. After you’ve been through that publishing process once, you suddenly know the expectations that are riding on you and your work. You have the voices of publishers, editors, agents, publicists, reviewers, etc in your head. I think if I didn’t already have a story that I was passionate about and excited to work on, it would’ve been easy to have my own writing voice and creativity drowned out by those other voices. Not because they are trying to stifle you – those people are so supportive and helpful and completely on your side! – but just because you want to live up to all the things you did well, and improve on the things you didn’t. And there’s the added weight of knowing how many people besides yourself put in work on your book, and wanting to make it the best it can be for all of their sakes. One particular difficulty I did have with this book as opposed to my first one though, was that the first drew heavily on my own background training in ballet. That gave me a bit of a crutch to lean on, and a way of boosting my own confidence. I knew what I was talking about, it was my area of expertise, and had lived so many of the experiences I felt I could bring them to life and do them justice. This book, while it still has a performing art in it, didn’t have that same element of bringing my own background into it. I was afraid that it wasn’t going to be received as well – that this book would expose me as a dancer who got lucky instead of a writer. Luckily this hasn’t been the case at all. If anything, it’s been the opposite.  

Did you have a favourite scene to write, or one that was particularly difficult to write, and I wonder whether you think they are the same ones that readers might find the most lovely or difficult to read (there were a lot of tears involved in reading this book!)?  

Some of my favourite scenes to write actually didn’t make it into the final book! I wrote quite a lot about the secondary characters Humphrey and Bee. Originally we saw both their backgrounds and how the Victory came to be. It was exuberant and colourful, and there were other characters on board the Victory we got to meet. But in the end the story was becoming too cluttered with so many different perspectives. It was one of those ‘kill your darlings’ moments writers need to get so good at! Of the existing scenes, my favourites are what I call the ‘quiet moments’. Those little moments where there’s not a lot of action but there is some sense of human connection. Like Flynn finding Lucy in the sea fog, or the final scene (no spoilers!). I have had a few readers say those are the moments they particularly enjoy too. The most difficult to write was the reveal of what happened to Evie. The why, when and how of it has always stayed the same, but the small details around that event went through multiple changes and multiple drafts. It was definitely an emotional experience working on that scene, and I absolutely did cry every time.  

Can you tell us anything about what you are working on next? 

I’m actually switching between two different projects at the moment. Both are historical fiction novels, and both once again have a performing arts element to them, although they are set in different times and different countries. The manuscripts are at different stages of completion. I like to set a manuscript aside after I’ve done some major work on it (a completed first draft, or a structural edit, for instance), so I can come back to it weeks or months later with completely fresh eyes. But I can’t spend that time not writing, so that’s why I have more then one project on the go – while one is set aside, I pick up the other one. I don’t have any news as far as publication deals or dates with either of them yet, but fingers crossed I will in the near future!  

Lastly, I’d love to know what you are currently reading, or whether there is something you have read recently and loved that you would like to recommend to us? 

Because I write historical fiction, it’s also my favourite genre to read. There are so many amazing historical fiction novels coming out right now, and so many of them are focussed on women, which I love because women’s stories haven’t been given as much room throughout history. A few I’ve really enjoyed recently are Josephine’s Garden by Stephanie Parkyn, Fled by Meg Keneally, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. 

***

Huge thanks to Kerri for 'chatting' about her writing with me!

You can find The Daughter of Victory Lights on Goodreads here. 

Thanks again to Harlequin Australia for sending me this gorgeous book, and the others featuring in the HERSTORY campaign. You can check them all out here, and my other #HERSTORY blog posts are all here.

xo Bron

Tonight I'm sharing my review of The Daughter of Victory Lights by Kerri Turner, which is one of the gorgeous novels in Harlequin Australia's HERSTORY : Women Who Rebel campaign. This was a wonderful read!  Here's the synopsis from the publisher's website (and you can check it out on Goodreads here):

1945: After the thrill and danger of volunteering in an all-female searchlight regiment protecting Londoners from German bombers overhead, Evelyn Bell is secretly dismayed to be sent back to her rigid domestic life when the war is over. But then she comes across a secret night-time show, hidden from the law on a boat in the middle of the Thames. Entranced by the risqué and lively performance, she grabs the opportunity to join the misfit crew and escape her dreary future.
At first the Victory travels from port to port to raucous applause, but as the shows get bigger and bigger, so too do the risks the performers are driven to take, as well as the growing emotional complications among the crew. Until one desperate night ...

1963: Lucy, an unloved and unwanted little girl, is rescued by a mysterious stranger who says he knows her mother. On the Isle of Wight, Lucy is welcomed into an eclectic family of ex-performers. She is showered with kindness and love, but gradually it becomes clear that there are secrets they refuse to share. Who is Evelyn Bell?

I loved this book and gave it a full five stars.

There was just something really enchanting about the way that Turner tells her story - both the pace of the plot and the development of the characters were spot on for me. I loved that the point of view characters were flawed - and bordering on unlikable, but something about the way their stories were told was so tender that I couldn't help loving them anyway.

The descriptions of  Evie and Flynn's experiences during wartime felt so thoroughly researched. I found reading about the work they each did was interesting and awful, heartbreaking but also uplifting - the sense of satisfaction (maybe?) at doing something really comes through. While the descriptions of war were raw and detailed, I thought the writing was respectful and even the most confronting parts didn't feel gratuitous to the story.

One of the key issues drawn out in The Daughter of Victory Lights is the difficulty so many people had with returning to 'normal' life after the war was over. This is something that I find so fascinating - for instance, that soldiers (and others on the front lines) could live through such horrors and be expected to come home and be ok, and that women who experienced such independence were then supposed to go back to their roles as housewives dependent on husbands. I thought the exploration of these themes through Evie and Flynn's stories was really wonderfully done - the characters and their experiences felt so authentic, and the impact of this on the rest of their lives was really clear.

The story that Turner tells is about Evie and Flynn post-war unfolds so beautifully - there were some surprises and, to be honest, quite a lot of tears! This is definitely one to read with a tissue or seven nearby! I absolutely recommend this to lovers of historical fiction, and I'm already excited about whatever Turner is writing next.

Kerri has very kindly answered some questions for me to share here too - I'll pop those up tomorrow!

xo Bron

***

The Daughter of Victory Lights by Kerri Turner

Out now from Harlequin Books Australia (HarperCollins)

Source: I received a copy of from Harper Collins Australia for review. All views are my own.

Category: Historical fiction (WW2, post-war)
Themes: Post-war expectations, feminism, family, found family

Format: Paperback

Pages:  384 pages

RRP: $32.99  

The Daughter of Victory Lights on Goodreads

Find Kerri Turner online here.

After absolutely LOVING Astrid Scholte's debut novel Four Dead Queens last year (my review is here) her next book was high on my list of most anticipated new releases for 2020. I'm always a tiny bit nervous when I've enjoyed a first book so much, but The Vanishing Deep didn't disappoint!

Seventeen-year-old Tempe was born into a world of water. When the Great Waves destroyed her planet, its people had to learn to survive living on the water, but the ruins of the cities below still called. Tempe dives daily, scavenging the ruins of a bygone era, searching for anything of value to trade for Notes. It isn't food or clothing that she wants to buy, but her dead sister's life. For a price, the research facility on the island of Palindromena will revive the dearly departed for twenty-four hours before returning them to death. It isn't a heartfelt reunion that Tempe is after; she wants answers. Elysea died keeping a terrible secret, one that has ignited an unquenchable fury in Tempe: Her beloved sister was responsible for the death of their parents. Tempe wants to know why.

But once revived, Elysea has other plans. She doesn't want to spend her last day in a cold room accounting for a crime she insists she didn't commit. Elysea wants her freedom and one final glimpse at the life that was stolen from her. She persuades Tempe to break her out of the facility, and they embark on a dangerous journey to discover the truth about their parents' death and mend their broken bond. But they're pursued every step of the way by two Palindromena employees desperate to find them before Elysea's time is up--and before the secret behind the revival process and the true cost of restored life is revealed.

Today's review is of Sara Holland's latest novel HAVENFALL. This is a YA portal fantasy story, which I think is going to be the first half of a duology.

For Maddie Morrow, summers at the inn are more than a chance to experience this magic first-hand. Havenfall is an escape from reality, where her mother sits on death row accused of murdering Maddie's brother. It's where Maddie fell in love with handsome Fiorden soldier Brekken. And it's where one day she hopes to inherit the role of Innkeeper from her beloved uncle.

But this summer, the impossible happens--a dead body is found, shattering everything the inn stands for. With Brekken missing, her uncle gravely injured, and a dangerous creature on the loose, Maddie suddenly finds herself responsible for the safety of everyone in Havenfall. She'll do anything to uncover the truth, even if it means working together with an alluring new staffer Taya, who seems to know more than she's letting on. As dark secrets are revealed about the inn itself, one thing becomes clear to Maddie--no one can be trusted, and no one is safe...

I first came across Jessica Miller's then upcoming middlegrade fantasy novel The Republic of Birds when I was spending A LOT of time on twitter following #authorsforfireys. The cover is so stunning it caught my eye immediately (and its even better in real life!) - and, on reading the blurb, I thought it sounded really cool! Here's the summary from Goodreads.

Olga loves the stories of the old cartographers and pores over their ancient books and maps, trying to unlock their secrets. Sometimes, she can even feel through the maps—almost see into them — as if by magic.

When the bird army kidnaps Olga’s sister, Mira, Olga knows that only she can venture into the Republic of Birds to rescue her. But first, she must unlock her magical ability.

As her journey takes her into the hidden world of the Iagas and the wilds of the Unmappable Blank, Olga discovers the truth about the war with the birds—and learns just how much is at stake in her quest to save her sister.