The Nanny at Number 43

Be Careful Who You Let Into Your Home

Wanted, a respectable woman to care for a motherless child.

When William D. Thomas’s wife dies in childbirth, he places an advertisement in his local newspaper seeking a nanny for his newborn child.

He is thankful when an experienced nanny arrives at 43 Laurence Street and takes over from his frazzled housekeeper Mrs McHugh.

Mrs McHugh confides in her bedridden friend Betty, who has a bird’s-eye view of all the happenings on Laurence Street, that the Nanny is not all she seems. Betty begins her own investigation into the mysterious woman.

When the bodies of twin babies are discovered buried in a back garden, by a family who have moved from their tenement home into a country cottage, a police investigation begins.

But it is Betty who holds the key to discovering who the Nanny really is … and the reason she came to 43 Laurence Street.

Review

I recieved a free copy of this book via booksirens in exchange for honest review.

I felt this book was a little slow to get getting, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. It just adds to the suspense, but for me personally it was a little slow. The secrets were revealed in a slow manner.

Since there was at least three time-lines and mutiple POV’s I would have preferred a reference to where and when the chapter was taking place. I got a little confused at times. Especially when there were characters with the same name. I also got a little confused with characters. I felt that all the stories were sometimes a little un-needed or not explained until a lot later in the book, when I had forgotten a lot of it.

The characters were good but sometimes a little niave, deaths were not really given much thought other than to grieve. I know it’s set in the 1800’s so different times but it just seemed a little easy to  me.

I knew there was something up from the beginning but not sure what, I didn’t feel the big reveal was quite shocking enough, yes it was horrific but I had worked it out quite early on. One death was unexplained, not sure if it was connected or just an illness, wish that was explained.

Overall it was a decent book, with mystery but a  little slow for me.

3.5 stars out of 5

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Series I need to reread and finish: The Library Jumpers

I have read the first two but cannot remember enough to read the third. So I need to start again. They are good books so not a hardship. I am hoping to read them again before the end of the year.

I love these covers so much, so full magic, not so keen on the second one, I think they work better with just her.

If you fancy checking out the first one here’s the goodreads link. Here.

The Little Mermaid

A beautifully illustrated new translation of a beloved Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale

Six young sisters live in the depths of the ocean, longing for the chance to see the beauty of the earth. Most eager of all is the youngest mermaid, who counts the days to her fifteenth birthday when her grandmother will finally allow her to rise to the surface.

Her first sight above the water is a large ship on which a beautiful prince is celebrating his sixteenth birthday. Immediately she falls in love, and so begins her determined quest to join the prince on earth as a human.

Full of wonder and heart, The Little Mermaid remains one of the most powerful fairy tales ever written, and this new, gorgeously illustrated translation gives it renewed life.

Review

I recieved a free copy via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

First off, the cover is beautiful. This is the same book just new illistrations. I have not read the original before. It was a little different than the disney version. A little crueller, but I liked it. It was a quick read and no gore, maybe not suitable for really youung kids, but it’s aimed at kids who would be old enough to read it themselves anyway.

I liked the illustrations although  there weren’t many. The tin soldier on the end was a little odd but I grew up with stories that all had happy endings.

Over all a sweet little read with nice illustrations.

4 out of 5 stars

Secret Magic (Evie Everyday Witch #1)

Funny magical adventure series perfect for kids ages 7 and up

My name is Evie Everyday and I’m a witch. But all I’ve ever wanted is to be a Lamron. That’s the word normal spelled backward. Anyways, now I have the chance to go to a regular school and be a regular girl I’ll do whatever it takes to fit in.

Fitting in is easy. All I have to do is:

Keep my magic a secret Swap my favorite colorful clothes for boring black ones Suck up to scary Mrs. Rogers, the school principal Keep my pet cat, bat and corncob from causing any trouble And stay away from Izzy. She’s all colorful and funny and awesome…. and not helpful for fitting in.

But when everything starts to go wrong, there’s only one way to save my new school… use magic. And only one person who can help me… Izzy!

Evie Everyday Witch is a series of chapter books that kids and parents will love. Ideal for reluctant readers. Evie’s quirky, funny personality will sweep kids off their feet, and get them reading again!

Review

I recieved a free copy via booksirens in exchange for an honest review.

The cover is cute, will appeal to it’s target audience.

I felt it was a little all over the place at times. Like the author was trying jam too much into a small of time. It did all make sense though.

I think kids would love this book as there is always something happening and full of mad and exciting magic.

Having it set in a normal school is a great idea, I was worried that it would mean there would be no magic but there was quite a lot so it worked very well.

I really liked the idea that it flipped the idea of a child wanting magic. Making it the opposite, a witch wanting to be normal was genius and really well conveyed.

Overall the characters were fun and exciting. I liked the friendships in book, well the ones that counted.

4 out of 5 stars

First Lines: The Spooks Apprentice

When Spook arrived, the light was already beginning to fail.

It doesn’t give much away, but it’s the tone as a little creepy. Since death is one of the characters (I think( makes sense). I have not yet read this book but I am looking forward to it. Have you read this book, do you think the first line sets the tone well?

Mage Shifter (#3 Magical Creatures Academy)

Rina has lost her shifting mojo.
Will her mage powers be enough to subdue Rage and Fury?

Mage Shifter is the third book in an exciting new magic-filled urban fantasy, starring a girl with lots of moxie, fine brawny shifters, BFFs with questionable morals, and pygmy trolls in need of an attitude adjustment.

Review

I loved getting to the ending of this series, I really enjoyed this series. It’s a nice quick easy read but full of magic and wonder.

Rina is once again a great character. She is definately growing and becoming her own person. She grows into her magic well and I really enjoyed reading about it.

There wasn’t much interaction between Rina and her brother Ky in this book and I missed it. I also missed the silent Boone, he was barely in it.

The incident at the beginning felt a little irresponisble on the teachers part (even for a school for magic), but it did help the story along. Also the three boys just turning up seemed a little easy, characters should not be able to luck themselves out of a situation.

Rina is a little niave but she is not dumb so I do like her creative ways to get out of things.

4 out of 5 stars

Want to start at the beginning, read book 1.

Recommend me books!

This is your chance to recommend me (and anyone who reads this post) books that you cannot get enough of. Books that you recommend to your friends adn every chance you get, but everyone you know has read it or it’s not their cup of tea. So let’s hear it. Preferably fantasy and preferably YA, but if it’s not and you really love it, say it anyway.

I cannot garuntee that I will read them but I will look into them 🙂

Happy reading and looking forward to seeing what you suggest.

Emma

ARC Review: Fledgling

Days away from becoming completing her first year at Miss Castwell’s Institute for the Magical Instruction of Young Ladies, Changeling-born Sarah Smith might just get away with posing as an upper-class Guardian girl named Cassandra Reed.

But strange visions of a Lightbourne destroyed by Miss Morton’s revenant army keep Sarah from enjoying her achievement. Plus, the Mother Book, Sarah’s one secret advantage and the ultimate entrée in Guardian society, suddenly stops revealing itself to her…putting her in a precarious position with the Guild. On top of all that, her former lady’s maid left Miss Castwell’s, and the new hire is, well, taking some getting used to.

If it weren’t for her two best friends, Alicia McCray and Ivy Cowel, who will do anything to protect her secret, Sarah doesn’t know if she’ll make it another year. When the three girls take summer holiday with Alicia’s family (chaperoned by an exacting and very disapproving Mrs. McCray), a relaxing vacation in Scotland is the last thing they’ll find.

Mrs. Winter is thrilled that Sarah is spending time with the influential McCray family, but Sarah can’t help but feel that her real purpose is to find other Changeling children like her, and free them to realize their own magic. Can she find genuine satisfaction in her accomplishments when she knows there are others like her out there who need her help? Will the three girls uncover the deeply-held secrets they’re looking for in the mysterious mountains of Scotland? Will the Mother Book finally start talking to her again? And will Sarah come to understand the importance of her connection with Ivy and Alicia, and the true nature of her own power…before it’s too late?

Review

I recieved a free copy via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love the friendship between the three girls it’s so genuine. Sarah is a bit of a matyr  and that does bug me a little, but it gives Ivy and Alicia a chance to prove their friendship.

Gavin, I would have liked a little more depth to his character, hopefully in the next book. I think he could be an amazing character and give Sarah the strength she will most likely need in the next book.

Mrs Winter keeps surprising me! She is a great character and I do hope she appears more in the next book. I would her to realise there that magic no matter where from is a good thing. I think she is really capable of this without it feeling jarring. I love how she is taking to Sarah, as Sarah and not just Cassandra.

The Mother book- Oh how? I hope this issure can be resolved in some way, no idea how, but that’s Molly Harper’s job.

I did guess the big reveal happen in some form, but I didn’t get it dead on. I do wish it was explained in a little more detail.

Overall it was a great read.

4 out of 5 stars