Trick or Treat

It was supposed to be a joke. But the wailing sirens and flashing blue lights told a different story as the ambulance and police car crammed into the tiny cul-de-sac. Young Teddy Hamilton stood over the lifeless body of Mrs Fenwick, unsure whether to run or try pummelling her chest again. As the policeman approached, […]

A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge

Rating: 4/5 stars Blurb: When a creature dies, its spirit can go looking for somewhere to hide. Some people have space inside them, perfect for hiding. Makepeace, a courageous girl with a mysterious past, defends herself nightly from the ghosts which try to possess her. Then a dreadful event causes her to drop her guard […]

Half Done

You insist on doing the button of your polo shirt yourself. It takes long seconds and I am impatient. Come on, I have to get to work. Wait, Mummy, wait. I bundle you out the door, the button half done. A quick kiss at the school gates. Mummy loves you. The train station is heaving […]

Preppers

‘People are gonna want what we have. It’s inevitable. Look at this here water, no one else will have a supply of clean water like this.’ The water looks dirty to me, but Grandpa keeps digging, huffing and puffing. ‘But Johnny Peters whispered the word “prepper” to Maggie Griggs and I didn’t like that. I […]

Seance

There are twelve of us sat around table which dominates the small wood-panelled room. It is covered in a thick red velvet cloth. Heavy curtains block the watery twilight. At the centre, a huge crystal bowl holds our belongings – a watch, a wedding band, a pendant … Why is it always jewellery? ‘Hold hands.’ […]

The Songs of Us by Emma Cooper

Rating 5/5 Release date: Ebook: 31st May 2018 Paperback: 20th September 2018 Blurb: If Melody hadn’t run out of de-icer that day, she would never have slipped and banged her head. She wouldn’t be left with a condition that makes her sing when she’s nervous. And she definitely wouldn’t have belted out the Arctic Monkeys’ […]

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Rating: 5/5 Blurb: Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive – but not how to live Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend. Eleanor Oliphant is […]