Nicolas Bowling - Song of the Far Isles - Book Review - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

One of the books we've very much loved reading this summer is Nicholas Bowling's third middle-grade children's book published in July 2021 by Chicken House. It's a story inspired by the author's time in the Hebrides of Scotland and New Zealand. The book has a great outdoors feeling as it is set on the fictional island of Little Drum. The landscape and the characters come crashing down on you in a sweeping melody. Music is everything to the islanders. In fact, it's so important that everybody has a birth instrument and a really close bond to it which results in a very special and unique life song. This for me created a very interesting idea that pulled the story threads together into a very intriguing and beguiling read. 

The book has a very appealing feel to it through a fantastic blend of both music and mother nature which results in a wonderful heartfelt adventure. The story is infused with myths and folklore and has an excellent plot that will make you tap your feet to the story's unique rhythm. Oran is the main character who will have you enraptured as you plummet into an action-adventure on sea and land. However, we are soon lead into a merry dance when the Duchess arrives from the mainland bringing orders that will silence the islanders forever. No more MUSIC. Oran must set out on a high-stakes adventure to change the Duchess's mind. Whatever will happen?

Oran, with a little help from her best friend ghast called Alick, plus a group of musical pirates makes this story a brilliantly gripping and entertaining read. There are rumours of a mythical instrument that might be able to change everything. It might just save the islander's way of life and restore the balance to the island and their families. 

The book has everything that I love to find in a great read - quirkiness and a great setting. It's a rapid page-turner that is full of passion and detailed accuracy. The book flows with fantasy adventure and an air of mystery. It is also full of great characters depicted within a family life setting. This for me was a fantastic book with a difference to escape into. Its soul will last with you for some time. Grab a copy to read now as it will inspire you to explore your inner self and the great outdoors whilst playing the cithara. What more could you ask for?

Yaba Badoe - Wolf Light - Book Review - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

Yaba Badoe is an award-winning Ghanaian-British documentary filmmaker and writer. Her first acclaimed children's novel was A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars which was nominated for the Carnegie Medal in 2019. Wolf Light is her second children's book and will be released in paperback this Jan 2020 by Zephyr. It has an absolutely fantastic book cover which has been illustrated by Leo Nickolls. I think it is amazing and just love it. 

After a brief flicker and a flutter of the pages, you are instantly transported into a place of pure fantasy and magical realism. There are three sacred places of sanctuary in this book, each with its own narrative that goes straight to the human heart. It starts with three spiritual sisters: Zula, Adoma, and Linet who are connected by their destiny from the day they were born. Even though they all live in a different part of the world, they share a special spiritual connection. As a result, they have to harness the magic of the elements and protect their sacred spaces by watching over the respective lands where they live. 

This journey enables us to dance through the tropical forests of Ghana as well as sing with the harsh stormy moors of Cornwall. It is a very powerful story that considers the relationships we have with the world around us and the consequences of the damage we cause to this planet every day. A voice is calling on the elemental spirits and, thus, planting the seed of a plot before showering us with a beautiful and extraordinary tale. 

You will embark upon a brilliant story of both light and darkness which pulses with loss, love and the eternal destruction of the planet. The tale takes us on a whirlwind of an adventure as the leopard dances and leaps under the moon and a wolf howls in the distance. This poetic vision of colour rustles through the trees and shimmers on the lakeshore. This is a great topical read that is very thought-provoking. It covers some important themes such as feminism, family, relationships, and environmental damage. All of which are told as a brilliant narrative, they are certainly as good as any you will read for some time. This is a book to savour and contemplate as the earth lives and breathes around us.