BLOG TOUR: All Feathers and Hats: Rookscroft - Book One - Jayne Siroshton

It began one morning in late summer, when a pheasant appeared at my studio window. At first, I was startled - "but my surprise quickly turned to delight when I noticed he was wearing a top hat, pulled down quite low.

I hurried to the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of him as he fled. But to my astonishment, when I opened it, he was standing there on the mat. There was a pause. He looked me over, blinked - and then, he began to speak.

He introduced himself as Vernon Cotterill and asked if I would be willing to paint his portrait, an offer I joyfully accepted, and that, my friends, is how this whole adventure began.

 

What did I think?

What an absolutely delightful book!  All Feathers and Hats is an illustrated book that is aimed at readers aged 6 to adult and it's a book that everyone will enjoy.  If you think it looks stunning from the outside, just wait until you see inside.  The illustrations are exquisite and they seem to capture the very essence of the characters themselves.

Jayne Siroshton has both imaginatively written and beautifully illustrated the book showing there is no end to her creative talent.  Jayne is also a character in the book which adds an air of authenticity and makes you believe that it could be real...if you believe in talking animals of course and who doesn't?

Vernon Cotterill, a hat wearing pheasant, appears at Jayne's door one day asking her to paint his portrait.  Vernon is so pleased with the result that it isn't long before other animals are appearing at Jayne's door.  As well as lots of fun elements to the story, there's also a sprinkling of romance that is simply lovely.

All Feathers and Hats has the feel of a timeless, ageless classic and it's the first book in a series so there are more delightful tales to come.  Jayne Siroshton reminds me of a modern-day Enid Blyton and I wouldn't be surprised to find Rookscroft books on myriad bookshelves for many years to come.

A very highly recommended read for readers of all ages.  I certainly plan to read it again and it is going straight onto my favourites shelf. 

I received a gifted hardback to read and review for the Love Books Tours blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Rookscroft

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Every Exquisite Thing - Laura Steven

A feminist YA horror-thriller-romance retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray by the TikTok sensation and author of The Society for Soulless Girls…

Penny Paxton is the daughter of an icon. Her supermodel mother has legions of adoring fans around the world, and Penny is ready to begin her journey to international adoration, starting with joining the elite Dorian Drama School.

When Penny’s new mentor offers her an opportunity she cannot refuse, to have a portrait painted by a mysterious artist who can grant immortal beauty to all his subjects, Penny happily follows in the footsteps of Dorian’s most glittering alumni, knowing that stardom is sure to soon be hers.

But when her trusted mentor is found murdered, Penny realises she’s made a terrible mistake – a sinister someone is using the uncanny portraits to kill off the subjects one by one. As more perfectly beautiful students start to fall, Penny knows her time is running out . . .

A seductive and searing exploration of beauty, identity, and what the pursuit of perfection can truly cost.

 

What did I think?

Every Exquisite Thing is an incredibly thought-provoking and powerful novel that really makes you question why we strive for what we perceive as perfection.  It’s a modern day retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray and although I haven’t read Oscar Wilde’s classic novel, I know the premise. 

Penny Paxton is following in her mother’s footsteps when she enrols at the Dorian Drama Academy.  Penny just wants her mother to be proud of her but her mother doesn’t seem to have a maternal or caring bone in her body.  Penny strives to be perfect and when she gets the chance to freeze her image, just as she is now, she jumps at the chance.

It’s incredibly thought-provoking and really rather sad to think about what is beneath the surface of the perfect images we see on screen.  Would you rather be happy or appear to be perfect but be miserable inside?

We are all perfect in our own way and we shouldn’t listen to anyone who tells us we’re not.  There’s an incredible line in the book that is very powerful and I can’t stop thinking about it:

“I was so perfect before the world told me otherwise.”

As well as being a powerful warning about obsession with self-image, Every Exquisite Thing is a very compelling, dark and captivating story.  It’s a fantastic retelling that brings a classic novel bang up to date and into the hands of a new audience.

An unforgettable book and a highly recommended read.

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BLOG TOUR: The Spectacular Vision of Oskar Dunkelblick - Hattie Holden-Edmonds

I am delighted to be taking part in the Red Door Books blog tour for The Spectacular Vision of Oskar Dunkelblick by Hattie Holden Edmonds by releasing my review for the tour.

Oskar is the ultimate teenage loner. He's been living on the streets since he was a kid, he hates being touched and his eyes are always itchy from chronic conjunctivitis. To perk himself up, he paints the misery of mankind. After all, there's so much of that about...

One day during a not-so-routine eye test, Oskar's bleak perspective is blown apart when he tries on a pair of very unusual lenses. The world he glimpses is filled with love, light and wonder and he is furious. But those lenses have opened his inner eye and much against his darker nature, Oskar's perception and behaviour begin to change in ways that he could never, ever have imagined.

What did I think?

This was one of those books that I just had to read as soon as I heard the quirky title.  As much as it is fun and quirky, it is also very dark in places which made me experience a wealth of emotions for Oskar.

Brought up by a single mother, Oskar had a difficult childhood and, being very determined to find his father, this inevitably led to him running away from home.  I really felt for Oskar as he scoured the streets looking for a man he'd never met to fill the hole in his heart.  Oskar is so quirky that he must be on the autistic spectrum and the way that he interacts with people would support this.  He doesn't recognise other people's feelings and uses their misery for his art.  A misery that he causes and manipulates, which made me very uncomfortable at times and I felt my feelings for Oskar change very quickly from empathy to intense dislike.

Although part of the story is Oskar having his eyes opened to beauty that's all around us if you choose to look for it, I just couldn't get past the dislike for Oskar that had grown within me.  I guess I could see that he had changed for the better but it was too late for the people that he had trampled on in his past.  I loved the idea of special lenses that made you see all the love and light in the world but I would also like an eraser to unsee all the darkness that was burned into my retinas.  It isn't a criticism of the book at all; to evoke such intense feelings in a reader means that that book has substance and quality, I just think that readers should be prepared for the dark side of Oskar that came as a bit of a shock to me.

The Spectacular Vision of Oskar Dunkelblick is both quirky and enlightening but also intensely dark and disturbing.  Let Oskar open your eyes to the many colours of the human psyche.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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BLOG TOUR: The Eyes That Look - Julia Grigg

This compelling novel of art and adventure, Julia Grigg’s debut, is set in the feverish creativity of mid-sixteenth century Italy. Francesco Bassano wants to find out how and why an extraordinary painting was made; the story traces his quest to discover the secrets of the portrait’s past. Francesco’s journey, his coming-of-age, takes him and his questions to Venice, Verona, Maser and Florence. Encountering the High Renaissance’s masters Titian, Veronese and Vasari in the very act of creating and recording the era’s stupendous art and architecture, he is witness to astonishing achievements. Enthralled, he learns of the determination needed for innovation and the sacrifices demanded of an artist if cherished ambition is to become reality. Little by little he unravels what lies behind the painting, gaining new understanding of love, truth and beauty, and of loyalty, devotion and the unbreakable bond between a master and his dogs. However, in delving deeper, the past’s dark side reveals itself: cruelty, inhumanity and human frailty ­­– and Francesco cannot avoid the experience of bitter betrayal.

A spirited, entertaining fiction drawing on historical facts, The Eyes that Look is multi-sensual in its storytelling, inviting readers to revel in the unrivalled artistic riches of the Italian Renaissance.

What did I think?

A book with a theme of art is not my kind of thing at all but Julia Grigg has opened my eyes to a whole new world with her beautifully written colourful book set in 16th Century Italy.  The line chosen for the blog tour poster is so perfectly apt in summing up the book: 'Only by looking will you learn to see'.  This is a book that both art lovers and historical fiction fans will never forget.

The beautiful painting of Two Hunting Dogs by Jacopo Bassano is depicted on the inside cover and through the pages that follow we learn the story behind this painting through several different voices, but mainly through Jacopo's son, Francesco.  Francesco's story is an absolutely riveting adventure through the vivid sights and sounds of Italy and I enjoyed it so much more than I expected to.

Julia Grigg's love for her subject really shines through every page but by creating such colourful characters she has made the story so accessible to those of us without knowledge of art.  It's silly I know, but I have never thought about the story behind paintings; of course there had to be one to inspire the artist in the first place.  This is how Julia Grigg has opened my eyes to a whole new world as I now find myself looking more closely at not only paintings but photographs in order to see the story behind them.

An absolutely stellar debut that both surprised and delighted me from start to finish.  I feel like I have been given a life lesson as I can see the world in so much more colour after reading The Eyes That Look and I intend to keep looking in order to learn to see.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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