The Lie Tree put this right – it’s a spooky and extremely exciting story which is breathtakingly beautifully-written. Somehow despite having been repeatedly told over a long period of time by numerous people – particularly fabulous fantasy author Tom Pollock – that I’d adore Hardinge’s work, she’s an author I’d never got around to trying.
A really wonderful debut and I’m incredibly excited for Stormwalker, Revell’s second book!įrances Hardinge’s The Lie Tree is another stunning stand-alone. I would have to be in a VERY specific frame of mind to reread, but I have a feeling that I eventually will. While that was admittedly partly because I didn’t know if I’d be mentally ready to pick it up again if I paused reading it, I ordered my own copy nearly as soon as I’d finished the one I’d borrowed from a friend. Despite that, it’s in many ways also an uplifting book, the message about the power of words and storytelling is a brilliant but subtle one, and I raced through it. As someone who’s seen first-hand how horrible a loved one’s dementia can be, this really captures what a dreadful experience it must be for a youngster to go through that. He discovers a gargoyle who can come to life and carry out his stories, giving him the opportunity to seek revenge on bullies – but could he go too far? And how is the mysterious gargoyle linked to his gran’s childhood? I was recommended this by several people I really trust and knew it would be a brilliantly written book, but had to force myself to read it due to it bringing back painful memories for me. Mike Revell’s Stonebird sees ten-year-old Liam move home to be closer to his gran, who suffers from dementia. One of the best stand-alones of the year was one which I nearly didn’t read at all. But onto the sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, and magical realism (with just one other that I couldn’t bear to leave out.) For the most part, I’ve stuck to speculative books to try and keep the post to a manageable length – there have also been a LOT of historical mysteries I’ve really loved! Robin Stevens, Patricia Elliott, Katherine Woodfine and Julie Berry stand out as the best in that genre. I was delighted to be asked to follow up last year’s Smugglivus guest post with another one in 2015 and, since it’s been another great year for MG fiction, thought I’d go for the same topic again. Who: Jim, a blogger at and a reviewer at You can also find him on Twitter at (normally when he’s really promised himself he’ll read a book or write a blog post!)
Welcome to Smugglivus 2015! Throughout this month, we will have daily guests – authors and bloggers alike – looking back at their favorite reads of 2015, looking forward to events and upcoming books in 2016, and more.
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