This was another Birthday book by The Queen of Historical Fiction, Emma Carroll.

Synopsis (as found on back of book) is as follows:

Monday 11th November.

A Day To Remember.

A middle-of-the-night phone call brings news that could save Alice’s brother’s life…

Back in 1918, the War over, another girl awaits her brother’s save return from the Front.

Neither girl must give up hope.

At the bottom of their garden is Darkling Wood, a place full of magic, secrets and salvation. If you believe in fairies, that is…

Ability to read – I had no issue with my ability to read here. The story was very easy to get into and I understood what was happening within the book and was able to pull together my own picture of it.

Characterisation – Emma Carroll’s characters are always fully formed and have strong individual voices. This book was no exception to that fact. I thought that Alice was a well-rounded character and one who had much to learn about herself and those around her. It was interesting to see the character of a somewhat selfish teenager evolve into something more.

Visualisation – It was easy to visualise what was happening in the story and easy to picture what was happening to the characters and around the characters. Emma Carroll has such a way with her descriptions, drawing you slowly into the plot until you are nestled within the pages.

Uniqueness – The story was original and done without flare or over-complicated language and style. The story flowed smoothly and gave a well-rounded view on the MC’s life. It was interesting and curious. A mystery waiting to be solved.

Hannah xoxo