Hi there! I’ve got something really exciting to announce today – I’ve joined the incredible team of book bloggers over at YASFF.com. I’ll be writing regular blog posts over there as well as here, and you can already check out my first few posts:
I’ve also teamed up with some of my fellow YA SFF authors to create a limited edition collection of eleven fantasy stories, free to subscribers of the YA SFF blog! Click below to find out more about the authors and stories included, and to download your copy:
My prequel novelette, A Fair Deception, is included in this anthology, so if you’re yet to read King Lonan and Queen Daya’s love story then make sure you grab your copy! You’ll also get your hands on stories by some of my favourite authors, including Alice Ivinya and Astrid V.J., so it’s a no brainer for fantasy fans!
The website and blog are run by the same awesome team as the YA Sci-fi & Fantasy Addicts group on Facebook. Come and join us for books recs when you’ve got an itch and aren’t sure which book or series will scratch it, bookish chat, fun games and giveaways, and so much more!
If you know me at all, you’ll know I’m a huge true crime fan, and a podcast addict. As soon as I heard about Sadie, the story of a teenage girl on a journey of revenge, told via a serialised podcast in addition to her own POV, I knew I had to read it.
Not only that, but I chose to listen to the audio book for the full podcast experience, and if you take one thing from this review it’s that the audio book is the absolute best way to experience Sadie (in my humble opinion).
Sadie is a relatively quick read, especially when you’re used to 800 page epic fantasies that convert into 30 hour audio books. At just under 8 hours, it’s definitely one of the quicker listens in my Audible library, but that might also be because it was so damn gripping and fast-paced, I found myself listening at all hours because I just needed to know what happened next.
The audio book is presented by not just one or two voice actors, but a full cast, so it genuinely felt like a podcast with every character/interviewee having their own voice. If I’m honest, I almost wish there had been more chapters from Sadie herself as I loved the voice Summers gave her titular character. And that’s without discussing the ending, which we’ll come to later. (No spoilers, but if you’ve heard anything about this book I’m sure it’s that the ending is a shocker).
We need to talk about trigger warnings, because Sadie touched on some of the darkest and most horrific things humans do to each other. If you’re at all triggered by child abuse, including sexual abuse, grooming, rape and molestation, then I wouldn’t recommend reading unless you’re prepared.
I would say that, as someone who has fortunately not experienced any of the above, it isn’t gratuitous and is handled with the seriousness that it deserves. But I wouldn’t want to tell you what someone who has been through those things would feel on reading this book, so I’ll just let you make the decision whether to read it for yourself.
The ending tore my heart out as I checked and rechecked that I hadn’t missed something and it was really, truly over. It wasn’t a happy or uplifting ending, it wasn’t even particularly hopeful, but it was real. And in the end, Sadie did what she set out, just perhaps not quite like she
Sadie is a book about revenge, about hunting monsters with human faces, and finding pure evil in some of the darkest and some of the brightest places. But beneath all of that, Sadie is a book about a girl who loved her sister with her whole, entire heart and only ever wanted to protect her. She didn’t always succeed, and sometimes she failed spectacularly, but she didn’t stop trying. Ever. Not until the very end.
If you like true crime, podcasts, really strong voice, quirky formats and stories about sibling relationships and unexpected endings, then you’ll love Sadie.
Last week, we revealed the (frankly, gorgeous) cover of Once Upon a Name, the upcoming collection of fantasy short stories that I’ll be publishing alongside nineteen fellow authors in April 2022.
Today, I want to introduce the main character of my story, Baroness of Blood and Bone.
Meet Tullia Artfulbeau, Baroness of the Northern Wolves.
Tullia Artfulbeau is the alpha of the Northern Wolves, a pack of shifters who rule the Ancient City with an iron fist. Despite being the smallest pack in the city.
On the night of the Blood Moon, Tullia performs a ritual to find out the truth about her mother’s murder. With the help of the local vamp club owner, she’s able to uncover the mystery and reveal her mother’s true killer.
But will she be able to take her final revenge?
Find out on 20 April 2022 when Once Upon a Name comes out!
What do you think of Tullia? Are you excited to read the full story next year? I’ll be revealing more snippets and introducing some other characters over the next few months, so slip on your leather jacket and hop on your motorbike and get ready to ride into the Ancient City.
Lyndsey Hall | Author 