Roberta Reads

A Head Full of Magic by Sarah Morrell:   Fleur is used to balancing her two different cultures - from her English Mum to her West Indian Nan - but when she discovers that she can talk to animals she finds herself in a whole new world! Can her new powers help her take down Celeste 'The Best' the hockey-loving, ankle-smashing new girl, once and for all? My Review: 4 out of 5 Stars Sarah Morrell is a new author to me, but the cover and description looked fun, so I thought I’d give it a go. I liked Fleur and her family very much. Fleur is a determined girl and gets on with things, even when life is very much not going her way. Her mum obviously works very hard to keep the family together. I enjoyed the story very much. Fleur has a tricky time, with magic popping up unexpectedly, and her friends abandoning her. I felt like the plot of this book is very much the beginning of a longer story, so I really hope there will be a sequel. Sir Barclay adds a nice touch of humour to the book,...

Seed by Caryl Lewis My rating: 5 of 5 stars Caryl Lewis is another new author for me. I could not resist the amazing cover! I really loved this story. The characters are great. They’re all well-rounded and feel real. They all have their difficulties, but they work to overcome them. I loved the plot, it’s like a modern day fairy tale. It’s so unexpected, and slightly crazy, but utterly brilliant. I can’t really say much more without spoilers, so you’ll have to read it to find out! Oh, and the illustrations are marvellous. I especially love the one of the shed at the beginning of each chapter. Overall, this was a brilliant story that was just so much fun. It reminds us all to keep believing in ourselves. I’ll certainly be looking out for more books from this author. I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own. View all my reviews

The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra My rating: 5 of 5 stars I was attracted to this book by the cover and title. I love murder mysteries, and the setting of 1920s India is one I’ve not read before. I really enjoyed Kaveri’s character. She is very determined, and becomes more confident as the plot moves along. I loved the evolving relationship between her and Ramu, how he supports her, but also tries to stop her from getting hurt. I liked the descriptions of the clothing, particularly when Kaveri adjusts her sari. Somehow it made me feel very present in the story. The settings come across well, there’s enough description to visualise them, without at all pulling back from the story. The plot is well constructed, a really interesting mystery where I wasn’t sure of the culprit until quite near the end. The only thing I didn’t like, was the prologue. It doesn’t seem to have any bearing on the current book, I would call it more an epilogue that hints at th...