Bearmouth: WINNER OF WATERSTONES CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE 2020 OLDER READERS CATEGORY

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I am a big YA fan, and even more so i am a fan of when YA doesn't feel like typical YA that people expect. I like them when they are a bit darker and quite bold, well this one did not let me down at all! this for me just feels like such a breathe of fresh air and such a huge deal, i hope this book gets the love and attention it deserves, because it really does have everything it needs to be on the bookshelves next to some of the YA big popular books that are much loved by many. I don't know if it was because of the writing style, or if it just happened this way, but I had a bit of a hard time connecting to the characters. I absolutely felt sympathetic toward them, but beyond being in really a really horrible situation, I didn't know much else about them. What a magnificent and beautifully inspiring book this was! I devoured it in only a couple of sittings it was THAT gripping. It is a mixture of historical fiction and magical realism with interesting and engaging characters and is highly compelling. Will these women be able to stand up to such scrutiny from both the outside world and this man who cannot help but be drawn to such heavenly beings?

I see that some people love this book but it is not for me and I think the synopsis needs rewriting to make it more accurate and it definitely needs Content Warnings.I’m left with this thought that gets me right here *pounds fist into heart area* - is it really STILL so scandalous that a woman can have the audacity to grow a pair of powerful wings and set herself free?

Bearmouth". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. There are some very emotional scenes that are described poignantly that made my heart break. It has a haunting and tense atmosphere throughout and the Victorian period is described and captured perfectly. It was a joy to read and I was so sad when it came to an end. I would love to revisit so many of these characters again. Bristol, 1896. Used to scraping a living as the young assistant to an ageing con artist, Cecily Marsden's life is turned upside down when her master suddenly dies. Believing herself to blame, could young Cec somehow have powers she little understands? I’m editing Bearmouth for publication with the brilliant Pushkin Press, which is very exciting, but I’m also researching the next book and brainstorming ideas for TV and film. Lots going on! Liz has written this piece for Teen Librarian, about the importance of rebellion and asking questionsIt’s better [laughs]. It’s the first book that I wrote truly from my heart and I think that’s made the difference. When I started, though, I thought it would never get published, because it’s so strange – in terms of the dialect and the setting. And I still think it’s quite a Marmite book. I really prepared myself for the haters, but what I hadn’t taken into account was people really loving it. There are a few highly triggering scenes concerning dogs. While a couple of these scenes might have been essential to detail the nature of that specific character, the rest felt forced in. This might be traumatising for sensitive animal lovers, so proceed with caution. I had to zoom through those sections because it was too much for me, but I also didn’t want to keep the book aside. Furthermore, there are dark scenes connected to the medical procedures of those times. My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Gifts”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Our first encounter with Newt was intriguing. We are told, very early on, that Newt is 'not a boy nor yet a wimmin' and though this becomes important later, it is their life in the Bearmouth mine that grips us. Newt has worked in the mine for many years, and is looked after by his team. There's a grim sense of camaraderie to the team as they risk their lives on a daily basis to dig for coal, and to earn a living for others. But also hard hitting and poignant, makes you think about some very serious issues including abuse, coercive control, the role of women in society and more besides.You were joint winner of the Emerging Writer Award this year. Silly question, I’m sure, but how did that make you feel? There’s nothing like a dose of darkness and claustrophobia to give a story intensity, and Liz Hyder’s excellent fantasy debut has plenty of both. We learn early on that its young protagonist Newt Coombes last saw daylight at the tender age of four. In the years since then, Newt has worked in the labyrinthine coalmine of the title, ruthlessly exploited in appalling conditions and a virtual prisoner for life. Since then I have been down lots of other mines — coal and slate – read numerous books on the subject, listened to and sung old miner’s songs and read many first-hand accounts from child miners in the early 1840s. What I learnt was horrifying. Children from the age of four working 12—hour days, six days a week. Children with sores on their heads and legs from dragging and pulling heavy loads, children whose bodies were twisted out of shape from their work, children who fell asleep into their food on a Sunday because they were so tired. Children killed in explosions, crushed to death, drowned or suffocated. It’s an interesting world Hyder’s set up, and a unique style she’s written it in. Bearmouth is a mine, where men and boys are forced to live, work and sleep in exchange for measly wages that barely cover their living costs. I come from an area with a very strong mining heritage, so it was interesting to see that used as a YA premise!