At the Bottom of the Garden by Camilla Bruce

Good morning, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the Random Things blog tour for Camilla Bruce's latest, At the Bottom of the Garden.

Clara never wanted children. And she's never even met her half-brother's two daughters. But then their parents die on K2, it turns out that Clara is the girls' only living relative. Not that she's all that interested in them. Rather, the stipend of their fortune that was to be allocated to their education and care. After all, she herself had not inherited anything from her own mother. It all went to her brother. And she has big plans that may finally be realized. 

Lily and Violet aren't thrilled about the situation either. It's just until Lily is of age and they can live on their own. Until then, they need Clara. Lily can see when someone is lying. And Aunt Clara is surrounded by a lying lime green. 

Violet has her own ability. She can see the dead. All of the animals preserved throughout Aunt Clara's house. An old lady lives in the dining room. And a scary man lives at the bottom of the garden. 

Ha! With three narrators, readers get treated to a full story from the start, even if certain things are only hinted at in the beginning. 

Clara is no good. She tries to pawn the girls off immediately and only changes her mind when she realizes she can get money out of taking them on. And thus her scheme begins. 

But Violet and Iris aren't fools. And Violet especially is suspicious of Clara from the first meeting. 

This is 100% witchy gothic fiction that could easily be set in Victorian England. And yet, it's set in the 70s! Which I think is a fabulous twist! I'm a sucker for a 70's setting anyway but when you throw gothic tropes in the mix, I love it even more!

Camilla Bruce is a jack of all trades as far as I'm concerned. Her range of subjects and settings is wide and new to her readers will love kicking off their reading with this latest! I absolutely love Violet and Iris and Violet's unique abilities in particular.

At the Bottom of the Garden is out now! Quick shout out for the audio narrated by Suzanne Barbetta, Brittany Pressley, and Cassandra Morris—it's fabulous!

Into Thin Air by Ørjan Karlsson

It feels like Monday but it's really Tuesday, everyone! And today I'm a stop on the Random Things tour for Ørjan Karlsson's debut, Into Thin Air, the first in the new Jakob Weber series!

Things can be fairly quiet in Bodø and when teenager Iselin Hanssen disappears, the obvious suspect is her boyfriend, Casper. Open and shut. 

Except that it's not. Another woman goes missing soon after and Jakob Weber, Chief Investigator, notes the similarities not only to Iselin's case but to a string of older ones as well. 

Ooh I do love a new Scandi Crime/Nordic Noir series! The setting alone makes the sub-genre appealing to me as they usually become a character unto themselves. Into Thin Air is no exception as Bodø and other surrounding areas play such a huge role in the plot. (Not just as places where the bodies are found.)

Jakob is a great main character. An officer in a small region where he started on as a temporary position. He's a widower with a Jack Russell Terrier as his companion. 

I also love, love, love when cold cases are part of the plot! There's something so appealing about the potential for justice to play out years down the line, when everyone else has given up. 

This was perfect timing for the read as well, considering we've been hit by winter weather. I hate winter, so cozying up inside with a good book is usually my preferred way to spend the time. Even better that the weather isn't as inclement as the setting's norm!

This is another fantastic release from Orenda! And another series I'll be keeping my eye on! 

Into Thin Air is out now in the UK from Orenda books and will be out in the US in June. Huge thanks to Random Things Tours for asking me to participate!

The Axeman's Carnival by Catherine Chidgey

Happy Friday, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the Random Things tour for Catherine Chidgey's The Axeman's Carnival. 

Tama is just a chick when Marnie rescues him. She sang to him. She kept him warm in a box. A magpie, fallen from the nest. A magpie that lives and witnesses Marnie's marriage and life. A magpie who is the narrator of our story. 

But Tama isn't just the narrator. He's also the star. A bit. A bird that learns to speak. Marnie and Rob profit off of it and for a while, Rob is split: one person behind closed doors, who yells and leaves marks on Marnie. Another person when the world is watching. 

At times funny and at times sorrowful, The Axeman's Carnival is a a unique story with a beloved bird that carries us through. 

Tama reminds me a bit of the narrator in Kira Jane Buxton's Hollow Kingdom and Feral Creatures. But where those are set during a zombie apocalypse, Chidgey's novel is set on a modern-day farm. No zombies, but there is a monster. And Tama is a fun character: one who struggles considering he doesn't fit with the other magpies anymore. His father warns him. His sister warns him. But Marnie has become a surrogate mother in the absence of his own. 

And Rob doesn't like it. Even when they begin to profit off of Tama, Rob still doesn't like it. 

They say dogs are man's best friend. Here it's a magpie and he's woman's best friend!

This is a book that first crossed my reading path this fall. People were raving about it and I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. They weren't wrong! Chidgey, a New Zealander, is an award winning author in her home country. I'm so glad that her work is being spread through the wider world! 

Huge thanks to Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part!

The Axeman's Carnival is now available in the UK and the US. Order a copy from Bookshop.org and support your favorite indie bookstore!