The Gifts

I just finished The Gifts By Liz Hyder @londonbessie and here are my musings

It's Autumn in 1840 and four seemingly unrelated women break from their mundane early prisons into something ethereal.

Wings spring from their backs as they come to terms with their pull from God. The whole of London is buzzing with the rumors of a fallen angel.

A young Doctor's obsession with the women put their lives into mortal danger. Where do you draw the line when it comes to science and learning the truth?

This book was pretty sensational. The writing was exceptional and clever with some beautiful descriptive prose. The book was fairly slow but the story building was vaste and was worth the wait. I found the idea of the different POV of the women to be refreshing and well researched but had a slight detached feel to them. I felt like an observer watching from above and usually I hate books that do this to me but this worked really well. I felt like a scientist studying something phenomenal. I imagine that is how Edward felt when he first discovered the existence of the angels. I know Edward is intended to be this kind of vaudeville villain but I kind of understood where he was coming from.

The plot was really quite original and I loved how well blended the historical fiction was with the fantasy elements. I would have loved the book to have moved a little quicker but that is just my preference.

I think overall the book was complex with its storyline and could have been structured a little better but I loved every minute of the book.

4.5 stars Thank you to @sourcebooks for my gifted copy! OUT NOW

My dog died whilst reading this, and the dog in this and my dog shared the same name so rip I can't

''The wind is fierce up on the banks of the steep and uneven hill known as Brown Clee. It blows all the thoughts around Etta's head as she stops for a moment near the old earthworks at Nordy Bank to catch her breath on the ascent. She closes her eyes for a moment, feels the wind rushing around her, roaring in her ears. She thinks of all the other people in past times who have trodden this same route, this same path, smelt the same damp earth of autumn and felt the wind scouring their faces.'‘

An excellent fusion of Historical Fiction and Magical Realism as London becomes the city of ‘‘fallen'' angels. Through the eyes of four women, we witness a tale of avarice, cruel ambition, and obsession. Yet, the flame of hope burns brighter and brighter when myths come alive.

One of the most exciting novels I've read this year.

P.S. I adore Mary and Richard. I demand volumes and volumes dedicated to their adventures.😊

''I am the breath in the soaring wind, the heartbeat in the thunder. I am the hills and the holloways, the meres and the mosses, the fields and the ferns.''