Hey everyone!
Today, I will be sharing my review for BBNYA 2022 WINNER Toby and the Silver Blood Witches by Sally Doherty, as part of the BBNYA finalist tour. A huge congratulations to Sally!
Book Blurb:
A sinister plot. A hidden city in the sky. A boy with an impossible choice.
Twelve year old Toby has little time for friends or football since his mum fell ill. All he wants is to stay at home and keep an eye on her.
But mysterious things are happening beyond his garden hedge. Who is the figure at the window behind the barbed wire fence? And why is there a strange woman in his attic with a broken broom and bothersome pet bat?
Toby becomes entangled in an adventure of flying dogs, sparking hiccups and dangerous escapes. An innocent, young witch has been captured by a secretive organisation which will stop at nothing to find out how magic works. Toby must rescue her and time is running out.
My Review:
The final round of BBNYA 2022 was the only round that I was allocated Toby and the Silver Blood Witches, but I’m so glad I was, because I loved it!
The story begins with Toby, a young carer for his bedridden mum who has M.E. His life revolves around his mum, and his social life is almost non-existent. Also, his home situation is causing him to be bullied at school. Toby has been noticing odd things happening in the very secretive building just beyond his garden hedge, and one day, Toby stumbles across something, or more accurately SOMEONE, very unusual in his attic who will change his life forever. From the very beginning, this book is mysterious, adventurous, and a joy to read. I very quickly settled in to the story and was immersed in to it’s world.
There were a bunch of fantastic characters in this story, and Witch Bumble was definitely a favourite of mine. She’s eccentric, but I absolutely love that about her! Who wants to be normal anyway, right? And Toby is such a sweetheart who is willing to do anything he can to help people. He’s brave, caring, and I was rooting for him from the beginning.
The inclusion of Toby’s mother’s chronic illness was very well written, and clearly the author has used her personal experience to make it more realistic. It’s definitely something I would like to see more rep of in general, because it’s very rare. My mum has M.E, so I’ve seen first hand how awful chronic illness is, and I think it’s important to make others more aware of it.
The story builds steadily throughout the book, leading to the final few chapters which have an intensity that I hadn’t been expecting. It certainly keeps you on the edge of your seat. I also felt that it was a brilliant way to end the story but also get you ready for the next book.
This is such a fun middle grade full of magic, that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, but it also includes important topics to discuss too. I will 100% be reading this with my daughter, and I am already desperate to read book two. A very worthy winner of the competition.
I give Toby and the Silver Blood Witches a 4.5 star rating!
About The Author:
Sally Doherty lives in leafy Surrey with her husband and three-legged (but speedy) rescue dog. After studying French and German at university, she worked for a year in London before unexpectedly falling ill with M.E.
Being stuck at home and often in bed for sixteen years, however, has lit a cauldron of stories bubbling inside her imagination.
Sally’s debut book and the first in a trilogy, TOBY AND THE SILVER BLOOD WITCHES, was a finalist for The Wishing Shelf Awards 2021 and shortlisted for both The Selfies and The Rubery Book Awards 2022.
YOU CAN FIND SALLY HERE:
Website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, GoodReads
Bookmarks:
For the 2022 prizes, each finalist received 12 custom bookmarks made by me!
Here’s a little peek at the ones I made for Toby and the Silver Blood Witches:
YOU CAN FIND MY ETSY STORE HERE!
About BBNYA:
BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner. If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.
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Congratulations to Sally Doherty for winning BBNYA 2022 with “Toby and the Silver Blood Witches”! Your review has me intrigued. Toby’s caring nature and the inclusion of his mother’s chronic illness add depth to the story. I’m curious to know how the author balances the magical elements with the important topics introduced. Did the book provide a good platform for discussing those topics with your daughter? And how did the intensity in the final chapters impact your overall reading experience? Looking forward to your thoughts!
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Loved your review and completely agree with your observations. 🙂
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