An inspiring novel that is both well crafted and exquisite.

Beth Cartwright’s debut novel Feathertide is an enchanting tale of one young girl’s quest to find the father she’s never known. From the moment I saw the brilliant gold bird, with feathers falling, flying above the jade-green flick of a mermaid’s tail amid the sea-foam and rolling waves on the cover, I knew I had to read Feathertide. It’s every bit as captivating as those beautiful covers suggest. Beth Cartwright’s writing cast a spell over me from the opening sentence, filling my head with Marea’s wistful voice and quickly reeling me in to her unusual world. I was utterly entranced for 400+ pages, until I turned the last page, blinking and feeling slightly drowsy, as if waking from a strange but wonderful dream. Marea’s world feels close to ours yet other, some of it almost familiar or even recognisable in places, yet still clearly of a different time. It’s one where a girl can be born with feathers, or webbed hands and feet; when circus acts were found among those born different or willing to pretend that they were; when people’s belief rests in reading fortunes and healing remedies; where time can be re-set twice a day but still wasted; where places and their people have spell-like names, almost as if to conjure them into being, such as the Cities of Water and Murmurs or the Island of Mist, and people reach these strange and distant lands by taking passage on a sailing ship over weeks and months, or those places find their way to you with a change in the weather. Even Marea is different; she is, after all, a girl born with feathers. One who grows up hidden away in the cellar of a house on the edge of a fishing port, rarely venturing into the town itself. When she stumbles upon the visiting circus one day, she sees how otherness is treated by the townsfolk. As good as her personal tutor Professor Elms is, he doesn’t have all the answers Marea seeks, and she clearly can’t stay hidden away in the cellar forever, so eventually she leaves her known world behind and sets sail in search of answers and the father she’s never known. It’s a voyage that takes her far from home and everyone she knows and loves; I felt her loss keenly and hoped she would find answers or something to make it all worthwhile. I don’t want to give too much more away; Feathertide is the kind of book you need to venture into and discover for yourself, alongside Marea. Let Beth Cartwright’s spellbinding writing weave its way into your bookish heart and wrap around you like the sea mist that envelops the City of Murmurs. I can understand why people want to bottle it, although personally, I’d never unstopper mine. Beth Cartwright’s debut novel Feathertide is an enchanting, bittersweet fairytale of a story about a young girl’s quest to find her father. It’s one which takes her far from home, across the seas to a sinking city, a place peopled with remarkable characters, where she’ll experience love and loss but also find kindness and acceptance. Marea ends up discovering so much more than she even knew she’d gone looking for on her travels, and I urge you to embark upon the magical journey of discovery that is Feathertide with her.

Magical read. Hooked from page one.

Not my usual genre of book but the front cover of this book caught my eye on the shelf and after reading the synopsis I subsequently bought Feathertide. What a wonderful dream-like read. From the first page I was drawn into Beth Cartwright's world, and thoroughly enjoyed every page. What a fabulous debut novel.

Feathertide is the stunning debut novel from Beth Cartwright. A magical fantasy book, this reads like a fairytale for adults, and deals with some important contemporary issues. Maréa was born with feathers on her back and shoulders, a feature she keeps hidden under a cloak in fear of being different. After eighteen years of hardly ever going outside she decides to go the City of Murmers to find her father. A place of mystery and magic, where it seems anything is possible, Maréa finds more than she bargained for. The cover of Feathertide is beautiful, the way the light captures the gold and parts of the sea and the story is as beautiful as it’s cover. Maréa is a warm and wonderful character whose story I loved reading, as she grew in age and wisdom, and learned to spread her wings, literally. Brought up in a whorehouse, Maréa had an intersting start in life, but one that was filled with love, not just from her mother but also from the other girls. Protected from the outside world by her mother who worried what people would say and that she might be taken away, Maréa’s eyes are opened by Professor Elms, who teaches her about the outside world. At eighteen she escapes the confines of the cellar and travels to the City of Murmers. This journey is both a physical and spiritual experience for Meréa as she escapes the confines of her old life into a new awakening, a place where she can learn to be herself, grow and follow her dreams, and be accepted for who she is. Beth Cartwright’s writes such enchanting and poetic prose that captures the ethereal and magical nature of the story. The imagery is brought to life by some beautiful similies and metaphors, painting a colourful landscape of the City of Murmers, and those who reside in it. This is a magical city where mist can be captured in a jar to heal heartbreak, where mermaids live in the canals and Sybil the prophetess can read you future. The landscape of the city, with the canals, decorative squares, alleyways, the churches and towers reminded me of Venice, one of my favourite cities; there was even a masquerade ball. The diversity of the city opens up the debate about being different, bring accepted for who and what you are, showing your true self without fear of being ridiculed, issues very much a part of today’s society. Feathertide is a wow book for me, I totally lost myself in it and really didn’t want it to end; I wanted to see what Maréa did next. The writng was just beautiful, captivating and enchanting me, drawining me into this magical city and Maréa’s story. I thought the message of acceptance, self-esteem and difference was brilliantly dealt with within the plot, and threaded naturally into Maréa’s story. I have to say the magical, fantasy genre is fast becoming a favourite for me and one I wish I had found years ago, but Im enjoying finding lots of new books to read. Feathertide is a stunning example of this genre, and one I can’t recommend highly enough, with memorable characters you care about, magical and beautiful locations and a story line I was enchanted by. Absolutley amazing and I can’t wait to read Beth Cartwright’s next book.