Marea has been raised in a whorehouse, although she spends most of her time hidden in the cellar, her mother and the other whores cherish and love her. Marea's childhood is filled with fairy stories, but as she gets older she begins to feel confined and wants to explore more of the world. Her mother, Leman, tells her about her visit to the City of Murmurs where she met Marea's father, a mysterious birdman, who vanished and whom Leman spent months trying to find. On her eighteenth birthday Marea decides to leave the whorehouse to undertake an adventure inspired by her beloved fairy tales and to find her father. Most of the darker moments are more to do with Marea's self-loathing than any outside agency. She finds true friendship, love and in the end accepts herself. The pace of the story is measured, but not slow, Beth Cartwright's descriptions envelope you, you can smell the flowers and the rain and you are drawn into the character's lives. Feathertide is a vibrant, sparkling fairytale.

Beautifully written story capturing the visuality of your imagination. Words tumble off the page and lead you into a world of fantasy that has been hiding unrealised in the back of your own mind. The magical world is only a slight distortion on reality making you believe wholeheartedly in the journey and experiences. Highly recommended for an enchanting escape that you won’t want to leave.

This is a really immersive, unusual and whimsical read. It's hard to label, but maybe that's the point and just like the protagonist, the story is different and unique. The language is exquisite and deeply lyrical. If you want more action over description then it may not be for you, but it suits my tastes perfectly and I enjoyed every single word. I would recommend this for poetry lovers and anyone who likes to slowly absorb beautiful imagery. This isn't one to race through - you have to let yourself disappear into the magical world.

I really enjoyed this book, it was so magical and I wanted to keep on reading right to the end.

This book had me hooked from the start and I just could not stop reading. Such beautiful prose and so imaginative a tale weave a magical spell from start to finish. This book is incredibly unique and a joy to read. I cannot wait to read Beth Cartwright’s next book.