Here is a story with an atmospheric and captivating setting complete with a whole wealth of characters of interest. It begins with a heavy storm resulting in an arrival of a strange creature into the life of our protagonist, Cassie Engel. As Cassie enlists the help of her best friend Raphael she becomes aware of a predator and feels uneasy about what will happen next. The story is set in 1900 in the Bavarian Forest and the home of Cassie is complex and fascinating and integral to the story. Lucy Hope descriptions and attention to details of the setting and characters really help you to visually imagine everything and be captivated by what will happen next. I really liked that it was not predictable and it felt at times a mythical story and also like a modern fairy story albeit set in 1900. It is not like anything I have read before but f you like Harry Potter you would like this!

There have been some astonishing debut titles this year, and none – perhaps – more astonishing than this title by new author Lucy Hope. With a cover and a blurb that reveal enough to hook in the reader but give away so very little of the mysterious, dark nature of this story, it is a read unlike any other, with twists and turns which were so surprising that they made me audibly gasp as I encountered them. Our story opens in 1900, close to the Bavarian town of Edenburg, in a house perched upon a tall rock and built by the narrator Cassie’s great-grandfather Walter Engel. A keen inventor, the mechanical winch system he constructed to allow access to the house has since been replaced by the much safer helter-skelter-like road now winding its way around the rock after being blasted out by her grandfather. But the road has not been used by the house’s latest visitor – a strange creature blown into Cassie’s bedroom during a heavy rainstorm. Showing the creature to her friend Raphael when he comes to visit, he tells her that it is a cherub and they go to investigate the books in the house’s library to try to find out how best to care for her. As they do so, Raphael warns Cassie that they will need to be careful not to let anyone see the cherub as someone or something might be looking for her. Before they find what they are looking for though, Cassie’s mother summons her urgently to her room and places several demands on her that Cassie believes to be entirely unreasonable and refuses to agree to. After arguing with her mother, Cassie returns to Raphael and they turn their attention back to the cherub and vow to do all they can to keep her safe. But they will have an enormous battle on their hands because dark forces are gathering which will do all they can to stop them. With neither of her parents seemingly interested in her, Cassie vows to protect the angelic being but as more and more peculiar things start to occur around her, she will need to work out not just what to do, but in whom can she place her trust when she needs help to do so. An only child, Cassie’s parents appear to be entirely wrapped up in their own interests – her mother is a self-centred opera singer and her father’s existence revolves almost entirely around his amateur attempts at taxidermy. With her beloved grandmother terminally ill and bed bound, Cassie’s closest ally is Raphael, to whom she immediately turns when she finds the cherub. As she learns more about the creature, she also starts to learn more about her friend, and her family past and present, with the result that the more information she uncovers, the less confident she feels in her surroundings and the more unsure the reader is as to what is going on and what is about to happen. Underpinning this feeling of uncertainty are the details of Cassie’s life which to her are so very ordinary but to us so very strange. Whether you approve of taxidermy or not, the idea of dead animals not quite preserved in a true-to-life way is quite unsettling and gives the story a deep sense of things not being what they outwardly appear to be. This, together with the sudden appearance of the cherub, which leads to the questions of how and why it is there, makes it very hard to put the book down because as you continue through the story, so much of it is entirely unexpected. I guess you could argue that that is how it should be in any story, but here – when the plot heads in directions that I certainly didn’t see coming – it serves to underline the difference between a good story and an incredible one. And incredible this most certainly is. Suitable for confident readers in Year 5 upwards, it is one that will hold a great many readers spellbound due to its gripping plot and wonderfully drawn protagonist, and I absolutely loved it. Huge thanks must go to publisher Nosy Crow and to Net Galley for my advance read ahead of publication on November 4th. A heavenly 5 out of 5 stars.

I wasn't sure what I'd think of this one, it's more fantasy than I'd usually go for but I devoured this. Cassie Engel lives in a strange house that holds an opera singer, a host of taxidermy owls and secrets around every turn. When a cherub flies through her window one night, it's the start of something, Cassie just needs to work out what. The storytelling in this book is absolutely impeccable. You're immediately drawn into a half familiar world with so many unfamiliar things... houses built on huge rocks with platforms that whiz up and down the house, an owlery, a rooftop conservatory with a retractable roof and a lone opera singer who spends her time practicing up there. You'll be totally absorbed by this new world, the cherub and the characters as they change and morph througout the book. Highly recommend if you're after something a little different from the norm

It is 1900, one stormy night something bowls through the window of Cassie's bedroom, when she picks it up she finds its a little cherub. She can't understand why it's there but she loves and nurtures it, then her best friend Raphael starts to change, strange feathers start bursting through his back. With an eccentric father, a dismissive, opera singer mother and a very sick bed bound grandmother Cassie pretty much has to sort out all these problems herself. The Sturmfalke are drawing closer as the time for the "Rising" draws near. Cassie is scared, terrified she will lose her family and friend against an evil as old as time itself. She has to fight and struggle hard to hold onto everyone she loves but will it be enough against such dark powers? Only time will tell... This was absolutely fantastic, I loved it, pure fantasy, history, myth all rolled into one with great characters and a dash of humour. If this is a debut I'm looking forward to this lady's next novel. Billed as a YA this transcends age barriers just as great stories always do and can be enjoyed by anyone.

What a debut! Lucy Hope's 'Fledgling' is a phenomenal accomplishment: atmospheric, otherworldly and beautiful. Like a Gothic fairy-tale or a rapturous fever-dream, it takes flight and soars with twists and turns that will mesmerise, horrify and delight. Suitable for upper Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 readers. Cassie Engel lives a large, old house atop a rock, surrounded by Bavarian forest. Her mother is reclusive, singing opera into the night. Her father is a taxidermist, tending to rooms full of stuff owls and other creatures. One night a cherub blows through Cassie's window, heralding the beginning of a series of strange and sinister events. Dark birds are gathering. Her best friend isn't all has he seems. And the more Cassie investigates, the more she learns about her family's secret history. When I received my proof copy of this marvellous book I had no idea what to expect. Once I started reading I was totally absorbed and surprised. Lucy Hope creates a rare dream-like atmosphere - feet on the earth and imaginative wings straining to the celestial. It's beautifully eerie. Comparisons have been made to Frances Hardinge, but I'd also add HS Norup and Lucy Strange (I can't help imagining a Hope and Strange collaboration). 'Fledgling' is a totally gripping read with mysteries that unfurl and then dazzle. Without giving too much away, there are angels, horrific dark birds, strange ancient Guardians, a cherub, mechanical contraptions and creepy stuffed owls. Everything connects, in surreal fashion, with an ending that is horrifically tense, unexpected and tinged with sadness. This is quite unlike anything you will read - it's Skellig re-imagined by Mary Shelley or the Brothers Grimm.  Lucy Hope is a brilliant new children's author - a fledgling who is already reaching for the stars. Stunning!