Sigh - I know the series is #IAmWolf - honestly I do 🤐 hiding behind my desk now

A black dragon lit by yellow light rears up across the cover against a vivid green background. It is looking to the right, with teeth exposed and claws ready to strike. The title in a printer-inked font, is yellow, and aligned to the right of the cover. The tag line at the top and the authors name at the bottom are in a white font. The red Nosy Crow logo is in the bottom right corner.

OOH long awaited #WeAreDragon by @alastairc.com is a cracking finale in the #IAmRaven series
Corrupt AI ✔️
Brainwashed People ✔️
Feisty Heroes ✔️
A Flight of Dragons ✔️
Swarms of Wild Ants ✔️
= a ton of adventure

Thanks @netgalley.bsky.social @nosycrow.bsky.social

A red circle sits in the centre of a bright pink background. Yellow text pops at you with the title, author and translator, across the centre and bottom of the image. Six tiny figures with long shadows stand or walk across the circle, above and below the title. The shadow of one figure in the centre, just underneath the title, turns into a drop of blood and runs down the cover.

#TheFinalSix by #AkinariAsakura are candidates for a prestigious job. Surviving a gruelling recruitment, the final task is to nominate the winner. But, at least one of the six is a liar, a manipulator and will stop of nothing to get their dream job...
Superbly dark 😟
Thanks @netgalley.bsky.social

The cover is divided horizontally into 3 sections. At the top are portraits of James I/VI and John Knox, facing away from each other, James looks you in the eye but Knox is looking away. In the centre is the title and subtitle. The image in the lowest part of the book cover is a group of witches drinking at a table with devils. The author's name sits across the bottom. The overall colour palette is dark greys and cream, with an occasional red tone.

#AHistoryOfScottishWitches by #MaryWCraig -
Fascinating Horrendous Illuminating.

Discover what could have caused 3837 Scots to be accused of witchcraft - politics? religion? superstition? What made Scotland so susceptible to the Devil?
Thanks @penandswordbooks.bsky.social and @netgalley.bsky.social

A blood red cover, silhouetted figures climb a frame that is surrounded by bare trees. More figures cluster below the frame, which forms a strong diagonal from the bottom right to the top left of the image. The title in large bold white capitals covers the frame and the tag line in white is positioned to the top right. The authors name in black lies beneath the frame in a white spotlight, next to a character with a red shadow crawling uphill to the frame.

#ToTheDeath by @melliver.bsky.social is a gory #BattleRoyale for fans of survival fiction with a slice of reality TV
Island ✔️
Zombies ✔️
Cash Prize ✔️
Survival ✔️
Marginalised Islanders ✔️
Fight to the Death ✔️
Corrupt Broadcasters ✔️
= Screams, Betrayal, Death and an excellent read!

A dark green planet in the black darkness of space is lit from above. Across the orb a meteorite? falls diagonally from top right to bottom left, leaving a green trial behind it. The title in white text is centred in front of the planet and meteor. The authors name is in a large bold white text at the top and additional text and tagline at the top and bottom are in the same planetary green.

Oh My Stars #PiperAtTheGatesOfDust by @patricknessbooks.bsky.social is an epic addition to the #ChaosWalking series, set a generation later.
New threats, a cure for The Noise and old grudges combine in this emotional, gripping-the-page-with-tension, rollercoaster.

Thanks @netgalley.bsky.social

A bright yellow background is a bold contrast with the central image, which is predominantly in blue, red and white. A white banner ribbons across the page, with the title in red and white (on the banner's blue reverse side). Images are tucked into and around the banner: the Statue of Liberty, the American flag, a baseball, a First Nation totem, Route 66 logo, the White House and six stars.

A 'Granny Smith's' apple shade of green is the background colour. A large off-centre white circle shows the title, under which is a yellow ochre strip that divides the page horizontally at a slight angle. This shows the tag line. These are surrounded by cartoon hands, of varying tones and sleeve colours, which point upwards. One hand is pointing to text on a screen. Speech bubbles, a pencil, quotation marks, a loud speaker and an ear all contribute to the communication theme.

❤️ #BookPost
Recent additions to my TBR pile include
#AmericaAsItHappened by @whatonearth.bsky.social
and #HowToSpeakAndBeHeard by #SamHutchinson

Great to be getting some non-fiction ❤️
Thanks to @youthlibrarygroup.bsky.social

A raspberry coloured cover with bold yellow writing for the title across the top half of the image and the tag line in white below. The title is surrounded by 3 quotes in white and yellow text. The bottom half shows 5 matches which are lined up, they are all burnt almost halfway down. To the right is a match that has not been struck but has broken in half - the sixth match failed to strike? The authors name is below the matches in large white text.

I listened to #SixStrikes by @antoniagrave.bsky.social - the narration has the perfect 'matter of fact' tone for Maddie -
unrepentant serial killer/ saviour as she hunts down the 'Manchester Maniac'

Loved every bit of it.

Thanks @netgalley.bsky.social @harpercollins.bsky.social

The colour palette is very calming; a buttercup yellow sunset/sunrise is reflected onto a pond surrounded by golden rushes on blue ground. Snow covers the opposite bank, trees and two houses are in the distance; one house is a small cottage with stone walls, the other is a grand mansion with many rooms, and in it's own grounds. Swans fill the skies and the pond. A young figure is silhouetted at the pond, his back to the reader. He is wearing a blue, green and red stripped bobble hat, a red backpack, trousers and a winter coat with a hood and a scarf. He is holding a pair of binoculars in one hand but he isn't looking through it. The title in gold foil across the top of the image is textured like bark, the authors name is just below the title in white font.

#Swanfall by #SophieKirtley connects majestic migrating swans, a young lad & a mysterious local legend. Expect some danger, anxiety, kidnap, quicksand & vanishing footprints in the snow...

A lovely & exciting read 🦢🦢🦢

Thanks
@kidsbloomsbury.bsky.social @youthlibrarygroup.bsky.social

Cover is a proof copy or advanced reading copy, so this will not be the finished cover for publication. The proof is a solid mid cornflower-blue, on the bottom third of the page is an illustration of the house with chicken legs. The house is running and being chased by Marinka, a young girl in a black dress, a long braid flows behind her as she runs after the house. There are chicken footprints across the bottom right and top left of the cover. The majority of the page is taken up with the authors name (in a block style font) and title of the book (in a flowing cursive font). There are stars around the title. The Usborne publisher's logo - a hot air balloon - is in the top right corner. All the words, footprints, logo and stars are in a gold foil. Some foiling is also on Marinka's dress and shoes and in the windows and stiped legs of the house.

Winter was a great time to cosy up with #TheHouseWithChickenLegsRunsAway by #SophieAnderson
The sequel is perfect as a magical adventure story or for gently supporting teens experiencing death, grief and moving on.
Thanks for the proof copy #UsbornePublishingLtd @youthlibrarygroup.bsky.social ❤️

Purple and red droplets of varying sizes sit on a black surface. The title 'Gone For Good' in white chalk is written in the centre, one word above the next. The lettering is smudged. Underneath in small purple capitals is the tagline 'Nothing can kill the truth...'. Stretching across the bottom edge of the image is the author, Sarah Crossan's name in bold white font. In the largest coloured drops we can see images, a red-haired girl running, trees in a forest, a fingerprint and a campfire, they are all in soft focus, vague, slightly hidden from view by reflections in the liquid.

#GoneForGood by #SarahCrossan is an unputdownable mystery. Sent to a brutal camp where rebellious & troubled teens are rehabilitated, Connie becomes obsessed with Belle, who recently vanished. Did she escape? Is she dead? Who is lying?
Thanks @simonandschuster.bsky.social and @netgalley.bsky.social

Display of LGBT+ books in the library. A pride flag is in the back ground.

Happy #LGBT+HistoryWeek 🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

Three children are running along a harbour wall, tall ships with masts and sails are in the water behind them. Two are boys in red shirts, braces and white trousers, which are tucked into stockings (socks) under the knee. They are dark skinned and their matching outfits look like a uniform, they look worried. The third is a girl with long blonde hair and white skin, she is wearing a pale blue dress with frills and ankle boots. Wooden barrels and boxes line the path, it is night and stars are visible, church towers are looming between the ships and birds fly in the sky. In the sky a pale silhouette looms, the character has a beard, and is wearing a top hat and overcoat.

Hurrah for #BookPost ❤️
#EscapeFromTheChildSnatchers by @sufiyaahmed.bsky.social

Is anyone else thinking #ChittyChittyBangBang goes to Sea?

Love the cover, I'm intrigued!

Thank you @andersenpress.bsky.social and @youthlibrarygroup.bsky.social

A young girl in a dress of snow and ice leaps across the cover against a mid blue background. Silver snowflakes fall around her and she reaches towards the title in a mid pink above her. The snowflakes are foiled so they sparkle when moved.

#IceDancer by @alexcotter.bsky.social is much darker than it looks. Dina ❤️s to skate, a link to Sasha, her sister who died. Like the ice she skates on, she's barely keeping things together, but a visit to her aunt changes everything.

Thanks @youthlibrarygroup.bsky.social @nosycrow.bsky.social

You are in a hole, it is shaped like a grave, you are looking up into a violet sky with a huge moon, black soil and tree roots are surrounding the hole. Two girls are looking down at you; one has dark hair in two long braids, she has dark skin and a lilac t-shirt on, she is reaching out to you but has a passive expression on her face. The other has long blond hair, untied, with white skin and a dark purple dress, her expression is watchful. Your hand is reaching out of the grave, you have dark pink nail varnish on all your fingers but not your thumb. Your hand is the largest image on the cover, there are big black cracks running across and down your hand and into your wrist and there are chunks of flesh missing. The title is written in glowing white and pale gold across the top, over the sky and the blond girl. The writing is large and takes up a third of the cover. The author's name is written along the bottom edge of the page in small white text.

#FuneralsAreForTheLiving by #SamiEllis was a powerful and disturbing read. Death, community, dark magic & a racist cult are brought together in this YA Horror. Junie has more than a fight for survival on her hands and her kidnappers have had more than a little practice...
@netgalley.bsky.social

So #SadGirlHours by @annazoequirke.bsky.social Loved the diversity, the heart and the friendships brought together in this dual narrative love story.
Saffron and Nell are soooooo cute and you find yourself cheerleading them along - pompoms ready to shake!
❤️🏳️‍🌈❤️
Thanks @littletigeruk.bsky.social

Dynamic tonal colour combinations are used to grab the attention. A young person (teenage? young adult?) with long dark hair stands on top of a dark blue/purple mound (hill?), in the background white clouds and a jade green forest is set in front of lilac mountains and a raspberry red and jade green swirling sky. The figure has raspberry red lighting coming from their fingertips, directed downwards and to the sides. Next to the figure, on the left is a howling wolf and two birds fly above, all in dark blue/purple. Behind the figure looms a large white polar bear, who is howling into the sky, facing right, a yellow crescent moon hangs in a starry sky in the top left corner. The figure is looking down, they are wearing lilac ankle boots and have a lilac shoulder bag with tassels. They are wearing a raspberry red torn t-shirt and dark blue/purple torn shorts. The polar bear and wolf are not attacking the figure, they appear to be companions.

A translucent pill takes up most of the image, set against a mid-blue background, patterned to look like bubbles. The pill is half full of a dark blue liquid, a figure in red stands waist-deep inside the pill. The figures' arms are raised towards the top of the pill, with hands splayed out, like they are resting on the walls of the pill. The title, across the top of the image, above the pill, looks like it has been sprayed on with a stencil, parts of the white paint is badly applied and the letters are rough looking and smudged. Paint drips from the letter C as if too much paint was sprayed at the stencil. The style jars with the title of the book - calm, as it looks very distressed. In contrast, the authors name, across the bottom of the image, under the pill, is in a clear white font. White letters can be seen on the edge of the pill, they are a combination of 3 letters and 3 numbers.

The colour palette is very calming; a buttercup yellow sunset/sunrise is reflected onto a pond surrounded by golden rushes on blue ground. Snow covers the opposite bank, trees and two houses are in the distance; one house is a small cottage with stone walls, the other is a grand mansion with many rooms, and in it's own grounds. Swans fill the skies and the pond. A young figure is silhouetted at the pond, his back to the reader. He is wearing a blue, green and red stripped bobble hat, a red backpack, trousers and a winter coat with a hood and a scarf. He is holding a pair of binoculars in one hand but he isn't looking through it. The title in gold foil across the top of the image is textured like bark, the authors name is just below the title in white font.

WHOOP!

Not one, not two but three delightful #BookPost parcels have arrived. How amazing do these look 👀😍❤️
#Calm
#TerraElectraTheGuarduansOfTheNorth
#Swanfall

Thank you @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social @troikabooks.bsky.social and @youthlibrarygroup.bsky.social
Now, which to read first? 🤔

📖 Power of School Libraries – Quote of the Week

A reminder that school libraries are where curiosity is nurtured, voices are heard, and learners truly belong.

Libraries matter. Librarians matter.

#PowerOfSchoolLibraries #SchoolLibraries #ReadingCommunities @cilip.bsky.social

In the dark blue shadows the silhouette of a girl is cast onto an old-fashioned staircase. Fog or smoke is coming down the stairs, an open book lies near the lowest step you can see, blood seeps from beneath it and is splattered on the open page. The girl is twisting her long hair with her right hand, in her left is a large knife. The colour palate is predominately shades of blue, with a quote in red at the bottom and the title in white chalkboard font across the image.

#KeepYourFriendsClose by #CynthiaMurray is a cracking murder mystery set in an elite boarding school. Expect betrayal, complicated relationships and questionable adults amid the growing body count! 🔪🔪🔪🩸

Thanks for the ARC
@penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social
and @youthlibrarygroup.bsky.social

A young girl in a dress of snow and ice leaps across the cover against a mid blue background. Silver snowflakes fall around her and she reaches towards the title in a mid pink above her.

Advanced reading copy (so not the final) cover. A girl in a gold dress and long dark pigtails chases the house with chicken legs as it runs across the bottom of the cover. The house is pale blue and has golden windows and gold stripy legs. Bird footprints cross the right bottom corner from centre to right and the top left corner from left to top centre. The title and author take up most of the cover and are surrounded by golden stars...

WHOOP! ❤️ #BookPost

Thanks to @nosycrow.bsky.social and #UsbornePublishingLtd for #IceDancer and #TheHouseWithChickenLegsRunsAway

Looking forward to some magical escapism over the holidays 🐓🏠 🏃‍♀️ ❄️🩰

On a bright red background, an alpaca with a red harness stands in the centre. On either side are two faces in close up, you can only see part of each face - just over half, so one eye and ear, a nose and mouth. One has dark short hair and the other is wearing a woolly hat with ear-flaps. They are looking at the alpaca, with worried expressions. Some objects in orange cartoony drawings surround these 3 images; including dotted lines with arrows, a welly boot, question marks and a compass.

#TheNotSoGreatEscape by #EmmaGreen is an action-packed road trip; funny and enchanting despite the darker themes of grief, anxiety and neglect. One crazy alpaca steals the show, getting them into all kinds of trouble!

Thanks #Usborne and @youthlibrarygroup.bsky.social for the ARC 😆

A cosy winter scene; the blue sky is bright with flakes of snow, a row of houses are in the distance with snow on their roofs and warm light coming from lit interiors. In the foreground to the right, on a snow-laden branch sits a magpie, holding a cracked red Christmas bauble. The magpie is prominent, it takes up a lot of the space in the image. The title in bold read takes centre place at the top of the image, just above the magpie's head. The author's name , is in a slightly darker red is placed at the centre bottom, beside the magpie's tail. Only the cracked bauble indicates that something bad may be about to happen.

#TheChristmasMagpie by @markedwardsauthor.bsky.social
was a total thrill to read.

New Home? Christmas? Are you ready for...

The Residents Association List of Do's and Don'ts ✔️
Nasty Gifts on the doorstep ✔️
Prison Breakout ✔️
Murder and Mayhem ✔️

Thanks @netgalley.bsky.social great fun!

A large grumpy-looking man in a Santa suit holds a blunted machete dripping with blood. The angle is set so you are looking up at him from below, like the point of view of a child or an adult looking at something much, much bigger. He stands in front of a red background, all the colours are dark tones, and distressed, he is scowling at you. There are leather bands across his chest, perhaps to hold more weapons.

#BelsnickelAWinterHorror by #JamesYates is a visceral, gory horror. Remote cabin holidaymakers in the Scottish Highlands are slaughtered by a savage winter spirit bent on restoring the world's imbalance on his terms.

Thanks @netgalley.bsky.social this was a brilliant, short and brutal read

The background is two shades of teal, a mid colour and a darker shade. Red flowers, rooftops, teapots and doors offer a contrasting colour. In the centre a young girl with thick blond hair, a fringe and plaits looks to one side, through blue eyes and large round red glasses. Her expression is quizzical. Below her is a town, surrounded by bushes and flowers, in the centre is a young figure in dark clothes, with thick short dark hair, hands are in their pockets.

Can there really be #APlaceCalledPerfect ?🤔 #HelenaDuggan has the answer! Delightfully, there are strange things afoot and creepy things in jars... 🤐 Violet has just arrived and she does not like what she sees 👁️‍🗨️
Brilliant creepy fun 😍
Thanks @youthlibrarygroup.bsky.social

The cover is all in blues with a pinkish hue at the bottom, like a sunset. Against a starry sky the central image is an open 3D rectangular box, taking up most of the space. On the two outside walls of the box and the two interior walls a cityscape is projected, the imaging slipping on the corner seam in front and centre , so it isn't aligned perfectly. Skyscrapers can be seen surrounding the city's harbour or lake. A small orange object is floating in front of one tower, it stands out, is it a leaf? a glider? The title in white text appears across the box. The authors name is printed below in black. Bold capital letters are used for both. The image feels calm, a photograph, but slightly unreal.

#AllThatWeSeeOrSeem by @kyliu99.bsky.social is a fascinatingly complex tech murder mystery.
Vivid Communal Dreaming ✔️
Enrapt Fans ✔️
Missing Superstar ✔️
AI Hackers ✔️
Enraged Villain ✔️
Desperate Goons ✔️

Thanks for the wild ride @netgalley.bsky.social

Image has a hot pink background, on top are several screens stacked on top of each other. The title in black capitals is divided across several of these screens, coloured white, green, yellow and orange. Other images include three dots, thumbs down, plus and minus signs with numbers attached. The tagline and authors name are in orange boxes with white text. It feels unpleasant to look at - very 'in your face', as if you can't escape the number of messages popping up. Out of Control.

WOW! #LikeAGirl by @rebeccawestcott.bsky.social is brutally honest - social media + teenagers + school + girly cliques = bullying, peer pressure, punishments and betrayal. Utterly realistic and powerful story about standing up to bullies.

❤️ @youthlibrarygroup.bsky.social @scholasticuk.bsky.social

The image is split into 3 parts - the top part shows a dramatic lightning strike, a bird hovers between the lightning bolts shooting out from dark grey stormy clouds. In the centre there is a distant harbour with ships masts and buildings, one house has been struck by the lightning. In the foreground there is a giant hourglass bobbing about in choppy water, it is half-sunk. Inside the top part of the glass, sitting on top of the sand is a young boy, his hands are pressed against the glass and his mouth is open, appearing to be shouting something. The bottom section takes up nearly half of the image - it shows the dark, black sea. On top of this is the title, tag line, author and illustrators name in white font. Overall the image is very dramatic, portending doom for the character trapped within the glass.

Ready for something Scottish, funny😂, scary👻 and with a fantastic ending💭?
It's a dark and gorgeous book 😍

#MatOShanter by #SimonLamb and beautifully illustrated by #RossMacRae is a modern retelling of #RobertBurns #TamOShanter
Thanks
@youthlibrarygroup.bsky.social & @scallywagpress.bsky.social

A dramatically colourful book cover. The left side of the image is shaded in blue shadows, where there is a young person peering around a corner while holding a baby gorilla, looking worried. They have a flat cap on their head and a white scarf tied around their neck. The right side of the image is flooded with orange colours, the sky reflects onto the ground and city background, there is a raised bridge and buildings in the distance. Two men in dark clothes and hats are running down some steps towards the hidden figure. The clothes are old fashioned and you can see a Victorian gas street lamp in the background, suggesting a historical setting. It is raining, which adds to the sense of danger and mystery. The book title is written in white letters in a paint-like font over the orange sky, the authors name is in bright orange across the bottom of the image, against the blue.

#TheDawnOfAdonis by @philearle.bsky.social is a dramatic, adventure set in London, 1911.
Brutal Gang Boss ✔️
Animal Trafficking ✔️
Family Loyalties ✔️
Desperate Actions ✔️
Doing The Right Thing ✔️
➡️Absolutely Cracking 🦍😍
Thanks @youthlibrarygroup.bsky.social &
@andersenpress.bsky.social

A secluded Victorian house with a turret is surrounded by trees, water and fog. It is night, the fog and water are in sickly green and yellow hues. The title is scratched onto the surface, the letters hanging in the branches of a dead tree. At the bottom, the author's name is in green/yellow as is the the tag line at the top

#TheDevouringLight by @katelliswrites.bsky.social is a creepy mystery perfect for dark nights and cosy chairs.
Urban Legends✔️
Missing YouTuber ✔️
Abandoned House✔️
Music Superstars✔️
Sabotage✔️
Paranoia✔️
...and a growing body count✔️✔️✔️

Thanks @netgalley.bsky.social

A bold cover in dark orange, white and a touch of black. The cover is split into two halves, the bottom half is white and contains the title in black text and in orange the series title, faint choppy orange lines on the white show that this section is the sea. Above the horizon line is predominantly orange, with a setting sun in white in the centre. The authors name and quotes are in white and black text against the orange. In the centre of the sun is orange text describing the book's tagline. On the horizon and in front of the sun is a cruise ship. In the water below the ship, it's shadow drips in orange, like blood, dripping onto some of the title letters below.

I did a happy dance when I saw #QuiteUglyOneEvening on #NetGalley it's been sooooooo long but Jack is back!
@brookmyre.bsky.social this was such a fun read.
Expect chaos, death, cult icons, a dysfunctional family and one man on a mission.

Thanks @netgalley.bsky.social