Maddy's Book Blog

  The Christmas Magpie by Mark Edwards   If you’ve followed Lucy’s story, this fourth instalment is a must-read. Dark, twisted, and deliciously unsettling— The Christmas Magpie is Mark Edwards at his chilling best. If you’ve followed Lucy’s story, this fourth instalment is a must-read. Mark Edwards proves once again that beneath his family-man exterior lies a master of psychological suspense. The Christmas Magpie is part 4 of the Magpies series, and yes—Lucy is back. If you know, you know. Her presence looms large, even if she’s not always centre stage, and the tension she brings is unmistakable.   It’s Noel and Dani’s first Christmas in their new home, and they’re hoping for a picture-perfect holiday. But things quickly unravel. Unwelcome gifts start appearing on their doorstep, they feel watched, unsettled by the eerie obsession their neighbours have with a nearby women’s prison. A tragedy at a Christmas party sets off a chain of events that pulls them deeper in...

  The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso If you loved The Midnight Library , The Book of Lost Hours will feel like a kindred spirit—rich in imagination, emotional depth, and time-bending wonder. Hayley Gelfuso’s debut novel, The Book of Lost Hours , is a sweeping historical fantasy that blends the poignancy of memory with the thrill of time travel. Like Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library , it explores the weight of personal and collective history—but through a darker, more haunting lens.   The story begins in 1938, when eleven-year-old Lisavet Levy is thrown into Time Space by her father as he goes to save her brother. Tragically, neither return—victims of Kristallnacht. Lisavet is raised in Time Space by Azrael, a ghostly guardian, and grows up surrounded by books that hold people’s memories. When she discovers that people are entering Time Space to burn these memories, she makes it her mission to protect them. In 1965, Amelia inherits a special watch from her Uncle...