BOOK NOOK: The Scholars by MacKenzie Common

 "It was mid-morning and overcast, but Oxford still shimmered in its gothic splendor, the ancient stones bristling against another gray day. Even as a historian, Hadley found it unbelievable that Oxford was older than the Aztec empire, older than the belief that the world was round, older than almost all the knowledge people organized their life around. She was standing in an eight-hundred-year-old college, immersed in history, and yet all she could think about was December 5th..."

I passed my course in History of Folklore at Oxford University in the summer and so I will not be taking up my studies again this academic year. I do miss the academic routine of classes and common room, lectures and seminars though, especially during September when the academic frenzy gets under way, so I was thrilled when Headline Publishing sent me an ARC of The Scholars by MacKenzie Common back in the summertime.

As you might guess from the title, this is a dark academia novel set at the University of Oxford, so it is just my cup of tea. I was very eager to read it and I have been immersed in the bloody history of Oxford for the past couple of days. Oxford University has a dark past of its own, namely the St Scholastica Day Riots in the 1300s, which feature in this novel. 

Amid this backdrop, five modern day students arrive at Oxford to take up their place on the Shepard Scholarship. All the students are highly intelligent and very successful in their chosen fields, as influencers, entrepreneurs, charity organizers and the odd nepo-baby.  To begin with, they are excited about the scholarship and eager to meet their like-minded peers, but soon enough they discover that each of them has a dark secret they are trying desperately to protect, secrets that could prove deadly.

As the students get better acquainted, their trust in one another is tested and broken, particularly when one of them turns up dead.  Now suddenly they are all suspicious and they are all suspects! As more and more information gradually comes to light, the Shepard Scholars find themselves forming unlikely alliances as they try to uncover who murdered their fellow student. 

This novel is narrated through multiple viewpoints as each of the scholars tries to unravel the mystery, at the same time as keeping their own past hidden. There are lots of twists and turns, all the characters are equally damaged and equally capable of resorting to extreme measures to protect their own reputations, so the book does keep you guessing. I was thoroughly engaged right up to the last, when the real killer is finally caught out. I have read a lot of dark academia novels, but even I wasn't expecting the final plot twist!

If you enjoy reading dark academia or murder mysteries then you might like The Scholars. It is quite fast paced, the chapter hooks keep you turning the pages and it has a very surprising and satisfying ending. I loved every page of this one!  It is the perfect novel for the new scholastic year and the autumn season. If you only buy one dark academia novel this year, make it The Scholars. It will hold you in its grip until the very last sentence. Enjoy!

Serene Blessings,

Marie x

AD: This book was sent to me by the publisher prior to its release for the purposes of review. It drops on 24th September 2026 and is up for Pre-Order now. 

MUSICAL DOLL: You're Still Everything

 And I'm not perfect but I'll never stop loving you...

How am I nothing to you while you're still everything to me?

xxx

BOOK NOOK: A Remedy for Fate by M A Kuzniar

 

" 'I promised that if you guessed your true name,' he said, locking his dark blue eyes with hers, 'I would return your memories and heart, and you would be free to leave.' He unspooled a leaf of parchment that bore signatures, but Thea was too panicked to read it properly. She clamped a hand to her chest, an unfamiliar sensation unmooring her. Where once there must have been a rhythmic thudding, now there was a flutter that felt too light, too insubstantial. 'What did you do to my heart?' "

I love M A Kuzniar's writing and I enjoyed her previous books, Midnight In Everwood and Upon A Frosted Star immensely, so I was delighted to receive an ARC of her new book some months ago.  I can now confirm that A Remedy for Fate is just as magical and enchanting as her previous novels, so if you liked those books then you will love this one too.

This novel is set in a magical world, hidden within the heart of Prague and protected by wards. Only those with a true need and no ill intentions can get through the portal into the Magic Quarter and seek the help of a witch. It is in this quiet little village that Thea runs the apothecary on behalf of her boss, Jasper. The problem is, Thea doesn't actually know who she is or how she came to be in the Magic Quarter. All she knows is that Jasper somehow stole her heart and her memories, leaving her with no choice but to work in his shop until she can figure out her true name and so break the spell. 

If this sounds somewhat familiar its because this story is loosely based upon the Rumplestiltskin fairytale. Jasper Stiltskin has a strange hold over Thea, but each time she tries to guess her name and win back her freedom, he tells her that she is mistaken. She has lived in the Magic Quarter for seven years and in that time she has forged a life for herself there, making good friends, mediating between squabbling neighbours and tolerating the curiosity of Rose who lives next door above her flower shop as she pries into everyone's life, because every street has its local gossip, even a magical one.  Thea has created a cosy home for herself above the apothecary, where she lives with Cinnamon, her pet rabbit, drinks copious amounts of hot chocolate from an enchanted teapot and reads romance novels late into the night as she is curled up in bed.

Its a cosy life of comfort and reading, freindship and the satisfaction of being able to use her herbal knowledge and magic to help people. She is content, but also frustrated that she cannot remember her life before this time, that she doesn't truly know who she really is. Jasper pops by every few days to check on his shop and ask how the business is going, but he offers no clues as to her true name. She hates him for keeping secrets, yet she is also drawn to him too.

So when the wards begin to fade and mortals start to wander into the Magic Quarter, Thea and her friends know that something is amiss, especially when the witch hunters wander in and demand to search homes and businesses. Thea and her friends now have to work alongside Jasper to find out what is going on, before the witch hunters destroy the Magic Quarter altogether. But can Thea trust Jasper? Or should she allow herself to be swept away by the mortal man, Malek, who has wandered through the weakened portal seeking help?

This novel reads like a fairytale, with beautiful balls, enchanted teapots, a gingerbread house, owls that tell the time and ravens that carry messages. Set in the 1700s it is full of lavish descriptions of panniered gowns, powdered wigs and tricorn hats, with wild carriage rides and dresses that sing in alignment with the wearers emotions.  Imagine the aesthetic of the 1988 movie Dangerous Liaisons with the magic of Diagon Alley and you have this book in a nutshell. 

A Remedy for Fate begins in autumn and ends in the heart of winter, having all the cosy vibes that you could wish for. As a bookworm, Thea likes to stockpile new books to read (don't we all?!) piling them beside her bed ready for when she is tucked up at the end of a long day in the apothecary, with Cinnamon snuggled up beside her. Its a lovely world and she will do anything to protect it and to keep her friends safe.

From magical weathervanes and kitchen witchery, to more serious subjects such as what it means to steal a heart or to lose memory, this novel resides in the space where lost memories should be. Desperate to reclaim her heart and her memories, torn between two loves, her loyalty stretched between being true to her friends and true to herself and her unknown past, Thea must navigate a way to bring all the threads of her fate together into a cohesive whole. But it takes a village to raise a web of magic and Thea is working against the clock of the time-telling owls. Can she find her true name, reclaim her heart and memories, and save the Magic Quarter in time? You'll have to read the book to find out! If you enjoy magical realism with cosy vibes, you will probably enjoy this novel. 

Happy reading.

Marie x

AD: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton, for the purposes of review and published on 12th March 2026 in hardcover, audio and digital formats. 

ONCE UPON A DREAM: My Return to Strathpeffer!

 

It's almost 9pm and I have just arrived home from my trip to the Highlands. I went back to Strathpeffer, which is a place where I have stayed many times. It has changed considerably over the years but that happens everywhere.  I took my mother with me because she has never been so far north in the Highlands and she really wanted to see Loch Ness. So off we went, making a lunch stop at Gretna Green, then continuing on the long trip north, ready for a traditional Highland holiday.

Strathpeffer is a small Highland village north of Inverness, once famous in the Victorian era for being a spa town where people would come to take the waters for their health in the Pump Room. Sadly, much of this history has been stripped away in recent years as the town tries to appeal to modern visitors with a sweet little street café and a cosy wine bar in the town square. The Pump Room Museum has closed down and the history of the place is no longer used as a selling point, which is such a shame.  Still, it remains a very pretty town, with some lovely architecture, a impressive water fountain and lots of Victorian accents. 

I was also surprised to see that they have built a new bandstand, when the original one is perfectly fine - they've just removed the steps to force people to use the new one! I will always prefer the original bandstand and I have some very happy memories of that one, not least of which is my old friend Roy leading his pipes and drums band out to play for me back in 2001. I bet he wouldn't like the new band stand either. My Highlander, Alexander and I spent a lot of time on the old bandstand, which is where we really got to know one another and shared our secrets together. We found a depth of understanding in one another that we simply didn't have with anyone else and I think that is why we were so drawn to each other. It certainly wasn't love at first sight though - more of an enemies to lovers romance! 

Strathpeffer is a town that holds a very special place in my heart and it always will. It wasn't quite the same now that Alexander is gone. I felt his absence keenly all week, especially at the Pictish Eagle Stone which is where we walked every night, where he gave me his mother's ring and we handfasted over the ancient marriage stone, with the Eagle and the ancestors as witnesses. 

However, it was nice to be able to show my mother around the town, just as Alex had shown me around all those years ago.  She loved the wood carved trees, especially the three Norns, which are my favourites, along with Sgathach who has sadly lost her sword in a storm. The Giant has also lost an arm too, and Skuld has lost her scissors, but fortunately the Brahan Seer looks no worse for wear because he is in a more sheltered spot. It was lovely to see them again and to introduce them to my mum like old friends, because that is what they are to me. Landmarks so familiar they've become almost sentient.  They almost make up for the lost pond with the island in the middle where I learnt to row a boat with my soldier. Almost, but not quite. That pond was sadly filled in some years ago and the wood carvings were created from the surrounding trees. 

We also made the trek up to the Pictish Eagle Stone, which wore us both out! My mum is nearly 74, recovering from a knee injury and I have chronic fatigue so it was quite tiring at the end of an already very long day. That's the thing about the Highlands - everywhere is a bit of a trek, up hill and down dale, but its always worth it. There are some wonderful views in the Highlands and every way you turn is a vista, but it does require comfortable walking shoes and a dollop of determination to hike the hills and see all the beauty that the Highlands has to offer.

We were extremely lucky with the weather. The heatwaves that we have been suffering in England all summer long were left far behind, but the Highlands was full of bright blue skies and lovely sunshine, with a fresh breeze that kept us nice and cool. It didn't rain at all. It was the perfect weather, with no midges in sight. Usually I go to Scotland in mid-autumn or early winter. I have never been to the Highlands in late summer before, so it was great to see all the purple heather in full bloom, making the hills look ethereal and abundantly wild.  We also went out to see Blackwater Falls, which is a lovely waterfall that froths cream and brown due to the peat and looks like a cappuccino. There were a couple of Londoners who thought it was pollution - no, its the peat from the river beds that makes the water coffee coloured.  I haven't been there since Alex took me years ago, so it was a bit emotional, but nice to see it again. I could feel his spirit with me, watching over me, which was a great comfort and meant that I didn't feel too sad about the loss of him.

Of course, we didn't just stay in Strathpeffer all the time. We went to Inverness to do some shopping and I picked up a couple of books about Scottish witches from the Victorian Market. We went for a walk by the River Ness, with Inverness Castle up above, which was lovely. Inverness is a pretty place, with some gorgeous buildings, nice little cafes and quaint gift shops. Sadly my favourite bookshop, Leaky's, seems to have closed and is now a trendy coffee shop. It was a wonderful used bookstore, situated in an old church and the till was in the pulpit! You could pick up some real gems from that bookstore, so its a shame its not there anymore. (Or maybe I was at the wrong church, as there are so many in Inverness!) Why does progress often feel so degenerative?

We had a wonderful day trip out to the Isle of Skye. Again, this is somewhere that my mother had never been. I have only been once myself and it rained buckets all day. This time, it was ice-cream weather all the way, so that's exactly what we did. We went down to sit on the harbour wall to enjoy Isle of Skye Clotted Cream ice-creams and watch the boats come in and out of the harbour.  

I love these little island communities of the Highlands and Islands, with their rows of pastel painted shops and houses that look so pretty. Its the same on the Isle of Mull, and both Portree and Tobermory have a similar vibe. It's like walking through a storybook or a fairytale, surrounded by buildings coloured pink, baby blue, cream and mint. They're so adorable and I would love to live in a place like this.  

These pastel buildings housed some fabulous shops with a maritime theme and I bought some dainty mermaids to hang on my bathroom wall. They're meant to be towel hooks, but I will use them as decoration because they're too pretty to cover up with a towel. I also bought a book of Sea Folklore which I'm looking forward to reading. I was very lucky to stumble upon a Jessica Galbreath Autumn Fairy wall plaque that I just had to bring home with me. Wall plaques from this artist were discontinued a while ago, so it was like finding treasure to see it there in the shop window, as if it had been waiting for me! It will go perfectly in my living room. 

In addition to the Isle of Skye, we went to see Eileen Donan Castle which is one of my favourite castles in Scotland.  I love how the bridge is a modern addition, and originally the castle would have stood alone and remote upon the island in the loch, only accessible by boat. What a peaceful life - I could live like that! I always feel a sense of homecoming when I am swanning around ancient Scottish castles. 

On our final day we returned to the west coast of Scotland and spent the day at Ullapool, where we had the best seaside fish and chips, sitting on a bench and watching the tide. It was beautiful weather, the sea was warm enough for a paddle and a splash around and the boat trips were in full swing. I didn't go on a boat on this occasion, I just spent quiet time by the sea, pottering round the shops and eating more ice-cream. Luckily the Ullapool bookshop is still thriving and I spent a good while in there browsing and coming out with a book on Robert the Bruce that I've never seen before, so that was a good find. 

All in all we had a really good trip. My mum loved it, having seen so many places she's never visited before and of course, she got to see Loch Ness which was her main goal, so she came home a very happy bunny. For me, it was a nostalgic visit with lots of happy memories and beloved spirits all around me. I had a lovely time and I am thinking about where in Scotland I might want to go next. In the meantime, I now need to start working on my next book project, so I need to get my headspace back into working mode now that the autumn season is underway. Its a good thing I love me job and I never get the back to work blues after a holiday. I am rather tired from all the Highland hill walking though! I've posted lots of photos up on my Twitter of all the places mentioned here, so head over there if you'd like to see them. 

Serene Blessings

Marie x

BOOK NOOK: Board Games and Broomsticks by Selina Spellman

 

"Nyssa saw her grandmother's face. Could almost feel her hands stroking her hair as she explained why she'd chosen to settle in Nighthaven after refusing several covens' invitations decades before. Nighthaven isn't just a town, it's a refuge. A place where all magical folk can seek a calmer, more authentic life."

I was thrilled when Random House UK sent me an ARC of this book back in the spring. I started reading it straight away, but I didn't want to blog about it too far in advance of its release date. I'm quite new to cosy witch fantasy novels and I have to say that, so far, I am enjoying the stories from this genre that I have been sent.

Board Games and Broomsticks is a soft escape into a magical world of analogue hobbies and small town vibes. Think Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic and you get the tone of this book. It tells the tale of Nyssa Hawthorn who fled the town of Nighthaven as a rebellious young woman in search of a more exciting life. After a disagreement with her grandmother about the coven path she planned to take, leaving her solitary witch roots behind, Nyssa successfully works her way up to become coven leader. However, her magic begins to go awry and after one too many mistakes in her castings, she is suspended from practice with her coven.

In despair, she mounts her broomstick and flies back home to Nighthaven, taking up residence in her now deceased grandmother's old cottage and setting up a magical board games cafe, where she sells her grandmother's special teas and tisanes. Her coven decide that she must perform three magical tasks to prove that she is worthy of her place with them, but then a wicked warlock from her past hunts her down and that is when Nyssa's troubles really begin. 

This is very sweet book that is full of magical characters such as witches, druids, sirens, elves and selkies. The warlock is suitably sinister, but the threat level of this genre is always very mild, so its not a scary book. It has all the cosy content that you could wish for, with lush interior descriptions and an adorable feline familiar called Nyx. 

I will also say here that this is a book which conforms to ticking all the boxes on the diversity list that every single publishing house seems to be pushing for these days, from the seemingly obligatory lesbian subplot to the rather clumsy inclusion of they/them background characters who don't add anything to the story arc and who don't move the plot forward in any way, but exist on the page simply to adhere to the publisher's woke agenda.  When every new book release is pushing these same minority tropes to the public majority, it gets very annoying, because publishers don't even offer a fair warning in the blub, thereby removing the reader's right to choose whether or not they buy into this kind of diversity narrative by purchasing the book. However, in this novel, I'm pleased to say that the author has kept it mercifully subtle. The woke agenda is still there though.

If such blatant political agendas bother you, you might want to skip this one, but if not, then you will find Board Games and Broomsticks to be a delightfully cosy read and a nice book to pick up on a chilly autumnal day. Enjoy!

Serene Blessings

Marie x

AD: This novel was sent to me by the publisher, Random House UK,  prior to its release for the purposes of review. It drops next week on 17th September 2026, in paperback, digital and audio formats. 

MUSICAL DOLL: Happy Birthday Pal!

Thinking of you on your birthday! Have a wonderful day!

 With love from,

Marie 

xxx

BOOK NOOK: Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood

 

"She couldn't stop it. She burst into tears. Big, little-kid crying. Heavy sobs that shook her whole chest. She buried her face in her hands to hide. And before she knew what was happening, two arms were wrapped around her. Warm and entirely enveloping, a shoulder to press her face into that smelled like an autumn dream, woody and spicy, clean and smoky. A chin resting on the top of her head. She let herself be swallowed up, a little sorry creature swept up in a blanket from the cold rain. She let her guard down, just for a moment. It had been a long time since anyone had held her like this, like someone was around every part of her, a wall of safety between her and the world."

As soon as I had finished reading Uncharmed I knew that I wanted to read more books by the same author. Alas, at the moment she only has two books published, but I looked forward to curling up with Rewitched as soon as possible, hopeful that it would be just as good. Well, I have just finished reading it and I wasn't disappointed at all.

Rewitched is another cosy, witchy novel of magical realism, one that speaks of a much quieter magic than that of Uncharmed. In this novel, Belladonna Blackthorne, or Belle, is a witch who hardly uses her magic at all. She is so swept up in life that she hasn't really had the time or the inclination to study the Craft properly, and so she uses magic in a soft, gentle way - to wash the dishes for her, or to brew a cup of tea while she relaxes on the sofa as the steaming cup levitates towards her. That sort of thing. She certainly isn't a flashy witch. 

Belle suffers from a deep seated feeling of being unworthy. She feels that she is behind in life, that she isn't up to the opportunities that come her way, that she will never be as a talented a witch as her mother is, so why bother?  She remains detached from her coven and is quietly content with her non-magical life, sharing a flat with her best friend and her cat, and working in a cosy bookshop in London.  In short, she is rather stuck and set in her ways, suspicious of change because she assumes that change makes everything worse. So she maintains the status quo of her life, working hard to make the bookshop an enchanting escape from the cold streets of London in mid-autumn and enjoying the safety of her small, cocooned life. 

Then one day, a stranger turns up at the bookshop. A tall, dark, handsome and very magical stranger named Rune, with a letter from her coven. She must prove how well she has been using her magical abilities for the past fifteen years, or else they will be stripped away from her completely. Now, while Belle doesn't exactly use her magic for much, she enjoys the gentle magical charms that she does make and how they help her life to run smoothly, so she doesn't want to lose her powers altogether. With the help of Rune, and an ex-coven member named Artorius, she has a month to prove that she can become a proficient and well-rounded witch, capable of casting all kinds of magic for all kinds of scenarios and thus, she is thrust into a frenzy of magical study and practice as she tries desperately to prove that she is worthy of being a witch.  However, someone is trying to sabotage her progress at every turn and Belle finds herself having to fight for her life and the lives of those she loves. 

Rewitched is a lovely magical story that is full of autumnal charm. The scenes in the bookshop are some of my personal favourites, reminding me of when I worked at a bookshop and how cosy the store would be in the dark winter evenings, with the scent of coffee and pastries wafting around the shelves from the café counter we had in-store. Reading this book transported me back there again and made me wish that I could open up a magical bookstore of my own. That would be just lovely! Though I'm not sure what chance there is for independent book stores these days, as even the big book chains struggle to compete with the immediacy of Amazon. Still, its a nice dream to have. 

The romance in this story is fun and feisty as sparks fly between Belle and Rune, the magic lessons are interesting, the villains are ones that I didn't see coming and the story reaches its climax on Halloween. What's not to like? All in all, I would say that Rewitched is another triumph of a book and that the author has successfully brought a new cosy vibe to the traditional witchy novel. And she has a brand new novel coming out in September too, which is exciting! 

If you like cosy, autumnal mysteries and witchy magical realism, then you will probably enjoy reading Rewitched. I couldn't put it down and read it in a day and a half. Happy reading!

Serene Blessings,

Marie x

AD: This book is published by Pan Macmillan and is available now in all formats. 

BOOK NOOK: Lochbound by Rebecca Templeton

"I am used to being alone, living from one of Duncan's visits to the next. I prefer it, or so I tell myself. I would rather be alone than ask for help, than admit to everyone the truth of what happened to me all those years ago.

You're safe, I repeat to myself until I almost believe it. I have not been discovered. 

All is well."  

Lochbound has held me in thrall since page one! As soon as I was offered the ARC a few months ago, for a novel that is set by a Scottish loch and loosely based on the Little Mermaid, I practically snatched their hands off for it. It has held me in its grip for the past couple of days and I'm so glad to review it for the publisher, Little Brown Book Group.

The main protagonist, Iris, has been cursed by a witch so that she is the monster in the loch by day and only returns to her ageless human form at sunset each evening. This has been her existence for the past fifty years, hiding herself away in a cave during her human hours. Her lifelong friend, Duncan, now in his seventies, is the only person she has contact with and together they are looking for ways to try and break the curse.  The problem is that people have been turning up dead, and the monster in the loch is the main suspect.

In fear, the Clan Chief and Laird of Castle Kilmara, hires a hunter to find and kill the monster. But unbeknown to the villagers the monster, named Moireach, is actually Iris, and she has no recollection of killing anyone, nor could she conceive of ever doing so. She and Duncan must discover who is committing these murders and protect Iris before the hunter discovers her secret and kills her. 

I loved this novel. Although it lacks any Gaelic or Scots words and phrases which would have added to the sense of place, it does have a wonderful broadly Celtic atmosphere, with ceilidhs, an ancestral castle, old warriors and all the magic of the loch. There are several witches present, plus the threat of witch burnings. (So-called witches were burnt only in Scotland in the UK. In England they were hanged.)  There is lots of Scottish folklore woven throughout, including the Seelie, kelpies and changelings, so its a very magical read.

The internal voice of Iris/Moireach battling for control is interesting as each one fights for supremacy and tries to subdue the other. Despite her plight, Iris has no shortage of suitors, with three different love interests all vying for the attention of this mysterious redhead with her emerald green eyes. The emotional entanglements and romantic leanings fill the pages with longing, hope, yearning and despair. 

I especially liked the way in which obsessive love is portrayed here, showing how dangerous a spurned suitor can become as they allow their unrequited feelings to burn to an ever-growing resentment, eventually turning that hatred onto the object of their desire with bitter cruelty. Well, haven't we all been on the receiving end of that sort of mantrum?! I know I have, more than once, because the entitlement of men knows no bounds and that twisted emotional journey is depicted with great skill here.

I also enjoyed all the unexpected turns that the novel took and the way in which female jealousy and betrayal constantly simmers beneath the surface. The writing style is so deeply immersive, it draws you in completely and the story arc is more twisty than a merrow's tail! I could see all the parallels with The Little Mermaid, yet at the same time this story was something totally unique and true to itself, with a strong slice of Scottishness. It's really got me in the mood for my holiday to the Highlands and I will be peering into every loch I see, hoping to see a glimpse of something shimmering and scaley in the water. 

In some ways Lochbound has echoes of other shapeshifter tales, such as the Swan Lake ballet or the 1985 movie Lady Hawke. It also reminded me a little of M A Kuzniar's novel Upon A Frosted Star, so it you like any of those stories then you might really like this book too. I have certainly enjoyed this dark fairytale novel and it is the perfect enchanting read for late summer.  Enjoy! 

Serene Blessings

Marie x

AD: This book was sent to me for the purposes of review by the publisher Sphere. It was published on 16th April in hardcover, kindle and audio formats. 

 

MUSICAL DOLL: My Oath Is Steel

 I'm not sure if I believe in soul mates, but if I did, this would be mine. A knight of the Lion Rampant - I would love to go riding with him. 💖

xxx

WRITER'S DREAM: CELTIC MAGIC PUBLISHED!

 

" 'My advice? Whatever you do don't lose your temper! It can lead to a heavy weight resting upon your conscience for the rest of your days. Aye, I wish somebody had told me that years ago, when I was young and hot-headed.' He bows his head in a moment of sorrow and reflection. You say nothing. You know of what he speaks, but you cannot help him. 'There is no changing the past,' he mumbles, 'only learning from it.' "

from The Good King meditation. 

I have been so busy with my Oxford studies, plus my writing, and reviewing new books for publishers that I haven't yet had a chance to process the fact that my latest book was recently published! Allow me to introduce you to my new Celtic Magic, which is the Extended Collector's Edition from the Gilded Magic Series.  It is the companion book to the Extended Norse Magic which was published last year in the same series and they make a stunning pair for any library.  

This edition of Celtic Magic is just beautiful! It is hardcover and more than twice the length of the original that came out a few years ago. With its clothbound covers, picturesque end pages and gilded sprayed edges, this is a book to treasure. And just look at that Art Nouveau style Celtic lady on the cover! I love Art Nouveau so I am delighted that the design team have managed to give it a beautiful Celtic twist for the cover treatment. Both the Celtic Magic and Norse Magic books in this series really feel like me and I am so thrilled with how they have turned out.  They are the kind of books I always dreamt of publishing, being elaborate and decorative hardback tomes suggestive of old libraries and magical bookshops.

I was writing this extended edition of Celtic Magic back in January last year, 2025, and it was a really fun writing experience. Of course, it was also super stressful because the deadlines and turnaround for projects with my current publisher is always so tight. I think I had about four weeks, from submitting the Anxiety Relief Card Deck at the end of December 2024, to write and submit Celtic Magic by the end of January 2025, so there was a bit of pressure. Needless to say, I worked right through Christmas and New Year 2024!

It was worth it though because it meant that I got to spend the colder, winter months tucked away writing some really fun projects. I was thrilled to be able to revisit the topic of Celtic magic and mythology once more. The mythology projects that I write are some of my favourites because they are just so joyful to create. I have always loved folklore, so to write books that are full of myths, legends, enchantment and folktales - and to get paid for doing it! -  is such a dream come true for me. 

Celtic and Norse mythologies are dearest to my heart and there is a slight overlap between the two, due to the Viking settlements in the UK and the blending of both Viking and Celtic cultures, including their storytelling traditions. For instance, Jormungandr, or the Midgard Serpent of Norse mythology is the forerunner of the Old Stoor Worm from Orcadian legend. Of course, the Orkneys were originally Nordic islands, given to Scotland as part of a marriage dowry in the 1400s and thus being absorbed into the UK as a result of the Act of Union in 1707 when England and Scotland united under one crown. It makes sense then that the Orcadian myths and fairytales would carry echoes of old Norse mythology and this is something I wanted to briefly highlight in the book. Because stories are never fixed. They grow and evolve and change in the telling. That very dynamism is what makes them so interesting and compelling.  That is what gives them life and longevity. 

In Celtic Magic I had a much bigger word count, so I have been able to recount classic myths and legends, retelling tales such as that of Geraint and Enid from the Mabinogion, and exploring folklore such as the Welsh Tylwyth Teg, the Scottish Spaewife, and the Fairy Knight of the Seelie Court.  I have also included a few ghostly tales from battles lost and won, and the spectres that haunt the ancient stones of castle walls. In addition, there appears my own encounter with a group of ghost monks on the A616, which I transformed into ghostly Druid monks for the purposes of the book, but the original encounter was one that I had several years ago, in England, and it was both spooky and magical, so I wanted to write about it in the book. 

As a part of the research for Celtic Magic I took a trip up to the Highlands, to Dunoon, in November 2024. I wanted to learn more about Clan Campbell and their somewhat shady past! The results of this research trip can be found in the pages of this book and Dunoon is a place I shall certainly return to because the history there is so rich. I was very keen to include snippets of Celtic history, as well as the mythology and magic, because without a grounding in the history of a place the mythology and magic doesn't make a lot of sense. History is what links magic, mythology and place together, it is the glue that binds it all into a cohesive whole. So you will find key historical characters such as King Robert the Bruce, his daughter Princess Marjorie Bruce, John Balliol the Tomb Tabard, Cartimandua, Boudicca, Rob Roy and of course, William Wallace, all represented here, as well as many Celtic deities. 

One of the best aspects of writing these longer and more elaborate books is that I get to explore and share my own storytelling. I love fairytales, and I have dreamt of writing pagan fairytales, with a magical twist for many, many years. It is always a joy to me that I can now write my original phantasmagorical meditations for these bigger books, because I have a generous word count that can sustain them. This type of imaginative writing also suits the aesthetic style of these larger tomes - because when you open up the beautiful covers of a book like this one, you expect to find magical fairytales within! 

Writing my pagan meditations began with The Book of Moon Magic a couple of years ago. They were very well received, both by my editors and by readers, so I was thrilled with the response and found it very encouraging. People have loved them and have commented on how beautiful they are, which is such a lovely compliment.  In made sense then, that I would continue to write them wherever I had a word count to support them, because these fables do gobble up words! I have included lots of fantasy meditations in both the Celtic and Norse Gilded Magic books and they have been tremendous fun to write. It is so satisfying as an author that I get to write and publish fiction now too, dreaming upon the page and creating beautiful worlds for my readers to dive into and enjoy. I love the sheer escapism of it, both for readers and for myself as the author. Its such a pleasure to write. 

In Celtic Magic you will find enchanting meditations where you meet key characters such as Boudicca, Cernnunos, The Good King, William Wallace, the Loch Ness Monster and your very own Anam Cara. There is also a meditation called A Winter Song of Snowflakes that is based upon the time I got lost on a mountain in Glencoe in the middle of a storm, which if you've been reading my blog for a while you probably remember. Yeah - its now in the book. My stupidity immortalised forever in print!

This is one of the things I love about being a writer. Everything is raw material. Every experience, be it good or bad, fun or scary, every friendship and relationship, every fight and disagreement, every trip and holiday, can all become the inspiration for a magical piece of writing. It is wonderful to now be in the position where I am able to transform these things into beautiful pagan fairytales and guided meditations, and to know that this is a relatively new aspect of my work that people really love and have taken to their hearts. That tells me that I am on the right track and heading in the right direction.

Celtic Magic was a joy to write. It draws heavily upon Scottish tradition and the magic is inspired by that region, with a touch of Welsh thrown in too - because frankly the Irish have had the monopoly on all things Celtic for long enough! This book came directly from my heart and from my love of Scotland and the Celtic culture that I adore. It includes a little bit of history, a dash of mythology, a sprinkling of magic and a few original fables as the cherry on top. I truly hope that you love reading it as much as I loved writing it for you. 

And if you're one of my Scots boys - you're probably in the Acknowledgments, because a true Fellowship never dies. You were part of my Highland journey, so this book is as much yours as it is mine. I hope you like it. Love to you all. 

Enjoy!

Serene Blessings

Marie x

AD: This post promotes my own work, featuring books that are published and out now, including Norse Magic and the Anxiety Relief Toolkit Book & Card Deck

ONCE UPON A DREAM: Demure Days

 

 

As winter begins to draw to a close and we look ahead to the brighter days of spring, it is time to think about coming out of hibernation. However, for me, that does not mean a return to the busyness of before. Something has changed in me this past winter. It is as if allowing myself the time and space to slow down has given me the chance to embrace my softer self. While I will always love my active hobbies - riding, skating, dancing etc., - I have a tendency to take on too much. A couple of years ago I was writing at least half a dozen projects a year, studying at Oxford, writing assignments, riding horses, going to music school for piano classes, attending the theatre, ballet, concerts etc. You name it, I was doing it and whilst it was a lot of fun and very productive, it was also exhausting. 

Over the winter period however I have slowed myself right down. I booked a little time off with my publisher, realising that just because I'm self-employed doesn't mean that I'm not entitled to some annual leave. I am, so long as I give my publisher plenty of notice so that we can come up with realistic deadlines for future projects. I had Christmas and New Year off, which was lovely, but I was very careful not to overbook myself for too many festive events. As lovely as they are, they can also be quite exhausting to me because of the Chronic Fatigue. 

So I slowed down. I finished up my final projects for 2025, redecorated my bedroom, got new synopsis in to my publisher for 2026 projects and then I just Flopped quite considerably.  I have been in the Flop stage before. It's a natural result of being in Functional Freeze for so many years, but this time instead of fighting it, I just allowed it to happen. It was the best thing I could have done for myself, because I needed rest in order to process the difficult events of the last two years. I had to remind myself that I was not being lazy, that I had been retraumatized. I was feeling acutely triggered on a daily basis, even by people I love very deeply, and so I needed space to work through all the emotions that recent trauma had brought up.

In the space where busyness used to be, I felt a kind of healing begin to take shape. It's slow and steady and I'm not where I want to be just yet, but giving myself time and space, solitude and silence has really kick-started that process.  I realised that the world was far too noisy for me. It was much too harsh, people were far too harsh, too demanding. So I retreated into my shell, into a world of my own making - my little house, where I could enjoy the peace and quiet, silence and solitude that I needed. 

I stopped doing anything that left me feeling drained or anxious. Instead, I took up my quieter hobbies and became more of an indoor girl, as Jack says in Titanic.  I spent my time stitching tapestry, knitting an army green scarf for one of my soldier friends (its about half-way done, Kermit!), baking chocolate brownies, having Lush baths and simply resting.  

I prioritised my reading, enjoying the work of other authors and escaping into new novels. I watched Elven videos on You Tube and became so inspired by them that I decided to add faux cherry blossom vines around my four-poster bed, and deep red-rose vines around my fireplace and the screen in the living room. These simple, floral touches make my heart happy. I wish the flowers were real, but that's just not feasible for long term décor, yet they still add femininity and a touch of that Elven enchantment to my home.

I came to call these simple routines my demure days, where I would focus entirely on bringing more softness into my life and my home, bringing all my senses to a place of tranquillity. I listened to a lot of Enya and to Eleanor Tomlinson's Tales From Home, or Omnia's Naked Harp album.   I read poetry and spent time colouring in my art therapy books, enjoying the process of turning a blank outline into something beautiful with a few strokes of a pencil crayon. I felt inspired to buy a few stickers so that I could add tiny flowers and butterflies to the images that I coloured in, placing butterflies in the manes of the unicorns and flowers on the fairy dresses. 

I flipped through chic and feminine magazines. I gave some of my treasures a bit of a makeover, painting the dark brown frame of my French Pierrot mirror a pastel pink and adding chiffon butterflies to the frame too. I bought fresh flowers to arrange, digging out my old Pierrot bud vases and putting fresh blooms on my dressing table and by my bed, creating little vignettes of life and loveliness. 

I set my piano playing gently to itself in the background, because it can do that, but I had never used that function before and it is actually rather lovely.

I invested in an answer phone and started letting the machine take all my calls, so that my peace was not disturbed at all. I reply to messages and get back to people, of course, but no message means no response from me.  It weeds out the time-wasters from the genuine callers. I should have got one years ago! 

In short, I enjoyed myself at home, in my own quiet way and it has paid off. I now feel calm and tranquil in my mind. My emotions are no longer being triggered at the drop of a hat - though this could be because I haven't been interacting with men, so there are no triggers around me. Only time will tell if that is the case, but for the most part I feel that my serenity has come back. I'm calm enough to pause before responding again, which is a big improvement on where I was a year or so ago! 

My demure days have become an intrinsic part of my routine. They are an aspect of my self-care. Yes I am still studying at Oxford and I currently have an assignment to write, plus new books to start writing for my publisher too, but I'm not putting so much pressure on myself. I can enjoy my studies without feeling the need to be the perfect student. I can enjoy the process of writing my new books because I have a more generous deadline for them - 7 weeks instead of 4, in which to write them. This means that I have breathing space again, and time to enjoy my more demure hobbies and interests, as I surround myself with tranquil music and scented candles or a perfumed bubble bath. One day I will return to my active hobbies, but for the time being, all is soft, sweet and demure, and that's how I like it. It's exactly what I need at this phase of my life.  

As women, I think that we have been conditioned into taking on hustle culture and being super productive, in addition to carrying the emotional needs of everyone around us, while neglecting ourselves in the process. It can be very draining. Demure days are a way to switch the focus back to softness, femininity and serenity. Back to yourself. Demure days are a source of better mental health and well-being. They are something that everyone deserves, regardless of gender. We all need more softness in this harsh world. We should all be much kinder to one another and to ourselves. 

Demure days are not about neglecting your responsibilities. They are about helping yourself be calm and regulated enough that you can bring peace to those responsibilities. Being good to yourself, taking time out when you need it, asking for space - these are the things that will make you a better friend, girlfriend, sister or daughter.  Demure days are good for you and in turn, for the ones you love. 

I truly hope that I can maintain this sense of inner tranquillity that I have worked so hard to cultivate in myself these past few months. The real test will be when I come face to face with a man's ego again! Will I react, or will I breathe, pause and respond, with all the serenity of a Swan Queen? Time will tell, but I'm hopeful that it will be the latter. 

Serene and Demure Blessings

Marie x

BOOK NOOK: Catherine by Essie Fox

" 'He's not for you!' I exclaimed, just as a bird in a cage across the room began to trill. 'See that canary over there - I would no sooner set it free in the park this winter's day than suggest you spread your wings and fly away with such a man. You don't know him at all. He'd crush you like a sparrow's egg. He is the wolf to your lamb. He'd tear your throat out with his teeth and laugh to see you bleed to death.' " 

I have been saving this ARC like a future treasure. Catherine is a retelling of Wuthering Heights and so I wanted to wait to read it, until after I had seen the new movie. I knew that I would want to prolong the movie vibes, so I kept this book on standby ready. I did really enjoy the film, even though it only tells half the story of Emily Bronte's classic novel, and key characters are missing entirely. However, the 2026 film isn't meant to be a faithful adaptation of the original text, but more of a romantic spin-off.  

The original novel isn't a romance! It's meant to be a dark and twisted exploration of toxic relationships, prejudice, vengeance, generational abuse and trauma. Instead of sweet passion there is only obsession, instead of love there is only possession. That's not love or romance. It's abuse, as the abused becomes the abuser. As a character Heathcliff could be described as a sociopath at best, a psychopath at worst, so he is certainly not a romantic hero. He is a classic Byronic anti-hero. Recent woke agendas have declared Heathcliff to be of black origin. However, I studied the Bronte's work, including Wuthering Heights, at Oxford and the accepted academic theory is that Heathcliff was most likely to be of Romany-Irish traveller origin, hence why he is often referred to as a gypsy.

Whatever his origins, Heathcliff is a character that has captured the imagination for almost 200 years. I must confess though, that Wuthering Heights is not my favourite Bronte novel. It is emotionally heavy reading, it is full of suffering and there isn't one single likable character in the entire book! That said, it's not a book that you ever forget. Once you've read it, Emily's world stays with you in some deep, dark part of your psyche. Her original novel can be a bit of chore to read, as the author is deliberately setting out to confuse her readers with similar names for her characters, hints at a past that is never fully revealed or explained, suggestions of incest and the muddied lineage of the characters and inter-cousin relationships. Factor in the oblique Victorian language-style and well, it's messy, to say the least - although there will always be the ignorant romantic who waxes lyrical on how wonderful Heathcliff is and how romantic the novel is  - and they are perfectly free to die on that hill. 

But Wuthering Heights isn't a romance and it was never meant to be. 

It's meant to be dark and twisted.

So it was long past time that the old classic was given a makeover and that is exactly what Catherine is. In this book, the author, Essie Fox, stays very close to Emily Bronte's original text. Her plotlines run parallel with the Bronte classic that we all know, no characters are omitted and all the main events happen as per the original novel.  In this book though, it is the ghost of Catherine herself who is the narrator, rather than the outsider, Mr Lockwood. This gives the novel such a feeling of immediacy and authenticity that, at times, I forgot that I was reading a retelling.  It also helps to make the original Bronte novel much more accessible, as Catherine is well-written but without the extremely convoluted, labyrinthine language of the classic. Whilst all the indigenous twists and turns are still there, they are presented in a much more straight-forward and modern literary way, so the book is a pleasure to read. 

Here we get to know Cathy from her own perspective, rather than through the eyes of the often spiteful Nelly Dean of the classic. It is Cathy who speaks to us of her childhood, of her beloved moors and the vastness of nature that becomes her church, of her relationships and her ever-growing feelings for Heathcliff. We witness her wrestling with her conscience as she tries to be a good influence on her foundling friend, but only ends up having tantrums of her own. We feel the freedom of the moors through her experiences and what a blissful escape from trauma and abuse it was to both her and Heathcliff, and how this shared escape to freedom solidified their emotional bond.  She is still the wilful Cathy that we know and love, yet her voice has softened slightly, as she recounts her story with the benefit of ghostly hindsight.  In this novel, we are Cathy, just as Cathy is Heathcliff!

This POV and first person narrative makes it feel as if you are right at the heart of the story, in a way in which the original novel does not, because Bronte's intention was for the reader to experience the feeling of being the outsider, someone who is always looking in, but never quite included, much as Heathcliff was an outcast. In Catherine, the reader is very much included in the story and so you get to witness it unfold first-hand,  one tragic piece of the puzzle at a time.  

Catherine has been a fantastic read and I ripped through it in just a couple of days. It's a very pretty book, with cover art reminiscent of the Bronte Parsonage in Yorkshire, the home of the Bronte sisters. It also has beautiful end pages and sprayed edges with an avian, corvid theme. If you are a Bronte fan then you will probably enjoy this retelling of Wuthering Heights. It is just the thing to prolong the highly-romanticised Heathcliff vibes from the new movie, which is a must-see as it is such a beautiful and picturesque film. 

However, if you're looking for a film that adheres to the original Bronte text, I recommend the 1992 version with Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, which is fabulous and appropriately dark and twisted! 

In the meantime, I'm off to play the new Wuthering Heights soundtrack from the latest movie and make plans for a day out on the Yorkshire Moors. Happy reading.

Serene Blessings

Marie x

AD: This book was sent to me by the publisher prior to its release for the purposes of review. It was published on February 12th in hardcover, digital and audio formats. 

 

ONCE UPON A DREAM: Valentine's Elven Love Spell

 If Cupid didn't bring you any Valentines this morning, fear not.

Here is one from a beautiful Elven Prince.

No mortal man could ever compete...

Because life has taught me that fantasy is far better than reality.

Happy Valentine's Day

xxx

BOOK NOOK : Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood

" 'Absolutely not. No glitter,' Hal said. He looked accusatorially at Annie. 'If your magic is anything to go by, that damn stuff will get absolutely everywhere and I'll never see the end of it. I've already noticed yours, hanging everywhere around the place.'

'You don't like it?' Annie said, genuinely baffled. As a firm believer in extra sparkle at all times, she had tinkered with her own magic to ensure the glitter lingered a little longer than the average. "

I love reading witchy novels but sometimes those with a slant of history can be a little dark, even a touch depressing. So I was delighted when Pan Macmillan sent me an ARC of this book back in the autumn. Uncharmed is a cosy, witchy fantasy with a hint of romance and magic galore. In this world, witchcraft is hidden but not forbidden and there is no mention of the historical witch hunts of the past. It's a very light hearted and immensely fun read. 

I hadn't read this author before so her work is a new discovery to me and I have to say that I loved Uncharmed right from the opening lines of the very first page. It tells the story of Andromeda Wildwood, or Annie, who runs a beautiful bakery in London, whipping up enchanted pastries and cakes for her unsuspecting customers. She lives in a self-designed world of pure femininity, where everything is pink and pretty, including her bakery and the cakes she creates. Imagine if the Charmed Ones ran a magical branch of Peggy Porschen - that's the vibe of this book. It has echoes of the Joanne Harris novel Chocolat but with way more magic involved. 

I really liked the characters in this novel.  Annie is a lot like Elle Woods from the Legally Blonde films and I kept picturing Reese Witherspoon in my mind as I was reading. However, Annie takes perfectionism to a whole new magical level, making Mary Poppins seem like an underachiever! Everything in her life is spot-on and flawless, but as her perfectionism is a trauma response to the loss of her parents, she has a deep seated feeling of being unworthy and not good enough and so she has fallen into the classic trap of becoming a people pleaser. She takes on far too much, running her bakery, offering emotional support to her customers, helping out with her coven and going on blind dates she doesn't want, all because she's too afraid to say no to anyone. She doesn't want to disappoint people. 

So when her coven leader asks her to take on the training of an unschooled teenage witch who has recently come into her powers, Annie feels compelled to say yes, even though she has little time to spare. And that's where all the trouble begins, for young Maeve is in no mood to be trained, least of all by a version of Pink-Witch-Barbie and her wooden spoon! She wants to learn from her own instincts and her love of books, not from a mentor in perfection. Annie has her work cut out and following a particularly disastrous false start, she and Maeve are sent away to a ramshackle cottage in the woods, lost in the middle of nowhere, where the magic lessons can do no further harm.  Cue magical house-makeover montage - fabulous! Very Nicole Kidman in Bewitched. 

This is a novel that explores the true meaning of family, of home, of love and what it means to be a good friend - with a clear depiction of false friendships too by way of comparison. The romance is light and slow burning, there is a hilarious bad day when the magic has lapsed, plus some epic magical battle scenes. In short, it has everything you could wish for from a cosy, witchy fantasy novel.

Uncharmed is a lovely stand-alone story. The vanilla fragranced magic shimmers across the page in a stream of pink glitter and its just so visual in its descriptive passages that it would make a wonderful movie. There is tons of magic in this one - rival covens, some adorable familiars and a few comical mistakes. There were parts of the book that made me laugh out loud, especially the meet-cute with Hal and the bickering relationship that develops between Annie and Maeve. With echoes of Disney's Fantasia and the classic fairytale Snow White, its easy to see where the author found her inspiration, yet she has somehow managed to transform these echoes into something that is entirely her own and altogether charming.  It's a fairytale as much as a witchy novel and it will make your mouth water for Annie's deliciously enchanted pastries. 

If, like me, you believe that everything can be improved with a little bit of shimmer, and if you are a pink witch with a sweet tooth, then you will love this sparkling, brilliant book. But make sure you have a few sweet treats on hand because you will crave a sugar-rush as you read this delightful confection of a novel. Enjoy!

Serene Blessings

Marie x

AD: This novel was sent to me by the publisher Pan Macmillan for the purposes of review. It is available now in hardcover, digital and audio formats. 

BOOK NOOK: The Undoing of Violet Claybourne

 "The snow was soft and powdery and made a satisfying squeaky crunch beneath our feet. The air was clean and brittle. When we reached the small copse, I turned around and drew a breath. Against the white ground and pale grey sky, Thornleigh looked magnificent. With its turrets and jagged edges it appeared like a thorny weed sprung miraculously from the frozen ground. Yet, there was also something foreboding about the way it sat, up there on the mount, watching over us."

The Undoing of Violet Claybourne has been on my shelf for a while now, waiting for when I had time and space to read it.  It is a galloping Gothic novel and I devoured it in two days. I have read lots of Gothic novels as a reviewer, but this one is a real page turner and it kept me gripped throughout. There isn't a single slow moment - the action keeps moving along at a great pace and at times it left me breathless, almost panicked, so authentic is the writing. 

It tells the story of three sisters and Gillian, who is the friend of the youngest sister and the main protagonist. The Claybourne sisters, Emmeline, Laura and young Violet, are from a very affluent family, living on a large country estate. The story begins in the years leading up to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Violet arrives at Heathcomb Boarding School for Girls and becomes Gillian's roommate. To begin with, the novel has quite strong Dark Academia vibes. 

Right from the start Gilly is captivated by Violet and her daredevil, rebellious ways and the two soon become firm friends. Until Violet came along, Gilly was rather a loner, ignored by her father, who is her only surviving parent, and frequently left with an aging aunt for the school holidays. So when Violet invites Gillian to spend the Christmas holidays at her home, Thornleigh Hall, Gilly is delighted to accept. 

Upon arrival she is soon swept away by the grandeur of the estate, where one is expected to dress for dinner each evening, expensive shopping trips are put 'on account' and where lavish balls are planned for the festive period. It is a place where the elites thrive, a place of hunting, shooting and fishing on the lake and Gillian soaks it all up. She is especially enthralled by Violet's glamourous older sisters - Emmeline, the sophisticated and studious eldest sister who is an Oxford student, and Laura, the fun-loving, jazz-playing middle sister who has quite a Flapper-esque feel about her reminiscent of the roaring twenties, rather than the 1930s. Gillian is full of admiration for both the older girls and the exciting lives that they lead, studying, hunting, shopping, drinking and dancing. 

She is seduced by the appearance of generational wealth, the routines of the household, for instance, having tea in the library by a huge open fire, the talk of coming out balls, handsome suitors and engagements, and the prospect of participating in the Christmas festivities at such a grand home as Thornleigh Hall. She is desperate to be included, accepted and welcomed as some sort of adopted sister, and she is willing to do whatever it takes to win the approval of the sisters, especially Emmeline. 

However, things take a turn for the worse when events during the Boxing Day Hunt go terribly awry, sealing the four young women in a relationship that they could never have predicted and can't escape. From then on the novel gets increasingly darker and the Gothic tropes are deployed thick and fast - secrets, lies, madness, incarceration, scapegoats, power and control. The novel simply strides along, following the four women from their last youthful and disastrous Christmas, right up until they are  old ladies in their seventies, but the pacing never slows down. There are some fantastic red herrings and brilliant twists in the tale that I never saw coming! 

In some ways this book reminded me of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, or maybe the first book in the S.T.A.G.S series by M A Bennet, because it has that same theme of a poor young woman seduced by the affluence and wealth of the elite class, so if you like either of those books then you will probably enjoy The Undoing of Violet Claybourne too.  It is certainly a very harrowing read at times and it made me feel very glad that I have never had any sisters, because the sisterly bonds in this book are torturous! It is an excellent psychological thriller, set in an affluent world of privilege, all with serious Gothic undertones.  Enjoy!

Serene Blessings

Marie x

AD: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Bonnier Books, for the purposes of review. It is available now in all formats. 

ONCE UPON A DREAM: I'm Back at Oxford!

 

I wasn't planning on returning to university. I finished my year of studying at Oxford University in December 2024, which marked the end of ten years of studying. I received the news that I had passed the course in January 2025 and I thought that was that. I thought that I was done with my studies. I'd already achieved all that I had wanted to achieve academically and I was happy to just take that knowledge forward and get on with my life.  Although I felt a slight touch of fomo back in September when all the back-to-uni vibes were buzzing, I personally had no intention of jumping back into it at all.

However, as soon as I realised that some people were irritated by my academic achievements, I felt like they were waving a red rag to a bull.  My rebellious Bruce heart was roused and I immediately applied to another university course! I was accepted back in October 2025 and duly paid my course fees. There's no denying I did it for devilment. I did it to prove a point. The point being, no-one puts limits on what I can achieve. No-one tells me what I can and can't do. I decide those things for myself. Its called autonomy and I'm actually rather good at it! Nobody puts Baby in the corner.

I also really enjoy studying. I love the scholarly life, the lectures, the study groups, the common room chit-chat and so on. To a certain degree, I even quite enjoy writing essays - not because they are enjoyable, but because I like to see for myself how much learning I have absorbed and what kind of sense I can make of it. This reputation for having a scholarly approach has also brought in additional writing opportunities that I might not have received otherwise, so studying has been great for my work as a writer.

The thing about studying at university level is that -  its like a game. The tutors, whilst very supportive and lovely, will push you and stretch you to see if you break under pressure. Academics has its own language and you will not be given a glossary of terms or a crib sheet to explain it all. You are expected to learn the language under your own initiative.  You are expected to come to lectures with a reasonable foundation of scholastic learning to begin with. If you don't already have that in place, its your job to do the ground work, and do it quickly! That's why peer support and study groups are so useful, because you can learn from other one another. If you have been out of education for some time, university can be very intimidating, but it is meant to be, especially at somewhere like Oxford, which has its own rep to protect. The onus is on the student to bring themselves up to par. 

When I first began studying the psychotherapy course back in autumn 2013, I realised that I didn't have a full understanding of the academic lingo. I didn't have an A-level, only my GCSEs, and I was jumping straight in at university level. That was a significant academic gap for me to bridge. I loved books, but I had to learn how to do more detailed close-reading of texts, breaking them apart, finding the key structure and thesis, formulating my own argument and using the text as simply a jumping off point for my own hypotheses. I knew how to meet a deadline, but academic research was quite new to me and not something I had done very much of in the past. It was quite a learning curve, but one that I enjoyed immensely. I studied the art of studying, alongside my actual course studies, learning what makes a great essay, what pitfalls to watch out for, how to construct an argument and so on. None of these things were taught in class by our tutors. They were things I taught myself through self-study outside of the lecture hall.   

I turned the whole thing into a game, competing not against my fellow students, but against myself, to see how clever I could become, how learned I could make myself feel. And that is where the buzz of academics kicked in - because there is a buzz to developing your own intellect and to leaving a class, a lecture or a course, a bit smarter than you were when you started. I learnt that I was clever, but I had to work hard for that knowledge, pushing through impostor syndrome, fear of failure and inadequacy until I slowly began to trust my own intelligence.  I loved that my mind was being stretched and the feeling of neuroplasticity that gave me. The academic buzz was strong!

So the idea of returning to university to do another course wasn't distasteful to me, and like I said, I had a point to prove! I do what I want, I achieve what I want and if people don't like me for it that's just tough. I'm always going to press ahead - its in the Bruce blood. 

I began my current course with Oxford a few weeks ago, at the start of Hilary term and it will continue until early summer. Its a topic that has fascinated me for many, many years and I am enjoying studying the subject academically.  There are, of course, more essays to write and presentations to give, but for the most part I am excited by the course rather than apprehensive about it. Having spent the whole of 2024 studying at Oxford, I know what to expect, so I feel that I am well prepared and I have a firm grounding in how Oxford University works, what the Professors expect etc. The subject is one close to my heart and it's making me rethink what I thought I knew about it, which is always a good thing. I have lectures a couple of times a week, plus study group and common room,  and our Professors are lovely. It can be a little dry at times, but that's Oxford for you! Its just all part of the academic sphere.

My first formative essay is due in mid-February so I am currently in the note-taking phase of planning that out. It is rather fun and I get to be a scholar all over again, which is nice. I do think though, that having been a university student for over a decade, across various courses and subjects, that I will always be a scholar now. It's how I have programmed my mind to work and that is no bad thing. Plus its really good for my writing career which is an added bonus. 

Until next time, Dominus illuminatio mea.

Serene Blessings

Marie x