Recommendations based on "Never Blame the Gardener"

Poet, writer, and Instagram sensation Nikita Gill returns with a collection of fairytales poetically retold for a new generation of women.Traditional fairytales are rife with cliches and gender stereotypes: beautiful, silent princesses; ugly, jealous, and bitter villainesses; girls who need rescuing; and men who take all the glory.But in this rousing new prose and poetry collection, Nikita Gill gives Once Upon a Time a much-needed modern makeover. Through her gorgeous reimagining of fairytale classics and spellbinding original tales, she dismantles the old-fashioned tropes that have been ingrained in our minds. In this book, gone are the docile women and male saviors. Instead, lines blur between heroes and villains. You will meet fearless princesses, a new kind of wolf lurking in the concrete jungle, and an independent Gretel who can bring down monsters on her own.Complete with beautifully hand-drawn illustrations by Gill herself, Fierce Fairytales is an empowering collection of poems and stories for a new generation.

THEY TRIED TO CAGE US. BUT A WEYWARD WOMAN BELONGS TO THE WILD. WE CANNOT BE TAMED. ________________________________________________________ 'Alive, vivid and gripping' ABIGAIL DEAN 'Humming with a sly, exhilarating magic' BRIDGET COLLINS 'Totally unique' GILLIAN MCALLISTER 'Utterly absorbing' ABI DARE 'Fierce and moving... magnificent' ROSIE ANDREWS 'A stunning debut' LUCY CLARKE Kate, 2019 Kate flees London - abandoning everything - for Cumbria and Weyward Cottage, inherited from her great-aunt. There, a secret lurks in the bones of the house, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century. Violet, 1942 Violet is more interested in collecting insects and climbing trees than in becoming a proper young lady. Until a chain of shocking events changes her life forever. Altha, 1619 Altha is on trial for witchcraft, accused of killing a local man. Known for her uncanny connection with nature and animals, she is a threat that must be eliminated. But Weyward women belong to the wild. And they cannot be tamed... Weaving together the stories of three women across five centuries, Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world. UNIQUE. ORIGINAL. UNFORGETTABLE. Discover the power of being Weyward in 2023's biggest debut 'Relevant, empowering and brilliantly written... I just love it!' JOANNA CANNON 'An absolute beauty... a riveting page turner for wild women everywhere' JULIE OWEN MOYLAN, author of That Green Eyed Girl 'Beautifully written and intricate as a spider's web' SUNYI DEAN, author of The Book Eaters 'A brave and original debut - spellbinding' SARAH PENNER, author of The Lost Apothecary 'Beguiling, absorbing and exquisitely-rendered' LIZZIE POOK, author of Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter

Ours is a land of many gods, and we are a people with the ability to pick the worst of them. Cahan du Nahare is known as the forester - a humble man who can nonetheless navigate the dangerous Deepforest like no-one else. But once he was more. Once he was a warrior. Udinny serves the goddess of the lost, a goddess of the small and helpless. When she ventures into the Deepforest to find a missing child, Cahan will be her guide. But in a land at war, in a forest full of monsters - Cahan will need to choose between his past life and the one he leads now - and his choice will have consequences for his entire world.

*An Instant New York Times Bestseller*"If you don't believe in magic, you will after you've read Greenwild" - A. F. Steadman"An eco-thriller novel that every child should read" - The TelegraphThe Secret Garden meets A Wrinkle in Time in Greenwild: The World Behind the Door, the first book in the most extraordinary new fantasy series.Open the door to a spellbinding world where the wilderness is alive and a deep magic rises from the earth itself . . .Eleven-year-old Daisy Thistledown is on the run. Her mother has been keeping big, glittering secrets, and now she has vanished. Daisy knows it’s up to her to find Ma―but someone is hunting her across London. Someone determined to stop her from discovering the truth.So when Daisy flees to safety through a mysterious hidden doorway, she can barely believe her eyes―she has stepped out of the city and into another world.This is the Greenwild. Bursting with magic and full of amazing natural wonders, it seems too astonishing to be true. But not only is this land of green magic real, it holds the key to finding Daisy’s mother.And someone wants to destroy it.Daisy must band together with a botanical genius, a boy who can talk with animals, and a spunky cat to uncover the truth about who she really is. Only then can she channel the power that will change her whole world . . . and save the Greenwild itself.

Wicked wolves and a grim governess threaten Bonnie and her cousin Sylvia when Bonnie's parents leave Willoughby Chase for a sea voyage. Left in the care of the cruel Miss Slighcarp, the girls can hardly believe what is happening to their once happy home. The servants are dismissed, the furniture is sold, and Bonnie and Sylvia are sent to a prison-like orphan school. It seems as if the endless hours of drudgery will never cease.With the help of Simon the gooseboy and his flock, they escape. But how will they ever get Willoughby Chase free from the clutches of the evil Miss Slighcarp?

In 1218 an extraordinary princess is born, whose mystical powers and unquenchable spirit will alter the course of history...Raised by her fiercely Welsh nurse to support the Celtic cause against the predatory English king, Princess Eleyne is taught to worship the old gods, to look into the future and sometimes the past. However, unable to identify time and place in her terrifying visions, she is powerless to avert forthcoming tragedy...Remarkable events follow Eleyne all her life as, despite impassioned resistance, her world s shaped by powerful men. But her tempestuous life and loves tie her to the destinies of England, Scotland and Wales...

“Fast-paced and exciting adventure that will enthrall every reader.” —Erin Hunter, author of the New York Times bestselling Warriors seriesThe second thrilling book in Michelle Paver’s bestselling fantasy series is a must-have for fans of Brandon Mull and Jeanne DuPrau.As the Moon of No Dark looms over the land, the clans fall prey to a horrifying sickness. Fear stalks the Forest. No one knows the cause—and only Torak can find the cure.His quest takes him across the sea to the mysterious islands of the Seal Clan, where Torak will battle an unseen menace and uncover a betrayal that will change his life—forever.Crackling with suspense and ominous magic on every page.“Torak’s bravery against insurmountable dangers makes him an engaging and memorable hero” —VOYA

THE FANTASY BOOKTOK SENSATION! For fans of Uprooted and For the Wolf comes a dark, lushly gothic fantasy about a maiden who must unleash the monster within to save her kingdom--but the monster in her head isn't the only threat lurking. Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her. Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom she calls home--she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets. But nothing comes for free, especially magic. When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it. Except the highwayman just so happens to be the King's own nephew, Captain of the Destriers...and guilty of high treason. He and Elspeth have until Solstice to gather twelve Providence Cards--the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly, darkly, taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.

The ordinary becomes extraordinary in this sparkling first book in the Starfell series, a modern classic perfect for fans of Nevermoor and The Land of Stories. Willow Moss's small magic has always seemed unremarkable. But when the most feared witch in the land of Starfell appears on the Moss family's doorstep looking for help, it's not Willow's talented sisters she seeks, it's Willow. Because Willow is a finder of lost things--and Moreg Vaine says that last Tuesday has gone missing. Willow and Moreg set out on a perilous journey across the wilds of Starfell, looking for what they've lost. If they don't discover what happened to the missing day, the repercussions could be devastating for the entire kingdom. Can Willow find the day, to save the day?

Amateur witch Willow Moss returns in her second quest to save the world of Starfell, adding a new adventure to this magical middle grade series perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett. Willow Moss once considered herself rather unimpressive. But after saving the world of Starfell from certain ruin, she's feeling a tiny bit proud. The only problem? Since she restored the lost day, no one actually remembers that the disaster ever happened. So when her dear friend Nolin Sometimes sends her a desperate plea for help, Willow seizes the chance to prove herself once more. With the help of her old crew, Willow sets out on an adventure that takes her face to face with the mysterious Queen of the Undead--and if she fails, Willow, the finder of lost things, may lose her friends and her magic forever.