Many thanks to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for my spot on this Blog Tour.

A brilliant author is Sharon Blackie. Her prose strummed with a strange lilt that bespoke of the ancient folk tales passed from generation to generation, some told as a bedtime story and some hidden as a myth. All had strong women at its core.

Emotions raged high when these women were wronged. Some thrived in evil, some wanted revenge. Some just symbolized their inner animal, some took on this form forever. Traditional stories were mixed with a couple of contemporary ones to span the lengths of the novel and show its inner potential.

Illustrations at the beginning of the book were the teasers, they increased my inner craving to know more. Started with a bang with the story of Wolfskin, it brought a shiver of excitement. At 4 pages, most barely begin the story, but Sharon’s brilliance shone when she wrote the entire story, complete and horrifying, paving the way for more.

Each story brought its own charm, some wicked, some evil. And all of them had me cackling with glee. The author’s research into the old Gaelic, Irish, Scottish, Russian, Celtic folktales was extensive (as shown in her notes at the end), but I was in absolute awe at the way she spun the stories her way using the tales as bare inspiration and telling me the story of transformation of each of these shapeshifting women, nature at the core of their hearts and animal their body.

I received a free ARC from Anne and the author, and this is my journey into its pages, straight from the heart!! STRICTLY HONEST AND UNBIASED.

All my reviews can be read here

Drawing on myth and fairy tales found across Europe – from Croatia to Sweden, Ireland to Russia – Sharon Blackie brings to life women’s remarkable ability to transform themselves in the face of seemingly impossible circumstances. These stories are about coming to terms with our animal natures, exploring the ways in which we might renegotiate our fractured relationship with the natural world, and uncovering the wildness – and wilderness – within.

Beautifully illustrated by Helen Nicholson, Foxfire, Wolfskin and Other Stories of Shapeshifting Women is her first collection of short stories. All are either reimaginings of older tales, or contain characters, beings and motifs which appear in older tales

Publication Date: 26th September 2019