REVIEW: Flight of a Starling by Lisa Heathfield

Rita and Lo, sisters and best friends, have spent their lives on the wing – flying through the air in their trapeze act, never staying in one place for long. Behind the greasepaint and the glitter, they know that the true magic is the family they travel with.
Until Lo meets a boy. Suddenly, she wants nothing more than to stay still. And as secrets start to tear apart the close-knit circus community, how far will Lo go to keep her feet on the ground? (via Goodreads)

Like Paper Butterflies before it, Flight of a Starling is a lesson in how to write heartbreak. It didn't grip me at all at first as the story felt very slow moving, but I persevered and I'm so glad I did. The language is imaginative and colourful throughout, resulting in a beautiful story.

Even though I knew what was coming from the first chapter, the sadness still crept up on me and hit when I least expected it. Flight of a Starling is a masterpiece.

Stars: ★★★★☆

I received a copy of Flight of a Starling from Electric Monkey via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield

Paper Butterflies tells June’s story of abuse at the hands of her stepmother, a father who won’t acknowledge the truth, and Blister, the boy from the woods.

Despite the beautiful way in which the story is told, I found Paper Butterflies is a tough read. The scenes of abuse were painful, and more than once I had to take a break. Thankfully there are also moments of reprieve in the time June spends with Blister. The book culminates in a plot twist you won’t see coming, and will keep you reading for hours (just make sure you have some tissues!).

Stars: ★★★★★