It is my turn on the blog tour for The Butterflies of Meadow Hill Manor by Stephanie Parks.

Here is the blurb:

Amy has been sent to live with her aunt at Meadow Hill Manor in Belper, Derbyshire, to help her ‘recover’. Rumours abound that the house is haunted, but Amy doesn’t care. It’s just another place to live and Amy is determined not to care about anything. What would be the point?

Amy’s obsession with shutting the world out is interrupted when she hears strange noises in the house. Here she finds herself drawn to a mysterious, magical power hidden within the building. Should she ignore it, or should she face her fears and embrace this strange, new magic?

Heart-warming and unique, The Butterflies of Meadow Hill Manor is a moving fantasy fiction which sensitively weaves themes of grief and anxiety along with friendship and discovery to deliver a truly magical story.

Blurb for The Butterflies of Meadow Hill Manor by Stephanie Parks.

Stefanie Parks was born and raised in the beautiful county of Derbyshire which became the inspiration and setting for her stories. She trained as a teacher at Derby University and after working locally for five years, decided to explore the world with her husband.

Together they worked their way around a handful of countries and are currently living in Christchurch, New Zealand. Stefanie has written consistently during her travels; her stories always linking her back to her homeland.

My stop on the tour takes the form of a book review.

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Title: The Butterflies of Meadow Hill Manor

Written by: Stephanie Parks

Published by: The Book Guild Ltd 

The atmosphere and setting of The Butterflies of Meadow Hill Manor is set from the very first page drawing you into this spooky tale. The descriptions were beautiful.

Twelve year old Amy moves to Belper in Derbyshire on Halloween to live with her Aunt Wilhelmina (aka Weirdo Wilma) at Meadow Hall manor, a creepy gothic-looking house with gargoyles peering down from the eaves and no wi-fi. Not that Amy wants wi-fi as she is mute after a traumatic experience.

The plot had me intrigued but it took too long to answer important questions that may have helped me warm to Amy sooner. I liked the way the butterflies were used to help the story unfold adding a touch of mystical magic to this emotional story of loss and coping with grief.

On the whole it was a captivating read suitable for higher middle grade.

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To check out the rest of the tour take a look at the schedule:

I would like to thank Kelly Lacey from Love Book Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising an e-book copy for me to read. Thank you.