OF PRISON CAMPS, GHOST WOLVES and VENGEFUL SORCERY: Nevertell by Katherine Orton

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Welcome to my day, the final day of Walker Books' Nevertell Blog Tour.
As the days grow shorter and the weather, colder, it's the perfect time to visit this beautiful debut novel. Katherine Ortons' Nevertell takes us on a journey to the past, to another land and to a strange, shivering magic.
NEVERTELL
author: Katherine Orton
cover illustrator: Sandra Dieckmann
Walker Books (7 November 2019)
ISBN: 9781406385182
11-year-old Lina was born in a prison camp in the depths of Siberia. It is the only home she has ever known. But her mother, Katya remembers well the life outside...before she was taken from her home in Moscow with her father and brother. Both are gone. Katya has filled Linas' life with stories of her grandmother and home. And now, in a cunning bid to escape, Lina is sent out through the walls and fences with the most treacherous of the prison camps' inmates. Making out, Lina, her best friend Bogdan and her untrustworthy companions find  themselves deep in the snow-covered forest, running as fast and far as they can. And hounded by ghost wolves.
Before they know it, Lina and Bogdan are discovered by another enemy. Svetlana is a sorceress living in an enchanted Ice Palace filled with the shadows of people she has stolen to do her bidding. She is bent on revenge, but for what...no one knows. Fleeing from Svetlana across the ice and snow, dodging the eerie, magical dangers that meet them at every turn, Lina and Bogdan require a strength, bravery and a magic they never knew they possessed as they attempt an impossible journey to Moscow and Grandmothers' flat. But Svetlana is never far behind and the world is now far more dark and dangerous than any prison camp could ever be. And Moscow is so far away.
Katherine Orton has created a world that swims effortlessly between the realistic historical past and a magical space that sits just beyond our vision. With echoes of old folktales of spirit animals, haunted landscapes and Baba Yaga, a new folktale of eerie enchantment, hard-earned reconciliation and the unique gifts and abilities of a young girl emerges. The stark reality of life in a prison camp is brilliantly juxtaposed with the mysterious, yet harsh world outside its' walls and both stand as a metaphor for the influence of fear and restriction on the human spirit. The determination of the children and the strength of hope against all odds reveals a possibility of achieving the impossible. The plot twists and turns with surprising events that drive the reader deeper into belief in something...other. And the sheer sparkle and shimmer of magic that infuses itself throughout the story makes this a completely extraordinary book. Filled with characters that will seep into your imagination and take up residence there. A dark and dazzling bewitchment lies within these pages.  Nevertell is the perfect book to curl up with on cold, wintry evenings.

I want to thank Walker Books, and especially Rebecca for inviting to join this blog tour and for providing me with a copy of Nevertell. It now has a permanent place on my shelves.
Please visit the other sites on this blog tour...you'll be glad you did.

http://www.walker.co.uk/Nevertell-9781406385182.aspx

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