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Title: Smailholm
Author: C.L. Williams
Publisher: Matador/Troubador
Publication Date: January 28, 2020
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
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Purchase Links:
Barnes & Noble // Amazon // Indiebound
Bookstagrammer // Audible
“You see for many years a secret has been kept beneath
my family home—Smailholm Tower, the wild brambles hiding
a big secret of the smallest kind. It is a secret which only
I seem to have discovered—that of the miniature folk of
Smailholm. They say they were once the same size as I,
but they were shrunk by some other-worldly curse.”
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Smailholm
C.L. Williams
Matador/Troubador, January 2020
ISBN 978-1-83859-166-3
Trade Paperback
From the author—
Shh! Can you keep a secret? In wild medieval Britain thirteen-year-old Wynn Hoppringle has a big secret of the smallest kind. She has discovered a miniature village hidden close to her family home of Smailholm Tower. When tales of merciless border raiders reach the small folk, they realise they are in danger and must seek a cure to their strange predicament. Can Wynn help her tiny friends or will the scheming King quog have other ideas? Heroes it seems come in all sizes.
What a charming little tale this is! As is fitting with a fantasy set in old Britain, Scotland to be exact, we don’t ever entirely understand what’s going on in this land of wee folk but it’s an adventure, an immersion into the wild country that will eventually become polished and almost mundane.
Wynn is a curious, lively girl whose future is preordained by her position and her life changes when she encounters these tiny people who have been living under an old curse. They’re not the faeries we might expect but actually miniaturized people and they, and their village near Smailholm Tower, become an essential part of Wynn as she grows up. Other than her dog, Vargo, no one else knows about them and Wynn fears for their future and so sets out to find a cure for the curse..
One note—this is billed as medieval but the year that Wynn meets Jimmy is 1563, a hundred or so years after the commonly accepted end of the Medieval Era. This takes place during the Renaissance but it has a decidedly Middle Age feel and I chalk that up to the atmosphere of old Scotland. Regardless of this discrepancy and some inconsistencies in the author’s writing style, I recommend this to readers of any age who appreciate both history and whimsy.
Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, January 2020.
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About the Author
Claire Williams lives in Cheshire with her husband and children Ava and Henry. She probably needs to consider Botox in the near future. She is proud to be called a ‘Clayhead’ – a person born in the Potteries (Stoke on Trent) and will always turn over a china cup to see where it is made. She is a tech geek and fantasy fan and will often be found snuggled in front of the TV watching a sci-fi or fantasy movie.
Author Links:
Website // Twitter // Facebook // Instagram
BOOK IS PUBLISHED BY TROUBADOR under its imprint MATADOR:
https://www.instagram.com/troubador_publishing/
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Follow the tour here.
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Giveaway
One copy of a luxury clothbound hardback
with Smailholm book swag
Enter here.
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Buried Under Books 
This is so special and unique. What a creative and lovely giveaway. The era interests me greatly as does the story. Many thanks.
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This sounds so delightful! Thanks for sharing your review. I’d love to read this:)
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