TALLY AND THE ANGEL {BOOK ONE: INDIA}.

 Excited to be one several bloggers {amongst whom is Gina over at Satisfaction For Insatiable Readers who shared an excerpt which you can find here} who over 10 days will be participating in this Blog Tour (the full list of which can be found in the Schedule at the bottom of the post). Today {the sixth day of the Tour) its my pleasure to be sharing my thoughts on  ... 

TALLY AND THE ANGEL by ELEANOR DIXON.

Genre ... Children (ages 8-13) / MG Fantasy

Publication Date ... 1st June 2021

Standalone First book in a series

Estimated Page Count ... 258

When Tally discovers her pendant is home to the Angel Jophiel, she knows life will never be same again. But what good is an angel who won’t appear in front of others? Especially when she needs to convince her friend Balvan she knows where the kidnapped children of India are being held. Will Jophiel help Tally and Balvan escape the kidnappers’ clutches, or will they all perish? {Synopsis}

Tally raced into the airport departure hall, not caring that she was acting more like a six-year-old than a nearly-thirteen-year-old. {First Sentence, Prologue}

The transparent dragon was thrashing in the cascading water. His head reached the temple ceiling and his eyes burned with fire. He was monstrous, and he roared with the noise of a hundred waterfalls. {Memorable Moment, Page 205}

MY THOUGHTS ... My teenage years {to say nothing of my childhood} long since gone, its not everyone who understands my enjoyment of 'Middle Grade' books but to me, no matter what its intended age range, a good read is a good read and my goodness! Drawn in by the engaging characters and the depictions of India, excited to find out how the book concluded, Tally And the Angel is most definitely  a good read.

A strong, multi-faceted, female lead  √ 

Unlike most of the books of my childhood when it would invariably be a boy who was the brave one capable of fighting the dragon, its great that girls are now seen as being just as courageous when it comes to seeing off a dragon.

A believable character {and what I thought a wonderful role model}, resilient, determined, intelligent, compassionate, right from the off I liked Tally.

An insight into another country, culture and religion √

Such vivid imagery. I loved that the author gave such an authentic description of India, capturing the sights, the sounds, the smells, the heat, the crowds, the hustle and bustle. 

A story with angels and gods ...  In a nice touch, Jophiel {an angel housed in a marble pendant, no bigger than a thumb, his face and robes carved in minute detail, his job, to protect and guide the wearer, in this instance Tally, until he is once again passed on to someone else who needs him} has his story told bit by bit at the beginning of each chapter. 

 ... oh and there's the dragon {Vritra, identified as an Asaru, a serpent, a dragon or demon in Hinduism} who ...

Ah! That would be telling. What I will say though is the author cleverly uses this to introduce the issue of litter and pollution.

Adventure packed  √

Full of suspense and action. Will Tally and Belvan thwart the kidnappers thus save the missing children of India? Will Jophiel {how cool to have your very own guardian angel} have the strength to aid Tally in a fight of good against evil.  

Though a book with a teenage female lead, there is action aplenty guaranteeing that this will be enjoyed by boys as well as girls.

One of my favourite books of 2021, once read I can see its younger readers excited to read the other books in the series {so far there are books set in Canada and Japan planned} ... I know I am.

ABOUT ELEANOR DIXON ... My school life was spent in a girls’ boarding-school specialising in classical ballet and on leaving I danced professionally, touring Europe, for 4 years. After that I ran my own ballet school in Athens, Greece and simultaneously volunteered as a veterinary nurse, as my love of animals is the driving force in my life. I returned to England with my horse and my cat, and now live on a smallholding in Shropshire with various farm animals and a constant stream of pets.

I started writing while in Greece and completed a Creative Writing Course with the Writers’ Bureau. The same year, I won an annual competition in the Writing Magazine for an adult Fairy Story.

On my return to England, I wrote two children’s books, but my new life, caring for Highland Cattle, sheep, hens and pets, coupled with extensive global travel, meant that writing for publication took a back seat. I continued my love of writing with a daily journal and amusing travel blogs of each trip.

I am now writing full time and TALLY AND THE ANGEL is the first of a planned series. Their next adventure takes place in Canada, in North Yukon and the third in Japan. I intend them to have adventures in Greece, Egypt, Peru, Africa – anywhere I have been, really. 

My first book THE GRACEFUL GHOST  is shortlisted for the UK Selfies 2021 Award.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS ... ~ Website ~ Instagram ~ FaceBook ~ 

BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE ... ~ 2nd July: Splashes Into Books ~ Booksandemma-The Twist and Turn book blog ~ 3rd July: The Magic Of Wor(l)ds ~ karenandherbooks ~ 4th July: B for bookreview ~ Reviews by Prisha ~ WildWritingLife ~ 5th July: Curled Up With A Good Book ~ Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers ~ 6th July: Nicki`sLifeOfCrime ~ Against The Flow Press ~ 7th July: Felicity Grace Terry ~ Rae Reads ~ 8th July: @the.b00kreader (insta) ~ Cat and Mouse Reading ~ 9th July: Jessica Belmont ~ 10th July: Fallen Star Stories ~ 11th July: Jazzy Book Reviews ~ Snowphiethebookworm ~