Octavia Bloom and the Missing Key by Estelle Grace Tudor

Today is my stop on the blog tour organised by the Write Reads book tour company for Octavia Bloom and the Missing Key by Estelle Grace Tudor. Thank you very much to Dave from the Write Reads and to the author for having me along on this tour and sending me a digital copy of this book to read and review as part of the 2021 BBNYA competition and the BBNYA tours organised by the TWR Tour team. All opinions are my own, unbiased and honest.

BBNYA is a yearly competition where Book Bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors. If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website http://www.bbnya.com or twitter @bbnya_official.

The sign-ups will soon be open for the 2022 BBNYA competition, be it for authors to enter their books, or for bloggers wanting to be part of the new panel, so keep your eyes peeled!!

Publisher: Inlustris
Length: 228 Pages
Date Published: July 20, 2020

Amazon Canada | Amazon US | Amazon UK | goodreads

One tiny discovery can have enormous consequences…
Almost 10-year-old Octavia Bloom is looking for adventure, but when it comes it’s in the shape of a tiny fairy door.
Dragging her reluctant sister and cousins into the mystery, Octavia discovers her family are hiding not ONE but TWO life-changing secrets.
Why is her mother searching for an elusive flower? And does she have what it takes to reunite her fractured family?
Octavia’s certain the answers lie behind the fairy door, if only she could just find the key…
Bravery, secrets & magic intertwine in this fantastical adventure.

My Review

Reading age 9-12 years.

I had been intrigued by this book since last year when I interviewed the author for my blog. It seemed like the type of book my daughter would have absolutely adored a few years ago. We had a massive collection of fairy books and I have to admit to keeping a few of them even though my daughter is much more into psychological horror and history nowadays! So I approached this book with a fairly extensive knowledge of middle grade fairy books.

This really is an enchanting, magical story which should capture the imagination of many young children.

Octavia Bloom is a red-headed, almost ten year old with violet blue eyes. She and her sister Felicity are staying, along with their twin cousins, with their stern grandmother, Evelyn Bloom, in Castle Bloom in Cornwall, England. While playing ‘hide and seek’ the girls discover a mysterious tiny door covered in ivy in the attic, which seems to only appear when they are holding hands. That evening their mysterious great aunt Clara arrives with her pet red squirrel, Rowan and before long the amazing history of the Blooms is being told:

“The Blooms were descended from a relationship between a fairy prince and a human girl. Their twin daughters were jointly tasked with being the door’s first Guardian and Key Keeper. The twin daughter with fiery hair like her fairy father became the Key Keeper, and her sister with golden locks like her mother became heir to Castle Bloom, and the Guardian to the Fairy Door”

Another family secret soon comes to light – a curse has been placed on the boy children of the Bloom family by an evil fairy queen, and the adults of the family have been doing everything they can to break the curse.

Octavia is a headstrong young girl and yearns for adventure. She does not heed advice and often breaks the rules. Despite these character traits she is utterly charming and likeable as the ringleader and main character from whose perspective this story is told. The other three girls seem to be a little more sensible than Octavia but they still have a sense of adventure – they all stick together and head through the door to Fairyland to try and break the curse once and for all.

The world of Fairyland is richly depicted and full of charm and will capture the imagination of young readers:

Fireflies flitted through the trees as the girls followed Ferren through a winding trail that glittered with luminescent toadstools and night-blooming flowers.

In order to break the evil queen’s curse the girls must go on a quest to find a very rare flower and have an exciting adventure riding unicorns, meeting talking animals, traveling by both bubble and rainbow and spending time in the royal palace of the good queen:

The girls passed through the hall and up glass steps that chimed as they walked upon them. The fairies led them into a circular room, whose walls glittered with amethyst crystals and golden seams. The four girls were momentarily struck speechless; even Ferren’s eyes grew impossibly rounder as Octavia gently placed her down on a padded seat.

They also have to overcome perilous circumstances in order to find the very rare Arianthe flower which blooms in a wyvern’s egg.

I heartily recommend this book for readers who enjoy well-written fairy stories with an unusual and gripping plot. There are positive messages of the strength and power of both family and love to be found throughout the narrative.

About the Author

When not searching the backs of wardrobes for Narnia, the bottom of the garden for fairies or exploring yet another Castle, Estelle can be found with her nose in a book or a pen in her hand.

Having previously worked at Cardiff Castle, she now writes full time while looking after her four children.

She lives on the beautiful South Wales coast in the UK with her husband, children and crazy dog.

She loves to connect with her readers and can be contacted via her Instagram page @through_the_fairy_door_books or on Twitter: @E_G_Tudor

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