Thank you to TT Greenshaw for this Arc. I spotted he wanted ARC readers on tiktok and I was lucky to be chosen. Hugely appreciated.

Book Blurb
Solar Carpenter is the first girl to study magic in a hundred years. And maybe the last.

For over a century, only high-born men have wielded magic in Ashwood. The nobility’s youngest sons are taught by the kingdom’s wizards in roving magic encampments. Witchcraft is forbidden, and the women who practise it persecuted.

Yet change is coming.

Solar Carpenter, a girl providing for her family any way she can, is plucked from her life of menial work and petty theft to study at an elite encampment. Under the guidance of one of Ashwood’s greatest wizards, she will learn in the field as a witch-in-training, using her powers to protect the kingdom.

Or die trying.

But what if something other than destiny lies behind her rise to magical prominence? Is Solar merely a pawn in an intricate game of thrones and power? Or the greatest force for change in a hundred years?

The answer lies in the Chronicles of the Divided Isle, an epic saga of high politics, deception and romance.

About the author
T.T. Greenshaw (or Theo, for short) grew up in Cheshire, England, with twin passions for fantasy novels and history. He followed the latter to study Ancient History and Archaeology at university, researching civilisations from Ancient Mesopotamia to Medieval England.

He writes fantasy novels set in rich medieval worlds and feeds his fascination with the past through an endless stream of history podcasts.

His love for the written word has led him to write Chronicles of the Divided Isle, found the Leeds Fantasy Book Club, and learn foreign languages, including Mandarin.

When not writing, Theo can be found playing the saxophone in various jazz bands, dreaming up new stories on hikes, or touring the nation’s cafes in search of the perfect cortado.

My Review I fell in love with Solar, she’s an incredible main character, she’s full of sass, brains, courage, and rebellion.  Pushing the social boundaries to the forefront to challenge them, not accepting that you can’t do things just because you are a girl, or poor. She strives to bring her father back, raise the class of the family and generally just hold it all together.

We have a gentle world building book that doesn’t overwhelm the reader, the characters are all colourful, relatable and real as you read the story. You’ll be rooting and at times fuming at the behaviour of some. You will get fully invested in the lives of these characters. A young adult novel, its around 330 ish pages so not too big to read in a day of two.