The Spiral of Life

Thank you for this audio book ARC to Francesca McMahon and NetGalley.

The Spiral of Life follows Eilean, a moody 17-year-old girl with a knack for modern-day blacksmithing and some unresolved anger issues in her past. When Eilean and her parents return to her childhood home to visit her grandmother, Eilean is, much against her will, swept away on a dangerous quest consisting of gods, monsters, talking horses - and a pretty nice girl named Freya.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

The author has described this book as 'Percy Jackson meets Merlin' so obviously I had to request it right away. And believe you me, my expectations were high. Surprisingly, the Spiral of Life actually met quite a few of them.
Whereas there could've been more character work and dialogue, I really liked that which there was. The main character, Eilean, felt like a more snarky Percy Jackson, whereas Freya was her total opposite, the ultimate sunshine character. However, my favorite of the three main characters was the hilarious talking kelpie whose name I am certain I would misspell. Also, A+ for the diverse representation!
Loved the worldbuilding and different entities the characters encountered. The author clearly has a great knowledge of the Celtic folklore.
The prose was quite good. The dialogue was realistic (and sometimes hilarious) and the descriptions were vivid. The only problem I had (and the reason I'm giving the book 4.5 stars and not 5) was that the book is riddled with adverbs. At one point a character 'laughed humorously'. That was too much for me 😅 but otherwise, like I said, the writing was good.
The plot was very Percy-Jackson-like, a straight-forward quest, which I didn't mind but also wasn't super interesting. At times I was in a bit of a lost about what was happening and where the characters were, but this could be due to my ADHD brain struggling with listening comprehension. The ending was fantastic, though, really made me look forward to book 2.
And now that I mentioned listening, let's talk about the narration. I did not care for it, to be honest. I didn't like how the narrator did Freya's voice, and some characters' speech I struggled to even understand. I wish I'd read this instead of listening. (Also, then I could spell the kelpie dude's name.) But this could just be me not being used to audio books. I really liked the soundscapes at the beginning of each chapter, though!
Altogether, I liked this book. It certainly gave me Percy Jackson vibes and wasn't boring for a second. It gets my approved-stamp and I recommend reading it. Might even check out the author's other books, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bandele Books for approving my request to listen to an audiobook arc of this book.

This book follow Celtic mythology and is a subject I loved learning more about and hearing of all the different folk tales and myths surrounding the gods and goddesses. I also really enjoyed the fact that the mc was so passionate about being a blacksmith. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the persons chosen skill in craftsmanship was so well suited and incorporated into the story.
I really enjoyed the first instalment of this new series and I am so excited to see where the story goes next and also how the characters relationship develops going forwards.

This story deals with intense anger and guilt and also the start of a journey towards healing. I enjoyed the lgbtqia+ representation and also the scathing kelpie companion. This book had so much world building and I’m excited to see where it goes next.

If the cover of this book doesn't immediately pull you in then then the description definitely should. I don't believe I have ever read a book about a female blacksmith and while that is fun enough on it's own, we also get to learn much more about Eilean and her adventure into another world.

While I do like Eilean as a character, the standout character for me is definitely the aquatic undead horse with a bad attitude!

I would say this book leans more toward middle grade/young teen but it's also fun for adults. Perfect for someone who wants to dip their toes into an easy fantasy book.

The audiobook narration was so fun with added sound effects and different voices from narrator Rebecca Daltry.

Thank you NetGalley and Bandele Books | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

The book was good for me as a lover of all things mythology. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed their development. The narrators added to the story and I really had a good time.

I really enjoyed the audiobook. The story is captivating from the beginning and I really liked Eilean. From the side characters my favourite is definitely Bhradain! The sound effects in the beginning of each books are a lot of fun and Rebecca Daltry does a great job overall.

YA chosen-one fantasy inspired by celtic folklore

The story was so enjoyable all the way through and I lived the characters and dynamics felt really realistic for girls of their age.

The audiobook itslef was so well done, it's one of the best I heard. The accents and different voices to show different characters was AMAZING!!! More productions should listen to this and do the same, it was duet style with a single narrator if that make sense.

I will most definitely keep an eye out for the sequel!

Reviews on TikTok and Instagram coming soon!

The cover is beautiful with colours with a strong protagonist, if that doesn’t intrigue you I don’t know what will. The spiral of life follows Eilean, Freya, and Bhradain trying to save the magical world, a world dying. The YA fantasy inspired by Celtic folklore, bring a cozy slow read perfect for the winter months. The importance of nature and folklore was very well integrated and made this read an experience in itself. This was well written for a YA, with pop references, and a urban setting in one of the two worlds.

The novel has wonderful representation, from LGBTQIA+ rep to mental health and therapy rep. Her journey felt very realistic with coping skills and therapy practices, this gave representation for mental health. This novel being written with a younger audience is really amazing, from being hopeful it is also validating different emotions that might bring shame, like anger, guilt and the mixed emotions of our past actions. The low-key LGBTQIA+ rep was beautiful, having two queer teenagers going through adventure is really pretty.

I enjoyed having a unique creative hobby; blacksmithing. Especially as it is shown to bring skill in the magical world. The skill is both a coping mechanism and a way to express herself. It was used beautifully to represent her inner emotions.

I believe this is a perfect cozy fantasy, perfect for autumn and winter, if you want something that is mainly vibes and just soft and slow. It was not fast past with lots of plot twits. I do believe the novel could of done with more depth on the magical aspects, and maybe slightly longer to give us enough time to really dive into the magical world. I really enjoyed description of the landscapes in both world but which there was more.

The audio book felt wonderful, honestly having the Scottish accents really made me immerse more into the story. I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook.

I recommend this to anyone that was a comfort, cozy winter/autumn fantasy, this really was wonderful.

[ARC Netgally - Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)- Sep 22 2024]

Enchanting and captivating

I really enjoyed The Spiral of Life by Francesca McMahon. It has easily become one of my favourite reads of this month.

We follow Eilean (Eye-lean), a young blacksmith trainee with a troubled past who is suddenly transported to another world where she is the only one who can save it.

The narrator did a fantastic and charming job bringing the story and characters to life.

I can't wait for more fun stories in this new series.

Perfect for those who enjoy:
*YA fantasy series
*Sapphic lead
*LGBTQIA representation
*Celtic mythology
*Sarcastic animal companions
*Reluctant heroine
*Quests

The audiobook for this is so great! I loved the sound effects, and the narrator. The plot was easy to follow, and the world building was well done. Bhradain is 100% the best character in this book and I really hope we get to see more of him as the series continues. With that said all the characters in here were good. This would make a really good Fantasy series for middle grade and up.

I'm really excited to see where the story will go from here!

I enjoyed this tale of Eilean, a hot-tempered teen with a troubling past tasked to save an ancient god in the Celtic Otherworld. Skeptical that she's up for the job, Eilean is joined on her quest by Freya, a local girl from Eilean's hometown who shows Eilean compassion and empathy, as well as a snarky mythical horse of death. Together they are confronted with challenging tasks as they navigate the Otherworld to complete their pursuit.

McMahon does a beautiful job of world-building while infusing characters with humor and heart. This story is geared toward a YA and/or middle-grade audience but was just as fun to read as an adult.

Thanks to NetGalley, I was granted access to the audiobook version and the narration by Rebecca Daltry was exceptional. The beginning of each chapter contains a brief sound clip relating to the story section, and Daltry navigates different voices like a pro.

This was a really well produced audio book. The sound effects and the narrator were really good and helped bring the book to life when listening to it. McMahon has a really strong voice in their writing and I really loved their characters and way of telling stories. This was a fun listen and I highly reccomend it.

This was unexpectedly good! I didn’t really go into this book with any expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised when I ended up liking it quite a lot. The story is well structured and I really enjoyed following along with Eilean and Freya on their journey. The audiobook narration was stellar! The writing already made the characters feel distinct, but the narration helped as well, because their voices were acted differently. Some of the acting choices were a bit off-putting, especially the God that appears towards the end, I understand why he was acted this way, but I found it somewhat annoying.

This was such a fun audiobook experience with the sound and vocal effects. I appreciated the character development of Eilean, who I found was a very realistic representation of a mental health struggle. The development isn't linear, and it takes a while for lessons to sink in for Eilean. She's a teenager with big feelings and it's as messy as expected as she's challenged on the journey. Can't wait to dive into the rest of the series!