A review by saesteorra
The Spellbinding Secret of Avery Buckle by Hannah Foley

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.0

Avery Buckle may seem like an ordinary girl on the surface, but her Halloween cat costume is in fact her own, very real, tail, and her "parents" are nothing more than a pair of well-crafted guardian spells. It's a bit of a lonely existence for Avery, the last of the Cat Fae. But when her Halloween disco is disrupted by sentient shadows that seem to be after her, Avery and her friend Low - who may also be an owl - are whisked away by a flying peach stone to Scotland, and a whole new world of magic. 

I loved the world of Avery Buckle, from the portal in a stationery cupboard in the National Library of Scotland to the slumbering beast below Canonmills. Hannah Foley brings the mystery and history of Edinburgh vividly to life, populating the story with well-realised figures from Scottish folklore like Bean Nighe, Ghilli Dhu and the Wulver.

Filled with riddles, prophecies and memories, Avery's journey to discover her origins kept me hooked right to its emotional conclusion. I highly recommend this book for fans of adventure, especially those with an interest in Scottish folklore. I actually decided to join the National Library of Scotland after reading this book, so that I could work in that atmospheric setting!