This was not what I was expecting and I love being pleasantly surprised. A magical and tense read filled with intriguing characters, friendship and heart. Such a heartwarming middle grade fantasy that would make a wonderful series if Hart and Sleeman decided to go that route.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I have received this book in exchange of an honest review, thank you to the publishers and the author for the opportunity.

I have my own blog (http://www.daysinotherworlds.com) now, so please do give it a visit if you're interested in my other reviews :)

───────────────────

I wasn't able to finish the book in the end, I got to 25% and realised that it's not for me.

The thing that irks me the most here, is that I would have loved something like this when I was much younger. The usage of the long words, the mystery of the house, and the possibility of what else is there would have been great,

But I am simply a little too old to fully enjoy it.

This is my lowest rated book of 2022 so far. I hope that this book retains that title because I would rather read good books than more books like this.
This book has been compared to Harry Potter (I can see the vaguest of similarities) and to Chronicles of Narnia (no idea why). Unfortunately, those tenuous connections appear to me like this book was fanfiction of these middle grades books written by a middle schooler. Some of the characters and perspectives seem to serve no point. All of the characters lack any depth whatsoever. The plot makes no sense.
Honestly, I should have DNF'd this book. I cannot thing of anything that I really liked about the book.

A spellbinding book that will appeal to readers. This book has a different approach than the typical kid lit but one that is refreshing and kids will enjoy. Emilie's struggle between light and dark is relatable and a safe way to explore things that this age group is going through. Emilie's vocabulary too is almost a way she's trying on a more adult role and trying to figure out the world.

Thank you Netgalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for granting my request to read this book.

I was drawn to Alight because of the cover and after reading the story I think it is very well chosen. The light, the tendrils of darkness..

This Middle Grade fantasy story is about Emilie Lewis, an adopted girl who thinks she is not special at all but wants to be. She has a big imagination and comes up with epic stories and adventures with magic involved. When she meets her aunt Etty and cousin Alphie she discovers she has magic flowing through her and she can't believe it at first, but soon she wants to explore it and learn as much as fast as she can. Her cousin Alphie and Emilie grow close immediately and she meets new friends. So far it all seems like a sweet and happy story.

The plotwist was well build in and changed the happy story into one that brings out the darker parts. Emilie has the power of light, but now she comes in contact with the darkness. Unexpected meetings, who to trust and who not, friendships on the line and making tough decisions come next. I loved how it all worked out!
It's just as in real life, good things happen and bad things. It's about how we deal with these things and our choices.

I really liked Emilie, already from the start. Because she felt real. Not a perfect person, because who is? And to the story this is important as well. Something about light and darkness. Alphie is the kindest kid possible. I remember how I used to love adding in difficult and fancy words into my sentences as a child and so I loved how Alphie did the same! And for the targeted reading group I think it is a fun way to get in touch with these 'adult' words. They even put a full list incl the meaning of them all at the end of the book.

The story was easy to follow, left no big question marks at the end (just maybe about a sequel) and was fun to read.

I was very grateful to receive an ARC for this book as the description sounded enticing and I am a big fan of the fantasy/ SciFi genre. However, what I overlooked is the fact that the book is marketed for „middle grades“, which presumably means early teens.

From an adult point of view the writing is infantile and the plot is underdeveloped and superficial. The characters have very little depth and reach from predictable and naive to downright simple. I like the POV style but others might find it confusing especially the one character that appears seemingly out of nowhere and is frankly utterly pointless.

The „difficult“ vocabulary that is explained at the end is a nice touch when you are eleven or learning english as a second language. The rest of the population hopefuly doesn’t need an explanation for „apathetic“ and „bemused“.

On the plus side there is something in this story that made me turn the pages and finish it, I just can’t quite put my finger on what exactly it was. Maybe latent masochism.

Fazit: Cute, if you are approx. 10 years old. Otherwise, don’t waste your money.

*I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review*

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC and I was looking forward to reading this. The description sounded great and really drew me in. As I was reading it though the writing style isn't quite what I like or what I usually read but I can see how this writing style would appeal to others.

The plot itself was a little slow to begin with and started with the POV of a mystery character which does make it a little confusing however if you like books about magic and discovering family history then give this book a chance.

*I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review*