In the Heart of Hidden Things was a great read.
I'm a huge fan of books with folklore so I has high expectations and the book definitely lived up to them.
It was well written and i enjoyed most of the characters.
I definitely highly recommend it!
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was absolutely charming. Whimsical, beautifully written, heart felt and transporting. I love the small village and forest setting, the gentle humour and the darker elements. A fairy story for all ages. This was definitely worth the wait.

Thanks, Netgalley, and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!
A nice read with some solid world-building and imaginative descriptions. I loved all fantastic beasts and creatures that were introduced! However, there are too many characters and the narrative loses focus on the essential ones. There are some interesting themes that the story focuses on - family and belonging to a community. I really needed more action. and fewer characters. Or at least some balance between characters from both types - humans and fae. All in all a nice read.

“You do not war with the People unless they war on you, but if matters edge towards a precipice, the fairy-smith will be the one to fight for you.”

My thanks to Quercus Books Jo Fletcher Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘In the Heart of Hidden Things’ by Kit Whitfield.

I am always drawn to novels that feature aspects of British folklore including faerie lore. Kit Whitfield’s debut novel seemed ideal. The novel opens with an extract from The Changeling by Charlotte Mew from which it obtains its title:
“Sometimes I wouldn’t speak, you see,
Or answer when you spoke to me,
Because in the long, still dusks of Spring
You can hear the whole world whispering . . .
Everything there is to hear
In the heart of hidden things.”

A few plot details: In the village of Gyrford and the surrounding county for generations the Smith family has provided protection from the People through their use of cold iron. The patriarch of the family Jeremiah and his son, Matthew, are both sensible men. However, Matthew’s son, John, is a little different. He appears to be fascinated by the woods and is described by his mother, Janet, as having at times a ‘starey look’. He was also able to communicate with an unusual cat. All possible signs of his being ‘fairy touched’, which is not a helpful trait for a fairy-smith.

While the Smiths regularly shield the vulnerable there are those who resent this. Ephraim Brady, a cruel and bitter man, enjoys hurting those who cross him. He might not be able to touch the older Smiths but he can use his money and power to hurt those that they care about - especially the Ware family.

Eleven-year-old Tobias Ware was born on a night when the blazing fey dog Black Hal had roared past the Wares' gate. Tobias does not understand the
language or laws of men and is unable to stay away from the Bellame woods. If caught there it would be trespassing, a hanging offence. The Smiths are determined to aid the Ware family in shielding Toby from all threats.

Chatty cats, feisty bramble bushes, helpful and tricky Fae, and a gigantic fey hound are a few of the delights of this historical fantasy that also explores themes of family and community. It also serves as a coming-of-age tale for John. There is even a sweet love story between two supporting characters. Whitfield expertly blends her myriad themes into the narrative creating a rich tapestry.

I did find the novel a little slow at the start though this allowed Whitfield to establish her ‘once upon a time’ world in which the People inhabit the woods and the human population must utilise the skills of the fairy-smiths to create the cold iron talismans that repel the Fae.

I found that soon I was completely gripped and couldn’t put the novel down. I didn’t want it to end!

Beneath the surface, Whitfield uses the concept of those who are ‘faerie touched’ to subtly explore neuro-diversity. She writes in her Author’s Note: “I never set out to make this book ‘about’ special needs or neurodivergence; . I am, however, a member of a neurodivergent family. … basically I’m one of those people who usually gets taken for neurotypical but is considered a bit ‘quirky’’ (I can certainly relate having been considered by some ‘away with the faeries’ for most of my life.) Whitfield includes suggestions for further reading on the subject as well as internet resources.

Overall, I loved this novel finding Kit Whitfield’s storytelling quite extraordinary with memorable characters and excellent world building. I was a little sad that its audiobook edition isn’t available until mid-July though I am planning to buy it then so that I may revisit this amazing novel in the near future.

Highly recommended.

DNF, I found this book really hard to get in to. The world building was brilliant, detailed descriptions that you could imagine in your mind. There are so many characters introduced it's hard to follow, who's who, are they main characters, secondary characters?
Complex and detailed, if this is your preferred style of book you may get into it, the author does a brilliant job of crafting a new world.

I appreciated the style of writing and appreciated the references to folklore. This is not fast paced and action packed story, this is a story that talks about people who live in Gyrford in an alternate XIX century.
The author did a lot of work in recreating a simil XIX century language and developed a fascinating a complex world building.
I wasn't a fan of John, a bit too juvenile, but I found the plot entertaining and compelling.
I hope there will be other stories set in this world.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I originally chose this book based on its title and cover, which is a beautiful tangle of thorns under a moonlit sky. It spoke to me of a story with dark nature elements and a slight magical vibe.

The Heart of Hidden Things is set in a 19th century English village where a family of Smith's are not only responsible for iron works, they also protect their village from the business of the Fae. Where the digging up and moving of what appears to be a blackberry bush has unusual consequences.

I enjoyed the writing style and felt I was reading something that was written in its time-It's reference to people being of simple mind or touched by the Fae to describe those who were different. The descriptions of Gryford created vivid pictures in my imagination, I could see the Smith's riding their horse drawn cart down Chalk Lane.

We meet alot of characters in this book, sometimes more than I thought I needed to read about as at times I struggled to follow what was happening with each character. Some are pleasent, honest folk, while others grotesquely vile to their core. There is a fair amount of world building and character back story which I felt at times deviated from the main story. I would have preferred more direct focus on key characters.

Regardless, of this I did enjoy the read that was steeped in British folklore of fairy rings, tree spirits, talking animals and a deamon black hound.

Trigger warnings
Domestic abuse

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this title.

Another one where I wavered between 3 and 4 stars - yes, that's how things seem to be working for me at the moment - before deciding that it wasn't a book that particularly stood out and plumping for the lower rating as a result. Possibly this was also due to the fact I had to have two goes at starting this book, as at one point I read the first couple of chapters, then put it down and when I picked it up again I couldn't remember who anyone was...

This is fantasy set in faux-19th century England, with the fae always ever-present and the role of the local smiths being not just dealing with ironworking but also dealing with the fae and their human encounters. There's also a regular visitation from a large black dog, much like the Black Shuck of the area where I grew up, which plays a significant role in the plot as we go along. The storyline here is particularly focussed on one family of Smiths, three generations with the youngest an adolescent boy, as they're drawn into issues around keeping everyone safe and dealing with the less pleasant members of their (human) community.

There's some solid world-building here and I mostly enjoyed In the Heart of Hidden Things but was left feeling a bit disjointed at the end of it all. Teenage lads as main characters, which this partly is, tend to be a tough sell for me and it felt a bit like the women in the book played decidedly second fiddle roles in comparison. One woman felt as though she was mostly there to demonstrate how bad her husband was, rather than as a character in her own right, for example. Also teenagers in love, not my favourite thing, though at least that was a minor sub-plot and actually used partly for other purposes than just being there for the sake of it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This is my honest review of the book in question.

I really enjoyed this book, it was well written with a gripping storyline and well developed characters. I also liked the level of world building. A great read.