3.5/5 Stars

When Rosie Frost is suddenly orphaned, she is sent to Bloodstone Island, a school for extraordinary teens and a sanctuary for endangered species. When she arrives, she uncovers a sinister plot and must join the Falcon Queen Games to stop the evil headmaster before its too late.

I listened to this on audio, narrated by the author and thought she did a great job with her characters. This story is all about believing in yourself and sends a great message to its readers. I really loved Rosie, and think a lot of young readers will look up to her after reading her story. She is strong-willed and determined and never backs down from a challenge. I wasn't a big fan of the mean girl, Ottilie, she was such a typical "villain" I just couldn't care less about her. It was a pretty predictable plot, but it was still enjoyable. The book ends in a cliff hanger, which I'm sure is setting us up for more of Rosie's adventures to come.

Middle-grade novel written by Ginger Spice herself!!

There are some captivating plot details - the prestigious boarding school, survival competition, supernatural elements, historical references (Anna Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon), environmental issues and cute cats.

It is hilarious how one of the characters is a huge 90e fan who manages never mentioning Spice Girls 😂 But there are many more and even Harry Styles.

A thing which didn’t work 100% for me - the MC is dealing with serious grief but it is not fully reflected. Maybe because of MG audience they didn’t want to make it too dark but it felt a bit emotionally underdeveloped.

But other than that the MC is ‘an ordinary ginger girl in old clothes’, shy and a great friend, absolutely loved her and other characters and the way they dealt with issues.

It is a very cozy read with great adventures and would make a beautiful movie.