I love Lisa Heathfield's books and this one is going to be another huge success for her I'm sure. The story of sisters Lo and Rita is beautifully told as they grow up in the challenging world of a travelling circus. When Lo meets a boy from outside the circus world her family warn her about the problems of encouraging any relationship. What happens subsequently is so emotionally powerful...I can't say anything more really because it would be too much of a spoiler. Everyone has to shout about this book - it's wonderful!

Sisters Rita and Lo travel around performing in the family run circus, never staying in one place too long or interacting with 'flatties'-non circus people. When Lo meets Dean, she is tempted to reconsider her way of life. Beautifully written and easy to read, this has a serious message at its heart. Throughout the narrative, descriptions of the circus acts contrast with the realities of everyday life- work, the decisions made by those we love and choosing how to live your life. The ending was brutal; it was hard to read but it left a mark, an important one that will stay with me.

This is the story of Rita and Lo, sisters who have been born and raised in a circus family. They never stay in one place for two long, and they are not permitted to spend time with "flatties" - (the circus version of muggles, or non-circus folk). This is fine - until Lo meets a boy, Dean, who isn't part of the circus. Lo finds herself torn - she wants to stay with the circus but also wants to stay with Dean; she also discovers something that makes her question everything she has been told. 

We get chapters from both Lo and Rita, and lots of circus-based scenes. I've never been a fan of the circus or carnivals (I blame an incident with a clown and Stephen King equally) but with the rise in popularity of the circus as a YA setting, I've become intrigued by the magic and performance side. I would have liked a tiny bit more of that - I felt that there were too many characters at the start to keep track of.

There really isn't any other way to say it other than - it did escalate quickly (is that a trapeze pun? Ba-doom-TISH), and it did leave me feeling a bit bewildered. Approach with caution - but I'm definitely going to bump the author's other books up my TBR a few notches, I liked her writing style and her way of storytelling.

Beautifully written & atmospheric with interesting characters but the split narration doesn't feel distinct & not enough happens until towards the end.

Heathfield's third novel tells of two sisters who are used to sharing everything - until Lo falls for a flattie. Living in a travelling circus, the girls can't get attached or do more than flirt with the locals. But in one little town, a local lad has caught Lo's eye and makes her realise that there is more to life than the circus.

I adored this story, I thought it was beautifully simplistic in its passion for a normal life. I reminded me of Seed in the theme of exploring a different world, a different normal, but more subtle as of course the circus needs their audience. This need for a different normal was driven by Lo, the younger sister, as she starts to daydream about having a garden and a steady home, possibly with Dean. But her family means so much to her that she couldn't abandon them. 

The narrative still had Heathfield's signature beautiful writing, especially as she describes the trapeze and that sense of freedom when they preform. In fact the descriptions of the magic of the circus were incredible. But it wouldn't be a Heathfield novel without a twist and this time it was a doozy! The ending really made me cry, not just because it was sad (it was) but because it was so powerful. The whole story was, and it was amazing.

This is a beautiful novel, that has more than a passing nod to Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”.  It is narrated by two sisters, Lo and Rita, who are trapeze artists with a circus.  Their family and their world revolves around the circus, and the main rule is that they do not mix with the towns folk – or ‘flatties’, as they are known.  The ‘flatties’ are just as dismissive of the circus folk, whom they refer to derogatorily as ‘pikey scum’.  Unfortunately, Lo falls for the flattie, Dean, and he for her – “a pair of star-cross’d lovers”.  Neither can leave their world to be with their love, as doing so would rip apart their families – and not just because of their prejudices.  The circus would not be able to perform their main attraction without Lo, and Dean completing his college education is the only hope for himself and his mother to escape their lives of penniless drudgery.  So, the scene is set for a tragedy, but along the way there is also a celebration of life and beauty.  
Lo sneaks out to meet Dean, when he introduces her to his favourite places and things.  One morning Dean shows her the magical murmuration of starlings, which remind him of Lo when she performs her own aerial ballet in the circus: “‘The way they move like it’s impossible,’ Dean says. ‘The way you fly, in your circus’”.  For Lo it is a revelation, to finally understand “this is what the audience sees. Now it’s my breath held as I watch them leap and twist symmetrical in the air. Our eyes watch them, so they won’t fall … Thousands of feathers fold and beat against the bodies above us, knowing exactly what to do. Our circus birds, bending in the white” – hence the book’s title.  For them both, it is a perfect moment: “There are no shattered families, just me and Dean, in a field of grass, with a sky filled with starlings”.  All too soon, reality crashes in.  
For it is not only Lo, whose secret threatens her family.  Spider, whom all the circus folk (except Lo and Spider) expect Lo to marry, hides his true nature.  Lo’s mother has an even more destructive secret, that could potentially destroy everything.  It has already destroyed Lo’s love for her mother.  Only the elderly Grands is able to reach Lo, but it may be too little, too late.
The book is superbly written.  Not only is the theme Shakespearean, but the imagery aspires to similar heights.  This is particularly true in the description of the flight of the starlings, but also in the expressions of Lo’s feelings: “I stare at the faded flower pattern in the curtain and wind myself tight into the material, so no one can see my thoughts”; “I’m alone, watching the cracks get bigger and they reach my head and pulse heavy and thick in there”; and “When I blink, my eyelashes brush the pillow. It’s the sound of angel’s footsteps. If they’re in here, hidden in this room, they can save me” – to quote just a few.
I loved this book.  I am not normally a fan of romances, but this one transcends my usual antipathy, and I would wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone – young adult or old.

I've really enjoyed Lisa Heathfield's last two books - Seed and Paper Butterflies - so I had some pretty high expectations going to this one (no pressure!) Thankfully I enjoyed this one as much as the others. Her lyrical prose is gorgeous and I could eat up her words for breakfast, lunch and dinner and still want more.

Rita and Lo are sisters who perform in a travelling circus. They're a close-knit family, at home with each other as they travel from place to place. Until Lo learns a secret that shatters her world, and meets at boy who makes her want to stay put. As her life unravels Lo does everything she can to keep things together.

I wasn't sure about the description at first, as a teen meeting a boy and wanting to change her whole life for him irked me a great deal. It happens a lot in YA and I know when you're a teen a new romance can feel like everything but I don't like that whole 'I must die or be with the one I love' type plotline.

I felt there was more to this than that though. I didn't really feel the romance connection with Lo and Dean - he felt a bit muted to me - but I did feel everything that Lo associated with him that made her want to stay with him. After learning an awful secret that could break her whole family apart, Lo feels like Dean can keep things together for her, keep her grounded even if that means staying put with him.

I was a bit annoyed that the secret Lo discovers wasn't resolved at the end. I wanted her to tell someone, I wanted some kind of explanation or revelation, but there was nothing. I guess that's truer to how real life goes though: there's not always an explanation and everything tied up neatly. You just have to get on with things.

As with Heathfield's other books, the ending packs a real punch. It wasn't what I was expecting so when things took a turn for the worse it was a real blow. Even though I knew things couldn't work out happily, I kept wishing some kind of miracle would come along and change things. It was a devastating lesson in what an action at your lowest point can mean for the rest of your life. It hurt most to see Lo's family dealing with the fallout of what she did and my heart broke for them.

While I wasn't a huge fan of the romance aspect of the book, I loved the sister relationship and Heathfield's evocative prose keeps you reading late into the night. Don't expect a happy ending, but do expect to enjoy the ride.

On a final note, and I said it at the end of my last review too, I really hope there's a Seed sequel in the works somewhere! :)

Flight of a Starling was something vastly different to what I was expecting. I was prepared for circus life, first love, and teenage angst, not so much for the grief, tension, and tragedy that was delivered. I should have known better – Lisa Heathfield’s previous novels have broken my heart and shaken me to the core, and this one was no different. I did feel, however, that the second half of the novel was rushed in comparison to the slow build of the first half; Lo’s feeling of anxiety, confusion, and anger suddenly explode in a dramatic way that lead towards a frantic, tense ending. There’s no denying that this is another excellent story from Heathfield, but I still feel Paper Butterflies is her finest work. 

The story centres on sisters Rita and Lo – they are part of a travelling circus with their ma and da, and a small host of others who may as well be family. They live, work, and travel together and the sense of family between them is strong – they are loyal to each other and the life that they live, with some being unfairly suspicious of ‘flatties’ (non-circus people). Whilst Rita is completely happy with her life, Lo finds herself wanting to experience something more, something different – her chance meeting with a boy called Dean awaken feelings in her that she’s never had before, the feeling that maybe the circus isn’t everything and she might not want to travel and perform forever. This feeling only grows as she learns of a secret within the circus that could destroy her family and the novel focuses on her increasingly angry and unsure feelings.

The narrative is split between Rita and Lo and I loved the two different perspectives – Rita loves the circus and doesn’t understand how Lo could ever want to leave, whereas Lo finds herself overwhelmed by the strength of her emotions, both towards the circus and towards Dean. When Lo sees something she shouldn’t, the very foundations of her life crumble and she finds a steadiness, a new feeling of home, with Dean. I did find some of Lo’s feelings towards Dean silly, but I’m well aware of the power of infatuation and how important someone can seem when you’re young, and fully understood why Lo felt the way she did. Heathfield created a very strong and realistic voice for both Rita and Lo, showing the craziness of growing up and the emotions that come with it.

The dramatic turning point in the story was heart-breaking, but felt disjointed. I felt like the first half of the novel was setting up for something completely different – I won’t go into detail but I had a feeling what would happen, it just didn’t happen in the way I expected at all. It seemed a bit rushed in comparison to the rest of the story, although it dealt with loss and grief incredibly well. It may just be me, though, as I can’t fault the writing in any way; I had an extremely strong emotional reaction to this story despite the rushed feeling of the ending, which can’t be a bad thing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

I haven’t read any other novels by Lisa Heathfield so I had no real idea what to expect. 

It’s a novel of different viewpoints that usually I can follow, but the narrator changes so often, and their narrator voice was the same, that I found it hard to follow.

The last few chapters did pack an emotional punch and I finished the book wishing the ending had been different. Not because it was terrible, just the opposite. It was very emotional and has stayed with me.

Flight of a Starling didn’t hit the spot for me but it didn’t stop me being moved at the end.

I can't give this book a good review. I can't do that because it left me feeling awful. It left me shaking and scared and in a really bad state for the whole of the next day. So much so that I ended up having to miss my class and go home because I couldn't manage. I want to discuss exactly why at the end of this review for people who don't want spoilers. But if you have any triggers, be sure to check out the trigger warning above, because this book triggered me really badly. 

So one short paragraph about what I like for the people who don't suffer from the same stuff as I do. 

I liked the circus life and the characters a lot. Heathfield showed a really interesting culture that went on in the little circus and I would have loved to see more of it. Also, Rita and Lo were such interesting characters. I really think that if it hadn't been for the ending, I would have really loved this book. 

On to the SPOILERS: 

This book showed a very graphic suicide. It showed a character taking pills, including details like how many pills she took and all the feelings that she had while taking them in detail. I haven't been suicidal for a long time, but this book revived all of the feelings that I had back when I was. It was only for the short time between when I finished the book and I went to sleep as I'd stayed up late to finish it. But as I said. I was shaken really badly during the next day. 

I worry about this book falling into the hands of someone who's actively suicidal. The readership of this book is teenagers, who can be more susceptible to this sort of stuff. I know from the acknowledgement that this wasn't the authors intention, so I just really feel that it shouldn't be this detailed. 

This book has really made me question whether to pick up any more of Lisa Heathfield's books again because there was no warning for this and I don't want anything like this to happen again.

This book left cracks in my heart. Beautiful, melancholy, uplifting and heartbreaking. It will stay with you long after you finish it.

Around this time last year I read, and absolutely adored, Heathfield's Paper Butterflies, so was extremely excited to get the chance to read her most recent release! Fortunately, for me, it lived up my highly placed expectations and proved, once again, just how much of a poignant and graceful writer she is!

This is the story of a travelling circus family and the 'flattie' boy who threatens to disrupt their peaceful existence.

I loved learning about all of the cultural traditions and superstitious beliefs of this roving community, which felt like an honest insight into a life I have no experience or knowledge of, and I adored the relationship between the two sisters this primarily focused on. Their split perspective and details of their acrobatic expertise made for interesting reading.

I didn't fully appreciate the whirlwind romance, however, which dominated much of the plot. I found myself predicting the ending and forgetting the sinister prologue that framed the piece, only to be deceived just as the novel seemed it was about to draw to a guessable close.

I should have remembered Heathfield's enjoyment at the torture of her readers, and I crawled my way to the close of this book knowing and yet in utter denial of the inevitable conclusion. Once again her evocative writing style is what really sold this story to me and, once again, the ending spoke of the fragility of life and my broken heart.

My Review
Warning - You will need a box of tissues. This is the only book that had me totally sobbing.
 I first fell in love with Lisa's books with Paper Butterflies, and I believe that I've found myself a new favourite author of 2017.

Told in the dual perspective, sisters and kindred spirits, Rita and Lo have been part of the circus all their lives, they were born into it and they will live out their days flying through the air. When Lo and Spider find out 'something', this secret could ruin everything they have and she feels obligated to protect Rita and to protect the family she has always known in the circus. Lo feels that what if there was more beyond the big top, to take her away from it all?  She finds herself attracted to the outside world and more specifically to a 'flattie' - a non circus being, called Dean. 

This is my first book based in a Circus, an impenetrable family of talented gymnasts and artists, travelling the world by storm to share their way of life. That's what Lisa did and that's what Lo did to Dean. Rita and Lo have the most precious and unbreakable sisterly bond I've ever read. Lo is a little more daring as you can tell and she gets more so when she meets Dean. Experiencing life beyond the circus sets her flying in a different direction, one so new and fresh, it's almost too much for Lo to bear. Her way of life, is inspiring, everything she see's is so different than how Dean would see it or live it. Lo is almost innocent and that's refreshing to see how something so simple or small could mean so much, like leaving your footprint at the end of their time, so they will always be remembered. It reminds me of my own relationship with my best friend. Plus they both like hot blackcurrant, ha! I love when an author resonates with its readers, that's a sign of a truly brilliant story.I think it doesn't matter whether you're a flattie of circus star, the world continues to revolve around us and it's just how we see it.

I don't know what is is about Lisa's writing but she has this way of creating the most touching of characters that you can't help the way it captures your heart and never lets go till well after reading the book. Rita and Lo have found a special place in my heart with this book, it's just utter perfection.

I don't know really want to say - there is only emotions and feels for this book and I have them all. Flight of a Starling is Lisa's third novel, and it's as beautiful as it is raw than each of her previous novels. Lisa Heathfield has put her footprint on YA, Flight of a Starling is emotional enthralling, beautiful and uplifting. But don't be afraid to take over your emotions because it will.

Rating - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Note: this books contains themes that readers may find distressing, elements of suicide.
Thank you to Electric Monkey for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, but my heart.

I think Lisa Heathfield might be an auto read author for me, just so you know, because I cannot get enough of her writing. I’ve talked about Seed and Paper Butterflies already, but in summary: ouch, beautiful beautiful ouch, and so I was ridiculously excited when the news reached my little bookworm ears that Lisa had written a new book – Flight of a Starling ­– and that it will be published at the end of this month (you'll pre order it now if you know what's good for you). I read it over the weekend, and by read I mean, in a way not dissimilar to Paper Butterflies in January, devoured and then had to stop and take deep breaths and not dissolve because oh wow my heart.

It was almost funny actually; I read PB on holiday, got a massive sad and made a bit of a dick of myself due to that sad, so then this weekend I read Flight of a Starling and got a massive sad and well, probably you can guess the rest and what is it with me and my inability to not control my feelings over fictional characters. I probably ought to do something about that. Be less invested or something. Oh I know, stop laughing: not happening.

The thing is, I knew this book would do this to me. This book was going to break me, I knew it was. I knew it because that’s what Lisa Heathfield does. She takes your emotions and she puts them through the wringer, she unravels you in ways you weren’t entirely prepared for and she intersperses it all with gorgeous prose and little pieces of magic so that it seems to not hurt quite so much, and then gently, lovingly, when that lump in your throat, that tightness in your chest feels like it’s just about to spill over into too much, she pieces you back together again so that you finish the book feeling emotionally overwhelmed, trembly and tearful and yet somehow kind of warm, still kind of glad.  It’s a skill, let me tell you, because this story is really fucking sad and yet the book isn’t a sad book. 
It isn’t. 
It’s a beautiful book and it’s a hopeful book and it’s a book that’s about family and friendship and falling in love and finding your place; it’s a book about believing in yourself; it’s a book about every days kinds of magic, about finding that magic in the most unexpected of places.

It’s also gorgeous. I highlighted so many parts that if I was to quote them all now then I’d basically just be recreating the whole book which, holy copyright issues batman. I’ll let you have a couple of quotes though because I can’t not. I need to share the pretty.  #seducemewithprettywords

‘Lo has secrets hidden in this boy.’

‘Sometimes, I think their dreams for him are too heavy on his shoulders. Sometimes, I imagine lifting them off bit by bit and letting the real Spider roam free.’

‘Not like the pitch near Haworth,’ Da says. ‘Do you remember those sunsets across the moors, Liz?’ THIS IS MY CORNER OF THE WORLD AND I LOVE WHEN MY PLACES ARE IN BOOKS. A couple of weeks ago we went out for food and drove home over those moors and I took a photo of that sunset.

Anyway, where were we...

‘Between us, her costume sits on the ground, the snagged material needing to be tucked under and sewn. I’m unpicking a feather stuck in the way of the thread…’ The detail though, you know? The detail. And the whole book is like this, the writing is so visual. I love it.

‘I could reach up right now and touch the sky with my fingertips. Pull myself through the blue away from all of this.’

And there’s one near the end that I’m not going to share because it’s a spoiler but that has just made me tear up again just reading it.

Basically, this book was right up my street, I knew right away that whilst Seed and Paper Butterflies had touched me this would be The One. I mean, it’s about a travelling circus you guys, and the main characters are trapeze artists. Yes, I know. I know.

The characters are vivid and deep and I fell in love with all of them, to the point that when their carefully constructed worlds began to fall apart I felt it deep in my chest. The way the characters are drawn, the way they're developed, the way they're shown to us, it gets under your skin so you really feel it. For example, Lo and Dean,  There was a sense of urgency to Lo’s relationship with Dean, it happened fast, sure (and we all know I usually have issues with that) but it felt different here somehow, like these two people met and right away there was an expiry date on what they had because the thing with a travelling circus is that it travels and Dean, Dean has roots and so things kind of had to happen on fast forward a little bit and the whole star crossed lovers thing, Heathfield nailed it. 
Then there was Lo’s relationship with her best friend Spider, who everyone in the circus expected her to end up romantically involved with (never going to happen) which was complicated and also simple, and God, Spider – I wanted more, Spider, actually, because I loved him. I could have read a whole other book just about that boy. 
There was Lo’s sister, Rita (the book is a split narrative, told from both Lo and Rita’s perspective) and their relationship which was stunningly portrayed, these sisters who live together and work together and have this symbiotic relationship that you see tested to its limits, and Rita’s relationship with Ash, her circus boyfriend combined with her feelings for someone else – and I loved that, the exploration of the weight of expectation versus the call of your heart. 
There’s Grands who hurt my heart because he reminded me of my own Grandpa who I still miss so much, and this whole supporting cast and every single one of them leapt off the page. The circus life was so vivid and the whole story really was just…enchanting. 
It’s the way Lo sees the world I think, it makes you want to see it that way too. It left cracks in my heart this book, with it’s gorgeous melancholy tone.

It’s different to Lisa’s other two books - they made me angry, the stories in those books made me rage. Starling didn’t make me angry. It made me sad and it hit home, because, well, because the things that happen in the pages of this book they happen, they happen to people we know and love - I know girls like Lo - and it’s sad and a little terrifying the impact one tiny little decision can have on your whole life. It should be required reading this book, for teenagers, somebody needs to get it on the goddamn curriculum because I’m telling you now: I think it could make a difference.

I loved this book, I loved it and you should absolutely read it . As for me? I’ll be sat here waiting for Lisa Heathfield’s next book and I leaving my footprints everywhere I go.

It was such a heartbreaking and beating book to read. You get to know the characters and feel your heart breaking with them. It really is amazing.

I'd previously read Lisa Heathfield's Paper Butterflies and found it a thought provoking but also disturbing read. I wasn't sure what to expect from Flight of a Starling, but the blurb sounded right up my street - two sisters are best friends, performing together on trapezes and never staying long in one place as part of a tightly-knit circus community. Then Lo meets a boy, and everything changes...

Like Paper Butterflies, this is beautifully written and Heathfield does a wonderful job portraying friendships and familial relationships. The ending broke my heart, but was also curiously optimistic. 

I found it interesting that I had very little sense of time and date in this book - the world of the circus seemed to almost exist in a space outside of the world - as the book progressed it did become clearer that it was a contemporary narrative and set in the UK, but it took a while before I felt like I'd got a grip on the setting. It was cleverly done.

Flight of the Starling is a beautifully written novel, following the lives of a traveling circus staring Lo and Rita, two close sisters. The novel is split into two perspectives with Lo, and Rita each contributing their own story to the novel. Although we learn more about Lo than Rita through this. When their circus rolls into a new town, and the girls – alongside Spider and Ash – go exploring, and Lo finds herself falling in love with Dean, a Flattie (or a person with non-circus blood). No good can come of this relationship, and typically things take a turn for the worst when Lo’s father finds out.

A story of forbidden romances, secrets and hurt.

I instantly fell in love with both Lo, and Rita, the relationship they have and their love for their circus family. I adore reading about close families in novels, as I am close to mine. And it is not very often you read of sibling friendships.

But, I also found it difficult to connect with the other characters within the novel, and I believe that this was partially to do with how the novel was told solely through Rita and Lo’s perspective, therefore not sharing all that much information about the other characters. However, of what I learnt about Dean, I did love. He was dedicated in supporting his mum to have a better life than what she currently had, and he wasn’t bitter about not knowing his father, and although I’d understand if he did display hurt, it was nice to see that he didn’t.

If you’re a giant, when we move on, it’ll only take a few steps if you want to come and see me.

The Flight of the Starling was the first novel by Lisa Heathfield that I have picked up, and I quite quickly fell in love with her writing style. I was easily able to imagine the world in which she was trying to create, and I could see the characters clearly in my head, making the novel enjoyable from the off. It was also an easy read, with Heathfield using language that was descriptive, and fitting for the story without it being over complicated. It flows really well, and it’s clear. And I know I’ve said this but it’s just bloody lovely to read.

Towards the end of the novel there is a big plot twist filled with drama, and hurt and it brought me to tears. But I felt that the twist in the tale came all too quick and all too sudden to keep me interested. It shocked me, and left me feeling very emotional but unfortunately, as I didn’t feel as if there was much build up, or much indication to what was about to happen, I felt it didn’t really fit, and it made the whole ending feel sudden and rushed.  I just felt it didn’t work, for me anyway.

Open your eyes. I want you to see the stars.

Overall though, I did rather enjoy this novel from the get-go. I enjoyed learning about the circus life, and the changelings, I loved all the little interactions Lo and Rita had, and I loved their little quirks – like leaving their footprint in each, and every place that their circus landed. I even loved learning about the Ladder Witch, and other stories from the girls childhood, but unfortuntely the ending did spoil my overall enjoyment of the novel.

However, I am oh so very impressed with Heathfield’s writing style that I might just have to pick up another one of her novels – Paper Butterflies or Seed.

★★★✰✰

I would rate The Flight of the Starling just 3 stars overall, although it was a solid contender for a 4.5 before we reached the last portion of the novel.

Lisa Heathfield continues her trend of writing stories that are utterly enchanting and heartbreaking at the same time. Be prepared to find yourself emotionally invested. I was left reeling for a short while after reading this, even though as readers we're told from the beginning what is to come. Less harrowing than Seed or Paper Butterflies, this still deserves a content warning for depression.

The setting of this story is the circus, and the author does a wonderful job of weaving in the stunning performances in beautiful prose. I just wish there was more to the story. I want to know more about Spider, about Rob and Lo's Ma, about Ash and Rita, about Margaret. Flight of a Starling is a wonderful snapshot into these unique lives which left me wanting more.

Recommended for all YA fans who don't mind a bit of heartbreak!

After reading Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield and absolutely LOVING IT, I was so excited to read more by her, and when I was offered Flight of a Starling from the publisher, I couldn't wait to get into it. I am literally writing this review 1 hour before it's meant to be going live because this book... well... it put me in a massive reading slump and it took ages for me to get through it.

Rita and Lo, sisters and best friends, have spent their lives on the wing – flying through the air in their trapeze act, never staying in one place for long. Behind the greasepaint and the glitter, they know that the true magic is the family they travel with.

Until Lo meets a boy. Suddenly, she wants nothing more than to stay still. And as secrets start to tear apart the close-knit circus community, how far will Lo go to keep her feet on the ground?

There are loads of carnival/circus books going around at the moment, and it sucks because I'm really not a fan of circuses and carnivals... The only book with that theme that I thoroughly enjoyed was Caraval by Stephanie Garber. I think that the thing that really let down this book was that it seemed really slow. There seemed to be lack of a story, lack of amazing characters and lack of a pace. I genuinely feel really bad typing this review because words cannot express how much I loved Paper Butterflies, and it kills to write a negative review about another one of Heathfield's books.

The only part of this book that had my heart racing was the very ending, and that's just such a shame because I wish that's how I felt throughout the whole book. Everything just seemed a bit flat. I didn't really connect with the characters, I thought that Lo was a bit silly for keeping *that secret* from everyone else, especially her sister.



"We're different, us and them" I tell Lo. I'm glad we're leaving tomorrow so she never has to see Dean again. "Don't be stupid, Rita," she says, her voice a bit adrift. 

"I'm not"

"How many eyes have you got?" Lo asks, sitting on her bed. 

"Two" I say. 

"Heart?"

"One."

"Belly?"

"One."

"So have they," Lo says. "They're not different at all"

"You know what I'm saying."

"I don't. Because you're wrong. It doesn't take a genius to work out that deep down, we're all the same."

- Lisa Heathfield, Flight of a Starling



The ending really is the best part of this book though (in my opinion, of course) and even though it was a really good ending and I closed the book having feels, I just felt like I hadn't really accomplished anything by reading the rest of it... which as I've said before, it's a real shame. Another thing that I liked about this book was Heathfield's description about the actual circus environment. Her description of the atmosphere, the different acts, the costumes... It was amazing and I felt engulfed. I was engulfed in the description just not the actual book.

I have heard brilliant things about Lisa Heathfield's other book, Seed. So I'll probably give that one a go and see what I think about that. Even though I didn't enjoy Flight of a Starling, Heathfield is still going to be an auto-buy author for me just because of how good Paper Butterflies was.

Warning: this book contains triggers for depression. 

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review 

Released 29th June