[review] Toby and the Silver Blood Witches by Sally Doherty [blog tour]

Toby and the Silver Blood Witches is the first book in the Toby Bean Middle Grade fantasy series by Sally Doherty.

Title: Toby and the Silver Blood Witches
Author: Sally Doherty
Series: Toby Bean #1
First Published: July 5, 2021
Publisher: Soaring Skies Publishing
Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Acquired: from The Write Reads Tours

*** Thank you to the tour organiser, The Write Reads Tours,for providing me with an e-copy of this book. ***

A sinister plot. A hidden city in the sky. A boy with an impossible choice.

Twelve year old Toby has little time for friends or football since his mum fell ill. All he wants is to stay at home and keep an eye on her.

But mysterious things are happening beyond his garden hedge. Who is the figure at the window behind the barbed wire fence? And why is there a strange woman in his attic with a broken broom and bothersome pet bat?

Toby becomes entangled in an adventure of flying dogs, sparking hiccups and dangerous escapes. An innocent, young witch has been captured by a secretive organisation which will stop at nothing to find out how magic works. Toby must rescue her and time is running out.

A unique and beautiful fantasy story

Young Toby is one of those characters you immediately are on side with. You want to protect him, cheer him on, and be his friend. On top of dealing with bullies at school, he also has to miss out on a lot of kid activities, like football, because he has to be home to take care of his mother, who has M.E. (chronic fatigue syndrome). I know how difficult it can be to be a carer for someone who is ill, and to have that burden at such a young age is heartbreaking.

But Toby’s life changes instantly when he he hears noises in his attic and, upon investigating, discovers a witch up there. Soon, he finds himself in the middle of a grand adventure, complete with a magical world and evil villains.

I love the beautiful and creative world that the author has built into this story – the “real world” feels very real, while the “fantasy world” is full of wonder – the descriptions were imaginative and lots of fun to picture in my mind.

The story is very fun to read and the action keeps the pace zipping along. The characters are all very well developed and readers will definitely find some favourites to cheer for among them.

I think that this would be a wonderful fantasy story for kids – it has an uplifting feel to it, magic and adventure, witches and villains, and even some tense, dangerous moments. It will definitely capture the imagination and keep the pages turning!

This is the first book in a trilogy, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the other two books in the series!

About the Author, Sally Doherty

Sally Doherty lives in leafy Surrey with her husband and three-legged (but speedy) rescue dog. After studying French and German at university, she worked for a year in London before unexpectedly falling ill with M.E. Being stuck at home and often in bed for sixteen years, however, has lit a cauldron of stories bubbling inside her imagination.

Sally’s debut book and the first in a trilogy, TOBY AND THE SILVER BLOOD WITCHES, was a finalist for The Wishing Shelf Awards 2021 and shortlisted for both The Selfies and The Rubery Book Awards 2022.

You can connect with Sally Doherty online here: 

WEBSITE/NEWSLETTER | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK

You can purchase a copy of Toby and the Silver Blood Witches on:

AMAZON: CANADA | USA | UK and click here to add it your GOODREADS

Quote from Toby and the Silver Blood Witches