The Stranger's Door to Talliston by John Tarrow #BookReview #BlogTour

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It is Twelfth Night 1590 and thirteen-year-old Bríane races to save her grandmother from execution for crimes of witchcraft. Only one thing can prove her innocence; a magical grimoire owned by the town’s dark and sinister lord. In the attempt the girl loses the precious book at a crossroad of all worlds called The Forest of Doors. Can she locate the spell book in time to save Old Mother Moore from her terrible fate? Or will she fall victim to the wood’s dark and dangerous puzzle of doors and rooms?
Both sequel and prequel to The Stranger’s Guide To Talliston, this new story revisits many of the original thirteen locations but in entirely different moments – plus adds two dozen new rooms in its extraordinary expanded universe. Starting in Elizabethan Essex, The Stranger’s Door To Talliston goes deeper into the mysteries, adventures and heroes battling to save the last magical places on Earth.

I'm delighted to be hosting the blog tour for The Stranger's Door to Talliston by John Tarrow today. Many thanks to Troubador Publishing and Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me and for my advance digital copy of the novel.

Back in 2019, I read (and loved) The Stranger's Guide to Talliston but it's not necessary to have read that book to enjoy The Stranger's Door to Talliston; John Tarrow has cleverly written this fittingly labyrinthine story so the novels can be read in any order. It's a young adult coming-of-age fantasy but with its intricate, thoughtful plotting, it will appeal to older readers too – particularly those who fondly remember reading books as a child which transported them to strange, magical lands through an enchanted doorway.
Bríane is in danger from the very start of The Stranger's Door to Talliston. It's 1590 and her grandmother stands accused of witchcraft. Bríane has been tasked with stealing the Grand Grimoire, a spellbook belonging to Lord D'Ante, the malevolent lord of Newton Hall. On a dark and fever-charged Twelfth Night, poor Bríane faces awful treachery and is scarred by violence before her world changes forever. She loses the grimoire but gradually learns more about the mysterious Forest of Doors and perhaps even more importantly about herself and what she is capable of.
The vividly imaginative storyline takes Bríane on a wild, perilous adventure across the continents and through time. She learns that what she believes to be true isn't always so and has her Elizabethan attitudes challenged by the people she meets and the trials she endures. This is a really dark book at times, with some chilling scenes which leave readers in no doubt as to the jeopardy she is frequently in. The exciting, fast-paced plot finds Bríane thrust from one nail-biting scene to another and along the way, she meets, loses, then is reunited with a colourful cast of memorable characters. Those who have read The Stranger's Guide to Talliston will welcome some familiar faces but as she realises that,
"It's as if everything exists, all moments, all possibilities. All at once." 
and so, everything will still gradually fall into place if you read this one first instead. 
Bríane confronts her worst fears and as she encounters bitter jealousy, she has impossible choices to make. However, for all the dramatic, shocking twists and turns, she also experiences bravery, hope and friendship. There are some touching moments amongst the climactic action scenes and John Tarrow really understands that an ambitious, inventive plot really needs engaging characters to draw readers in and make them care about the outcome. 
The strength of her character ensures the powerful reminders that despite our apparent differences, people across the centuries are united by the need to feel safe and loved makes a real impact. The message is never heavy-handed, however and The Stranger's Door to Talliston is a delightfully immersive,  enchanting fantasy from start to finish. I love this series and the impressively complex canvas that John Tarrow has created means there is definitely scope for more – I will keep my fingers crossed! Very highly recommended.

THE HOUSE
The novel is inspired by and set inside a unique and amazing house and gardens.
Talliston was a 25-year project that took the UK’s most ordinary house and transformed it, room by room, by ordinary people on an ordinary budget, into Britain’s Most Extraordinary Home.
Starting as a three-bedroomed, semi-detached, ex-council house in Essex, today not a single square centimetre of the original house remains. In its place is an extraordinary labyrinth of locations, each set in different times and places.

The Stranger's Door to Talliston is published by Troubador Publishing, purchasing links can be found here.

Follow the blog tour, details are below.

About the Author
John Tarrow is an English novelist, poet, storyteller and creator of 'Britain's Most Extraordinary Home' [The Times], Talliston House & Gardens. Born in London's East End, he spent his childhood with a Smith-Corona Calypso typewriter and a wild imagination, both of which he still owns. As creative director at Talliston, John's transformation of the house and gardens showcases his ability to design extraordinary locations in the most ordinary of places. His novel The Stranger's Guide to Talliston weaves together the 13 rooms of the house and gardens into a rich narrative and introduces us to an ordinary boy who discovers the secret to achieving the extraordinary. His extensive studies in Lakota Sioux and Druidic traditions offer readers stories resonant with magic, folklore and the wonders of the natural world. His fascination with folk and faerie tales has taken him around the world, gathering threads of story and legend to weave into his own mythologies.


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