TIRZAH AND THE PRINCE OF CROWS

Deborah Kay Davies (One World)

The words ‘coming of age tale’ are usually enough to make me reach for literally anything else, but Tirzah And The Prince Of Crows immediately drew me in with the promise of Welsh myth. Tirzah is a young girl on the brink of womanhood, in an obstinately religious family whose only escape is the woods and mountains. With feelings developing towards a local boy, Osian, Tirzah tries to find her own place in the world. When Osian is publicly humiliated, she finds a new strength which may help her find the freedom she craves. With the book effortlessly flitting between the dreamscape scenarios of the woodlands and the harsh realities of her life, it can sometimes be quite jarring, but the real beauty is in the Welsh Valleys, which are given an almost ethereal quality by Davies, who has developed a genre-defying work of beauty. CA

Price: £14.99. Info: www.oneworld-publications.com