Thank you Net Galley, Bandele Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and Members' Audiobooks for this audiobook arc!

Francesca McMahon weaves Celtic lore into a contemporary YA fantasy with LGBTQIA+ rep, mental health and therapy practices, and a bit of blacksmithing.

I think McMahon’s strengths in this novel lies in their inclusion of Celtic folklore and mental health representation. I found myself interested in the gods, creatures, and symbols that our main characters encounter with the start in world building. It’s a central part of the story throughout the novel in plot and Eilean’s, our protagonist’s, heritage. Eilean is also working though her anger with therapy and blacksmithing. Throughout the journey, she is able to use technique and skills and explore a bit of her fears and blockages. Her journey felt realistic. I thought blacksmithing was a unique hobby that aligned with the story. Furthermore, the cover (and synopsis) pulled me in with its style and colors. I will say that I did not realize this was a contemporary fantasy novel based on the aforementioned elements. The writing style and pop culture references reads for a more younger YA audience.

I found, A Spiral of Life, unfortunately, lacked development in plot area and characterization. I appreciate the story immediately starting off at a decent pace, but the journey overall felt lackluster. The characters and the plot didn’t grab my attention by the reins within its 8 hrs of narration. There was occasional glimpses at Freya and Bhradain’s character like magical power and being in the air cadets, but nothing overall that strengthened their character development or plot as some were one and done moments. I think I was missing the tension and the momentum of the story. This dark power over the land is described as “far more vicious that I believed” and “not really here” with very little explanation by the end. There was some negative effects of this dark power to both Scotland and the Otherworld, but nothing that seemed to imped their journey. I also felt like Eilean’s school conflict, relationship with her grandmother, and the “chosen one” concept could have been better fleshed out. Overall, this book felt like the slow build of “rising action” with a plateau of a climax. Honestly, the synopsis ad for the second book at the end had more interesting plot and character development.

Audiobook wise, narration was fine and fit the story. It was a bit harder to get through the climax chapters with the changes between lethargic and wheezy narration styles. There was occasional usage of effects which was cool. I didn’t see the meaning of the sound clips at the beginning of each chapter as it was [chapter title] then [sound effects]. Sometimes they matched the chapter sometimes not. Maybe put them during the title narration.

Thank you to Francesca McMahon and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Spiral of Lif is an exciting YA adventure that <i>pulls you deep</i> (pun intended) into a world of Celtic mythology, reminiscent of the Percy Jackson series but with its own unique flair. The story follows a compelling trio of characters—Eileen, Freya, and Bhradain—who each bring their own strengths to this magical journey.

Eileen, the main character, stands out with her strength, stubbornness, and determination. She’s a force to be reckoned with, driving the narrative forward with her fierce independence. Freya, on the other hand, is the sweet and sunshiney balance to Eileen’s tenacity, adding warmth and light to the story. Bhradain, the kelpie, is undoubtedly my favourite. His sarcastic wit and snarky attitude bring a lot of fun to the story, and he quickly became the character I looked forward to hearing from the most.

The narrator did a fantastic job bringing the story and its characters to life, capturing the nuances of each personality and keeping the listener engaged from start to finish.

While the pacing sometimes felt a bit uneven, and certain plot points could have been developed further, the overall experience was enchanting and thoroughly enjoyable. The Spiral of Life is a delightful dive into Celtic myths with a fresh, youthful twist. Fans of mythology-based YA adventures will find much to love here. I cannot wait to delve into the rest of the series.

If the cover of this book doesn't immediately pull you in then then the description definitely should. I don't believe I have ever read a book about a female blacksmith and while that is fun enough on it's own, we also get to learn much more about Eilean and her adventure into another world.

While I do like Eilean as a character, the standout character for me is definitely the aquatic undead horse with a bad attitude!

I would say this book leans more toward middle grade/young teen but it's also fun for adults. Perfect for someone who wants to dip their toes into an easy fantasy book.

The audiobook narration was so fun with added sound effects and different voices from narrator Rebecca Daltry.

Thank you NetGalley and Bandele Books | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bandele Books for approving my request to listen to an audiobook arc of this book.

This book follow Celtic mythology and is a subject I loved learning more about and hearing of all the different folk tales and myths surrounding the gods and goddesses. I also really enjoyed the fact that the mc was so passionate about being a blacksmith. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the persons chosen skill in craftsmanship was so well suited and incorporated into the story.
I really enjoyed the first instalment of this new series and I am so excited to see where the story goes next and also how the characters relationship develops going forwards.

This story deals with intense anger and guilt and also the start of a journey towards healing. I enjoyed the lgbtqia+ representation and also the scathing kelpie companion. This book had so much world building and I’m excited to see where it goes next.

DNF @43%
Thank you NetGalley for the audio arc.

Eilean is a troubled kid who has turned to blacksmithing in as an outlet. While visiting her hometown to see her ailing grandmother, a magical encounter sends her on a grand quest to save the Otherworld.

Unfortunately I do not believe I was the target audience for this. This is classed as a YA fantasy, but lack of complexity in the plot, character development, and relationships make this read more like a middle grade novel (minus the few curse words thrown out here and there). There were too many conveniences, and a lot of the world building came in the style of asking another person a bunch of questions.

However, as far as the audio production is concerned I do think the narrator did a great job and the added sound effects at the beginning of each chapter were a nice touch.

Thank you for this audio book ARC to Francesca McMahon and NetGalley.

The Spiral of Life follows Eilean, a moody 17-year-old girl with a knack for modern-day blacksmithing and some unresolved anger issues in her past. When Eilean and her parents return to her childhood home to visit her grandmother, Eilean is, much against her will, swept away on a dangerous quest consisting of gods, monsters, talking horses - and a pretty nice girl named Freya.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

The author has described this book as 'Percy Jackson meets Merlin' so obviously I had to request it right away. And believe you me, my expectations were high. Surprisingly, the Spiral of Life actually met quite a few of them.
Whereas there could've been more character work and dialogue, I really liked that which there was. The main character, Eilean, felt like a more snarky Percy Jackson, whereas Freya was her total opposite, the ultimate sunshine character. However, my favorite of the three main characters was the hilarious talking kelpie whose name I am certain I would misspell. Also, A+ for the diverse representation!
Loved the worldbuilding and different entities the characters encountered. The author clearly has a great knowledge of the Celtic folklore.
The prose was quite good. The dialogue was realistic (and sometimes hilarious) and the descriptions were vivid. The only problem I had (and the reason I'm giving the book 4.5 stars and not 5) was that the book is riddled with adverbs. At one point a character 'laughed humorously'. That was too much for me 😅 but otherwise, like I said, the writing was good.
The plot was very Percy-Jackson-like, a straight-forward quest, which I didn't mind but also wasn't super interesting. At times I was in a bit of a lost about what was happening and where the characters were, but this could be due to my ADHD brain struggling with listening comprehension. The ending was fantastic, though, really made me look forward to book 2.
And now that I mentioned listening, let's talk about the narration. I did not care for it, to be honest. I didn't like how the narrator did Freya's voice, and some characters' speech I struggled to even understand. I wish I'd read this instead of listening. (Also, then I could spell the kelpie dude's name.) But this could just be me not being used to audio books. I really liked the soundscapes at the beginning of each chapter, though!
Altogether, I liked this book. It certainly gave me Percy Jackson vibes and wasn't boring for a second. It gets my approved-stamp and I recommend reading it. Might even check out the author's other books, too.