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Allison Rushby, the daughter of an author, was raised on a wholesome and steady diet of classic English literature. Some of her favourite books, re-read countless dog-eared times include Rumer Godden's The Dolls' House, Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden, Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle and Noel Streatfield's Shoes series. She has long been a fan of cities with long, winding histories, wild, overgrown cemeteries, red brick Victorian museums, foxes and ivy. She prefers to write with a cup of Darjeeling tea by her side and a Devon Rex cat curled up in her lap.
This is a wonderful, very clever world-within-a-world fantasy that keeps readers engrossed and engaged until the very end … highly recommended * Good Reading * Allison Rushby’s latest book is a delightful fantasy mystery that is perfect for readers aged nine and older … It is a book that will be treasured, that evokes a sense of the Golden Age of children’s literature * The Book Muse * Am I slightly obsessed? Damn right I am. The reason why is because Allison Rushby’s work is fantastic is because she is such a brilliant writer. Her use of delicate and descriptive words builds the world and setting in your head so easily. But you also get a story within a story. There is always an underlying story or meaning within her work and I absolutely adore picking up on it. A middle grad read with an adult meaning. I love it. * Blue Fairy Tales * Just like Tamsin, readers are mystified as to what is going on, and like her, develop a strong idea of place and time as we begin to piece the jigsaw together, enthralled at its multi layered complexity. I loved Rushby's previous novels, The mulberry tree, The turnkey and The seven keys, and their complexity foreshadows the involving read offered in When this bell rings, a wholly engrossing and captivating story. Highly Recommended. * ReadPlus * The characterisation is strong and the interaction between the main characters is convincing. The setting is strong, and we get some bird’s-eye views of London as the group flies with shape-changing Bes. The Ravens are suitably sinister, menacing and omnipresent. In this book, as in Rushby’s earlier books, the barrier between the human and faerie (or ghostly) worlds can be breached and this can cause dire consequences. Reversing this is the task Tamsin and her colleagues have to complete in order to defeat the Ravens. The story thus has a mixture of adventure and fantasy, making for an exciting read. * CBCA Reading Time *
