Lianna and the Hombit by Valinora Troy | BBNYA 2026 Spotlight
Welcome to the BBNYA 2026 Spotlight Tour!
What happens when a grieving girl makes a bargain with a magical creature that has forgotten its own secret mission?
Today I'm featuring Lianna and the Hombit by Valinora Troy, a middle-grade fantasy mystery about family secrets, an ancient curse, and the healing power of friendship.
Thirteen-year-old Lianna has been sent far from home after losing her father. Her unlikely new ally is a magical, birdlike hombit, but their arrangement soon leads to much more danger than either expected. Let's take a closer look at this BBNYA 2026 semi-finalist!
About the Book
Title: Lianna and the Hombit
Author: Valinora Troy
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery
Age Category: Middle Grade
Length: 255 pages (BBNYA media kit)
Publication Date: January 29, 2026
Book Blurb
A grieving girl in need of a friend. A magical creature with a secret task. Can they end the ancient curse threatening their new home?
When 13-year old Lianna, devastated by the loss of her father, is sent to the distant land of Nivram, she finds her new home and guardian every bit as horrible as she expected. When she meets a magical birdlike creature called a hombit, they strike an alliance: Lianna will help it complete its secret mission if it helps her get home.
But her plan goes awry and she accidentally awakens a creature that threatens both her and her new home. Lianna must uncover family secrets to avoid a terrible fate…
A heart-warming story of the healing power of friendship when all seems lost.
Find the Book
Discover Lianna and the Hombit through your favorite book retailer or add it to your reading list:
Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | The StoryGraph
Meet the Author: Valinora Troy
Valinora Troy
Valinora Troy is a children's fantasy author from Ireland with an MA in Creative Writing, specialising in writing for Children & Young Adults. She is the author of four middle grade fantasy adventures, two writing guides for young writers and a collection of short stories for children. Short-listed for the Staróg Prize in 2023, her books have been long- and short-listed for various awards. She was selected as a panellist for the CYBILS (Children & Young Adult Bloggers Literary Award) in 2021. She regularly gives talks and holds writing workshops in schools and libraries, and has served as a Reading Ambassador for Louth Libraries in 2025 and 2026 for the #IrelandReads Campaign.
A Little Extra from the Author
The BBNYA media kit includes a few fun details from Valinora, including a particularly intriguing fact about the hombit itself.
What is the opening line of your book?
It was late afternoon when the mail coach clattered through the town gate, rattled over cobbles and rumbled to a halt.
Tell us a fun fact about your book
The hombit (a magical creature that looks like a small glass bird) has a secret mission - which it has forgotten
What food or drink pairs best with your book?
Every kind!
About BBNYA
The Book Bloggers' Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it to the semi-finals with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title.
BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists (18 in 2026) and one overall winner.
Learn more at BBNYA and follow @BBNYA_Official.
Discover more indie books worth reading!
Explore my BBNYA 2026 spotlights and book features
for more exciting stories and talented authors.
Let's Chat!
If you discovered a tiny magical creature with a secret mission, would you help it first-or ask how to get home?
Thanks for joining me for today's BBNYA 2026 Spotlight Tour feature!
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