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Teen & YA Book Reviews
A Forgery of Fate
Elizabeth Lin, pub. Hodderscape
A standalone romantic fantasy, a fairytale retold, a book in which fairytales merge into something extraordinarily magical, a beautiful story that will forge a place for itself in your heart. Just remember, as you read, that words are important and may not always mean what they appear to say. Don’t be too trusting, don’t take everything at face value.
Truyan Saigas has a gift, one that she is going to have to use, judiciously. She is a gifted art forger and in addition she can paint the future, she can prophesize through her art. As a young girl she was happy with her family but when the letter comes, the one that tells them her father has been lost at sea, on what was meant to be his last voyage, everything changes. No amount of magic is going to heal her family’s broken hearts and when her mother’s gambling debts begin to threaten her two younger sisters she finds herself drawn into something dark and dangerous, darker and more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. It involves a dark prince and a dark deal…
It is perhaps inevitable that her forgery will be uncovered but nothing will change her ability to prophesise with her art and when she paints a mysterious ring she is intrigued. That is until the night that very ring finds its way into her hand, a gift from the mysterious masked man who tells her it is one of a kind and will save her sisters. The ring and the circumstances surrounding its coming into her hands are not without consequence. Truyan finds herself in a marriage contract. She must join Elang, the mysterious dragon lord, in his undersea palace. That is not all though, once she is in his palace she must paint a treasonous future, one that will give her entry into the dragon lord’s inner circle. Can any of them survive all this intrigue? Elizabeth Lin has once more gifted us with an outstanding story weaving fairytale, magic and fantasy into something spectacular.
Louise Ellis-Barrett
A Grave Inheritance
Felicity Epps, pub. Hodder & Stoughton
How would you feel after a surprise inheritance leads to a surprise haunting? This is the question facing Dolores.
When she inherits the family estate, after the deaths of her father and sister, Dolores finds that a very persistent ghost comes with it. Her sister Edith haunts her, begging for Dolores to discover the truth about her death, hinting that her untimely death wasn’t an accident but a murder. When Dolores meets Ada, her occult obsessed neighbour, and Violet, a medium, they team up together, forming an unstoppable trio called the ‘Society of Free Spirits.’ They use seances and many other haunting plans in an attempt to discover the truth about Edith’s death before it is too late. Dolores, despite her alleged constant diseases, takes risks and faces many challenges alongside her new friends. Thankfully these risks pay off and the challenges prove worthwhile leaving Dolores happy and aware of the secrets that are wrapped around her.
This book has a beautiful storyline. Author Felicity Epps perfectly describes the characters of Dolores, Ada and Violet so that as a reader you can not only picture them but also live the story with them. I found it difficult to get into and follow the story at the start but as the excitement levels increased as more and more was discovered by the main characters, the enjoyment levels increased. This allowed me to really get into the book and soon I found myself unable to put it down. I needed to know the truth too.
Gemma Walford
All We Lost Was Everything
Sloan Harlow, pub. Penguin Random House Children’s Books
A house fire that took her father; a stray cat, who she feeds along with her rude colleague; an ex-boyfriend who reappears at an inopportune moment; an anonymous donation. Just some of the things that make River Santos’ life a place of hell.
Sloan Harlow's latest novel All We Lost Was Everything is a drama that follows River Santos, a teenager whose only family is her best friend Tawny. River’s mother has been absent from her life since her eighteenth birthday and her father, Jay Santos, died in a house fire. River works at a diner to make ends meet and in the back alley, she feeds a stray cat called Tigery. She later discovers that Tigery is also being fed by her rude colleague Logan Evans - the typical, smouldering bad-boy of the story - and the two start to bond. When Tawny sets up a donation page for River, people hear of her story and many donate. However, one large and anonymous donation of two million dollars sets River on a mission to discover the identity of the mystery donor and their reason. It turns out that the house fire that took her father's life may not have been an accident. The suspect wants revenge and River is left with more questions than answers, including who to trust.
Like many teen romances, River and Logan's is stilted and very temperamental. It is an awkward teen romance with weird moments that are intertwined with the mystery of the house fire. Logan lost his mother to cancer and his initial dislike towards River started on his first day working at the diner. Sometimes Logan is kind and sweet to River, yet other times he is rude to her. After they bond over the stray cat, some days they like each other, but on other days they hate each other. The story is a relentless assault on the senses. It is a sad and heartbreaking story but is also an exciting thriller with shocking twists and turns, intertwined with moments of melodrama typical of a real teenagers’ life. Many of the chapters end with dramatic declarations, serving positively as an insight into River’s messy life and chaotic chain of thoughts, with regard to her love life and the mystery of the house fire that claimed her father's life.
A fast-paced novel, All We Lost Was Everything unpacks a lot of feelings onto its reader over its 352 pages - themes such as grief, loss, substance abuse, abandonment and forgiveness. It is not for the faint of heart, but it is a page-turning thriller that will keep readers hooked. At the back of the book, there is also an excerpt of Sloan Harlow's first novel, Everything We Never Said (published in 2024), for fans who might want to read more of her work.
Chris J Kenworthy
Aphrodite
Bryony Pearce, pub. UCLan Publishing
Born as a goddess, with no knowledge of who she is or why she is there, Aphrodite awakens, already fighting for her own survival.
“Foam arisen” the Goddess was born, naked and soaked in salt. She is hunted from day one by other gods and goddesses, for her power and her beauty. Aphrodite fights to find her “home,” unaware of where it is or how to get there. Forming unlikely friendships along the way, losing the people she begins to care about, Aphrodite makes it to Olympus, home of the Gods. This is not the Olympus we think we know, not the home she hoped for. After she is named the Goddess of Love and Beauty, her power is taken away, ripped from her by the other gods who see her as a threat. But sometimes being underestimated is a gift, as Aphrodite proves that she is not just a pretty face, despite the curse upon her. We soon discover she has inner strength and she discovers how to use it against the other gods.
This book drew me in and kept me turning the pages the whole way through, unable to put it down. The character descriptions and world building were perfect, allowing you to completely visualise the world Bryony Pearce has created, and become a part of it, living the story alongside Aphrodite as she faces perils and challenges. The storyline was addictive and perfectly retold Aphrodite’s story, giving her a voice and a personality that is often overlooked when Greek Myths are learnt. I loved this book; it will be one that I continue to return to so that I can reread it and relive it over and over again. For anyone interested in Greek Mythology or even just looking for a Feminist icon to read about and be inspired by, this book is perfect.
Gemma Walford
Augmented
Kenechi Udogu, pub. Faber & Faber
Augmented is a cyberpunk-style, dystopian novel that follows Akaego - a teenage girl in a futuristic London. People can enhance their abilities with technological implants, but the world has been ravaged by climate change and humans cannot go outside for long periods of time without air-tight suits. Entering and exiting buildings can only be done through airlocks. Humanity is desperate for a solution. Enter Akaego, who discovers she has a rare ability to accelerate plant growth. Despite showing promise in coding, she is transferred to a new school to learn how to develop her new ability. She has been head-hunted by society’s leaders, and her education has been fast-tracked. But this only leads her to question whether she is being elevated or exploited.
Udogu's fast-paced novel borrows elements from the cyberpunk genre, particularly the cybernetic implants which act to enhance Akaego's abilities beyond what is normally, humanly possible. Another cyberpunk theme that is explored, is the contrast between the low-life protagonist (Akaego) and the oppressive corporations and systems that run society. As Akaego struggles to define the usefulness of her ability, so too can the reader about technology and its capabilities: is it liberating, or oppressing? Is technology a weapon, or a lifeline? Older readers will also likely be able to draw comparisons to classic novels such as William Gibson’s 1984 publication Neuromance. Udogu's world-building is similarly detailed and elaborate, particularly at the start of the novel to set the scene and draw in her audience. Readers unfamiliar with cyberpunk or dystopian stories should not be disheartened, there are comedic moments which everyone can enjoy. Akaego's voice and persona are relatable and it’s easy to empathise with her plight, her battle against society’s elite.
As with all YA novels, there is also a teenage romance at play. Although she often texts her friend Jaden from her old school, at her new school she is also drawn to Joon, the Mayor's heart-throb son. Near the start of the story, she even admits her embarrassment at having her feelings affected by Joon: “I crossed my arms, hoping the motion would mask the annoying weakness in my knees. It was difficult not to be affected by chiselled-jaw boys who had lashes longer than mine.” Udogu’s literary debut is a thought-provoking novel. Dystopian stories are not new, but young readers will likely associate with its interlinking themes of technology and surveillance, because the plot is eerily similar to our current world. It presents a scary but possible future rife with adversity, where resources are scarce and society is heavily watched.
Augmented is a story of resilience and identity and provokes the question, through Akaego's perspective, about whether a person’s ‘gifts’ can be seen as useful, or as a way for society to control them. Ultimately, it is up to the reader to decide.
Chris J Kenworthy
Best Of All Worlds
Kenneth Oppel, pub. Guppy Books
On a weekend away with his dad and heavily pregnant stepmother, Nia, Xavier wakes up to discover he has no signal. He opens the curtains and sees a farm, complete with goats. The family cottage has literally been moved overnight. There is no explanation.
Best Of All Worlds is a tense psychological thriller as Xavier and his family find the limits of this new world. Xavier’s relationship with his Dad and his stepmother has not always been easy and on top of this he has to cope with his separation from his mother, brother and friends. They set out to test the physical boundary of where they are, as well as later, the benevolence of whoever or whatever has bought them here. There are alone, unable to leave. Together they must learn to survive, farming for a living using basic tools with no access to modern technology. They also need to start planning ahead with a dawning acceptance that this might be home for a long time.
When Xavier finds another family, new opportunities are presented – especially for the children of both families - as well as conflict. Xavier is torn between staying or escaping. There are no easy answers, partly due to the fact that the characters are complex, uprooted from their lives with histories into this new life. The other family also have a teenage daughter, conveniently, seventeen, the same age as Xavier, and there is a mutual attraction, although Mackenzie has a boyfriend. Both of them have to consider what choices they have in this claustrophobic world. How can two people fall in love, when there is only one other person? The two younger children, Noah and Alyssa, happily play together, unaware of what the future might bring. How will these children grow up, if they have only one friend? Xavier finds answers, but no alternatives. This is the only world. Is it therefore the best one?
The Best of All Worlds is a compelling story of what might happen if our world suddenly became very, very small. Would it be a sanctuary or a prison?
Simon Barrett
The Binding Spell
Marisa Linton, pub. Chicken House
Marisa Linton is well qualified to be writing a fantasy novel about Celtic Britain, folklore, magic, druids, the supernatural and much more. She is one of the world’s leading experts on The French Revolution, has taught history at Kingston University, and specialised in witchcraft and magical beliefs; along with being a historical advisor and part of the writer’s forum for the TV series Dangerous Liaisons.
Morgan and her siblings, Johnny a twin 17, Wulf 13, Callie 8 and Chase the dog live with their Dad an archaeologist. Their mother died 5 years previously. Both Morgan and her dad have had their struggles with mental health, partly prompting them to move to the village of Weir Hinny, close to the Welsh borders where Morgan’s mother lived, in the hope of finding a simpler more peaceful lifestyle away from London. They all arrive with their own set of problems, and masses of expectations for their futures, which quickly become all the more convoluted by the creeping horrors the village hides. It’s not just the past that provides supernatural forces to contend with, present day relationships and strange goings on prove equally problematical.
It all begins as the father starts his dig at the base of Pouka Hill, a neolithic site, where he discovers an ancient grave. Matters then take a complicated turn by their choice of residence, an old house originally owned by the Hopton family, close relatives, and renowned for their witchcraft. Morgan, the central character meets up with a local boy, Joe Harper, who nurtures an equally mysterious background. They soon develop a relationship which presents Morgan with the challenge of making painful choices when her emotions are running high, and she doubts her self-belief.
The book is suitable for aged 14+ and provides a gripping read for lovers of black magic along with some handy insights about personal development, that notoriously tricky subject. A book equally comfortable in the school library and at home tucked under a pillow.
Elizabeth Negus
Circle of Liars
Kate Francis, pub. Usborne
Circle of Liars is a breath-taking, fast-paced story and a psychological thriller. Seven school friends are invited to take part in a luxury holiday on the anniversary of a fire which killed three of their peers. Outcast Karl Hunt set the fire but as the story unfolds we realise that all seven played a role in what happened.
The holiday turns out to not be such a luxury. The motel is run-down. The swimming pool is empty and there is no food available. Shortly after their arrival the bus that brought them explodes and their coach driver is killed as he ‘crosses the line’. And soon they all find themselves involved in a Balloon Game where every hour one of them has to ‘cross the line’ and be shot.
We are gifted several points of view here though we spend more time with Ana than with the others. She is the twin sister of Danny, one of the young people killed in the fire. Gradually each one reveals their secret though we are kept waiting until the end to find out about Ana.
The young people fight back. They try to outwit their captor. We are kept guessing all the time about whether they will succeed or not and about what exactly Ana is hiding.
This book is 351 pages long but it is so engaging that you don’t notice the length.
Gill James
Embrace the Serpent
Sunya Mara, pub. Hodderscape
At the age of 8 the Prince of the Serpent Lords gathered together a group of stories. He named his collection Reasons People Hate Serpents and an excerpt is presented to us before we begin chapter 1. It tells us that no matter how much kindness one young girl might have shown a serpent it was in his nature to bite.
There is a moral to this story that, as you read, will become clearer and it is probably not the moral you are expecting. I am quite certain that there won’t be anything about this story which will be what you are expecting and that, for me at least, made it all the more deliciously addictive! It is a fairytale-romance-fantasy taking the very best storytelling techniques from each genre and blending them for a perfectly luscious and sweeping love story packed with adventure and some feisty characters.
Saphira might be the feistiest of all. She has seen a lot, lost an equal amount if not more in her eighteen years. As an orphan she has managed to find her freedom in being invisible, seen when she wants to be seen. She possesses magic too, the ability to harness the power of gemstones but she works for a corrupt jewelsmith to keep herself hidden even when her work becomes sought-after. Staying hidden will only last for so long in the Empire however and the king has sent his best huntsman to find the best jewelsmith. Somehow he manages to find Sapira. He doesn’t only find her though, he puts her in an impossible position, fall into the arms of the Empire or marry a beast. She chooses the latter. Whilst she knows it is a marriage of convenience to a cold husband she hasn’t quite accounted for the extent of the king’s huntsman’s cunning. It seems the king may not have either…
A dangerous deal, a deadly game, a struggle for life and love. Absolutely mesmerising.
Louise Ellis-Barrett
Gentlest of Wild Things
Sarah Underwood, pub. Electric Monkey
Eirene is a skilful herbalist, just as knowledgeable about Olympus yarrow and Laconian thyme as she is about the plants in her own garden. Her sister Phoebe, suffering ill health since she was young, is a talented weaver with great resilience - together, with garden and loom, they are settled. But these moments are quickly squashed: they must share their home with their drunken cousin Stavros, whose temper flares viciously. His moods and his squandering of coin rule the house, keeping Eirene on edge and angry - desperate for her walks to the river, to town.
But the worst threat, by far, is Leandros: a man of strange beauty, who seeks Phoebe as his next wife. Leandros is a domineering man, filling the island of Zakynthos with boasts of his divine blood: he claims to be descended from Eros, son of Aphrodite herself. He insists he has the power to stir love in any heart - selling this promise to those on Zakynthos that can afford it. Stavros is only too happy to see Phoebe passed to such a powerful man - thinking only of the money it will bring. But the bottled ‘Desire’ Leandros offers is a sinister enchantment, designed to loosen the free will of the women - Eirene cannot lose her sister to such a man.
She is frantic and her decision is immediate: she will deliver herself instead, playing the role of his betrothed, seeking to discover the secret behind Desire. She has seen what it can do, emptying women of themselves, leaving them vacant and obedient. Even with her herbal expertise, she knows of no other potion with the same effect, and she must find whatever trickery lies beneath it - the island cannot lose any more women. Swept off as young brides by the men who visit Leandros' symposiums. And Eirene knows she cannot live without her sister: the idea clenches her tight.
The pace and tension of Eirene’s story pull you along as if on a thread. She is a compelling character, spiky and smart and vulnerable. She feels humiliation, denied the chance to study as a professional herbalist by the local physician, but still finds strength to stand up to the score of unpleasant men that surround Leandros. Whispers of a monster make everything worse, with word spreading of a violent creature - one undeterred by prayers to Persephone. But Eirene remains a daunting figure: she holds her courage despite the pinching fear, and she must find a way to keep her life with Phoebe intact. Even if help may come from a very unexpected source…She will make a path of their own.
Jemima Breeds
Hot Young Royals
Katy Birchall, pub. Scholastic
Glitz, glamour, family, romance, school and high society. Who could resist reading Hot Young Royals? Any self-respecting teen surely dreams of all these things and more! Now you can live them through Ruby.
After the death of her mother, from a terminal illness, Ruby is uprooted from her quiet home in the English countryside and sent to live with an aunt she has met only once or twice in her seventeen years. In central London. Her aunt is a socialite, just one of the many ways in which she is so very different from Ruby’s mother, her sister and yet Ruby’s mother could have had that life if she had wanted it. They have a complex family background, added to which is the fact that no-one seems to know, or at least won’t admit to knowing, who Ruby’s father is. Her mother wanted to keep her sheltered for a reason.
Ruby doesn’t have much choice now, she is going to be seen, attending her mother’s old school, Clairmont School, where the corridors are ruled by a new set of bullies, known as the Elites, they are royalty, and London’s richest children. When Ruby realizes they might be the key to learning about her father she sets about to infiltrate the group but with her arrival secrets long since buried are beginning to come to light and rivalries are hotting up. Then the young Duke Xavier asks Ruby to fake date him, to save him from his own problems. Will it solve anything or simply make matters more complicated? And, as you might be aware, fake dating is a dangerous game…
Witty, glamourous, swoony and featuring some seriously hot royalty this is a brilliant summer read for teens looking for sheer escapism.
Louise Ellis-Barrett
I Can’t Even Think Straight
Dean Atta, pub. Hachette Children’s Books
I learnt a new word recently - Bildungsroman; thanks to the Germans we have a handy shorthand for the long, sprawling, coming-of-age novel. If you take away the ‘long’ and the ‘sprawling’, it’s the best adjective I can find to describe Dean Atta’s latest work I Can’t Even Think Straight. A short, concise, coming-of-age novel. Excellent stuff!
Mixed race (Greek Cypriot/Jamaican) teenager, Kai, is a good boy being raised by his single mother and a ‘village’ of grandparents and ‘aunties’. (There are not a lot of fathers in this book). Kai is gay, accepting and ready to come out, but there is one problem. His best friend, Matt, who is also gay, has extracted a promise from him that they must come out together and Matt is not ready to do that because it will upset his religious, homophobic parents. Naturally camp Kai is subsequently forced into admitting his sexuality and a big question mark hangs over his friendship with Matt. Will it survive? (As the blurb says.)
Two girls would make the beef last many months, if not years, all the while involving an increasingly large circle of friends. The two boys (being boys) get over themselves and get on with their lives. So much for the jeopardy; Kai is now free to love and lust where he will. Some tentative sprawlings, both literal and literary, occur. Kai gets a new boyfriend, experiences a questionable action by the police, misunderstands a teacher and fights with his Mum. Matt finds his own path before the inevitable happens...
I loved this not-so-rambling account of the gay teenage (and Black) experience. We can’t have enough romance between boys to counteract all the toxic masculinity that pervades the lives of young people and Dean Atta brings his own light but telling touch to the problems that affect many young Black men.
I must mention two reservations I have with the book. It is very readable, but I wouldn’t describe the format as ‘blank verse’. Verse, blank or otherwise, is a very different beast from prose sentences chopped in half and rearranged on a page to look like poetry. Leading exponents of the genre, such as Jacqueline Woodson or Andrea Pinkney, use rich descriptive vocabulary, imagery and different rhythms to catch the thoughts of their characters. All the above are missing here. My second reservation is that we never learn how old the main characters are. They are pre-GCSE, but is that 14, 15 or 16? We have an age of consent in this country for a reason -to protect young people - and authors who write for this demographic should respect it. Responsible, loving, sexually active characters should be 16 (whatever happens in real life). Anything else should come with a warning! For readers 14 and over.
Katherine Wilson
Lady’s Knight
Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, pub. Electric Monkey
Gwen, headstrong and fiery, dreams of being a knight, however, in a world were women’s capabilities and voices are silenced, even working as a blacksmith to help her father is dangerous. At the other end of the social spectrum, Lady Isobelle’s future is also written for her. She is to assume the position of the beautiful maiden, prize of the … tournament and future wife to the knight who wins.
However, an unexpected encounter between Isobelle and Gwen offers both girls the opportunity to imagine a different future. Through Isobelle’s determination, Gwen’s mastery of the sword and the help of some strong women met along the way, a daring scheme is concocted where Gwen poses as knight. As both girls fight for freedom, glory and the chance to be themselves, their worlds become entangled as do their hearts. But as each round of the tournament progresses, the stakes become higher and the lives of the girls become increasingly more endangered. Losing isn’t an option. Can both girls truly rewrite their own future and will their love survive?
Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner have written a beautiful novel which celebrates overcoming adversity and the power of female friendships within the constraints of a patriarchal society. It’s wonderful to see the rise in female queer novels particularly in the YA genre, and Lady’s Knight is a perfect addition for readers who are learning about first loves and how to stay true to themselves in a world which can often lack understanding and tolerance. Kaufman and Spooner cleverly interweave the more serious themes alongside the dramatic plot and the humorous interactions between characters to create a novel which is both engaging and thought-provoking. Whilst Isobelle and Gwen’s upbringings and personalities are worlds apart, the two girls are able to see through the others perfectly built façades, with the dual perspectives providing every reader a chance to be reflected within the protagonists and it becomes impossible not to root for their success.
Elinor Hurry
Never Thought I’d End Up Here
Ann Liang, pub. Scholastic
Never Thought I’d End Up Here is an uplifting rom-com for teen / young adult readers.
Leah makes a faux-pas at her cousin’s wedding because her mastery of her second language is not as it should be: she wishes the couple a disastrous marriage. Mother and aunt decide something must be done and she is sent on a trip that will not only deepen her knowledge of Chinese culture but will also improve her language skills.
And who should be on that trip but her nemesis, Cyrus.
The story is told in first person and Leah teases us a little. We know that she has been expelled from one school but we only find out why about halfway through the book. We know that she suddenly quits modelling but are only told why much later. It’s clear that she really dislikes Cyrus but again it is a long time before she actually tells us why. Also, a mystery is why exactly she changed so much after she was expelled. All of this keeps us reading.
Ann Liang draws her characters well. We grow to love Leah even though we might be a little irritated that she insists on wearing high heels when trainers would have been a much better option. Leah is the main character but we may also become fond of Daisy, Leah’s timid roommate, Cyrus who is quite complex, the handsome and flirtatious Oliver, Cyrus’s roommate, the strict and slightly stressed teacher, and Leah’s mother and aunt, both of whom are feisty but caring women.
There is plenty of plot and a plethora of sub-plots that hurtle towards a very satisfying end as relationships and attitudes change.
Gill James
Things I Learned While I was Dead
Kathryn Clark, pub. Faber & Faber
Is it wise to consent to death in order to promote life? More specifically, consenting to the loss of your own life in order to save your sister? This dystopian, debut novel by Kathryn Clark is set about 45+ years from now when the peak of the oil crisis has struck. Plastics are too expensive to manufacture, metals for technology have been over mined, there has been a climate catastrophe and AI manufacture is compromised as it didn’t live up to expectations. Plants and people are now more valuable than tech, but there is an alarming shortage of both.
Calico aged 17 has a younger sister Asha who is dying from an incurable disease. Unbeknownst to Calico, Asha takes her own life in her absence, but their mother does not share this with her older daughter. Calico has made her life all about Asha and lost herself along the way. A plight common to supportive siblings. Riding on the back of her guilt and grief, she is then misled into consenting to voluntary euthanasia and cryogenic storage in a research facility, until they have found a cure for Asha. At which time she is told they will both be restored to life?
When Calico is revived she finds herself in a post climate catastrophe, low-tech environment, trapped in a research facility and in danger of being sold off to an enforced breeding programme. A gripping read ensues with significant interludes of verse along the way, this extensive novel asks leading questions about medical ethics, the abuse of power, and the ramifications of choice leading to consent especially within healthcare.
As a valuable tool for discussion by young adults in school class debates, this book will not disappoint. But nevertheless, it contains mature themes with the potential for emotional impact. Within this original sci-fi framework, significant grief and the search for the meaning of being a human could prove difficult content to assimilate. Parents/teachers need to be confident of the emotional maturity of their readers.
Elizabeth Negus
Wandering Wild
Lynette Noni, pub. Ink Road
If you are familiar with the books written by Lynette Noni this one may come as a surprise, it is not a magical fantasy thriller but a contemporary romance. A high-stakes wilderness romance with a young Hollywood star and one of his biggest fans’ best friends!
Zander Rune has been darling of Hollywood since he was a young child, still a child, just shy of eighteen, he has fallen foul of the glory, he’s been named as a bad boy, a problematic one and the studio are considering replacing him as the lead in the show he is slated for. If he can’t fix his public image soon the role and his dreams will all disappear overnight. His agent/friend/almost-family and the producer have an idea. A competition and a live-streamed survival stint.
Charlie is simply a regular teenage girl. She lives next door to her best friend, they are practically inseparable, making the most of everyday, even more so after her friend was given the all-clear from leukaemia. Whilst Charlie might despise everything about Zander her bestie doesn’t so she is the one who see and enters the competition only to win and then be advised by her doctors not to attend. Charlie agrees to go in her place.
Four days. That is all Zander and Charlie have to survive in the wilderness but when things go terribly, horribly wrong, they are going to have to find a way to put aside their differences, trust in one another and work together to survive in one piece. At the same time, they have to each face the ghosts of their past. Is it something they can do together? Will they both come out of the experience as bigger and better people? An edge-of-your-seat gripping romantic thriller with plenty to absorb the reader, not least Lynette Noni’s fantastic writing.
Louise Ellis-Barrett
Wish You Dead
Rebecca Westcott, pub. Scholastic
This is a tale of revenge, family drama and the struggles and breakdowns of relationships. It is a teen thriller. A mean girl meets murder, witchcraft and with some romance thrown in. The main character is 16 year old Morgana Merrick. She is controlling and the most feared, powerful and popular girl at the Avalon Academy. Morgana is looking for revenge and justice. She can be a nasty character, who is not always likeable. A very complex character, who is also the victim.
There are also other strong and interesting characters in this novel. The mysterious Celeste leaves many questions unanswered. Art, the half-brother of Morgana, seems a more straight forward and easy going character, along with his fun loving surfer friends. They seem more interested in their beach parties.
The twist to this story comes with the many references to witches and witchcraft and the fact that someone does end up dead. At one of the beach parties Morgana is left shaken and angry after an encounter with one of Art’s friends. There is further intrigue with the appearance of a box, some crystals, charm bags and a Book of Shadows.
Overall, an interesting novel full of questions and mystery, which should appeal to teens, both girls and boys.
Gary Kenworthy