Category: Recommendations

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YA Review: Mage Quest

Title: Mage Quest
Author: Julia Blake
Edition: Paperback
Rating: 5/5

YA Review: Mage Quest

The sequel to Erinsmore is here! Book Two of the Erinsmore Chronicles brings new characters, old friends, and three spirited dragons.

It’s been six years since Ruby returned from Erinsmore, leaving her sister Cassie behind. When she eventually finds a portal and takes the opportunity to slip between worlds, she inadvertently brings thirteen-year-old Finley with her. Twenty years have passed in Erinsmore. Everyone she left behind has aged without her, and she’s surprised to discover that she is aunt to a seventeen-year-old princess (and heir to the throne), and her twin brother.

The heir to Erinsmore’s throne is expected to find the mage who will be her lifelong companion and guide. Most heirs discover their mages early in life, but the princess has never felt the presence of hers. She will be using the traditional tour of the kingdom when she turns eighteen to search for her companion.

With their eighteenth birthday only days after Ruby’s arrival, the twins invite their aunt and her accidental companion to join them on their quest. The plan is to visit every major settlement, and for the princess to meet her future subjects. With the help of Lord Merric, Protector of the Royal Children, three awe-inspiring dragons, and a mysterious healer named Xem, the group sets out to tour the kingdom, and search for the heir’s mage.

But something is rotten in Erinsmore. Evil is rising, and strange and frightening creatures are terrorising the people. The quest becomes more dangerous, and the evil forces stronger, as the group travels north. Working together, can they track down and defeat the dark forces – and will the quest lead the princess to her mage?

This is a long-awaited and exciting return to the world of Erinsmore. While Ruby is older and wiser, and thrilled to see her sister again, thirteen-year-old Finley provides the sense of wonder as the newcomer to a place where magic and dragons are real. The reader rediscovers Erinsmore with Ruby, while seeing everything for the first time with Finley. It’s a great way to balance the wonder of the magical world with Ruby’s six-year exile and her wish to return.

When Ruby and Finley have found their feet and been welcomed into the castle, the story takes off (literally, on the backs of dragons), and the quest begins. Strange creatures, evil pirates, hidden mermaids and mysterious dark forces lie in wait for our characters, and they must work together to keep each other out of danger.

It’s a gripping story. The tension builds as the group draws closer to the dark power infecting Erinsmore, while the princess’s search for her mage brings unexpected leads and crushing dead ends. I was on the edge of my seat as the end of the book approached. I won’t spoil the story, but it grows more emotional and more exciting as the pages turn.

Julia Blake has written another fast-paced, engrossing novel that drags the reader in and begs to be read in one sitting. Dive in for a fantastic tour of Erinsmore, a mystery that builds as the story progresses, and just the right mix of romance, danger, friendship, and action.

You’ve waited long enough. It’s time to go back to Erinsmore.

The Mage Quest ebook will be published on May 16th, and the gorgeous illustrated paperback is available now. Thank you to the author for the ARC copy.

Have you read Erinsmore and Mage Quest? What did you think of the story? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!

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YA Review: The Songs You’ve Never Heard

Title: The Songs You’ve Never Heard
Author: Becky Jerams and Ellie Wyatt
Edition: Paperback
Rating: 5/5

How much did I love this book? Just thinking about it is making me smile. A musical in book form is such a clever idea, and the authors have created a warm, emotional story accompanied by an album of the original music from the novel. I loved the entire experience!

Meg McCarthy is thoroughly sick of being the younger sister to musical superstar Caspar, especially when he’s home for the summer, trying and failing to write songs for his second album. Every conversation seems to revolve around her famous brother – at home, at school, and at her embarrassing summer job serving frozen yoghurt to tourists. She’s learned not to expect genuine friendship – everyone wants to use her to get close to Caspar. So when she meets aspiring singer-songwriter Alana at work, she expects more of the same.

But Meg has a secret. She’s been writing and recording her own songs for years, and keeping them hidden from everyone around her. The only person she shares them with is an online contact, but she’s too scared to admit to him who she is in real life. When Alana convinces her to share her music, the two girls begin working together, pooling their talents and writing songs as a duo. Meg isn’t ready to share their songs, and when their work is leaked online she finds herself overwhelmed as she tries to manage the consequences.

Meg is a highly relatable character. She’s used to living in the shadow of a successful older brother, and she has understandably had enough of trying to be friends with people who only want access to him. Her attitude might be aggressive, but I completely understood her need to be seen as an individual, and not an extension of Caspar’s identity. When she meets Alana – larger than life, bubbly, open and enthusiastic – she struggles to understand her new colleague. Their developing connection was a joy to read, and I loved following their journey as they shared their music and friendship.

This book plunged me deep into Meg’s life, and immersed me in her experiences and feelings. I was completely hooked, and invested in her hopes, dreams, and disasters. Her relationship with her brother felt real and raw, and her musical partnership with Alana was joyful and exciting. Half way through the book I realised that I needed to hear the songs, rather than simply reading the lyrics, and I downloaded the album. Hearing Caspar sing for the first time was absolutely thrilling, and listening to songs from Meg and Alana added so much to the experience of the story.

Definitely a five-star read, and a five-star idea. I adored it.

Have you read The Songs You’ve Never Heard? And have you listened to the songs? What did you think of Meg’s story? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!

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YA Review: Loveboat, Taipei

Title: Loveboat, Taipei
Author: Abigail Hing Wen
Edition: Kindle
Rating: 5/5

YA Review: Loveboat, Taipei

I loved this book! YA romance is not my usual go-to genre, but occasionally a book catches my eye and I discover something wonderful.

Ever Wong is a Chinese-American high-school student, following her parents’ wishes and applying to medical schools when she’d rather train as a dancer. But her parents don’t see dance as a career, and her family has sacrificed their home and culture to give her an American childhood and a future in the US. It is Ever’s search for her own path, and her determination to make her own decisions and mistakes, that drew me into her story.

Ever is sent to Taiwan, to take part in a summer-school cultural education programme before she heads to medical school. She’s expecting a rigid timetable of language classes and educational trips around Taipei, but when she arrives she sees a chance to discover who she is when her strict parents are not around to control her. She makes a list of the rules she has to follow at home, and sets about breaking them. There are boys, nightclubs, photo shoots and dance classes, love triangles, new best friends, and betrayal and heartbreak as she figures out how to be an independent adult.

But this isn’t just a story about first love and teenage mistakes. At the core of the book is Ever’s determination to find her purpose, and prove that she can build a career doing what she loves. I adored following her efforts to become a dancer, and fight for the future she wanted for herself.

Loveboat, Taipei is an intelligent, emotional and heartwarming story. The romance element drives the plot, but Ever’s journey of self-discovery and rebellion forms the heart of the novel. The tension mounts as the story progresses, and Ever begins to resign herself to years of medical training and a life she doesn’t want. I didn’t predict the ending, but I was punching the air. This is a life-affirming novel with a highly relatable protagonist, and one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Have you read Loveboat, Taipei? What did you think of the Ever’s story? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!

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YA Review: The Undying Tower

Title: The Undying Tower
Author: Melissa Welliver
Edition: Paperback (Paper Orange Book Box)
Rating: 4/5

YA Review: The Undying Tower

I found this book spookily familiar (in a good way, I should stress!). When William Gibson described walking out of the cinema because Blade Runner looked too much like the inside of his own forehead, I thought I understood – and then I read The Undying Tower. Stop me when you see it: a girl in a dystopian future UK, who has no connection to the conflict between the authoritarian government and the rebels, is drawn into the fight against her will. There are public executions, rebels in hiding, and people risking their lives to fight back. There’s a camp full of teenagers being trained and tested, with strict sanctions for anyone breaking the rules. Our heroine attempts to find out what is going on behind the scenes, only to discover a truth so awful she decides to break out with her friends.

None of this is a criticism, at all! I really enjoyed The Undying Tower – the future-UK setting, the worldbuilding, the characters, and the plot. I enjoyed the parallels between Melissa Welliver’s book and my own YA series, and it was refreshing to read another author’s take on a dystopian future UK. The twist is different, and there’s a lot more riding on the escape attempt in The Undying Tower, which made the final chapters absolutely gripping. This is the first in a trilogy, and I enjoyed the way the ending flipped the story round, opening up interesting possibilities for the rest of the series.

This book has confirmed that I’m a fan of UK-based dystopian stories. If you enjoyed the Battle Ground Series, this would be a great next read.

Have you read The Undying Tower? What did you think of the British dystopian setting? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!

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YA Review: The Thief and the Waste

Title: The Thief and the Waste
Author: Tanya Lee
Edition: Kindle
Rating: 5/5

YA Review: The Thief and the Waste

We’re back in the post-collapse world of the The Wolf and the Rain, this time following Samarra and her friends as they set out from the Barrow, following the trail of the missing women. In the parallel narrative, we learn more about life in the South, and the connection between the two stories becomes clear. Understanding the stakes makes this book even more addictive than the first in the series, as Samarra and her team attempt to cross the dangerous wasteland that divides the Barrow from the walled cities of the South, and the children in the South graduate from their training and begin their adult lives.

Once again, the settings are beautifully drawn, pulling the reader into the story. The characters and their relationships develop as they navigate the dangers of the Waste, and the adult responsibilities of the South. There’s a constant sense of danger as the plot draws the two worlds together, and a spectacular reveal at the end that sets up an exciting story for the next book.

It’s not out yet, but I can’t wait. Tanya – we need the next installment!

Have you read The Thief and the Waste? What did you think of the dystopian setup? Did you enjoy the new elements of Samarra’s story? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!

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YA Review: The Wolf and the Rain

Title: The Wolf and the Rain
Author: Tanya Lee
Edition: Paperback
Rating: 5/5

YA Review: The Wolf and the Rain

I need to tell you how much I loved this book. I loved the setup, I loved the protagonist, and I loved the settings. The author has created an entirely believable dystopian future. The dirty, dangerous North and the clinical, authoritarian South feel like essential characters in the story, and I was immediately hooked by the protagonist’s life as she tries to survive as a newcomer in the North.

There are two storylines woven together throughout the book, and the relationship between the protagonist scraping a living in the North, and the girl growing up in the regimented South, is not made clear. However, both stories are intriguing, and it is often a disappointment when the narrative switches back to the other location – a strength, not a weakness, as both stories held my attention.

Samarra is lucky. She’s found a place to sleep and a job as a courier for one of the most powerful families in the Barrow, the anarchic post-collapse city where she’s trying to earn a living and keep a low profile. Her job takes her all over the city, and she witnesses its violence and secrets, poverty and desperation. When she learns that the girl who used to have her job disappeared, and that she’s not the only young woman missing from the Barrow, Samarra is drawn into the dark side of a society where most people are happy to turn a blind eye and be thankful that they’ve made it through the day.

In the South, a group of children is training to be productive participants in their regimented society. Kept in dormitories and separated from any family, the children experience daily military-style physical drills combined with a rigid curriculum and strict rules. The contrast between the two settings, and their very different reactions to a climate disaster, keeps the pages turning. Both systems are understandable, and both have their advantages and dangers.

The action-packed, emotional conclusion provides a stepping off point for the sequel, and I can’t wait to dive in!

Have you read The Wolf and the Rain? What did you think of the dystopian setup? Did you enjoy Samarra’s story? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!

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YA Review: Different For Boys

Title: Different For Boys
Author: Patrick Ness
Edition: Kindle ARC
Rating: 4/5

YA Review: Different For Boys

Another short, illustrated, high-concept and punchy book from Patrick Ness. Different For Boys explores the concept of virginity and the validity of sexual experiences from the point of view of sixteen-year-old Ant and his school friends. The conversations between the boys are predictably full of bravado and banter, but Ant’s introspection gives the book a moving and emotional core.

To keep the book suitable for the YA audience, language you might expect to hear from sixteen-year-old boys has been censored, but in a novel and thought-provoking way. Instead of substituting milder swear words and sexual references, each allegedly unsuitable word or concept is hidden behind a black box in the text, and the characters are aware of the boxes. Of course, the first thing they do is test the limits of the censorship, discovering which words are acceptable, and which will be blacked out. It’s a clever protest against the watering down of the realities of teenage life in fiction aimed at teenagers. Swear words and direct descriptions of sexual experiences are censored, while the boys are surprised by the occasional, potentially offensive word that is permitted. The flip side of the censorship is that the reader fills in the gaps. If you are old enough to understand the concepts in the book, most of the boxes will be irrelevant, and you will be able to follow the conversations with no trouble. If not, you are ‘protected’ from concepts that many adults would prefer teenagers not to encounter, while directly questioning what might be forbidden, and hidden behind the frequent strips of black.

Over the course of the book, Ant reflects on several different sexual encounters as he tries to decide what constitutes the loss of his virginity – especially as a boy who likes boys. Different For Boys might be a quick read, but Ant’s questioning attitude and conversations with his friends draw the reader in, and emphasise the emotional aspects of his experiences without offering any kind of Happy Ever After or neat resolution. It’s a book about questions, relationships of all kinds, and the lack of a road map for teenagers discovering their own sexuality – and how that relates to the people around them. I found it moving without being sentimental, frank without being gratuitous, and infuriating that the knowing censorship is needed to allow this book to exist.

Every word feels carefully chosen, every scene is carefully crafted, and the illustrations add to the themes of uncertainty and exploration. This is a jewel of a book – beautiful, compact, and with a powerful message. Recommended.

Different For Boys will be published on March 2nd. Thank you to NetGalley and Walker Books for the ARC copy.

Have you read Different for Boys? What did you think of the back-box censorship? Did you feel the content was suitable for a teenage audience? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!

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YA Review: Strange Gods

Title: Strange Gods
Author: Alison Kimble
Edition: Kindle
Rating: 4/5

YA Review: Strange Gods

This was a fun read. Spooky is the disappointing younger daughter of two high-powered lawyers, sent to a summer camp for troubled teens when she almost gets her perfect sister into trouble. Rules at the camp are strict, and punishments are tailored to keep each individual in line. When Spooky sneaks out of her cabin at night to meet a boy, she manages to hide from the camp counsellors, but finds herself caught up instead in the secret activities of a meddling god. Realising this could give her a way out of the camp, she agrees to help the strange and powerful creature.

While the book begins as an engaging teen-at-harsh-summer-camp story, it quickly evolves into a much larger adventure. Spooky finds herself crossing between worlds as she tries to protect the Earth from a divine invasion. With her unlikely companions – hostile teens from the camp who also stumble onto the god’s activities – she undertakes a cosmic scavenger hunt, locating items of value to trade with other gods and buy their support for her quest.

Spooky is a smart, sassy teenager, rejected by her parents and searching for someone who sees her value. Carcass, the god she discovers, offers recognition and protection – as well as some unpleasant threats if she doesn’t follow his commands. Her relationships with the other teens develop and grow as they make their way from world to world, uncovering each other’s secrets and learning who they can trust.

I won’t spoil the ending, but there is a hint that a sequel might be in the works. While this book works as a standalone story, I’d love to know what happens next!

Have you read Strange Gods? What did you think of Spooky’s story? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!

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YA Review: Girl Island

Title: Girl Island
Author: Kate Castle
Edition: Kindle
Rating: 5/5

YA Review: Girl Island

Wow – this book is good! It’s a female take on Lord of the Flies with strong Yellowjackets vibes. With a smaller cast and a much more focused story than Yellowjackets, I found it more convincing as an exploration of inter-personal dynamics in an all-female group. Full disclosure: I went to a single-sex school in the 1990s, around the time the book is set, so I am very familiar with the power and personality clashes in an all-female environment. This book captures them perfectly.

Ellery is farm girl. She’s keeping her family’s struggling fruit farm running after the death of her father, supporting her mother and younger brother as they all take on the extra work to keep the business going. She’s also an athletics star, and British Under-18 Heptathlon champion. When her achievements win her a full scholarship to an exclusive private school, she reluctantly accepts the mid-term switch to being the new girl, the scholarship girl, and the student who goes home at night to her beloved farm with its mis-matched furniture and make-do-and-mend lifestyle.

The scholarship includes an all-expenses-paid trip to an elite sports camp in the Maldives, and her first experience of her new school is the flight to Male with her new PE teacher and seven of her classmates – two boys and five girls. It doesn’t take long for her to discover the rift between the popular girls with the good-looking boyfriends, and the more academic Delia Dawkes. And then there’s the awkward reunion with Skye, the ex-best friend she hasn’t seen for two years. Plenty of opportunity for inter-personal conflict.

Of course, the trip doesn’t go to plan. The island-hopper plan crashes, leaving the party a long way off course and marooned on a deserted island. Dawkes and Ellery focus on long-term survival, including keeping their injured teacher alive, while the popular girls are more concerned with power, and their place in the hierarchy of the group. It’s a recipe for conflict and disaster, and when the boys head off to swim to the neighbouring island, the female power-plays become more vicious, and more dangerous.

The author brilliantly captures the dynamics of an all-girl group. The popular girls are used to being at the top of the group hierarchy, but when they find themselves in a situation that requires a different set of skills, they are ready to fight to maintain power. Ellery and Dawkes, used to being on the sidelines of all-female interactions, find themselves offering the solutions the girls need, but meeting resistance as they challenge the established social structure. I was impressed by the portrayal of the popular girls before and after the departure of their boyfriends. While their priority is keeping their man and the associated status, they exhibit a particular set of behaviours, but in the absence of the boys, they become much more focused on their own roles in the group – and much more dangerous.

As the book progresses, and the girls remain stranded, the tension on the island increases. The power-plays become more extreme as the need for sustainable survival strategies becomes more apparent, and the group splits under the pressure. Ellery finds friendship as well as conflict, and it is wonderful to follow the positive relationships as they develop in spite of the danger. It’s an entirely believable story, and the narrator’s fear feels very real. There are deliberate nods to Lord of the Flies in the plot, but you don’t need to know the original story in order to appreciate this book.

Plenty of readers have asked how the Lord of the Flies scenario would change if the marooned children were girls, not boys. This book provides a highly plausible, equally disturbing answer. I loved it.

Have you read Girl Island? What did you think of Ellery’s experiences? Would you survive on Girl Island? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!

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YA Review: The Stolen Heir

Title: The Stolen Heir
Author: Holly Black
Edition: Hardback
Rating: 4/5

YA Review: The Stolen Heir - Holly Black

I have been waiting for the next instalment in the story of Elfhame, and I managed to pick up a gorgeous hardback copy of The Stolen Heir on the day of release. I wasted no time finding a comfortable place to start reading, and jumped straight in.

This book did not grip me in the same way as the Folk of the Air trilogy, possibly because of the hype around its release. That said, I still enjoyed the story – and Holly Black’s trademark dark characters, plot twists, and betrayals. There are plenty of exciting twists, and plenty of delicious betrayals in this first book of an Elfhame duology.

After the events of The Queen of Nothing Suren, daughter of Lady Nore and child queen of the Court of Teeth, leaves Elfhame to find safety in the human world. Oak, heir to the throne of Elfhame, seeks her out to join him on a quest. Suren and Oak were betrothed before the the betrayals of the Battle of the Serpent, and Suren cannot be sure of his intentions. Suren has her own reasons for helping Oak, and returning to the home of her childhood nightmares. As they travel together, their constant suspicion and inability to trust each other add to the dangers they face. It’s a tense and exciting read, with Suren and the reader constantly questioning Oak’s motivations, and trying to unpick the truth from the things Oak doesn’t say.

Oak is seventeen, and utterly charming. Suren is a feral child, surviving in the woods, out of sight in the human world. Both are fae, and neither of them can lie, but they can deceive. Like Suren, I found myself constantly questioning Oak’s words, looking for loopholes and omissions in everything he said. It makes for an intensely exciting story, and the tension between the characters only increases as they approach the end of their journey. The final betrayal is exquisite, and I can’t believe I have to wait for the next book! I can’t wait to go back to Elfhame.

Have you read The Stolen Heir? What did you think of Suren and Oak? Click through to the full blog to access the comments section, and share your thoughts! No spoilers, though – you can post those on GoodReads!

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