Rival Darlings
By Alexandra Moody Reviewed by Lucille Rose Rival Darling, the first in the Darling Devils series, is a YA contemporary romance following the drama filled lives of two Minnesota high school students. Violet has one rule: never date a jock. And before
Rainbow Volume 1
By Sunny Gloom & Angel Gloomy Reviewed by Lucille Rose Rainbow Volume 1: Sunny and Gloomy is a charming graphic novel that tells the tale of imaginative teenager Boo Meadows. The story follows her as she dances, runs and stumbles her way
Where Sleeping Girls Lie
By Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé Reviewed by Tehani Croft Wealth, privilege, and tragic backstory underpin the characters and events in Where Sleeping Girls Lie, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s second novel. There is a strong sense of purpose at the heart of the novel, but the extreme
Murder on a School Night
By Kate Weston Reviewed by Liane McDermott Described by the publisher as Sex Education meets A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, this YA novel for readers 14+ is a fun, feminist murder mystery by author (and ex-stand-up comedian) Kate Weston. Murder on
Princess Ever After
By Connie Glynn Reviewed by Lucille Rose Princess Ever After is the fifth and final instalment of the Rosewood Chronicles. It begins with Lottie, who is the princess portman - hired to act as a member of the royal family to protect
Selfie
By Allayne L. Webster Reviewed by Liane McDermott Real and fake friendships alongside the pitfalls of social media are explored in this young adult novel by Allayne L. Webster. An internationally published Children’s and Young Adult author, Allayne Webster has published ten
The Gilded Ones #2: The Merciless Ones
By Namina Forna Reviewed by Caeleigh Hancock Namina Forma is a Sierra Leonean American and young adult author based in Los Angeles. Her debut novel The Gilded Ones was published in 2021. The Merciless Ones is the sequel to The Gilded Ones,
Sugar Town Queens
By Malla Nunn Reviewed by Mia Macrossan Malla Nunn, a South African now living and working in Australia, writes adult crime novels as well as YA fiction. This is her second YA title after the much praised When The Ground Is Hard.
Cinderella Liberator : A Fairy Tale Revolution
By Rebecca Solnit Illustrated by Arthur Rackham Reviewed by Mia Macrossan In 1892 someone found 345 variants of the Cinderella story. Here is one more written by Rebecca Solnit which uses the famous Arthur Rackham illustrations. For Solnit, as she says in her
The Edge of Thirteen
By Nova Weetman Reviewed by Zewlan Moor This is the third book about Clem Timmins, following on from the award-winning The Secrets We Share and The Secrets We Keep. Clem is thirteen and navigating changed family and friendship dynamics, as well as being
Listen Layla
by Yassmin Abdel-Magied Reviewed by Zewlan Moor From the first few pages, main character Layla demonstrates her energy and irrepressible spirit by dancing around “like a whirling dervish from Sudan, the country of her birth.” She is singing in Arabic, while welding
