Review: Royal Rebel

Royal Rebel by Carina Axelsson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lily is the heir to the only queendom in the world, first in line to inherit its' throne. She's coming towards the age when she'll be involved more in the politics of ruling. Sadly, this cuts into her favourite secret hobby; filming fashion vlogs! She's just starting to become more popular. But how can she keep that part of her life secret, when every part of her life is under scrutiny?


A cute story for preteens. I liked Lily; she makes some silly decisions, but she is only thirteen and she has a good heart under it. This is the first in a series and I'll be looking forward to reading more of them when they publish.

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Review: The Secret Runners of New York

The Secret Runners of New York by Matthew Reilly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fantastic read. I read it in one go, I really wanted to find out what would happen. It's time travel that makes sense, which is rare in stories that try to explain things. He very effectively conveys the creepiness of an abandonded New York.

(The pedant in me is forced to point out that the girls can't be using gasoline in the twenty two years ahead future; gas is absolutely worhtless after, at the very best, five years.)

I did have a problem with the characters, though; with two exceptions, the rich kids were all horrible, sociopathic or stupid. I'm not sayng rich people can't have those problems, anyone can, but everyone in the group? Without anyone outside it seeming to know, apart from the professionals - who don't seem to be doing much about it? One of the exceptions outright stated it was because they were rich, so it comes off as more of a rant against rich people than anything else.

But the story itself was amazing, and really cleverly done. I'd definitely read more from this author or in this series if there were any. And I hope there are, because he left some threads dangling!


Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.


"What do you mean, freaky?" Red asked.

Bo said, "What I mean is, it's still New York up there: the same Central Park, all the same buildings, but it's all been trashed and abandoned. The windows on all the skyscrapers are smashed; that Swedish Cottage has fallen apart. No power, no lights and no people-or at least, no-one besides our friend in the hoodie. It's like...anotherNew York...not ours. A parallel New York of some kind."

Red blinked. "A kind of parallel New York?"

At that moment, Misty stepped up to him, grabbed his left arm and with one quick movement, drew a single vertical mark on his inner wrist with a black permanent marker.

"Welcome to the club, Red. You just became a member of The Secret Runners of New York."

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World Book Day

In case you've been putting off redeeming your World Book Day token because the books are all the way upstairs, we're here for you. We have a stand just beside the main door with all the titles we have in stock. The tokens are only good to the end of this month! Don't miss out!

Review: Pretend She's Here

Pretend She's Here by Luanne Rice
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Emily has been grieving her best friend, dead for almost a year. Lizzie's family moved away just after her death, but she's not surprised to see them back a few days before the anniversary; naturally they'd want to visit Lizzie's grave. She accepts an invitation to go with them without thinking too much about it.

She wakes up in a replica of Lizzie's room, wearing Lizzie's clothes, hair styled and coloured like Lizzie. Lizzie's mother has decided that she needs a daughter, and since she can't have her own, her best friend will do. Kept under control by violence and threats, Emily must figure out how to stay true to herself when she's being told she's someone else.


What a great read! I really enjoyed this one, I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. Emily was amazingly strong, and the ending was absolutely perfect. I'll be watching out for more from this author.

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New Titles

Poppy and Sam have come for a visit! Drop in and pick up some of these classic children's books and get your free plush mini duck while stocks last.

Review: The Quiet at the End of the World

The Quiet at the End of the World by Lauren James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've been desperate to read this since I heard about it, and it stands up to all my expectations. Apocalypse and Dystopia are my favourite genre, I've read loads of them, and this is a really unique story. I loved the tone of it and the unfolding mystery that formed the main plot. Also, Mitch. Amazing guy. Also, the links to The Loneliest Girl in the Universe. Also...well, I could keep going for a while, but why waste everyone's time? Just read it. It's worth it.



"What difference does it even make, if we all die now instead of in a few decades?" I frown, my expression unseen against her side. "What are we all doing here, anyway? What are we achieving?"

Mum smooths out a section of my hair, before twisting it around her finger. "There's no finish line you need to cross to have lived a worthy life, Lowrie. You don't need to achieve anything, if you don't want to."

"But if we're the last..." I sigh.

"Don't worry about making your ancestors proud. You don't need to be perfect, just on the off chance you're the last of your kind. Life is whatever you want it to be. With whoever you want it to be with. Life is the people around you, the ones you love. You just need to be happy. That's all that matters."

I'm quiet for a moment, taking this in. "Are you happy?"

"I'm happier than I ever thought I'd be."

"What made you happy?"

"Having you."

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Review: Izzy + Tristan

Izzy + Tristan by Shannon Dunlap
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this one. I'm only vaguely familiar with Tristan and Iseult, but the story was brilliant on its own, if somewhat heartbreaking.The main four characters were very well done. A fantastic read and one I'll definitely recommend to people when it publishes.


I received a proof in exchange for an honest review.


The cold air nips at us as we circle the reservoir. In the distance, the reservoir's fountain shoots into the air, the powerful gush of it shattering on the wind as it falls. It's early enough that there are still dogged runners doing their laps around the water, and I get the abrupt urge to join them. I swallow my last bit of sandwich and take Izzy's elbow, pull her into a trot with me. She's reluctant at first, dragging me back to a walk, but I smile at her, coaxing without words. and she relents. We break into a slow jog. We go on like this for a minute maybe, our backpacks thumping against our hips, our breath coming harder. The fountain shifts shape as we round the curve of the reservoir. It is a feather, a mountain, an icy staircase, an arched doorway. Then Izzy speeds up, and then I speed up, and we run faster and faster, until we are passing people and out panting turns into laughter and everything but her face is a blur. We are leaving the world behind us. It is the two of us again, alone, and it is beautiful.

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Review: A Girl Called Shameless

A Girl Called Shameless by Laura Steven
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What an amazing read. I didn't think Laura could top The Exact Opposite of Okay but this is fantastic. It touches on a lot of very deep issues and does them all lightly and without preaching. Izzy's friends are a mixture of genders, ethnicities and sexualities, and none of it ever feels like box ticking. Just brilliant. I would read twenty more novels set in this universe.

(Parents be aware, Izzy swears a lot. It all fits beautifully into her speech patterns and this book wouldn't be half as good as it is without it, but it is there. Also, given the subject matter, there is a lot of discussion of sex and bodies.)

I received a proof copy in exchange for an honest review.


My friends are awesome. They knew what I needed before I did.

When I finally emerge, like a butterfly from a cocoon [or something that makes me sound like less of a d***head], Ajita and Meg are working on a giant protest sign shaped like a pair of boobs. As I walk down the stairs the squeal girlishly and clap their hands together like performing monkeys. And I'll give it to them...I feel awesome.

What's more, I feel normal. Like a normal teenage girl, having a normal night in with her pals. Coloring our hair, gossiping about boys, watching TV. As great as all the Bitches Bite Back stuff is, and as passionately as I feel about it, just being a regular eighteen year old instead of an inadvertent political figure is super refreshing.

And it's selfish, so selfish, but part of me prays neither of them go away to college. Because if they do? I'll be left in this town alone, knowing the world is moving on without me.

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Review: The Waning Age

The Waning Age by S.E. Grove
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wasn't too sure about this one going in, and the first couple of chapters didn't help, but when this story got going, it really got going. I couldn't put it down after a certain point. The idea is intriguing, not one I've seen before, the characters are interesting, and things are wrapped up well, with just a couple of loose strands if the author ever wanted to return to this world. A fantastic read.


"You've kept me out of this every step of the way. I will only half believe it when you say it's to protect me. It's also because you don't want anyone interfering with your methods."
"It's both."
He plowed on like I hadn't spoken. "I know you think I'm useless in a fight, but not everything is about fighting. I'm coming with you."
I wanted to hug him and throw a shoe at him. I settled for a sigh. "Fine."
He stood, waiting.
"And I apologize for keeping you out."
He nodded. He swung his jacket over his shoulder. "Okay. Apology accepted. Let's go."

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