Review: Check Mates

Check Mates by Stewart Foster
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Felix does his best, but he just can't concentrate in school. No one seems to understand how hard it is. No one but his quiet, closed off grandfather. Granddad's been a bit depressed since Grandma died. Until he comes up with a wonderful plan to help Felix concentrate. He's going to teach him chess!


This is a sweet, nice story about a grandson and grandfather learning to connect with each other. I know a little about the chess, just the basics, and was able to follow perfectly well, so don't be put off if you don't know anything about the game. I also learned some information about the Cold War that I hadn't known before, and that was really interesting to me.

One thing I did think was odd: Felix clearly has ADHD, but he doesn't seem to be getting any help. There's mention that he refused a classroom assistant because he was embarrassed, and he's in an extra reading class, but that's it. No other accommodations for him. This is a minor thing, however.

This is a lovely story that will also lead to discussion topics, and that's a great mix.



"Phew," says Jake. "You had me worried."

"I know," I say, trying to shake the fog out of my head. "They're all dweebs! I don't know what I was thinking."

"You were thinking it was a good idea."

"No, Granddad. I wasn't."

Jake gives me a strange look.

"What?" I say. "I'm not going in there."

"No," says Jake. "It's what you just did. You were talking to your granddad."

"Did I? Was I?"

"Yeah. It's like he's getting inside your head, brainwashing you. Maybe he's a spy. My dad always says he's a bit strange."

"My granddad's not strange," I snap. "And he's not a spy. What does your dad know? He's never even spoken to him."

"Sorry, didn't mean to upset you." Jake puts his arm around my shoulder. "He's not strange. Not really - now let's get some dinner and then we'll go and shoot some hoops."

"Hoops? What is hoops?"

Granddad, I say in my head. You're going to have to stop this.

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Review: I Am Not a Number

I Am Not a Number by Lisa Heathfield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Traditional Party has been voted in. Ruby doesn't think her life will change too much, but her mother and stepfather aren't sure. There are more soldiers in the street, making sure that women are wearing decent clothes and that there are no lewd displays of affection, like holding hands. Then there are arm bands. Then, in the middle of the night, the buses come...


Lisa Heathfield has a gift for tackling difficult subjects in ways that children can understand. She's already taken on cults and parental abuse; in this new book her topics are nationalism and the Holocaust, obliquely. By subjecting her heroine Ruby to horrors that actually happened to prisoners in the concentration camps, Lisa shows how easy it is to fall prey to othering, and how destructive it can be. The increasing dehumanisation of Ruby and the other inmates is very difficult to read, but it's worth it if it starts conversations about this topic.

I'm also very impressed, as I often am with cult novels, at just how easy it is to alter people's thinking, especially childrens', when you control the narrative. Ruby's sister sees everything that's happening, she knows exactly how they're being treated, but because the guards give her extra biscuits she believes everything they're telling her about their political rivals.

The only thing I would have liked is more information or background on the guards. We learn a little bit about the camp commander, but the rest of the guards are an indistinguishable mass of hatred and anger. No one ever even learns any of their names. I would have liked to know how they came to think this was acceptable. But that's a tiny gripe in an otherwise gripping novel.

This isn't the only book of this type I've read, but in the others the camps are usually for people of a particular race, or religion, or skin colour. In this one, it's strictly along ideological lines, and I can't decide if that's more or less scary; that the people doing this to Ruby and the others probably looked just like them. It's a terrifying, but very important, read.




"You'll learn discipline," the guard says. "You'll run the length of the line and back until I tell you to stop."

"Run?" I'm not at school. Why do they want me to run?

"You haven't heard me properly?" The guard steps closer and raises his whip until it's touching my cheek. "I could help by cleaning out your ears with this."

"Run, for God's sake, Ruby," I hear Mum say.

The line of leather presses into my skin.

"Fine," I say, but I don't look at my mum as I know she'll see the fear i'm trying to hide. I won't look at any of them.

I feel every set of eyes on me as I pass, so I focus on the world beyond the fence. In the distance is a mountain and I look at that. I force myself to see how it doesn't peak in a spike. Maybe it's not a proper mountain but it's more than a hill. It's round at the top and joins another, smaller one. They seem very safe. I imagine myself sitting there, hidden among their shape.

My feet pound the wet ground. It's concrete, so it's easier to get a rhythm. At the end I turn around. this way I can see the entrance to the camp. The fence is high, its barbed wire telling me everything. I hadn't noticed the watchtower close to the gate, but it's clear as anything now.There's a guard in it and the silhouette of a gun.

I concentrate on Mum's face as I run back down the line. Her eyes are wild with anger, but her face is stone. Darren holds tight to her hand and he nods at me and says something, but I don't hear it. It's enough though. He's willing me on and it gives me strength.

I know I run past Luke, but I'm too embarrassed to look at him. I'm sweaty and soaked and I know he loves me whatever, but I don't want him to see me like this. I'll have to run past him again and again, looking worse and worse, until the pig of a guard says I can stop.

My legs are beginning to burn as I turn at the end, facing the mountain again. I wish I could look more to the sky but the rain isn't stopping. So I keep going. Running on. Trying to count the sound of my feet on the ground.

"You can do this, Ruby." This time I catch Darren's words and I use them as fuel.

I'm thirsty, but the water falling on me isn't enough.

The guard doesn't tell me it's over. I've never been good at running far and my lungs feel filled with fire. Someone has lit a match in them and now every breath sparks new flames. A stitch is gripping my side.

I'm sure the rain is weakening.

But now they'll be able to see that I'm crying.

I don't mean to but I look at Luke as I pass. I wish I hadn't. It's hopeless despair on his face. His dad is holding his arm, as if stopping him from trying to help me. I won't look at him again. It's made my heart hurt worse and my tears now are for more than just agony and exhaustion and hunger.

A guard grabs me by the shoulder. I collapse into him and he wipes me away like a piece of dirt.

"You may stop," he says, pushing me back into the line between a child and an older man. "Have you learned your lesson?"

I nod, hardly able to hold my head straight.

"I didn't hear your answer," the guard shouts. "Maybe you'd like to run again? Or have you learned your lesson?"

"Yes," I say. My voice squeezes out through my spiky breathing.

"Good."

When he walks away, the man next to me puts out his arm to hold me up.

"You did well," he whispers as finally the rain begins to dry.

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Review: The Virtue of Sin

The Virtue of Sin by Shannon Schuren
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love cult stories, but I feel like this one was confused about what it wanted to say. The rotating PoVs made it difficult to develop any attachment to any character, and nothing much happened until almost the end, when All The Things happened.

It's not awful; it's a chillingly realistic depiction of a cult, and of how easily a clever con man can keep a whole group of people scared and compliant. It just could have been so much better.




“That’s what I used to think, too. But you know what? There is a choice. I could keep being good Miriam, the girl who does what she’s told. The one who goes along with what everybody else wants. The one who keeps her mouth shut.” I step back, farther into the shadows . But if I keep being this Miriam, I may as well disappear altogether.

“Or what?” he asks, leaning forward. “What else can you do?”

“I can start thinking for myself.”

And there arose a disagreement between them, so sharp they parted ways. —Acts 15: 39

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Review: Fan the Fame

Fan the Fame by Anna Priemaza
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Told from three points of view, this novel tackles misogyny and bullying in the world of video game streaming.


If it weren't for Sam's storyline, this would be a lower rating for me. I didn't like the two girls; they seemed amoral and willing to be cruel to get what they wanted. And after the whole buildup of the story, the fallout was briefly dealt with in the epilogue.

However, this made slightly more sense when I read the author's note and realised that Sam's storyline was the whole point of the novel. I loved the friends he made at the con, who accepted him as he was and made an effort to make sure he knew it.

So it's good, but sadly not great for me.


Legs pushes the door open for both of us, and we step into the convention center. It feels more chaotic than last night, somehow, even though there probably aren’t as many people here yet as there were then. Legs and I both step to the side to take it in.

We’re in a wide hallway, wide enough that there are short faux-leather chairs clustered into seating areas along the right wall behind a row of enormous cream pillars, and there’s still plenty of room for the growing crowd of Legends of the Stone enthusiasts to walk through or mill about or stare up at the huge posters on the wall—including one big one of my brother. I don’t know how I missed seeing that last night. Ick. No one needs to see Cody’s face blown up as big as the sun.

The thing I didn’t realize about geek conventions before is that some of the stereotypes about geeks are actually true. I mean, not across the board, but amid the brilliant cosplay and geek chic, there are the clusters of guys in sweatpants and oversize shirts, with questionable hygiene. Part of me wants to yell at them for giving nerds a bad name, but another part of me wishes I could wear sweatpants and an oversize shirt and not care if people thought I looked sloppy.

Except, don’t actually be sloppy about the hygiene part, folks. Can we all agree right here right now that good hygiene is a vital cornerstone of the society we live in?

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Review: The Garden of Lost Secrets

The Garden of Lost Secrets by A M Howell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Clara is staying with her aunt and uncle while her father recovers from a gas attack during the Great War. She remembers them as kind figures, joking and laughing, but the two bleak, strained adults who take her in are almost strangers. They both work for an Earl and while Clara tries to make herself helpful in the grounds and their tiny cottage, she notices some things that don't quite add up...

This would be a fantastic additional novel for a class studying the First World War, as it deals with how things were going in Britain with most of the men away. It also talks about something I had never known; England's farmers were growing pineapples in hothouses! It's interesting to learn about the different types. The writing is so atmospheric it's like being there, in the damp warm hothouses and the damp, freezing coal cellars.

I want to mention the writing again, as it is amazing. Crows bustled in the sky like black handkerchiefs is just one example of this, keeping the lines perfectly readable but still very evocative.

I recommend this to anyone at all interested in the War or in a good mystery story.


I received a proof copy which did not affect my review in any way.


The windows rattled gently in the wind. A scuffle on the gravel outside.

"What was that?" whispered Will.

Another scuffle.

Clara's breath caught in her throat.

A scrabbling, sniffing noise just beyond the glass.

"An animal - a rat maybe," Will whispered. "On the hunt for some food." He brought his hands to his cheeks and twitched his fingers like whiskers.

Clara rolled her eyes, smiling. The weight of her secret felt a fraction lighter now that she had shared it. She focused on one of the pineapples, sitting proudly in its planting bed, the thin crown of leaves, the quilted fruit. Will was right. She should open the envelope. She would open the envelope. But once she did, she knew that things would be different. And sitting there, in the warmth, listening to the drip-drip-drip of condensation, a new friend by her side, she wasn't so sure she wanted things to change just yet.

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Review: Collision

Collision by Victor Dixen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Leonor and the other colonists have new difficulties to overcome in this final part of the trilogy. As personality conflicts among the team and policital troubles on Earth multiply, they have to use what little power they have to keep themselves alive and healthy.


First, the bad. The translation problems have continued into this one. Although the story is very readable, it's full of flowery phrases and people telling each other things they already know. For instance, the head of Eden foods is asked "Miss Delville, James has just woken from his nap, and hes calling for you. Shall I bring him to you, or are you too busy following the progress of Logan, the new Eden foods-sponsored candidate?" Again, the person being addressed is the head of Eden foods. She knows exactly who Logan is, as does the person addressing her. The only function of that line of dialogue is to tell us who Logan is, and since he never appears or is mentioned again after that line it's a little pointless.

However, apart from that, this is a good read, if a little draggy in spots. I didn't predict most of the twists and I was excited to know what would happen next. As another reviewer has said, it doesn't exactly tie everything up in a neat bow, but we know enough to guess how things will turn out.

I've enjoyed this trilogy immensely and I hope that more of Victor's books will be translated.

I received a copy of this book and chose to write an honest review.


"If you kill him out of selfishness, just to calm your anger, you'll also be killing the one thing we have left," I say, my voice hoarse, struggling to keep my emotion in check. "You'll shatter that one precious thing Marcus himself almost managed to destroy; us."

I catch my breath at that word; us.

I summon all my strength, all my being, to support me, and I repeat it in a voice that is suddenly much more certain.

"Us. Our cohesion. Our mutual trust. What has bound us to one another since the very beginning. What will maybe allow us to make it through this one day. We can't let Marcus's treachery divide us; just the opposite, we need to make it bind us even tighter together. If he has to die, it's up to the gorup to decide. And if the group decides he must, then I'll be the one to execute him. I swear it."

Alexei glances around, at the nine other pioneers frozen in front of Marcus; then, slowly, he puts his boot back down on the floor and moves a few steps away.

"We are going to judge Marcus," I say finally, a lump in my throut, without so much as a glance at the human wreck slumped on the floor. "That's the only way we can survive what he's done to us. But not right away. We need to concentrate on the storm now, and on the space elevator, and on the fact that we're about to go back on the air. We'll shut the accused in the seventh habitat, we'll return to the Garden and later we'll organise his trial."

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Review: The Good Thieves

The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A good old fashioned adventure set in New York City, with a disparate group of people brought together to right an awful wrong. Vita is a wonderful character, leading her troupe unfalteringly in defense of her beloved grandfather. It's an exciting read and will interest anyone who enjoys heists or found family stories.

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Review: Darkwood

Darkwood by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This title has been compared to Terry Pratchett a lot. It's not quite accurate; this is rather more manic and less subtle than Terry's work. But that's not a diss on Darkwood, which is a clever, funny story about prejudice and magic. The characters are mostly well drawn - poor Buttercup doesn't get much personality, being motherly and turning things into cake are her only two characteristics. But the others are well written, and with a clear sequel hook at the end Buttercup might gain some personality in the next one. I'll happily be there to read it, to see what happens next.


I received an ARC and chose to write an honest review.

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Review: The Hormone Diaries: The Bloody Truth About Our Periods

The Hormone Diaries: The Bloody Truth About Our Periods by Hannah Witton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

PERIODS. It's not a dirty word, and yet we're supposed to hide it away, pretend it doesn't happen, keep it quiet and away from anywhere other people might see it. Hannah Witton is on a crusade to change that, bringing these discussions back into the mainstream.

This is a great read, clear and concise without being overly graphic. I liked the letters from real women, showing the huge range of symptoms and problems women can suffer with.

If we want people to start taking 'women's problems' seriously, we need to get these discussions started, and this is a fantastic way to do it. Just brilliant.

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Review: The Paper & Hearts Society

The Paper & Hearts Society by Lucy Powrie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tabby is hoping that her new town will mean an end to her old problems. Hoping for some new friends, she joins a book club and is soon happily embroiled in their plans and schemes. The past she'd hoped to leave behind is not finished with her, though, and it threatens everything she's built for herself in this new life.

What a fantastic read. All the characters suffer with various forms of anxiety and none of them are made fun of or made to feel lesser; they're treated with care and respect by the other characters. Even during the inevitable fallout they mostly listen to each other. It's refreshing to see. This will be a great book for tweens to read, as it tackles some heavy topics, most notably social media bullying. I think this will do really well.


I received a proof copy of this book, which did not affect my review in any way.

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Review: Queen of Ruin

Queen of Ruin by Tracy Banghart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In Viridia, women are objects, not people. Beautiful, demure, obedient objects. Those who disobey are killed or sent to the island prison of Mount Ruin, forced to fight and kill for the guards' amusement. Serina has successfully led an uprising against them, but they are now trapped on the island, pinning all their hopes on the next supply ship. Serina's thoughts are with Nomi, though, left behind in the palace at the mercy of the cruel Superior. Together, these girls can destroy a country. If they can find their power.

This was a brilliant follow up to Grace and Fury. There was enough recapping for me to remember what happened in the last book, but not so much that it seemed out of place. Serina and Nomi continued to grow as characters, facing awful situations head on. The rest of the characters are distinct enough for it to really matter when they start fighting. The ending was clever and about the only way things could really have worked out. I'm glad the story wasn't dragged out longer; this felt like the right length.

I received an ARC of this title and chose to review it honestly.


Serina couldn’t mistake the naked misery in her sister’s voice. “He . . . he must care for you, to let you go.” Nomi’s face crumpled. Understanding dawned. “But you cared for Asa.”

Nomi’s voice hardened. “I thought I did. I trusted him, and he used me. He used my affection for him, my love for you, for his own ends. He killed his father and tried to kill his brother, and he shipped me off to prison . . . but before all of that he kissed me and told me he wanted me to be queen, and I believed him.”

Serina put her arms around Nomi, aching for her sister. She sat in silence, holding Nomi as she cried, just as she’d done when they were children. The moment was bittersweet; Serina hated that Nomi was hurting, but she was also grateful to be able to comfort her. Not long ago, she’d been certain she’d never get this chance again.

After a while, she murmured, “Asa will pay for what he’s done. I am certain.”

Nomi cleaned her face on the edge of her shirt. “I hope so.”

They curled into each other’s arms and listened to the surf and let the wind whip through their hair, and soon enough, dawn found them.

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New Titles

#murdermostunladylike by @redbreastedbird is celebrating ten years with this fabulous signed, hardback edition! It includes extra content for you to enjoy. Complete your collection today.

Review: Maresi Red Mantle

Maresi Red Mantle by Maria Turtschaninoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maresi has spent years closeted in the Red Abbey, learning all they could teach her, satiating her thirst for knowledge. Now she has decided it's time to return home and help her people with her new wisdom. Home is not as she remembers it, though, and she will have to find a way to fit in without betraying her true self. And always, on the edge of her perception, the Crone is waiting for her to open the door to Death once again.


I have to be honest and say that I enjoyed Maresi better than Naondel, but this third book is every bit as good as the first one, if a little slower to start. Maresi's struggles and triumphs had me gripped and I was excited to keep reading and see what would happen, even though I've never really enjoyed epistolary format. It worked well in this case, though. And the translation is fantastic, no awkward phrases or anything that pulled me out of the story.

A brilliant ending to a wonderful trilogy.



I sat wrapped up in my bloodsnail-red cloak and stared into the embers of the dying fire. My skin tingled and crawled. The ground was humming and trembling beneath the soles of my feet. The snake ring on my finger was freezing cold. Then the full moon rose over the valley and cast her white light over the silvery forest.

Suddenly a handful of stars detached and shot across the firmament, flying away like darting swallows. I held my breath. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, Venerable Mother. And there, under raining stars, I wept.

"The world is so cruel, most venerable Crone," I whispered. "And I am so small. There is so little I can do."

I had never spoken to her in this way before.
Maresi, the Crone replied. My daughter.

There was warmth in her voice, but there was also a caution. A thought struck me; if I truly am the daughter of the Crone, if I am hers, perhaps I am capable of more than I believe. Perhaps I am more than just myself.

The next day I took a fallen branch from our family's silverwood tree. I am keeping it and carving a staff. I need some support, for I have the feeling that a storm is coming.

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Review: Evie and the Animals

Evie and the Animals by Matt Haig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A sweet story about Evie, who has the power to talk to animals, and her battle both to be accepted and to fend off a villain with the same power. I was expecting an all out showdown between the two and was pleasantly surprised when the whole matter was decided by something Evie had done as a toddler years before. It's a good lesson without being too preachy; what you put out into the world comes back around to you. I hope Matt plans to write more in this series, as they're perfect for early readers.

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Review: The Chosen

The Chosen by Taran Matharu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cade is just trying to get through an unfair sentence in a reform school without finding too much trouble. He doesn't want anything to do with Finch, the school's bully, or any of the other boys. The choice is taken from him, though, when he finds himself on a strange, alien world, surrounded by peril at every turn. Forced to find allies anywhere he can, Cade finds himself a player in a game he doesn't understand, for stakes that are unimaginably high.


This reads just a little younger than Taran's first series, but it's every bit as exciting and nail biting. The characters are a little less well developed, but there's time in the rest of the books and I like what we've seen so far. This book covers the first 'round' of the game nicely, while still leaving plenty of hooks for the next title. I love the setting; Taran describes it really well and I'm eager to see more of it.

A fantastic start to what promises to be a great new series.

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Review: The Curious Dreamer’s Dream Essentials

The Curious Dreamer’s Dream Essentials by Nancy Wagaman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fascinating read. It's not exactly a dictionary, although it does include some of the most common symbols; it's more about the act of interpreting your dreams, giving tips and hints about your state of mind, rituals to help you remember and much more. I think once you've read it through once you'll probably be dipping in and out of it, but that's no harm and it's a very handy one to reference. I've started using it on my dreams! (No, I'm not telling you the meanings.) It includes suggested further reading if you're interested in the topic at all.

A great book for beginners or for dream aficionados.


I received a free copy and chose to write an honest review.

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Review: The Passengers

The Passengers by John Marrs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Self driving cars are now the rule, not the exception. Britain's roads are full of them. Traffic jams are a thing of the past, pollution is down, people are calmer...it's all good, right?

Apart from the eight people who have found themselves trapped in their car, unable to control the course, unable to communicate with anyone. They are unwilling victims of Hackers determined to prove that cars are not as safe as they're claimed to be. And the public will have to choose; which one will survive, and which ones will die? They're on a collision course, quite literally...


I've read one other John Marrs book, The OneThe One, which is referenced a couple of times in this one. They're both very effective thrillers with multiple POVs. John is very skilled at projecting technology a couple of decades into the future and imagining what it will be like - this one is set sometime after the 2020s, but if there's a more specific time than that I missed it. I wouldn't be surprised, I was reading very quickly trying to find out what would happen. He's very good at making you feel one way about a character, then revealing something that makes you feel another.

I'll be watching out for more John Marrs books in the future, I'd definitely enjoy visiting this world again.



Panic rose inside Shabana in the same way it did when she heard Vihaan slamming the front door after a night out. If he was drunk, he was angry. And if he was angry, he was going to release his aggression upon his wife by doing what he wanted to her while she laid still, eyes closed and fists balled, dreaming of a better life.
Other voices began to fill her car, more words and languages that she didn’t understand, along with haunting cries, shouting and people in distress. ‘What is happening ?’ she pleaded aloud. ‘I don’t like this, please, can you make the car stop? I would like to get out.’ She pushed a button on the door hoping it would open, but nothing happened.
She looked at the phone Reyansh had given her and pressed the green button, holding it to her ear. ‘Reyansh ?’ she asked. ‘Reyansh, son, can you hear me? Are you there? Please?’
But there was no reply. Shabana had a feeling the new life she dared to dream of was already slipping from her grasp.

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Book Professor

The Book Professor experience is getting more and more popular. It's the perfect gift for any child, especially if you want them to keep reading over the summer!

Book your child's session and they will sit down with our Book Professor over a drink and a treat to discuss exactly what kind of books they do and don't like, their hobbies and interests, and what they'd like to try. Armed with this knowledge, the Book Professor will suggest several titles for them. Your package includes a book token, so they can purchase right there and then, or take away the curated list and purchase later! It's a great experience.

https://shop.thebookcentre.ie/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BOOKPROFESSOR

Review: Paradise Girl

Paradise Girl by Phill Featherstone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kerryl finds herself alone on her farm, in her town, and possibly in the world, when a highly contagious disease sweeps out of Africa and infects the whole world. Unsure how to deal with her experiences, she writes everything down in her diary, addressing it to Adam, her imaginary friend. But as her predicament sinks in, she leans more and more heavily on Adam, until she's not sure anymore what's real and what isn't...

What a fascinating read! Most of the things I want to comment on would count as spoilers, so I'll only say that I really enjoyed this. Kerryl is an odd character; I felt bad for her, but I didn't really like her as a character. However it didn't stop me reading and wanting to know what would happen next, and if I get a chance I'll pick up the sequel/companion book, too.

Read this if you're interested in apocalypse, teen survival, or psychological thrillers with killer endings.


I received a free copy of this title and chose to leave an honest review.

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Review: Perfectly Preventable Deaths

Perfectly Preventable Deaths by Deirdre Sullivan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Madeline and Catlin find their new home, Ballyfrann, a bit...well...odd. It's full of Collinses for a start, one family grown out of all recognition. There's the bodies that keep turning up – birds, foxes – and the strange feeling of warmth in the middle of winter, and Mamó, their new stepfather's cousin, with her herbs and potions. And, of course, there's the missing girls; teenagers have gone missing in Ballyfrann for many years. But that won't happen to Madeline or Catlin, of course. They're perfectly safe...

An atmospheric, slightly terrifying read. The language is amazing, lyrical sentences that lull you into thinking nothing bad can possibly happen – usually immediately followed by something bad happening. The increasing fear as things start to go wrong will ensure you can't put this one down. Deirdre has captured perfectly the relationship between siblings, sometimes prickly, sometimes supportive, always there for each other. I'd love to meet Mamó for real, assuming I could get her to answer my questions!

A great, chilling read.


Receiving a proof did not affect my review in any way.



"What will your Galway boyfriend be called?" I ask.

"Something pure Galway like Peadar or Ultan," she says.

"Mine will be called Fenian," I tell her. "Or maybe Mountain. Mountain Boyfriend O'Galway."

"That's good," she says.

I tell her that I know. We make her bed and then we go into my room and make mine. I quite like making beds. When you're putting the duvet cover on you can pretend to be a ghost. Our rooms are almost identical, mirror images, only with different tapestries and views. Every room in Brian's castle has a view. It's a bit much, really. All that landscape.

"Ultan will be able to drive a tractor," Catlin says, as though this is an extremely desirable quality in a man.

Which it may well be. We're in the country. There are different rules.

"My one will have ROAD FRONTAGE," I tell her, "and feed abandoned baby lambs by the hearth. With his big Galway hands." I think I've won.

"Ah. Mountain sounds like a sweetheart," she says. "Ultan will have a shock of bright red curls."

"Mountain will have straw instead of hair. Like a thatched cottage."

"That is incredibly Galway of him," she says, and I can tell that she's impressed.

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New Titles

How amazing do these look together? Hurry and buy your copies before they're all gone!

Author Visit

Yesterday the wonderful Anna McPartlin came to visit our store and talk with some schoolchildren. I think she enjoyed it, and I learned that pepper spray is illegal in Ireland! So fun times all around.

Review: Meat Market

Meat Market by Juno Dawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jana is scouted by a modeling agency at Thorpe park. Surprised and suspicious at first, she's soon pulled into the fast paced world of high fashion, earning thousands just for walking while wearing clothes. Modeling is not a kind industry, though, and she soon finds herself caught up in the seedy side of things, alone and unprotected.

Juno Dawson has a way of cutting straight to the heart of things. Surprisingly, I found this easier to read than Clean, which was desperately distressing: this one is upsetting, but in smaller doses, so it was easier to keep going. I enjoyed it very much and felt great satissfaction at the end. I was also pleasently surprised when Jana's narration turned out to be entirely innocent; I'd been expecting a magazine exposé or a police interview, but it was much more benign than that.

A fantastic read, I really enjoyed it.




(Note that curses are not hidden in the novel.)

By the end of the shoot, I don't feel quite so ridiculous. No matter how mad I feel pretending to walk on the spot, at least I can see the pictures popping up on Ro's laptop and they do look pretty cool. 'You can't take a bad picture, babes,' Ro tells me. I guess that's why Tom is good at his job - he knows who's gonna look good in pictures, however weird they look in real life. 'I think we're good, Layla. We have so many choices.'

'Yeah? Wicked.' She comes over and gives me a big hug. 'You're a trooper, babe. I wanna shoot you again. I'm serious.'

'Really?'

'Abso-f***ing-lutely. You got it, babe.'

'Thank you.' I sense Arabella is waiting for the same feedback, but Layla doesn't seem to notice she's still here.

'You're a sweet kid. Hang on to that for as long as you can. Don't become a c**t, even if you can get away with it.'

Layla's assistant starts taking the backdrop down and it all wraps up in a flurry of air kisses. I mostly want the shoes off. As I change into my vest and jeans again, I can't help but feel a bit less special, like Clark Kent putting the tie and glasses back on.

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Review: Stepsister

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Ugly Stepsisters never get much limelight in most versions of Cinderella, other than to laugh at their misfortunes. Luckily for everyone, this is not a version of Cinderella, not really. This is about what happens afterwards, when Ella goes with the Prince and the Stepsisters are left at home with a mother they were never good enough for.

This is mostly Isabelle's story; as a child she was fearless, strong and fast, but not pretty. Never pretty. And in the world they grew up in, not pretty was almost a death sentence. When beautiful Ella came into their lives Isabelle allowed jealousy to poison her heart, but now, left alone and crippled, she realises what she's lost and longs to regain it.

This is a wonderful story of redemption and believing in oneself. Isabelle is a wonderful character, surrounded by a cast of other wonderful characters. The interaction between the Marquis and Tantine is one of the highlights of an amazing book.

I really enjoyed this book.


The magician pulled the actress close. She kissed her cheeks and wiped her tears away with a handkerchief. Then she balled the handkerchief up and pressed it between her palms. When she opened her hands again, it was gone and a butterfly was sitting in its place.
As the three women watched, the butterfly took wing, carried aloft by the breeze.
It flew past a little monkey playing with a rope of pearls. Past a violinist and a trumpeter, a cook, a scientist, and three ballerinas, all with scars of their own.
Past a man with amber eyes, raging at the falling dusk. Swearing at the treacherous roads. Building his teetering human tower taller and taller.
A smile, small but defiant, curved the magician's full red lips. "That's what we do with our pain," she said, watching the butterfly rise. "We make it into something beautiful."
"We make it into something meaningful," said the diva.
"We make it matter," whispered the actress.

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New Titles

The classic Milly Molly Mandy stories have been reissued by Macmillan Children's Books in these beautiful paperback editions. These are ideal for any child who is learning to read, as the easy language and simple stories will give them great confidence. (They'll also make you very hungry.)

Review: The Fandom Rising

The Fandom Rising by Anna Day
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Fandom was Anna Day's love letter to dystopian fiction and the fervour of the fans. The Fandom Rising is, rather more specifically, about fanfiction and the wars they can engender. Rising picks up a year after the end of Fandom. In the interim, Alice and Violet have published the official sequel to Gallows' Dance. However, Nate is still trapped in his coma and the girls have forgotten their adventures. Violet's been dreaming, though, and things are moving in the Gallows fandom. A new fanfic writer is turning everything on its head, and if the girls don't stop him they'll lose any chance of bringing Nate back...

I'm going to start with the only problem I had with this novel, and it's the same problem I have with almost all series; it's been more than a year since the first one was published, and there's no recap or memory jogger beyond a few bits of dialogue and exposition. I am honestly not too sure who a couple of the characters were and what the relationships were in the first novel. But almost all series have this, and I realise that putting in a recap at the start can affect the flow.

This is my only problem. Other than that, the story is brilliant. Shifting POVs mean that we're aware of what's happening on both sides of the divide, and a certain character reveal took me by surprise. Another I was expecting didn't materialise, which is good because it would have been upsetting. The settings were great and the action didn't stop at any point.

This sits beautifully as a duology, but I'll be watching out for whatever Anna does next. I'm sure it'll be great.



I need to contact this Fanboy and convince him to stop posting. And I'm Alice Childs, author of The Gallows Song. That must mean something. And if it doesn't, if he won't stop, well, I'll hunt him down and grind his bloody keyboard to dust with my Jimmy Choos.

I go straight to the Fandalism site on my phone. The barbed wire motif suddenly seems all the more jagged, all the more dangerous. I scroll with urgent fingers. There isn't a contact page. I do a bit more snooping, but he isn't on social media or the internet more generally. The guy's a cyber ghost. How on earth did he get so popular?

This complicates things.

Deep breaths. New plan.

I need someone to help me. I'm hopeless with computers. Which sounds daft coming from a girl who spends most of her spare time glued to one. But that's different, that's writing. I know diddly about how to track down another user.

What I need is an IT nerd.

I open Facebook and follow a friends of friends trail until I find the perfect geek. A nerd who I really owe a drink and who, historically, owes me a favour.

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Review: A Wolf Called Wander

A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Based on the travels of a real life wolf, this wonderful book tells the story of a year old wolf who is forced to leave his home ground when another pack attacks his. In the aftermath of the attack, he struggles to find any of his pack or a place where they can be safe, always desperately missing his home ground.

This is a beautifully illustrated book, full of real life details about wolves in general and Wander in particular. His loneliness for parts of the book is stark and heartrending, and the intricacies of wolf culture are fascinating. One part near the end, when Wander is thinking about one of his brothers, had me in tears.

I want to mention the illustrations again, because without them this would be a whole other book. Still good, still sad and happy and heart rending, but emptier. The illustrations add so much to the story and the whole package is just perfect together.

An amazing book for nine and up.



My raven will be hungry. We have not eaten in days. I call her and open the hide. Good things spill out in a warm steamy pile. I take a few bites and call for my raven again. She led me to water all the way across the dry flats. I will be glad of her company over the meat. It feels wrong to eat alone.

My raven doesn't come.

I call her again.

A whole pack of ravens rise up from the grass with a great rattling call. They come to me. They swarm around the meat. I am happy to share. I take the parts that are a wolf's due and settle in to chewing as the ravens pick over their bits of meat.

I search for mine among them but they look all alike. I call to her but none of them look up. I sniff the air but ravens all smell the same to me. My raven had a bald patch on her chest much like the white line on my shoulder. I look for it, and when I find her, I yip a greeting.

She carries on eating and squabbling with her pack as if I'm not there. As if kinship between a wolf and a raven is impossible. As if all the days we have traveled together mean nothing at all. When the shadows grow long and the air cools, every one of the ravens takes to the sky without a backwards look. They roost together on the other side of the water, far away from me. My raven has her pack now.

I have eaten my fill. There is more water than I can drink and yet I have never felt so empty. I know; I have always known, that the raven could never be a pack mate to me. No mere bird could take the place of Pounce or Wag, certainly not Warm. And yet we have taken a journey together. We have shared meat. She was my guide and companion. The soft talk of doves and the cheerful trills of the wren do not comfort me. The clouds turn golden, orange and pink against a sky of deeper and deeper blue. Even this beauty cannot lift me.

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Review: The Hand, the Eye and the Heart

The Hand, the Eye and the Heart by Zoë Marriott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Zoe Marriott returns to low fantasy in this loose retelling of Mulan. No quipping dragons or cheerful training montages here, this is a gritty, serious look at a war with constantly shifting alliances. Set in the same world as Shadows on the Moon and Barefoot on the Wind, in an unspecified time that may be before, after or during either, neither or both of those titles, this expands Zoe's world beautifully.

This book touches on themes of bisexuality and transgenderism, but with a very light hand, never sounding preachy or forced. There was a twist I didn't see coming but very much enjoyed - it's unusual for a twist to surprise me like that one, so well done! - and the characters were intriguing and well thought out. I hope Zoe returns to this world, but if she doesn't, this was an excellent swan song.

I made an effort to put my own worries and misgivings aside as we headed to the barracks together. But even as I chatted companionably to him and went through the motions of settling into the camp, a sense of foreboding descended over me. I had succeeded in convincing my family to let me come here and succeeded in convincing the camp officials to accept me into the ranks of the army. At home, when I planned this, those had seen the biggest obstacles.
But this morning the enemy had been close to killing me without coming anywhere near me. I had made my first and only friend and then almost lost them again, because of who my father was. And nearly incurred the wrath of the first senior official I spoke to without even trying.
With a sensation like falling, I realized that, despite all my preparations to come here, I wasn't prepared for this. I hadn't been prepared for anything that happened today. I wasn't prepared for tomorrow, or the next day, or the one after that. I had no idea what challenges were ahead.

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GoGoGo for GoGoPo!

Our newly bestickered GoGoPo stand is ready to GoGoGo! (I know. I'm ashamed of the pun.) GoGoPo is a range of very cool stationery at a great price; €2.50 each, or 3 pieces for €6. Get the kids ready for back to school without breaking the bank.

Review: A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Griz's family live on an island in the Outer Hebrides, about a century after most humans have become infertile. They survive by fishing, farming and scavenging what they can from other islands and the mainland. Griz has never seen more than a handful of people.

But then a trader arrives, charms the whole family - and steals one of their dogs on the way out. Griz isn't going to stand for that. Dogs are family, after all. But the long journey over the mainland will turn the whole world upside down.


In one of those strange coincidences that often show up in publishing, this is the second book I've read recently featuring apocalypse by infertility. The Quiet at the End of the World is a quieter meditation on what being human means; this is much more action packed and covers a wider area, allowing us to see the effects a lack of humanity would have on the world more clearly. I loved the little comments here and there from Griz, wondering whether we found things strange and exciting or were just used to them - things like cars and music players.

None of the other characters really stood out for me, but they weren't the point of the book anyway. There was an excellent twist near the end, one that really took me by surprise. However, I didn't like the formatting; speech isn't marked out at all, no quotation marks or even dashes, and sometimes one character's dialogue runs straight on from another's so I had to go back and reread a couple of times to untangle it. It took me right out of the story every time; I've marked the book down a star for it. Luckily, Griz is alone for huge swathes of the story, so I was able to ignore it.

This story will stay with me for a long time.

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


This isn't the best representation of the writing, but it's the section that has stayed with me the most.
It didn't make sense. He'd stolen her. But she wasn't on the boat. And she wasn't here. She'd have barked if she smelled me. I wondered if they'd done something terrible to her. Or had she jumped overboard and tried to swim home and drowned? Had I been so set on following the distant red sails all day that I'd missed a small and loyal dog's head in the waves as I passed it? Had she barked in relief as I got closer to her and then watched the Sweethope sail past, leaving her alone and bewildered on the wave waste as the cold took her?
All of those thoughts kept repeating in my head, images that got worse and more detailed every time they came around. And the more I tried not to think of her last moments, the closer I seemed to get to them. I could easily have missed a dog's barking in the sound of the wind. Jip could have missed her scent. As my head whirled round and round on it, I became more and more convinced. We had betrayed her. But me most of all.
It hurt like losing Joy all those years ago, worse really because that lose had not been my fault, and by the time Brand came back after what felt like an hour or more I had persuaded myself that she was dead and had died in the terrible way I had imagined.

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Review: William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Mean Girls

William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Mean Girls by Ian Doescher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fantastically funny read. I didn't really like the William Shakespeare Star Wars books, I couldn't get into them, but here the style seemed to fit perfectly. My only regret is that I couldn't source the movie itself to watch; I think a readalong would have been amazing. Ah well, next time it's on!


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

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Review: The Princess and the Fangirl

The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow, the need for fandom knowledge is strong with this one! I know that that's the whole point of this series, but I worry that it will turn away casual readers who may not be too sure what a kamahameha is. However, it shouldn't, as this is a sweet retelling of The Prince and the Pauper dressed up in cosplay. I loved the little references ... the ones I got, anyway, I'm sure I missed some ... and it was nice to return to the world of Starfield. (It did irritate me a little that absolutely everyone curses in Starfield's vernacular. How about a frack or a shazbot thrown in there for variety?)

A brilliant read I will definitely be recommending, and I hope there's plenty more to come in this series.


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


I am the best parts of her, and part of the Amaras I pass in the crowd - the gender-bent one across the aisle, the ten-year-old one with glitter in her hair, the Black Nebula Federation Princess Amara come back from the grave. I'm a part of every Amara at the con, every Amara on the screen - just as the first Amara is a part of me.
And we don't die quietly.
There are stories that you tell and stories that tell things to you; stories that win awards and stories that win hearts. Sometimes the stories you want aren't the stories you need, and the ones you need are the ones you never thought you'd like.
Perhaps this is one of those stories.

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Review: The Boy Who Steals Houses

The Boy Who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sam has been let down by every adult in his life. None of them know, or are willing to learn, how to deal with Avery, Sam's autistic older brother. So Sam keeps them safe. He survives by breaking into empty houses when the owners are away. One day, sick with flu, he misjudges and finds himself in the middle of a large, rowdy family. Everyone assumes he's someone else's friend, and for a little while he feels safe and warm, as though this life - this crazy, chaotic life - can really be his.

Until his past catches up with him in the worst way possible.


I thought I was ready for this. I've read - wait, not read. What's the word? - destroyed. I've been destroyed by A Thousand Perfect Notes a few times now, so I thought I was ready to read this one. But nope. This book is heartbreaking in all the best ways. Poor Sam has everything taken from him again and again and again. Yes, he makes some stupid decisions, but he's fifteen and trying to protect a brother who, though no fault of his own, doesn't make it easy.

The characters are brilliant, the setting is fantastic, and I would love to meet these characters again. Perhaps with a cameo from the famous composer Beck? :D

A fantastic read.


Sammy nudges Avery with his elbow. 'Together?'

'You,' Avery whispers, 'and me. We.'

They burst across the roof in a howling run and spring off the edge, their mouths full of the moon and eyes full of stars.

Aunt Karen hollers at them.

They hit the trampoline and bounce high and the poor abused mat gives a wailling r-iiiiii-p

and they go straight through and hit the grass.

Idiots.

They smack together as they tumble through the split. Lightning sheets of agony jolt up Sammy's legs and he rolls, grabbing Avery's head before it slams into the ground. They tangle for a second in the uncut lawn. Chests heave. The trampoline waves torn threads in apology.

'Anything broken?' Sammy says. 'Because we kind of have to run right now.'

Avery moans and touches his cheek where he collided with Sammy's head. 'Your stupid skull broke me.'

'But worth it?'

Avery's lips are a fractured smile.

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Review: We Set the Dark on Fire

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great read, a very clever imagining of a deeply divided culture. Dani is a great character, a girl doing her best to survive in a world almost designed to make sure she can't.

I do wish Mateo hadn't been so pantomime-villian evil - think what a great story it would have been if she hadn't been sure which side he was on! - but I enjoyed it very much and will look out for more in the series.


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


It took Dani a moment to turn to stone this time. A hundred shades of a girl, he'd called her, and though she hadn't appreciated the delivery, he'd been right. Dani slid into her lies like second skins. It was part of survival. She had no doubt she could do what he was asking her to do. The only question was, what would she be setting into motion when she did?

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Review: We are Blood and Thunder

We are Blood and Thunder by Kesia Lupo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lena has grown up as a cryptling in Duke's Forest, tending to the revered dead and forbidden from venturing above ground. A pestilence has been attacking the town for several years, and the people fear magic. When a body Lena is tending moves, the brutish Justice has her flung from the city to be hunted down by his dogs.

As Lena is desperately trying to escape, Constance is trying to get in. Having fled the city years before, she's now returning, determined to find the source of the spell that holds Duke's Forest in its grip. Although they don't know it, these two women and their strange connection hold the future of Duke's Forest in their hands.


This is a good, but not great, story. I enjoyed it, but I feel like a lot of Lena's storyline was basically just passing time until Constance caught up. However, I didn't think that while I was reading, only when I got to the end and looked back. There was a twist that looked like it was going one way but then went the complete opposite way, which I appreciated. I'm not sure if this is a series; I thought my copy said 'trilogy' but when I looked again it didn't, but I'd gladly read more titles set in this world. It's an intriguing place and we've only just scratched the surface of it.

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

'He is not like us, Lena. He could never understand.'
'What?'
'We are not like other people,' Constance said softly, her glowing cane hovering over Lena's heart, ready to continue her work. 'Other people are flesh and bone and sinew, and they wander through life like cattle or sheep, aimless and happy. But we are different.' She smiled a hidden smile. 'We are blood and thunder.'

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Review: Music and Malice in Hurricane Town

Music and Malice in Hurricane Town by Alex Bell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

(Apologies in advance if I use any pejorative terms, please correct me and I will alter.)

Baton Noir is a city of magic, gods and spirits known as legba. Sadly, not all the magic is good or kind. Jude finds herself caught up in vengeance from beyond the grave when a cajou queen locks on to her, determined to see her plans carried out even after death. Unraveling it will take luck, strange allies - and maybe a little magic.


Alex Bell is the queen of horror stories. This is less bone chilling than Frozen Charlotte, more creepy than downright terrifying, but it's a fascinating world and Alex has clearly done her homework on Southern magic. There's a level of detail here that really creeped me out. I'm looking forward to reading more in this universe; there's a lot to unpick.

The romance story didn't do much for me, although I liked the male character in all other respects; I just thought the romance part was kind of tacked on. That's entirely like me when it comes to romance, though. I liked the characters, and a twist near the end took me by surprise, which I always love.

I'll be looking out for more in this series, I'm very eager to find out what happens next.


An hour or so after she'd laid down, she realised Beau was on the bed with her, curling his large body round her in a way that was strangely comforting.
"How did he get here?" Jude asked. "And how did he appear before, in the Ghost Station?"
He can sense where I am, and so where you are, Ivory said. He's never far away. And he can use the spirit world to travel around. It seems like he's taken a bit of a shine to you. In fact, he's been more affectionate to you than he was with me in recent years. She sighed. I suppose he never quite forgave me for killing Betty.
"But...then why didn't he appear at the Blue Lady?" Jude asked. "When you were murdered?"
The cajou queen was silent for a moment. Then, she said, (sic)"I'm not sure. Perhaps...perhaps he sensed that he wouldn't be able to do anything against a magical attack? It hardly matters now."
The snake tucked his flat head into the groove of Jude's shoulder and she felt the same glow of warmth as before, her fear lessened and so did the piercing pain in her finger. She ran her fingers slowly down the snake's smooth skin. With him there she suddenly felt safer and the thought of bats no longer troubled her.
"Thank you, Beau," she said.
The warmth from the snake glowed a little brighter and, soon afterwards, Jude fell asleep.

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Review: The Last 8

The Last 8 by Laura Pohl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Action packed and full of twists, this is an alien invasion story with a difference. No plucky bands of fighters finding that one weakness and saving the world; the only people left here are teenagers. I'll admit to some confusion about their ages; they're all described as high teens, but most of them should have been born less than fifteen years prior to the story for certain other elements to work. It's not a huge issue but it did take me out of the story a little.

I saw a couple of twists coming, but not the rest of them. The information says this is the first of a series and I'll be looking forward to reading more adventures with this group. I think it could be a great one.

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


I'm taken aback by his question, because it's not like Brooklyn's or the others'. He really wants to know.
"Raised by my grandparents. I've only seen my mom in pictures."
"That must suck."
"Not so much. It's not like I can miss her." You can't miss something you never had.
He looks at me. "Do you ever wonder if...?"
I know where his thought are going. I've wondered this myself a couple of times in the last six months. If my mother were alive, would I recognize her? I don't even know if she was alive before the aliens landed. She came home one day with a baby in her arms and left during the night. No one ever heard from her again.
"It doesn't matter. She's not really my mother, you know? If she's out there, she's only a stranger." I pause. I don't pity myself. I don't pity my mother either. "And if she'd dead, I mourn for her like I mourn for the rest of humanity."
"And how's that?"
"A little. And sometimes not at all."
He nods, turning his gaze back to the horizon. And we just let ourselves stay there in silence, until we are engulfed in darkness.

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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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