A teenage girl named Lotta finding out her way of life on an island isn’t what she has been taught. Folktales and suspicion are key factors.

Plot summary of Song of the Saltings (No Spoilers)

A 16 year old girl helps a teenage boy save his horse from the bogs that spread across their island. They clash at first, as he is one of the exiled people from their village. His family hid him as a child from the annual village lottery, which choses a child to sacrifice for the good of the village.

The ruling Council believes that a child must be given to the mythical creature below the island called the Glimm. This ensures the coming year’s crops will thrive and all manner of good will fall upon the village.

The girl herself is an anomaly, as she was chosen by the lottery years before, to be payment to the Glimm. But for the first time ever, the creature took her horse instead. She is part feared and part revered by the villages, but besides the stable work she does for a Councilor, the villages are wary of her.

She knows she is different. She hears and feels the Glimm below the island and is somehow connected to it. It pulls haunting song from her, and somehow she is connected to the weather elements too. This knowledge, and advice from village elders, send her on a trek to find the truth about the Glimm, the island’s past, and herself.

The answers she seeks shocks her to her core, and the result is part horror, part wonder, and found love.

My thoughts

Wow! This YA novel had me captured from the first few sentences to the very last, as I turned the pages faster and faster. The pacing of the story is excellent, building the setting, characters gradually (but not slowly), giving me all the understanding I needed to fully appreciate what it was like living on an island of contrasts.

There were the rich, their followers, and the exiled, banished for the crime of hiding their children from harm. The characters are lush and credible, with convincing motivations, and actions, tugging on my own emotions while reading.

The bleak, remote, island setting is eerie at times, especially around the bogs and moors at night where the villagers fear to tread.

Tension builds throughout the novel, as hearts are broken, others found, truths are revealed, and choices made.

Song of the Saltings is beautifully written by NZ’s own multi-award winning author, reviewer and past literary festival director, Rachael King.

My favourite YA read of 2026.

Main Characters

Lotta Salter – Aged 16 and works hard in the Manor stables of Councilor Lewis – one of the important men of her island home of Brack. She has a natural affinity with horses, and is head groom. She lives above the stables and has had the apprenticeship for three years.

Besides her friend Daphne (daughter of the Manor), she’s not close to anyone. Lotta fell out with her parents after they meekly did the Council bidding when she was chosen as the Glimm sacrifice. Everyone else was wary of her, after the Glimm let her live. Lotta is brave, detests cruel treatment of person or animal, and will stand against it when she can. Her connection with the Glimm is growing, but she doesn’t fear it.

Moss Smith – is labelled a hideling by the villagers. This is spoken as an insult, no matter how many times he tells people he didn’t ask to be hidden by his parents. This was done to prevent him being entered into the annual sacrifice lottery, but it has done much more harm than good.

Their life of exile is now one of poverty and hardship. His eyesight has also been affected, and he avoids bright clear days, preferring to be out at night.

Marten Salter – 18 years old and works with the gardener for the same Councilor as Lotta. He is in love with the Councilor’s son Roderick, and they grab whatever time they can together, often in the stables while Lotta and Daphne are on watch. His love for Roddy soon becomes a broken heart, which sends him to drink and trouble.

Writing Style

Prologue / 42 Chapters in 2 parts / Epilogue

The story follows Lotta and Moss’ points of view, blending along the way.

FAQs

What age is it for?

12+

Where & When is it set?

A fictional remote island named Brack in the Scottish Isles  “…in an alternative history or possible future.”

What is the Point of View / Tense of the novel?

Third person / Present tense

Is there Violence?

Yes

What genre is Song of the Saltings?

Historical / Folk Horror / Young Adult

Is there any sex in the novel?

No

Themes

Truth, Mythical Creatures, Sacrifice, Control, Courage, 1st Love, Community

Is it part of a series?

No

Find a junior series by Rachael King here

Find an award winning middle-grade novel by this author here

Author

Rachael King

Publisher

Allen & Unwin

(2026, Allen & Unwin NZ, Aotearoa New Zealand, Multi Award Winning Author, Suspicion, Folktales, Family, First Love, LGBTQ+, Folk Horror, Sacrifice, Horses, Mythical Creature, Serpent, Connection, Control, Truth, Lies, Historical, action, Betrayal, Love, Secrets)

The post Book Review – Song of the Saltings appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

But now Elodie sees her big sister as an irresponsible thief, putting all in Arkspire in danger. Elodie is training to better herself at an academy to become an Arcanist.

An Arcanist is an all powerful leader of Arkspire. There are always five, but they don’t last forever, training future Arcanists to take their places. Juniper doesn’t believe Elodie will ever be chosen. After all, they are from the Dregs, which is the worst part of town. Still, Elodie wants to help her family out of their abject poverty.

Juniper is too practical to wait for someone else to help them. She is an established thief and pickpocket and is always looking for a deal to make some money. The best things to steal or source are items from a long ago war between the Arcanists and people called the Betrayers. Finding any of these items brings top dollar, and a much quicker way to put food on the table in Juniper’s eyes.

But Juniper finds something she shouldn’t. It only looks like a sliver of mirror, but she is sure she can see something happening in it, that isn’t happening in real life. Before she knows it, she has released something wild and vicious into their world – the very thing they are warned not to do since birth.

The Arcanists aren’t happy, and Juniper knows they mean business. It’s not in her nature to admit wrong or accept defeat. Suddenly she is on the con of her life. With the help of an apothecary, a loyal friend and the strange creature she released, she not only holds the Arcanists threats off, she takes on their challenges.

As she tries to help the creature, save herself and the people of the Dregs, she learns the truth behind the beings leading their whole city. Is her entire past a lie?

The world building of Arkspire is so rich and real, and the characters so vibrant and alive, this is a gripping read. The back story of the city of Arkspire is also rich, but more and more riveting as its true history is revealed.

Arkspire is a city of back alleys, cobbled streets, towers and terrible things, along with the grandeur of the leaders who are called Arcanists. Their power and magic is revered throughout the city, but at what cost? Main character Juniper is a feisty, brave, scrappy 13 year old, and practically fearless. She holds her family dear, even if she is estranged from her do-good twin sister. The more Juniper learns about the city and its leaders, the more tension builds as she worries for her sister’s future.

Skeletons, shadows, secrets and a sister’s love. Creepy crypts and completing a challenge. Lies, possession, magical mirrors and misuse of power.

Looking forward to the next book in this series.

Author – Jamie Littler

Age – 10+

Find a review for the next book in this series here

(2023, Penguin Group, Magical Land, Fantasy, Action, Betrayal, Courage, Friendship, Magic, Family, Secret, Series, Poverty, Horror, Skeletons, Tower, Shadowy Creature, Loyalty, Rich vs Poor, Lies, Sisters, Sibling Rivalry, Apothecary)

The post Arkspire appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

But the Arcanists themselves are still suspicious and are preparing more challenges for Juniper to prove herself. Juniper’s bond with Cinder is growing more and more as she harnesses his powers for her new goal. Now they know the terrible secret behind the Arcanists, she is keen to not only rid her city of Arkspire of them, but save her twin sister Elodie from them as well.

She has seen what has happened to a friend named Nix after she connected with the Arcanists, and can’t imagine the same happening to Elodie too.

Juni’s best friend Thea doesn’t share Juniper’s endless optimism however, and neither does Everard – a boy from the Arcanist Academy itself who has also seen undeniable proof of Arcanist treachery. They believe Juni is unprepared and too cocky for her own good. There are more trials to overcome and Juni is letting Cinder’s powers go to her head.

When they are proved right, and a trial goes terribly wrong, Juni begins to doubt Cinder’s motives. She can feel what he feels and it is increasingly violent and angry. His memories are returning and Juni can see snapshots of them in her own head through their bond.

They begin to clash themselves and Juniper swings from trusting him, to trusting her friends and Elodie and back again. Is what they are saying about Cinder really true?

Wow! There are so many tween novels with magical settings, but the world of Arkspire still remains one of my very favourite series. Not only did Jamie Littler build and share this world, he illustrated it as well! The illustrations add even more to this terrific tale, providing not only eye catching covers but also engaging pictures throughout.

The first novel introduced the richly portrayed world of Arkspire, and this second novel has delved further into Cinder’s past and Juniper’s too. Memories of Juni and Elodie’s Mama drop into Juni’s story to fight the rulers of Arkspire, revealing guilt buried deep within her.

She remembers her close relationship with her twin and despite acting and saying otherwise, will do anything to have that back. Juni’s confidence takes a big hit in The Order of the Misfits as she realises she may have made the biggest mistake of her life.

Delving further into her psyche and past builds an even deeper understanding of this feisty, brave, and flawed character – making me love her even more.

The ending left me wanting the next book immediately – what will happen next? To Cinder, to Elodie, to Juni and Arkspire itself!

Absolutely loved it!

Author / Illustrator  – Jamie Littler

Age – 8+

Read a review of the first book in the series – Arkspire – here

Look inside and read an excerpt of Arkspire – The Order of the Misfits here

(2024, Penguin Books,  Magical Land, Fantasy, Action, Betrayal, Courage, Friendship, Magic, Family, Secret, Series, Poverty, Horror, Shadowy Creature, Loyalty, Rich vs Poor, Lies, Sisters, Twins, Sibling Rivalry, Apothecary, True History of Arkspire, Power, Truth, Deals)

The post Arkspire (2) The Order of Misfits appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

Far from her family, Juni has fled Arkspire after her battle with the Arcanist Enigma. She’s been in the harsh Badlands outside Arkspire, trying to survive on food scraps left by relic hunter gangs, and avoiding the mutant monsters who burst from the sand in attack.

Full of guilt about betraying her best friend Thea, landing her Papa and Thea’s Grangran in jail, and putting a price on her sister Elodie’s head along with her own, Juni is also reeling at the death of a beloved family member.

The last thing Juni expects to see is Thea arrive in the Badlands as a member of the Tungsten crew. They are the very worst of the Arkspire gangs, and she realises what leaving Thea behind has done.

Suddenly she’s back in the city of her birth, but with Wanted Posters layered on every street showing her and her twin Elodie’s faces, she must keep to the shadows.

She has been given a second chance with Thea, and must face up to her own behaviour to those around her, and work hard on rebuilding relationships.

The desire to beat the Arcanists and save her sister from them, still burns deep, but this time she knows she must listen to others and work together with friends, old and new.

The final showdown involves careful planning and an immense risk to all of their lives. Who will prevail? Juni, Thea, Evenden and Cinder, or Elodie, the Enigma and the Watcher?

This trilogy is one of my favourites for readers 10+

The world building is superb and stands out amongst middle grade/tween reads. The scrappy, fiery characters of Juniper Bell and her Order of Misfits are easy to cheer for as they battle the rich and powerful in the city of Arkspire.

Revenge of the Misfits has a jaw-dropping twist I never saw coming , which also knocks Juni for a six as it changes everything she’s ever known growing up in The Dregs.

The power of friendship, love and belief in others is mighty in this finale and no-one knows if Cinder will help The Misfits or annihilate them, right up to the crux of the action.

An outstanding series for this age group.

Author / Illustrator – Jamie Littler

Age – 10+

See the 1st two books in the series here:

((2025, Penguin Group, Magical Land, Fantasy, Action, Betrayal, Courage, Friendship, Magic, Family, Secret, Series, Poverty, Horror, Arcanists, Badlands, Shadowy Creature, Loyalty, Relic Hunter Gang, Lies, Sisters, Twins, Sibling Rivalry, Trust, Belief in yourself, Revenge)

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What she has brought throughout her life from that time is her skill at drawing and now, painting. Now back in a rebuilt Highmoor and living with her eldest sister Camille (the Duchess of the Salaan islands) Verity spends her time looking after her nieces and nephews. The older she gets the more she yearns for a life her elder sisters have had. Balls and parties, meeting people and finally beaus and suitors and hopefully marriage.

But Camille seems to be set on keeping her youngest sister at Highmoor, making excuses every year for not attending the events that would introduce Verity to Society.

There is a reason, and Camille is finally forced into admitting it. Verity is shocked and can scarcely believe it, and when an opportunity to finally leave arises, she flees her family home.

She has been offered a place in the home of Duchess Bloem, while she paints the Duchess’ son’s portrait. His father the Duke of Bloem is an accomplished botanist, producing flowers unique to the world, and in Bloem, flowers and plants rule as much as the sea and salt rule in Verity’s world.

The son (Alexander) is charming, handsome and thoughtful, and Verity warms to him quickly. Spending time with him helps push aside her worries about what Camille must think after she ran away. The Duchess is incredibly generous with her time and wealth, and Verity begins to love her time in their grand home.

The only thing Verity struggles with is her broken sleep almost every night. Peacocks are said to roam the grounds, and their screams constantly pull Verity from her dreams. Soon, the very thing she fled from shows itself at her new surroundings. Was her sister Camille right? Is she going mad?

The preliminary sketches of the portrait are going well, and she’s enjoying Alexander’s easy ways immensely. In fact she believes he might have feelings for her. But the deeper their romance develops, the more eerie Alexander’s home becomes. There’s something not right at the Bloem estate. In fact, there might be something truly terrible behind the facade of flowers and fragrances…

A gripping sequel to House of Salt and Sorrows!

Although a key character in House of Salt and Sorrows, Verity was only 5 years old. Now she is 17 and in charge of her own destiny – whether her sisters like it or not. It does take some time to get into the thick of things in House of Roots and Ruin, but the world building behind this new way of life away from the sea is an enjoyable journey.

It is a rich world of flowers, fragrances, herbs, gods, customs, practices and foods that Verity must learn while she stays with her employer, to complete a portrait of their son. It certainly helps that he’s handsome, kind and funny, and Verity feels she may have found what she’s been yearning for for years.

The gradual getting to know this family sets up the shocking reveals that are to come for Verity and the reader, and the fallout becomes more gruesome the deeper and further you read.

Learning of a third book in the Sisters of the Salt series (2027?) is incredibly exciting! Can’t wait!

Author – Erin A Craig

Age – 15+

Not read the first book yet? Find a review here

Find more retellings tales here

Publisher – Bloomsbury

Set – Highmoor Estate on Fictional Selkirk Island

Viewpoint – 3rd person

Violence – Yes

Sex – No

Real Life – Historical

Fantasy – Fantasy

Blend – Fantasy / Romance / Fairytale Retelling sequel

(2023, Bloomsbury, Series, Fantasy, Love, Romance, Historical, Sibling Rivalry, Revenge, Murder, Ghost, Family, Betrayal, Flowers, Experiments, Secrets, Reveals, Mistresses)

The post House of Roots and Ruin – Sisters of the Salt (2) appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

Yasmin has the perfect boyfriend, the perfect grades and a perfect future planned. When Ruby has ever beaten Yasmin in anything, as soon as Ruby gets any attention, Yasmin has a fainting spell, drawing the attention back to herself once again.

After years of this treatment, Ruby tries to pretend that it doesn’t bother her anymore, but deep down it still hurts.

This read for dyslexic or reluctant readers tips expectations on their heads as a cousin shares her feelings about how small she feels around her more glamourous, clever, and driven cousin named Yasmin.

As I read of Ruby’s plight, believing more and more that her woes were real and her cousin really was all the terrible things she believed, I was then given Yasmin’s point of view.

Boy, was I wrong.

There is always two sides or even multiple sides to a story, the more people who are involved. Nobody really knows everything another is thinking, no matter how close.

Because of misconceptions between two cousins from childhood, communication had completely broken down, which in turn hid some terrible truths.

Intriguing read.

Author – Karen McCombie

Illustrator – Sofia Miller Salazar

Dyslexic Read

Interest age 11+ / Reading Age 7+

Find more Dyslexic reads here

Publisher – Barrington Stoke / Collins

Set – Present London

Viewpoint – Dual perspective

Violence – No

Sex – No

Real Life – Yes

Fantasy – No

Blend – Real Life / Family / Misconceptions

(2025, Barrington Stoke, Collins, Family, Cousins, Rivalry, Misconception, Miscommunications, Boyfriend, Swimming, Dyslexic Read, Dyslexia, Reluctant Reader, Truth, Control, Making choices, Betrayal, Growing up, Real Life)

The post My Perfect Cousin appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

They have found one called the Clawstone which they had to defeat a possessed turtle for, but still need the Fangstone, the Dreamstone and the Songstone.

They’ve learnt of a wise librarian who has knowledge of the Fangstone, but first they must fight off giant silverfish to meet him. With his advice they set off again and with the help of their Bear Eagle friend Earna, they find themselves on a very windy and rocky landscape, surrounded by sharp boulders like teeth.

A local discovers them and offers them help, which may not be the best idea after all. They don’t have a lot of choice as they descend into the underground caverns that are said to hold the Fangstone.

It’s not all they find deep below ground. Monsters, betrayal and a gut wrenching choice must be made. But Titch knows it’s all part of the new legacy of Bravepaw.

This series just gets better and better! Monsters, menace and mayhem are all in the mix as Titch learns more everyday about being a hero.

Most of that is being scared but stepping up to her fears, believing in herself and doing what she has to do, anyway.

A comforting pat of her fluffy friend Dollop always helps, and the support of her bestie Huckleberry at her side.

One of the scariest things of this episode is the real possibility of losing Huckleberry’s friendship.

Author – L M Wilkinson

Illustrator – Lavanya Naidu

Age – 7+

(2026, Albert St Books, Allen & Unwin, Action, Adventure, Courage, Series, Friendship, Fantasy, Humour, Magic, Betrayal, Mice, Mouse, Market, Monster, Subterranean, Underground)

The post Bravepaw (3) and the Fangstone of Flintfall appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

Evelyn has lived multiple lives across the centuries. She has experienced first hand the 1472 ottoman Empire, the Western Front trenches, and the time of the Witch Trials.

In 1290 she travelled across the Sahara in a camel caravan that trades across the sands, lived in Athens in its historical prime, and been an inmate at a horrific insane asylum. She was incarcerated for speaking the truth of her existence. She and her beloved named Arden are doomed to the fate of living their lives over and over and over – reborn near each other, to enable Arden to find her and kill her before she turns 18.

They are born in both girl and boy existences, sometimes at the same time, drawn to each other regardless of time or gender. Evelyn wants to know why Arden does what he does. She yearns to live her life to the full, to age, have a big family and wrinkle and love them all, even as she loves desperately the one who kills her again and again.

This fate was struck at the beginning of time, and Arden will not tell Evelyn the answer she’s desperate to know. Why?

Now living in Wales in 2022, she just needs to stay alive until she can give the hospital the stem cells her sister needs to survive. Each time she is reborn, she doesn’t remember her fate at first, but when she does, she is hyper aware of those around her as she ages.

Could her work colleague at the bookstore be Arden? Watching. Waiting.

Could it be the cute boy at a nearby cafe? All she needs is a few more days to save her sister.

Such a fascinating premise, and written beautifully – Our Infinite Fates is an intriguing read!

Much of the novel is set in 2022 Wales, where main character Evelyn lives on a small farm, and works in a bookstore. Needing to stay alive for her younger sister with the imminent threat of her coming murder at age 18, Evelyn is constantly on edge. This amps up the tension as she does everything to stay alive.

She and a guy named Arden are inextricably linked in love and murder as they live their lives over and over, magnetically attracted to each other, but also in Evelyn’s case, trying to stay apart. The secret of why this must happen every 18 years is a jaw-dropping one which I much enjoyed.

I also loved the way their past lives were sprinkled throughout the story, showing Arden’s love for her even as he knew he had to kill her, and Evelyn’s love for everyone around her. Love in fact, despite the continuing murders through time, is a huge part of this tale.

“I love you. I have loved you. I will love you.”

Great read.

Author – Laura Steven

Age – 15+

Publisher – Penguin UK

Set in – Across 1000 years

Orphan – Lives multiple lives

Violence – Yes

Real Life – Yes

Fantasy – Yes

Sex – Yes

Blend – Romance / Determined Fate / Fantasy

(2025, Love, Betrayal, Family, Fantasy, Grief, Historical, Romance, Secret, Star-Crossed Lovers, Doomed, Murder, Deal, Leukemia, Hospital)

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He is accompanying his Grandpa Joe who has brought Grandma Sofie’s ashes to scatter across a nostalgic German waterfall. Nick secretly believes he is also on the trip to keep an eye on Grandpa and make sure he doesn’t get lost or disoriented.

But as soon as they book in at their West Berlin hotel, they leave it again, hop on and off trains, and veer down side streets, doubling back on themselves, all while pulling their suitcases. Nick wonders if his parents were right about Grandpa getting confused?

He quickly realises Grandpa Joe knew exactly what he was doing, and they arrive at an apartment. The very apartment Grandpa Joe lived in all those years before Nick was even thought of.

It’s only hours before Nick finds himself alone in a foreign city, wondering where his grandfather is. With the help of a girl he’s met called Rejhana, he begins to look for him, goes to the police and soon learns it was the worst thing he could do.

Suddenly he and his new friend are being pursed for no reasons he can fathom. Nick is doing things he would never have dreamed of as they flee a relentless chase through West Berlin and beyond.

All he has are intriguing items of Grandpa’s he’s found and Rejhana’s endless courage in the face of danger. Nick soon realises he is made of sterner stuff than he ever thought, and maybe even has a few of Grandpa’s old skills as a spy against Germany.

Wow! What an exhilarating read! Fans of the award winning series Katipo Joe will love this new series, introducing Nick – grandson to Katipo Joe himself.

Set in the city of West Berlin and beyond, Nick is separated from Grandpa Joe very early on in the book and must rely on his new friend and himself to survive a relentless pursuit by gun toting ex Stasi soldiers. Nick is neurodivergent and has spent his life trying to fit in and not showing his true self – but these very traits shine in Spider Games.

The plot is fast-moving, with trust constantly being stretched and shifting from beneath Nick until he realises he can only rely on himself. This ups the stakes, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat, along with kidnappings, grenades, ghost train stations, and rendezvous among a city celebrating the new millennium.

The author takes the reader to a rich and authentic real-life setting in 1999 West Berlin, from his personal experience of the city.

Spider Games not only allows Katipo Joe fans some closure as to what happened to those characters after that series was completed, but introduces new readers to a new action-packed, pulse-pounding series with a new and neurodivergent hero.

Can’t wait for the next episode. No pressure, Mr Falkner.

Author – Brian Falkner

Age – 12+

Find the Katipo Joe series here

Publisher – Bateman Books NZ

Set in – Late 1999 West Berlin

Viewpoints – 1st person

Orphan? – No

Violence – Yes

Real Life – Yes

Fantasy – No

Blend – YA / Historical / Action / Thriller

(2026, Bateman Books, NZ Author, Aotearoa New Zealand, Spies, Danger, Murder, Stasi, West Berlin, Germany, Y2K, 1999, Scattering Ashes, Arson, Ghost Train Stations, Pursuit, Survival, Action, Adventure, Life or Death, CIA, German Police, Historical, Series)

The post Spider Games appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

Her drama teacher, Mr Truckle was fine during auditions and drama practice. He was his usual kind self, heaping praise on everyone, and making things fun for all involved. Finding him slumped over a desk in the library comes as a shock to Georgia when she comes back to school after forgetting something.

Things get worse as she reports her discovery, only to find upon return, an empty library.

At first, no-one will believe her. When her best friend Billy does, it’s a relief. Things have been sketchy between them lately, as a new girl at school has caught his attention. Wren is rich, pretty, an excellent actress and good at winding people around her little finger.

Billy is supportive but Georgia feels out on a limb, trying to solve a murder everyone else is ignoring. Wren has a family link to Georgia’s past, but she still won’t accept her as a friend. It’s only when Georgia goes too far in her sleuthing that things finally boil over.

The first in the Murder Academy series, set in a fictional school called Mayfield Academy. This series will be perfect for ages 11-13 aged readers who love to follow clues, be misdirected by plot, and enjoy reading about school life and friendship dynamics.

The main characters find themselves in more and more dangerous situations until their actual lives are seriously at risk. Using their combined knowledge which in some instances has made them outsiders at school, they work together to narrow down suspects. These skills also prevent more murders – their own.

Author – Sophie McKenzie

Age – 11+

Publisher – Simon & Schuster UK

Set in – UK / Fictional School / Present

Viewpoints – 1st person – present tense

Orphan? – No

Violence – Threat / Smoke inhalation

Real Life – Yes

Fantasy – No

Sex – No

Blend – YA Thriller / Friendship Dynamics

(2026, Simon & Schuster, Friendship, Crime, Murder, Betrayal, Greed, School, New Girl, Drama Teacher, Play, Fundraising, Body, Following clues, Real Life)

The post Murder Academy (1) Lessons in Death appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

His mum is in charge of security at a medical technology company, and is hyper aware of previous failures. Her boss and his daughter were injured in a car accident and she blames herself. Spending time in a luxury chalet is an effort to keep them safe from outside threats. When another threat looms, she puts Tom off once again, explaining she must leave to sort something out.

When she returns by helicopter, it’s at gunpoint. Paid mercenaries are after something her boss has been working on for years. Her boss refuses to tell the thugs where his samples are, as he knows the knowledge is the only thing keeping them all alive.

Tom and Emily see the guns, the threats and the black clad figures and are keen to free their parents after one of the guns go off. Before they can do anything though, the noise of the gunshot has triggered something else. In moments, they are swept up in an avalanche.

Avalanche is an action-packed, adrenaline-fuelled adventure on ski slopes around a six storey chalet. Add mercenaries, greed, betrayal, explosions and guns, and readers will gobble this novel up.

Luckily there are two brave main characters who step up to the challenge of saving their parents, working together, whilst using their strengths and inside knowledge.

With clear font and line spacing, Avalanche is also tension filled as timers tick down on both a possible weapon and a character’s health.

Great read.

Author – Simon Fox

Age – 9+

Find more action reads here

Publisher – Nosy Crow

Set in – Luxury Ski Resort in Alps

Viewpoint – 1st person

Orphan? – No

Violence – Yes

Real Life – Yes

Fantasy – No

Blend – YA / Action / Thriller

(2026, Nosy Crow, Action, Adventure, Betrayal, Family, Real Life, Courage, Greed, Ice, Avalanche, Skiing, Mercenaries, Helicopter, Experimental samples, Medical breakthrough, Biological Weapon)

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Her father is in charge of the trip, experienced and knowledgeable in the wilderness and keen to take these teens on an adventure. Tension is high as Maggie signed up for the trip with her boyfriend Ben. But Ben is now with Stephanie, also on the trip. Maggie tries to focus on her father and ignore Ben and Steph’s relationship along for the ride.

Twin brothers Lawrence and Seb are part of the group, and their never ending bickering and all out fighting drives Maggie crazy at the best of times. Away from school, they seem even worse. Luckily Maggie’s best friend Ant is there too, making things a little more bearable.

Despite the extensive planning by her father for the trip, things go wrong very quickly and he is separated from the group. Torn between wanting to after her father, and fleeing a vicious incoming storm, Maggie holes up with the others in a hiking hut. Hoping her dad will find them in the hut and that the storm will pass, is the last normal hope on her trip.

Strange things begin to happen. A huge hunting knife. Stolen supplies. Nature has turned on them too, and the very ground they are standing on defies them. When the strange becomes the deadly, accusations fly, nightmares return, and impossible connections are made between the trip and the abduction ten years before. Is someone hunting them down?

A school trip going wrong is a common premise, but Seven All Alone is so much more. These characters have already had trauma in their lives and when this wilderness adventure turns into a horror show, minds are reeling.

I enjoyed the slow unravelling of their past and the events that brought them together. Main character Maggie has had to deal with more than her peers as she alone was left to deal with her abductor as a child. Now she’s older, strong, capable with her father’s survival skills, and determined to survive again.

Obstacle after obstacle are thrown in her way however, building confusion and intrigue into who or what is responsible for the resulting carnage.

I became hooked into the story early, intrigued as much as the characters, as to what the heck was happening.

Author – Kirsty Mckay

Age – 12+

If you like the sound of this, you might like Flight of the Fantail

Publisher – Source Books / Penguin NZ

Set in – Scottish Highlands

Viewpoint – 1st person

Orphan? – No

Violence – Yes

Real Life – Yes

Fantasy – No

Sex – Alluded to

Blend – YA / Action / Thriller

(2025, Source Books, Friendship, Action, Adventure, Betrayal, Conflict, Courage, Crime, Murder, Kidnap, Cave, Escape, Storm, Cabin, School Trip, Tramping, Intrigue, Rafting, Wilderness, Captives, Survival)

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Hunter‘s family practically owns Mars, at least his family were the first ones to settle and claim their large chunk, two generations before. Ruthless and ambitious, his family toss anyone aside who doesn’t fit their expansion plans for domination. A twin, Hunter was unfortunately one of those left behind, leaving him to find his own way in life.

When they both find themselves on a base that is fatally malfunctioning, and with no seat in the emergency evacuations, they must work together to live. Especially when they realise the malfunction is a lie, and a small group of mercenaries have plans for the future of the UN Base.

Cleo hates Hunter on sight. He is part of the Graves family that rules Earth and much of Mars and is responsible for so much hurt in her past. She also hates the fact that he is gorgeous, respectful and saves her life. Swinging from wanting to use him as a bargaining chip with the invaders, or wanting to kiss him, Cleo uses all the tech skills her father taught her, and everything she has learnt as a stowaway to Mars and then on base, to keep them both alive.

Hunter is unaware that she is a Hitcher – a person who doesn’t belong there. A person who is part of the crowd that killed his father. He believes she is an Engineering student, which explains how she knows so much about the base. A growing respect soon builds for her however, along with an attraction that includes her complete disregard for his family name.

Time is running out as they learn what the mercenaries want. Working together, they do all they can to survive – all the while feeling more and more between them. Both viciously hurt before by loved ones, they fight the attraction by doing what they have always done – looking out for number one.

An effortlessly written, fast paced action thriller, woven through with an enemies to lovers premise and a twisty plot to keep readers hooked.

Whatever can go wrong does, with some shocking revelations along the way. The Scifi base setting isn’t over-explained (which can slow down a story for me), the characters are sassy and smart, banter funny, and tension winding tighter and tighter as eight hours count down to the character’s doom.

I’d love to see Red Star Rebels as a movie too, as it has everything that it would need. The Mars setting is intriguing, because who knows where human kind is going with that idea? There is just enough background threaded into the 1st person dual viewpoints to tug at our hearts, not to mention rising heart beats as the characters face one threat after another.

I loved the tech too. A brilliant way to kick off 2026!

Author – Amie Kaufman

Age – 13+

Find more Amie Kaufman book reviews here

Publisher – Allen & Unwin

Set in – 2067 / Mars / United Nations Base

Viewpoints – 1st person – Main characters Hunter & Cleo

Orphan? – Lost Fathers

Violence – Threat of with guns present

Real Life – Possible in our future?

Fantasy – No

Sex – No (Attraction only)

Blend – YA Thriller / Sci-Fi

(2026, Allen & Unwin, Sci Fi, Humour, Funny, Ambition, Loss, Twins, Multiple Viewpoints, Ticking Bomb, Countdown, Tension, Romance, Thrilling, Twists, Future, Mars, Planet, Power, United Nations, Banter, Quick Witted, Loners, Coding, Technology, Science, Fast Paced Action, Betrayal, Family, Sibling Rivalry, Murder, Crime, Attraction)

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She finds herself in a carriage with a stranger, who can instantly see she looks lost. She’s wearing summer clothes for a start, when it’s freezing outside. The ticket she holds means nothing to him, and when a weird looking train guard approaches them, the stranger jumps into action.

He is a salesman in this world. A world called New Davia. His job allows him to use the trains to travel within worlds. Worlds that don’t include Margo’s. So where did she come from? He bribes the guard, taking responsibility for this lost girl.

Margo is grateful, but frightened. Still, she’s intrigued by this salesman who looks only a year or two older, with a crescent moon scar down his face. She shudders when he tells her it did hurt, and the tattooist did it with malice. This salesman is called Moon – because of this very scar.

Off the train, and meeting more strangers, Margo is more and more confused. When she sees Police-like authorities, she tries to flee Moon and his friends, but changes her mind when she witnesses their brutality on another.

She’s soon swept up in a world made of multiple worlds, attached by train lines like no other. These worlds have different time zones and levels. Margo is used to a 24 hour day, but some of the places in Moon’s worlds have much less, down to even less than 5 hr days. This time change from one world to another messes with Margo’s mind and body, resulting in Skipshock. The more you travel between worlds, the more Skipshock will affect you. Until it finally kills you.

Worried about her mother who will be frantic at her disappearance from her world, she’s grateful for Moon’s help to get home again. But can she trust him? On her way, she hears about the inequalities of Moon’s world. Especially against his people. Some places in New Devia have much more than others, and the ruling authorities are squeezing more and more out of poorer places, for their own use.

Learning there is an opposing force to this power, greed and treachery doesn’t surprise Margo, but it does when these revolutionaries tell her that she is the key to their success. She can help them fight back, and get back what once was theirs. Their homes, their way of life and in Moon’s case – his very life.

Rich and imaginative worldbuilding,

a simmering romance,

a villain to despise

and a twist I never saw coming.

Skipshock is a scintillating read!

This novel’s world is original, intriguing to get your head around (and I did wrangle with it in the beginning), but well worth it, as we meet main characters Margo and Moon and we learn their back stories.

Margo grows up over the month or so she is in this parallel world to ours, as the time zones shorten and lengthen and her body changes with it. There are parallels to our own world with terrible prejudice against Moon’s people, and the growing gap between rich and powerful (with plenty of time), and the struggling poor (with little time in their days.)

Clever – and I can’t wait for the next book after a truly shocking ending!

Author – Caroline O’Donoghue

Age – 15+

Find another great read by this author here

Publisher – Walker Books

Set – New Davia, a dystopian, interconnected world of varying time-zones.

Viewpoint – Two persectives / 1st person & 3rd

Violence – Yes

Sex – Yes / Alluded to

Real Life – No

Fantasy – Yes – Time Travel Trains

Blend – Dystopian / Revolution / Romance

(2025, Fantasy, Romance, Courage, War, Action, Betrayal, Grief, Time travel, Trains, Parallel Worlds, Danger, Gunfire, Loss, Watch, Prejudice,

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There are more. Many more, and they are hungry.

Two years later, the family are hiding in a house far from the city. They have stayed other places, with other people. Each one left memories they’d like to forget, but life is now one of only survival. Looking back is pointless.

Everyone has changed. Hardened. The only light among them is their younger siblings who are fiercely protected by the older ones. The twins hardly know anything but this subsistence life, and their mother has become distant in her fight to keep her loved ones alive.

One day they find a teenage girl curled up and unconscious. Arguing on whether to leave her or take her in, Sara wins. She’s intrigued to talk to someone her own age for the first time since the Witches came. When the girl wakes, they learn her name is Parsley, but not much more.

Sara is intrigued, then soon enamoured, despite her family’s warnings. Who is Parsley, and where did she come from? Does she really know more about the Witches? Can she help protect them?

This book is sold and promoted as an adult read, but I found it would easily suit a Young Adult audience. If it was a movie, it would be an excellent ‘Creature Feature’. The ‘Witches’ are nothing like the witches we already know – even the really terrible ones.

These monsters pour fear into the characters. Trying to imagine these horrors as I read, stretched even my Horror loving brain.

We Call Them Witches also has a first-romance thread, with main character Sara (aged 17), experiencing feelings for a stranger new to their family unit. Sara is quick to defend this person, even as she knows she must be more careful in order to protect her family members. This inner struggle makes things interesting as the tension rises, and a twist is revealed.

Author – India-Rose Bower

Age – 15+

Find more Horror reads here

Publisher – Penguin Random House

Set – Contemporary England

Viewpoint – 1st person

Violence – Yes

Sex – No

Real Life – Yes / Apocalypse

Fantasy – Monsters

Blend – Survival / Horror / Monsters

(2026, Penguin Random House, Post Apocalypse, Britain, England, Horror, Family, Betrayal, Courage, Fantasy, Grief, Secret, Creatures, Pagan Rituals, Herbs, Lavender, Fear, Siblings, Responsibility, Romance, Survival)

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Since very young she has been told she will kill her true love with a kiss. When little, she didn’t think much of it, but now a teen, she is intrigued but saddened at the same time. How can this be, and how is it fair? She’s never had a boyfriend, preferring to keep to herself and her family – especially avoiding the rich, loud, confident boys who attend the local private school. They are known as Raven Boys.

Despite the warning and her dislike of the rich kids, she is soon caught up with a group of them after getting to know a boy called Adam – a local trailer-park resident who works three jobs just to attend the school.

Adam’s friends – Roman (seeming angry and devastated at the same time), Noah (quiet and trusting) and his best friend Gansey (rich, handsome, driven), soon become her friends.

Gansey is the leader, leading them on a quest to find a buried Welsh King’s bones, thought to be buried on an invisible, spiritual ley line. But someone else is looking too. Someone else is determined to receive the power the King will release when found.

This hardback Graphic Novel edition brings the bestselling novel to life in full colour. It captures the widely varied characters well in illustration, from Ronan’s angry personality, to Gansey’s determination to finding a buried Welsh King and Blue’s inner strength.

Having multiple main characters means a lot is going on, but the essence of the original is all here. If readers haven’t read the original before, I’m sure this stunning graphic novel will send many to it.

Rich and poor, real life and supernatural, crime, relationships and mystery are all here, showing why The Raven Boys was such a hit when first released in a novel in 2013.

Author – Maggie Stiefvater

Age – 12+

Graphic Novel

Publisher – Scholastic USA

Set – Virginia USA / Early 2010s

Viewpoint – 3rd person

Violence – Yes

Sex – No

Real Life – Yes

Fantasy – Yes

Blend – Real Life / Fantasy

(2013, Scholastic US, Magic, Spiritual, Secrets, Ley line, Quest, Determination, Abuse, Bully, Family, Friendship, Relationships, Psychics, Welsh King, Wealthy, Poor, Murder, Crime, Power)

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“The NSDE initiative was formed to save humanity from the chaos and dangers of Outside. Pollution, over farming and introduction of untested bio-engineered elements resulted in deadly droughts, pollen storms and mutated swarms. NSDE was humanity’s last chance.”

Children are trained to become soldiers of this regime, to police the inhabitants, and to prevent creatures called Spiravits from attacking them. Training includes lessons on how dangerous the Spiravits can be. They may look human, but their eyes are milky white and they can be vicious and calculating. They also have a strange power that can produce explosions, killing any living thing around them.

No matter how hard Naya trains, even with the help of her best friend and top cadet Kaven, she can never be ruthless enough, strong enough or single-minded enough to achieve the standards her mother insists upon. When she is given another way to graduate along with her class and Kaven, she accepts.

The General gives her a dangerous mission: Infiltrate the Spiravit’s lair and return with intel in order to eradicate them.

It’s risky from one moment to the next, and Naya discovers truths even more shocking than her mother’s mission request. Torn between both worlds, she uses a strange gift she has had since small – communicating with the city walls with her mind.

Split into two timeframes (during soldier training and then on a mission), main character Naya tells this dystopian story.

The soldier training shows the reader all the hard work, effort and pain (both physical and mental), Naya has gone through to try and impress her mother who is the leader of their entire city. Naya can’t seem to ever achieve the results she aims for but continues to struggle regardless.

This determination and grit aids her in a perilous mission outside the safety of the city walls, and allows her to see the truth that is hidden from city residents. This is shown cleverly on the cover of the novel. The city is clean, and ordered and if you tip the cover over, you see broken structures surrounded by trees and nature. The telling component is the way the human within those landscapes is composed. The city holds a running figure. The Outside, a calm, awed human being.

This theme of misconception between people is a common one, and one our world continuously finds itself in – INSIDE shows a dystopian view of it with an imaginative Sci-Fi twist.

A gripping read.

Author – S A Gales

Age – 11+

Read more Dystopian Novels here

Publisher – Allen & Unwin

Set in – Unknown Future / Inside & Outside a semi-sentient city

Viewpoint – 1st person

Orphan – No father present

Violence – Yes

Real Life – No

Fantasy – No

Blend – Dystopian / Sci-Fi

(2025, Allen & Unwin, Dystopian, Secret, Grief, Action, Betrayal, Future, Sci Fi, Cadet Training, Soldiers, Loyalty, Truth, Lies, Outsiders, Prejudice, Misconceptions, Control, Energy)

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Raised by strangers in the woods who came to be like a mum and dad, Porter learnt survival and bush skills and much more. But when a stranger arrives and dangles information about how and why his birth parents died, now 14-year-old Porter can’t help but follow them to New York.

He discovers the stranger is part of a National Security Agency called DOMAIN. Department of Machine and Artificial Intelligence.

What’s even more shocking is that he too is connected to this agency, and becomes even more so as he agrees to continue his parents work. This entails using him as a tool for National Intelligence.

Now constantly connected to the Spy Agency via his brain, Porter’s personal view of the world includes data he needs to carry out missions. He can also see separate screens across his vision including files he can open. He also hears the agency inside his mind, as they guide him in his actions. The files in his mind include everything from scaling buildings, speaking different languages, or playing the piano. All of which he can access at any moment.

In this new life in the city, he meets the wealthy and powerful and their children who are also teens in this high-technology world. But high tech brings high responsibility and high prices for control of it.

Porter has to not only navigate his new life, but the truth, lies and betrayal at every turn as he struggles to keep true to himself, his memories and his past.

DOMAIN is an action-packed tech thriller of a teen looking for answers, another planning revenge, and a government agency hiding the truth.

This story premise was sparked by Japanese Scientists who discovered in 2004, that the human body’s electrical field could be harnessed to transmit and receive data.

Told in third person, the reader travels with main character Porter to discover what happened to his past, and the truth about his future.

The story (mainly in the first quarter) is split between the present and Porter’s memories that come in flashbacks. The flashbacks are clearly signposted in a different font. Porter’s driving force is learning what really happened to his parents, and who is responsible. Along the way, he discovers a connection to them no one expects, let alone him or the reader.

DOMAIN is the sort of book which would make an excellent movie, with a sizzling ending that keeps readers glued to the page.

Author – Rohan Gavin

Age – 10+

Listen to the first 5 pages here 

Publisher – Allen & Unwin

Set in – New York / USA

Viewpoint – 3rd person

Orphan – Yes

Violence – Yes

Real Life – Yes

Fantasy – No

Blend – Technology / Life

(2025, Allen & Unwin, Real Life, Crime, Murder, Mystery, Revenge, Action, Betrayal, Lies, AI Technology, Government, New York, Spy, Spies, Computers, Hackers, Hacking, Mystery, Answers, WiFi, National Security, Memory, Memories, Science, Electricity)

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Chris is who Mog and his friends look to and follow. Chris is popular among them, especially to Mog. They understand each other, enjoy their banter and shared humour and hang out together after school. When Mog sees this friendship threatened by another, he’s not sure how to handle it.

Something Mog likes about Chris is his inherent goodness. This isn’t seen as weak or soft, but something that helps the group stay on an even keel. It’s not spoken of, and Chris and Mog enjoy petty crimes as much as the next kid, but they’re not mean.

When Chris slowly allows a new kid into their group – a kid who is bullied daily by the school thugs and deemed a complete loser by all; Mog isn’t happy. He decides to do something about it. His decision has an unexpected ripple effect, changing everything for them all.

Anthony McGowan’s masterful storytelling strikes again. The Fall is a YA novel of grit, peer pressure, friendship dynamics and survival within a school. Individual choices become betrayals that change lives forever. The writing is succinct, powerful, and credible. Written for Dyslexic readers, its no-holds-barred topic and authenticity will grab reluctant readers too.

A scattering of illustrations allow breaks in the text, and the larger font and line spacing also make The Fall a story to readily consume.

This is a superb addition to other stories by McGowan, with teen boys as protagonists, dealing with life and all it has to deal out to them.

Author – Anthony McGowan

Illustrator – Chris King

Reading Age – 7 / Interest Age – 13+

Dyslexic Title

Read the first Chapter here

Read more reviews of Anthony McGowan titles here

(2025, Barrington Stoke, Collins, Friendship, Betrayal, Bullies, Conflict, Crime, Growing up, Historical, Peer Pressure, Popularity, School, Dyslexic, Dyslexia, Reluctant Readers, Beck, Petty Crime, Bullying, Fighting, Gangs, Choices, Polluted Stream)

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Her Aunt Desdemona is a clairvoyant who helps people with their paranormal questions, and is Evie’s loving guardian. Evie isn’t sure what her aunt has against the abandoned slaughter house, except for the story of a local man who is infamous for his crimes. Long gone, his creepy legend remains in their small town called Blight Harbour. The abattoir is connected to this killer so that at least is one reason to stay away.

There are other spooky places around town, but the occupant ghosts and witches are widely accepted by the human residents of Blight Harbour.

Evie moved in with her aunt four years before, after losing her parents to a house fire. Despite having a memorial for her parents, Evie believes that somehow, somewhere, her parents are alive.

Her aunt Desdemona has become her family, her person, her rock. So when she tells Evie she is going to the abattoir, Evie is keen to go too. Not just for her own curiosity, but to make sure nothing happens to the only family she has left.

But when the abattoir’s terrible reputation proves itself, Evie must place everything on the line, face her fears and fight her panic attacks, to save her Aunt D.

The Clackity lives inside the abattoir. It’s a terrifying creature, with a deal for Evie. A deal with no other choice….

Winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Middle Grade Fiction 2022, The Clackity is a truly, terrifying tale.

The cleverly constructed plot takes the reader and character through a series of ghastly challenges and tests. Evie meets all manner of menace along the way, in order to save a beloved family member.

Evie is a likeable character with everything on the line, which forces her into ghastly situations again and again. Forced to make decisions constantly, and using both everyday items and magical gifts, she navigates a world of monsters, endless black depths, and a trio of witches, all with a serial killer who has been dead a 100 years, on her trail.

This novel is followed up by The Nighthouse Keeper & The Loneliest Place, continuing the story of brave Evie Von Rathe in her small town full of supernatural neighbours and the parallel land that lives within it.

Author – Lora Senf

Illustrator – Alfredo Cáceres

Age – 10+

(2025, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Monsters, Witches, Paranormal, Parallel World, Deal, Serial Killer Ghost, Action, Adventure, Betrayal, Blended Family, Courage, Crime, Family, Horror, Fantasy, Ghost, Grief, Murder, Series, Aunt, Librarian, Clairvoyant, Panic attacks)

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