It’s only when her enemies attack her island of Rosevear, killing members of her village; that Elijah appears in her life again. With no home left standing, Mira travels with Elijah through the shadows to his castle home.

She learns that despite his grand home and title, Lord Tresillian is well-liked and respected and kind to his people. Saving many from her island home, she is in his debt. Not that he reminds her of it. In fact, she begins to see and admire this other side to him.

Mira is still struggling with her Siren heritage, especially after summoning a storm to save her island, then again in a dream. She feels she has little control over this power and is desperate to know more. Learning that Elijah has his own troubles with his past and power, brings them closer together.

Tension is rising however as Mira’s enemies have put a hunter on her tail, vowing what’s left of her island will be sacrificed if she doesn’t hand herself in. Elijah and his family and friends vow to fight for her and her people, knowing The Watch, Captain Renshaw and a Monster Hunter from a powerful witch coven must be stopped.

Mira increasingly struggles with her rising powers, her constant fight training and her feelings for Elijah whom she now calls Eli. But her island must always come first.

The 2nd in this trilogy, Shadow and Tide allows us to learn more about Mira’s powers and her past, and Lord Tresillian’s struggles with his own problems. The building tension between them is sizzling and the battle scenes exhilarating.

There are many characters to keep track of, but worth doing so as loyalties bend and snap, and the body count builds. I feel this falls in the ‘necessary middle book’ category for a series because besides the many battles and creatures leaping off the pages, the plot starts and finishes in the same place – vowing vengeance, albeit with new forces on their side.

Much looking forward to the conclusion novel though. If Shadow and Tide is anything to go by, it will be a powerful, angst ridden, racing romance, battle scared, monster screaming read!  

Author – Rachel Greenlaw

Age – 14+

(2025, Harper Fire Books, Fantasy, Series, Magic, Romance, Love, Family, Murder, Crime, Ocean, Sea, Sirens, Witches, Kraken, Monsters, Battles, Shadows, Revenge, Hand to Hand Combat, Fight, Fires, Arson, Monster Hunter, Loyalties, Choices)

The post Compass and Blade (2) Shadow and Tide Book Review appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

17 year old Fliss is with her art lover father at an estate sale when she finds a famous painting. It is purchased immediately and from that moment, terrible things begin to happen around Fliss and her friends.

A true crime buff and budding investigative journalist, Fliss investigates the paintings as part of a college course she is doing with her best friend Izzy.

Plot summary of Paint Me Like Your Dead Girls (No Spoilers)

After finding a famous painting in an estate sale Fliss attends with her dad and his new wife, they take the painting home and organise it to be verified by an art expert. Learning it really is a legendary painting from a famous crime last century, Fliss is just as excited as her father. He wants it to be an important part of the art gallery he works for, and Fliss wants to investigate the crime behind the face in the painting.

As he leaves for his honeymoon in the Maldives, Fliss helps out at the gallery event showing the painting, only to be part of a murder investigation by the end of the night. There is word of a curse that follows the painting around, and Fliss’ best friend Izzy is worried that it’s true.

Against her better judgement, Fliss hosts a party with Izzy while her dad is away and to her horror, not only does it not go to plan, another death occurs. Her dad can’t get back to her due to bad weather, and Fliss convinces her mum (living in Aust) that she’ll be fine. In fact, she is even more determined to find out about the painter and his victims in four other paintings called – The Four.

Izzy loses patience with Fliss’ investigation and Fliss refuses to believe in any curse. They are soon faced with the truth and can’t believe what and who they have discovered.

Review

Paint Me Like Your Dead Girls is a catchy title and instantly made me think of Titanic when Rose asks Jack to draw her like his French girls, but the protagonist doesn’t actually meet the artist in this YA Thriller. She does investigate him however, and with flashbacks to 1911 when four murders occur, readers will learn more about him.

This novel is also interesting in the way best friends Fliss and Izzy view five creepy paintings and their history. Fliss believes in straight facts and nothing else, but Izzy believes in a curse that is said to come with the paintings. You’ll have to read it to find out who is right….

Another interest factor is the way the plot flicks back to 1911 to allow readers to learn a little about each of the historical victims in the story, and more clues each time reveal the women’s true fates.

I thought I’d figured out the villain in this YA thriller, but I had it completely wrong. That in itself made it a good read. The plot reminded me a little of Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, but it’s perfectly fine for readers aged 12 and up, including Intermediate (NZ) readers.

Book Style

352 Pages – with some chapters taking readers back to 1911 and unsolved crimes that are key to the story.

FAQ’s

What age is it for?

12+

Where & When is it set?

A fictional US town, its art gallery and a local college

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

First person / Present Tense

Is there Violence?

Yes

Is there sex?

No

What genre is Paint Me Like Your Dead Girls?

YA Thriller

Themes

Mystery / Art / Crime / Murder /

Is it part of a series?

No

Author

Cynthia Murphy

Publisher

Penguin Books

(2026, Penguin Books, Crime, Thriller, Murder, Serial Killer, Historical Sections, Art, Gallery, Famous Paintings, Investigations, Mystery, Summer College Program, Creativity, 1911 crimes)

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A young ghost is trying to figure out who he is, and why he can’t leave the grounds of a historical slave plantation many years after it was abandoned.

When three teen podcasters arrive to investigate an unsolved murder, the ghost knows he must protect them from the evil forces that still remain on the estate.

Plot summary of The Visitors (No Spoilers)

A ghost moves through the grounds of an abandoned plantation, visiting other ghosts and wondering for the millionth time, who he is and why he can’t leave. It’s good to have other ghostly company, but endlessly wandering the grounds is no afterlife at all.

The only interesting things that happen are when real people make their way up the long driveway which is hidden from the main road, to explore the plantation buildings and site of so many stories. Many believe it to be haunted, or if not haunted, at least intriguing to check out.

The ghost’s job is to make sure The Visitors leave again without causing too much damage or more to the point, while they can leave. There is a much darker force that resides at Hollow Pines Plantation. This ghost is of a man who was cruel and evil when he was alive, and now as a spirit, is even worse. Especially to anyone alive.

Three young explorers arrive one morning on bikes. They have a camera and a podcast to prepare for a competition and are investigating the disappearance of a young boy many years before. The young ghost recognises the name of the missing boy, but doesn’t know why. Could these three help him finally remember his past?

Review

A tragic history, ghosts, danger and a missing boy? So many things intrigued me about this book. Meeting a tween ghost who didn’t know who he was, was a great way to hook me in early. Learning there is another mystery to solve about a missing boy, hooked me further.

There are many tragic stories behind the ghosts in this novel, and then again about the missing boy. The story flicks away from the ghost every now and then, to this boy. Readers meet him and learn what life is like for him as he faces a terrible betrayal and the fallout afterwards. This tugs at the heartstrings and even more so, as the story progresses.

Both the ghost and the missing boy are characters to feel for, and then my heart was thumping at the danger everyone at the Hollow Pines Plantation is suddenly under.

Greg Howard writes beautiful stories with queer characters, and The Visitors is another to savour and think about afterwards. His author’s note explores how the real history of slavery in South Carolina was not taught when he was a student, and the personal struggles he also faced.

Book Style

253 Pages (including Author’s Note & Resources) / 26 chapters

In the rear of the book are chapters from 2 more Greg Howard titles

The Whispers & The Travellers 

FAQ’s

What age is it for?

10+

Where & When is it set?

A plantation based on the author’s own memories as an exploring tween. South Carolina. USA.

Modern day and 1960’s America

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

Two points of view

1. A ghost in first person    2. A boy betrayed in third person (years before)

Present tense / Past tense

Is there Violence?

Yes

What genre is The Visitors?

High Middle-Grade

Themes

Horror / Historical / Mystery

Is it part of a series?

No

If you liked this, you may like:

Too Bright to See

Find more Ghostly reads here

Find more LGBTQ+ reads here

Author

Greg Howard

Publisher

Nancy Paulsen Books / Penguin

(2026, Nancy Paulsen Books / Penguin Books, Ghost, Historical, Murder, Mystery, LGBTQ+, Bullies, Conflict, Friendship, Horror, Gay, Slave Plantation, Loss, Grief, Evil, Souls, Courage, Memory, Podcast, Animal, Dog)

The post The Visitors Book Review appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

A teenage girl is found dead in the woods behind a high school. The crime has happened during school hours after a fire alarm was set off. Blame instantly falls on the Abbott triplets who were implicated in a girl’s death the year before. Everyone knows it’s always the boyfriend. But is it?

Plot summary of Beware the Abbott Boys (No Spoilers)

After a girl is found in the woods behind their high school, the gossip is swift and merciless. The girl named Kennedy, was hugely popular in school and the easiest culprits to blame are the three Abbott boys, Bram, Henry and Adam.

A year before, Adam’s girlfriend died in a terrible car fire, leaving Adam scarred for life and unable to play football any longer. He also changed on the inside, losing his confidence and outgoing personality. Blame swirled around the brothers as they were working on the car only minutes before, and their town’s opinion was even further swayed when influential people got involved. The triplets spend the following months at home, doing their schooling alone.

Now, after no charges were laid and the triplets are only recently back at school, Kennedy’s murder threatens to wreck everything again. Surely, one of the Abbott boys did it. Certain clues, camera footage and rumours all point to them.

Their neighbour and close friend Hadyn sticks up for them once more, fiercely opposing any blame. She can’t imagine any of the brothers committing murder. Closest to Henry, they decide together that she will looks for clues, ask around at school, and try and figure out who was in the woods with Kennedy that day and why.

But the more she digs, the more complicated things get. She personally is confused with her own feelings about the brothers. She discovers rivalries between them over girls in the past. Was Kennedy a victim of this too?

Review

If you liked Good Girl’s Guide to Murder or The Reappearance of Rachel Price, you’ll love Beware the Abbott Boys. The Abbott Triplets are all very different, and they all have their parts in this mystery, told in third person. This gives the reader an insight into what happened the year before to earn these brothers the terrible reputation they have in their small town.

The narrative gets more twisty the further you read, making me wonder which brother was telling the truth about the murder that has thrown them all under suspicion once more. Their neighbour Hadyn is a good friend to them all, and after knowing them for so long, has mixed and confusing feelings about them.

They aren’t the only ‘villains’ in the novel however, and a popular person looked up to in the town is particularly nasty. All the dramas of high school are stirred into the mix, with all the gossip and local news stations making everything a whole lot worse.

An entertaining Young Adult mystery.

Book Style

368 Pages

FAQ’s

What age is it for?

13+

Where & When is it set?

A fictional town called Silver Creek, Vermont, USA

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

1st person / Past tense – Now   +   3rd person / past tense – mostly 1 year ago

Multiple viewpoints

Is there Violence?

Girl found murdered

Is there any sex in the novel?

No

What genre is Beware the Abbott Boys?

Young Adult Mystery Thriller

Themes

Family / Friendship / Crime / School / Mystery

Is it part of a series?

No

Author

Chelsea Ichaso

Publisher

Penguin Random House

If you liked this, you’ll love these:

Tell Me What Really Happened

Four Good Liars

(2026, Source Books, Friendship, School, Crime, Betrayal, Courage, Family, Grief, Love, Murder, Mystery, Prejudice, Secret, Sibling Rivalry, Brothers, Triplets, Intermediate (NZ), Neighbours, Suspicion, School)

The post Beware the Abbott Boys Book Review appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

10 people volunteer to be part of a televised survival competition run on an island swarming with 1000’s of Pyres – flesh eating zombies. They will be joined up in pairs with 10 islanders (by force) who have grown up on the island and know how to protect themselves.

The last two standing win the competition. The mainlander wins a large cash prize and the islander gets to leave the island for good.

Plot summary of To The Death  (No Spoilers)

Astrid has grown accustomed to her life of survival on an island overrun by Zombies. Named Pyres, she and her friends live behind tall walls, are all adept with weapons like crossbows, knives, and machetes, which all require getting far too close to a Pyre to kill it.

She lost her family one night four years before, and her frenzied response to the murderers of her father and sister gained her the nickname – The Executioner. Cameras caught everything. There has always been cameras on the island as it is also used as a prison by the mainland,  and a powerful corporation named Bloodwatch.

Bloodwatch arrives one day to tell Astrid she will soon be in a televised survival program called Escape From Blood Island. Her friends aren’t keen for Astrid to leave them, but she is given a choice. Accept her place in the game and her friends will receive months of much needed supplies, or don’t accept and watch them burnt to the ground.

Other islanders are also recruited, and they are soon teamed up with 10 mainlanders, who have all joined up for different reasons. Most are not there for the large money prize. Astrid can’t believe these strangers would place themselves in so much danger for any reason, but she tries to make the most of the person she is teamed up with.

They are given increasingly dangerous challenges to survive, and Astrid has to let the anger and grief that earned her Executioner title free, in order to counter everything thrown at them by Bloodwatch. She also has to play the game to earn more favour from the live stream viewers on the mainland.

She finds more than courage during each test, building bonds with others in the fight to stay alive. The longer they fight and the more horrors they see, the more determined Astrid is to bring Bloodwatch down.

Review

The comparison of To the Death being The Hunger Games crossed with The Last of Us is spot on. This first book in a duology is full of gruesome scenes with both bloodthirsty contestants, and others trying to keep as many people alive as possible. When the villains show their true selves it’s always a shock, but all the more gripping for it.

Learning the back stories and reasons for the contestants to put themselves at such risk is compelling, and the desire for revenge among the islanders brings ever increasing tension.

Packed with action from start to finish, gut-twisting choices and close calls, readers will cheer for their favourites fighting to win. A building love interest is woven through, even if riddled with doubt. I enjoyed learning about Astrid and eagerly waited for her to let ‘The Executioner’ out, but she mostly used her smarts learnt while growing up on the island.

With a killer ending (scuse the pun) I can’t wait to see what happens next in the sequel – Hunting Season (2027)

Book Style

324 Pages / 31 Chapters

FAQ’s

What age is it for?

13+

Where & When is it set?

A fictional dystopian island / Future

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

1st person / Past tense

Is there Violence?

Graphic Violence

Is there any sex in the novel?

No

What genre is To The Death?

Young Adult Dystopian

Themes

Dystopian, Zombies, Courage, Grief, Action

Is it part of a series?

Yes – It is a duology (To the Death Series)

1. To the Death (2026)
2. Hunting Season (2027)

Author

Melissa Welliver

Publisher

Hachette

Find a link to Look Inside here

If you liked this, you’ll love this

Find more Dystopian Reads here

(2026, Hachette, Zombies, Courage, Dystopian, Island, Television Show, Cameras, Ruthlessness, Violence, Danger, Action, Weapons, Corporation, Competition, Fight to survival, Survival, Tests, Series, Revenge, Murder, Horror)

The post To the Death Book Review appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

A podcaster is asked by her brother to investigate a mystery note and find its sender. The note has been sent to a friend of his, who he is trying to help. She has lost her twin and home to a devastating arson.

Plot summary of I Know What You’re Hiding (No Spoilers)

Zoe and her friend Niamh are crime podcasters. They don’t have a large following (less than 100), but they are passionate about what they do. Zoe is an excellent investigator, using quick thinking, intensive research and a desire to uncover the truth in her work. Niamh is a skilled cyber sleuth, using technology to aid their investigations.

When Zoe is asked by her older brother to investigate something for him, she’s intrigued. It involves a friend of his who has lost a twin and gained terrible scars in a house fire. She also has a secret.

When she receives a note that looks like it’s been written in blood, she’s scared. Someone claims to know her secret and it’s the last thing she wants known to the world. They have demanded $10,ooo to keep quiet. Can Zoe figure out who is sending the notes?

What follows is an investigation that begins with a note that could be blood, or could be tomato sauce? Zoe relishes a challenge and with Niamh’s help just a call away, they get to work.

Review

Jack Heath novels are always so readable. By which I mean – so easy to immerse yourself in from very early in the story. I Know What You’re Hiding has an intriguing prologue (which unfortunately for me, gave too much away), but not enough for me to put the book down.

A key thing for me in this YA Mystery Thriller was main character Zoe. An old saying goes, she has the hide of an elephant. This is Zoe through and through. She can just about talk her way out of anything, find ways to extract information from possible suspects or witnesses with cunning wee plans, and keep her cool while doing it. Even with this kind of personality, I still felt her relief or thumping heart after each stunt.

There is action, mystery, and fear for the characters as truths are revealed and villains appear in full colour.

I know What You’re Hiding is a clever, thrilling ride.

Writing Style

Begins with a prologue sharing an event that is the catalyst for a mystery to unravel.

The rest of the novel continues three years after the event with chapter headings showing an ever decreasing time limit to solve the blackmail attempt in.

FAQS

What age is it for?

Age – 12+

Where & When is it set?

University Mid Term Break – Present Day / Mostly in a fictional University town – Australia

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

Third Person / Present tense

Is there Violence?

Yes

Is there any Sex?

No

What genre is I Know What You’re Hiding?

Real Life / Contemporary Mystery Young Adult Fiction

Themes

Mystery / Secrets / Family / Blackmail

Is it part of a series?

No

If you liked this, you might like…

Nothing Bad Happens Here

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series

Author

Jack Heath

Publisher

Scholastic Australia

(2026, Scholastic Aust, Intermediate (NZ), Action, Crime, Murder, Family, Humour, Mystery, Secret, Twins, Arson, Fire, Scars, Investigation, Podcasters, Cyber sleuth, Blackmail, Siblings, University)

The post I Know What You’re Hiding Book Review appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

But she was also Roslyn’s older sister – someone she looked up to, with an adventurous and rebellious spirit. Still, when Adeline leaves to spend time with an aunt at a quiet lake spot for her mental health, Roslyn was relieved to be away from her for a while.

When Adeline goes missing and is found dead, Roslyn and her parents are left in shock. Roslyn slowly loses herself in grief and guilt, losing any friends along with it. It’s only when a rowdy group of girls her age come to town, claiming to have known Adeline before she died, does Roslyn feel something again.

Determined to learn what happened to her big sister, Roslyn accepts their invite to travel with them on a road trip.

She has no idea, it will be to hell and back.

With an intriguing title, cover and premise, When I Was Death follows a grieving sister and a group of teenage girls who have made a pact with… Death.

There are six girls in this confident, rambunctious, vibrant group which is what attracts Roslyn to them. The reader doesn’t really get to know any of them very deeply, but they all have their own personality and place in the plot.

They have all chosen to live or die with dire consequences they must live by. Life or death is a pretty big tension builder, and their choices become more dangerous as they get to know each other. With time counting down to the ultimate test of survival, this is a gripping read.

Author – Alexis Henderson

Age – 12+

If you like the sound of this, you might also like this

Publisher – Penguin Random House

Set in – Present

Orphan – No

Violence – Yes

Real Life – Yes

Fantasy – Yes

Sex – No

Blend – Horror / Mystery / Grief

(2026, Penguin Random House, Intermediate (NZ), Horror, Siblings, Sisters, Grief, Guilt, Death, Pact, Mystery, Family, Road Trip, RV Travel, Secret)

The post When I Was Death appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

Living high up in Highmoor Manor by the sea, Annaleigh and her family must again go into mourning for a year.  Camille, the eldest of her sisters, is tired of the dark, drab dresses they have to wear once again, and is worried she will never find a suitor.

Their new stepmother makes a suggestion that not only breaks Camille’s melancholy, but endears the sisters to her. The resulting grand event only leaves them feeling more dejected. The rumours from the nearby town have finally crept up and through the halls of Highmoor. Annaleigh’s family has been cursed.

Again, the girls find another way to avoid this so called curse and attend what they love most of all – Glittering balls with handsome partners to dance all night with. Annaleigh too enjoys these magical events, especially after meeting the son of one of her father’s ship Captains.  But she increasingly grows wary as strange voices and ghostly visions of her dead sisters begin to follow her everywhere. Now sure her siblings were murdered, Annaleigh begins to ask questions, dig deeper and what she finds is almost too horrifying to bear. Where have her sisters been going? Who were they really dancing with? And who brought this curse down upon them all?

This retelling of The Brother’s Grimm’s The Twelve Dancing Princesses lured me in with empathy for Annaleigh and her grieving family, and the added customs and beliefs based around the sea provided a wonderful backdrop.

Unlike other retellings I’ve read, this story got darker and darker, letting in voices and visions, dreams and nightmares. I got to know Annaleigh well, as she grieved, then baulked at what she saw and heard, slowly beginning to understand the controlling forces over her family. The revealing answers were unexpected and riveting.

Intriguing. Involved. Intense. Loved it! 

Author – Erin A Craig

Age – 14+

Find more retelling reviews here

Find a review for the next book in this stunning series here

(2020, 2026, Penguin Random House, Mystery, Fantasy, Ghost, Murder, Classic, Retelling, Princess, Grief, Secret, Siblings, Sisters, Stepmother, Truth, Magic, Horror)

The post House of Salt and Sorrows appeared first on whatbooknext.com.

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.

They used to be mates when they were younger, playing cricket in the street with wheelie bins as the wickets, daring each other to swim across newly found waterholes in the river, and hanging out at each other’s homes.

Now, after drifting apart for different reasons and with school nearly over, they’re looking forward to leaving Carraway Point.

Kallum has already experienced Sydney. A skilled footy player, and with dreams of playing for the NRL, he won a scholarship to a Sydney boarding school. Things were great until he got in a fight with another student. He’s certain a white boy wouldn’t have been expelled for the fight, but the reason behind it all still burns inside him.

Jordy and Kallum used to be mates, but when Kallum joined the footy guys at the gym and on the field, they drifted apart. Jordy coming out has changed his friends dynamic completely, but he’s too busy at home to spend much time thinking about that. With his mum gone, his dad is drinking every night, leaving many of the home responsibilities up to Jordy. He doesn’t mind looking out for his little sister and brother, but he’s leaving for acting school in Sydney, and he worries about leaving them behind.

Dylan wishes they could go back to the fun memories of their childhoods. Ever since he saw his best friend Brandon shot dead in front of him, he’s all but consumed by it. He’s the only witness, besides the white policeman who shot him, and as the trial approaches, the town is abuzz with what will happen.

Anger rises when White Power graffiti is found on the supermarket wall, and protests are building. Will the officer get off because he is white and Brandon, Aboriginal? Dylan feels the pressure from both sides, his only real escape is his film making.

Gary Lonesborough’s writing is always so authentic, and I was quickly and easily immersed in these young men’s lives at fictional Carraway Point.

Told in three sperate viewpoints, in one section of the novel after the other, time also moved on over several months. This allows the reader to get glimpses of the other character’s lives within that viewpoint as time passes.

There are powerful conflicts in the novel, both inner and outer. There are those who spew the White Power hate speech and actions, the boy’s inner turmoils on their sexuality or parental expectations, and the misconceptions they have of each other after they have drifted away from changing friendship dynamics.

A touching, powerful read.

Author – Gary Lonesborough

Age – 16+

Find more Gary Lonesborough novels here

Publisher – Allen & Unwin

Set – Fictional Australian Coastal Town / Present

Viewpoint – 3 viewpoints / 1st person

Violence – Yes

Sex – Yes

Real Life – Yes

Blend – Real Life / Racism / LGBTQ+

(2026, Allen & Unwin, Bullies, Conflict, LGBTQ+, Crime, Family, Real Life, Friendship, Grief, Growing up, Murder, Secret, Friendship Dynamics, Gay, Relationships, Football, NRL, Dreams, Film making, Coastal Town, Aboriginal, Racism, Prejudice, Coming of Age)

The post Good Young Men 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, abandoned 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

Blend – YA / Historical / Action / Thriller

(2026, Bateman Books, NZ Author, Aotearoa New Zealand, Intermediate (NZ), 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)

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It does help that Ruth’s might-be cousin Dylan is there too. In fact the whole family has turned up. What was supposed to be a couple of screen-free days with family, is stretched into more when a someone gets bitten by a snake and ends up in hospital. They decide to wait for his release, when something even worse happens. GG is murdered!

It’s a shock. No-one is particularly close to her, but still, she was alive when they all went off to bed, then suddenly she wasn’t. The murder weapon seems to be the unlikely and strange choice of GG’s own typewriter.

After the shock of a death in the family, and murder at that, Ruth’s clue finding, detective-wannabe mind kicks in. She quickly ropes Dylan into the sleuthing and together they piece together motives, clues, missing items, and strange behaviours.

Who killed GG?

Despite her dad trying to keep her away from all the discussions, she won’t quit on this mystery.

Was it an aunt who really wasn’t? A long lost son after GG’s money? Grandad’s love child lost to the family when adopted out as a child? A couch surfing surfer? Or maybe someone else in the family with hidden agendas?

With multiple awards to it’s name, My Family and Other Suspects deserves every accolade. This murder mystery is funny, clever, brilliantly plotted, and has a killer ending. (Scuse the pun).

Ruth is hilarious, talking directly to the reader as she unravels clues, crushes on her might-be cousin, second guesses herself one moment and takes giant risks with her assumptions the next. She, along with her aunts all swoon (just a little), as the hunky neighbour comes to condole them after a death in the family.

Blame flies from one family member to the next in Ruth’s mind, but surprises and secrets are everywhere, and untangling them all takes Ruth on all manner of trajectories. Bit by bit, clue by clue, she begins piecing them together to find the culprit – all while mocking the reader with questions on how well they’re doing with their own investigations and puzzle solving.

A murder mystery like no other, My Family and Other Suspects is captivating. 

Author – Kate Emery

Age – 12+

Awards:

• Selected, One of the Best Young Adult Books for 2024 – Readings Books, 2024, AU
• Winner, Best Young Adult Fiction, Indie Book Awards, 2025, AU
• Notable Book, Book of Year: Older Readers, CBCA Awards, 2025, AU
• Shortlisted, Best Young Adult Cover, Australian Book Design Awards, 2025, AU
• Winner, John Marsden Book of the Year for Older Children, Australian Book Industry Awards, 2025, AU
• Winner, Young Adult Book of the Year, WA Premier’s Book Awards, 2025, AU
• Longlisted, Best Young Adult Crime Fiction, Davitt Awards, 2025, AU

Publisher – Allen & Unwin

Set in – Contemporary Rural Australia

Viewpoints – 1st person – Direct Address

Orphan – No (Parents apart)

Violence – Minimal

Real Life – Yes

Fantasy – No

Sex – No

Blend – Mystery / Humour / Family Dynamics

(2026, Allen & Unwin, Blended Family, Crime, Family, Humour, Murder, Mystery, Real Life, Secret, Cousins, Grandmother, Fraud, Clues, Award Winner, Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards Winner, 2025 ABIA Winner, Australian Books Industry Awards, Sherlock Holmes & Watson)

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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)

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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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He works hard in class, but this too brings the bullies, taunts and jabs. Many kids don’t want to listen to teachers or learn. They’d rather talk about music, or gangs or street action. Jerome has no friends to speak of either, trying to keep out of trouble and to himself.

When a new boy joins his class, Jerome feels for him as his bullies quickly make fun of him. Jerome waves Carlos over to sit by him, and gives advice about the school. It’s not long before the Jerome’s bullies track them down, but Carlos has something to scare them off with. A gun.

Its not real, but is has the desired effect. When he offers it to Jerome to play with, Jerome isn’t sure. He decides it might be fun. He never sees Carlos again.

As a ghost, he must watch the trauma of his family losing him. He doesn’t want to be there and can’t understand why he can’t leave. But when he meets others that roam this realm alongside the live one, he begins to wonder if there is an important reason.

There is a terrible history of shootings in their country. 1000’s of black people killed by police, KKK or racism. Is there a way to finally make it stop?

This graphic novel is a moving and potent adaptation of the 2018 novel of the same name. In muted colours, this story is told in sections separated by pages with one word in the centre.      alive   or   dead.

These pages indicate to the reader what happens to Jerome, stepping back and forth through events such as the walk to school, the moment Carlos gives Jerome the toy gun, right through to a preliminary court hearing, meeting other ghosts – and onto an emotional ending.

Shocking facts are revealed about shooting statistics in the USA, along with historical events.

This isn’t just a story for those who live there, but for everyone to think about their racial bias, prejudice and beliefs in stereotypes. Jerome’s family pays the horrific price of police brutality, and readers also see the fallout of the family of the policeman who fired his gun.

Angie Thomas says Ghost Boys is a Must Read, and I totally agree. 

Author – Jewell Parker Rhodes

Illustrator – Setor Fiadzigbey

Age – 12+

Publisher – Orion / Hachette

Set – Contemporary Chicago / USA

Viewpoint – 1st person

Violence – Yes

Sex – No

Real Life – Yes

Fantasy – Ghosts

Blend – Real Life / Ghosts / Racism

(2026, Orion, Hachette, Social Justice, Police Brutality, Shooting, Gun, Unprovoked, Crime, Police shooting, School, Poverty, Bullies, Ghost, Family, Friendship, Crime, Murder, Grief, Love, Real Life, Prejudice, Racism)

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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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Faolan sees money passing hands before they leave and figures this is just a transaction to get rid of him so the Mayor can get his hands on Pops’s land. The Mayor is unaware of two things however. One – Faolan is a girl. Two – she knows where Pop’s land deed is hidden.

She’s heard of this Fort and had thought it was a doomed place to try and live, far from everywhere. But she’s surprised to find good food, kindness and purpose in the comunity. What she soon learns is completely different. The Fort is ruled by a man named His Benevolence by the people of the Fort, and his 2nd in charge is Acolyte Stuckley. Both men give Faolan the creeps.

Faolan has always been taught to be self sufficient and wary of others. Despite this she makes a couple of friends in Jesse & Dai Lo as she gets to know her new life within the Fort’s strict walls of work and prayer.

But something is wrong with this place. She’s heard screams in the night, and howls on the wind from her bed, and she wonders what roams outside the walls.

The more she learns about the Fort and its leader, the more eerie the place becomes, until she is right in the centre of something otherworldly. Can she use her smarts and fiddle playing to save herself and all those she has come to care about?

Part Real Life Western, and Historical Horror with a slash of Fantasy thrown in, Red in Tooth and Claw has an intriguing premise and a captivating plot that races the reader to a satisfying ending.

Main character Faolan is a likeable character (albeit with an annoying stubborn streak), that draws others to her. She’s smart, even when she mouths off when she shouldn’t, and this YA novel is told in her voice.

The setting easily encompasses the reader, taking them back to a Fort in the American Western Frontier, and the wilds around it.

With just a whisp of romance interwoven into the story, (that Faolan resists) her wariness and stubborn streak melts a little, making her even more authentic.

Great read.

Author – Lish McBride

Age – 13+

Find more Horror reads here

Publisher – Penguin Books

Set – Similar to Wild West (USA) Late 1800’s

Viewpoint – 1st person

Violence – Yes

Sex – No

Real Life – Aspects yes

Fantasy – Yes / Supernatural

Blend – Real Life / Historical /Horror / Western / Fantasy

(2025, Penguin Books, Putnam, Western, Wild West, Orphans, Religion, Control, Fort, Death, New Friends, Creature, Courage, Healers, Western gypsies, Rovers, Music, Fantasy, Crime)

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Travellers along the way seem shocked he is going to Count Dracula’s castle home, and out of politeness, Jonathan accepts a strange gift of a crucifix on a chain.

Meeting the Count himself is unnerving with his pale skin, hairy palms and long sharp fingernails. Business and talk of London soon fills many night hours over the next few days as the Count is away during the day.

It’s only when the Count insists Jonathan stay for another month, that he really begins to worry. He has a fiancé waiting for him in London.

Meanwhile Mina, waits for her beloved to return. Spending time with her friend Lucy in a seaside town called Whitby, is a wonderful way to spend the time while Jonathan is away. But the longer she waits without word from him, the more she worries. When Lucy becomes unwell, Mina’s worries are doubled.

Finally she gets word and they are reunited. Jonathan however, is not the man she bade farewell months before. Lucy is changing too, and with their mutual friend’s help and advice, Mina endeavours to heal them both.

The connection is none other than Count Dracula, and no-one would ever believe what they all come to know.

This Dyslexic friendly retelling of Bram Stoker’s Dracula is true to the original in only 102 pages.

The most famous vampire story of them all, reluctant readers will also enjoy this classic in a shorter, accessible format, without the language of the 1800’s. But it’s just as enthralling.

No doubt the original holds all of the tension and thrill of the horror and chase of a monster, but this version is a perfect way to introduce a story told in a plethora of ways over the past century or more.

All the characters appear including Dr Van Helsing, who has his own stream of stories, movies and modern followers.

Part of a Dyslexic Classic selection from the Dyslexic Publishing Specialists – Barrington Stoke (Harper Collins Imprint), this version of Dracula is also retold by the Carnegie Award Winning Author, Tanya Landman.

Author – Bram Stocker

Retold by – Tanya Landman

Dyslexic Title – Reading Age 9 / Interest Age 13+

Find other Vampire Tales here

Find more Tanya Landman Dyslexic friendly Classics here

(2025, Barrington Stoke Publishing, Dyslexic Read, Reluctant Read, Horror, Love, Romance, Friendship, Action, Courage, Murder, Historical, Fantasy, Secret, Vampires, Classic, Castle, Blood, Terror, Whitby, London, Transylvania)

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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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