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Imagine never seeing real sunlight and relying on virtual reality to survive. As you read The City of Light, you follow the adventures of Wish, Niah, Tye and Hart on their quest to find the cure and save the people of Nar who haven’t seen real sunlight in years and have spent their days waiting, locked in domed cities and a virtual reality. The City of Light is full of twists and turns, ravenous, monstrous beasts and perilous traps. All the while the main character lives with a terminal illness but she does not let it stop her and she shows tremendous courage and strength throughout the journey. If you love Sci-fi and action-packed adventure mixed with suspense, you will just love The City of Light! I recommend it for fans of The Matrix, Divergent and other thrilling sci-fi dystopian novels. This book is the first in a series called the Chronicles of Nar and is suitable for most ages, there’s no sex scenes, references to drugs or super gory violence. There is a little bit of violence and dark themes but nothing too scary for kids.  Do you love gripping and thrilling stories that throw you straight into the action and leave you on the edge of your seat till you finish? If you answered yes, you will love IDA by Alison Evans! IDA is a fabulous story which I absolutely adored reading, whilst exploring the pages you will journey through different dimensions as you fall in love with Ida and wish for her to find her way home. IDA is full of surprising and stunning twists and turns that I never saw coming, this made it impossible for me to put the book down and go to sleep. When I finished reading IDA I was so sad because I am craving more. It did conclude beautifully so I’m not expecting a sequel but I hope there’s one on the horizon as I need more adventures with Ida! I highly recommend this book if you love action, adventure, suspense, paranormal stories and sci-fi. I personally love that most of the characters are members of the LGBTQ+ community and are awesome and inspirational without it being a “coming out” story or there being any angst or negativity about that aspect of the characters. They just are who they are, and that’s epic!  The wait is finally over! From the first sentence I was thrust into the thrilling, action packed adventure book which is Jane Doe and The Key of All Souls by Jeremy Lachlan. This is the second book in The Cradle of all Worlds series which it felt like a lifetime of waiting for, as many of us readers NEEDED to know what happened after the end of Jane Doe and The Cradle of All Worlds left us on an intense cliffhanger. After reading this book I have now forgiven Jeremy for making me wait, it was totally worth it. The Key of All Souls is intense and imbibes all the senses with vivid descriptions and gripping tension that will draw you in and leave you at the very edge of your seat. As the fight against Roth intensifies the action swells and the most shocking of plot twists unravel in the pages. There is also a same sex crush which was hinted at in the first book but developed a little bit more, so I was very excited to read this and I’m really not into romance but I enjoyed one of my favorite book kisses ever in this book. This book is perfect for lovers of fantasy, thrillers, action, adventure and readers who love a shocking plot twist. I definitely recommend for ages 11+ as the dark themes feel quite intense in this book and The Key of All Souls is a little scarier and more mature than the first book in the series as it seems to be growing with its audience. I can’t wait for the next book in this series, The Quill of All Tales it is going to be epic! I can’t wait to see what Adventures Jane, Violet and Hickory undertake next! So if you see Jeremy Lachlan wondering the streets or looking to relaxed out and about, please send him home to work on the next book so we can all continue our adventure ASAP.  From the moment I opened Euphoria Kids by Alison Evans I was delighted by the feeling of magic and wonder! Euphoria kids opens with Iris, one of the main characters, who is made of plants, blooming from a backyard flower bed. The theme of magic continues throughout this incredible book and as you read further you begin to get to know the characters Iris, Bab’s and the boy who hasn’t yet found his real name. As the trio embark on a perilous journey despite being warned to stay away. I could not put this book down at all from the moment I dove into its pages! Alison Evans really imbued all the senses and pulls the reader in with their incredible descriptions and ability to make the pages come to life. Euphoria Kids is EPIC and spoiler alert, unlike many YA books with LGBTQ+ themes, this ended very peacefully and just beautifully. This book has strong themes of magic, friendship, LGBTQ+ pride and gender euphoria. I absolutely recommend Euphoria Kids for teenagers and adults who love fantasy and action books and anyone who identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, as there are characters that you will be able to relate to on some levels. I would love to see Euphoria kids in schools and libraries so teens can access this amazing work as everyone has the right to access books and stories that help them feel represented and acknowledged. Now I’m off to go find myself a Dryad to chill with in the veggie patch.  From the very first sentence I was hooked, I was thrust into the gripping tale which takes place in the land of Oster. It starts in Gywydhan Valley and follows the main characters as they journey throughout Oster and eventually arrive at their destination. There are twists and turns as Lycaea and Lowell Sencha face perils beyond belief. throughout the story you really get to know and care for them and I have no doubt that you will be on the edge of your seat as you journey though the pages with them, holding your breathe in the hopes that they succeed. Meg Cady really draws in all the senses with her writing style, she captured the mood and atmosphere of this book in the most perfect way. I could really picture myself there running towards the valley, in the cells, in Kaebhas mind and running into the fire. Waer is compelling and addictive and repeatedly throws the reader into tension and action when they least expect it. I was shocked and delighted by some of the most surprising twists and was sad when I finished the book because it was just so good and I want to read about more adventures of Lowell and Lycaea. So even though Waer finished so perfectly and I thought the ending was beautiful, I am still hoping for a sequel because I love the characters and that sense of crazy adventure so much. I highly recommend Waer for fans of Percy Jackson and The Spooks book series or readers who love anything with werewolves, drama, tension, action, fantasy and mystery.  You know you’re reading a truly incredible book when the first few lines capture your attention. The year the maps changed by Danielle Binks is one of these books. The Year The Maps Changed is a moving and powerful story set in Australia in a time of tremendous hardship for the main character. It’s about a girl named Winifred who is adjusting to having a new brother after an unimaginable loss. This story has strong themes of empathy, grief, kindness, acceptance and friendship and it takes the characters and readers on an emotional rollercoaster. The further you dive into the pages, the more you feel for the characters and the more you understand them and their actions. I loved this beautiful and uplifting story so much, I loved getting lost in the adventures of Sam and Winifred and so desperately wanted her to have a happy ending. I definitely recommend it for book lovers who enjoy the works of Nadia King, Alicia Tuckerman and Bryce Courtenay and for lovers of adventure drama and mystery that will pull on the heart strings. Sadly, it won’t be released until May 2020, so I’ll have to leave you hanging until then. Congratulations to Danielle Binks on your fabulous debut novel!  I'm saving my review for this book until the full series has been completed, but here's a little teaser for you. Picking up after The Burning Maze, The Tyrants Tomb definitely doesn’t disappoint! I was shocked by some of the deaths but totally overjoyed by two of the new romantic relationships and it had me on the edge of my seat as Apollo faces trials beyond belief, even more outstanding than the trials of the last three books in this series. This book concludes on the most gripping battle scenes in the series I can’t wait for the next book; The Tower of Nero, but have to wait until spring  You know you are reading an epic book when you just can’t put it down until you are finished! “If I tell you” by Alicia Tuckerman is THAT epic. “If I Tell You” is full of teenage drama, secrets, fears, hate crimes, drinking, drugs, swearing and very real life issues that many teenagers face as well as one of the sweetest, most adorable love stories you’ll ever read. I love how relatable and empowering this story is, it’s full of dark and scary themes but is just gorgeous. “If I Tell You” is about a girl named Alex who has a secret that she has been trying to keep because in a small town with small minded people, she felt as if she would not be accepted. It all changed when a girl named phoenix and her family moved into Two Creeks. I also love hoe this story takes place in a beautifully described Aussie landscape as Alex and Phoenix embrace who they are and take a jump, literally and metaphorically. I could really relate to “If I tell You” as I wanted to be accepted and it took me a long time feel comfortable enough to embrace the fact that I am Bisexual. So I absolutely believe that this book is perfect for all young adults and teens who are struggling with or questioning their own sexuality, but I would never limit it to just that audience either, I think books like this should be completely mainstream and available in high school libraries across the country too! I absolutely fell in love with the main characters (especially phoenix) because they are so relatable and so human to me as I read more and more about them I just thought “are these real people”? They are portrayed so beautifully in this book; I am in awe of how well Tuckerman has portrayed them in this amazing book! When I was lucky enough to meet Alicia Tuckerman she mentioned that some people loved the ending but others hated it… and I’m torn in between, without giving too much away, I found the end to be completely devastating but also poetically beautiful and peaceful, I couldn’t imagine it finishing in another way so I feel like the ending was perfect, even though I would have preferred the happily ever after we unrealistically crave. This is definitely not a book for kids, it for young adults and teens, there is swearing, violence and very adult themes, it mentions sex, drinking and drugs but they are not vividly described all, it just cuts to the next scene, so no censorship required! I think it’s perfect for ages 13+ with parental permission for the younger ones. I love the fabulous representation of the LGBTQ+ community and the fact that the two main charters are lesbians! It was incredible! So raw, honest and relatable! Alicia Tuckerman did an incredible job and I can’t wait for her next book to be released! I challenge you to read this book without falling in love with Alex and phoenix… I bet you can’t do it!
How to be held is an incredible book of poetry by the amazing Maddie Godfrey. It also includes my favourite one of all her poems; Labels are for Jars which is about not judging people and how we should never put labels on people like boy, girl or straight as you may not know how others identify and it’s really none of our business either. I absolutely loved reading How to be held as I adore how raw and open Maddie Godfrey’s poetry is.
I have been lucky enough to actually meet her and it was an incredible experience! She is an amazing, funny and honest person and I had a great time meeting her and getting to chat with her. This book does have some very mature poetry in it but Maddie told me that if you’re not ready to read that you can still get book and ask an adult to just block out the poems with a more mature content. She has actually had some parents block out the poems that they felt their kids weren’t ready to read and they still were able to read most of the book and enjoy it. Some of the poetry tackles really important issues such as abuse, discrimination, depression and much more, and the way she writes about these issues is very empowering as it is often hard for us to step up, take a stand and talk about abuse, discrimination, mental health and all of these urgent challenges. This is another reason why to me, she is such an inspiration, because of how she tackles this mature content. If you love reading the works of Maya Angelou or Jesse Oliver and feel inspired by them, I’m sure you will love and feel inspired by this book! Click the link below to watch the interview I did with Maddie for Booktoberfest 2019. |
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