Young adult

City of the Beasts, by Isabel Allende

Leave a Comment / Book review, Reviews / By

When his mother is taken seriously ill, fifteen-year-old Alexander Cold is sent to live with his forbidding grandmother. Kate is not your typical warm and cuddly grandmother, rather she is brusque, adventurous and no-nonsense. Kate is preparing to embark on an expedition into the Amazonian rainforest and, rather than change her plans, she takes Alexander along with her.
They set off with their team, including a local guide and his young daughter Nadia, deep into the rainforest. Their aim is to locate an isolated and potentially headhunting tribe, as well as a legendary marauding creature known only as “The Beast”. As they get further from civilisation, and expedition members start disappearing, they will discover much more than they bargained for about the mysteries of the jungle and its inhabitants. Read More »

Everything, Everything, by Nicola Yoon

Leave a Comment / Book review, Reviews / By

Live life in a bubble? Or risk everything for love?
Maddy is allergic to everything. For as long as she can remember, she has lived in the safe bubble of her house. Her only contacts with the outside world are her mother, her nurse and her tutor. She is perfectly content with her safe routine until Olly and his family move in next door. Through her connection with Olly, Maddy will start to question what it means to really live, and what she is prepared to risk to have the life she wants. Read More »

Clariel, by Garth Nix

Leave a Comment / Book review, Reviews / By

The events of this book take place roughly 600 years before those in Sabriel. Young Clariel has been forced to leave behind her beloved home on the edge of the Great Forest, to move to the city of Belisaere. Her mother’s career advancements, and possible opportunities for Clariel herself, do not interest her, however. All she can think about is escaping and returning to the forest. She believes that only there will she be happy and lead a fulfilled life. But forces are stirring which will change the course of Clariel’s life beyond her dreams. In a world where those responsible for law, order and otherworldly protection have been shirking their duties, uncertainty reigns. The ambitious circle, as does a mysterious Free Magic being. Clariel must soon choose her path, but will it be the right one? Read More »

Abhorsen, by Garth Nix

Leave a Comment / Book review, Reviews / By

In this thrilling series finale, Lirael and Sameth are faced with ever more dangerous obstacles. The ultimate evil, The Destroyer, which had been bound and buried for centuries has been unearthed and prepares to unleash all manner of hell on both the Old Kingdom and Ancelstierre. Young and inexperienced as they are, Lirael and Sameth must journey far, both in Life and in Death, to try to defeat this terrible foe. The fate of the world as they know it depends on their success. Read More »

Lirael, by Garth Nix

Leave a Comment / Book review, Reviews / By

In this second instalment of the Abhorsen series, we return to the magical land of the Old Kingdom and its non-magical neighbour Ancelstierre. All has been calm and peaceful for several years, but the dead are making increasingly frequent incursions into the land of the living. As a result, Sabriel has been remarkably busy and her son, Sameth, the Abhorsen-in-waiting, is feeling a mounting sense of impending responsibility and dread.
Meanwhile, in the glacier fortress of the Clayr, Lirael is waiting impatiently for the gift of the Sight. The Clayr are renowned and respected seers and she longs to join their ranks. As a distraction in the meantime, she occupies herself with learning Charter Magic and exploring the depths of the Clayr’s vast library. Lirael’s destiny may turn out to be quite different from the one she has been longing for but will be vitally interlinked with the destiny of both countries and their inhabitants. Read More »

Sabriel, by Garth Nix

Leave a Comment / Book review, Reviews / By

Sabriel grew up in the relative safety of a girls’ boarding school in Ancelstierre, far from the dangers of the Old Kingdom. Her father, the mage called Abhorsen, only visits occasionally as he has a very demanding job; making sure the Dead stay dead. Upon receiving a message from her father, Sabriel must journey into the Old Kingdom and the unknown to face her destiny. Read More »