Young adult

After the Lights Go Out by Lili Wilkinson

Reviewed by Angela Crocombe

Lili Wilkinson’s latest novel is a page-turning thriller set in a post-disaster world. Pru’s single father is a doomsday prepper – which means he has a hidden bunker with supplies to last for years and he makes his three daughters…

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Mercy Point by Anna Snoekstra

Reviewed by Kushla Egan

Five teens in Mount Cobalt each carry a heavy secret alone: they suspect they are adopted, and they are certain their parents are lying to them. When they each receive an email invitation to join a private message board for…

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Hive by A.J. Betts

Reviewed by Natalie Platten

A.J. Betts Hive introduces an unfamiliar world that is strange and perplexing and as a reader it takes time to build a sense of orientation within this story, but it’s well worth the effort. Hive is the place where Hayley…

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Changing Gear by Scot Gardner

Reviewed by Dani Solomon

When Merrick’s beloved grandad – the man who taught him how to surf, fart and be a man – passes away, it’s like a rug has been pulled out from under Merrick’s feet. In the six months that follow, Merrick…

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All of This Is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor

Reviewed by Kim Gruschow

A group of teens has become completely obsessed with the novel Undertow and they are absolutely delighted to form a close friendship with YA author Fatima Ro after meeting her at a book signing. After sharing secrets with their trusted…

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Big Bones by Laura Dockrill

Reviewed by Leanne Hall

I first came across Laura Dockrill’s unique voice with her wildly poetic mermaid duology, Lorali and Aurabel, and Big Bones is another addition to her marvellous body of work about young people who go their own (messy) way with…

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The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross

Reviewed by Lian Hingee

Everyone knows the story of the beauty and the beast, but this beautifully conceived debut from Australian writer Leife Shallcross turns the classic fairytale on its head. The Beast’s Heart is a sumptuous, well-paced retelling that puts the Beast at…

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The Learning Curves of Vanessa Partridge by Clare Strahan

Reviewed by Kushla Egan

It’s the start of the summer holidays, and the Partridges are off to the beach. But it’s a new kind of family holiday altogether – mum’s gone to Paris to ‘find herself’, abandoning siblings Vanessa and Ash to the reality…

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Lifel1k3 (Lifelike) by Jay Kristoff

Reviewed by Alistair Mathieson Lynn

Lifel1k3 is the new dystopian thriller from the prolific Jay Kristoff and it is a non-stop, action-packed romp. The novel opens with Evie Carpenter (also know as Riotgrrl), a scavvergirl just trying to get by on the junkyard island known…

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The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton

Reviewed by Kim Gruschow

I absolutely adored Leslye Walton’s extraordinary debut novel, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, and was so excited to read this long-awaited witchy follow up.

Nine generations of Blackburn women have lived on Anathema Island. Each has…

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