Month: February 2025

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EchoStar Is Always Listening by Melinda Salisbury: Review

EchoStar Is Always Listening is a technological thriller that blurs the line between sci-fi and reality. A story surrounding the dangers of AI, we can all learn something from this tale. This book is about teenage friendships and navigating growing up in a world with powerful technologies at our fingertips.

Ruby is a delightfully interesting character, with real attitude. She is witty, determined, and at times, quite foolish, which makes for an entertaining read. This book explores themes of isolation and loneliness felt by many young people, and the damaging effect of relying on technology as a companion.

This is a very fast-paced novella, only 130 pages long, making it perfect for those who may not have the attention span for a longer book. The writing is simple yet effective. The atmosphere becomes more unsettling as the story progresses, bordering on creepy towards the end.

Above all, this story feels frighteningly realistic. It has real tension that builds up throughout, making it impossible to put down. It also serves as a warning about children’s innocence online and how they can be taken advantage of.

Review by Ava Palmer

EchoStar Is Always Listening
Melinda Salisbury
Barrington Stoke, 2024
Paperback, £7.99
ISBN: 9781800902701

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The Undying Tower by Melissa Welliver: Review

The Undying Tower is a gripping dystopian novel that excites and intrigues. Whilst the YA dystopian genre is heavily saturated, The Undying Tower manages to separate itself from the pack by harkening back to older dystopian fiction, such as George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four.

The world has collapsed and some people, known as Undying or Locusts, now have the ability to live longer and heal quicker. Unbeknownst to even herself, Sadie Abbott is one of those people. Framed for a terrorist plot that she did not commit and struggling to convince authorities of her innocence, she agrees to become a spy for the police force and get information on the terrorist organisation known as the “Alchemists”. While the pacing can be a bit all over the place, this is a solid novel and seems to be a book that could potentially become a cult classic, or even get an adaptation on the silver screen.

Welliver does a great job of keeping the reader on their toes, without making the suspense seem forced or drawn out, which is something that a lot of modern YA books are lacking.

Overall, this is a really good book and has potential to go very far. For fans of George Orwell, James Dashner, or Suzanne Collins, this book is a great way to revisit a genre that feels stale nowadays.

Lyric Moran, 18

The Undying Tower
Melissa Welliver
Uclan Publishing, 2024
Paperback, £8.99
ISBN: 9781915235862

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Contributors for Issue 15 revealed!

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Introducing our writers, reviewers and artists for Issue 15!


As always, we have an amazing selection of fiction and artwork to lose yourself in and some fabulous reviews of the latest teen and YA books that you can add to your ‘To Be Read’ piles.

What to expect from Issue 15: 

💜A platform for teen creative expression, supporting young artists by elevating their work

📖Short stories, flash fiction and poems by teenage and YA authors

🪁20 pages of book reviews to help chose your latest YA read

🌅The winners of our ‘Daylight’ Short Story competition, sponsored by Tertulia Books

🪻Our beautiful cover: ‘Flower Market Girls’ by Ana Graça

🟣An interview with Zainab Boladale, author of Braids Take A Day

☂️Our book club discussion of Wise Creatures by Deirdre Sullivan

🎆Intriguing art in a variety of media

💟Romantasy: What is behind the new phenomenon? : an essay by Méabh McDonnell

The perfect journal for teens who love to read, as well as older YA enthusiasts.

Issue 15 will be posted the first week of March.

We also offer subscriptions to schools and libraries – email us at paperlanternsjournal@gmail.com to find out more

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Issue 15 Cover …

✨Issue 15 Cover Reveal ✨


We’re delighted to reveal our cover for Issue 15, available 1st March!
Cover art: Flower Market Girls by Ana Graça
Designer: Eleanor Brayden

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We’re sharing our contributors and launch details this week, so watch this space…

Filled with art and writing, including our author interview with @zainab_boladale , article on all things Romantasy by Méabh McDonnell, and the winners of our short story competition with Tertulia Books.

As always, half our contributors are teenagers, making sure we platform young people’s voices!