Book reviews of the latest Irish and international YA titles! From thrillers to romance and fantasy to poetry, you’re sure to find a book recommendation from our fantastic team of teenage and adult book reviewers! All our reviews are in our printed journals as well as online.
2024 Reads
Issue 13
The Grimoire of Grave Fates Created by Hanna Alkaf and Margaret Owen
Reviewed by Clara Kamlah, 17
Issue 12
You Are a Story: A creative writing guide by Laura Dockrill
Illustrated by Lotte Cassidy
Reviewed by Emer Cronin, 14
Magic Has No Borders edited by Sona Charaipotra and Samira Ahmed
Reviewed by Isobel Thorne, 16
Issue 11
Review: How to be a (Young) Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone
Reviewed by Danielle Briody, 17
Review: Nubia: The Awakening by Omar Epps and Clarence A. Haynes
Reviewed by Pierina Campbell
Issue 10
Review: These Are the Words: Fearless Verse to Find Your Voice by Nikita Gill
Reviewed by Aoife Connolly
Review: Queer Up – An Uplifting Guide to LGBTQ+ Love, Life and Mental Health by Alexis Caught
Reviewed by Freddie Higgins, 15
Review: What I Love About Me: A Very Special Fill-In Journal to Inspire Self-Celebration and Growth for the Year Ahead
Reviewed by Ciara O’Hara
Issue 9
The Eternal Review of Clara Hart by Louise Finch (Little Island Books, August 2022)
Reviewed by Rachel Stephens, 18
Cinder & Glass by Melissa de la Cruz (Putman, March 2022)
Reviewed by Sarah Thompson O Sullivan, 16
Jameela Green Ruins Everything by Zarqa Nawaz (Mariner Books, March 2022)
Reviewed by Lasairíona Scarff, 16
Harley Quinn: Reckoning by Rachael Allen (Random House, April 2022)
Reviewed by Amina Abbassene, 18
I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston (Macmillan Children’s Books, May 2022)
Reviewed by Courtney Smyth
Say No To The Dress by Keren David (Barrington Stoke, April 2022)
Reviewed by Deirdre Power
Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys, Andrew Weiner, illustrated by Brittney Williams (Harper Alley, March 2022)
Reviewed by Emma Daly
Issue 8
The Fall of the Argosi by Sebastien de Castell (Hot Key Books, 2021)
Reviewed by Dylan Keane, 13
The Balloon Thief by Aneesa Marufu (Chicken House, March 2022)
Reviewed by Aoife McCarron, 17
Truth Be Told by Sue Divin (Macmillian Children’s Books, April 2022)
Reviewed by Daniel Akande, 14
The Secrets Act by Alison Weatherby (Chicken House, January 2022)
Reviewed by Maya Silasi, 16
The Colour of Hope by Ross MacKenzie (Andersen Press, May 2022)
Reviewed by Abbie Nolan, 13
When Shadows Fall by Sita Brahmachari (Little Tiger Group, 2021)
Illustrated by Natalie Sirett
Reviewed by Sarah Fitz, 17
Blood to Poison by Mary Watson (Bloomsbury YA, April 2022)
Reviewed by Aoife Sheehan Read More
The Gifts That Bind Us by Caroline O’Donoghue (Walker Books, February 2022)
Reviewed by Amy Clarkin
Echoes and Empires by Morgan Rhodes (Razorbill, January 2022)
Reviewed by Joanna Kleibauer
Lulu and Milagro’s Search for Clarity by Angela Velez (Balzer and Bray, February 2022)
Reviewed by Caitríona O’Malley
Pride And Prejudice: A Retelling by Laura Wood (Barrington Stoke, January 2022)
Reviewed by Patricia Hayes
Extasia by Claire Legrand (Katherine Tegen Books, February 2022)
Reviewed by Shauna Dalton
Issue 7
So, This Is Christmas by Tracy Andreen (Vikings Books, October 2021)
Reviewed by Aoibhe Toft, 15
Perfectly Preventable Deaths by Deirdre Sullivan (Hot Key Books, 2019)
Reviewed by Sara Kwiatkowska, 13
Precious Catastrophe by Deirdre Sullivan (Hot Key Books, September 2021)
Reviewed by Rebecca Downey, 15
Hope Against Hope by Sheena Wilkinson (Little Island, 2020)
Reviewed by Louisa Tyrrell, 14
Arisotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (Simon and Schuster Children’s Books, October 2021)
Reviewed by Esmèe Kidd, 15
All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue (Walker Books, May 2021)
Reviewed by James Keegan, 15
The Betrayed by Kiera Cass (HarperCollins Publishers, July 2021)
Reviewed by Abby Cahill, 14
The Skulduggery Pleasant Grimoire by Derek Landy (HarperCollins, May 2021)
Reviewed by Emil W., 15
Tomorrow is Beautiful edited by Sarah Crossan (Bloomsbury YA, 2021)
Reviewed by Camille Boelt Hindsgaul
The Sisters of Reckoning by Charlotte Nicole Davis (Hot Key Books, August 2021)
Reviewed by Emma Muldoon-Ryan
Not Here To Be Liked by Michelle Quach (Usborne Publishing Ltd, September 2021)
Reviewed by Medb O’Gorman
Issue 6
Baby Teeth by Meg Grehan (Little Island Books, September 2021)
Reviewed by Hanna-Rose Sullivan, 16
The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani (Hot Key Books, June 2021)
Reviewed by Rachel Stephens, 17
The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth (Andersen Press, June 2020)
Reviewed by Rowan Beddows, 16
Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer (Bloomsbury YA, September 2021)
Reviewed by Lily Farrell, 14
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron (Bloomsbury YA, June 2021)
Reviewed by Sarah O’Gara, 13
Skulduggery Pleasant: Dead or Alive by Derek Landy (HarperCollins, April 2021)
Reviewed by Grace Kelly
Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk and Nicola Yoon (Electric Monkey, June 2021)
Reviewed by Sinéad Creedon
Issue 5
City of the Uncommon Thief by Lynne Bertrand (Dutton Books, Feb 2021)
Reviewed by Shona Gogarty, teen reviewer
As Far As You’ll Take Me by Phil Stamper (Bloomsbury YA, March 2021)
Reviewed by Rory O’Sullivan
You’ve Got This! by Tammy Darcy (Gill Books, March 2021)
Reviewed by Amina Abbassene, teen reviewer
The Spirit of the River by Declan Murphy (Lilliput Press, April 2021)
Reviewed by Lasairíona Scarff, teen reviewer
The Crooked Mask by Rachel Burge (Hot Key Books, January 2021)
Reviewed by Dean Mc Morrow, teen reviewer
Guard Your Heart by Sue Divin (Macmillan Children’s Books, April 2021)
Reviewed by Juliet Russell, teen reviewer
I Think I Love You by Auriane Desombre (Underlined, March 2021)
Reviewed by Laura Alyward, teen reviewer
The Wild by Owen Laukkanen (Underlined, January 2021)
Reviewed by Holly Dolan, teen reviewer
My Epic Spring Break (Up) by Kristin Rockaway (Underlined, April 2021)
Reviewed by Eimear Feeney, teen reviewer
What Love Looks Like by Jarlath Gregory (The O’Brien Press, March 2021)
Reviewed by Sara Chudzik
The Deep-Sea Duke by Lauren James (Barrington Stoke, February 2021)
Reviewed by Elliot Gallogly
Issue 4
The Game Weavers by Rebecca Zahabi (Zuntold, 2020)
Reviewed by Brónagh Davis, teen reviewer
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland (Hot Key Books, April 2021)
Reviewed by Halle O’Loughnan, teen reviewer
The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White (Delacorte Press, 2020)
Reviewed by Rachel O’Gara, teen reviewer
The Cousins by Karen M. McManus (Penguin Random House Children’s UK, 2020)
Reviewed by Daniel Akande, teen reviewer
A Vow So Bold And Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer (Bloomsbury YA, January 2021)
Reviewed by Maya Silasi, teen reviewer
How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Storiesby Holly Black (Hot Key Books, 2020)
Illustrated by Rovina Cai
Reviewed by Aoibhe O’Dwyer, teen reviewer
11 Paper Hearts by Kelsey Hartwell (Underlined, January 2021)
Reviewed by Saoirse Davis, teen reviewer
This Can Never Not Be Real by Sera Milano (Electric Monkey, April 2021)
Reviewed by Ross Kelly
Animal Farm by George Orwell (Barrington Stoke, January 2021)
Reviewed by Shauna Dalton, teen reviewer
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen (Random House Graphic, 2020)
Reviewed by Joanna Kleibauer
Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett (Penguin Random House Children’s UK, 2019)
Reviewed by Cliona Hornibrook
Bone Music: The Legend of Genghis Khan by Katherine Roberts (Greystones Press, 2018)
Reviewed by Lisa Redmond
Issue 3
Savage Her Reply by Deirdre Sullivan (Little Island, October 2020)
Reviewed by Hanna-Rose Sullivan, teen reviewer
Again Again by E. Lockhart (Hot Key Books, June 2020)
Reviewed by Aoibhe Toft, teen reviewer
Star Trek: Discovery – Aftermath by Kirsten Beyer and Mike Johnson (IDW Publishing, April 2020)
Illustrated by Tony Shasteen and Angel Hernandez
Reviewed by Joanna Geoghegan
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron (Bloomsbury, August 2020)
Reviewed by Camille Boelt Hindsgaul
Wuthering Heights; A Retelling by Tanya Landman (Barrington Stoke, August 2020)
Reviewed by Jessica Militante
Dokkaebi: Vicious Spirits by Kat Cho (Penguin Random House, August 2020)
Reviewed by Anne Murray
How It All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi (Hot Key Books, September 2020)
Reviewed by Niamh O’Donnell
The Great Revolt by Paul Dowswell (Bloomsbury Education, August 2020)
Reviewed by Rebecca Downey, teen reviewer
Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland (Hot Key Books, 2016)
Reviewed by Esmée Kidd, teen reviewer
The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (Hot Key Books, July 2020)
Reviewed by Emma Muldoon Ryan
This Is My America by Kim Johnson (Penguin Random House, July 2020)
Reviewed by Anet Rumberg
Issue 2
Night of the Dragon by Julie Kagawa (HQ Young Adult, April 2020)
Reviewed by Emma Daly, teen reviewer
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (Barrington Stoke, February 2020)
Reviewed by Deirbhile Brennan
The Oracle Code by Marieke Nijkamp and Manuel Preitano (DC Comics, March 2020)
Reviewed by Joanna Kleibauer
Canto, Volume 1: If I Only Had A Heart by David M. Booher and Drew Zucker (IDW Publishing, March 2020)
Reviewed by Joanna Kleibauer
Shakespeare’s Ghost by Mary Hoffman (The Greystones Press, 2016)
Reviewed by Sinéad Creedon
Dead Ed in my Head by Barbara Catchpole (Ransom Publishing, 2017)
Reviewed by Rowan Beddows, teen reviewer
The Stone Balancer by John Townsend (Ransom Publishing, 2019)
Reviewed by Cate Reid, teen reviewer
Tell Me No Truths by Gill Vickery (The Greystones Press, 2018)
Reviewed by Anne-Charlotte Gerbaud
A Hurricane in My Head by Matt Abbott (Bloomsbury Education, 2019)
Reviewed by Emily Cross
Issue 1
Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran (The O’Brien Press)
Reviewed by Karina Clifford
The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman (Penguin Random House)
Reviewed by Deirbhile Brennan
Music from Another World by Robin Talley (HQ Young Adult)
Reviewed by Brigid O’Dea, teen reviewer