Category: Review Archives

Nicola Davies 
Firefly Press, 2021 
Hardback £14.99 
ISBN: 9781913102777

The Song That Sings Us tells the story of Harlon and her younger siblings, Ash and Xeno, as they barely escape from the brutal Automators. Nicola Davies builds a chilling dystopian world where Automators free people from “the tyranny of nature” by killing all wildlife they find and repressing the Listeners, humans who are able to speak with animals.

While the novel’s 400+ pages may be intimidating to some readers, Davies tells a very moving story from the point of view of both humans and animals. Her language is beautiful and poetic as she describes the natural world that the rebels are fighting to protect. The reader really feels the joy of speaking with elephants or singing with whales, just as they feel the despair of seeing the Automators’ machines cut down an entire forest.

Harlon, Ash, and Xeno are all heroes that the reader quickly comes to root for as they face down impossible odds to reunite their family and protect the animals they love. The villains’ goal to cut off humans’ connection with nature so they can more easily exploit it for profit hits frighteningly close to home.

Ultimately, The Song That Sings Us is a rip-roaring adventure story with airships, woolly rhinos, and battles between good and evil. But it’s also an important reminder that all life on earth is interconnected, and that humans still have a lot to learn from nature.

Anna Benn

Echoes and Empires
Morgan Rhodes 
Razorbill, January 2022 
Paperback, £8.99 
ISBN 9780593524138

What Josslyn Drake knew for sure was that magic is evil evil — that is, until she became “infected” with it. Now she and the criminal, Jericho Nox, must find a way to remove it.

  Echoes and Empires is the type of novel I was waiting for. Characters come alive from the very first pages, particularly the two main protagonists who are so well thought-out and developed, especially Josslyn. She is a teenage girl I could heavily relate to and not because of any specific personality trait described, but for being a realistic character through and through.  Josslyn didn’t suddenly come across amazing power or skills she didn’t have before. Rather, she utilised what she knew already. Her development was well planned out, from the pampered girl, favoured by the Queen of the Empire, to the young woman she’s becoming as she learns more about the world around her and herself.

The author did a fairly good job setting up the world for this story to take place, but it lacked cohesion at times. This might be because the majority of world-building took place mostly through dialogue. As Josslyn figures out how it all works, we as readers learn along with her.

  The storyline was well-paced in the first half of the book. After that, it continued effectively but it became apparent that the plot won’t be fully resolved anytime soon and it’s all a set-up for a series. I don’t mind it one bit though, because, when the time comes, I’ll be very excited to jump back into Josslyn and Jericho’s story.

Joanna Kleibauer

Mary Watson 
Bloomsbury YA, April 2022 
Paperback, £7.99 
ISBN 9781526636706

Savannah, the teenage protagonist of Blood to Poison, is angry. It’s an anger that blooms in the everyday injustices of life in the wake of South Africa’s apartheid years, from the men who catcall her in the street to the angry customers who mind their manners for white men but not black women. It is against this backdrop that Savannah finds out she is cursed — an intergenerational curse stretching back to her ancestor Hella, who harnessed magic to curse her enslavers.
Women, magic, and anger are all intertwined in this urban fantasy. In a world where girls are often told that their anger is irrational or unladylike, Blood to Poison revels in female anger. Watson explores how Savannah’s anger can be both a weakness and a strength: “Anger can warn you when something is not right. It can be a powerful tool, but has to be wielded carefully and with precision. You have to control it, not have your anger control you,” the enigmatic Mama Daline advises Savannah in the early chapters.

The themes of female anger and strength are woven within a fast-paced plot where Savannah struggles to break her curse before it’s too late. Savannah is an excellent protagonist, spirited and fierce but also so very kind and loving. Some of Watson’s more ambitious fantasy scenes lose the tight grip the rest of her writing holds, but even in these rougher patches, the strength of the characters and plot are more than enough to keep readers at the edge of their seats. Blood to Poison is both an excellent fantasy novel and meditation on women and their power.

Aoife Sheehan

Marcus Sedgwick  
Barrington Stoke, March 2022 
Paperback, £7.99  
ISBN 9781800900899

Wrath is the perfect blend of mystery, romance and paranormal genres, all in one book. It’s detailed enough to keep older readers entertained, while being appropriate and simple enough for younger readers to enjoy. The book is dyslexia-friendly, making it great for those who struggle to finish books or to get more advanced readers out of a reading slump. I recommend Wrath for ages 9-14.

Set in Scotland, it follows the life of the Fitz and his bandmates in the days leading up to his friend Cassie’s disappearance. Cassie doesn’t seem like herself, she has always been a bit unique but this time something is different — she keeps complaining about a noise, a low hum that she can’t seem to get rid of. She thinks it’s the earth trying to fight back. Everyone thinks she’s crazy, and she might start to think so too. 

The book, while delivered in an appropriate way for younger audiences, does have a brief scene of violence that isn’t graphic and features a couple that are verbally aggressive towards each other. 

Clara Crichton, 14