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Posted on August 18, 2023July 24, 2023 by Paper Lanterns

You Are a Story: A creative writing guide by Laura Dockrill: Review

You Are a Story: A creative writing guide
Laura Dockrill
Illustrated by Lotte Cassidy
Hot Key Books, May 2023
Paperback £7.99
ISBN 9781471413148

You are a Story was a book that I picked up not knowing what to expect since it is a guide to creative writing, not a story with a plot. I was pleasantly surprised to find this book was so amazing that I devoured it in two days! You Are a Story talks about creative writing as a tool for mental health. Not only that it gives ideas and exercises throughout the book to help you find your place in writing. Laura Dockrill also talks about her own experiences with mental health and what has helped her.

Posted on August 18, 2023August 26, 2023 by Paper Lanterns

Lying in The Deep by Diana Urban: Review

Lying in The Deep

Lying in The Deep
Diana Urban
Razorbill, May 2023
Hardback, £9.99
ISBN 9780593527603

Lying in The Deep is brutal, unrelenting, and easily my favourite book that I’ve read this year. It’s like Karen M. McManus with less swearing and narrators, but more of everything else. From the opening of the book, “I didn’t realize there’d be this much blood”, to the twist ending, I was hooked. Usually, I don’t finish a book in the span of a week, especially not when I have exams on, but I had to make an exception for this.

Posted on August 18, 2023July 24, 2023 by Paper Lanterns

Northranger by Rey Terciero, Illustrated by Bre Indigo: Review

Northranger

Northranger
Rey Terciero
Illustrated by Bre Indigo
Harper Alley, June 2023
Paperback, $17.99
ISBN 9780063007383

Northranger is a graphic novel set in the twenty-first century. The story follows a young boy named Cade who is sent to work on a ranch for the summer. The ranch is owned by his stepdad’s friend from the military, General Tyler. The summer starts and Cade has to endure long hours of ranch labour with General Tyler’s son Henry and daughter Henri. Henry and Cade bond over their love of horror movies and their friendship blossoms into something more.

Posted on August 18, 2023July 24, 2023 by Paper Lanterns

This One’s for You by Kate Sweeney: Review

This One’s for You

This One’s for You
Kate Sweeney
Viking, February 2023
Paperback, $16.45
ISBN 9780593622124

This One’s for You is a story about former best friends. When Caspian and Sydney were younger, they were inseparable, always stuck at the hip, and you wouldn’t be able to see one without the other. But just a few years later, they both seemed to have drifted apart. Now, each of them planning their own future, Caspian with his college engineering course and Sydney with her sound internship, it seems unlikely that their paths would cross once again.

Posted on August 18, 2023July 24, 2023 by Paper Lanterns

Where the Light Goes by Sara Barnard: Review

Where the Light Goes
Sara Barnard
Walker Books, May 2023
Paperback, £8.99
ISBN 9781529509137

Reading Sara Barnard’s novel, Where the Light Goes, is to feel a great wound. Sixteen-year-old Emmeline Beckwith is a student at the illustrious Shona Lee Performing Arts Academy. This is made possible by her sister, Elizabeth, leading woman in The Jinks and controversial rockstar known to the world as Lizzie Beck. To Emmy, Lizzie Beck was just Beth, idol, confidante and complicated sister. But now, five years after shooting to fame on British reality television, Beth is dead, and Emmy must go on alone.

Posted on August 17, 2023July 24, 2023 by Paper Lanterns

Daughter of Winter and Twilight by Helen Corcoran: Review

Daughter of Winter and Twilight

Daughter of Winter and Twilight
Helen Corcoran
O’Brien Press, September 2023
Paperback, €14.99
ISBN 9781788493703

Daughter of Winter and Twilight takes place 14 years after the end of Queen and Coin of Whispers and follows Emri, the daughter of Queens Lia and Xania of Edar.

Emri finds herself discovering family secrets while also trying to battle against Lady Winter, whom everyone thought was just a myth. It is a story for lovers of fantasy but also for those who love a book that features characters who are LGBTQ. Emri’s journey may be intended to be the highlight of the plot, however the characters we meet along the way really add a new and exciting dynamic to the world which the author has created.