Posted on by

Review: What Walks These Halls by Amy Clarkin

What Walks These Halls
Amy Clarkin
The O’Brien Press, April 2023
Paperback, €12.99
ISBN: 9781788493734

 

What Walks These Halls is an interesting, modern take on a paranormal story following a handful of different characters, each with their own unique personality that shines throughout the story. 

We first meet the intelligent Raven and are introduced to her turbulent relationship with her family. I really enjoyed the cryptic nature of this story and the way not everything is revealed at once. This can be seen in Archer’s motivations and Éabha’s mysterious abilities. It draws you into the story and keeps you turning the pages for hours.

Despite Raven’s disapproval and reluctant involvement, Archer revives the family business: PSI, or Paranormal Surveys Ireland. The two siblings, along with their team of friends, embark on a journey filled with secrets, mystery and most importantly, paranormal activity. I enjoyed the way the relationships of the characters develop and evolve throughout this story; I was rooting for them the whole time and it kept me questioning what would happen next. 

What Walks These Halls is Amy Clarkin’s debut novel and I am looking forward to seeing more of her fiction in the future. She handles relationships, social dynamics and character building in a highly engaging and relatable way. 

Hanna-Rose Sullivan, 18

 

Posted on by

Review: How to be a (Young) Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone

How to be a (Young) Antiracist
Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone
Penguin Young Readers, January 2023
Paperback, €10.30
ISBN: 9780593461600

 

How to be a (Young) Antiracist is a really clever book. The authors manage to effectively deal with complex issues surrounding racism in a way that is easy to understand. The novel’s opening quote states “we will win.” It sets the scene of an optimistic and insightful tone that Kendi and Stone deliver their story with. How to be a (Young) Antiracist is laid out in a refreshingly simple format that outlines the different parts of the book. These parts aim to address racism inside (our own perceptions and biases), outside (investigating the intersections of racism and its impact on the world around us) and upside down (antiracism and pathways to changemaking).

The book is unusual because it is often told from a second-person perspective, as Kendi revolves his story around the milestones in his adolescence, and attempts to self-correct his previously misguided perceptions. Whilst it can get confusing at times when the narrative jumps back and forth between different  time periods, Kendi and Stone succeed in delivering an important message in simple terms. 

As Kendi recalls his own mistakes and experiences throughout his journey of antiracism, he evokes relatability and guidance within the minds of young readers who are possibly facing similar challenges. His self-deprecating humour and honest revelations are combined with consistent definitions that help readers to understand everything he is trying to say. Meanwhile, Stone backs up Kendi’s anecdotes with relevant figures and statistics. The result is a comprehensive guide of what it means to be an antiracist and the extremely possible outcomes that hope and activism can achieve.

Danielle Briody, 17

Posted on by

Review: Let’s Play Murder by Kesia Lupo

Let’s Play Murder
Kesia Lupo
Bloomsbury YA, April 2023
Paperback, £7.99
ISBN: 9781526635464

 

If Agatha Christie wrote Ready Player One, it would probably read a lot like Kesia Lupo’s Let’s Play Murder. That’s not a criticism, it’s a compliment because like all great murder mysteries, it’s an impossible book to put down. The story follows Veronica who gets sucked into The Game – a virtual reality murder mystery puzzle – while playing with her sick kid brother. It’s now up to her to try to solve the mystery and win the cash prize while competing against four other players and her own past traumas. 

Written in a simple, stripped-back style, this book is highly readable with realistic, snappy dialogue, and teenage interactions so accurate I was brought back to my school days. With such great writing and the unique premise, it is unsurprising that this novel is gripping from the outset. Veronica’s character is complex, with a troubled past and plenty of secrets, which only adds to the pull of this story. Themes of bullying, grief, trauma, and violence are all addressed significantly and fearlessly. 

The only real weakness of this book is that it’s extremely dialogue heavy. There are many instances where simple exposition could have been used to progress the novel considerably instead of pages of sometimes mundane dialogue, particularly during the first half. Then again, the whole idea of this book is that it is meant to be an immersive virtual reality experience, and immersive is the perfect adjective for describing this novel. 

Mark Jackson

Posted on by

Review: Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell

Scattered Showers
Rainbow Rowell
Illustrated by Jim Tierney
Pan Macmillan, 2022
Hardback, €23.80
ISBN: 9781529099119

 

Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell is a series of nine short stories based around love, including teenage romance, fantasy and even a story working through menopause. One of these stories, “Snow For Christmas”, includes characters from Rainbow Rowell’s Simon Snow trilogy, a young adult fantasy series. Although I haven’t read the series myself, from what I have read about Snow, I would love to read more. Without spoiling the stories from the book, I can simply say I was glued to the book. The characters were so interesting. It was fun to find out who actually ends up falling in love, and the backstories of the characters. 

My two favourites were definitely “Kindred Spirits”, which was a story about two Star Wars fans lining up outside a cinema after a new movie is going to come out, and “In Waiting”, where the characters in the story are all original characters, waiting patiently to be put into a story. Even though those two were my favourite, all of the stories were interesting, and I adored reading about the characters, despite getting only a short glance into their stories of love. This book is for fans of any kind of love story, especially with happy endings – but I may be a bit biased, as I am obsessed with sappy books.

Hanna Geszczak, 13