Paper Lanterns

The second book of a trilogy is a complex task. It needs to build on the story from the first, lay the groundwork for the third, and also have its own narrative arc. Too much focus on building to the third book and the second will feel incomplete: not enough, and the momentum falls flat.

 O’Donoghue has mastered that balance. The Gifts That Bind Us sees Maeve and her friends dealing with the aftermath of the events of All Our Hidden Gifts: The magic they’ve gained, the enemies they’ve made, the trauma they’ve experienced. Alongside the magical transformation they’ve experienced and are coming to terms with is the more ordinary, but no less difficult, challenges that come with being teenagers. Maeve is afraid of the future, of growing apart from her friends, and the more tightly she tries to cling to the people around her the more they pull away.

The characters in this book are flawed and authentic, written with nuance and compassion. Themes like identity, friendship and love are interwoven with magic in a tale that neither shies away from difficult themes nor sugarcoats them. The intense emotions of a coming-of-age tale are combined with a gripping, twisting tale of power, magic and the things that bind us: for better or for worse. It’s a beautifully written, moving book that will leave you crying out for the third installment the moment you turn the last page.

Amy Clarkin

The Balloon Thief is the type of novel you can re-read as many times as you want and be just as engrossed in the story as you were the first time. Annesa Marufu’s stunning debut novel is wonderfully relevant and deftly tackles heavy themes woven into this fantasy adventure inspired by South Asian mythology. 

In this epic tale full of compelling characters and shifting loyalties, we are told the story from the alternating perspective of two teenagers: Khadija (a ruling Ghadaean woman) and Jacob (an oppressed hāri working as a lowly glassblower’s assistant). We follow them as they confront their prejudices in a land crippled by conflicts that extend into the supernatural realm. Marufu’s memorable and thought-provoking writing does not shy away from the rough and often painful subject of discrimination and the raw emotions that come with it.

Despite her vehement objections, Khadija is expected to find a husband, and soon. She realises that the only way to avoid a loveless marriage is to take a leap of faith — literally, into a rogue hot air balloon! She soon finds an unlikely partner in Jacob, who is fleeing his own demons. They explore their differing experiences and reactions to the deep roots of hatred that poison the world they wish to save. 

Throughout the narrative, Khadija’s femininity does not get sacrificed; she is allowed to be a teenage girl and frequently reacts in ways that reveal her age and privileged upbringing. With its fast-paced plot and highly relevant themes and commentary, this book is well worth a read … or two!

 

                                                                     Aoife McCarron, 17

When Shadows Fall is a modern classic in the making. Holding the beautifully designed hardback in your hands is like possessing your own piece of treasure, a portal that transports you to the Greenlands apartments, where Kai and his friends struggle to make sense of the ever-shifting world around them. Coping with grief and depression in a world of uncertainty presents huge challenges for our central protagonist Kai and his family. His closest friends struggle to bring back the Kai they know and love; the Kai who loves ravens, who loves laughter and song and friendship. 

The book is written in such an unusual and breathtaking way; the text is interspersed with poetry and candid illustrations. The story flows between modes with power and grace, and not a word is out of place. Brahmachari has a unique, authentic voice that rings true with our generation. Love, loss, connection and art are all explored in this masterful tale. Each character is brought to life with honesty and depth, and the illustrations only serve to emphasise this raw emotion. The life lessons hidden within the pages of this book are stark and true. It is a must read, and will resonate with young people everywhere. 

Sarah Fitz, 17

Impactful would be the word to describe this novel by Ross Mackenzie, as it is impactful in so many ways. It shows a great range of emotions from grief, denial, and loss, to hope and courage. 

Each chapter is like a story in itself, leaving you on a cliffhanger every time, making it a real page-turner. This book is about a world without colour, and society’s only hope to bring colour back is a little girl named Hope, the only person born in colour.

My favourite passage from this book is when Hope finds out the truth about colour and that it is a wonderful, shining thing. To me, this could mean almost anything, not just in the fictional world that the author chose to present it. This could represent how we view the world from a dark place, from politics to war, but deep down there really is good. Hidden messages like this make for a really good novel. 

Although this book is fictional it has made me appreciate simple things a lot more because it shows you how you could lose everything so quickly. All in all, I think this is the best book I have read in a very long time.

Abbie Nolan, 14

It is wartime in England, and at Bletchley Park two girls, Pearl and Ellen, have separate but equally important jobs. Ellen is a code breaker. During the war, code breakers served a number of roles, including operators of the complex code-breaking computers known as the Bombe machines, which deciphered the German Enigma intercepts. Ellen is reserved, analytical, systematic and beautiful. Pearl, on the other end, is a messenger, and at sixteen she is also the youngest. She’s energetic, untidy, bright and bubbly. She’s half in love with the wrong guy, Richard, who couriers the secrets that Bletchley deciphers.

After a tragic incident, the world they helped build is overturned as they are caught up in a spy plot that could destroy the whole war effort. Can Pearl and Ellen really find out who the traitor behind the conspiracy is?

This book is a page-turner and a fast read. It is filled with everything: love, drama, friendship, action and a twisting mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page. The writing is simple, easy to understand and coherent. Something very enjoyable about the book is that historical accuracies and details are included throughout the story.

Overall it was a very enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend it especially for fans of Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens.

Maya Silasi, 16

Truth be Told is an interesting story, in which we meet two Irish teens, Tara and Faith: two different girls with different personalities, backgrounds and religions. Yet when meeting each other for the first time, they discover that they both look exactly the same. A mystery which spans three generations starts to unravel as the girls start asking some questions.

  In the novel, tensions between Protestants and Catholics are explored in detail, giving the reader a chance to learn a bit about Northern Ireland’s history and an opportunity to connect with the characters on a personal level. 

  The storyline is quite interesting. Divin frankly discusses family life, teenage love and also LGBTQ+ related issues. The book doesn’t follow your typical mystery-style novel. Divin manages to keep the reader guessing and on their toes while retaining a common thread, drawing in the reader. 

  The only criticism I can give is that there is too much romance in the story. There should be enough to make things interesting but Divin puts too much, in my opinion, which can make the reader to cringe. But there is nothing to worry about! Divin’s excellent writing skills tied up everything neatly so that the reader is satisfied at the end of the story.

  This book was a very satisfying and rewarding read and will be enjoyed by readers aged 13-16. 

 
Daniel Akande, 14

Fall of the Argosi is the sequel to Way of the Argosi. Even though I haven’t read the first in this series, I understood everything extremely clearly. In my opinion Fall of the Argosi is just beautiful, from the writing, to the characters, even the illustrations. The plot is even better.
We follow our hero, Ferius Parax, who is new to the ways of Argosi. The Argosi are a tribe of non-magical, card-making tricksters. But Ferius must learn the way of the Argosi to survive. Whilst she’s travelling, she spots a deaf boy, named Binta, fleeing from two mentally unstable priests. She decides to help by defending the boy from these individuals, but soon learns that they weren’t crazed but infected by a curse known as the Red Scream. She hasn’t heard of this curse before, but she will soon learn a great deal about it. She travels to a nearby town, only to meet a horde of infected people. She flees and meets a woman by the name of Rosie. United, Ferius, Rosie and Binta must now control and tackle the Red Scream. But not all is as it seems. Ferius uncovers lots of secrets: many nasty and deadly.
This book is brilliant. Although I did think that the ending was a bit rushed, the plot and especially the writing style makes up for it.
I would highly recommend this book to all YA fantasy fans, or even as a book to begin with for YA fantasy.

 Dylan Keane, 13

Many of us emerged, blinking from the darkness of endless lockdowns with the sickening realisation that our ability to complete a book had taken somewhat of a battering. I was one of those bloodied soldiers. The delightful, but not too sugary, confection of Lulu and Milagro’s Search for Clarity helped to heal the mushy mess of my pandemic brain, and for that, I’m grateful.

The book tells the interwoven stories of three Peruvian-American sisters: oldest and least-seen Clara, seemingly dazzling at college; irreverent middle sister Milagro, constantly thumbing her nose at the strict nuns in her school, and youngest Lulu, a gifted but painfully shy budding biologist.

Lulu and Milagro are thrown together for a cross-country college road trip, and many hijinks and heartbreaks ensue. Angela Velez’s highly entertaining debut novel tips along very pleasantly, with many misunderstandings, tears, and revelations. At times, I felt like reaching into the pages, banging Lulu and Milagro’s heads together, and pleading with them to just get along. Some toe-curling incidents happen along the way and I found myself occasionally wincing and laughing across the course of a single page. Lulu and Milagro are two endearing protagonists, complex and contradictory.

 

Overall, this is a wonderfully vibrant debut, and Velez has vividly captured the alternate agony and ecstasy of being a teenager: struggling with your identity; feeling suffocated by parental expectations; bonding with your siblings over your shared history. I also loved the Spanish that was peppered throughout,. A joyous, effervescent read. I can’t wait to see what Velez writes next.

 

Caitríona O’Malley

Extasia is a refreshing feminist, dystopian horror that entangles you in a deeply flawed and fanatical society. The novel follows Amity as she tries to protect her village from the gruesome deaths that have plagued them. Just as she has been anointed a saint, she comes to the sickening revelation that her village is not the haven it claims to be. To add to it, she discovers that two of her fellow saints are members of a coven of witches. 

While this is a fantasy novel it highlights many current social issues that relate to women not only in Ireland but around the world. Two key themes the book focuses on are the abuse of power by religious authorities and the abuse and violence suffered by women. In today’s world, both of these themes are prevalent and Legrand truly makes the voices of every woman heard through her characters. She doesn’t shy away from the tragic reality of the victims and their suffering, and she never minimises the characters’ experience by redeeming their abusers. She shows the violent justice that these girls seek and deserve. Through their trials, they come to know their own magic and power and a powerful sisterhood is created.

This book truly is for fans of horror, it’s a perfect blend of fantasy and reality. If you loved Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn or the movie Jennifer’s Body this novel is right up your alley. Many tough topics are shown throughout the book and it is a harrowing tale that follows strong female leads in their pursuit for justice in a world that is against them from the moment they open their mouths, but it’s a tale that should not be overlooked.

 

Shauna Dalton

Finishing the trilogy which started in The Loop and continued in The Block, The Arc concludes the story of Luka Kane.

Luka, alongside the small group of allies he has gathered, must defeat the AI named Happy which has control of much of the world. The series has often been compared to The Matrix and the central concept, that Happy intends using humans as fuel, is identical.

The book is propulsive in its writing, never slowing down in a race to the finish. This comes at the expense of characterisation, with most of the cast barely getting more than a few lines of dialogue. When they do get some more page time, it is often for the purposes of exposition.

The Arc suffers from being forced to tie up a lot of plot in not a lot of space and could have benefitted from being longer, to give the story, and especially the characters, more room to breathe.

Ben Oliver has a knack for writing interesting action scenes and creates interesting situations for his cast to be in, but some further development of his cast is sorely missed.

 

Paddy Lennon