Paper Lanterns

Way of the Argosi is the seventh book in the Spellslinger series. This book is the first in the series to explore the origin story of the mysterious Ferius Parfax. Ferius has featured in previous books as a canny, humorous, and daring traveller who teaches a strange new magic to a struggling young mage. In this book we meet Ferius as a frightened child, determined to survive in the wake of the slaughter of her tribe. As bodies pile up around her, Ferius defies the odds and is pulled to safety and for a short time, lives with people who care and provide for her. 

However, when she encounters a Jan’Tep mage her world is torn apart. Vowing revenge, she sets about finding out who she is. We follow Ferius through her journey as thief, gambler, traveller, and killer as she meets and is mentored by Durral Brown, a wandering philosopher, who teaches Ferius the way of the Argosi, so that she too can become powerful enough to hunt magicians. As this is the seventh book in the series, the author doesn’t waste much time on introducing the world of the characters, most of the world building having been established in previous instalments. So, it could be difficult to dive into this book without any knowledge of the series. However, the characters are compelling enough to hold a reader’s attention and the story is well paced. Although set in a fantasy world, there are shades of the Old West in this series that will appeal to fans of Firefly or Jim Butcher.  

                                                                    Lisa Redmond

In this retelling of the Jane Austen novel, Woods manages to successfully rework the text for a young, modern audience. This is not a modern day version of Pride And Prejudice, rather a modern language reworking. The storytelling is simpler and contemporary yet successfully retains the feeling of the classic. Each sentence has been brought firmly into 21st century language, with fewer word-heavy lines and helpful contextual explanations that guide the reader, yet still feels true to the language and era of the original.

We are treated to all the beloved scenes from Pride And Prejudice; the balls are particularly vibrant. Characters are well rounded, with Mrs Bennet showing her contrary notions particularly well, and Mr Darcy as intriguing a figure to us as he is to Lizzie. Tensions between the pompous old world of Lady Catherine and Lizzie’s modern outlook feel familiar and relatable.

Much of the interior musings and day-to-dayness of the original has been omitted, making the story feel a bit rushed in some places. This results in the time between some events, particularly between the proposal and the visit to Pemberley, feel as though they are happening more suddenly than originally intended. Overall this is an excellent modernisation that keeps the soul of Jane Austen’s novel as its core. 

This edition is dyslexia-friendly with specially designed font and paper colour for accessibility.

Patricia Hayes

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

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

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

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