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Aphrodite by Bryony Pearce: Review

Even goddesses know what it’s like to not be taken seriously. Born from the sea, Aphrodite knows three things: she is powerful, she is so beautiful that men would go to war for her, and, above all else, she must find her home. This, it turns out, is Olympus. But Olympus is not safe, and soon Aphrodite finds herself in greater danger than she could ever have imagined.

Pearce’s most recent title relates an experience that is all too common among girls and women; Aphrodite is forced to deal with men’s lust, greed, and cruelty, all while knowing she is stronger and cleverer than any of them. Even in Olympus, she is seen as weak, fragile, and nothing more than a beautiful tool for the machinations of the gods.

Aphrodite encourages its readers to challenge misogyny in the modern world through the lens of Ancient Greek cultural practices and beliefs. Throughout the novel, Pearce illustrates the damage that wilful ignorance can cause to relationships and power structures and enchants readers with powerful characters, a colourful historical setting, and intricate court dynamics. The dangerous games played by the gods on Mount Olympus in Aphrodite keep readers on the edge of their seats right until the end.

Aphrodite acts as a demonstration of the fragility of power, both political and religious, particularly when it is built upon the oppression of others through discrimination and disinformation. Perfect for fans of Belladonna by Adalyn Grace, and Lore by Alexandra Bracken.

Joanna Geoghegan

Aphrodite
Bryony Pearce
Fox & Ink Books, 2025
Paperback, £8.99
ISBN: 9781916747548

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Exit Stage Death by Ava Eldred: Review

Exit Stage Death is a thrilling page turner of a novel that kept me hooked from the first sentence: “I’d never stopped to think about how murder investigations and musical theatre are actually pretty similar until I was caught up in one when I was trying to focus on the other.”.

This book is set at a musical theatre summer camp, where the protagonist, Livi Campbell (who is a massive musicals geek), is determined to get the lead in the summer showcase, despite the famous newcomers that have shown up, jeopardising her spotlight. However, Livi and her new friends must come together after a fellow camper shows up dead in the lake, and the group start receiving suspicious notes that seem to imply her death wasn’t an accident.

I really enjoyed Eldred’s writing style, especially the way the novel incorporated a script, which truly has a deeper meaning at the end of the story.

Perfect for lovers of ‘Glee’, murder mysteries and musicals, this novel is full to the brim with mystery, romance, friendship and theatre. Eldred masterfully combines these into an exciting story, with a compelling plot and an ending which had my jaw on the floor.

Ciara Martin, 15

Exit Stage Death
Ava Eldred
UCLan Publishing, 2025
Paperback, €13.50
ISBN: 9781916747586

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Solo by Gráinne O’Brien: Review

When Daisy’s boyfriend David dumps her, she is devastated – especially as she realises that she abandoned much of what made her happy to make space for David and his interests. She stopped meeting with friends, she skipped choir practice, and she stopped playing her recorder – the thing that brought her the most joy. Music, once her lifeline in the dark, is lost to her. Amid all this, a new girl appears at school, and she may be just the person Daisy needs to rediscover her rhythm.

The structure of O’Brien’s Solo is clever. She uses musical terms as headings for each section, choosing ones that fit the content well. This is most successful when she writes about the complex emotions Daisy struggles with throughout the story. She is a raw nerve, pulsating with anger and anxiety, and O’Brien uses verse to make that sing across the pages.

While some of the plot points could have been delved into deeper – there are revelations toward the end that weren’t explored as much as they could have been – this was still an enjoyable read. I read it in one sitting!

Daisy’s heartache will strike a chord with any reader who has lost their way in life. There are heavy moments of course, particularly as Daisy’s family face challenges within the narrative. Hope comes in the form of Daisy’s enduring love for music, the thread that ties the story together. If you’re in the mood for a healing read – look no further.

Tara O’Malley

Solo
Gráinne O’Brien
Little Island Books, 2025
Paperback, €8.24
ISBN: 9781915071798

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Crying Wolf by James Butler: Review

Joey is used to the streets of Dublin but he’s ready to move on, to make something of himself beyond the world of crime. He wants to get away from the dodgy dealings of the past, make them disappear like his stepdad, Vinnie. When there’s talk of Vinnie returning and the local gangs looking for him, Joey gets drawn back in.

Crying Wolf is a gritty tale of an all-too-real Dublin. The sound of the Luas, the smells of the coastal drive out past Fairview and the feel of the cobblestones of Trinity are palpable, as described here. This book is populated with memorable characters as seen through the eyes of Joey. His girlfriend Sharon is the ideal to which he aspires, a way out of the usual humdrum, herself attending Trinity and trying to keep up with the norms there. His aunt, his mother, his old friend Weso and the looming shadows of criminals like Quinlan are all entrenched in Joey’s mind, peppered throughout with the nightmares he keeps having, mixing all of these up, reminding him of past traumas.

Joey himself is a great character. You really get to know a young man struggling with the death of his own father when he was younger, and coming to terms with becoming an adult with a job and a life away from crime. There is a very interesting subplot around restorative justice that gives us a great insight into the innate goodness of Joey. He’s also clever and resourceful, quietly assessing people as they harangue him for information about the recently returned-to-town Vinnie. He gives away very little in return.

All things must come to a head though, and the conclusion of Crying Wolf leaves a lot to think about in the city of Dublin.

Derek Carney

Crying Wolf
James Butler
Little Island Books, 2024
Paperback, £8.99
ISBN: 9781915071507

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Pieces of Us by Stewart Foster: Review

Stewart Foster’s Pieces of Us makes itself at home in the uncomfortable space between childhood and adulthood. Told in the voice of the 17-year-old Jonas, a bulimic British teenager in the 90s, it is a story of growth – of both changing and learning to love the parts of yourself that maybe don’t need to change.

Pieces of Us is written as half-love-letter-half-eulogy to Louis, an outgoing older teenager whose friendship changed Jonas’ life. Coming into each other’s lives seemingly out of nowhere, the two’s bond is fast-made and strong, toeing the line between queer and platonic, descending at points into co-dependency. Together, the boys balance adulthood and artistic creativity, reaching a painful conclusion that sometimes you can’t have all you want without giving up the building blocks of your comfort zone.

Foster’s Jonas comes off as authentically 17 – both a strength and a weakness. He is immature, especially to start with, and his writing reflects that. The world he describes centres around him and Louis, pushing other matters to the background and justifying behaviours that the reader might not find the most sympathetic. Depictions of other characters suffer, making it difficult to imagine them as people in their own lives rather than props. The style grows with Jonas, becoming richer in the later chapters, but the realism persists. Even by the end, we are distinctly feeling that we are reading the words of a teenager.

If you enjoyed Perks of Being a Wallflower or Wintergirls, then Pieces will find a good home on your reading list.

Jes Paluchowska

Pieces of Us
Stewart Foster
Simon & Schuster, 2025
Hardback, £14.99
ISBN: 9781398535671

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The Other Girl by Emily Barr: Review

The idea has struck all of us at least once – what if we could run away and become someone else for a day? Of course, we might consider the moral and legal implications of this and soon think otherwise. The Other Girl explores what would happen if you pressed ahead with the idea and expands it into a three-hundred-and- fifty-page narrative that is guaranteed to entertain, if not mildly confuse.

Narrated in three parts from the perspectives of two teenage girls who swap places one summer day, this story covers a lot of ground, both geographically and thematically. What begins as a humdrum thriller set on a train soon becomes a complex mystery that is unlike any other in its no-holds-barred examination of serious issues such as body dysmorphia, addiction, and death. This is, of course, framed by a fun, globe-trotting plot that never fails to amuse with plenty of memorable quotes and secondary characters.

Emily Barr’s newest title constantly surprises with two protagonists who are the definition of unreliable narrators but that’s what makes this tale so tantalising – you never know what the other is going to uncover about the girl she is meant to be and how that affects her new life. If incredibly readable, emotionally heightened mysteries are your thing, then this novel should be at the very top of your recommended reads list.

Mark Jackson

The Other Girl
Emily Barr
Penguin Random House UK, 2025
Paperback, £8.99
ISBN: 9780241643440

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Den of Liars by Jessica S. Olson: Review

For fans of the Caraval series, Den of Liars is a wickedly sumptuous rollercoaster of heists, magic, and romance. Set in a magical, Roaring Twenties-esque casino where contestants gamble with their secrets to win a high-stakes tournament, with vivid writing that brings all the glitz and glamour to life, Den of Liars is a unique read, as well as lots of fun.

After a failed heist, prospective thief Lola St. James gets drawn into a cat-and-mouse game with the casino’s owner, a magically cursed man known only as the Liar (brother of her best friend, the Thief). Lola is an intriguing character, flawed but sympathetic, whose character arc feels believable and well-earned. She also has amblyopia and wears glasses, providing much-needed representation in fantasy novels for both conditions.

While the book can be exposition-heavy at places, and the worldbuilding hard to keep straight, readers will enjoy the fast-paced story and Lola’s romantic sparring with the brooding and villainous Liar. Their chemistry really sparkles on the page, and they have a dynamic physicality thanks to some excellently written aerial hoop and ballroom dancing scenes. Meanwhile, Lola’s relationship with the Thief is also a messy one, calling into question who is manipulating whom as she races to win the tournament and also learn the secret behind the brothers’ curse.

With older protagonists, violence, and some mildly spicy scenes, this book is best suited for readers aged 16 and up.

Anna Benn

Den of Liars
Jessica S. Olson
Hot Key Books, 2025
Paperback, £16.99
ISBN: 9781471417382

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Lady’s Knight by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner: Review

Lady’s Knight is a positively gripping story that puts on display themes of love, feminism and sexism. I adored the cast in this novel. From Isobelle, the glowing optimist who weaponises femininity, to the hardened but caring Gwen and her noble aspirations, there’s no shortage of colourfully written characters to fall in love with. One thing that stuck out to me was between some chapters and at the start of the book there were pages where a narrator talks directly to the reader and gives context or commentary on what’s happening in the plot. I found this annoying at first because it would take me out of the book, when I was so deeply immersed in the well-built world. By the end I found myself enjoying its presence as an almost pseudo companion during my read.

Overall I loved the book, it took me on an emotional rollercoaster throughout the course of the story and it kept a consistently light tone with some heavier moments in between, I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a touching romance filled with queerness and chivalry!

Lady’s Knight is chivalrous, heartfelt, comedic, empowering, and charming with LGBTQIA+ representation. It also has themes of betrayal and sexism which may cause discomfort for some readers.

Jerry Gearon, 17

Lady’s Knight
Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Electric Monkey, 2025
Paperback, £9.99
ISBN: 9780008714062

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Captain of Fates by Katherine Webber: Review

Captain of Fates is a novel set in the same world as the BookTok phenomenon, Twin Crowns. It follows the story of Marino Pegasi as he sets sail in search of a cure for his sister Celeste, who has contracted a deadly disease.

Themes in this book include love and hope. The characters are written well, which is hard when there are three points of view. We follow Marino, a human girl called Lana, and a mermaid called Kira. The plot is well structured. I would have to say its one downfall is that it failed to capture my attention. I wasn’t dying to read more, or skip doing important things just so I could read one more chapter.

The reason it didn’t really grip my attention was because of the characters. I usually enjoy characters when I am very emotionally attached to them because I relate to them a lot or I wanted them to be real so I could talk to them. I thought these characters were good but I just didn’t connect with them on a personal level. I would have preferred higher stakes with more tension. The book was well written, the plot was well structured with nothing left unfinished. Overall, Captain of Fates is a good read for fans of Romantasy or Twin Crowns.

Robyn Lonergan Walsh, 13

Captain of Fates
Katherine Webber
Electric Monkey, 2025
Paperback, £9.99
ISBN: 9780008688523

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Dead Real by Poppy T. Perry: Review

Dead Real is an action-packed zombie book. It is filled with great drawings and doodles, so reading the book brings the same joy as reading books with illustrations for younger readers, but for a YA audience. We follow Nora, who wakes up to find herself and her family in a zombie apocalypse. She, her parents and her best friend Ruby need to make their way to safety before any of them get infected.

Dead Real is really funny and has a great queer romance. I love the relationship between Nora and Ruby as it develops throughout the book, especially when Nora starts to discover and accept who she is. The action and adventure in this book makes it impossible to put down. There’s so much tension and suspense while the characters just wait for the next zombies to attack or the next setback in their journey.

There’s a huge twist halfway that gives the reader a whole new perspective on the first half. Dead Real is great for anyone 13+ who likes zombie movies and YA adventure.

Sabine Narzisi, 16

Dead Real
Poppy T. Perry
Fox & Ink Books, 2025
Paperback, £8.99
ISBN: 9781916747432