BOOK REVIEW: Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein Walker Books April 2018 Paperback, $19.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Young Adult / Thriller / Mystery 60% We don’t pick and choose what to be afraid of. Our fears pick us. Tash Carmody has been traumatised since childhood, when she witnessed her gruesome imaginary friend Sparrow lure young […]
BOOK REVIEW: Vox by Christina Dalcher Harlequin August 2018 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Science Fiction / Dystopia / Feminism 80% Jean McClellan spends her time in almost complete silence, limited to just one hundred words a day. Any more, and a thousand volts of electricity will course through her veins. Maybe it’s a […]
BOOK REVIEW: Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh Simon & Schuster March 2019 Paperback, $24.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Science Fiction 70% We were taught that, for a while, the universe existed and not one person knew. Stars exploded, nebulae collapsed, atoms crashed together and formed planets, then quiet oceans where single-celled organisms […]
BOOK REVIEW: Someone Like Me by M.R. Carey Orbit UK November 2018 Paperback, $29.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Thriller / Horror 70% Liz Kendall wouldn’t hurt a fly. She’s a gentle woman devoted to bringing up her kids in the right way, no matter how hard times get. But there’s another side to Liz—one which […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Book of Knowing by Gwendoline Smith (AKA Doctor Know) Allen & Unwin February 2019 Paperback, $21.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Psychology / Self-Help / Teenage / Cognitive Behavioural Therapy 80% Learn to understand the way you think and you will be able to deal with many of life’s difficult moments. Written in […]
BOOK REVIEW: Little Whale by Jo Weaver Hodder Children’s Books March 2018 Paperback, $15.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Picture Book 60% Told through the eyes of a whale and her calf, this mesmerisingly beautiful book is a story of migration, family, the strength of parental love and the wonders of nature. Little Whale has never seen […]
BOOK REVIEW: White Rabbit, Red Wolf by Tom Pollock Walker Books July 2018 Paperback, $16.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Young Adult / Mystery 80% Peter Blankman is afraid of everything and must confront unimaginable terror when his mother is attacked. Seventeen-year-old Peter Blankman is a maths prodigy. He also suffers from severe panic attacks. […]
BOOK REVIEW: Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Riverrun October 2018 Hardcover, $26.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Short Stories / Science Fiction 70% In the stories of Adjei-Brenyah’s debut, an amusement park lets players enter augmented reality to hunt terrorists or shoot intruders played by minority actors, a school shooting results in both the […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker Scribner February 2019 Paperback, $29.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Fiction / Speculative Fiction 60% Whatever this is, it comes over them quietly: a sudden drowsiness, a closing of the eyes. Most of the victims are found in their beds. But there are some who will tell you […]
BOOK REVIEW: Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor Hodder & Stoughton October 2018 Paperback, $19.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Young Adult / Fantasy 80% If you have not read Strange the Dreamer, please stop reading and go check out the linked review/grab yourself a copy of the first book. — SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1 (Strange […]
BOOK REVIEW: Highway Bodies by Alison Evans Bonnier Echo February 2019 Paperback, $19.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Young Adult / LGBTQ+ / Horror 90% ‘Do you know anything – at all, about what happened?’ The toddler tugs at Hasib’s hand but doesn’t say anything. I don’t know what to say. It’s something bad, and I […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Dog Runner by Bren MacDibble Allen & Unwin February 2019 Paperback, $16.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Middle Grade / Climate Fiction 75% ‘We’re gonna starve if we stay here,’ Emery said. ‘If we’re gonna go, best go now.’ And he said it like going was something easy. Like all we have to […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Afterwards by A.F. Harrold, illustrated by Emily Gravett Bloomsbury Children’s Books November 2018 Hardcover, $24.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Middle Grade 50% Its voice was kind, firm, honest, sharp, but reserved. A short distance away from being warm. ‘I know what you’re thinking,’ it said. ‘I can hear you across the town,’ […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Disasters by M.K. England Harper Teen December 2018 Paperback, $19.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Young Adult / Science Fiction 80% Hotshot pilot Nax Hall has a history of making poor life choices. So it’s not exactly a surprise when he’s kicked out of the elite Ellis Station Academy in less than twenty-four […]
BOOK REVIEW: The House on the Mountain by Ella Holcombe & David Cox Allen & Unwin February 2019 Hardcover, $24.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Picture Book / Cultural Australia / Bushfire 90% The powerful story of a family who lose their home in a bushfire and their journey of recovery. REMEMBERING BLACK SATURDAY There is […]
BOOK REVIEW: Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss GrantaOctober 2018Hardcover, $27.99Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Fiction / Novella / Horror 8/10 In the north of England, far from the intrusions of cities but not far from civilization, Silvie and her family are living as if they are ancient Britons, surviving by the tools and knowledge of the […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Implausible Story of Olive Far Far Away by Tony Alexandra Harlequin Young Adult March 2018 Paperback, $19.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Young Adult 7/10 ‘Forget gypsy curses and invisibility. Forget stupid boys who are supposed to be my true love and then dump me. I’ve got one mission now – fun.’ […]
BOOK REVIEW: Beast – A Tale of Love and Revenge by Lisa Jensen Candlewick Press September 2018 Hardcover, $22.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Retelling / Fantasy / Young Adult 2/10 Filled with magic and fierce emotion, Lisa Jensen’s multilayered novel will make you question all you think you know about beauty, beastliness, and happily ever […]
BOOK REVIEW: Disney Ideas Book by Elizabeth Dowsett Dorling Kindersley October 2018 Hardcover, $39.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Activity Books / Arts & Craft / Media Tie-In 10/10 Bring your love of Disney to life with more than 100 amazing and creative projects and activities. Let your imagination run wild with Disney inspired […]
BOOK REVIEW: What the Woods Keep by Katya de Becerra Allen & Unwin September 2018 Paperback, $16.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Young Adult / Horror / Fantasy / Science Fiction 8/10 What the Woods Keep is the stunning debut of Katya de Becerra, who combines mystery, science fiction, and dark fantasy in a twisty story […]
