The Shadows of Silverdale

Popcorn
The book was alright - it did go into the details of a bad day, where everything seems to go wrong, and I liked how Andrew showed how anxiety can complicate that even further. I also liked the relationship he had with his grandmother, where he loved her but felt as though she was a burden on his life. It was a really complicated emotion executed nicely by the author. However it was also a bit more childish at times, like with the drawings. I think it would be a book for younger audiences. But overall, it's pretty good if you're interested in a more light-hearted but still plot-heavy book.

Emily

Wolf Siren
I thought wolf siren was a really good retelling of the red riding hood fairy tale from a feminist perspective. There is a lot of misogyny portrayed in the book such as the mayor's treatment of the woodcutter for refusing his offer of marriage and the way that women are heavily criticised and treated with contempt for entering the wood just because the men themselves cannot go into the forest. However, the resistance and determination Red shows to try and challenge this as well as the other women of her town is a good way of inspiring girls to stand up for themselves and go against the stereotype. Her visual impairment is also an interesting aspect of the book. The author herself stated in her video that Red's visual impairment was inspired by her own experience and that she wanted to represent people who have partial sight rather than complete blindness. I found this interesting as all throughout the book I didn’t realise that Red had any type of visual impairment. I think it’s a unique way to show the overlooked fact that not all visual impairment is complete and that you can still adventure and be proactive without being held back by partial vision. This in particular, was a nice feature to include. Unfortunately, the age range of this book was definitely lower than the books I usually read which might have impaired my enjoyment of the story - I’m 14 and the range feels about 9-12 - but otherwise the premise is interesting. However, the peak of the story felt anti-climactic and sudden. I understand the writer wanting the magic if the forest to feel wild and uncontrollable but if the magic is meant to feel wild and more instinctual I wish that was shown more in the text, especially at the end when even Red has no idea what’s happening. On the other hand, the grief of losing Aerona is well thought out with the perspective of both her brother and her mother shown. Overall, I quite liked the book even though it isn’t something I would normally read.

Sophie

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
I found this book Ok. I think it would be better suited for a younger target audience. I just found the style a bit childish for me and found some of the humour missed the mark. This is probably because it wasn't aimed at my age group (15 years). I would recommend for younger children.

Oliver

Wolf Siren
Wolf Siren by Beth O'Brien is a fast paced action adventure book based on the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. It explores themes of feminism and oppression, showing how sexism can come in many ways. The main character Red is very easy to sympathise with, especially as she grows up and doesn't want to fit into the unjust system her town has. I enjoyed reading this book, and thought it did a good job of twisting a simple fairy tale into something new.

Izzy

The Boy I Love
I really actually love the world building and I love the dynamics between each character and I believe we can see the main characters views and interests in it and I can understand how the same sex relationship without context of the war happing, and I got really attached to the characters which is terrible after the trouble they went through and I do like the fast paced writing though their was some parts I had to read all over again to understand though i did love the flashback and singing verses though I understand someone not liking change in the font doing freestyle. So I give it 4 and a half stars

Fatima

Wolf Siren
I enjoyed reading wolf siren as it shows how a person is able to persevere in times where it seems everyone is against them. I liked how Beth O'Brien was able to mix fantasy with reality as it is set in a different world but still carried themes of real life situations. I think it was great how oppression was showed throughout the book. Overall, I really enjoyed reading Wolf Siren!

Abigail

Popcorn
I really enjoyed this book it was really funny and exiting and it teaches you things about anxiety without making it obvious. The flashbacks were well written and help you sympathise with Andrew. I would give it an 8/10 it was a great read. I would recommend for people who enjoy comedy and real life style books.

Oliver

The Boy I Love
I really enjoyed reading this book. I feel like the author did an incredible job of showing the brutality of the first world war, and the struggles that each and every soldier faced. They also showed that not everyone from one side was the same, and even people fighting for the "wrong" side were victims. I really enjoyed this book.

Izzy

Ghostlines 
A really nice story following themes of finding friendship, understanding and mysteries that I really enjoyed reading about!

Abigail

Twenty Four Seconds from Now
Twenty-Four Seconds From Now was a really enjoyable read for me. I especially liked the fact that it was written from the perspective of the male in the relationship instead of the female which gives a refreshing feel compared to the general proportion of romance books which focus on the woman’s perspective. This, in particular, makes it an interesting book that shows how even men feel nervous during the process of deciding to have sex. It also builds the backstories of many of the side characters really well including the mother of the MC’s girlfriend, Aria, who was groomed as a child, and one of the MC’s friends, who has alopecia. I thought this was a particularly compelling part of the story’s plot and helped me to empathise a lot more with the people in the book. It’s probably not for a young audience so maybe 15-16+ but I think its different from other YA books because the higher age rating is more from the mature understanding needed to appreciate the themes instead of sheer sex scenes. The way the MC’s family have many different experiences with sex and love is something I found interesting to compare to the MC’s own relationship. Specifically, Neon’s sister - who has a loose and open attitude to sex and relationships compared to Neon’s own dedication to his gf, shows that there isn’t a right way to approach the connections that you build with others. It’s written really emotively as well and you can feel just how much the main character loves his girlfriend which I thought was well thought out. Also, the way it jumps around in time and even more so that it jumps backwards really helps build the characters in a unique way. However, I read some of the other reviews of this book that critique the timeline of the story for being confusing but personally, I think it’s distinctive and give the character room to grow from the confusion that you immediately get thrown into. Overall, I’m really glad I went out of my comfort zone and read a romance considering I don’t usually. Would defo recommend ! I’m gonna stop now because I think I wrote too much.

Sophie