ATempest of Tea is a high stakes heist, set in a world populated by vampires. At the heart of the plot is Arthie Casimir, the owner of the teashop Spindrift, selling tea by day and blood by night. Arthie has a troubled past, as she had to flee her birthplace of Ceylon after a horrifying massacre. Now, she’s a cutthroat business owner and minor criminal.
Arthie receives a tip-off from the palace guard Laith, who’s switched sides and betrayed his order, that an important trade ledger has gone missing. Now it’s up to her and her recruited team of outcasts to burgle an important gathering of the wealthy and powerful. Her team includes Laith, the swashbuckling Jinn, her business partner and partner-in-crime, the aristocratic forger Flick and the stylish vampire Matteo.
The book is both plot heavy and character heavy, as Faizal is cramming a lot of history and world-building into the story. I found the main character, Arthie, to be a bit overly stoical, but Jinn was a charismatic secondary lead and his POV chapters were a delight to read. Faizal’s prose is gorgeous when she is describing the teashop.
I wish we had spent so much more time at Spindrift. The ‘teahouse by day, bloodhouse by night’ idea is such an amazing concept, but it hardly ever shows up again. Instead, the story crams in a lot of action and plot twists into the last 50 pages. However, the heist main plot is fun to read, and fans of the ‘Six of Crows’ series will absolutely adore this book.
Reviewed by Rachel Denham-White
Age Guide 14+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hafsah Faizal is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling, award-winning author of A Tempest of Tea and the ‘Sands of Arawiya’ duology, and the founder of IceyDesigns, where she creates websites for authors and beauteous goodies for everyone else.
A Forbes 30 under 30 honoree, when she’s not writing, she can be found designing, playing video games, or traversing the world.
Born in Florida and raised in California, she now resides in North Carolina with her husband and a library of books waiting to be devoured.
AWay Home unfolds a poignant narrative resonating with hope, resilience and the quest for belonging. Set in Melbourne, Australia, this contemporary coming-of-age story tackles the serious topic of youth homelessness and the importance of human connection.
Grace, a 16-year-old girl grappling with the tumult of her mother’s bipolar disorder, has known little stability. Her mother, Liesel, once a celebrated pianist, now spends countless hours punishing and absolving herself by playing the piano with fervour, leaving Grace to navigate an existence shuttling between her mother’s erratic care and the extreme tutelage of her grandfather.
After yet another incident at home, Liesel is hospitalised and Grace finds herself adrift, thrust into the unforgiving world of homelessness. Struggling to survive the harsh realities of street life, she initially shuns connection, traumatised by years of isolation and instability. However, over time she develops friendships with Louie, a kindred spirit on the streets, Mary, the crazy, old homeless woman at the train station, and Kate, the empathetic librarian. As Grace forges bonds and discovers her own resilience, she gradually finds solace and a sense of belonging in the unlikeliest of places.
This is a beautifully written novel exploring complex issues. This narrative is layered with many different themes, however, the overarching theme of finding a sense of home, and the transformative power of human connection, is inextricably woven throughout the book.
The story unfolds with a mix of anticipated and unforeseen events, yet it gracefully concludes on a positive note. This is a book worth reading.
Reviewed by Chandra Hazebroek
Age Guide 13+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emily Brewin is a Melbourne author, copywriter, and learning designer. Her first novel, Hello, Goodbye, was published in 2017 and her second, Small Blessings, in 2019, both with Allen and Unwin. A Way Home (MidnightSun Publishing) is her first YA novel. Her short stories have appeared in the anthologies: Into Your Arms: Nick Cave’s Songs Reimagined by Fremantle Press, We’ll Stand In That Place and Other Stories by Margaret River Press and the Bristol Short Story Anthology – Volume 10.
She has written for The Age, ABC Education, news.com.au, Meanjin, Kill Your Darlings, Archer, Feminartsy, The Victorian Writer, Screen Education, and Mamamia.
Bel is living a normal life with her father, Charlie Price. When Bel was only about two months old, her mother disappeared. She is now in the midst of filming a documentary about her disappearance.
When Rachel suddenly reappears, after missing for 16 years, Bel is flabbergasted. People thought Rachel had been either kidnapped, had run away, or was even murdered. In her heart Bel did not like Rachel suddenly appearing in their lives like a storm. She did not truly believe Rachel’s story of her disappearance. She wants to know the truth. Will she find it?
The novel depicts justice and inspires many to seek and fight for the truth. It’s also a story about familial relationships, the bond between a mother and a daughter. It left me questioning whether Rachel and Bel’s relationship could ever rebuild again.
I loved reading this book. It captivated me from the first page and left me wanting to know more. It is full of twists and turns where every character becomes a suspect in Rachel’s disappearance.
I would recommend The Reappearance of Rachel Price to anyone who enjoys reading crime fiction with a hint of romance. Holly Jackson has created a masterpiece that is a different style of crime-fiction narrative. I would rate this novel at the highest level because it was truly a delight to read about Rachel’s story and her motherly bond with Bel.
Reviewed by Deeya, Year 11, Cerdon College, Merrylands
Age Guide 14+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Holly Jackson is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling series A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, an international sensation with millions of copies sold worldwide as well as the #1 New York Times bestseller and instant classic, Five Survive, and her novel, The Reappearance of Rachel Price.
She graduated from the University of Nottingham, where she studied literary linguistics and creative writing, with a master’s degree in English. She enjoys playing video games and watching true-crime documentaries so she can pretend to be a detective. She lives in London.
Kalynn Bayron is well known for her YA fairytale re-telling Cinderella Is Dead. Her latest novel Sleep Like Death is an amazing look at the classic Snow White story.
Eve Miller is the Princess of Queen’s Bridge and is determined to hunt down and kill the elusive Knight. This monstrous being has been terrorising her home and offering the townspeople cursed deals, comprised of twisted rewards and terrible costs. Eve’s mothers was turned into a nightingale after she requested ‘the most beautiful singing voice in all the land’.
Everything changes when Eve encounters a slab of black, mirror-like stone in the Queen’s quarters, and meets the strange inhabitant living inside, who is a disciple of the Knight. The princess learns that she has to flee her home, as she has a curse on her own head.
This is a topnotch fairytale re-imagining. Bayron kept me engaged and looking out for the well-known story beats, such as the magic mirror and the poison apple, but she mixes the story up by adding new ideas, such as a father with seven sons instead of seven dwarves. I especially enjoyed how Bayron cleverly incorporated other fairytales into the narrative. I also loved Eve’s relationship with her mother, as Bayron deliberately strays away from the ‘Evil Queen’ trope and gives us a mother-daughter bond that is truly heartwarming to read.
Eve originally feels a bit overpowered for a convincing protagonist, as her magical powers appear too convenient. However, she has a great internal monologue and was both an inspiring and vulnerable character. I’m sure this book will go down as a classic of YA fantasy.
Reviewed by Rachel Denham-White
Age Guide 12+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kalynn Bayron is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of the YA fantasy novelsCinderella Is Deadand This Poison Heart. Her works include the YA horror novel You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight and the middle grade paranormal adventure The Vanquishers.
She is a CILIP Carnegie Medal Nominee, a Bram Stoker Award nominee, a LOCUS Award finalist, and the recipient of the 2022 Randall Kenan Award for Black LGBTQ fiction.
She is a classically trained vocalist and musical theatre enthusiast. When she’s not writing you can find her watching scary movies and spending time with her family.
Gus Green is 15, overweight and has mental health issues stemming from a car accident in which his father died, and which caused debilitating injuries to his mum. Gus’s best friend at school, Shell, is also overweight and is confused about her gender and sexuality. She and Gus bond over true crime podcasts. Gus’s neighbour is another friend, Kane. Unlike Gus and Shell, he’s an athlete, but now hobbled with a long-term knee injury.
While looking through images of past crimes, Gus comes across a digitally aged image of a boy who was kidnapped years before. The photo bears a remarkable resemblance to himself. His parents had always been cagey about Gus’s past, and he wonders if he could be the kidnapped boy. But his parents were normal and boring … the thought that they could be kidnappers seems ludicrous. Gus, however, can’t get the thought out of his head. He, Shell and Kane decide to investigate the case.
They head to the town of Bellata, where the kidnapping occurred, to look for information. Gus finds the now-retired policeman in charge of the investigation, Frank Firelli, discovered the boy’s mother sold weed from home, and that the police had three suspects: the ex-boyfriend, the new lover, and the babysitter. The case depends on specific timelines … and the suspects all have watertight alibis.
The three friends all have missing pieces from their identity. Solving this mystery may go some way to help find their true selves.
Three friends J, Dar and Will live in what would be called a dead-end town full of secrets. As a result of a dam built earlier the old town was submerged. But recently the dam has sprung a leak and as a result the old town is emerging. In particular, one old house is drawing our three protagonists towards it.
Will lives with his mother after his father, who was the local police sergeant, disappeared in mysterious circumstances along with several others. Meanwhile J and Dar, who are brother and sister, live with their father who has an obvious drinking problem, while their mum has moved out.
The action revolves around the discovery in the emerging house by the three of a large sum of money and a skeleton, which Will believes might be his father. From here we find out that those who placed money in the old house want it back and what ensues is a chase by the baddies to get the money back.
This book has all the makings of a really engaging novel. Unfortunately, it didn’t totally jell for me. I found the climax a bit anti-climactic, which is a shame as this could have been a great read.
This is still a good read but, for a reluctant reader, it is not as engaging as it could be.
ristan Bancks tells stories for the page and screen. His latest book is suspense-thriller, Scar Town, for age 10+. His other books for kids and teens include Two Wolves, The Fall, Detention, Cop & Robber, Ginger Meggs and the ‘Tom Weekly‘series. His books have won and been shortlisted for many awards, including a Children’s Book Council of Australia Honour Book, the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, and the YABBA children’s choice book awards.
Tristan is an author-advocate for literacy non-profit Room to Read. He is currently working with producers to develop a number of his books for the screen. He’s excited by the future of storytelling and inspiring others to create.
Emily Brewin is a Melbourne author, copywriter, and learning designer. Her first novel, Hello, Goodbye, was published in 2017 and her second, Small Blessings, in 2019, both with Allen and Unwin. A Way Home (MidnightSun Publishing) is her first YA novel. Her short stories have appeared in the anthologies: Into Your Arms: Nick Cave’s Songs Reimagined by Fremantle Press, We’ll Stand In That Place and Other Stories by Margaret River Press and the Bristol Short Story Anthology – Volume 10.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
