There are only a handful of Australian authors who can claim global stardom in publishing. Having sold over one million copies in more than 20 countries and now receiving a rousing endorsement from perhaps the most famed writer of the 2020s Rebecca Yarros, Lynette Noni continues to prove she is firmly in this camp.

In Shadow Reaper, teen hunter Viridia Solace seeks revenge on the Reaper Priest who stole the lives of her parents. Forced to ally with his dangerous lieutenant, Reeve Ashton, she enters a world of magic, secrets, betrayal and a deadly black mist. In doing so, she risks her own life, her heart and the fate of her home city. With its unrelenting twists and turns, beloved genre tropes like enemies-to-lovers romance and found family, this high-octane YA novel will leave you thoroughly entertained, whether you’re 14 or 44.

Shadow Reaper is a life-changing novel for chartbuster author Lynette Noni. In an open letter to her readers, she states, ‘This book changed my life, in every possible way. It destroyed me. And then it healed me.’ This sentiment soaked through each of the nearly 500 pages, and for this critic, Shadow Reaper sits in a calibre above her previous novels as her standout work.

Reviewed by Samuel Bernard
Age Guide 14+

Read our interview with Lynette Noni on The Wandering Wild

Listen to our podcast episode with Lynette Noni

Read our review of Whisper by Lynette Noni

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After studying journalism, academic writing, and human behaviour at university, Lynette Noni finally ventured into the world of fiction. She is now a full-time writer and the #1 bestselling author of the globally renowned young adult fantasy trilogy, ‘The Prison Healer‘, as well as the seven-book YA fantasy series, ‘The Medoran Chronicles’, and the award-winning YA duology, ‘Whisper.’

In 2019, Lynette’s book Whisper won the ABIA Award (Australian Book Industry Award) for Small Publishers’ Children’s Book of the Year, as well as the Gold Inky Award (Australia’s only teen choice book award).

Her newest series, The Prison Healer, won the 2022 ABIA Award for Book of the Year for Older Children (13+), and was shortlisted for the 2022 Indie Book Awards. It was also a finalist in the 2022 Audie Awards, and a CBCA (Children’s Book Council of Australia) notable mention for Older Readers Book of the Year. The Prison Healer was also voted in at #2 on the Better Reading Kids’ Top 50 list for 2022. Most recently, the final book in the trilogy, The Blood Traitor, won the 2023 ABIA Award for Book of the Year for Older Children (13+). To date, Lynette’s books have sold more than one million copies in over 20 countries across the globe.

Visit Lynette Noni’s website here.

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Read more about Shadow Reaper on the publisher’s website here.