A review by Nalini Haynes Island of a Thousand Mirrors is historical fiction: it’s set in the twentieth century and follows the evolution of Sinhala …
Book reviews
Harry Potter: The Creature Vault by Jody Revenson
A review by Nalini Haynes The picture (left) of Harry Potter: The Creature Vault doesn’t do it justice. It’s two-toned purple with 3D embossing to …
Dreamer’s Pool by Juliet Marillier
A review by Nalini Haynes I’ve never read a Juliet Marillier novel before; heaps of people, even other students (who hardly seem to read), have …
Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
A review by Nalini Haynes Originally published in 1996, Assassin’s Apprentice is so popular that HarperVoyager released an anniversary edition a few years ago. I …
Graveyard Book graphic novel volume 2 by Neil Gaiman and P Craig Russell
A review by Nalini Haynes Recently I received and reviewed The Graveyard Book graphic novel volume 1; now I’ve received volume 2 so the story …
Maze Runner by James Dashner
A review by Nalini Haynes Thomas awakes alone in a creaking elevator, moving through the dark, ascending… He arrives. The elevator roof opens, allowing some …
Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
A review by Nalini Haynes Queen of the Tearling has a beautiful hardcover dust jacket featuring a dark chocolate background with dusty gold highlights in …
Lock In by John Scalzi
A review by Nalini Haynes A flu epidemic sweeps the world. People die by the millions. Survivors are usually trapped within their own bodies, conscious but …
Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor
A review by Nalini Haynes Once upon a time there was a girl with blue hair, Karou, living in Prague. A vampire jumps out at …
Allies and Assassins by Justin Somper
A review by Elizabeth Manthos The Prince is dead! Prince Anders, the ruler of Archenfield, a small principality, has been murdered, leaving his younger brother …
Heartwood by Freya Robertson
A review by Nalini Haynes Heartwood is the first in the Elemental Wars series BUT IT WORKS AS A STAND-ALONE. Yay. I’m a bit over …
Quick by Steve Worland
A review by Nalini Haynes Quick is an action-comedy, a gender-flipped Cinderella story starting with Cinders, in this case Billy Hotchkiss, rolling a V8 race …
Shaman by Kim Stanley Robinson
A review by Evie Kendal Shaman begins with Loon’s “wander” – a tribal tradition in which he must survive in the wild without any of …
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
A commentary by Nalini Haynes [Spoilers, Sweetie] Burial Rites is ‘Scandinavian Noir’ because it’s set in Iceland; it’s the ‘speculative biography’ of Agnes Magnusdottir, the …
Existence by David Brin
A review by Rebecca Muir Existence is an attention-grabbing book, before you even open the cover. It is a thick book with a stark black …