80s and 90s YA Fiction The Young Adult book market has changed a lot over the years. I read a great deal of YA fiction throughout the 1990s (the vast majority of which was actually published in the 1980s). The genre was quite different back then. There was not the vast array of choice that there is for younger readers nowadays. There really has been something of a boom in […]
I really enjoyed Unearthly by Cynthia Hand but at the same time did not quite understand why it appealed to me so much. I am not a huge fan of ‘angel’ themes in Young Adult paranormal novels. Probably the only book of this ilk I have enjoyed previously was Angelfall by Susan Ee but that is because it broke a lot of the conventions of this particular brand of paranormal […]
A novella set in the same world as Across the Universe, this gave a very different perspective to the inhabitants of Godspeed. This was narrated by Selene, a minor previously unnamed character in the series. As They Slip Away helped to explain some of the underlying plot threads in Across the Universe and gave greater depth to some of the events. Selene (the rabbit girl) is a tragic character who […]
Nick has always been the most mysterious of the Merrick brothers. He was the level-headed, calm twin – the ying to his fiery twin Gabriel’s yang as it were. The peace-maker – the one who could be relied upon to do the right thing and keep his brothers out of trouble. He always seemed so self-assured and confident. I was looking forward to reading this novella to get more of […]
Shadowfell is the first book in a new YA series by Juliet Marillier and although it was not quite as magical an experience as her earlier Sevenwaters series, it did not disappoint. This is the story of Neryn, a young girl with certain ‘canny’ gifts that have made her a target. She has had to keep hidden, never staying long in any one place for fear of discovery. She has heard of […]