Labyrinth by Kate Mosse is a story set in both the present and the past. It was a very exciting read full of mystery. I would recommend it.

Based in France, two women connected to a secret that lay dormant for centuries are drawn into a war. When Alice is on an archeological dig in carcassone, she finds two skeletons, turning to dust with age, in a cave with a labyrinth engraved on the wall. 800 years earlier, a woman learnt of a secret that can further rip apart France or save it. These two women, connected through the ages, have the world on their shoulders.

Age: 16+

Rating: 3.5 stars

Genre: Fictional History

Other Categories: Mystery, Adventure

Where can you buy it: Amazon, World of Books, WHSmith

The Ruby Redfort series has been one of my favourites, although you could say you grow out of it. By far one of the most interesting books for everyone to enjoy, it is inspiring, especially for young girls, to imagine life as a spy and feel a connection to the protagonist. In my opinion, this series is one of Lauren Childs best works.

When Ruby Redfort gets a mysterious phonecall and all the furniture in her house, along with her family's housekeeper, goes missing, she begins a journey of a lifetime, spanning 6 amazing books. Recruited at the age of 13, Ruby is the youngest spy but still has huge amounts of responsibility.

Age: 9-15

Rating: 4.8 stars

Genre: Mystery

Other Categories: Espionage, Teenage, thriller

Where can you buy it: Amazon, Waterstones, Books 2 Door, Books 4 People, WHSmith

This well known classic by Luisa May Alcott was one of the best and most ineteresting books that I have read, especially as it was outside one of my preferred genres. Even though it was one of my most recent reads, I was not put off when reading it again, noticing smaller details and still just as interesting as the first time that I read it. I would reccommend this to anyone and everyone. In 2019, the 'Little Women' movie came out, looking at the story of the March Sisters in a slightly different view. It's' a great film and you can watch it now on Netflix.

Following the lives of four girls in New England, watching them grow and chase their dreams: love, fame and passion. It's not just a book for girls, all can enjoy as you see the March family's life play out, set in the Civil War.

Age: 12-13+

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Classic

Other Categories: Family, Feminism

Where can you buy it: Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith, Read free on VLE books

Murder on the Orient Express is an engaging murder mystery that is sure make you ponder. This fenomenal book is the work of famous murder mystery author Agatha Christie as well as being one of her most popular books, as well as one of my favourites. I was utterly absorbed in the complex scenarios the author has carefully crafted and was shocked with the verdict. I'm not going to lie, I didn't figure it out. Will you?

We travel back in time to the early 1930’s where going by train was a most popular mode of transport. It is also the only way to travel for Agatha Christie’s extraordinary Detective ‘M. Hercule Poirot. Just after midnight, a rich American Tycoon is heard to cry out but seems to tell one of the staff that all is alright. However, the next morning he is found dead, stabbed 12 times with no explanation of why. Can you solve this mystery? Find out and pick up an issue of 'Murder on the Orient Express' now.

Age: 12+

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Mystery

Other Categories: classic, murder mystery

Where can you buy it: Amazon, Waterstones, World of Books, Blackwell's, WHSmith

You may already know I'm kinda into dinosaurs and it was so hard to find a fiction book that had them that wasn't meant for 5 year-olds. Then, finally, a friend reccommended this amazing series, one of my new favourite books. With only a little dinosaur related gore, it's perfect for anyone 11-12+ and would be highly recommended. If you look past the unusual character names, you might find you really enjoy it.

Storm's different. She doesn't want to kill all dinosaurs, but their Land is crowded, one continent pushed to the brink with people, the other lush, beautiful yet deady - full of dinosaurs. Lincoln would do anything to save his little sister, even if that meant going to the dinosaur continent in exchange for proper healthcare. 1 mission, two possible outcomes and the trust between two people in the balance. These are the extinction trials.

Age: 12+

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Adventure

Other Categories: Survival, Dinosaurs

Where can you buy it: Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith

I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about this book but as soon as I started reading, all of my worries melted away because, what an amazing novel. It's an unbelievably amazing mixture of sci-fi, adventure, survival, and action. Not only does it have everything, it delves deep into theories and matters of the universe (in a non-lectury way) in ways that are easy to understand and love. Not only that but there is an unbeleivable twist that I garuntee you will not see coming. If you're not reading anything right now, go to the store and buy this book!

They are coming, the men. Hunting a girl and her little brother. Why? Why are they chasing them through the forest, the tundra, through fires and plane crashes? There is something different, something strange about them and they will do anything to find out what it is.

Age: 11+

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Adventure

Other Categories: Survival, Sci-fi, Action, Drama

Where can you buy it: Amazon, Waterstones, AppleBooks, WHSmith

Patrick Ness is one of my favourite authors and this book is no exeption to his amazing novels. This was great as I was emmersed in the supernatural and realistic enough to imagine it could have been happening. Mixing dragions, the multiverse and secret service agencies, it one of the best books I've read - I know I say this a lot but this is a really great book!

Sarah had no idea what bringing a dragon into her life would be, even though it was just so he would work on the farm. But dealing with people in her town, a secret dragon agency hunting them down and dragons who may or may not have eaten someone can make everything way more difficult than it already was.

Age: 14+

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Sci-fi

Other Categories: Survival, Action, Drama, Paranormal

Where can you buy it: Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith

After having read 'the Quiet at the End of the World', I just had to read another book by Lauren James and this one, is so on topic. I mean the way she writes about climate change in a way that's not cheesy or lectury (don't know if that's a word) is just astounding! After this, I have added every other book written by Lauren James onto my reading list, and I would recommend everyone to do the same.

Climate change is real and it will just get worse if huge energy companies like Dalex continue to mine for oil and burn fossil fuels. The world is a grey wasteland and the oceans are full of plastic and rubbish. But there is hope. When the younger generation misteriously obtains the ability to grow plants from their skin, the world stops looking so bleak. But power hungry organisations have other plans and do whatever it takes to maintain their profits.

Age: 13+

Rating: 4.5 stars

Genre: Sci-fi

Other Categories: survival, climate change, mystical, powers, YA

Where can you buy it: Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith

This book was recommended to me by a friend and her extremely positive reviews made me want to try it. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to the standard I was expecting. While the beginning and climax of the book were interesting enough, I just felt that the ending was rushed and felt a bit stale and not at all 'satisfying', not to mention the relationships between the characters which all felt a bit forced. It's not the worst book ever but the sequels are needed to fill satisfied with the storyline.

London chases the small mining village, its citizens cheering at the capture. This is what the great cities had become, scavengers on a barren wasteland, barely catching enough prey to keep its wheels moving. When Tom is flung out onto the wasteland, setting foot on the solid earth for the first time, he struggles for survival, running from a cyborg and desperately trying to get back to the place he once called home.

Age: 11+

Rating: 2.5 stars

Genre: Adventure

Other Categories: dystopian, robots, futuristic, survival

Where can you buy it: Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith

I have always been interested in Greek Mythology and Madeline MIller has accomplished an amazing novel that goes into depth of one of the less known yet just as interesting figures of ancient Greece. Based on true myths but written in an engaging and thoroughly enjoyable way, this is such a great book that captures the essence of the different timeline.

Circe is strange. She is the daughter of the titan Helios, Titan of the Sun, yet she has no powers, or so she thinks. Herbs, plants they all call to her until she find a knack for transformation - turning someone into a god and another into a monster. so what do gods do when they are threatened? they exile her, banish her so she doesn't threaten their rule. Follow Circe's journey through mysoginistic environments, battles and love.

Age: 14+

Rating: 3.8 stars

Genre: Historical Fiction

Other Categories: Greek, Mythology, Gods

Where can you buy it: Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith

I can just see the comments coming in, another book by Lauren James!? Well this is my way of making you see how good this book is as well as so many others by this author. She is amazing at writing YA novels while making them interesting (I mean ghosts come on! - In not a horror way) without making themn to cringy. Seriously, if you haven't read a book by James, do it now and this book was pretty darn good.

Harriet died. There's no nicer way to say it. She's dead, and so are many students in teh haunted house. Now, she is a ghost and if she tries to leave, she disitergrates; if she stays, her grandmother will be left alone and she will have to survive living with other people, or should I say ghosts. But, there is a lot more to these ghosts than you may think, and this haunted house has a dark secret hiding in the basement.

Age: 15+

Rating: 3.5 stars

Genre: supernatural

Other Categories: Ghosts, Sci-Fi, Mystery

Where can you buy it: Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith, eBay

I have decided to a book for a much younger audience so I decided to write about one of my favourite childhood books: An Elephant in the Garden. I was ( and still am) practically obsessed with anything to do woth animals and lucky for me, Michael Morpurgo had many different choices but this one caught my eye and I am so glad I read it. I am not a fan of war books but this one has been written with extreme care and is absolutely great.

When Lizzie's father is away, fighting in the war, her mother takes a job as a zookeeper and becomes attatched to a small orphan elephant called Marlene. However, as their home town becomes at risk of bombing, the animals in the zoo have to be put down so they don't run amock in the town. Pleading for Marlene, the young elephant lives in their garden. But when the bombs do come, they have to run, and they cannot run for long.

Age: 8-12

Rating: 4.5 stars

Genre: War

Other Categories: Animals, Friendship

Where can you buy it: Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith, eBay

The geek girl series was one of my favourites when I was younger, mixing two completely different worlds in the realm of high school. It also happens that I relate to the more geeky side of the book, less so the fashion but many others are the opposite. It is great for either side and I would push it on anyone who is or isn't considering reading.

Harriet Manners is a geek. She is a geek, and everyone at school seems to have a problem with that. They don't see the less nerdy side of her so when she has the opportunity to change who she is, her clique, to transform into someone new, she seizes it. But it's hard to be someone your not and sometimes, it puts you in a worse off position than before.

Age: 10-13

Rating: 4.7 stars

Genre: Comedy

Other Categories: Nerd, school, fashion

Where can you buy it: Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith

This is the first book in the divergent series and this is one of the many instances where the books are WAY better than the movies. I mean, I was gobsmacked at how awesome this book was! Not gonna lie, I re-read the book straight after finishing it, willing it to not be over. Luckily, there are more where that came from. I mean, there is a reason it's a #1 best-seller, not just because of it's pretty cover!

Tris is different. She doesn't fit into any one category, she's not just selfless or honest or intelligent or brave or kind, she's everything and in this world that's dangerous. She has to make a choice and hide who she really is because being everything is powerful, which makes her dangerous to those who rule with power and she's in their way. No one to trust, leaving her family and everyone she has ever known. Out on her own, she is drawn to the one who both threatens her and protects her. Could they be different? Or is she just alone in this dystopian world with no one to help her.

Age: 14+

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Action

Other Categories: YA, dystopian, war

Where can you buy it: Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith

I first read this book on wattpad, the original version (slightly different to the published version but equally as good) and I was amazed at the unbelievable plot full of twists and turns and the writing style is sophisticated enough to be interesting but simple enough to make you want to carry on reading wihtout having to re-read sections a few times. The character development is really good and you really feel like you understand the characters.

Sam is a woman. As such, she's expected to stay at home, cook and look after her children. But her heart doesn't beat to that drum. She wants to be a Paladin, a knight that kills the plague of demons on her world. So now she's a boy, paired up with the paladin Tristen Lyons who knew her as Lady Samantha and if her finds out who she is, she has no chance of completeing her dream. When their rag tag group of fighters is complete with Braeden, who's part demon, things are going to get messy. Sam is charged with chosing her country or her heart.

Age: 15+

Rating: 4.7 stars

Genre: Adventure

Other Categories: YA, dystopian, war, femaleprotagonist, knights

Where can you buy it: Amazon, read for free on wattpad

Victoria Aveyard is such a great author, her books having a fantasy genre yet she somehow makes it seem modern. I mean, her work is genius. Playing with viewpoints and carefully building back-stories through carefully thought out filler chapters in a completely exciting way is something I had yet to find in a book. The description may be long (definately not as long as Dicken's, thank goodness) and the build-up a bit arduous at times but when you really get to the climax of the book, it all kicks off and there is nothing more you could want.

What do you get when you cross an Assassin, the only survivour of an uneven battle, a half-human, a witch, a bounty-hunter, a builder and someone completely not human on a quest fighting monsters from another realm with a sword that could make or break the universe? Let's just say, a whole load of drama, fights and one killer story.

Age: 13+

Rating: 4.2 stars

Genre: Fantasy

Other Categories: Adventure, Dystopian, Knights, Magic

Where can you buy it: Amazon, Waterstones

Patrick Ness wrote some of my all time favourite books - the chaos walking trilogy. Because they are so good, I'm just gonna say, DO NOT watch the movie, it butchered the books. Read the books first, always. Anyway, onto this book. Ness manages to talk about social issues such as homophobia, suicide, racism all with the background of climate change in a way where you learn about so many different people's perspectives and are still enthralled with the matric-esque plotline. It was a good book but it's slow and can be a bit dark at times. This is a much more serious book, and it shows. It is good but I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for something more upbeat.

Set in the present day, it starts with a boy, drowning. Seth dies. He dies and wakes up. He dies and wakes up somewhere new, strapped to the inside of a coffin in a world covered in dust and full of abandonment. He sees no one else, until a van, as black as obsidien, drives through the town. But the driver isn't normal, and he's hiding something, something important, something that could chnage the world as he knows it. Then there's a girl, hiding the truth, a boy with a dark past. Will he be able to find what happened to this place? Will he find what'd keeping him in the dark; the truth?

Age: 15+

Rating: 3.2 stars

Genre: Fantasy

Other Categories: YA, Dystopian, matrix vibes, LGBTQ+

Where can you buy it: Amazon, Waterstones

So I first found out about this book when I saw the movie on Netflix. The movie was good enough to make me want to read the book but not good enough for me to like it (sorry). It was different from the usual books I tend to read, the first one with aliens but the who sci-fi thing was handled so well, and not a green marshan in sight!

Aliens aren't real, right? Nope. And when they came, it wasn't going to be an easy human extinction either. After the 1st wave, light is but a memory. After the 2nd wave, only the lucky remain. After the 3rd wave, only the unlucky survive. By the 4th wave, you're on your own.

Cassie didn't expect to be put in the middle of an alien apocalypse, only the thought of saving her brother getting her through the night. But when a mysterious man named Evan Walker saves her on the highway. To stay alone is to survive but can she trust someone, when THEY walk among humanity? To be alone is to survive but to be alone, you must die. Her next decision is the difference between saving what's left of her family, saving herslef, and saving humanity. No pressure.

Age: 13+

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Science-Fiction

Other Categories: YA, Dystopian, aliens, survival

Where can you buy it: Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith

I saw this book, read the blurb, started reading and could not stop. I literally could not put the book dow, it was like it almost physically hurt. I read the entire thing in one sitting because it was just good. The way it was written helped you to begin to piece together the puzzle and the mysteries without revealing the whole plot. The twsits left me reeling and wanting more. Luckily, if you're not ready for it to end, there is a sequel!

A large house in Chelsea has just witnessed death. Three bodies lie in the kitchen, dead with a note of suicide left to those who find them. Upstairs, a baby lies in their cot, comfotable, well-fed and changed. But the bodies are days old. So much can happen in one house and death isn't the last of it.

Age: 16+

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Muder Mystery

Other Categories: Thriller, Scary

Where can you buy it: Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith

Disclaimer: Some darker themes are talked about