Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard:

“I am a red girl in a sea of silvers and I cannot afford to feel sorry for anyone, least of all the son of a snake.”

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is an electrifying novel that merges the boundaries between fantasy power, gripping action and forbidden love, taking the wonderful world of YA by storm. Red Queen takes place in a dystopian world divided by blood – red or silver. Victoria Aveyard writes to the beat of her own drum, every beat being a heart-stopping twist that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Red Queen will make hard-core fantasy addicts weep with triumph and delight.

This spectacular one of a kind novel will give you a rollercoaster of emotions that will leave you in a mess of tears or a heart attack of joy. In a wonderful world of betrayal against betrayal, Reds against Silvers, prince against prince and Mare’s heart against Mare’s head, Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is a read everyone should have on their bookshelves. – Bronte

The Cruelty by Scott Bergstrom:

17 year old Gwendolyn Bloom knows she’s different from the other kids but never could she imagine becoming an assassin.
After her father gets kidnapped during a work trip overseas she finds out that everything she knows is a lie. Not willing to trust the people whom she once thought of as friends and colleagues of her fathers she decides to take matters into her own hands and embarks into a world of pure evil and cruelty.
Can she survive and become someone who can carry out such unimaginable horrors to save her father, and is he the innocent party she thinks he is?
This book has you travelling from USA to the underbelly of Europe. The graphic content of the story line makes sure you are kept engaged in this fast paced journey. – Karen

The Catcher In The Rye by J D Salinger:

The Catcher In The Rye written by J.D. Salinger, is a beautifully quaint tale of an ambitious and wonderfully critical youth named Holden. Making the initiative to leave the ‘phonies’ at his boarding school and his failing grades, by dropping out, he starts on the reluctant journey home to Manhattan to face his parents and see his beloved little sister, and along the way narrates his thoughts, ideas, critiques and observations. You’ll love this book if you like classics, or cosy quaint stories with a lot of heart and thought (of mice and men, or the heart is a lonely hunter). – Merrilyn

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson:

I’ve actually finished the trilogy but the first book is an awe-inspiring introduction to the world of the Mistborn series.

A rag tag group of professional thieves and con artists decide to accomplish the most dangerous, ambitious and almost ridiculous job anyone could ever imagine, the biggest scam against the whole Empire: A Revolution to burn it all down!

A brilliant juggle of entertainment – action packed, heart wrenching, sophisticated superpowers, complex plots and fun in-between. I almost forgot to eat my dinner when I was near the end, so be warned – it is an unstoppable book that will grab your heart, soul and undivided attention. – Sheila

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken:

Passenger follows the story of violin prodigy Etta Spencer as her whole world turns upside down. One minute she is worrying about her upcoming shows and the next she is thrown back in time into a world she never new existed. She ends up immersed in 1776 with a mission, she must find the astrolabe or her world will be destroyed. She must embark on an epic journey with her one and only companion Nicholas in order to save time as we know it.

This action packed novel had me on the edge of me seat from page one. I felt as if I was being transported with Etta through the story, dying to know what would come next. This book had me jumping for joy on one page and sobbing on the next. It is truly an incredible story and an incredible world. – Imogene

Nightingale by Fiona McIntosh:

This novel begins in 1915 with Claire Nightingale volunteering to nurse soldiers in the war. Jamie is in the 9th regiment of the Australian Light Horse. It is a story of heroism, friendship, forgiveness, loss and love, with characters so real you feel like you would recognise them in the street.

I really loved this well researched book. It’s an historical romance and compelling WW1 read. A great combination of both romance and the horrors of war. The descriptions of the conditions at Gallipoli seemed heartbreakingly real.

A wonderful story which allows the reader to experience the emotion of the times. – Jo