For all lovers of original fantasy

NZ Writer

Jan Goldie

Brave’s Journey

IFWG Publishing, Australia 2015  $21.50pb 250pp

ISBN 978 1 9251 4884 8

Themes: Coming of age/ Elements/ Fantasy/ Mothers and sons/ Quests

A silver necklace showing four elements - Earth/ Air/ Fire/ Water  - bind this story of Brave who used to be a fairly ordinary teenager and True bossy and self opinionated who he feels is just out to make his life unbearable. And where are we? It certainly isn’t the world as we know it. There are riches here for all lovers of fantasy who enjoy a totally original story where nothing is really as it seems and they will be hoping (as I am) for a sequel to follow soon.       

Year 8 up / Age 12 up

Photo of Jan by James Stanbridge

For more information about the writer go to: 

www.jangoldie.com

www.facebook.com/JanGoldieAuthor

A New Fantasy from Elizabeth Pulford

NZ Writer  Elizabeth Pulford  Bloodtree Chronicles Book One : Sanspell  Scholastic NZ  2015  $12.00pb  256pp  Themes: Fantasy/Journeys/ Series/ Time Travel

For Abigail, a girl quite fond of her own home comforts, the day began like any other.  But. By evening she found herself staying with two aunts she had never met before, involved  with trying to save a Bloodtree (and its wealth of stories and characters) from total destruction and travelling in a place throbbing with the Dark Forces. She is joined by a boy who steps out of a painting and who looks strangely familiar. 
There is much here to please and involve fantasy lovers and they will be glad to find this is only Book One of the series.

Year 5 up /Age 9 up   

Fiction 9 years and up (Fantasy/ Series)

Australian Writers

Garth Nix and Sean Williams

Missing, Presumed Evil

Trouble Twisters Series Number 4

Allen & Unwin, 2014   $24.00pb  342pp

ISBN 978 1 7423 7401 7

Themes: Family/ Fantasy/ Friendship/ Good v evil/ Series/ Twins

The magical twins, Jack and Jaide have faced The Evil before but even they, with all their experience (in the first three books) of true scariness could not have imagined what is to come! I am always surprised to find that writers, exploring such well worn pathways as good versus evil and the end of the world are able to infuse freshness and new twists to the old story and make us read it as though for the first time – especially when tempered with the well-known, sometimes OTT humour of this duo.  Readers don’t have to have read the first books in this series but it will make it a more rounded experience if they have. The Trouble Twister series have been given (in my opinion) particularly enticing jackets, which may act as a lure to more reluctant readers although the first two chapters require quite a bit of concentration – it seems to become much easier reading after that.

Year 5 up/ Age 9 up

My apologies this has been sitting on my desk for a couple of months...

Young Adult Fiction (Fantasy)

AVAILABLE NOW

USA Writer Amanda Hocking Frostfire Book One The Kanin Chronicles Pan Macmillan, 2015   $19.19pb 321pp

ISBN 978 1 4472 5664 9

Themes: ‘Belonging’/ Betrayal/ Fantasy/ Love stories/ Series/ Trolls/ Vampires

Bryn Aven is an outsider, seen as a ‘half blood’ especially with her blond hair and blue eyes and cannot seem to fit into the Kanin society which she loves. It is here she wishes to become part of the King’s elite guard.  Easily read, a tight storyline and exciting writing, this has all the elements (see themes above) that should make it popular.

For some readers the stunning jacket will be a major drawcard!  

Amanda Hocking came to fame through her previous titles. Until then she had not published a book but after being ‘discovered’ on eBooks the Trylle  trilogy sold many millions of copies.

Year 8 up/  Age 12 up

Young Adult Fiction

Published today 21/8/13

USA Writer

Sarah J. Maas

Crown of Midnight

Book Two in the A Throne of Glass series

Bloomsbury   2013   $19.99pb    422 pages

ISBN 978 1 4088 3494 7

Themes: Fantasy/Love stories/ Magic/ Series

Celaena is now 18 years old and although she has won the king’s consent to be a royal assassin her loyalties lie far from here although she pretends to do the king’s bidding. Dark forces are gathering on the horizon and these will force Celaena to make a choice. This is addictive reading – just Google the title to see what reviewers and readers around  the world have to say.

Throne of Glass was shortlisted for the Waterston’s Children's Teen Book of the Year and has been translated into 12 languages.

Go to: www.sjmaas.livejournal.com for more about the book and its (very) young writer.

 Year 9 up/ Age 13 up

Mature Readers - Age 13 up

NZ Writer
David Hair
Ghosts Of Parihaka 
HarperCollins 2013   $24.99pb   303 pages
ISBN 978 1 8695 0932 3
Themes: Conservation/ Fantasy/ Maori people of New Zealand/ India/ Parihaka -  New Zealand 
Book Five in the Aotearoa series 



Matiu Douglas is with his classmates on a trip to Parihaka – an unassuming small place that was the scene of much historical, cultural and political importance during the 40 years between 1860 and 1900. When his friend Riki is snatched into the Ghost World of Aotearoa during the trip,  Matiu is forced into some decisions that may have deadly consequences. This is the fifth title in the series where past and present mix, seemingly seamlessly. For readers who have been following the series the author says this in an epilogue: …You’ll know how the Aotearoa series works: The Ghost World is an afterlife that collects the souls of those tied closely to its history, and who feel passionately about the land (for good or ill). This means of course that some of the characters are real people… 
 Book Six, the final in the series, is in preparation. 
Year 9 up/ Age 13 up