Why am I passionate about this?

I used to be afraid of the thriller section, assuming it was synonymous with horror. It took me until my 30s to register that I’d been reading thrillers for years without realising it. Tomorrow When the War Began, the Hunger Games, A Wrinkle in Time, The Darkest Minds, Mortal Engines: they’re all big loves. I’ve come to realise that thriller basically just means heart-pumping. There’s something about a book keeping you on the edge of your seat, desperate to turn the page and find out what happens next.


I wrote...

Purlieu

By Michaela Daphne,

Book cover of Purlieu

What is my book about?

My book is about a girl who runs away with her boyfriend when she should have run away from him.…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Michaela Daphne Why did I love this book?

I was in a reading slump when I read this book, and it jump-started my love of reading again. I was genuinely impressed by the cleverly woven descent of Coriolanus Snow’s mind into the evil President Snow we witness in the Hunger Games trilogy (plus all the easter eggs along the way). This book was so good I read it twice back-to-back.

By Suzanne Collins,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Ambition will fuel him.Competition will drive him.But power has its price.

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District…


Book cover of Impostors

Michaela Daphne Why did I love this book?

This book was the perfect balance of new versus old in how it wove in the original Uglies series (which I very much appreciated) but still provided a compelling new story backdrop. My heart broke for Frey as she uncovered the lies she’d been led to believe, but in an “I need to keep reading” kind of way.

And this book keeps you reading. I utterly devoured it, eager to know what would happen next because it was so twisty and turny.

By Scott Westerfeld,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Impostors as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 13, 14, 15, and 16.

What is this book about?

With Impostors, master storyteller Scott Westerfeld
returns with a new series set in the world of his mega-bestselling
Uglies - a world full of twist and turns,
rebellion and intrigue, where any wrong step could be Frey's last

Frey and Rafi are inseparable . . . two edges of the same knife.
But Frey's very existence is a secret.

Frey is Rafi's twin sister - and her body double.


Their powerful father has many enemies, and the world has grown
dangerous as the old order falls apart. So while Rafi was raised
to be the perfect daughter, Frey has been…


Book cover of The Prison Healer

Michaela Daphne Why did I love this book?

I love complicated protagonists and I particularly love a good twist (which Lynette Noni is a master of). I was initially skeptical about this story because it didn’t sound like something I’d be interested in (set in a prison), but I decided to read it anyway because I’ll read anything by Lynette Noni. Boy, am I glad I did because this story is a corker!

Yes, it feels a little too typical YA with the “trials trope” and such, but it had a very good reason for it in the end, which I can respect. This book is fast paced and surprisingly enjoyable for a story that takes place in a prison.

By Lynette Noni,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Prison Healer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

'A marvelous and inventive storyteller' Sarah J Maas, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

At Zalindov, the only person you can trust is yourself.

Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan is a survivor. For ten years, she has worked as the healer in the notorious death prison, Zalindov, making herself indispensable. Kept afloat by messages of hope from her family, Kiva has one goal and one goal only: stay alive.

Then one day the infamous Rebel Queen arrives at the prison on death's door and Kiva receives a new message: Don't let her die. We are coming.

The queen is sentenced to the…


Book cover of Carve the Mark

Michaela Daphne Why did I love this book?

You know how some characters creep up on you, and you just can’t stop thinking about them? That’s what happens with me and this book. Not just the main characters but the supporting characters too. The painful pasts and their aching presents. The things that were done to them and the things they were made to do to others.

Oh, it pulled at my heartstrings! People give this storyworld a lot of slack, but I stuck around for its people

By Veronica Roth,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Carve the Mark as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

Veronica Roth's breathtaking fantasy captures an unusual friendship, an epic love story, and a galaxy-sweeping adventure.

CYRA and AKOS grew up in enemy countries on a vibrant yet divided planet. Cyra's ability to transfer extraordinary pain with a simple touch makes her a dangerous weapon for her tyrannical brother. When Akos is kidnapped and forced to serve Cyra, it's clear that their hatred is mutual. But as Akos fights for his survival, he recognises that Cyra is also fighting for hers, and that her true gift - resilience - might be what saves them both.

Their world is on the…


Book cover of Legend

Michaela Daphne Why did I love this book?

I loved this star-crossed lovers story. It was dark, mysterious, and achy. In a weird way, it reminded me of the Harry Potter series, in how it was a mystery forever unfolding and I love that about it. It certainly kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

By Marie Lu,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Legend as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Legend is the much-anticipated dystopian thriller debut from US author, Marie Lu.

THE must-read dystopian thriller fiction for all teen fans of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Divergent by Veronica Roth. A brilliant re-imagining of Les Miserables, the series is set to be a global film sensation as CBS films have acquired rights to the trilogy. The Twilight Saga producers, Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey, will produce.

Los Angeles, California
Republic of America

He is Day.
The boy who walks in the light.

She is June.
The girl who seeks her brother's killer.

On the run and undercover,…


Explore my book 😀

Purlieu

By Michaela Daphne,

Book cover of Purlieu

What is my book about?

My book is about a girl who runs away with her boyfriend when she should have run away from him. It’s inspired by my own experience at the hands of an abusive ex-boyfriend, and I wrote it as part therapy, part education on the red flags to look out for as a young girl entering the dating scene.

This all takes place within the backdrop of a fantasy world that will have you cheering for Evelyn (the protagonist) and hungry to find out what happens to her.

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Lethal Impulse

By Steve Rush,

Book cover of Lethal Impulse

Steve Rush Author Of Blood Red Deceit

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Investigator Instructor Outdoors lover Book enthusiast Researcher

Steve's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

He’s riddled with guilt. She’s annoyed with the status quo.

The death of a crime boss’s daughter forces Detective Neil Caldera to leave NYC. He seeks refuge in the tranquil embrace of a small town, where he finds himself entangled in the labyrinth of a teenage girl’s murder. Tess Fleishman’s pale skin and extreme weight loss portrays a disease she wants others to see. While inside, a compulsion for Neil fuels her passion to have him or destroy him.

Lethal Impulse

By Steve Rush,

What is this book about?

He's riddled with guilt. She's annoyed with the status quo. The death of a crime boss's daughter forces Detective Neil Caldera to leave NYC. He seeks refuge in the tranquil embrace of a small town, where he finds himself entangled in the labyrinth of a teenage girl's murder. Tess Fleishman's pale skin and extreme weight loss portrays a disease she wants others to see. While inside, a compulsion for Neil fuels her passion to have him or destroy him. As Neil delves into the heart of the town's secrets, will truth deliver solace? Or will Tess prevail?


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