I love young adult fiction. I especially love it when female characters face their fears and fight for what’s right. And if they’re not afraid to run headfirst into a battle, even better. I think it’s incredibly important for young women to have access to books that break free of female stereotypes. None of the heroines in these books are waiting for someone to save them. They’re in the thick of it, confronting their demons, and maybe slaying a few, too! My PhD explored power and belonging in YA fiction, and I’ve written and presented on the importance of strong female characters. Here’s to girl power!
Ashala Wolf is an unforgettable character. Strong-willed, she’s always ready to fight for her people and will stop at nothing to uncover the truth. Even when her Sleepwalker super-power fails her, even when confronted by the worst in others, even when brought to her knees by physical and emotional pain, Ashala battles on to expose evil and protect those she loves.
Ambelin Kwaymullina creates such a wonderfully realised world in this novel, from the beauty of the magical Firstwood forest to the sterile horror of the detention centre. I love Ashala Wolf’s intelligence, fierceness and loyalty to her friends. And like many of my favourite female characters, she’s someone who’s not afraid to run towards a fight.
In a post-apocalyptic world, Ashala Wolf must lead her Tribe in their fight for freedom and justice. But first she must survive an interrogation at the hands of the authorities who are determined to destroy her and everything she stands for.
The world has ended, and the society which emerged from the ruins of environmental catastrophe is obsessed with maintaining "the Balance": preserving harmony between humans and nature. But there is one problem. Anyone born with an ability is deemed an Illegal, a threat to the Balance. They are feared, controlled and detained. Ashala Wolf has run away to escape…
In the Dark Spaces is a stunning YA novel breathed into life by its main character, Tamara, a heroine who grabbed my heart from the first lines and didn’t let go.
Tamara loves her family above everything else. And when she’s separated from them in a universe torn apart by war, she must draw on all her strength and smarts to survive. Her gift for languages and ability to adapt gives her an advantage when she’s captured by the enemy. But she’s also forced to do things that terrify her and break her heart. I love Tamara’s unique voice, and the way it expresses the deep bonds that tie us to friends and family made my heart sing. She’s truly a heroine that embodies the fighting spirit.
The latest winner of the Ampersand Prize is a genre-smashing hostage drama about 14-year-old Tamara, who's faced with an impossible choice when she falls for her kidnappers.
Yet this is no ordinary kidnapping. Tamara has been living on a star freighter in deep space, and her kidnappers are terrifying Crowpeople - the only aliens humanity has ever encountered. No-one has ever survived a Crowpeople attack, until now - and Tamara must use everything she has just to stay alive.
But survival always comes at a price, and there's no handbook for this hostage crisis. As Tamara comes to know the…
Fast-paced action, adventure, humour, combat, and brilliant world building: The Last City has it all. The female characters fight alongside — and against — the male characters in this action-packed sci-fi novel, set in the multi-layered city of Scorpia. I loved immersing myself in this fictional world inhabited by a legion of post-human species. The struggles of the main female characters, including Sihlo, whose history means she’s a target for the bad guys, and object-morphing Diega, are drawn with clarity and depth that meant I really cared for these oddball creatures and cheered for them to defeat the enemy. This book is such a lot of fun, and I loved it from start to finish.
An intoxicating blend of noir crime, science fiction and fantasy The Last City is Blade Runner meets Perdido Street Station.
Scorpia - the last city of Aquais - where the Ar Antarians rule, the machine-breeds serve and in-between a multitude of races and species eke out an existence somewhere between the ever-blazing city lights and the endless darkness of the underside.
As a spate of murders and abductions grip the city, new recruit Silho Brabel is sent to the Oscuri Trackers, an elite military squad commanded by the notorious Copernicus Kane. But Silho has a terrible secret and must fight…
Valentine is the first in a three-book urban fantasy series, and I’ll be honest: Pearl, the heroine, annoyed me at times. That doesn’t make her a bad character. Quite the opposite. Author Jodi McAlister gives her heroine room to grow over the course of the trilogy and I really enjoyed watching Pearl’s character develop and mature. She has a lot to cope with when the Unseelie comes looking for the fairy changeling that was swapped for a human at birth. Is it Pearl? Or one of the three others in her group that share the same birthday? I loved the way Pearl’s teenage suburban life contrasts with the terrifying and unpredictable Unseelie. It makes the menacing evil within the book all too real. I read it with one eye on my garden in case of invading evil faeries!
Will a shocking secret cause a rising star to fall?
Valentine Fleming dreams of making it as an actress but after years of failed auditions and bit parts her hopes are fading fast - so too is her self-esteem. She is staring into the abyss and a large jar of peanut butter. Her love life is faring no better, with too much time wasted with an ex who has bad news written all over him.
So when she gets a call from her agent telling her she has a part in a play with a sexy leading man, she's over…
There’s nothing I like more than fast-paced action adventure with a gutsy heroine. Add a bit of electricity — and by that I mean an uncontrollable electrical undercurrent that surges beneath the heroine’s skin — and I know I’m going to be hooked. This YA sci-fi-romance is peppered with intrigue and activism as the novel’s heroine, Julianne, crosses Australia from the city to the outback to investigate who caused the explosion that trapped her and the attractive but secretive Ryan in a city elevator. She encounters activists, suffering farming families, greedy corporations, and the military in her quest to uncover the truth, and kicks quite a few butts along the way. If you love action-adventure with real heart as much as I do, check out The Undercurrent.
Eighteen-year-old Julianne De Marchi is different. As in: she has an electrical undercurrent that stings and surges beneath her skin. She can use it―to spark a fire, maybe even end a life―but she doesn’t understand what it is. And she can barely control it, especially when she’s anxious. Then she meets Ryan Walsh. She doesn’t know he’s a soldier working for a secret unit that has her under surveillance. He doesn’t know what it is that’s making the sparks fly between them. And neither of them knows who caused the explosion that has them trapped in an elevator together. Great…
Dirt Circus League is a compelling and fast-paced novel about the powerful allure of danger.
Asa’s running from a troubled past. To a remote outback town, a disappointing father, and a fresh start that’s already souring. But then the notorious Dirt Circus League arrives. A troupe of outcast teens performing spectacular fight sequences and challenging any who dares to take part. They’re ruthless. Menacing. Thrilling. And led by the magnetic Quarter. He’s dark, powerful, and intensely attractive—and he faces a threat only Asa can see. Will Asa be drawn into the league’s mysterious community? And, as she discovers the violent secrets at its heart, will she delve into her own untapped abilities to save herself—and heal those caught in its evil web?
Tasha and the Biologist is the second book in the "A Better Man" series. It's a contemporary romance about second chances, two lonely birders, and the healing power of love.
Tasha Moore is a visiting nurse with a family secret. She just went through a bad breakup. Caleb Drexel is a bird biologist trying to start a new life in a small town. He just got out of an unhappy marriage.
What happens when hope and romance bloom between these two nature lovers?
Tasha He was handsome, confident, nice, smart—a good guy. How did he end up here in the middle of Indiana? And how did he know so much about whooping cranes? I’d never met someone as passionate about birds as I was. Was it too soon for me to be thinking about love again? Caleb She was sweet, kind, caring—a nurse and a birder. I really liked her. Maybe more than liked. And I’d only spent two hours—three, tops—with her. Yet, I’d promised myself I wouldn’t get involved with anyone for at least a year after my divorce.
