Category: Young Adult

The Shattered Lands by Brenna Nation

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The Blurb On The Back:

Eighteen years after her disappearance, the heir to the crown has returned.

When an ominous vision transports Sapphire to a new world, she awakens with a legacy to fulfil: she is the lost princess, and must carry on the line of the Blessed Queens.

She has much to learn, but soon Sapphire’s curiosity turns to the hidden, dark history of her kingdom.  Answers are not easy to come by – until she meets a mysterious Shadow Witch who has knowledge to share.

But there is a millennia-old rule in Eriobis: never trust a Shadow Witch.  And in a world founded on lies, magic and war, Sapphire is about to learn that perhaps rules should not be broken …

THE SHATTERED LANDS was released in the United Kingdom on 16th March 2023.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order THE SHATTERED LANDS by Brenna Nation from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Stand Up by Nikesh Shukla

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The Blurb On The Back:

Here’s what you need to know about me: I’m seventeen and a comedy god … in waiting.  TBC and all that.  But I know I’m pretty funny.  I have two and a half terms left before going to uni, so if I want to try stand-up, it’s now or never.

More than anything in the world, Madhu wants to be a stand-up comedian, but her parents are rooting for her to do something sensible that involves uni and a law degree.

Just as she thinks they’re probably right, a clip of Madhu goes viral and a comedy legend offers her the chance of a lifetime.  It feels like all her dreams are coming true … until Madhu becomes the punchline.

Can Madhu stand up for what she believes is right and keep everyone she loves laughing?

STAND UP was released in the United Kingdom on 2nd March 2023.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order STAND UP by Nikesh Shukla from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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The Sad Ghost Club 3 – Find Your Kindred Spirits by Lize Meddings

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The Blurb On The Back:

Starting the Club was just the beginning of the story.

The ghosts have found one another …

And they’re not alone anymore.

Now they have to decide … what comes next?

Join The Sad Ghost Club and help your fellow ghosties.

THE SAD GHOST CLUB 3 – FIND YOUR KINDRED SPIRITS was released in the United Kingdom on 16th March 2023.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order THE SAD GHOST CLUB 3 – FIND YOUR KINDRED SPIRITS by Lize Meddings from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Secrets So Deep by Ginny Myers Sain

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The Blurb On The Back:

At Whisper Cove,

what the sea wants,

the sea will have.

When Avril was a child, her mother drowned at Whisper Cove.  Local legend claims that the women in the waves called her into the ocean with their whispering.

Now Avril is seventeen and as she investigates what happened all those years ago, Whisper Cove reveals itself to her.  Distances shift in the strange fog.  Echoes of the past rebound from the ocean.  And Avril is sure she’s met Cole – the gorgeous but disturbed boy she can’t seem to keep away from – late at night at the edge of the ocean.

The truth Avril seeks is ready to be discovered.  But will come at a terrible cost.

SECRETS SO DEEP was released in the United Kingdom on 29th September 2022.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order SECRETS SO DEEP by Ginny Myers Sain from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk and Nicola Yoon

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The Blurb On The Back:

It’s just before Christmas and no one is prepared for this whiteout … But sometimes the most magical moments are a total surprise!

As the city grinds to a halt, twelve teenagers band together to help a friend pull off the most epic apology of her life.  Will they be able to make it happen in spite of the storm?

WHITEOUT was released in the United Kingdom on 10th November 2022.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order WHITEOUT by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk and Nicola Yoon from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Five Survive by Holly Jackson

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The Blurb On The Back:

You can’t see me but I can see you.  If you try to run, I will shoot.

Red Kenny is on a road trip for spring break with five friends: Red’s best friend, her older brother, his perfect girlfriend and a classmate.

When their RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere, they soon realise that this is no accident.  They have been trapped by someone out there in the dark, someone who clearly wants one of them dead.

With eight hours until dawn, the six friends must escape, or work out which one of them is the target.  Buried secrets will be forced to light and tensions inside the RV will reach deadly levels.

Now all of them will survive the night …

FIVE SURVIVE was released in the United Kingdom on 8th December 2022.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order FIVE SURVIVE by Holly Jackson from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Only On The Weekends by Dean Atta

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The Blurb On The Back:

Fifteen-year-old Mack is a hopeless romantic.  He’s had a crush on Karim for what feels like forever, so he can’t believe it when gorgeous, popular Karin seems into him too.

But when Mack’s dad gets a film directing job in Scotland, Mack moves with him, and soon discovers how painful long distance love is.  Love shouldn’t only be on the weekends.  It’s made worse by the fact that Karim can be so hard to read.

Then Mack meets actor Finlay on set and experiences something electric.

Mack never thought he’d find love, but now two boys want him.  How long until his old and new life collide?  

ONLY ON THE WEEKENDS was released in the United Kingdom on 24th May 2022.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order ONLY ON THE WEEKENDS by Dean Atta from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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You’re The One That I Want by Simon James Green

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The Blurb On The Back:

According to the rule, Freddie has to say “yes”.

Freddie is unremarkable – too unremarkable.  In fact, his teachers and fellow students keep forgetting who he is.  Even his TV-producer mum thinks he’s a disappointment.  After embarrassing himself in front of Jasper Perry (the gorgeous teen star of his mum’s new show), Freddie decides to try something different: saying “yes” to every opportunity.

That’s how Freddie ends up auditioning for the school musical (<u>Grease</u>), actually going to parties, and flirting with hot new boy Zach!  He’s becoming a whole new Freddie – maybe even one that his mum might be proud of.

But the path to love is never smooth, and sometimes you have to get things wrong in order to work out what – and who – you really want.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order YOU’RE THE ONE THAT I WANT by Simon James Green from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Listen, Layla by Yassmin Abdel-Magied

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The Blurb On The Back:

I am Layla Kareem Abdul-Hafiz Hussein, the greatest Sudanese Australian inventor the world has ever seen.  And if they don’t know my name yet, they soon will.  Inshallah!

School’s out for the summer!  And Layla’s going to spend it getting her inventions ready for the grand design competition.  But when her grandmother falls ill and her family must rush to Sudan to be with her, Layla feels like she’s being pulled in many different directions.

Family, friends, home, inventions – there’s a lot to navigate.  With big protests looming in Sudan, could Layla save the day with her revolutionary ideas?

Exploring the diaspora experience, Listen, Layla is an own voices novel for young readers bursting with passion, humour and truth.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book

You can order LISTEN, LAYLA by Yassmin Abdul-Magied from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin

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The Blurb On The Back:

Welcome to a world of sky ships, flying cities and powerful paper sprites …

When servant girl Kurara’s trick of making paper come to life turns out to be a power treasured across the empire, she escapes her old life to become a Crafter on board a skyship.  There she learns to hunt wild paper spirits called shikigami – and a whole new world begins to unfold. 

REBEL SKIES was released in the United Kingdom on 5th May 2022.  Thanks to Walker Books for the review copy of this book.

You can order REBEL SKIES by Ann Sei Lin from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson

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The Blurb On The Back:

Dead girl walking.

Pip Fitz-Amobi is haunted by her last investigation.  But soon a new case finds her and this time it’s all about Pip.

She has a stalker, one who keeps asking: Who will look for you when you’re the one who disappears?

Pip soon discovers a connection between her stalker and a local serial killer, but the police refuse to act.  As the dangerous game plays out it’s clear that if Pip doesn’t find the answers, she’s as good as dead …

You can order AS GOOD AS DEAD by Holly Jackson from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

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Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

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The Blurb On The Back:

Someone is missing.  Nobody’s talking.  But this time EVERYONE is listening … 

Pip Fitz-Amobi is not a detective any more.  Her true crime podcast about the murder case she solved last year has gone viral.  Yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.

But she will have to go back on her word when someone close to her goes missing and the police can’t do anything about it.  If they won’t investigate, then Pip will, uncovering more of her town’s dark secrets along the way.  But will she find the answers before time runs out?

You can order GOOD GIRL, BAD BLOOD by Holly Jackson from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Roxy by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

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The Blurb On The Back:

Above our world is a toxic wonderland where the party has raged for centuries.

Humans know the partygoers simply as “narcotics”, “opioids”, “drugs”.  But here they are malevolent gods, toying with the fates of mortals.  Roxy and Addison have made a wager to see who can be lethal the quickest.

Isaac and Ivy Ramey are their targets.  Ivy is understimulated and over medicated.  Isaac is desperate to recover from a sports injury that jeopardises his chance of a scholarship.  This is the start of a race to the bottom that will determine life and death.  One Ramey will land on their feet.  The other will be lost to the Party.

The only question is … Which one?

ROXY was released in the United Kingdom on 11th November 2021.   Thanks to Walker Books for the review copy of this book.

You can order ROXY by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Kissing Emma by Shappi Khorsandi

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The Blurb On The Back:

Emma is beautiful.

Men stare at her.

Girls are jealous of her.

Yet Emma is trapped.

Trapped by her beauty and trapped by a lack of prospects.  She sleeps on her nan’s sofa and rushes to cleaning jobs after school.  She dreams that there’s more to life than just scraping by.

Then Emma is tempted by two men who promise her the world in exchange for modelling work.  But there’s a dark side to their offer that she will only discover when she’s in too deep …

Can Emma break free and take control of her own life?

You can order KISSING EMMA by Shappi Khorsandi from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

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Dark And Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain

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A missing girl.

A town full of psychics.

A secret that won’t stay buried … 

Seventeen-year-old Grey returns to La Cachette, Louisiana – the small town where she grew up – every summer.  But this time is different.  Grey’s best friend Elora has been missing for months.

When Grey discovers a connection between Elora’s disappearance and a pair of grisly murders thirteen years earlier, she realises she can’t trust anyone.  Not her grandmother; nor her childhood love, and least of all the stormy-eyed boy who emerges from the bayou.  Magic and secrets fester beneath the surface of La Cachette and its dark and shallow lies are about to blow the town apart …  

DARK AND SHALLOW LIES was released in the United Kingdom on 2nd September 2021.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order DARK AND SHALLOW LIES by Ginny Myers Sain from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Rules For Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall

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The Blurb On The Back:

Once a year, a road appears in the woods at midnight and the ghost of Lucy Gallows beckons, inviting those who are brave enough to play her game.  If you win, you escape with your life.  But if you lose …

It’s almost a year since Becca went missing.  Everyone else has given up searching for her, but her sister, Sara, knows she disappeared while looking for Lucy Gallows.  Determined to find her, Sara and her closest friends enter the woods.  But something more sinister than ghosts lurks on the road, and not everyone will survive.  

You can order RULES FOR VANISHING by Kate Alice Marshall from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

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The Blurb On The Back:

I am a Belle.  I control beauty.

In the opulent world of Orléans, the people are born grey and damned, and only a Belle’s powers can make them beautiful. 

Camellia Beauregard wants to be the favourite Belle – the one chosen by the queen to live in the royal palace and be recognised as the most talented Belle in the land.

But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favourite is not everything she always dreamed it would be.  Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that her powers may be far greater – and far darker – than she ever imagined.

When the queen asks Camellia to save the ailing princess by using her powers in unintended ways, she faces an impossible decision: protect herself and the way of the Belles, or risk her own life, and change the world forever … 

You can order THE BELLES by Dhonielle Clayton from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Straight Outta Crongton by Alex Wheatle

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The Blurb On The Back:

Round these ends, it’s hard to hold on to your dreams.

Life’s a constant hustle for Mo.  Her mum’s boyfriend Lloyd is just another man who likes to beat down women; the South Crong streets are fraught with hazards and nasty G’s; and when it comes to matters of the heart … she’s still hung up on Sam.  No wonder she’s vexed so much of the time.

Thank God her sisters, Elaine and Naomi, are on her side.

But when badness goes down and a life is let handing in the balance, Mo has to face her hot urge for revenge … and she might end up losing more than she wins.

You can order STRAIGHT OUTTA CRONGTON by Alex Wheatle from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Splinters Of Sunshine by Patrice Lawrence

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The Blurb On The Back:

Help.

I pick up the envelope … As I rip down the sides, there’s loads of paper bursting out; stuck on flowers, dandelions, roses …

Spey recently received two surprises.  The first: his ex-prisoner dad turning up unannounced, and the second: a mysterious package containing torn-up paper flowers.

Spey instantly recognises it as a collage he made with his old friend Dee, and decides she must be in danger, but there are no clues to her whereabouts.

There’s only one person he knows who can help to track her down …

On a road trip like no other, will Spey and his dad find Dee, before it’s too late?

SPLINTERS OF SUNSHINE was released in the United Kingdom on 19th August 2021.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order SPLINTERS OF SUNSHINE by Patrice Lawrence from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Ashley Woodfolk, Angie Thomas and Nicola Yoon

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The Blurb On The Back:

Six of the biggest stars of YA bring all the electricity of love to a collection of charming, hilarious and heartbreaking tales that shine the brightest light through the dark

When a heatwave plunges New York City into darkness, sparks fly for thirteen teenagers caught up in the blackout.

A first meeting.

Long-time friends.

Bitter exes.

And maybe the beginning of something new.

When the lights go out, people reveal hidden truths.  Love blossoms, friendship transforms, and new possibilities take flight. 

BLACKOUT was released in the United Kingdom on 24th June 2021.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order BLACKOUT by Dhonielle Clayton, Nic Stone, Tiffany D. Jackson, Ashley Woodfolk, Angie Thomas and Nichola Yoon from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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An Emotion Of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi

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I’d always carried with me a burden of conviction I could not set down.  I could not deny the beliefs that shaped me any more than I could deny the colour of my eyes.

It made for a lonely life.

It’s been several months since the US officially declared war on Iraq, and the world has evolved.  Tensions are high, hate crimes are on the rise, and the Muslim community is harassed and targeted more than ever.  Shadi, who wears hijab, keeps her head down.  SHe’s too busy drowning in her own troubles to find the time to deal with bigots.

Shadi is named for joy, but she’s haunted by the loss of family and friendship.  And then, of course, there’s the small matter of her heart – it’s broken.  Trying to navigate her crumbling work by soldiering through, Shadi says nothing, each day retreating farther and farther inside herself until finally, one day, everything changes.

She explodes.

An Emotion Of Great Delight is a searing look into the world of a single Muslim family in the wake of 9/11.  It’s about a child of immigrants forging a blurry identity, falling in love, and finding hope in an ever-changing world … 

AN EMOTION OF GREAT DELIGHT was released in the United Kingdom on 10th June 2021.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order AN EMOTION OF GREAT DELIGHT by Tahereh Mafi from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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The Crossing by Manjeet Mann

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The boat sways and rocks.

Bodies pressed against bodies.

Holding on for our lives.

Natalie’s world is falling apart.  She’s just lost her mum, and her brother marches the streets of Dover with a far-right gang.  Swimming is her only refuge.

Sammy has fled his home and family in Eritrea for the chance of a new life in Europe.  Every step he takes is a step into an unknown and unwelcoming future.

A twist of fate brings them together and gives them both hope.

But is hope enough to mend a broken world? 

You can order THE CROSSING by Manjeet Mann from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

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Fifteen-year-old Spencer is a proud nerd, an awesome big brother and a Messi-in-training.  He’s also transgender.

After a year of bullying, Spencer gets a fresh start at a new school with great friends, a spot on the boys’ soccer team, and maybe even something more than friendship with one of his team-mates.  The only thing is, no one knows Spencer is trans – he’s passing.

So when a discriminatory law forces his coach to bench him, Spencer has to make a choice: cheer his team on from the sidelines or fight for his right to play, even if it means coming out to everyone, including the guy he’s falling for …

You can order THE PASSING PLAYBOOK by Isaac Fitzsimons from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein

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”We don’t pick and choose what to be afraid of.  Our fears pick us.”

Tash Carmody has been traumatised since childhood, when she witnessed her gruesome imaginary friend Sparrow lure young Mallory Fisher away from a carnival.  At the time nobody believed Tash, and she has since come to accept that Sparrow wasn’t real.  Now fifteen and mute, Mallory’s never spoken about the week she went missing.  As disturbing memories resurface, Tash starts to see Sparrow again.  And she realises Mallory is the key to unlocking the truth about a dark secret connecting them.  Does Sparrow exist after all?  Or is Tash more dangerous to others than she thinks?

You can order SMALL SPACES by Sarah Epstein from Amazon UK, or Waterstone’s.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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The Outlaws Scarlett & Browne by Jonathan Stroud

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The Blurb On The Back:

WANTED: SCARLETT AND BROWNE

Scarlett McCain is a shoot-first-ask-questions-later kind of outlaw.  She survives on bank heists, her wits – and never looking back.

That is until she meets Albert Browne, a boy with a dark past and an even darker talent.  Thrown together in a lawless future Britain, populated by strange and savage beasts, the two must escape across the wilderness – with deadly enemies close behind. 

You can buy THE OUTLAWS SCARLETT & BROWNE by Jonathan Stroud from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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