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Described as ‘Die Hard, with fairies’, the Artemis Fowl series is an incredible mix of James Bond-style gadgets, violence, crime and humour. Artemis is a twelve-year-old genius determined to earn lots of money and become a super-villain. After he captures a fairy to hold for ransom, he engages in an increasingly dangerous battle of wits. […]

Whilst for some, this might seem like a fairly controversial choice, the incredible popularity that the Twilight saga (both films and books) has had over the years means that it has to feature somewhere on our list! Protagonist Bella moves to a new city, where she falls in love with a gorgeous yet mysterious boy […]

The Mortal Engines series, by Philip Reeve, is a futuristic dystopia, set in a post-apocalyptic world where people live in large cities and travel around consuming one another in a bid to win increasingly scarce resources. Whilst science fiction isn’t for everyone, these stories work as a parable for modern times and our environmental battle […]

C S Lewis, a writer and theologian, is best known for his cherished children’s classics, the Chronicles of Narnia. Set in a magical parallel universe, the series follows several children who discover Narnia, where animals talk and Aslan, the mighty lion, is the ruler of them all. The stories deal with themes like trust, faith, […]

Written largely during the Second World War, The Lord of the Rings is, as a trilogy, one of the best-selling books of all time. Originally written as a follow-up to Tolkien’s children’s novel, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings tells the tale of Frodo Baggins and his companions as they seek to destroy a magic […]

Animal Farm is a book, which, many would think is about animals on a farm, however, the message is far more advanced. The short answer is that it is about the dangers of communism. Animal Farm is aimed at 13+ but can be read by any age. The farm is run by Farmer Jones, but […]

The Bunker Diary is written by British author Kevin Brooks. It was published in 2013. Many people wanted it banned for its disturbing themes and dark plot. However, in 2014 it won the Carnegie Medal. Plot We follow 16-year-old Linnus as he writes about his experience in a diary. One day he was walking along […]

This amazing murder mystery thriller is written by British writer Holly Jackson. It is an extremely enjoyable read. If you love thrilling and exhilarating books that keep you up at night desperate to know what happens next, this book will be right up your street. What’s more, there are 2 other books in the series […]

‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ is written by Taylor Jenkins Reid and is easily considered to be one of the best ‘booktok’ books. It is filled with plot twists and some unexpected moments. It is filled with characters who are made to be hateable and characters who are made to be likeable. It is […]

1914. The world stands on the edge of change. But women still have no vote. Evelyn is rich and clever, but she isn’t allowed to go to university. Life is set out for her, but Evelyn wants freedom and choice, even if it means paying the highest price alongside her fellow Suffragettes. Meanwhile, May campaigns […]

From the Bronte sisters to Virginia Woolf,  female authors and the presentation of women in literature have arguably helped shape and promote the feminist movement.  What is feminism?  A commonly misconstrued concept, feminism at its core is the belief that both men and women should have equal rights. The different types of feminism are often […]

When Charlotte Brontë called her sister Anne’s book The Tenant of Wildfell Hall a “mistake” and prevented it from being published for ten years, I do think she was being rather severe. Anne Brontë’s second novel is not the masterpiece Jane Eyre is or Wuthering Heights. I am hesitant to call it a masterpiece at all, but there are […]

Usually, when terrorists are caught, they are sentenced to long periods in prison with the aim of punishing them for their crimes. A judge, however, decided on a different sentence for a particular terrorist. A neo-Nazi, Ben John, former Leicester De Monfort student, was found guilty of possessing information likely to be useful for preparing […]

For a long time, there has been a stigma against people studying for an English degree. Many people claim that the only degrees that hold value are those in fields such as science and mathematics. While many high paying jobs do exist in these fields, making them appear much more lucrative, without English degrees, a […]

Well, here I am at ten to one in the morning having completed Three Women. Before I proceed, this book – and so this review – is not suitable for a younger audience. Three Women is at its core, a reportage-novel hybrid about sex and power, which manifests itself in the following trigger warnings: rape, […]

5/5 If you’ve ever read a book review by yours truly before, you’ll know it’s rare I award five stars. They are reserved for special works of art – and Sally Rooney’s Normal People is exactly that. In fact, Normal People is a masterpiece. I first heard of the book when it was broadcast as […]

For non-fans, it may be surprising to learn that Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is the third best selling comic of all time, and the best selling manga – but it’s likely that you’ve heard or seen its impact in one of its 934 chapters, 831 episodes (of the anime) or 51 video games since its […]

What if you thought you had died, only to wake up to find that your brain and eyes had been transplanted into someone else’s body? When Lucy, a teen diagnosed with terminal cancer wakes up cancer-free, it should be a dream come true. But faced with a life she didn’t choose and trapped in a […]

Payback is an enigmatic anti capitalist group staffed by teens, has one mission: to steal from the rich and give to the poor. Its dramatic heists create a sensation. But when excitable Payback fan Tom is recruited, he accidentally brings with him a shady money man, Mr Ruiz. And he’s not the only one on […]