Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis is a highly entertaining novel about a man who loses all his memories and wakes up to discover he is a Dark Lord. The novel is more nuanced than it appears at first as it plays with classic fantasy tropes and undermines them. There is a good cast of characters, many of whom have unexpected depths. I really liked the humour, and the way in which the protagonist realises that he actually doesn’t want to be evil as he is increasingly appalled by his previous actions and personality. If you enjoy fantasy novels that play with the concept of ‘evil’ characters accepting the fact that they need to reconsider their attitudes and behaviour, I would also recommend Sarah Rees Brennan’s Long Live Evil, and Django Wexler’s How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying.

Lissa Evans is one of my favourite novelists, and I was thus eagerly looking forward to Small Bomb at Dimperley. It lived up to my expectations! The book is set after the Second World War with a soldier returning home after having unexpectedly succeeded to a title and estate. We are not restricted to his perspective, however, as we see events from the viewpoint of a number of different characters. Some serious points are made about issues such as class and prejudice, but the novel is also very funny at times. I loved it, and this is one of the few books that I actually wished was longer because I was so interested in the characters and the setting.

If you are looking for a spooky, but not too frightening read, try Lucy Strange’s Ghosts of the Manor (9+). I very much liked this novel about a young girl, Matilda, whose aunt, a fake spirit medium, has been asked to deal with unpleasant ghostly activity. Greatly to her surprise Matilda finds that she can see ghosts, and gains the help and friendship of a pleasant ghost, a young boy. There is a good amount of action, and some humour. Pam Smy’s black, white and red illustrations compliment the text well, adding much to the book’s appeal.

I found it hard to put down Angeline Boulley’s Sisters in the Wind (13+). This is an American YA novel/thriller about a girl struggling with the foster system, and discovering more about her family and heritage. The narrative moves between different times in Lucy’s life as we learn more about her, and why she is on the run. Parts of it are chilling, but there is a real sense of hope by the end, and moments of kindness throughout. It has some of the same characters as Firekeeper’s Daughter, but you don’t have to have read that to appreciate this one.

Happy Reading!

Frances

Please note that I have taken the idea of ‘superlatives’ from the excellent book blog Elle Thinks (https://ellethinks.wordpress.com/).