Publication Day!

The Lost Loot of Lima
Written by Melissa Wray
Illustrated by Sandy Flett

One of the best parts about writing for me is editing. So, I am excitedly working on the final edits and proofs of my new middle grade fiction book, The Lost Loot of Lima, published by the fabulous team at Wombat Books.

I can’t wait to share more information with you, especially the inspiration behind the story. And I am thrilled to bits to have the incredibly talented Sandy Flett illustrating this book. Wait until you see her artwork!  

Publication countdown is on - May 7, 2025

We Do Not Welcome Our Ten Year Old Overlord Review

We Do Not Welcome Our Ten-Year-Old Overlord by Garth Nix

Allen & Unwin

RRP $17.99 

ISBN: 9781761180491

Kim and Eila have the normal sibling rivalry happening, but this soon escalates when a globe is plucked out of the local lake. The two quickly discover that it has otherworldly powers. Kim senses the danger immediately but Eila is quick to dismiss Kim’s concerns. Instead, she is drawn to the globe, fondly named Aster, and assists it to learn more. Kim is soon desperate to make his sister see the danger but when she refuses to, he knows he will need to do something before it’s too late,

There are themes of dungeons and dragons in the story, but the reader does not need to be familiar with this game to enjoy the references included in the novel. While Kim and his friends are engrossed in playing Dungeons and Dragons they are also impacted by Eila and Aster and use their game knowledge to try and combat the increasingly powerful globe. This tactic in the story was very clever and merged the two nicely.

Nix has created a world that is relatable for the reader, includes some science fiction elements to push the boundaries, but also increases the risks for the characters involved, creating a terrific balance of action, tension and consequences. Before long, it was difficult to take a breath before the next wave of challenges had been laid for the character.

The writing style flowed easily, making this a terrific, page turning read. We Do Not Welcome Our Ten-Year-Old Overlord is a high stakes, action-packed story, suitable for a 9+ years readership.

Road To Freedom Review

Road to Freedom by Gabrielle Davis

Hawkeye Publishing

RRP $28.95 

ISBN: 9781923105201

Issanka has been trained as a spy from a young age. With no family, caste or social standing, she finds ways to blend in with those around her. She is also able to draw from light and shade to really merge with the shadows and be completely unseen by those around her.

After an unexpected deception and a one-sided trial, that would otherwise sentence her to death, Issanka finds her life spared. Instead, she must journey the country with the King’s army and one of the most feared commanders. Along the way she realises things are not always as they seem and that there are very few people she can trust. Also, that she has much to learn and that the alliances around her might be deadly.

Davis has created a magnificent world full of power battles, alliances, and a caste system that stacks everything up against the main character, Issanka. The world building is structured through the caste system, creating a setting for the reader to become completely immersed within. Davis cleverly sets the scene for Issanka using these two strategies, but also gives her a hidden strength that works in her favour: magic drawn from the shadows. This special solitary power is both a blessing and a curse as Issanka soon discovers along her journey.

The situations in the story changed continuously ensuring a fast paced, action-packed storyline. The writing style flowed easily making this a terrific, page turning read. Road to Freedom is a perfect blend of mystery, magic and mayhem. Suitable for a 12+ year readership.

Alba Review

Alba by Verity Croker 

GenZ Publishing

RRP $15.00 

ISBN: 9798339568339


Rebecca is a sixteen-year-old girl who is angry at her mum for leaving them for another family. She is also mourning the tragic death of her boyfriend, Alistair, whose relationship was secret at the time. This makes it difficult for those around her to fully understand the depth of her grief. To complicate matters further, her best friend Callum is Alistair’s brother. Callum is also trying to navigate the loss of his brother which adds another layer to their increasingly complicated friendship.

Together they uncover a diary written by 16-year-old Martha in the 19th century. Rebecca and Callum agree to work together and decode the diary and try to uncover the secrets exposed. The reader is drawn into the historical world with enough detail and mystery to really care about Martha and what happened to her. Rebecca realises that just like the secrets kept back in the 19th century that caused hurt and turmoil, so is the secret she is keeping about her and Alistair’s relationship.

Croker has woven a terrific web of connecting characters set in the Scottish Highlands that joins Rebecca’s world with Martha’s world. It has the right blend of a dual storyline whilst also addressing the delicate subject of grief and how those left behind cope. Croker demonstrates great sensitivity when addressing the fall out of broken families by using the, at times, delicate mother/daughter connection.

Alba is an enjoyable tale of mystery and intrigue and is suitable for a 13+ years readership.

The Tempus Imperium Review

The Tempus Imperium by Juliet A. Payne 

Rhiza Edge

RRP $22.99

Charlie is just trying to save enough money for university by working as many hours as she can at the local fast-food outlet. One night she arrives at her Grandma Penny’s house only to discover her gran has been killed by someone or something.

What follows next is a strange series of unexplainable events until Charlie discovers some information about her grandmother’s past, a past that Charlie had no idea about and was never spoken of by her grandmother. Charlie is soon thrust into the world of time travel and a secret organisation of time travellers as she seeks answers for the death of her grandmother and to understand the strange events around her.

Paine creates a delicate blend of Charlie’s current, modern world as well as the time travel worlds that Charlie finds herself transported to. Throughout the story Paine cleverly crafts characters, clues, and events that link the secrets Grandmother Penny has been guarding most of her life. These secrets and what links everything together keep the reader and the pages turning!

The Tempus Imperium includes well-known events in history that the reader can connect with but gives them new meaning and significance based on the importance of the job of the time travellers who are tasked with maintaining order to avoid any catastrophic outcomes for the world. The fast-paced storyline and action-packed adventure make The Impus Imperium suitable for a 12+ year-old readership.

The Skin I'm In Review

The Skin I’m In by Steph Tisdell 

Pan Macmillan Australia

$26.99 

ISBN: 9781760984977

Layla is preparing for her final year of secondary school. She is trying to get ready for the most important year of her school life, not fight with her mum, work out her friendship circle, and get used to her troubled cousin Marley coming to live with them for a while. Oh, and work out how her indigenous culture fits in with her world.

Layla’s rocky road of being a teenager and finding her identity is a road that many teenagers will connect with. Making the right friends, going to parties, getting schoolwork done, and having crushes are all part of the teenage years. Layla makes some impulsive choices, but she also shows her vulnerable side in the choices and the angst that comes with some of them. Tisdell can write with a direct yet vulnerable style, so it is easy to become a fan of Layla and hope that things work out for her.

Tisdell creates Layla’s world with a gritty dose of reality. She doesn’t sugarcoat the complexities of growing up as a teenager and adds another layer of additional challenges for Laya who is not only a teenager but an aboriginal teenager in a predominately white world.

Tisdell has woven some big personality-supporting characters into Layla’s world that both challenge and support Layla as she navigates the world around her. The Skin I’m In has quick and easy-to-read chapters and is suitable for a 13+ year-old readership.

My Brother Finch Review

My Brother Finch by Kate Gordon

Simon and Schuster

ISBN: 978064586937 

RRP $17.99

How do you continue your life when a member of your family disappears?

Wren is about to begin high school. She should be excited and looking forward to this milestone event. But it’s been three long years since she saw her younger brother and now everyone knows her as the girl whose brother went missing.

Gordon has created a tender story about older sister, Wren, who doesn’t quite know how to move on without her younger brother, Finch. Nobody knows what happened to him. Or to another girl Ava who also disappeared on the same day, in the same place as Finch. Her family were wealthy and got most of the attention. Finch was slowly forgotten.

Gordon doesn’t shy away from the sadness felt in different way by all members of the family. Nor does she avoid the guilt that weighs heavily on this young character. Gordon’s masterful writing tackles both strong issues of guilt and depression with care and consideration that creates an even bigger impact on the reader.

The story is told through Wren’s point of view, but scattered throughout the story are conversations she has with her missing brother. This clever and unique approach is used by Gordon to facilitate conversations between Wren and her brother. He tries to encourage Wren to make friends with the new girl, Freddie, check up on the other strangely quiet girl Ava, and most importantly, keep living her life. There is also a third narrative as Wren’s wrestles with her subconscious and the conversations she has with herself. All three are carefully constructed with just enough conversation that it doesn’t slow the overall storyline down; instead supports it to move forward. Each dialogue included has a distinct voice, along with a certain font printed within the book which is helpful and enjoyable.

This story will keep you curious until the very end. It will also pull on your heart strings. Keep some tissues handy!

My Brother Finch is suitable for a 12+ year-old readership.