Beware of the book dragon!

A gorgeous collection of amazing short-stories! It features a diverse range of themes, and most importantly, celebrate Australian YA! Exploring so many genres, from contemporary Australia to Mars, there was something I loved in each of the stories, and I wanted more! I absolutely TREASURE Amie Kaufman's and Jacyln Moriaty's ones, but I loved them all! Rating: 5/5

A quasi-cyberpunk dystopia, not too far removed from our own world, where a mobile phone disconect is akin to isolation from everything. Honestly, I found this book a little hard to follow with the POVs, as they focused on things that didn't interlink for sometime in the story. However, the characters were okay. This book had some big ideas- different types of dystopian and sci-fi ideas from your usual dystopian and sci-fi books, however, I felt that they were poorly executed here. I wish I could've enjoyed this book more. Rating: 3/5

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An intricate, complicated, and atmospheric story. I found the story encaptured me into its prose, and it was a rather sustained read- taking me a few times to read through it all! It was rather more world-descriptive, than character-descriptive, from the way I read it. I loved that this was set in the late 1800's and early 1900's, as I feel that it really made the story for me. A bizarre and whimsical read! Rating: 4/5

A compelling story that focuses on the themes of hope, community, and friendship. It had aspects of the real world infused into it, such as politics and power. The dystopian world building for me fell a little flat for me, and the plot kind of gave me a mish-mash of Divergent and The Hunger Games vibes. However, the main characters Santee and Z were engaging enough. The start of the book was a little slow, with a lot of focus on the teen romance, however, it really picked up the pace towards the middle of the book! Rating: 3.5/5 Thanks to Hardie Grant Egmont for the physical ARC copy of this book!

A cute little retelling of sleeping beauty that has a shallow prince AND a tomboy orphan girl. I felt a connection to Lucy, and I was egging her on, especially when she was blunt. Jack was a cute side character, and I would've liked to see more of him in the book! I felt like the ending was cut a little too short for my liking, and it was predictable, however, for a short read, I found this likeable. Rating: 3.75/5 Thanks to Becky Bird and NetGalley for the eARC!

As soon as I started reading, the book transported me right into the story. The Korean mythology was really well woven into the story, and the characters really showed me that. The twists were well written, and the characters were flawed, and it really made the book for me. This book truly felt unique to me, given its focus on a fantasy world version of Seoul, which I haven't really explored in any other book. I mourned over the ending for sometime, I'm telling you! Overall, I really enjoyed this book! Rating: 4.5 stars

A powerful novel, written in verse that pulls at your heartstrings. There is a good insight into problems some teenagers could/do face- abuse, racism, immigrating, and child marriages. The story is so well written, and I certainly cried a little at the end. The characters were flawed and authentic, and I love that this was written in alternate POVs. Rating: 5/5

A haunting, nightmarish, and intricate story. I found the whole "Big Brother" idea both a mildly  extremely terrifying and intriguing concept.  I enjoyed the whole personification of the Oceania, and how this story was very much a dystopian that hit the spot for me. Rating: 5/5

An interesting take on how teens and the general public take matters into their own hands. Personally, I loved how Cassie dealt with the mob mentality and the cyberbullying, and this book leaves a lot of room for discussion around these topics. I found Cassie's character was well built and round, just like her mum, however the plot lost its spark in several places due to a particular scene being drawn out. Rating: 3.75/5 Thanks to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for a digital galley copy of this book!

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A fun and quirky book, filled with so many book references! The characters were vibrant, the plot was brilliant, the setting was A+ (well, that may be because it is set in Melbourne, where I live, aha!). I found that the book tugged at my heart at all the right places, and made me laugh so much in other places. I couldn't put this book down, nor could I stop myself crying at the end. Rating: 5/5

Thanks to Amberjack publishing and Netgalley for the digital galley copy! A cute little contemporary retelling of the beauty and the beast. This was an easy and quick read, however I felt that sometimes the story lagged a bit and the plot went nowhere at times. I did however really enjoy the portrayal of "the beast" Bettina, where she was obnoxious and had no filter and speaks her mind, and is really stubborn. I also loved that Beau was portrayed as the 'cute boy-next-door' kind of character. Rating 3/5

A beautifully written book, all in verse! The poetry makes the story captivating, with no disjointedness going from one poem to the next. I really enjoyed the juxtaposing in this book where Allison tries to forget, but Marla is trying to remember, and they both meet under a rather interesting way. This book made me cry. Rating: 5/5

A truly gripping read, although mildly terrifying at the thought of lifelike babies (and then people)! The book had a light cozy tone, and had an original, thought-provoking premise. The characters were also great. Overall, an unique twist on the whole 'end of the world' side of things. Rating: 4/5

The story expertly blurs many genres, including fantasy and mystery, and it was really enjoyable.  The mashup isn't just what made the story what it was though- there were t ons of carefully crafted plot twists, as well as characters that were just all as they seemed! An overall quality fantasy novel! Rating: 4.75/5

So. Much. Foreshadowing. I loved it! This book was a fun, action-packed journey, and had me hooked from first page to last page. I found the characters were well written, and I was rather smitten over Lyra and Niall. The world-building was engaging and made the book whole. So looking forward to the next book!!! Rating: 4.5/5

A fluffy YA book that touched on important topics such as mental and physical health, and inclusivity. It not only includes romance, but touches on friendship and family too. The main character, Lily, is strong-minded, which is something that isn't seen in a lot of YA contemporaries! The characters made this story grow on me, whilst keeping the plot light enough for a light read. Rating: 4/5 Thanks to NetGalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing for this eARC!