As the nights draw in, where better to lose yourself than in the pages of Frances Hardinge’s Unraveller (Macmillan, £12.99), a world of misty marsh-woods, uncanny creatures and moonlight markets, where anyone with enough hatred in their hearts can summon a life-destroying curse. Fifteen-year-old Kellen has the rare gift of being able to unravel a curse, travelling to help the afflicted with his companion, Nettle, uncovering a deadly conspiracy along the way. Themes of humanity and redemption play out against this intricately woven backdrop, illuminated by characteristically sublime prose. Hardinge may be marketed as a young adult author, but herein lie rich rewards for readers of all ages.
More curses in Lightlark by Alex Aster (Amulet, £13.99), which sees young ruler Isla compete in a lethal game to break a centuries-old curse and win unparalleled powers. The YA tropes may be thickly spread – a deadly competition, the chosen one destined to save a kingdom, the ubiquitous love triangle – but the stakes are high and the storytelling addictive. The author’s popularity on TikTok helped her snag significant publishing and film deals; this will be catnip for fans of the high fantasy romance genre that dominates the platform’s book content.
In As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow (Bloomsbury, £12.99), Zoulfa Katouh explores the human stories behind the Syrian war. Salama is a carefree first-year pharmacy student when conflict breaks out. A year later she is working as a surgeon because there are no doctors left. Salama faces a horrific dilemma: stay to help others or attempt the perilous journey to Europe. This is by no means an easy read – descriptions of the hospital are particularly graphic – but it is enormously moving and ultimately hopeful.
Carnegie medal winner Ruta Sepetys examines life in 1980s Romania, under the Ceaușescu dictatorship, from the perspective of a teenage boy in I Must Betray You (Hodder Children’s Books, £7.99). When secret police blackmail Cristian he is given the impossible choice of informing on friends and family, in exchange for his grandfather’s medicine, or resisting and risking his life. A tense, thought-provoking thriller set in a world where no one can be trusted.
Candice Brathwaite, author of I Am Not Your Baby Mother, makes her fiction debut in Cuts Both Ways (Quercus, £7.99). Following the violent death of her brother, Cynthia struggles to adjust to a move from south London to a new private school in the countryside, where she attracts the attention of head boy Thomas and his adopted Black brother, Isaac. Brathwaite takes a sharp look at the realities of growing up Black in Britain in a character-driven novel that’s warm and insightful in its exploration of relationships.
Finally, are vampires making a comeback? Vamps: Fresh Blood by Nicole Arend (Simon & Schuster, £8.99) is first in a slick new series of romance and intrigue in an elite Swiss finishing school for the undead. Meanwhile, in a tale for younger teen readers, The Reluctant Vampire Queen by Jo Simmons (Hot Key, £7.99) sees 15-year-old Mo proclaimed Vampire Queen of Great Britain against her democratic, vegetarian principles. Think Geek Girl with a supernatural twist.
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