If you enjoy paranormal, horror, youth romance in stand alone novels and series then seek this author out. I have read and enjoyed several of Amanda Hocking’s books as they were published (Trylle trillogy, Kanin Chronicles). They are not steamy but there is some gore so be warned. The themes tend to feature the less glamorous characters like trolls and people with necromancy. In Freeks we follow Mara and other extraordinary people in Gideon Davorin’s Traveling Carnival until they reach the small town of Caudry where she meets Gabe. In Caudry, a dark force is feeding on the powers the travellers are trying to conceal from the public and Mara must decide whether Gabe has lured them or whether he truly wants to save her. To be totally honest, I am not a romance reader, but as a reader of paranormal I find Amanda Hocking’s books catch my interest and I will be starting the Valkyrie series next. Readers 14yrs+ will enjoy Amanda Hocking’s books.
Seventeen-year-old Mare Barrow’s world is divided by the colour of blood with Red bloods of Norta dominated by the gifted Silver- blooded elite. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until her fate becomes entwined with the Silver’s royal court. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything to help the growing Red rebellion of the Scarlet Guard. A book of loyalty and betrayal, power and revenge, desire and hatred all skilfully woven into this fast-paced, compelling fantasy by debut author Victoria Aveyard.
I took forever to read this book… possibly because this contemporary YA fantasy was not ‘just right’ for me. I did not start getting emotionally connected with the characters until chapter 24 when Brooks took my expectations and turned them upside down. Jonathan Aubrey is a world maker; making worlds to escape the pain of reality. These living, breathing worlds, once set in motion, continue on their own. Jonathan blinks between worlds in his search to find peace. However, his pain comes from losing his family, yet he never makes a world which includes them. Unable to face seeing them he focusses on his childhood infatuation for Kylie and makes her love him in an alternate world but watches from afar in the original world… until the worlds collide. A debut novel for Jen Brooks and an author well worth keeping an eye on because of her unusual plot idea. Students might like to consider this book for their HSC AOS –Discovery. You can find more suggestions in our 
A debut novel for Leah Thomas this story is a very unusual exploration of a friendship between two teens who will never meet. Contact with electricity sends Ollie into debilitating seizures, while Moritz has no eyes, a heart defect and is kept alive by an electronic pacemaker. Written as series of letters, the story plays with the emotional connection between the two boys as they try to deal with adolescence and the revelation of their shared past, a past filled with experimentation at THE LAB. This book, although contemporary in nature, has elements of evolving supernatural powers, so you do need to sacrifice logic. If you like this you might like quirky literary quality of Mosquitoland by David Arnold and Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. Students might also like to consider this book for their HSC AOS –Discovery.
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