Covid came to our little apartment in July, and although I worked more days at the day job, not less, I did allow myself to read a bit more inbetween. Books three and four of Selina Fenech’s Beshadowed series were awesome, I loved the extraordinary Legacy by Larissa Behrendt, Garden of Promises and Lies by Paula Brackston and Eternal Light Descendant by Kastie Pavlik, and also saw the movie The Drover’s Wife, based on the book (and starring) Leah Purcell.

44 of 90 – Shadows Awoken: Beshadowed Book 3 by Selina Fenech
I love Selina Fenech’s Beshadowed series so much, and its world of monsters and magic, and I finally made time to read book three, Shadows Awoken, while Juz was reading book four, Everdark Cursed. (And I beat him, lol, and had to start book four on kindle!) Like the first two books, it’s totally gripping and suspenseful, with wonderful characters, terrifying villains, more of the mysterious creatures and world revealed, and its fast pace swooping between laugh-out-loud hilarious then deeply serious and back again. When book three opens, MC Everly is close to death, and her bad ass best friend Harper and the somewhat supernatural Howell clan are desperately trying to find a way to save her. Signs are pointing them to the lighthouse on the tiny local island, but it’s not what they expect (and it never is in this series!). There’s a bit of horror – but if I can cope, anyone can, as I’m a total wuss. I love all the characters (okay, most!), and they’re fully formed, complex, funny, flawed, brave and vulnerable, and the whole series is beautifully written, magical and intriguing – with enough of a cliff-hanger to make me super happy I could start reading book four immediately!ce, Treaty and Truth, this is an engaging book that every home should have. [And in October 2024, a sequel, Come Together Again: A Celebration of First Nations Music, Song and Dance will be released.]

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45 of 90 – Everdark Cursed: Beshadowed Book 4 by Selina Fenech
Beshadowed 4: Everdark Cursed by Selina Fenech is such a brilliant end to this brilliant series. I was glad I’d waited to read book three, so I could start book four the minute I finished it. And Everdark Cursed delivers completely. It’s such a fast-paced, action-packed, page-turning, gripping conclusion. The stakes are high, the monsters are real, and some of the heroes will die (and yes, I cried).

No one comes back from the Everdark alive…
The Howell team have discovered the true plot brewing at Darkfrey Estate, one that requires a terrible sacrifice to be put into action. When it becomes a choice between saving the people they love, and saving the world, what will the Howell team choose? When darkness descends on Shroudhaven, it may not even matter. Because the creature inside Everly has already made its choice…

I love this series so much because the heart-pounding action is underpinned by beautiful writing, and beautiful friendships, and characters you cheer for, and love (plus one or two you love to despise!). There’s loyalty and betrayal, trust made and broken, love and fear, power and the question of redemption, and an exploration of what it is that makes someone a hero (and it’s not just having powers!) and a friend. There are many wonderful – but subtle – messages of equality and diversity, self-acceptance and growth, but they are just part of the rich, imaginative world the author has created, filled with monsters, myth and magic, hard choices, best friends, and the families we choose for ourselves. The whole series is beautifully written, intriguing, suspenseful and addictive.

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46 of 90 – Before You Say I Do by Clare Lydon
Between covid and one of my most stressful deadlines ever, I wanted to read something sweet and light and fun, and Clare Lydon’s Before You Say I Do was perfect. (I first read a Clare book a few years ago because we share audiobook narrators, and I’ve enjoyed all the ones I’ve read…) This is a sweet, engaging and quirky story of forbidden love, self-discovery and being true to who you are, which doesn’t gloss over the consequences of life-changing decisions. There are some laugh-out-loud funny moments, endearing characters, bittersweet angst, lots of romance, lots of wondering, and a sweet HEA. There’s also a really strong thread of making sure you’re actually doing what you want to be doing in life, and following your passion, in love as well as in work/career, which was echoed in a cute movie I watched that night, A Royal Winter, and definitely needs some pondering…

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Bonus – movie based on the book The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson by Leah Purcell
The brilliant Leah Purcell is the writer, director and star of The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson, the film that reimagines Henry Lawson’s 1892 short story with depth, purpose and heartbreak. It’s hard to watch, in its violence and injustice, but it’s thought-provoking and insightful, and Country is depicted not as a threat, as it so often is in literature, but as magnificent and protective, and Molly’s connection to it is profound. There’s a nod to Louisa Lawson and the suffragettes, and it reinforces the long-hidden truth that so often it was women who worked the land and were left to run farms and businesses. But the story is about Molly, her mistreatment by her now-absent husband, and her growing friendship with First Nations man Yadaka. It’s powerful when Molly discovers her Aboriginality, devastating when her children are stolen from her, and harrowing how things turn out – although there’s some satisfaction in her vengeance, and a glimmer of hope in her ability to save her kids…

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47 of 90 – Coraline by Neil Gaiman
I’ve been meaning to read Coraline for years, despite fearing it would be a little on the creepy side 😂 And it was, but it was kinda sweet too. 

Tenth anniversary edition of Neil Gaiman’s modern classic, brilliantly illustrated by Chris Riddell, with a new foreword by the author.
There is something strange about Coraline’s new home. It’s not the mist, or the cat that always seems to be watching her, nor the signs of danger that Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, her new neighbours, read in the tea leaves. It’s the other house ? the one behind the old door in the drawing room. Another mother and father with black-button eyes and papery skin are waiting for Coraline to join them there. And they want her to stay with them. For ever. She knows that if she ventures through that door, she may never come back.

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48 of 90 – Garden of Promises and Lies by Paula Brackston
I love Paula Brackston’s books, especially her Witch series – The Witch’s Daughter, The Winter Witch, The Silver Witch, The Midnight Witch, The Return of the Witch – and her more recent Found Things series. The Garden of Promises and Lies is book three of the latter, so I don’t want to say too much, cos spoilers! But it’s sweet and magical and suspenseful (it ends on a cliff hanger, and although I have book four waiting for me, I have to finish a project before I can start it #bookbribe)… The first book in the series, The Little Shop of Found Things, is set in the English town of Marlborough, and is full of enchanting characters – plus the odd sinister one! – time travel, love, history and magic. Book two, Secrets of the Chocolate House, and book four, City of Time and Magic, are also wonderfully magical, and the latter has a brilliant cross-over character! 

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49 of 90 – Born to Run by Cathy Freeman
Olympian Cathy Freeman’s Born to Run is a brilliant kids book that grown-ups will love too. It tells the story of her inspiring athletics career, from school girl running champ to her 400m gold medal win at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, and gives some insight into what drove her to succeed, why she worked so hard, and how she forged the self-belief to keep pursuing her dreams. There’s sadness too, and injustice, but lots of love. Cathy, a Kuku Yalanji and Birri Gubba woman, was Young Australian of the Year in 1990, Australian of the Year in 1998, and has a string of medals and awards – and since retiring from athletics she’s been working with remote Indigenous communities to close the gap in education between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children with her Cathy Freeman Foundation. Born to Run is gorgeously illustrated by Bundjalung artist Charmaine Ledden-Lewis, who also worked on Bruce Pascoe’s book Found and Edith Wright’s Charlie’s Swim.

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50 of 90 – Eternal Light Descendant by Kastie Pavlik
Humans. Vampires. God. Lucifer. One woman stands between them… 
I loved Kastie Pavlik’s Children of the Morning Star series so much. It’s a new spin on vampires and their history, lore and world – with humans, angels and devils too – and a mighty and ongoing battle of good versus evil, although you’re not always sure which is which. Eternal Light Descendant is the fourth and final book in the series, and it kept me up a few nights, turning the pages as quickly as possible to find out what would happen and how it would all be resolved. I don’t want to say too much, because spoilers, but I am a little envious of people who discover this series now, who can binge all four books in a row! The characters are fascinating and multi-faceted, and you can never be completely sure who is friend and who is foe, which I love. There are lots of character arcs to keep track of too, and their stories are all woven throughout centuries of richly explored real-world history, which adds depth and weight to the story. Each book offers new insights into members of the Vampiric Nation, their relationships, grievances and grudges, their struggle to adapt and change, and their discovery of new civilisations throughout history. The series is intricate and epic – it’s not a quick or easy read, but it’s worth the time. The historical detail is incredible, with so much research grounding it, and the series as a whole is a huge, tightly plotted accomplishment – I’m in awe of how the author kept all the strands of story and character so perfectly together (I struggled a little – another reason it’s so cool that it’s now complete and it can be binged in full!). History, religion and dark fantasy have been woven together into a compelling world that draws you in and makes you cheer for your favourite characters – then breaks your heart when you realise not all will survive. It’s a masterfully crafted series of love, loss and sacrifice, perfect for fans of vampires, myth, legend, and paranormal romance and suspense.

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51 of 90 – Legacy by Larissa Behrendt
Larissa Behrendt’s Legacy is an extraordinary, beautiful book. Simone is a wonderful MC – an Aboriginal lawyer from Sydney who’s doing a doctorate at Harvard, who is missing her loved ones at home, but finding new parts of herself in the US. Seeing her life with new perspective, and interrogating what she believes and who she wants to be. She has an intriguing connection with her doctoral supervisor, a wonderful friendship with her bestie Tanya from back home, and a complex relationship with her father, an activist and hero of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy who is adored by everyone, yet has flaws Simone struggles to reconcile. Aboriginal history, culture, justice, identity and politics is woven into the story, but it’s the people who are the heart of the book. The journey, physically and emotionally, as Simone returns to Australia and tries to come to terms with the impact of her father on her life, for good and ill. The people who inspire her, and those who try to break her. The lies that are told, and the secrets that are kept, and what happens when things finally unravel.
I love that it opens with the Tent Embassy, and also discusses Fred Maynard, William Cooper, Bill Ferguson, Jack Patten and other inspirational Aboriginal activists, because I was editing a book that touches on their important actions towards land rights, recognition and reconciliation while I was listening to this audiobook. So while you’ll be swept up in the stories of Simone as well as many of the other characters and their perspectives and intrigues, a lot of real-life history is shared too. Wonderfully narrated by Shakira Clanton, it’s a beautiful story, with so many gorgeous passages I wanted to highlight that I bought the paperback to read again at some point.
Larissa has written three novels, which I absolutely love – Home, Legacy and After Story – some non-fiction books, including Finding Eliza, Indigenous Australia For Dummies and Indigenous Australia for Kids, and she’s also an academic, a lawyer with a Masters and Doctorate from Harvard, and an award-winning film maker. (I can’t even begin to imagine how she does it all, and does it all so well!)
Much of this story is drawn from Larissa’s own life, and it’s a compelling and insightful look into family, friendship and forgiveness. Of finding your own place in the world. Of reconciliation both personal and as a country. And of the possibility of redemption, for your own sake and others.