I Read, Therefore I Blog

The Blurb On The Back:

Welcome to Spirit Academy - where K-Pop heroes are made!

New girl Sanha has no idea why she’s here. She’s terrified of singing in public and lives in the shadow of her sister, the school’s most legendary idol. But then she discovers the school’s secret …

Spirit Academy is a secret training ground for monster-slayers. Alongside her three new best friends, Sanha is fast-tracked into elite lessons, balancing snacks and sleepovers with kicking monster butt.

But when a terrifying threat ripples through the pop world, can Sanha find her voice and save the day?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Joheun Lee’s K-Pop inspired fantasy novel for readers aged 9+ (the first in a series) mixes K-POP DEMON HUNTERS with MALLORY TOWERS and will appeal to young K-Pop fans but I found the storytelling to be somewhat flat with the four main characters to be little more than generic stereotypes, although I did enjoy the relationship between Sanha and her sister while Silvia Brunetti’s illustrations have a Manga vibe that adds a lot of energy.

K-POP SPIRIT ACADEMY was released in the United Kingdom on 7 May 2026. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

When Jack accidentally magics his best friend Charlie through an inter dimensional portal and onto Lonely Island, he realises he might have broken one rule too many. Especially when he discovers that Lonely Island is a prison for ruthless Twinkle and her gang of bad fairies!

Tricked into releasing the bad fairies, Jack and Charlie must confess to Mum and Uncle Dave and enlist the help of the magical kingdom. Can they dodge Bonzo the Bogeyman’s snot missiles and stop Twinkle and her gang from taking control of the entire world?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The third in Tom McLaughlin’s self-illustrated comedy fantasy series for readers aged 7+ is an entertaining if slim story about friendship that’s packed with jokes (including some laugh out loud one-liners) and the kind of gross situations that readers of this age enjoy. However, I wish there’d been some more development of Twinkle’s relationship with Jack’s mum and uncle because it would have given the plot more depth and drama.

JACK THE FAIRY: THE WEEK THE BAD FAIRIES ESCAPED! was released in the United Kingdom on 4 September 2025. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Tokyo, 1947.

The Pink Labyrinth is one of the bomb-scarred city’s shadiest neighbourhoods. There, in the dead of night, a patrolling policeman catches a young Buddhist monk digging in the back yard of The Black Cat Cafe, a notorious brothel. In the shallow grace at his feet lie the dead body of a woman, her face disfigured beyond recognition, and the corpse of a black cat.

Who is the murdered woman, and how was she connected to the infamous establishment? And where did the dead cat come from, given that the cafe’s feline mascot seems to be alive and well? The brilliant sleuth Kosuke Kindaichi investigates, but as he draws closer to the truth, he finds himself in grave danger …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Seishi Yokomizo’s take on the faceless corpse mystery (first published in 1973 and translated from Japanese by Bryan Karetnyk) is a clever but oddly flat read, in part because it is very short and has had to be paired with a short story Why Did The Well Wheel Crack? The characterisation never sparks off the page (including) Kindaichi who is reduced to some irritating quirks) and the resolution overly dramatic such that it never quite landed.

The Blurb On The Back:

HAMMER

Left on his own again, Stud gets sucked into one of his father’s journals down into an ocean kingdom grappling with the murder of its king. Can Stud use his hammer hands to solve the case?

Our hero Stud is a fourteen-year-old boy whose father regularly goes on expeditions that he catalogs in his own journals. Having to fend for himself, Stud isn’t like most kids - he can turn his hands into hammers! Unfortunately, the kids in the village don’t think its cool and do not allow him to join their own fun adventures. Stud’s father has always advised him that friends are the most important accomplishment a person can make, so what’s a boy who can turn part of his body into metal to do? Go on his own adventures, of course!

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Jeyodin’s self-illustrated manga-style graphic novel (the first in a series) is richly imagined and has a lot of thought put into its world building while Stud is a naive but sweet natured character. However the black and white drawings are difficult to follow including when it comes to distinguishing between characters plus there’s a lot of set up with the main plot only really getting going in the final quarter, at which point the book ends.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Prepare to blast off into space with Omar!

Omar and his friends need to make the best rocket* to win a competition - but someone is out to sabotage them …

This operation contains:
- Eight fish in puddles (the fish are really unlucky at Omar’s school!)
- Fizzy drink EXPLOSIONS
- A rocket scientist with the BIGGEST smile you’ve ever seen
- A set of VERY confusing triplets
- And one or two SUPERSPY MISSIONS

* 100% not powered by farts, well, maybe a little bit

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The 5th in Zanib Mian’s PLANET OMAR series for readers aged 9+ is another fun read that combines humour with science and faith and is energetically illustrated by Kyan Cheng. Although the story is predictable, I like the way Mian incorporates Omar’s Muslim faith and how Daniel tries to control his anger issues/low self esteem with themes about the importance of friendship over winning plus there are enough fart jokes to keep readers entertained.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Welcome to the dark heart of Cornwall …

The Cornish village of St Petroc is the sort of place where people come to hide. Tom Kilgannon is one such person. An ex-undercover cop, Tom is in the Witness Protection Programme hiding from some very violent people, and St Petroc’s offers him a chance to lice a safe and anonymous life.

Until he meets Lila.

Lila is a seventeen-year-old runaway. When she breaks into Tom’s house she takes more than just his money. His wallet holds everything about his new identity. He also knows that Lila is in danger from the travellers’ commune she’s been living in. Something sinister has been going on there and Lila knows more than she realises.

But to find her he risks not only giving away his location to the gangs he’s hiding from, but also becoming a target for whoever is hunting Lila.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Martyn Waites’s novel (the first in a series) marries thriller and folk horror but because there’s so much going on it’s less than the sum of its parts. It has good pacing and there are some creepy moments, but the plot is heavily contrived at times and neither Tom nor Lila quite convince as characters while the antagonist is similarly underdeveloped. It’s not a bad book, I kept turning the pages, but it wasn’t as satisfying a read as I’d hoped.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Spies lie. They betray. It’s what they do.

Slow horse River Cartwright is waiting to be passed fit for work. With time to kill, and with his grandfather - a legendary former spy - long dead, River investigates the secrets of the old man’s library, and a mysteriously missing book.

Regent’s Park’s First Desk, Diana Taverner, doesn’t appreciate threats. So when those involved in a covert operation during the height of the Troubles threaten to expose the ugly side of state security, Taverner turns blackmail into opportunity.

Over at Slough House, the repository for failed spies, Catherine Standish just wants everyone to play nice. But as far as Jackson Lamb is concerned, the slow horses should all be at their desks.

Because when Taverner starts plotting mischief people get hurt, and Lamb has no plans to send in the clowns. On the other hand, if the clowns ignore his instructions and fool around, any harm that befalls them is hardly his fault.

But they’re his clowns. And if they don’t all come home, there’ll be a reckoning.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The 9th in Mick Herron’s SLOUGH HOUSE spy thriller series is a game changer for the slow horses as they take casualties (including a fatality) and scores are settled. It has the sharp wit, savage violence, and political skewering of the previous books but some of the writing isn’t as clear as it could be, and some of the slow horses remain underdeveloped. That said it still held my attention and the stunning ending makes me impatient for book 10.

The Blurb On The Back:

Your secret mission, should you choose to accept it:

Save the world from chaos by unmasking the hacker threatening to shut down the internet!

Put your spy skills to the test with four areas of puzzling challenges from hidden words and codebreaking to logic and observation puzzles, before you take on your top-secret mission.

Hurry, this message will self-destruct in 3, 2, 1 …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

This entertaining puzzle book for readers aged 8+ works imagines that the reader is a secret agent who has to complete their training at Spy HQ before they go out in the field. It has a good mix of logic and graphic puzzles - certainly something for everyone - and is a good way of introducing young readers to puzzle solving techniques but the black and white illustrations prevent some of the visual puzzles from working quite as well as they should.

SPY AGENCY PUZZLE BOOK MISSION: THE HIDDEN HACKER was released in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2025. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Tamzin Pook is a fighter in the Amusement Arcade, where she does battle with Revenants - reanimated brains within armoured engine bodies - and is never sure whether she’ll survive another day.

In the wheeled city of Thorbury, a rebel faction has brutally seized control and it will take someone skilled at fighting Revenants to save the day … Enter Tamzin.

Along with an oddball gang of mercenaries and a teacher named Miss Torpenhow, she must outwit a pair of assassins to secure a peaceful future.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Philip Reeve’s standalone adventure set in his MORTAL ENGINES universe for readers aged 12+ is a thrilling story of friendship, belonging and what it means to be a hero. Although Tamzin and Miss Torpenhow are the main characters, this is very much an ensemble piece that explores the geography of the Traction Cities’ world at a breakneck pace. Although this is a standalone story, there is scope here for a sequel, which I would definitely read.

THUNDER CITY was released in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

A group of Chinese scientists arrive at the American research base in Antarctica in search of help. In their truck is a horrifying sight - a mysteriously murdered teammate. With no clear jurisdiction, the Americans don’t know what to do. But they soon realise the Chinese scientists have brought far more with them than just a body …

Within seventy-two hours, thirteen more lie dead in the snow.

An extremophile parasite, triggered by severe cold, is spreading by touch. Learning from them. Evolving. It triggers violent tendencies in the winter crew, and, more insidiously, the beginnings of a strange symbiotic telepathy.

The survivors cannot let anyone infected make it to the summer season or the parasite will be taken back home with them, and be free to take over civilisation.

You can order SYMBIOTE: A NOVEL by Michael Nayak from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK. I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers):”> It’s 18 June 2028. Dr Rajan “Raj )