Welcome to a world where ordinary people can be selected to undergo a transformation to superhero. Where curious teens test out an urban legend on multiple dimensions and find themselves lost in a world not their own. A world where a pill and a kiss can show you a future that may or may not come to pass.

This is just some of what you’ll encounter in Kaleidoscope. Including stories written by some of Australia’s most-loved fantasy authors, this compilation of speculative short stories will push your imagination to the limit. There are stories from Aurealis award winning author, Garth Nix, George Turner Prize winning author, Tansy Rayner Roberts, and NYT best-selling author, Sean Williams, to name just a few.

These twenty original stories explore fantastical and sci-fi worlds through a diverse YA framework. With stories featuring people with disabilities, people of colour, QUILTBAG characters, and neuro-diverse characters; Kaleidoscope is YA at its sensational best. The perspectives – while not new – are ones all too often confined to the sidelines. Here they shine. And they do so without becoming ‘issues’ tales. For the characters, their diversity is a fact of life; it isn’t brought out, dissected and analysed. The stories are way too fun to be having any of that boring stuff!

There were a few stories that were just amazing and made me want a whole novel, and not a measly short story. Tansy Rayner Roberts’ ‘Cookie Cutter Superhero’ is one of them. Funny, quirky and breath-takingly clever in its execution, it follows Joey, a girl who has been chosen as the next in line to Australia’s super-hero team. In a short space, Roberts deftly weaves a massive chunk of superhero social history into this tale, as well as commentating on world politics with regards to discrimination and finishing with a hope and a wish for the future.

‘Kiss and Kiss and Kiss and Tell’ by E. C. Myers is another one that I really enjoyed. The slightly futuristic world of drugs that can give people glimpses of the future but change when combined with medications is different; but it’s the characters that make the story real. Rene and Sam are so well realised in the present and in their many possible futures that you really hope that they’ll manage to find a future together.

These twenty stories are a fantastic selection from some amazing authors. Most of them are fun, sweet and hopeful – though a few have darker tendencies. The only real problem here is that so many of the stories leave you wanting more.

Kaleidoscope – Alisa Krasnostein (ed.) and Julia Ross (ed.)

Twelfth Planet Press (August 5, 2014)

ISBN: 9781922101112

Aurimere House has been lost and with it the boy that Kami loves, Jared Lynburn. With Robert Lynburn demanding a human sacrifice for the winter, it’s up to Kami to find a way to stop him before it’s too late.

While the town of Sorry-in-the-Vale cowers in fear, Kami and her friends search for answers from the past. Not knowing enough about sorcerers, sources or the bond between them, Kami hopes that the story of the famous source Matthew Cooper and his sorcerer Anne Lynburn will help. Her trusted friends, Angela, Rusty, Holly and Ash will stand by her; but if they’re to find the information they need, they’re going to have to go back to Aurimere.

Thus starts the final book in the Lynburn Legacy trilogy. Battle-lines are drawn, the town is caught in the middle of what promises to be an epic struggle and through it all the dread question hangs over everyone’s heads – Who will be the sacrifice?

Now, I loved Unspoken in pretty much every way. Brennan isn’t exactly plot-strong, and I’ve yet to see a compelling villain from her, but every other aspect of her writing is so brilliant that it tends to blot out any weaknesses. Untold slipped a little. The characters still sparkled like the gems that they were, the dialogue was still hilarious and snappy but the plot lacked too much. Kami was trying to pull her resources together to fight the big bad, she just wasn’t succeeding. There weren’t even the little successes that we could applaud before a larger failure – on her part at least, different story for Jared.

I figured it was just middle-book syndrome. It happens. There’s even a name for it, so I guess it happens a lot. I was expecting everything to iron itself out when it came to Unmade.

I wish I could say it did. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t the worst book in the world, but it felt as though it had been force-written under a looming deadline. The ideas were there, but it was as though the book merely skimmed the surface of the important ones rather than jumping right in. The characters were more like uncut gems than the polished pieces they were in the previous books. Everything was rushed except the romance, and the romance should have been pared back a great deal.

It’s not that I don’t like Kami and Jared’s relationship. The ending of Unspoken destroyed me. I had to wait months for the next book, and to this day I think it was a vile act to treat faithful readers that way. The thing is, with Kami and Jared, less is more. I don’t need them to be spelling out their feelings for each other on every second page. Put one of them in danger and let me see how the other reacts and that’s pretty much worth all of the declarations in the world.

Ultimately Unmade felt rushed. Too much emphasis on certain things, not enough on others, as though Brennan didn’t have the time to edit it as she usually would. There were still moments that sparkled like Unspoken and the potential was there; however, Unmade just didn’t quite meet it. That said, Unspoken is still a novel that I would – and do – recommend to anyone.

Unmade – Sarah Rees Brennan

Simon and Schuster (September 23, 2014)

ISBN: 978857078117

It is New Year’s Eve and the world is celebrating. For Schuyler Van Alen, however, that is a luxury that she cannot afford. In her world – the world of angels and demons, Heaven and Hell, Blue Bloods and Conduits – there is no reason to celebrate; and less time. Jack Force, the boy she loves, has been missing for months and might well be dead. Even that is not something that Schuyler has time to dwell on because Lucifer is moving against those who would oppose him; and Schuyler tops that list.

She is the key to unlocking the Gate of Promise and leading her people to Paradise, if only she can figure out how. And she has to figure it out soon, or Lucifer will destroy the gate and take away the only chance she has. Luckily she is not alone. Her best friend, Oliver, is with her as always, and she has allies with the werewolves. She may also have friends who are closer to Lucifer than to her.

Gates of Paradise is the seventh and final book in the Blue Bloods series. For a series that has been running since 2006, you would expect an epic finale. And, in some ways, you get it.

Gates of Paradise brings together all of the characters that the Blue Bloods series has been built on. In their own ways, they are all working toward winning the looming final battle. Whether they are rallying their forces, trying to solve the puzzle of the key to the gate, or weakening Lucifer, each person has a part to play.

This strategic team-work coupled with the flash-backs to mistakes made in the past – or in past lives – builds a solid foundation for an epic showdown. But, for all the build-up towards it, the final battle is a disappointment. It’s an almost blink and you’ll miss it affair. This would be fine if there were few or no repercussions to the battle; but well-known characters are cut down in a casual sentence and entire clashes of powerful foes are summed up in equally few words. It feels as though de la Cruz is racing toward an invisible finish line. It’s a pity because the ideas touched on in the final scenes – love, sacrifice, weakness – are handled well; they’re just not as fleshed out as they should be.

Ultimately though, I think that fans will get what they would have wanted out of the end of this series. A final journey with the characters they have loved through previous books – Bliss, Lawson, Schuyler, Jack and Mimi Force, Kingsley and Oliver – a chance at seeing how the battle changes them and a look at how the survivors adapt to their new lives without the threat of death hanging heavy over them.

Gates of Paradise – Melissa de la Cruz

Atom Books (January 15, 2013)

ISBN: 9781907411502

When a plane goes down in the ocean, only one survivor is found – a sixteen year old girl who has no memory of her past.

She cannot recall her name, her face or her life before the accident. When a mysterious boy shows up, claiming to know her, she doesn’t know what to believe. But believing him means giving up any illusion of safety she has.

Usually, I try to keep reviews relatively spoiler-free, but the main premise of Unremembered doesn’t begin until about half-way through the book; so, it’s impossible to discuss without giving away some major plot-points: be warned!

I wouldn’t say that Unremembered starts out slow; but, it does explore a lot of Violet/Sera’s reactions to everything around her. When no one comes forward to claim her, she has to try to understand the way the world works with the help of her new foster family. This is one of the most interesting parts of the story, seeing how she struggles with everyday words and ideas, while being able to solve complex puzzles in record time.

Unremembered has an amazing premise. Amnesia, a super-smart girl, a shady organisation and a mysterious boy who may or may not be a friend. Unfortunately, there is something lacking in the execution of the story. For my part, I think it is complexity. Brody is playing with some serious ethical dilemmas here, but instead of delving into the mess, she sweeps it aside to follow a basic story-line. This isn’t a problem. Some of the best stories are uncomplicated; but, considering the moral issues that Unremembered stirs up, I would really love to see more analysis in that regard.

Violet/Sera’s abnormal intelligence and lack of understanding of current trends, along with the fact that she initially thinks that the year is 1609, makes it clear from not-very-far-in that this is a time-travel novel, though the reveal doesn’t come until much later. This too, Brody could have handled with more intricacy. Time does not merely change technology, it changes entire mindsets. The whole structure of the social and political world should alter with time, but Brody’s characters all seem to be in keeping with our time, not theirs.

Unremembered is in no way a bad novel. It’s beautifully crafted, compelling and easy to read. However, it could have been so much more. It has all of the ingredients for a gripping dystopian action-adventure; it just comes out a bit fluffier.

Unremembered would best suit YA readers who liked their romance with a side of fantasy, rather than liking fantasy with a dash of romance. While there are heavy sci-fi elements to the story, none of them are explored deeply. It’s more of a romance-action-adventure with a little mystery thrown in. Anyone who has read and loved Lauren Kate or Becca Fitzpatrick should relish this one.

Unremembered – Jessica Brody

Macmillan (February 28, 2013)

ISBN: 9781447221128

Zachary, Poppy and Alice are best friends and spend their afternoons making up elaborate worlds for their dolls and action figures to play in: a world ruled by a creepy and ancient Queen – a terrifying doll that is locked inside Poppy’s mother’s cabinet. For Zach and Alice, it’s an escape from the demands their families make on them while; for Poppy, it’s a good outlet for her imagination. Everything changes when Zach’s father decides that he’s too old to be playing with toys and throws them all out.

Zach doesn’t want to tell his friends what has happened, deciding to quit the game instead. He hadn’t reckoned on the Queen. When she starts invading Poppy’s dreams, claiming to be made from the bones of a murdered girl, the three children must take up a quest to set her to rest.

Doll Bones is an epic fantasy quest in the guise of middle-school urban fantasy. It is aimed at a younger age group than the Tale of Modern Faerie or Curse Workers books; but slightly older than the Spiderwick Chronicles.

While the fantasy element of Doll Bones is fascinating, as always, it is the wider social politics that kept my interest. All three children are on the quest to prove something in their real lives. Each of them has their own character arc and as the story unfurls the tensions between them rise. Zachary is hanging on to childhood while his father tries to force him out of it. Alice is struggling against her grandmother who, while her sole guardian, hails from a different generation and background. All of them are keeping secrets and, as with any good quest, those secrets will come out.

With its twelve-year-old protagonists and their interest in toys, Doll Bones is entrenched in middle-grade literature, but it has enough elements that surpass that to appeal to teens and adults. Rather than the often explored dynamic of adults who don’t understand the children – or adults having the answer to everything – the parents and guardians in Doll Bones are just as lost as their kids.

Doll Bones perfectly captures the imaginative fantasy realms that children create while addressing more mature issues like family dysfunction and growing up. It is a deliciously creepy read with characters that you can root for, even when they are in the wrong.

Doll Bones – Holly Black

Doubleday (May 7, 2013)

ISBN: 9780552568111