young adult | Lost in a Good Book

Wrath of the Triple Goddess (#7) by Rick Riordan

03 Feb 2026 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Audiobook, Young Adult Tags: Audiobook, four stars, jesse bernstein, percy jackson, percy jackson and the olympians, rick riordan, young adult

Published: 24 September 2024 (print)/24 September 2024 (audio)
Publisher: Puffin/Penguin Audio
Pages: 332/8 hrs and 37 mins
Narrator: Jesse Bernstein
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Percy Jackson, now a high school senior, needs three recommendation letters from the Greek gods in order to get into New Rome University. He earned his first one by retrieving Ganymede’s chalice. Now the goddess Hecate has offered Percy another “opportunity”—all he has to do is pet sit her mastiff, Hecuba, and her polecat, Gale, over Halloween week while she is away. Piece of cake, right?

Percy, Annabeth, and Grover settle into Hecate’s seemingly endless mansion and start getting acquainted with the fussy, terrifying animals. The trio has been warned not to touch anything, but while Percy and Annabeth are out at school, Grover can’t resist drinking a strawberry-flavoured potion in the laboratory. It turns him into a giant frenzied goat, and after he rampages through the house, damaging everything in sight, and passes out, Hecuba and Gale escape. Now the friends have to find Hecate’s pets and somehow restore the house, all before Hecate gets back on Saturday. It’s going to take luck, demigod wiles, and some old and new friends to hunt down the animals and set things right again.

This book didn’t feel as much like a novella as the previous one. But despite being over eight hours long it still felt like a short story, an extra bonus adventure for readers. Perhaps it’s the minimal events? One mission without a lot of moving parts or people. It’s a small mission not a worldwide quest over weeks, it’s a week or two at most.

Having come to this from the back of Heroes of Olympus I do miss the multiple perspectives, but having the original trio together again was interesting. Made me wonder how Grover was free for this and not the other stories. Shouldn’t he still have Cloven Elder things to do?

I was initially going to say I liked this more than the previous novel, but thinking about it now I think I liked them both in different ways. Chalice gives us a traditional Percy Jackson vibe, traipsing around talking to other gods, while this one it’s the trio on their own, working things out, the beings they interact with are more sprites and other creatures.

Both have merit, and I can’t see this as a standalone, though how you can read the other own knowing you need two more letters is interesting. The story also didn’t feel as dated, and while it does mention Twitter and flame wars, it makes sense for the time in which the books are meant to be set.

I’ll be curious to see how the final book plays out. Already knowing the outcome won’t be a deterrent because Riordan makes the stories so captivating and enjoyable, even knowing the outcome doesn’t take away from the adventure of the journey. Heaven knows he’s a master at twists and turns and loop holes, enough to keep anyone on their toes.

You can purchase Wrath of the Triple Goddess via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

#AussieYAChallenge 2026

08 Jan 2026 Leave a comment

by Amy in Aussie YA Challenge Tags: #AussieYAChallenge, aussie books, Aussie YA Challenge, australian, loveozya, reading challenge, young adult

The #AussieYAChallenge is a challenge created by Amy at Lost in a Good Book as an attempt to read more Australian young adult novels.

Doing a switcheroo for this month’s Long Lost Reviews because it seems my announcement for the 2026 #AussieYAChallenge has gotten out ahead of me so I’ll post my #LLR next week.

Entering its third year my #AussieYAChallenge is something I have grown to love more and more. I love finding new Australian young adult books and finally making the effort to read books I have had lovingly on my shelf for honestly, like 10+ years at this point and should probably have read long ago.

This challenge is open for anyone who wants to participate and you complete at your own pace throughout the year, or whenever you chose to start. There is no limit, no review requirements, just a chance to expand on your reading.

The #LoveOzYA is a strong brand and getting to focus some attention on it with my reading has brought me a lot of amazing stories. I hope if you follow this challenge, whether you participate or not, you will see the great variety and talent we have with our YA authors.

For the 2026 Challenge I am tapping that Nix level again, 12 books, 12 months. I hope to go beyond this year but I know if I set myself a higher number it’s only going to end badly. The excitement at exceeding (if it happens) is enough for now.

Keep an eye on my posts through the year as reviews for last year’s reads come through. I will also try and get some of this year’s reads up a bit sooner.

If you are interested in participating head to the #AussieYAChallenge page and see what’s involved.

Happy Reading!

#AussieYAChallenge 2025 Wrap Up

31 Dec 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in Aussie YA Challenge, Young Adult Tags: #AussieYAChallenge, Aussie YA Challenge, clayton zane comber, coral vass, emily o'beirne, loveozya, meg mckinlay, pip harry, reading challenge, rebecca fraser, sean williams, shivaun plozza, sophie gonzales, tobias madden, vikki wakefield, young adult

Over the course of the two years I have done challenge I have read 24 Aussie YA books. Which is a pretty good bump considering my #LoveOzYA reading had dropped off in recent years. I am still blaming the minimal amount of Aussie YA in audio, but I also have two bookcases choccas with Aussie titles I could pick up at any time so it’s not entirely the fault of the publishing industry.

I was worried I had maybe fallen by the wayside after my September update, but given the new titles on my final list I am pretty pleased with how I’ve ended up. Despite planning on reading 12 books a year I never actually planned the twelve. I was happy if it went over, I was picking stuff up willy nilly, not keeping track of numbers. It’s quite serendipitous that I landed on 12. I get to meet my Nix level reading goal without rushing to make up numbers at the eleventh hour which is a bonus.

Some of my absolute favourites were Impossible Music by Sean Williams and Because of You by Pip Harry. Both these stories took me into a world I knew about but not intimately and seeing the experiences of these characters was beautiful and heartbreaking, not to mention powerful. This is why I love Aussie YA, with such short stories we can really pack an emotional punch and make incredibly memorable stories.

Other choices were some I had been eying off at the library for months before finally picking them up. Tobias Madden knocking it out of the park with fun and interesting stories, and unexpected surprises with new author Clayton Zane Comber, not to mention Shivaun Plozza killing it once again.

Another reason I started this challenge wasn’t only to tick off a list, but to finally pick up the authors I’ve been wanting to read for years. It’s all well and good to say I want to read that, or it’s on my TBR list (700+ strong so what hope do I really have), but now I can actually follow through and share our great authors with everyone and maybe spread a bit of that #LoveOzYA love.

I am keen to see what new books I read next year, some old hopefully, some new definitely. The Aussie YA book world is filled with so many different stories and experiences it is a joy to pick up and fall into that unique Australian voice that makes our books so beloved.

If you participated alongside me I hope your challenge went as successful as you wanted and I hope you join me again with the challenge next year!

The final list:

All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield

Tin Heart by Shivaun Plozza

Because of You by Pip Harry

Wrong Answers Only by Tobias Madden

100 Remarkable Feats of Xander Maze by Clayton Zane Comber

Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden

Surface Tension by Meg McKinlay

Impossible Music by Sean Williams

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

Flip by Rebecca Fraser

The Day the Bridge Fell by Coral Vass

Here’s the Thing by Emily O’Beirne

The Last to Die by Kelly Garrett

23 Dec 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 2 Stars, Audiobook, Young Adult Tags: Audiobook, heather costa, kelly garrett, two stars, young adult

Published: 4 April 2017 (print)/17 March 2020 (audio)
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire/Tantor Media
Pages: 223/4 hrs and 43 mins
Narrator: Heather Costa
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult Mystery/Thriller
★ ★ – 2.5 Stars

It all started out as a game.

Just a way to have fun. We figured as long as we had rules, it wouldn’t be a problem.

RULE #1: Only break into one another’s houses.

RULE #2: Only take stuff that can be replaced.

It worked for a while. Whoever’s turn it was to break in got a rush, and the rest of us laughed over the trophies they brought back. But then someone went too far. Lives got ruined. Someone is dead.

And I might be next.

When I added the book to StoryGraph I was intrigued by the 2.7 average rating, it had been an engaging and compelling story so far, especially something so short, and with only an hour to go I was keen to see how it would wrap up, what big explosive end of story Garrett would come up with.

Granted, there was a surprise twist, not the twist I was actually expecting, but it was a twist. Adjacent to what you’re expecting given the lead up but also not the fun twist I thought of. From there is was…mild. From a semi-intense scene, there are little answers and a few strange choices on ending.

I didn’t like the ending, it was rushed and actually lacking a lot of clarifying details that are kind of important in these types of mysteries. It isn’t even done well enough where it’s left open to let the reader decide what happened, it feels like it was just ignored. After a long drawn out line of clues, the ending wraps up incredibly quickly, and where it ends it incredibly unsatisfying given the character journeys. I’m still not entirely sure Harper learnt anything, but at the same time, given the way they act through the story it’s a weird ending where there’s consequences, but I don’t know if there’s remorse.

There are a lot of unanswered questions. Some are weird choices to leave unanswered, even in the final standoff they’d be perfect the drop in. Once you notice one mystery isn’t going to be answered, you start to realise how many there really are. Not all important of course, but some definitely are, then there’s others that are raised and never addressed again, like the author forgot they were left open.

One thing the story had going for it was while a lot of the characters are unlikable, they were compelling which I liked. You know they are horrible people, but they have a little compassion in them, misguided or vacuous as it may be, but there is something to latch onto. All of these characters are shallow people and have no real connections with their friends which is an interesting take. They are rich, bored teens who don’t really like each other, so the detachment feels correct to be fair, though Harper could be on her way to some kind of depression or she’s never been able to form real attachments and that’s just how she is.

I am very much in the camp of not needing to like characters or narrators. What I feel let down is the ending where the motive and consequences are lacking clarification. The small bit of information we get is there to tick a box, and the rest of the unanswered questions are ignored. If you are going to write a mystery, the reveal and outcome needs a little attention as this is what the hints and clues and build ups have been for. The fact most of the book does this well, builds drama and tension to have it fail absolutely at the end was a letdown. The answers are there, but the executions could have been spread out and extended better. No real satisfying closure for a good read.

The blurb promises it to be unputdownable with a dark story and dynamic writing. At times it was there, but for all the work to build it up only to have it fall at the end makes everything leading up to the flop meaningless.

You can purchase The Last to Die via the following

Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

10 Dec 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Audiobook, Aussie YA Challenge, Australian Women Writers, LGBTQIA, Young Adult Tags: #AussieYAChallenge, Audiobook, aussie, aussie books, Aussie YA Challenge, australian women writers challenge, barrie kreinik, contemporary young adult, four stars, loveozya, sophie gonzales, young adult

Published: 9 March 2021 (print)/11 March 2021 (audio)
Publisher: Wednesday Books/Hodder Children’s Books
Pages: 352/8 hrs and 58 mins
Narrator: Barrie Kreinik
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Her advice, spot on. Her love life, way off.

Darcy Phillips:
• Can give you the solution to any of your relationship woes—for a fee.
• Uses her power for good. Most of the time.
• Really cannot stand Alexander Brougham.
• Has maybe not the best judgement when it comes to her best friend, Brooke…who is in love with someone else.
• Does not appreciate being blackmailed.

However, when Brougham catches her in the act of collecting letters from locker 89—out of which she’s been running her questionably legal, anonymous relationship advice service—that’s exactly what happens. In exchange for keeping her secret, Darcy begrudgingly agrees to become his personal dating coach—at a generous hourly rate, at least. The goal? To help him win his ex-girlfriend back.

Darcy has a good reason to keep her identity secret. If word gets out that she’s behind the locker, some things she’s not proud of will come to light, and there’s a good chance Brooke will never speak to her again.

Okay, so all she has to do is help an entitled, bratty, (annoyingly hot) guy win over a girl who’s already fallen for him once? What could go wrong?

One thing I’ve discovered is I enjoy books set in US high schools if they are written by an Australian. I picked this up for my #AussieYAChallenge but was incredibly confused with the American narrator. But it ended up ok because it’s a good story and does have decent Australian representation in it.

The US school system is a baffling thing anyway but I liked that it didn’t feel so engrained in the school. We get story outside of school a lot which helped balance it. I also enjoyed how even though it followed the US style YA story of having these school wide social media/student organised systems in the form of Darcy’s advice business, it wasn’t weird and unsettling. It was something I had seen with One of Us is Lying, and a few others – a public forum, app, or secrets blog that ruled the school, caused drama, or blackmailed people. This is more like Dear Wendy which technically was university and more public, but the premise was the same: a write in advice service.

The secret locker business was interesting, and the way Darcy explains it was set up is reasonable, as is the eventually outcome of the whole endeavour. Darcy has an interest in helping people and makes sure she does her research and isn’t doing it for gossip or nefarious purposes. But like all things, it’s the invested interest and biases than can get you into trouble.

The hired for advice thing was well played out, and I liked how the relationship between Brougham and Darcy evolved. The blurb is slightly misleading, but from Darcy’s perspective it is not entirely untrue. While there is drama I enjoyed the personal nature of it and it never felt unrealistic. The often overdone, overreaction unreality was missing and it was refreshing to see.

I enjoyed the queer aspect where the bisexual representation was handled well, as well as the exploration of other issues in the school club discussions. It isn’t a side plot per se, Gonzales interweaves everything to be connected somehow, but it’s another aspect of Darcy’s character and it’s a great way to show her growth as well as tie it into the conflicts of the story.

Even with the US setting Gonzales brought the Aussie writing style that made it feel natural. With this also came the benefit of having an Australian character that didn’t sound like a painful stereotype or an American in disguise. Brougham got to actually be a full character and not a background voice of cliché phrases. Gonzales does sneak in a few slang words and some unspoken things which any good Aussie could pick up on, and while it felt a little like a nod to the Aussie reader or a brief education, it still felt ok and within the narrative. I never felt like we stopped the story to have a wedged in “Australian moment”, instead it was a fun meeting of cultures.

Kreinik is a good narrator and the voice of Darcy suited her well. There was no bad Aussie accent either which was so good and a nice change. Overall I was pleasantly surprised considering I was a little reluctant going in.

You can purchase Perfect on Paper via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible