Reviews
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Read our independent reviews of the latest books from Aotearoa.
Pānuihia ā mātou arotakenga tūhake o ngā pukapuka hou nō Aotearoa.
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ReviewGreg Fleming examines Geoff Parkes' debut novel, WHEN THE DEEP, DARK BUSH SWALLOWS YOU WHOLE, and enjoys the carefully observed setting of 1980s small town King Country.
Reviewed by Greg Fleming
23 February 2025
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ReviewDavid Hill, not young, not fond of Self-Help books, reviews young Jake Bailey's latest book, THE COMEBACK CODE, and is taken with it.
Reviewed by David Hill
19 February 2025
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ReviewIn 1845, Frances Dickinson filed for separation in the English courts. It was to become one of the most reported on divorce cases of the decade. Here, Carolyn Cossey reviews profes...
Reviewed by Carolyn Cossey
9 February 2025
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Review'Giles skillfully employs a dual timeline structure, weaving past and present to illuminate the choices and regrets that shape her characters’ lives...'
Reviewed by Savannah Patterson
3 February 2025
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ReviewMaddie Ballard's debut book is a gentle sewing-focussed memoir. Claire Williamson writes about the contemplation of making and remaking, and how the threads of Ballard's life are i...
Reviewed by Claire Williamson
27 January 2025
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Review'A man and a woman, complete strangers, meet at an exhibition in upstate New York on a cold snowy night. At the art gallery they start a conversation and discover they have several...
Reviewed by Bernadette Cassidy
19 January 2025
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Review'Ngā kete e toru o te mātauranga, the three baskets of knowledge, are used to structure the book, and to loosely divide Māori art into three separate, but connected and overlapping...
Reviewed by Jade Kake
18 December 2024
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Review'One of the strengths of this book is the weaving of personal stories with official data and stories about food are particularly evocative. I particularly enjoyed Te Onehou Phillis...
Reviewed by David Veart
11 December 2024
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ReviewAnuja Mitra admires the empathy and reminder of our shared humanity within Emma Neale's new poetry collection, LIAR, LIAR, LICK, SPIT, in this capsule review and poem extract.
Reviewed by Anuja Mitra
9 December 2024
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Review'This book juxtaposes the stark dichotomy between the glamour and gruesomeness that the women were living. Silks, luxury clubs and stunning architecture rustle incongruously alongs...
Reviewed by Catherine Milford
8 December 2024
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ReviewDiana Wichtel writes that media can be 'magic, imbued with a dreamy, inexplicable aura'. After her many years as columnist, reviewer, essayist and journalist, UNREEL dives into tha...
Reviewed by David Hill
5 December 2024
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ReviewEverything is on fire in Carl Shuker's latest novel, THE ROYAL FREE. Grief, copyediting and vicious teens convene in a wry, expansive narrative.
Reviewed by Kirsteen Ure
1 December 2024
ReviewVeteran author Brannavan Gnanalingam is back with THE LIFE AND OPINIONS OF KARTIK POPAT, a novel set in the world of politics. Angelique Kasmara reviews it for Kete, covering the b...
Reviewed by Angelique Kasmara
28 November 2024
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Review'It brims with fast-paced action and mystery, shady villains, ambiguous strangers, feisty kids, one sadly messed up kid, and a bunch of passionately misguided conspiracy theorists....
Reviewed by Barbara Uini
27 November 2024
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ReviewAccomplished storyteller Barbara Else has a wide-ranging body of work. Anna Scaife considers how the attention-grabbing title reflects this collection of short fiction.
Reviewed by Anna Scaife
26 November 2024
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ReviewLuminous beauty in Jo McNiece's BLUE HOUR, which won the Kathleen Grattan Poetry Award in 2023, keeps reviewer Sophie van Waardenberg returning to its pages.
Reviewed by Sophie van Waardenberg
25 November 2024
Review'From the start it is pleasing to both the eyes and fingers with a woven textile hard cover and shiny contrasting inlaid title. Flick randomly through the pages and you’ll find an ...
Reviewed by Sam Dollimore
21 November 2024
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ReviewFleur, 13, takes a look at Mary-Anne Scott's latest young adult novel, pronouncing it 'deep' and 'poignant', and recommending it for fans of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
Reviewed by Fleur
20 November 2024
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ReviewWorld famous for creating Aotearoa's 'Bird of the Year' competition, Michael Szabo here turns his hand to a guidebook of flora and fauna found in the Wellington region. Rebekah Str...
Reviewed by Rebekah Stretton
17 November 2024
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ReviewDavid Hill considers the masterful writing and predominantly male protagonists in Owen Marshall's latest book, the laconically-named NEW STORIES.
Reviewed by David Hill
12 November 2024
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Review'Each of the essays has their own story to tell, about an extraordinary wide range of subjects - from a religious sect in the late-18th/ early-19th century in rural New York State,...
Reviewed by Kelly Ana Morey
10 November 2024