Author: R.F. Kuang Published: 2025 Genres: Dark Academia, Fantasy By: Maya Star Rating: 4/5 stars Katabasis by RF Kuang is a novel that one can only describe as addictive. The novel, entitled after Greek word Katabasis, directly translates to “descending” and follows Alice Law and Peter Murdoch’s descent into Hell. The main characters, both of which are graduate students at Cambridge, aim to retrieve the soul of their … Continue reading Book Review: Katabasis
Author: Susan Dennard Published: 2022 Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, YA By: Katie Star Rating: 3.7/5 stars Did you like this book? The Luminaries is the first novel in a compelling fantasy trilogy. It follows Winnie Wednesday and her pursuit of becoming a nightmare hunter, having to face three trials during the month of her sixteenth birthday. Although, after her family was outcasted from the Wednesday clan years ago … Continue reading Book Review: The Luminaries
Author: Aloha Higa Published: 2023 Genres: Animals, Humor, Manga, YA By: Huxley If you are looking for a new book series to read, one I would recommend is the Polar Bear Cafe, by Aloha Higa.Polar Bear Cafe is a fictional manga about a group of friends going about their comedic life. If you have not read manga yet, it is read in the traditional Japanese order of left … Continue reading Book Review: Polar Bear Cafe
Our last display of the term is up and looking fantastic! Quite poetic even, you could say! This display was inspired in part to celebrate World Poetry Day in mid-March. The idea was simple – make a poem out of book spines, well done to all the student librarians and staff who contributed and let their creativity fly! #SpinePoetry #TryItOut! Thank you to our wonderful … Continue reading Māpuna Library’s: Spine Poetry 2026!
Author: Various authors Published: 2025 Genres: Critical role, Dungeons & Dragons, Fantasy, Short stories By: Lacey After Vox Machina’s famous travels and saving the realm, the original group have all settled into their lives after everything. The book Vox Machina : Stories Untold lets us explore tal’dorei in a way never done before, through the eyes some of our most trusted and memorable associates. The book features 10 different stories from 10 different authors, featuring tales about Scanlan’s daughter, to Trinket taking the parties children on a ‘bear hunt’. If you … Continue reading Book Review: Vox Machina: Stories Untold
To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day we put together a slightly different display, with a collection of fantastic Irish authors, green books and a play on words – books written by Patrick’s or Pat’s! #St.Patrick’sDay #BooksbyPatsorPatricks Continue reading Māpuna Library’s: St. Patrick’s Day 2026!
Author: Tahereh Mafi Published: November, 2011 Genres: Dystopia, Fantasy, Fiction, Romance, YA By: Alexandrina Tahereh Mafi’s debut novel, Shatter Me, is a bold and imaginative work of young adult dystopian fiction that explores themes of isolation, identity, and the burden of power. The novel revolves around Juliette Ferrars, a teenage girl whose touch is fatal and whose life has been controlled by the authoritarian regime known as the … Continue reading Book Review: Shatter Me
To celebrate the end of the year and the arrival of summer, our Summer’s coming display! The student librarians chose some of their favourite reads to display as well as some recommended books that were wrapped up so you didn’t know what you were going to get! #SummerIsComing #MysteryReads #ReadOverTheHolidays Thanks to a group of our student librarians who worked together to collect books and … Continue reading Māpuna Library’s: Summer Reading 2025!
Author: Lynette Noni Published: 2015 Genres: Fantasy, YA Series: Medoran Chronicles #1 By: Charlotte Akarnae is the first book in The Medoran Chronicles. It’s about a girl called Alex who accidentally ends up in Medora, a world full of magic, and has to attend a school called Akarnae. She makes new friends, gets caught up in dangerous adventures, and finds a mysterious library that holds a lot of secrets. … Continue reading Book Review: Akarnae
Author: V.E. Schwab Published: 2013 Genres: Fantasy, Science-Fiction By: Maya Star Rating: 4/5 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Vicious by V.E. Schwab follows two bright college students, Victor Vale and Eli Cardale who discover that near death experiences have the power to grant extraordinary abilities. However, like all power, these extraordinary abilities come at a cost, leading to characters full of moral ambiguity and a story full of tension. Vicious is a … Continue reading Book Review: Vicious
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