Young adult fiction of the month: spellbinding stories

A group of school leavers throw one final, post-exam party at an exclusive country estate. It’s a suitably decadent send-off – their party includes the former prime minister’s children, influencers and actors – but there’s a catch: a killer is on the loose and someone must be evicted from the house each hour to die. In Bury Your Friends (Simon & Schuster, £8.99), Benjamin Dean combines a moreish locked-room mystery with a deliciously snarky look at the trappings of privilege.

In Roar, by Manjeet Mann (Penguin, £9.99), Rizu’s comfortable middle-class life in suburban Delhi is upended when a former friend accuses her of being a witch. As the hysteria builds, Rizu runs away to join a militant group of women, seeking justice against those who have wronged her. Inspired by The Crucible and India’s real-life “pink sari” gang of female vigilantes, this gripping and empowering novel is narrated in first-person blank verse, which adds to the intensity.

Also told in verse is Tia Fisher’s Not Going to Plan (Hot Key, £8.99). After being expelled from private school, Marnie forms an unlikely friendship with class nerd Zed, which is then stretched to the limit when she falls pregnant by a boy who only pretended to use birth control. Fisher doesn’t shy away from contentious topics – her excellent debut, Crossing the Line, explored county line recruitment – but her writing never feels preachy and her characters are real and complex. Her new book is a resonant and thought-provoking read, unsentimental but warm and funny.

There’s humour too in Emma Shevah’s My Name is Jodie Jones (David Fickling, £8.99), which follows a 15-year-old neurodivergent girl who is obsessed with the beauty of words and language. School and family, however, are more of a challenge, and she escapes into books to avoid real life and a trauma she cannot speak of. As family secrets come to the fore, Jodie must find the words and inner strength to save herself in a highly original coming-of-age story narrated by a unique heroine.

Kiera Azar’s Thorn Season (Harper Fire, £16.99) is an opulent romantasy debut for fans of the queen of the genre, Sarah J Maas. Alissa, a young heiress, is summoned to the royal court for her debutante season. Navigating court politics and a simmering love triangle is the least of her troubles; Alissa is a “Wielder” – a member of a persecuted minority – and she possesses hidden deadly powers that she manages only through painful self-control, facing certain execution if she was to be uncovered.

In Ghost, by Finbar Hawkins (Zephyr, £14.99), a Celtic slave girl, an 18th-century white witch and a present day art-school dropout are bound together by the dark force that has haunted a local wood for centuries. Themes of nature, resilience and fate echo through their stories, as the girls are drawn together to lay the spirit to rest. This is an elegantly plotted, superbly chilling tale of the supernatural; perfect fireside reading for dark winter nights.

Order any of the books from The Observer Shop to receive a 10% discount. Delivery charges may apply

Editor’s note: our recommendations are chosen independently by our journalists. The Observer may earn a small commission if a reader clicks a link and purchases a recommended product. This revenue helps support Observer journalism

Photography courtesy of Getty Images