Louise Crichton reviews AL Kennedy's compelling story about the mediums who trade on the hope of contacting the hereafter, The Blue Book, in which the book itself is a character
The Carbon Diaries is an unusual Young Adult series with a feminist and revolutionary flavour. Ananya Wilson-Bhattacharya contrasts it favourably with The Hunger Games
Feminists get Garth Ennis' The Boys all wrong, argues Francesca Lewis. The sexual violence and objectification of women are satirical tools highlighting the emptiness of the superhero genre, rather than misogynist wish fulfilment
Debi Linton is impressed with J.H. Williams's outstanding artwork, showcasing a compelling super-heroine written with conviction and complexity by Greg Rucka
Sian Norris dissects the problems behind mistress narratives in historial fiction, and explains why Maeve Haran's The Painted Lady doesn't fall into the typical traps
Katherine Wootton examines how Elizabeth Gaskell's daring novel Ruth, a new edition of which is published this month, challenges our prejudices and suggests how it is still relevent today