https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/oct/22/young-adult-teenage-fiction-roundup-frances-hardinge-deeplight-liz-hyder-holly-bourne

Frances Hardinge and Liz Hyder create rich worlds, while Holly Bourne explores toxic love

Frances Hardinge is on dazzling form in Deeplight (Macmillan), a fantasy adventure of gods, monsters and mythology. On the islands of the Myriad archipelago, street urchins Hark and Jelt scavenge the deep waters of the undersea for relics of long-dead gods. A dangerous discovery challenges the boys and their friendship to the very core. Hardinge is best known for Costa book of the year The Lie Tree, which was grounded in Victorian society, but here the freedom of an entirely imagined landscape showcases her staggering originality. A masterclass in world-building.

It’s a brave debut author who writes their novel from a first-person viewpoint and in a phonetic dialect, but Liz Hyder does just that in Bearmouth (Pushkin) – and pulls it off. Since early childhood, protagonist Newt has lived in the oppressive darkness and hard labour of Bearmouth mine. The arrival of new boy Devlin lights a spark of “revolushun”, kickstarting a gritty but thrilling tale of power and rebellion. Don’t be fooled by Newt’s naive voice; the novel becomes ever darker as the nightmarish conditions are exposed, including the threat of sexual violence. A bold, arresting first book.