Savarna Yang

“A friend of mine was writing reviews for Hooked on NZ Books…

I’d never written a review before and I thought, ‘oh there’s no way I could do that,’ but then I sat down and read a lot of different reviews and went through some of the tips on the website and decided to give it a go. I ended up really enjoying it! Having the opportunity to support and give feedback to different New Zealand writers is great, and of course, the books themselves are an extra bonus!

Reading has the ability to transport you to different worlds. I think a great book is a story that is capable of really pulling at all my emotions. I’ll feel caught up in the drama and action that’s happening at the climax, but then as everything winds down, I’ll feel satisfied that (most) of the characters’ problems are resolved.

Recently I read and reviewed Draw Me a Hero by NK Ashworth. I wasn’t sure about it at first but it ended up being a favourite. It covered serious topics and the writing had a humorous, colloquial tone that kept the characters and the storyline relatable. More than a few times I found myself laughing out loud over the dialogue. 

The story was set here in New Zealand and so reading it, I felt like I could imagine the setting and situations really well with native flora and fauna present and, I think, even the Warehouse was mentioned at some point! It’s a book that you could read over and over again and each time take something new away from – I would definitely read more books by this author.” 

Savarna Yang is a high school student and reviewer for Read NZ Te Pou Muramura’s Hooked on NZ Books website.