Aotearoa New Zealand Review of Books

Art Essays Nonfiction Photography

Out of the Blue: Essays on Artists from Aotearoa New Zealand 1985–2021
by Christina Barton

Art writing 'that eloquently makes a case for the entire discipline of critical cultural thinking'

Hamish ConeyDecember 22, 2025

Fiction Māori Short Stories Speculative Fiction

The Emotion Dealer
by Jack Remiel Cottrell

Reality-bending stories of wit, invention, horror and heart.

Angelique KasmaraDecember 19, 2025

Fantasy Fiction Novel YA

Kings of This World
by Elizabeth Knox

A 'coming-of-age adventure set in a boarding school steeped in supernatural talent'.

Rachel O'ConnorDecember 17, 2025

Pasifika Poetry

Standing on my Shadow
by Serie Barford and The Venetian Blind Poems
by Paula Green

Two collections 'grounded in the day-to-day of pain and survival' where 'there is no shortage of tenderness and connection'.

Sophie van WaardenbergDecember 11, 2025

Fiction Literary Fiction Short Stories

Obligate Carnivore
by Stephanie Johnson

Sharp and often funny short stories where 'men are usually the problem'

Philip MatthewsDecember 10, 2025

Fiction Novel

Good Things Come and Go
by Josie Shapiro

A second novel that moves from LA to the Coromandel, exploring old wounds and dark secrets

Sally BlundellDecember 9, 2025

Memoir Nonfiction

The Way to Spell Love
by Nina Nola

A memoir of a Dalmatian family and the patriarch at its centre.

Stephanie JohnsonNovember 26, 2025

Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Short Stories

All Her Lives
by Ingrid Horrocks

Short stories about women embroiled in protest, revolution and dark discoveries.

Karin WarnaarNovember 5, 2025

Fiction Literary Fiction Novel Thriller

Empathy
by Bryan Walpert

A 'contemplative novel' – and a 'scared witless' thriller

Guy SomersetOctober 22, 2025

Asian LGBTQIA+Poetry

Dear Alter
by Jiaqiao Liu

A 'charged and electric' book that asks what it means to be human in a cyber age.

Joanna ChoOctober 10, 2025

LGBTQIA+Poetry

No Good
by Sophie van Waardenberg

A debut of technical and emotional power.

Joanna ChoSeptember 26, 2025

Fiction Literary Fiction Short Stories

Pastoral Care
by John Prins

A witty, nuanced debut story collection.

Rebecca HillSeptember 22, 2025

Poetry

Ten Thousand Nights
by Yvette Thomas and
The Anatomy of Sand
by Mikaela Nyman

Two poets navigate 'the natural world and the ephemerality of its loveliness'.

Sophie van WaardenbergSeptember 3, 2025

Anthology Fiction Flash Literary Fiction Māori Short Stories

Short/Poto
edited by Michelle Elvy and Kiri Piahana-Wong

A bilingual 'celebration of flash fiction' that offers brevity, wit and weight.

Di StarrenburgAugust 27, 2025

Children’s Literature Fiction Mystery Novel

The Secret Green
by Sonya Wilson

A 'rollicking adventure' of a sequel set in a magical Fiordland.

Rachel O'ConnorAugust 13, 2025

Fiction Mystery Noir Novel Thriller

The Good Father
by Liam McIlvanney

A psychological thriller 'of riveting twists and turns'.

Guy SomersetAugust 6, 2025

Fiction Literary Fiction Novel

The Stars are a Million Glittering Worlds
by Gina Butson

An accomplished debut novel that is mystery, travelogue and a 'meditation on letting go of the past'.

Di StarrenburgJuly 25, 2025

Biography Crime Nonfiction Society

Polkinghorne: Inside the Trial of the Century
by Steve Braunias

A writer 'at the top of his game' interrogates a case of sex, drugs and (maybe) murder.

Philip MatthewsJuly 17, 2025