Vampire Academy, by Richelle Mead

An update on the old boarding school genre to the era of the supernatural, the girls of Mallory Towers and St Clares might struggle at the Vampire Academy. No midnight feasts or lacrosse games here. Despite its complex vampire politics and frequent violent confrontations, it is still essentially a story of the strong bond between teenage girls. Lissa and Rose have to negotiate peer pressure, snobbery, bullying, boy trouble, oh and murderous relatives. Fans of this series were apparently not keen on the movie version, mainly because of some casting issues, and there is no sign of a movie franchise developing as the books have. This seems a pity, as the books have far more meat than many such, for example the dreary Divergent series.

Inbetween Days, by Vikki Wakefield

When Mr Right is wrong for you and Mr Wrong is right for you and you are torn between love and hate for both your sister and your mother, life is complicated. Add to that being stuck in a small town known as a suicide spot, with no ambition and not much of a future and life looks pretty bleak. This intense and complex story does have its lighter moments and overall draws a credible picture of the pain and pleasure of becoming an adult. The metaphors are sometimes a little heavy handed, but the language is sometimes poetic, the plot maintains suspense and the ending is satisfying, offering hope without tying up the story too neatly.

Newt's Emerald, by Garth Nix

Known as a master of compelling YA fantasy, a regency romance from Garth Nix seems an extraordinary departure. The style owes everything to Georgette Heyer, the queen of regency romance, and at first it does sit a little awkwardly. But Nix soon finds his own rhythm and seamlessly blends his world of magical powers and enchanted jewels into the early 19th century. And if we can have Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, then why the hell not? A fast-paced blend of mystery crime thriller, fantasy and historical romance, it is reminiscent of Phillip Pullman’s Victorian era novels, featuring accountant Sally Lockhart. Although Newt’s Emerald is lighter in tone, like Pullman Nix writes women well and his heroine, the improbably named Lady Truthful, is intrepid and endearing. The novel lends itself to a sequel and would make a fun film., so hopefully there is more to come.

The Huntsman - The Winter War (2016), directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan

The story is a bit predictable, with suspense undermined by the obvious, but is nevertheless entertaining, with plenty of action, some romance and a little humour. A very strong team of British actors, including Sheridan Smith, Alexandra Roach, and comics Rob Brydon and Nick Frost, supports the stellar main cast, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Jessica Chastain and Emily Blunt. Lighter in tone than the original Huntsman movie, Snow White (Kristen Stewart) is only referenced in absentia. The very lovely Hemsworth sustains his vaguely Scottish accent better in this one and the quite lovely Chastain does ok with her vaguely Irish accent and is more convincing in the action scenes. One notable aspect of the film is that three of its four main characters are female and are played by actresses over 30, and one of them is partnered by a male of the same age; kind of refreshingly realistic, as opposed to the common Hollywood narrative of mostly men, partnered by women more than 20 years' younger. The ending, ostensibly comprehensive, clearly leaves the way open for another follow-up – should the box office demand. It may happen.

The Woman Who Stole My Life, by Marian Keyes

Back and forth in time we go, over a few years in the life of Stella Sweeney, Dublin beautician, wife and mother of two, who wrestles karma to find happiness. Keyes delivers in her usual warm, funny-wry and poignant style, an engaging tale of a woman attempting to rise above her own fears and self-limitations. Some stupendously slappable characters, not least at times Stella herself, stop the story tipping over into fairy-tale territory, but the inevitable happy ending does arrive in a bit of a rush, after the long drawn-out journey towards it.