An interesting concept for a book. ‘THE FANDOM‘ commences with four friends traveling to a Comic Con convention to see their idols from their favourite book and film. On discovering their idols, they fall into a parallel dimension and start realising that they have become part of the adventure. The four heroes have to follow the story arc to be able to return to their ‘original’ life, managing separation, heartache and recovery.

Anna Day has developed some fabulous teenage characters, who are quirky and who made me smile as their reactions are so lifelike, especially Nate. The original story/film was referred to throughout the book, for the main purpose of the reminding the reader of the characters, but as a bibliophile I found that it became a little annoying and overused.

I enjoyed the beginning of the novel; how the four protagonists had their own paths to take. During the middle of the novel I found the story became quite predictable – especially when Violet was supposed to follow her heroine’s storyline.

I did however become engrossed near the finale, particularly enjoying the water rescue scene with Violet and Ash. Although there were no real surprises, the characters showed their true colours.

I think teenage readers particularly will enjoy this book; Anna Day shows a great insight into young minds and has an easy to read writing style, which should help those reluctant readers out there.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy fiction such as Derek Landy (Skullduggery series) or Philip Pullman (The Golden Compass).

Anna Day

Anna Day grew up and still lives in the North East of England. She was raised by a guitar-obsessed father and a mother with amazing cooking skills, and she still loves all things music and food related. She studied Psychology at university, and worked for several years as an Assistant Psychologist. She then gained a doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2009, and has since worked as a Clinical Psychologist with people with disabilities. She has always loved creative writing; even as a little girl she would staple pieces of paper together and write stories for her parents to read. However, she only started writing seriously a few years ago, and was noticed by the Chicken House team when she was shortlisted for the Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition in 2015. Her greatest love is her children — a little girl and a little boy, who provide her with constant entertainment and inspiration.

FANDOM by Anna Day is available to purchase from Chicken House Books here. If you would like to learn more about Chicken House books please click on their logo below.

Reviewed by Amanda Brightman