All our hidden gifts by Caroline O'Donoghue

When Maeve finds a pack of old tarot cards whilst cleaning out a closet during school detention, she quickly discovers her talent for reading people. Soon, she becomes the most sought-after diviner in her school, everyone wants to know what the cards will say about them. But when Maeve's ex-best friend Lily is forced into a reading, an unsettling card named The Housekeeper appears, one that Maeve has never seen before. When Lily does not come to school the next Monday, they soon discover she has disappeared without a trace. Shunned by her schoolmates and struggling to fully comprehend her newfound romance with Lily's non-binary sibling, Roe, Maeve must dig deeper into her connection with the tarot cards to help find clues as to where Lily may be.

This book has everything you need. A gripping mystery, supernatural elements, romance etc. And as far as inclusivity goes, this story covers it beautifully. Lily is hearing impaired and wears a hearing aid, Maeve's sister is gay, and we explore her relationship and the discrimination shown towards her, Roe is exploring their gender identity, Fiona is mixed race and often calls out and educates Maeve on her behaviour. The supernatural, witchcraft elements of this book are well thought out and bring a unique and different twist to the disappearance of Lily. It is so nice to see Maeve find her feet and discover her talents as at the beginning of the novel we hear a lot about how she is not gifted, smart or talented and will never live up to the expectations of her family. When she finds her niche, you really start to see her grow as a character.

There are so many layers to this story and would highly recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery with a magical twist whilst also covering modern day social justice issues such a race, gender and LGBTQI+ discrimination.

Themes: Supernatural, Witchcraft, Gender identity, Homosexuality, LGBTQI+ people.

Emily Feetham