A layered, immersive experience, Liam Speechlay


Telesa: The Covenant Keeper
Lani Wendt Young
OneTree House
Pub. 2012

 

March 30, 2022

Who are we? It’s the burning question on the lips of every teenager missing someone significant in their story. Telesa: The Covenant Keeper by Lani Wendt Young follows Leila Folger as her enduring heart embarks on a quest for truth, love, and fulfilment of her destiny. Mixing Samoan culture and mythology into her previously palagi (white) upbringing, she learns the truth of her past through a novel of twists galore.

The story begins as an eighteen-year-old Leila, fresh out of high school, comes to grips with the shock death of her father to cancer.  Read more

March, 2022 Tanya Prince Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers:

Engaging and interesting characters, Rebecca Low


Fire’s Caress
Lani Wendt Young
OneTree House
Pub. 2020

 

July 20, 2021

Fire’s Caress by Lani Wendt Young is an action-packed story that kept me engaged and interested.

This is a story about Teuila, an artist who has spent most of her life in a refugee centre. It’s about her journey to protect her home from a new evil.

I think that the author intended to show that greed can never lead to happiness and will always end with someone getting hurt.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters throughout the book. I loved learning about some of the reasons behind their decisions and the small things they do to show how they feel.  Read more

July, 2021 Tanya Prince Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers: ,

A deeply moving story, Prabhleen Notra


Fire’s Caress
Lani Wendt Young
OneTree House
Pub. 2021

 

June 29, 2021

“Protection can become a prison, Keahi.”

Fire’s Caress by Lani Wendt Young is a riveting story told from the perspective of a woman named Teuila who is garnering attention in the art world with her works that seem to each tell their own story.

Marc Gold is a man who arrives to the island after vanishing inexplicably for a few days. The billionaire is seemingly enthralled by Teuila and her art, wanting her to work for him. But beneath his generous exterior is a vicious beast waiting to erupt.  Read more

June, 2021 Tanya Prince Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers: ,

Heartbreaking and realistic, Heidi Gibbons


I am Daniel Tahi
Lani Wendt Young
One Tree House
pub. 2019

 

09 March, 2021

I am Daniel Tahi is a romance novel by Lani Wendt Young set in a high school in Samoa. It centers around two main characters, Daniel and Leila. Daniel is head boy at his school. He is described as a good leader and loves playing rugby. Daniel is back at school for his final year after spending a year away from school after his grandfather passed away. Daniel thinks he has life sorted out, until Leila arrives…

Leila arrives from America to visit her aunt and uncle for the summer and begins attending the same school as Daniel.  Read more

March, 2021 Tanya Prince Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers:

A classic love story with mythical elements, Zoe Solomon


Telesa: When Water Burns
Lani Wendt Young
OneTree House
pub. 2012

 

03 March, 2020

“In the beginning, there was darkness, a great expanse, and Tangaloa-Langi moved upon the face of the darkness.”

Telesa: When Water Burns is the sequel to Lani Wendt Young’s Telesa: The Covenant Keeper, and is followed by the final book in the trilogy Telesa: The Bone Bearer. Published in 2012, this novel initially appears to be the classic story of two teenagers who meet in high school and fall in love. As in the classic love story, after some obstacles, Leila and Daniel can finally be together.  Read more

March, 2021 Tanya Prince Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers:

Magical ancestry, Eva Van Mierlo

Telesā
Lani Wendt Young
OneTree House
pub: 2011

 

01 December, 2020

Telesā: The Covenant Keeper by Lani Wendt Young is an inspiring romance about Pacific mythology, set in 20th century Samoa. It spins a thrilling tale about two young lovers, who both desperately want each other, yet they can never be together. My heart was torn in two for these young people over and over again, as they repeatedly turn their backs on each other. It’s a brilliant read for anyone who needs a good heartbreaking romance.

Telesā is the story of a young woman named Leila, who, against her father’s dying wishes,  goes to Samoa in search of her mother.  Read more

December, 2020 Tanya Prince Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers:
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