Anyone but Ivy Pocket (Caleb Krisp, Bloomsbury)

In a similar vein to Lemony Snicket comes Ivy Pocket, an orphaned maid and the terrifically unreliable narrator of this story. After being let go from her current position, Ivy is summoned to the bedside of the dying Duchess of Trinity, where she is given an irresistible offer. Ivy is to deliver the Clockwork Diamond, a large teardrop diamond with magical properties, to the daughter of an old friend of the Duchess. When she does, Ivy will receive 500 pounds and can begin a life of freedom. But the Clockwork Diamond is at the very heart of an age-old conflict and Ivy is hunted by friends and thieves, and struggles to resist the diamond’s temptations herself. With an irresistible narrator such as Ivy, it’s easy to enjoy this debut novel from the pseudonymously named Australian author Caleb Krisp. Ivy is feisty, suffers from grand self-delusions and is completely without irony or self-awareness. At times there are glimmers of the abandoned child, making her at once insufferable and endearing. Although Anyone But Ivy Pocket isn’t quite as sharp as Snicket’s ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’, it is still lively and entertaining. Readers looking for a narrator to capture their imaginations with tall tales and unlikely escapades will find her in Ivy Pocket.

Bec Kavanagh is a Melbourne-based writer, reviewer and education consultant