All our hidden gifts was probably one of the first YA, mystery, magical style books I’ve read and I don’t think I’ve found one that’s matched up to it since.
I thought it was easily to follow and very engaging. The world building and fantasy elements were overwhelming for us fantasy newbies, and was exciting/enchanted enough to keep my wanting to pick it up!

Really enjoyed. Thanks!

While I recognise this is not the book for everyone, I simply loved the vibe! I love fabulism, stories set in small towns with a queer cast, so this was a win for me!

I fun cosy YA read with a creepy twist! I really enjoyed this story and it was a really strong book for a debut! The writing was so well done!

A quirky, creepy YA story, perfect for fantasy lovers. Lots of themes running through it: friendships, coming of age, LGBTQ+, witchcraft/ magic and more. As the start of a series, YA readers will love it as they join Maeve and her friends and her tarot reading talent in this mystery.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

I loved this so much I bought my own copy and a copy of the second! A really unique young adult book!

Delightful supernatural, atmospheric read with inclusive and diverse characters! A modern coming-of-age story with twists to keep you hooked from the first page. I loved the characters and all of the tarot elements as well as parts of the story being steeped in Irish Folklore.

The YA voice was authentic which can sometimes be difficult to get across, so I really appreciated this attention to detail. I can’t wait to read more form this author!

When Maeve is assigned to clear out an old cupboard at her Irish Catholic girls’ school at the beginning of All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue, she discovers an unusual set of tarot cards. Finding herself strangely drawn to the deck, Maeve—until then something of an outcast—begins to give readings and quickly gains popularity thanks to her astute readings. However, when Maeve’s former best friend Lily is pressured into having a reading, she draws the unsettling Housekeeper card. Unsure of its meaning, an argument breaks out between the girls resulting in Maeve wishing that Lily would disappear. When Lily doesn’t turn up to school on Monday, Maeve quickly realizes that her wish has come true.

Meanwhile, a homophobic hate group calling themselves the Children of Brigid has begun showing up around town. Led by their suspiciously charming and coercive leader Aaron, the group protests outside a local store that sells alternative clothes and later physically attacks Maeve’s older sister Jo and her girlfriend. As more weird events start happening—huge snow flurries shut down the town while tropical fish appear in the river—Maeve begins to suspect she might be the cause of it all. Teaming up with Lily’s non-binary sibling Roe (with whom she is developing a mutual attraction) and her new friend Fiona, Maeve tries to track down who the Housekeeper really is and what she might have done with Lily.

All Our Hidden Gifts was a brilliant story that brought together many of my favorite elements in YA, primarily numerous queer characters and supernatural/witchy vibes. I loved having a main character in a book who struggles academically rather than being a genius. Maeve is in the slow-readers group and finds school challenging—something even more galling when she compares herself to her family who is all academically talented with PhDs and Masters degrees. The tarot card meanings come naturally to Maeve in a way she has never experienced before, creating a powerful bond between her and the cards that quickly grows out of control.

The story also brings in a huge amount of Irish culture, considering the many ways in which the country has rapidly changed in recent decades and how this has brought about divisions. Once a devoutly Catholic nation, Ireland has now legalized divorce and same-sex marriage, among others, leading to a new generation growing up surrounded by history very different from their present. This is largely explored through Roe as a non-binary character and Jo’s experiences as a lesbian, but the book also looks at the impact of historic events such as a failed attempt to legalize divorce in 1989 and the repercussions of that vote in the community. One final thing I wanted to applaud was the book’s resolution. This is book one of a series, but I loved how Lily’s plotline was resolved and the discussions had about forgiveness and personal choice. Maeve is initially surprised by how events turn out in the end, but I appreciated the discussions of how nobody owes you anything, especially not forgiveness, and that one good deed does not instantly erase a history of bad ones.

I’m already excited to pick up the next book in this series–The Gifts That Bind Us—and hope it continues on in a similar style.

I love when books live up to their beautiful covers because I not only get another favourite to proudly display on my shelves, but also another great justification for my otherwise senseless tendency to judge books by their covers. In other words, All Our Hidden Gifts is the really pretty girl who also happens to be the nicest person you know. Caroline O’Donoghue created this absolute gem of a story and, like that wasn’t enough, got Siobhán McSweeney to narrate it. Yes, if you were wondering, the audiobook is also amazing.

The story starts with our main character, Maeve, in the Irish town of Kilbeg where she comes across a seemingly unexceptional pack of tarot cards that begin revealing strange truths about her and the girls in her school the longer she holds onto them. What starts as a bit of harmless fun quickly takes a darker turn when Maeve’s old best friend, Lily, goes missing shortly after having her tarot read. Along with the growing magical threat that no one quite yet understands, Kilbeg is also plagued by the all too real threat of growing homophobic sentiment. This book deals with homophobia and bigotry, but with a cast of loveable (and LGBTQ+) characters that show the allyship, acceptance, and pride of the queer community, it never feels too heavy.

This book wastes absolutely no time in getting to the point, and you’re instantly hooked by the quickly unravelling plot. I loved Maeve; I loved how real she felt, because we all make stupid mistakes when we’re in school. And Maeve never felt like the holier-than-thou protagonist with a moral superiority complex, but an actual human teenager with realistic character flaws and a whole arsenal of funny one-liners that make her such an interesting narrator for this story.

I’ve already started reading the sequel (and am loving it, of course) so if you, like me, saw this cover and thought, I need this in my life and on my shelf, then take this as the sign to treat yourself to a stunning cover buy. I hope you enjoy the story inside just as much as I did <3

This was not what I was expecting, but I really liked it! I thought it was a children's book for some reason?? It's as whimsical and witchy as it can gets and it was really well written. This book also has a lot of representation, LGBTQ+, hearing disability, person of colour, you name it, everything really well placed. It didn't feel like the plot was rushed with an easy ending. Plus, it's the first book in a trilogy and I will definitely keep reading it.

A spellbinding (hehe) YA novel with an exciting plot and extremely engaging set of characters. Full of the joy and hardship of being a teenager with a magical set of twists. Political and engaging. Can't wait to read the rest of the series!

Wonderfully written, funny and heartfelt. A must-read for that witchy teen in your life. A really compelling coming-of-age fantasy novel.

I'm pretty sure I'd have been obsessed with this book at age 11/12/13. As an adult it was a solidly enjoyable read. The start was tellingly YA but once the plot got going I was thoroughly absorbed. I really enjoyed the occult aspects such as the use of tarot cards and thought it added nicely to the spooky feel of the narrative. Add in a dash of teen angst, magic and romance and the whole thing bubbles along in an enthralling manner. It remains, however, very teenage in tone despite the occult elements. I loved the inclusion of a non-binary character. The ending is satisfying with enough left unresolved to hook you into the sequel.

This is a fabulous book and I'm gutted it's been on my shelf for so long! I adored it! Maeve is a really likeable protagonist and I really felt for her and the mess she got into just trying to fit in. I loved going on the journey with her as she learned tarot - it's inspired me to buy a deck!

There's some incredible diversity in this book too, with disabled, LGBTQIA+ and race representation. That HAS to be commended.

This unique book is brilliant and I'm going straight into the sequel!

I really love how the author writes and absolutely adored the story's themes. I have never read anything by the author but i might check out some of her adult fiction books

All Our Hidden Gifts is an amazing book that I can't wait to reread before the sequel comes out! It has amazing rep of different sexualities and genders, and the writing is beautiful and intriguing. I loved Maeve as a character and a protagonist and found her friendships and relationships with the other characters enchanting to read. This was funny but heartfelt and touching too, and I really loved it!!

First of all, praise to Caroline for all the representation in this book. Secondly I adored this book. The writing style was so good and I really enjoyed the historical aspect to the magic/tarot cards.

Wow! I loved this dark, coming-of-age/fantasy story!

The story follows Maeve as she is drawn into meddling with forces she doesn’t understand, resulting in the loss of her childhood best friend, Lily. As she desperately tries to rectify her mistakes, avoid the creepy local cult, find her friend and find the strength to be herself instead of trying to fit in. The errors she makes and her regrets feel very relatable and it didn’t take long for me to be completely engaged and rooting for her to succeed.

Throughout the story, the author explores the spectrum of identities – non-binary, gender fluid, sexuality, race, class – touching upon the internal and external struggles of the characters against their own upbringings, other people’s prejudices, and some overt hate crimes. That said, whilst the exploration of said identity issues does form a central theme, it is not the only one. There are strong morals here about being true to your beliefs, standing up for what is right, and loyalty to one’s loved ones.

And with all of that, the author didn’t forget to also deliver a nicely-paced, well-written plot which kept me gripped from start to finish, and some fascinating, well-developed characters that I was desperate to hear more from. Plus, The Housekeeper literally haunted my dreams for weeks after reading!

I can’t wait for the sequel, The Gifts That Bind Us, to be out (3rd Feb 2022) and to bring you my thoughts on what is in store next for Maeve and her ‘coven’ of allies.

I LOVED this. Love the tarot cards references and the magic system. This was such a unique and fun book, I cant wait to read more from this author!

The synopsis of this book really drew me in as I hadn’t read a book based around tarot. I really loved how it began I was hooked from the start. This book just wrapped me up in its pages, the mystery is interesting it has so many amazing twists and turns. I loved how it built up gradually. I loved the representation in this, the LGBT+, disability and BIPOC re is really merged into the story .
The only issue I had was the ending , it felt a little unclear, this may have been left open for a potential sequel, if so I’m looking forward to it.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I finally got around to reading this much loved YA novel. And just in time for Halloween too.

All Our Hidden Gifts introduces us to Maeve Chambers who at the start of the novel finds a pack of dusty old tarot cards at school, and begins to give scarily accurate readings to the girls in her class. She realizes she’s found her gift at last. But then, she discovers a strange card in the deck that definitely shouldn’t be there. And two days after she convinces her ex-best friend to have a reading, Lily disappears. Can Maeve, her new friend Fiona and Lily’s brother Roe find her? And will Maeve’s new gift be enough to bring Lily back, before she’s gone for good?

I was inspired to read this book following my interview for All About Books with a teacher and students from St Leos College in Carlow. They had read it for their Book Club and loved it. And I can see why.

Tarot cards, crystals, witchcraft and more have had a spike in popularity in recent years – just go on any influencer’s Instagram account today and someone is promoting one of them! O’Donoghue explores our obsession with predicting our futures, the need to believe in fate and the idea that everything happens for a reason through our protagonist and her classmates. When Maeve starts giving readings in school it spreads like wildfire and suddenly everyone is coming to her to find out what comes next for them. It causes a frenzy amongst the students. Does Boy X like me? Will I pass my Leaving Cert and get into the college I want? Everyone wants all of the answers now.

Maeve’s new talent also illustrates the power dynamics within the school. When she starts getting noticed because of the cards, she finds it difficult to ignore or deflect from the popularity they bring with them. And when giving a reading to her ex-best friend she underestimates the power that words have. We see how fast popularity can disappear and how suddenly you can become the outsider.

For me, I found the writing most effective when Maeve is first discovering and interacting with the cards. How she describes the feeling of power and control that they give her. I could almost feel the magic around me.. But maybe that’s just the Halloween spirit.

There’s great representation in the novel too, with O’Donoghue exploring themes of gender identity and sexuality. She also touches on religion and the rise of the alt-right. If only such books were available when I was a teenager!

There is a sequel on the way in early 2022 (The Gifts that Bind Us) so I look forward to reading that. My thanks to Walker Books UK and Net Galley UK for an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review. I was only 5 months late getting around to it!