Where to Start with Bryony Pearce
Bryony Pearce is a highly versatile British author who writes across genres, including YA horror, steampunk adventure, dark adult thrillers, and middle-grade fantasy. Because she writes for different age groups and in vastly different styles, your starting point depends entirely on what genre you enjoy most:
- For horror and survival thriller fans: Start with Savage Island (2018). It is a fast-paced, high-stakes YA horror novel that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.
- For action, adventure, and sci-fi fans: Start with Phoenix Rising (2015). This steampunk pirate adventure is full of rich world-building and memorable characters.
- For adult mystery and thriller fans: Start with The Girl on the Platform (2021). It is her debut adult thriller, featuring a tense, atmospheric mystery reminiscent of classic domestic noir.
The Red Eye Series: Savage Island & Cruel Castle
Many readers discover Bryony Pearce through her contributions to the Red Eye series, which is a collection of standalone young adult horror novels published by Stripes Publishing. Because the series features books by several different authors (such as Alex Bell and Lou Morgan), you do not need to read the entire Red Eye series in order to understand Bryony Pearce's books.
However, Pearce's two contributions to the series are directly connected. Cruel Castle is a direct sequel to Savage Island. To get the full story, you should read them in this order:
- Savage Island (2018) – A group of teenagers enters an extreme survival competition on a private island owned by an eccentric billionaire, only to discover they are playing a deadly game.
- Cruel Castle (2021) – The direct sequel that follows the survivors of the island as they are forced to navigate another series of lethal puzzles inside a remote castle.
The Phoenix Duology
The Phoenix series is a thrilling YA steampunk adventure set on junk-filled, rising seas. It follows two rival teenage ship captains, Toby and Ayla, as they race against each other and the elements to survive. This is a continuous story, so you must read them in order:
- Phoenix Rising (2015)
- Phoenix Burning (2016)
Standalone YA and Fantasy Novels
If you prefer self-contained stories, Pearce has written several standalone novels. These can be read in any order. They range from paranormal mysteries to speculative science fiction and dark urban fantasy:
- Angel's Fury (2011) – Pearce's award-winning debut novel. A paranormal thriller about Cassie, a teenage girl tormented by memories of a past life during the siege of Troy.
- The Weight of Souls (2013) – A supernatural thriller following high school student Taylor, who can see the ghosts of murder victims and must help them find peace by bringing their killers to justice.
- Windrunner's Daughter (2016) – A middle-grade adventure novel that originally won the SCBWI Undiscovered Voices competition as a manuscript in 2008.
- Wavefunction (2016) – A speculative sci-fi novel exploring parallel dimensions and identity.
- Raising Hell (2021) – A dark YA urban fantasy comedy set in Birmingham. After teenagers accidentally open a magical rift, dark magic starts leaking into the world, leaving the protagonist, Ivy Mann, to clean up the mess with a machete and a cat possessed by her grandmother's ghost.
Adult Thrillers
In 2021, Bryony Pearce expanded into adult crime fiction. These psychological thrillers are dark, twisty, and completely standalone, making them perfect for fans of domestic suspense:
- The Girl on the Platform (2021) – A gripping mystery surrounding a woman who witnesses what she believes is a crime on a railway platform, sparking a dangerous obsession.
- Little Rumours (2022) – A tense drama set in a small, isolated community where secrets, lies, and rumors quickly spiral out of control.
Middle-Grade Fiction
- Hannah Messenger and the Gods of Hockwold (2024) – A heartwarming, humorous middle-grade fantasy novel that blends ancient mythology, friendship, and themes of grief.