The Last Death Poet – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Self-discovery blooms through Belfast’s darkness.
YA book title: The Last Death Poet.
YA author: Stephen Daly.
Genre: Teen fiction/Romance/Fairy tales and folklore/LGBT.
Published by: Rock The Boat.
ISBN: 9781836431350.
Recommended for children aged: 13+.
First published: Paperback April 2026.
This YA book is ideal for: KS3 and KS4 students who enjoy historical fiction woven into a contemporary setting, an interest in Northern Irish history and/or folklore and young adult readers navigating questions of identity and self-discovery.
To see the latest price or order, click on the book cover image. As an Amazon Associate, schoolreadinglist.co.uk earns from qualifying purchases.
Our review:
Set in the brooding, atmospheric landscape of contemporary Belfast, The Last Death Poet follows Michael, a boy uprooted from everything familiar, who arrives in the city haunted by his father’s mysterious disappearance and the quiet devastation of a love met with indifference and selfishness. From the moment he sets foot in Belfast, he is plagued by vivid, unsettling visions of the city’s troubled past, visions that grow stronger and more insistent with every passing day, drawing him deeper into a world where myth, magic and history collide.
Against the backdrop of the supernatural suspense, the book provides a comforting and hopeful exploration of relationships. Aside from his mum and adorable gran, Michael’s journey enables a bond with his cousin Cormac, warm, devoted and utterly unconditional, offering a precious source of comfort and stability in a life that feels increasingly precarious. In Meg, Michael finds a steadfast and fiercely loyal friend, someone in whom he can confide the growing intensity of his visions and who becomes an invaluable anchor as the mystery deepens around him. Yet it is the enigmatic Paul who unsettles Michael most. Paul’s motives and intentions remain frustratingly difficult to read, leaving Michael caught between trust and suspicion, attraction and unease. Running beneath all of these relationships is Michael’s own secret, his sexuality, something he guards with desperation, too afraid to share with even those closest to him.
As Michael and Meg throw themselves into unravelling the mystery behind the visions, they find themselves drawn deeper into the rich and ancient world of Irish folklore, a world that feels both disturbingly real and deeply unsettling. The visions are not random; they are insistent, purposeful, pulling Michael towards truths he is not sure he is ready to face.
Our verdict:
The Last Death Poet is remarkable in its successful knitting together of so many profound and sensitively explored themes. Michael’s tender and tentative coming-of-age journey, navigating first love, loss and the slow, painful process of understanding who he truly is, is handled with compassion and grace.
Combining Irish myth, paranormal mystery and the haunting legacy of the Troubles, The Last Death Poet creates a story appealing to a multitude of readers: as a gripping supernatural thriller, a moving coming-of-age story, and an honest exploration of inherited history and the stories that shape us.
Many thanks to Rock The Boat for the review copy.
To order a class set of this book, please click below to order via uk.bookshop.org, an organisation that supports local bookshops, or Amazon.co.uk.
Buy from UK.Bookshop.Org Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Disclosure: If you buy books using the buttons above, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops; as an Amazon Associate, schoolreadinglist.co.uk earns from qualifying purchases.
Browse our Year 9 reading list.
