Books Glorious Books

On My Wishlist #47

2012-02-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more click here.

Hi guys! I have a few books on my wishlist this week:

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, home to wiseguys, average Joes, and Stephanie Plum, who sports a big attitude and even bigger money problems (since losing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store). Stephanie needs cash--fast--but times are tough, and soon she's forced to turn to the last resort of the truly desperate: family.

Stephanie lands a gig at her sleazy cousin Vinnie's bail bonding company. She's got no experience. But that doesn't matter. Neither does the fact that the bail jumper in question is local vice cop Joe Morelli. From the time he first looked up her dress to the time he first got into her pants to the time Steph hit him with her father's Buick, M-o-r-e-l-l-i has spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. And now the hot guy is in hot water--wanted for murder.

Abject poverty is a great motivator for learning new skills, but being trained in the school of hard knocks by people like psycho prizefighter Benito Ramirez isn't. Still, if Stephanie can nab Morelli in a week, she'll make a cool ten grand. All she has to do is become an expert bounty hunter overnight--and keep herself from getting killed before she gets her man.

Hollow Earth by John ad Carol E. Barrowman

Lots of twins have a special connection - being able to finish each other's sentences; sensing what the other is thinking; perhaps even knowing when the other is in trouble or in pain - but for 12-year-old twins, Matt and Emily Calder, the connection is beyond special. Together, the twins have extraordinary powers. They are able to bring art to life, or enter paintings at will. Their abilities are sought by villains trying to access the terrors of Hollow Earth - a place where all the demons, devils and creatures ever imagined lie trapped for eternity. The twins flee with their mother to the security of an island, off the west coast of Scotland, where their grandfather has certain protective powers of his own. But too much is at stake, and the twins aren't safe there either. The villains will stop at nothing to find Hollow Earth and harness the powers within...

Happy reading everyone!

The Time Will Come #12

2012-02-09T05:15:00.001-08:00

Jodie over at Books for Company is hosting a Thursday meme. It's really easy to join in. Here's what you have to do:

Pick a book you have been meaning to read
Do a post telling us about the book
Link the post up in the linky
Visit the other blogs!

Need by Carrie Jones

Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane...but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now.

She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right - not human - in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.

In this creepy, compelling breakout novel, Carrie Jones delivers romance, suspense, and a creature you never thought you'd have to fear.

Surprise, surprise this is another that I have just completely forgotten about. I'm not sure why but I'm not really excited by this series but I still want to read it. Hopefully some time soon!

Happy reading!

Review: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You

2012-02-06T00:00:00.000-08:00

Title: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You
Author: Ally Carter
Series: Gallagher Girls #1
Publisher: Orchard
Publication date: April 25th 2006
Source: Bought
My Rating: 6/10

Summary:

Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses - but it's really a school for spies. Cammie Morgan is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti). But the one thing the Gallagher Academy hasn't prepared her for is what to do when she falls for an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl.

Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through a mall without his ever being the wiser, but can Cammie have a normal relationship with a boy who can never know the truth about her?

My thoughts:

This book was a nice introduction to the world of the Gallagher girls. Far from normal, these girls attend a school for geniuses training to become spies. Of course, they're still high school age so get up to all sorts of mischief just in a slightly different manner!

I liked the plot of this book. It was simple but really fun to read about. I was on edge at times thinking characters were going to get caught and then if they did I was anticipating what was going to happen to them.

It's definitely a fun read but the problem for me was that the writing didn't stick with me. I was a little put off by it for some reason and at times I felt like I was missing key details. I started to think it was me reading to fast so I would keep going back to read parts again to find that I hadn't missed anything.

I really feel that this author has a very particular writing style that some people will really love and some people will just find okay. Make no mistake, it wasn't bad writing, it just wasn't suited to my likings.

What I loved most about this book was how the characters interacted. It was made clear from the start that the Gallagher girls might as well be sisters and they are to be treated as such by each other. They're all growing up in the same environment totally different to normal teenagers their age so technically the only people they can depend on is each other. I loved that. It was such a strong aspect of the book and it shone through each and every character and still managed to accentuate how different each one of them was.

Overall, this read was alright for me but some will enjoy it more. I definitely do want to have another shot at the second book in the series and see if it gets any better!

Books in the series:

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy
Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover
Only the Good Spy Young
Out of Site, Out of Time

Challenges this counts towards:

Happy reading everyone!

2012 January Wrap Up

2012-02-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

Can you believe another month has passed by already?

Even though we're a few days into February now I thought I would do a wrap up post for January.

Books I read:
linked to Goodreads

Books I've reviewed:
linked to reviews

Challenge Progress:

100 Books In A Year: 8/100
New Authors Challenge: 6/25
Horror And Urban Fantasy: 1/24
Speculative Romance: 1/12
Ebook Challenge: 2/25
Why Buy the Cow: 0/12
Zombie Challenge: 0/6
Immortal Reading: 1/12
TBR Challenge: 3/21-30
Book Blogger Recommendation: 2/10

Happy reading everyone!

On My Wishlist #46

2012-02-04T05:17:00.001-08:00

After reading Starcrossed this week I only have one book on my wishlist and that is:

Dreamless by Josephine Angelini (Starcrossed #2)

As the only Scion that can enter Hades at will, Helen descends to the Underworld in search of a way to overcome the Furies and end the cycle of revenge that has cursed the Scions. But she’s running out of time. Each descent weakens her both in mind and spirit. A mysterious stranger might be her only salvation, but the price may be her love for Lucas Delos.

As an unforgettable love triangle emerges, Josephine Angelini’s compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding. The eagerly awaited sequel to the internationally bestselling Starcrossed, Dreamless delivers with a huge emotional impact that will leave readers satisfied—and longing for more.

Happy reading everyone!

Review: Starcrossed

2012-02-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

Title: Starcrossed
Author: Josephine Angelini
Publisher: Macmillan
Publication date: 03/06/2011
Format: Paperback - 528 pages
Book source: Bought
My rating: 10/10

Summary:

Destiny brought them together. The Gods will keep them apart.

When shy, awkward Helen Hamilton sees Lucas Delos for the first time she thinks two things: the first, that he is the most ridiculously beautiful boy she has seen in her life; the second, that she wants to kill him with her bare hands.

With an ancient curse making them loathe one another, Lucas and Helen have to keep their distance. But sometimes love is stronger than hate, and not even the gods themselves can prevent what will happen . . .

My thoughts:

I've really been on a roll since my exams finished. The last few books I've read over the past couple of weeks have been absolutely fantastic and this one was no exception.

I don't really have much to say without spoiling the book for those of you who haven't read it apart from just how good it really is!

Normally I hate books where there is some sort of instant connection between characters whether good or bad but this one was different somehow. When I read on I realised that if the characters didn't have this connection the book just plain wouldn't work. I found myself really enjoying the character's interaction and how it changed drastically between them throughout the story as it progressed.

I also adored the settings. The story was set in this reality where Greek mythology comes to life. It was new to me and so exciting I really didn't want to ever finish this book. To be honest, it's quite a long read packed with all sorts of things happening but it literally felt like it was over way too fast!!!

As for the characters themselves they were really well written. They each had a lot of depth in their own ways and I liked each and every one for very different reasons.

A lot of questions remain unanswered with this one so I really can't wait for the next book in the series to come out for me to get stuck into!!

I seriously recommend this one to anybody who likes a good read full of suspense, mythology and fast paced action.

Books in this series:

Starcrossed
Dreamless

Challenges this book counts towards:

Happy reading everyone!

The Time Will Come #11

2012-02-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Jodie over at Books for Company is hosting a Thursday meme. It's really easy to join in. Here's what you have to do:

Pick a book you have been meaning to read
Do a post telling us about the book
Link the post up in the linky
Visit the other blogs!

First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.

As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. He is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors. But for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey—spanning miles and decades—towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.

This is another that I just haven't picked up for no reason I can identify whatsoever. Hopefully I can get round to it sooner or later!

Happy reading everyone!

Review: Every Other Day

2012-02-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Title: Every Other Day
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publisher: Quercus
Publication date: 2nd February 2012
Book source: Finished copy received from publisher.
Paperback: 329 pages
My rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She argues with her father. She's human. And then every day in between ... she's something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty - four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon - hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway ... even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her, but unfortunately she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive ... and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.

My thoughts:

When I got this book through the letterbox and saw that it was by Jennifer Lynn Barnes I cannot tell you how excited I got. I love, love, love Raised by Wolves!!!

This book was something else entirely though. I really enjoyed its originality and the intensity of the action that occurred right from the very start.

For me the most amazing part of the book was the plot. At times reading this book gave me an adrenaline rush just from how exciting it was. The plot was chocked full of action packed fights and suspense filled conversations adding to the mystery of Kali's 'condition'.

And Kali's 'condition' for lack of a better word was probably the best part about the read. It was like a constant countdown to something really great happening or something really dreadful. A constant waiting game.

Of course, I can't carry on this review without talking about Zev. An essential character completely shrouded by mystery. Even at the end of the book nothing much is revealed about Zev but it seems better that way somehow. I feel like if everything was revealed about him he wouldn't have made as big as an impact in the story as he was supposed to.

The only real criticism I have is that, for me at least, the ending was way too abrupt. I felt a little frustrated with the way it ended because so much effort was put into Kali getting to the end and then it just stopped with no real ending.

Overall I definitely recommend this read to absolutely everyone who likes this kind of read because it is well, well worth it.

About the author:

Jen is the author of the hugely popular Raised by Wolves series. As well as an author, Jen has been a competitive cheerleader, a teen model, a dancer and is now a primate cognition researcher. She graduated from Yale University with a degree in cognitive science and had her first book published when she was nineteen-years-old.

Website|Blog|Twitter

Challenges this book counts towards:

100 Books In A Year

In My Mailbox #34

2012-01-29T08:43:00.001-08:00

In My Mailbox idea from Kristi @ The Story Siren, all links take you to goodreads.

Hiya guys! Welcome to another In My Mailbox!

This week I got two lovely looking books.

The first was from UK Book Tours:

Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey

For seventeen years, Eloise Hart had no idea the world of Faery even existed. Now she has been abducted and trapped in the Rath of Lord Strahan, King of Faery. Strahan was only meant to rule for seven years, as Faery tradition dictates, and then give up his crown to another. But he won't comply, and now chaos threatens both worlds.

The only one who can break his stranglehold on the Faery court is his wife. . . Eloise's aunt Antonia. Using Eloise to lure Antonia, Strahan captures his wife, desperate to end the only threat to his reign. Now Eloise must become the rescuer. Together with her best friends Jo and Devin, she must forge alliances with other Fae, including a gorgeous protector named Lucas, and Strahan's mysterious son, Eldric—who may or may not betray them.

And lastly I bought:

Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

Elena Michaels is a wanted woman. Ten years ago she was transformed into a werewolf by her lover. Her transformation makes her powerful. But in the wrong hands, it also makes her deadly.

And now, just as she's coming to terms with it all, a group of scientists learns of her existence. They're hunting her down, and Elena is about to run straight into their trap. But they haven't reckoned on Elena's adoptive family, her Pack, who will stop at nothing to get her back.

They haven't reckoned on Elena, either. And that's a very big mistake.

Happy reading everyone!

On My Wishlist #45

2012-01-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

Quite a few this week!

Angelfall by Susan Ee

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

Incarnate Jodi Meadows

NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Hollow Pike by James Dawson

Something wicked this way comes... She thought she'd be safe in the country, but you can't escape your own nightmares, and Lis London dreams repeatedly that someone is trying to kill her. Lis thinks she's being paranoid - after all who would want to murder her? She doesn't believe in the local legends of witchcraft. She doesn't believe that anything bad will really happen to her. You never do, do you? Not until you're alone in the woods, after dark - and a twig snaps... Hollow Pike - where witchcraft never sleeps.

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

And then you're dead.

When a deadly virus begins to sweep through sixteen-year-old Kaelyn’s community, the government quarantines her island—no one can leave, and no one can come back.

Those still healthy must fight for dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.

Because how will she go on if there isn't?

Pure by Julianna Baggott

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . . Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . . There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.
Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . . There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.
When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

That's it for my wishlist this week! Can't wait to get some of these though!

Happy reading everyone!

Entangled by Cat Clarke

2012-01-23T05:06:00.001-08:00

Title: Entangled
Author: Cat Clarke
Publisher: Quercus Books
Publication date: 6th January 2011
Paperback: 372 pages
Book Source: Bought
My rating: 7/10

Summary:

The same questions whirl round and round in my head:
What does he want from me?
How could I have let this happen?
AM I GOING TO DIE?

Seventeen-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with a table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got there.

As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling in the relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing.

Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here?

My thoughts:

I've been waiting to read this one for quite a while now so it had been sitting on my TBR shelf for a bit collecting dust!

I have to say straight off that this book probably isn't for everyone. It was a pretty heavy read in that the protagonist has a lot of things going on that are hard to deal with. Sometimes she did seem to be a bit harsh and not very loveable so I could tell straight off that some readers will just plain not like her. For me, she was the kind of character where I have to decide in every difficult situation whether to scold her or give her a big hug. She made mistakes and dealt with them in a bad way but in some ways that's what made her more relatable and realistic. I would by lying if I said I've never done something stupid in relation to a bad event and so has everyone else. It happens.

In that respect, Grace was a pretty strong character. In others she wasn't - it sort of makes this read like marmite - you either love it or hate it.

As for the actual plot I really liked it. It was a different take to books dealing with suicide and self-harm - a really different take. I found myself reading it all in no time and enjoying it immensely.

I think what made it so easy to read was the way it was written. The main story is told through Grace's point of view whilst she was writing about the hardships she's been through. So it was sort of similar to diary entries but not at the same time.

What let the book down for me though was the ending. I was so disappointed. I really got excited towards the end because there was so much guess work involved in this book that I was looking forward to finding out the answers. The problem was, there wasn't enough answers. I felt like the story was unresolved because I didn't fully find out what happens to Grace or any of the other characters. Even though some books do have endings like that where you sort of leave it to your imagination - this one felt like it was just too important not to know because it was so character orientated. The whole plot was based on the story of the main characters and their relationships and to not find out what happened about those relationships was disappointing.

Overall though I recommend this read. It deals with difficult issues in a unique way and it's a thoroughly engrossing read.

Cat Clarke:

Goodreads|Website|Twitter|Facebook

Challenges this book counts towards:

In My Mailbox #33

2012-01-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox idea from Kristi @ The Story Siren, all links take you to goodreads.

Hiya guys! Welcome to another In My Mailbox!

This week I got one book that I won as a best of 2011 read:

Stealing Phoenix by Joss Stirling

Yves' story.

This is about getting you out...I'm stealing you.

Phoenix belongs to the Community - a gang of thieves with paranormal powers. Yves Benedict - an American student visiting London - is her mark. But Yves turns out to be more than just a target. He is her destiny. Her soulmate. But the Community owns Phoenix's past and it wants her future too.

Happy reading everyone!

On My Wishlist #44

2012-01-20T23:00:00.000-08:00

Only one book on my wishlist this week:

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine

—despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

Happy reading everyone!

Angry Robot Announces Strange Chemistry Launch Titles!

2012-01-20T10:47:00.001-08:00

So I just got a fabulous email which made me really excited and certainly made my Friday!

Strange Chemistry - the YA imprint of award-winning indie genre fiction publisher Angry Robot - has announced two deals that will help launch the list into publishing super-stardom.

In a post on Strange Chemistry’s website - http://strangechemistrybooks.com - imprint editor Amanda Rutter has revealed that Strange Chemistry's first two titles will be...

Shift by Kim Curran

About The Book:

When your average, 16-year old loser, Scott Tyler, meets the beautiful and mysterious Aubrey Jones, he learns he’s not quite so average after all. He’s a ‘Shifter’. And that means he has the power to undo any decision he’s ever made. At first, he thinks the power to shift is pretty cool. But as his world quickly starts to unravel around him he realises that each time he uses his power, it has consequences; terrible unforeseen consequences. Shifting is going to get him killed. In a world where everything can change with a thought, Scott has to decide where he stands.

About the Author:

Kim Curran was born in Dublin and moved to London when she was seven. After studying Philosophy and Literature at Sussex University her plan of being paid big bucks to think deep thoughts never quite paid off. She became an advertising copywriter instead, specialising in writing for video games. She lives in SW London with her husband, if they’re not both off travelling. When she’s not writing she fences and plays guitar, both very badly.

Visit Kim online here.

Kim Curran says: “When I saw Angry Robot was launching a YA imprint I literally said I would kill to be published by those guys. So to have signed with Strange Chemistry is everything I could have wished for and then some. To say I’m excited is a massive understatement. I just hope I won’t be expected to actually kill anyone!”

Amanda Rutter says: “We’ve signed debut novelist Kim Curran for two books in a new YA SF thriller series. The first title – Shift – will be published in September of this year, with the second to follow in 2013. The deal, concluded with Sam Copeland, of Rogers, Coleridge and White Ltd, includes world English rights in physical and electronic formats.
“As soon as I read the first page of Shift, I absolutely knew I wanted Kim on board. The novel is fast-paced, exciting and a real page turner. I simply cannot wait to introduce the world of Scott and Aubrey to YA readers!”

Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings

About the Book:

Julie is an apprentice witch – or so she believes. When a dark power comes stalking out of the past to haunt her and her mother, Julie learns that she is far more than just a witch. With the help of her best friend Marcus and a rather unusual Great Dane, Julie has to race against time to ensure she can defeat the bad guy, save her mother and avoid being grounded – again!

About the Author:

Sean Cummings lives in Saskatoon, Canada. He’s a comic book geek, superhero junkie, zombie fan and a total nerd. His interests include science fiction, the borg, cats with extra toes, east Indian cuisine and quality sci-fi movies/television. Sean has been writing since 1978 (as a means of liberating his “inner nerd”) and his published works for adults include Shade Fright, Funeral Pallor and Unseen World, all published by Snowbooks. Poltergeeks is his first book for Young Adults.

Visit Sean online here.

Amanda Rutter says: “We have signed Sean for two novels in the Poltergeeks universe, the first to be published in October of this year with the second to follow in the summer of 2013. The deal, concluded with Jenny Savill and Ella Kahn of Andrew Nurnberg Associates International Ltd, includes world English rights in physical and electronic formats.

"Sean has written a wonderful book with a title that made the whole AR office sit up and take notice - who wouldn't want to read a novel called Poltergeeks?! As you read further, you just become gripped by this sassy and sarcastic apprentice witch who has to face down the darkest of powers. It's just a tremendous story, and I'm thrilled that Strange Chemistry is bringing it to you."

Sean Cummings says: "I'm a huge fan of Angry Robot Books and when I heard they were starting a Young Adult imprint I just knew they'd be publishing some of the best in YA fiction. I'm thrilled that Poltergeeks has found a home with Strange Chemistry and I look forward to working with Amanda. (Did I mention that Angry Robot has fantastic cover art, too?)"

More information can be found at strangechemistrybooks.com and angryrobotbooks.com.

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

2012-01-19T23:00:00.000-08:00

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date: 29th September 2011
Hardback: 418 pages
Extract|Video
Book source: Bought
My rating: 10/10

Summary:

Errand requiring immediate attention. Come.

The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things. When Brimstone called, she always came.

In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.

Now the doors to the Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

My thoughts:

Wow. Where do I start. Well if you haven't noticed the rating already, I absolutely adored this book. I actually had to sit and think for a while before writing the review I was that impressed by it.

First off I have to mention the cover. I bought the UK version of the hardback which I have to say looks absolutely stunning and the back has this metallic sheen to it that I adore.

Now. The book. How can I even describe it's amazingness?!

The imagination that went into this book is breathtaking. There are different characters that are different species (for lack of a better word) to each other. Some of them have wings, some of them have horns and some have hooves for feet. Every time I would read about another character I could imagine what they look like and play what was happening like a film the writing was just that descriptive. The worlds that the book was set in felt like so much thought was put into it, it could actually be real. Reading this book felt like an escape from real life. It was pure brilliance.

Let's talk about characters. Karou. Oh my God she was so cool. Akiva - can anyone say hot stuff? Seriously though,they were contrasting characters that had so much depth to them I really wanted to figure them out from top to bottom. I loved reading their story.

Brimstone. What can I say? At first I was a bit put off by his personality filled with grunting and stern looks but I loved him after a few chapters. I actually couldn't figure out his intentions until they were revealed at the end which was great. Aaaaaand I won't say anymore than that on Brimstone for fear of spoilers!

As for the plot it just exuded brilliance. I've never read anything more original and intriguing. Again I don't want to spoil anything but trust me when I say the plot is by far the best I've ever read in a book so far.

Overall I think you can guess that I would recommend this one to anybody who likes to read. It sure is a great use of time and - despite the number of pages - is a really fast read.

Laini Taylor:
Goodreads|Blog

Great quotes:

“She had been innocent once, a little girl playing with feathers on the floor of a devil's lair. She wasn't innocent now, but she didn't know what to do about it. This was her life: magic and shame and secrets and teeth and a deep, nagging hollow at the center of herself where something was most certainly missing.”

Challenges this book counts towards:

Happy reading everyone!

The Time Will Come #10

2012-01-18T23:00:00.000-08:00

Jodie over at Books for Company is hosting a Thursday meme. It's really easy to join in. Here's what you have to do:

Pick a book you have been meaning to read
Do a post telling us about the book
Link the post up in the linky
Visit the other blogs!

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

I've seen quite a few bad reviews for this one so it's making me quite apprehensive about reading it. As always, I still want to read it for myself because it does sound good. I bought it quite a while ago now so I should read it soon!

Happy reading everyone!

Review: Seizure

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

Title: Seizure
Author: Kathy Reichs
Publisher: Random House - Young Arrow
Publication date: 5 Jan 2012
Format: Hardback - 491 pages
Book Source: UK Book Tours
My rating: 9/10

Summary:

A 300-year-old legend

Rumour has it that notorious pirate Anne Bonny hid her treasure somewhere in Charleston in 1720. No-one knows where, but Tory Brennan - great-niece of famous forensic anthropologist Dr Tempe Brennan - is certain that the Virals can work out Bonny's cryptic clues.

A deadly path

It isn't long before the Virals are on the right track. But they aren't the only ones searching for the treasure.Someone is following them, and will stop at nothing to get their hands on it.

Dead bodies litter the trail. Time is running out before the island will be sold.

Will the Virals' special powers be enough to save them?

My thoughts:

I was so excited when this came up as an option for a book tour. I loved the first book in the series so I had quite big expectations when it came to this one. I sure wasn't disappointed!

One thing I loved about the last book was the quirky protagonists. The Viral gang is so funny at times and so cool at others! I still love how different they all are and yet they make the most perfect team.

One thing I would love to read more of now is some kind of development with their personal lives. I feel like a little is missing with their lives other than the special powers that they have. I would love something to happen in the next book where it was more to do with their human side and less to do with the other.

Anyway aside from that little rant. I loved the action filled plot too. When you hear a book is based on finding pirate treasure it sounds almost too cheesy but Kathy Reichs really made it work. It was so fast paced I finished the book in no time. Admittedly it was a tiny bit predictable at times but it didn't take anything away from the enjoyment of reading it.

I really recommend this series to anyone it's such good fun. Great characters, exciting plot and loads of suspense - what more could you ask for?

Books in the series:

Kathy Reichs:

Goodreads|Website|Blog|Facebook|Twitter

Challenges this book counts towards:

100 Books In A Year

Review: Revealing Eden

2012-01-15T23:00:00.000-08:00

Title: Revealing Eden
Author: Victoria Foyt
Publisher: Sand Dollar Press
Publication date: January 10th 2012
Book Source: NetGalley
My rating: 7/10

Summary:

Eden Newman must mate before her 18th birthday in six months or she'll be left outside to die in a burning world. But who will pick up her mate-option when she's cursed with white skin and a tragically low mate-rate of 15%? In a post-apocalyptic, totalitarian, underground world where class and beauty are defined by resistance to an overheated environment, Eden's coloring brands her as a member of the lowest class, a weak and ugly Pearl. If only she can mate with a dark-skinned Coal from the ruling class, she'll be safe. Just maybe one Coal sees the Real Eden and will be her salvation her co-worker Jamal has begun secretly dating her. But when Eden unwittingly compromises her father's secret biological experiment, she finds herself in the eye of a storm and thrown into the last area of rainforest, a strange and dangerous land. Eden must fight to save her father, who may be humanity's last hope, while standing up to a powerful beast-man she believes is her enemy, despite her overwhelming attraction. Eden must change to survive but only if she can redefine her ideas of beauty and of love, along with a little help from her "adopted aunt" Emily Dickinson.

My thoughts:

What I should mention first about this read is that the description of the settings was absolutely lovely. Different parts of the book are in different settings and it was a brilliant contrast between one and the other - complete opposites that got me really feeling like I was there.

I must admit I found it hard to like the protagonist, Eden, at first. She really got on my nerves but I found she grew on me the more she developed throughout the story. As events unfolded she made better decisions so I ended up really liking her towards the end.

Let's talk about Bramford for a minute though. Wow. He's made of hot stuff let me tell you! I really loved his character and how underestimated he was for literally three quarters of the book. I didn't fully understand his intentions until right towards the end of the book and I think that's the way it was meant to be. He was a brilliant character - full of depth and passion.

What let me down though was that the book only seemed to start to get going towards the end. The last quarter was where it started to get really exciting and things were brought to light. I think what kept me reading was little tidbits of interesting clues here and there to make me wonder what was going on. It was worthwhile towards the end though because when everything came together it all made perfect sense even though I was no way near close to guessing what was going to happen!

Overall this is a very quick and easy read full of great characters - some of them more charming than others - and a lot of action. I do recommend it and I'm certainly looking forward to the next book in the series!

Victoria Foyt:

Goodreads|Website|Facebook

Challenges this book counts towards:

In My Mailbox #32

2012-01-15T04:11:00.001-08:00

In My Mailbox idea from Kristi @ The Story Siren, all links take you to goodreads.

Hiya guys! Welcome to another In My Mailbox!

So I got quite a few books this week.

From UK Book Tours I received:

Seizure by Kathy Reichs

And for review I got:

Poison Heart by S. B Hayes

Big thanks to Alice from Quercus books for this one - I'm really excited to read it!

And I received two books that I pre-ordered last year:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Oh my God can anyone say awesome!!!

And finally:

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

Happy reading everyone!

On My Wishlist #43

2012-01-14T04:04:00.001-08:00

This week I added a few books to my wishlist from a few different genres too:

The first one I added is:

Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James

When literature student Anastasia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating. Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind - until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store where she works part-time.

The unworldly, innocent Ana is shocked to realize she wants this man, and when he warns her to keep her distance it only makes her more desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her - but on his own terms.

Revived by Cat Patrick

As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.

A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she discovers the agency’s true goals, she realizes she’s at the center of something much larger — and more sinister — than she ever imagined.

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human.

And then every day in between . . . She's something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why
she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends.

Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

Will Elise’s love life be an epic win or an epic fail?

At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:

As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school—not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.

As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn’t exactly on everyone’s must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.

When Elise’s beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince’s best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.

The Shadow Reader by Sandy Williams

There can only be one allegiance.
It’s her time to choose.

Some humans can see the fae. McKenzie Lewis can track them, reading the shadows they leave behind. But some shadows lead to danger. Others lead to lies.

A Houston college student trying to finish her degree, McKenzie has been working for the fae king for years, tracking vicious rebels who would claim the Realm. Her job isn’t her only secret. For just as long, she’s been in love with Kyol, the king’s sword-master—and relationships between humans and fae are forbidden.

But any hope for a normal life is shattered when she’s captured by Aren, the fierce and uncompromising rebel leader. He teaches her the forbidden fae language and tells her dark truths about the Court, all to persuade her to turn against the king. Time is running out, and as the fight starts to claim human lives, McKenzie has no choice but to decide once and for all whom to trust and where she ultimately stands in the face of a cataclysmic civil war.

That's it on my wishlist this week. Don't they sound amazing - I love the covers too!
Happy reading!

The Time Will Come #9

2012-01-12T07:27:00.001-08:00

Jodie over at Books for Company is hosting a Thursday meme. It's really easy to join in. Here's what you have to do:

Pick a book you have been meaning to read
Do a post telling us about the book
Link the post up in the linky
Visit the other blogs!

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren’t for magic . . .

One moment magic dominates, and cars stall and guns fail. The next, technology takes over and the defensive spells no longer protect your house from monsters. Here skyscrapers topple under onslaught of magic; werebears and werehyenas prowl through the ruined streets; and the Masters of the Dead, necromancers driven by their thirst of knowledge and wealth, pilot blood-crazed vampires with their minds. In this world lives Kate Daniels. Kate likes her sword a little too much and has a hard time controlling her mouth. The magic in her blood makes her a target, and she spent most of her life hiding in plain sight. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, she must choose to do nothing and remain safe or to pursue his preternatural killer. Hiding is easy, but the right choice is rarely easy . . .

I swapped this book for another quite a while back now and I still have to read it. I'm quite looking forward to when I do! Has anyone read it?

Happy reading!

Review: The Court Painter's Apprentice

2012-01-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

Title: The Court Painter's Apprentice
Author: Richard Knight
Publisher: Catnip
Publication date: January 1st 2012
Book Source: UK Book Tours
My rating: 2/10

Summary:

"Paint what you see, Johann, not what you think you see."

So says the court painter to his young apprentice. But Johann possesses more than the power to paint a person's soul.

He can alter it.

My thoughts:

This book had a lot of promise. Initially I was excited to read it since it could have been a really brilliant read but it really disappointed me.

I thought the characters were really underdeveloped for a start. The novel is pretty short so it felt like there wasn't enough time for me to get to know the characters. Also, there were some characters that were introduced and then they never appeared again so it felt as if there was a few unresolved issues between them and the protagonist.

As for the plot, I just think it was really dry. Nothing really of interest happened until the end which was quite anticlimactic. Whilst reading the book I was frustrated more than anything because the writing style is beautiful. It produced this atmosphere where I felt like I was sitting in front of a fire listening to my parents telling me bedtime story. It was frustrating because nothing happened in the book that caught my interest. It was a real shame.

It was a really quick read though and I can't help but think, because of the storytelling feel to the novel, a lot of people will enjoy this read - it just wasn't for me.

Richard Knight:

Goodreads

Challenges this book counts towards:

In My Mailbox #31

2012-01-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox idea from Kristi @ The Story Siren, all links take you to goodreads.

Hiya guys! Welcome to another In My Mailbox!

This week I bought the first three books in the Kitty Norville series by Carrie Vaughn:

Kitty and the Midnight Hour

Kitty Norville is a midnight-shift DJ for a Denver radio station - and a werewolf in the closet. Her new late-night advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged is a raging success, but it's Kitty who can use some help. With one sexy werewolf-hunter and a few homicidal undead on her tail, Kitty may have bitten off more than she can chew?

Kitty Goes to Washington

Talk radio meets supernatural fantasy in Carrie Vaughn's second adventure to feature Kitty Norville, a popular late-night radio host who happens to be a werewolf. In Kitty Goes to Washington, the lovable lycanthrope is subpoenaed to attend upcoming Senate hearings regarding paranormal beings. After Kitty consults with her lawyer, she reluctantly agrees to go to Washington. As a rogue wolf without a pack and no territorial home (see Kitty and the Midnight Hour), her brief stay in D.C. may even be a kind of vacation. Upon her arrival, she is accosted by Alette, the vampiric Mistress of the City, who insists that Kitty stay with her. The matriarchal bloodsucker says that she fears for Kitty's safety and even assigns her bodyguards; but as the renowned radio host sees more of the city and meets a group of peaceable lycanthropes that include a hunky were-jaguar, she begins to realize that the Senate hearings are only the tip of the iceberg of the complex and highly volatile subject of supernatural beings. Are they human? Do they have the same rights as everyone else? Or are they a disease that should be eradicated? While pondering these issues, Kitty becomes a prime target in a dangerous political game that includes a witch-hunting senator, an unethical doctor, and a reporter who will do anything to get an exclusive interview with Kitty.

Kitty Takes A Holiday

While hidden away in a cabin in the wilds of southern Colorado, Norville is finding it difficult to write her memoirs -- especially when someone keeps painting bloody crosses on her door and leaving mutilated animal sacrifices hanging in the surrounding trees. But her autobiography takes a backseat when werewolf bounty hunter Cormac Bennett shows up on Norville's doorstep with a bloodied O'Farrell in tow. While assisting Bennett on a case in New Mexico involving a rogue werewolf, O'Farrell was brutally attacked and, in less than four days, will experience his first Change. As O'Farrell struggles to come to grips with his new affliction, Norville and Bennett talk to locals in an attempt to uncover who is using arcane blood magic to intimidate Norville into leaving. But when the full moon inevitably rises and Norville and Bennett Change, the radio personality finds the unexpected: companionship, love, acceptance -- and the beginnings of her own pack.

Happy reading everyone!

On My Wishlist #42

2012-01-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

This week I added two books to my wishlist:

The Poison Throne by Celine Kiernan

A Friend. A Father. A Kingdom. Which one would you sacrifice? This compelling trilogy of court intrigue, adventure and romance is a winning combination of imagination, powerful storytelling and magnificent characters. Fifteen-year-old Wynter Moorehawke returns home after a five-year sojourn in the bleak Northlands. All has changed in her absence. Wynter is forced to make a terrible choice: stay and bow to the King's will, or abandon her ailing father and join her friend Razi and the mysterious Christopher Garron in their efforts to restore the fragile kingdom to its former stability. But this changed kingdom is a dangerous place, where all resistance is brutally suppressed and the trio constantly risk assassination, torture or imprisonment. Atmospheric and intriguing, it evokes an enchanting and convincing other world - love, treachery, jealousy, tenderness, war, wisdom and court life are all vividly depicted.

And:

Wolf Blood by N. M. Browne

A Celtic warrior girl is held captive and enslaved by a rival tribe. When fever takes her only friend, she knows she must escape, but she runs straight into the path of two Roman foot soldiers. Thinking they will kill a warrior instantly, the girl disguises herself as a beggar and asks to share their fire. Using her gift as a seer she discovers that one of the soldiers is not what he seems. Celtic blood courses through his veins too, but there is something else. He is a shapeshifter – a Versipellum. He shares his soul with that of the wolf. The girl needs to reach the leader of her dead friend’s tribe, and the boy must escape the Romans before they discover his true nature. Their only chance of survival is to help each other. But what will happen when their powers are combined?

Happy reading everyone!

100 Books In A Year

2012-01-06T13:28:00.001-08:00

I was just reading through the blog posts and I realised I never mentioned the 100+ Books In A Year Challenge!

Last year I did pretty well and I read 91 books. I was quite close so this year I'm hoping to do even better!

For this challenge you have to try and read 100 or more books throughout the year. If you're interested you can find the challenge page here.

Happy reading!

New Challenges 2012

2012-01-04T01:29:00.001-08:00

Hi guys!

First off, happy new year to everyone and I sincerely hope 2012 brings you all the peace, love and happiness you so desire.

I wanted to do a post on all the reading challenges I'm participating in this year. Since I'm getting more and more into blogging I thought I'd really go for it and push myself by entering quite a few.

So here's the first:

New Author Challenge:

I love finding new authors so I found this challenge and I had to go for it. It's quite an easy one too; all you have to do is read from an author you've never read from before and then link the review on the challenge page. I've chosen to go for 25 new authors this year - let's see if I can't make it more!

The next one is:

Book Chick City's Speculative Romance Challenge:

For this challenge you have to read as many Speculative Romance novels as you can and then link up the reviews on challenge review page each month.
I'm hoping to go for the Two Sexy Werewolves level!

And the next:

I am a Reading Challenge Addict:

This is basically self explanatory. I want to do as many challenges as possible so I thought why not?

And again:

2012 Ebook Challenge:

I do read quite a lot of ebooks so I thought I'd sign up for this one too. I'm hoping to go for the DVD level.

And another!

Why Buy the Cow Reading Challenge:

Amazon quite frequently offers free ebooks for a limited time and I love finding them so this challenge is perfect. This challenge motivates you to read the free and LEGAL downloads that are piling up.

Yes, there's more:

Zombie Challenge:

I think that you can guess what this one is about! For this challenge I'm hoping to go for One Chomp level.

More!

2012 Immortal Reading Challenge:

This one is any book with Vampires, Angels and Demons, Fae and Shifters as the main characters. I love it! For this challenge I want to have a go at all of the categories.

Yet another one:

2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge:

This is the biggest challenge for me. I really want to get stuck in to my TBR pile so hopefully this challenge will help!
Only bloggers can enter this one and only books that were released 2011 and earlier count.
There are 10 hosts to this challenge:

Evie from Bookish - @SeoEvie
Nicole from All I Ever Read - @Nicoleabouttown
Bonnie from Hands and Home - @HandsHomeBlog
Donna from Book Passion For Life - @BookPforLife
Caitlin from WatchYA Reading - @caitlingss
Rie from Mission To Read - @missiontoread
Vicky from Books, Biscuits & Tea - @alouetteuette
Christa from Hooked On Books - @ChristasBooks
Jenna from Fans Of Fiction - @fansoffiction
Angel from Mermaids Vision - @mermaidvisions

For this one I'm hoping to achieve the A Sweet Kiss level.

I'm nearly finished I promise!

Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge:

This is a great idea for a challenge where you read books from the book blogger recommendation list . I'm hoping to read quite a few from this list because it has some really great books on it!

Last one:

Horror and Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge:

I love these two genres and since I didn't complete the challenge last year I want to do even better this year.
I'm hoping to read at lest 24 this year.

So there you have it! Let me know what challenges you're participating in this year.

Happy reading everyone!

Review: The Prince of Mist

2011-12-30T00:00:00.000-08:00

Title: The Prince of Mist
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Publisher: Orion
Publication: July 2011
Paperback: 208 pages
Source:Uk Book Tours
My rating: 5/10

Summary:

In 1943, Max Carver's father - a watchmaker and inventor - decides to move his family to a small town on the coast, to an abandoned house that holds many secrets and stories of its own. Behind the house Max discovers an overgrown garden surrounded by a metal fence topped with a six-pointed star. In the centre is a large statue of a clown set in another six-pointed star.

As the family settles in they grow increasingly uneasy: Max’s sister Alicia has disturbing dreams while his other sister, Irina, hears voices whispering to her from an old wardrobe. With his new friend Roland, Max also discovers the wreck of a boat that sank many years ago in a terrible storm. Everyone on board perished except for one man - an engineer who built the lighthouse at the end of the beach.

As they learn more about the wreck, the chilling story of a legendary figure called the Prince of Mist begins to emerge...

My thoughts:

After reading the summary to the Prince of Mist I thought that this has the potential to be an amazing novel. However, it disappointed me a little, probably because I expected too much of it.

Max is a young boy who is moving to a new town on the coast. He moves into an abandoned house full of stories and mystery. The book follows Max, his sister Alicia and their new-found friend Roland as they discover secrets about the place they live and the people they are close to.

There are parts in this book that are downright creepy. A statue of a clown that's facial expressions change every so often? Clowns can be creepy anyway but that oversteps the line. The said parts of the book are really good - they got my heart racing and my hands turning the pages as fast as possible. But to be honest, there were too few of them for me to enjoy the book.

Aside from that, I thought the characters had no real depth to them. They did at first but then they sort of lost it as the story progressed and focused more on the plot. There was no real development in them until the end at which point I pretty much didn't care what happened to them. It's for that reason that I felt like the book was a disappointment. If I don't care what happens to the characters, and something does happen to the characters, then I won't like the whole story - characters are a major deal

Having said that, this book does deserve some credit for how creepy it was at times which is something I love in any book. It just wasn't enough for me.

Carlos Ruiz Zafon:

Goodreads|Website|

Review: Hidden by Miriam Halahmy

2011-12-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

Title: Hidden
Author: Miriam Halahmy
Publisher: Meadowside Fiction
Format: Paperback - 253 pages
Source: UK Book Tours
My rating: 7/10

Summary:

There is so much hidden in this little hut, and whatever I've dived into here is only going to get more complicated.

Alix is just an ordinary fourteen year old, living at the bottom of quiet Hayling Island. But one cold, misty Saturday on the beach she and Samir suddenly find themselves saving a drowning immigrant. Faced with the most difficult decision of their lives, what should Alix and Samir do?

My thoughts:

Just like We Can Be Heroes, Hidden was a novel all about racism and how to deal with it as it is no doubt a big issue in society. It focuses on illegal immigrants especially from Iraq and whether they should be allowed refugee status and the right to live in this country rather than be deported.

Again just like We Can Be Heroes, Hidden deals with these issues with using really young protagonists who almost have to decide whether they agree with racism or not - it's that simple for them. Whilst reading the book it was always the option of playing along with the majority and being racist or standing up to the majority and not being racist. For Alix it was always the latter and in doing that she came across a lot of obstacles that tested her opinions on certain topics that we all have to think about time to time.

Alix becomes friends with Samir who is a refugee from Iraq. But then she realises how much he's bullied and how alone he really is. What I loved about this situation is that Alix was quite naive regarding race until she met Samir and then it sort of hit her and everything became crystal clear. She made the choice to stand up for what she believed and to voice her opinion and she became all the better for it.

Of course, finding and saving the illegal immigrant tested her beliefs to the max and her journey through that made Hidden quite a good read that really makes you think.

The supporting characters were great which led to me feeling a lot for the characters whether it was good or bad. I would have a frown on my face when I didn't agree with something somebody said and a smile on my face when Alix and Samir did something really brave. It made me feel and think about things I don't think about every day which is good for anybody to be honest.

Hidden did get a lot better past the half way mark which was the only thing I had a problem with. It was quite hard to get into but after a while I started to really enjoy it. Also, I would have liked it to be a bit longer because there were some pretty important questions that weren't answered.

Overall I definitely recommend Hidden because it's a book to come back to and read over again. Especially for the ending, then ending was amazing - so touching!

Miriam Halahmy:

Goodreads|Website

Happy reading!

On My Wishlist #41

2011-12-23T23:05:00.001-08:00

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

WONDER is the funny, sweet and incredibly moving story of Auggie Pullman. Born with a terrible facial abnormality, this shy, bright ten-year-old has been home-schooled by his parents for his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the stares and cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, Auggie is being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. The thing is, Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?

Through the voices of Auggie, his big sister Via, and his new friends Jack and Summer, WONDER follows Auggie's journey through his first year at Beecher Prep. Frank, powerful, warm and often heart-breaking, WONDER is a book you'll read in one sitting, pass on to others, and remember long after the final page.

Happy reading everyone!

Cover Reveal: Chosen Ones by Tiffany Truitt

2011-12-22T09:45:00.001-08:00

What if you were mankind’s last chance at survival?

Sixteen-year-old Tess lives in a compound in what was once the Western United States, now decimated after a devastating fourth World War. But long before that, life as we knew it had been irrevocably changed, as women mysteriously lost the ability to bring forth life. Faced with the extinction of the human race, the government began the Council of Creators, meant to search out alternative methods of creating life. The resulting artificial human beings, or Chosen Ones, were extraordinarily beautiful, unbelievably strong, and unabashedly deadly.

Life is bleak, but uncomplicated for Tess as she follows the rigid rules of her dystopian society, until the day she begins work at Templeton, the training facility for newly created Chosen Ones. There, she meets James, a Chosen One whose odd love of music and reading rivals only her own. The attraction between the two is immediate in its intensity—and overwhelming in its danger.

But there is more to the goings-on at Templeton than Tess ever knew, and as the veil is lifted from her eyes, she uncovers a dark underground movement bent not on taking down the Chosen Ones, but the Council itself. Will Tess be able to stand up to those who would oppress her, even if it means giving up the only happiness in her life?

Teaser Tuesday #36

2011-12-20T03:59:00.001-08:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can take part! All you have to do is:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us (2) teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (but don't give any spoilers!)
Share the title of the book that the teaser is from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

You can find out more here!

My current read: Hidden by Miriam Halahmy

Random page: #218

Teaser:

Good Cop nods and says to us, "We'll be round to speak to you girls later with your parents," and they make off through the bushes back to the road.
I'm left alone with my new best friend, Lindy Bellows.

Happy reading everyone!

Review: Elixir

2011-12-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

Title: Elixir
Author: Hilary Duff
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication date: October 2010
Format: Paperback - 330 pages
Source: UK Book Tours
Other: Excerpt - Chapter 1
My rating: 7/10

Summary:

A soulmate for life...or death

Seventeen-year-old Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent politician, she has become a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a world that allows her to travel to many exotic places. But after Clea's father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea begins to notice eerie, shadowy images in her photos of a strange and beautiful young man - a man she has never seen before.

When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father's disappearance, and they discover the centuries-old truth behind the intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives - and their futures.

My thoughts:

I feel like I enjoyed this book for the wrong reason, it's so weird - I have no idea why I almost feel guilty for liking it! :P

I'll start with what I didn't like about this one I think because otherwise I'll start ranting about one character in particular BIG TIME!

There are two characters in the book - Clea and Sage (love the name by the way, it's different) - well, I really didn't like the relationship between them both. I'll let you read the book yourselves to find out exactly what their relationship is but for me, it didn't start or even progress in the right way at all. It came out of absolutely nowhere (when it was happening in the real world, not the dream one but again I'll let you read for yourself) and then it just became this huge deal. I still don't get what happened...

And the other aspect of the book I didn't like was the end. It felt quite rushed compared to the beginning which in itself was pretty slow. One thing that really frustrates me is rushed endings, in my opinion, the ending is the most important part of the book so for it to end like it did was disappointing.

What I did like about Elixir was the little surprises that came with characters looking for clues throughout the book to find the whereabouts of Clea's father. There were some parts of the book that shocked me in a good way just because they were quite out of place. But at the same time the said parts of the book were enjoyable and I took the change to the story in my stride and accepted it.

What I loved most though was SAGE. This character is the reason I liked the book even when I feel like I shouldn't. The funny thing is though, whenever I try to pinpoint what I like about him exactly, I can't because when I look back at his personality I kind of don't like him. I know it's so WEIRD! He's definitely hot stuff though! :P

The Elixir Series:

#1 - Elixir
#2 - Devoted

Hilary Duff:

On My Wishlist #40

2011-12-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

Since Sage was kidnapped, Clea has no way of knowing if he is alive or dead. And even though she has only just discovered they were soulmates, she feels like a part of her is lost forever. What’s worse, she can’t even turn to her best friend Ben—because every time she looks at him, all she sees is his betrayal.

But waiting for something to happen is not an option, so Clea is ready for action. Suffering through dreams of seeing Sage with another woman, she makes an uneasy alliance with Sage’s enemies and sets out to be reunited with Sage...in this life or the next.

On a brisk autumn day, a thirteen-year-old boy stands on the shores of the gray Atlantic, near a silent amusement park and a fading ocean resort called the Alhambra. The past has driven Jack Sawyer here: his father is gone, his mother is dying, and the world no longer makes sense. But for Jack everything is about to change. For he has been chosen to make a journey back across America–and into another realm.One of the most influential and heralded works of fantasy ever written,The Talisman is an extraordinary novel of loyalty, awakening, terror, and mystery. Jack Sawyer, on a desperate quest to save his mother’s life, must search for a prize across an epic landscape of innocents and monsters, of incredible dangers and even more incredible truths. The prize is essential, but the journey means even more. Let the quest begin. . . .
On a brisk autumn day, a thirteen-year-old boy stands on the shores of the gray Atlantic, near a silent amusement park and a fading ocean resort called the Alhambra. The past has driven Jack Sawyer here: his father is gone, his mother is dying, and the world no longer makes sense. But for Jack everything is about to change. For he has been chosen to make a journey back across America–and into another realm.
One of the most influential and heralded works of fantasy ever written,The Talisman is an extraordinary novel of loyalty, awakening, terror, and mystery. Jack Sawyer, on a desperate quest to save his mother’s life, must search for a prize across an epic landscape of innocents and monsters, of incredible dangers and even more incredible truths. The prize is essential, but the journey means even more. Let the quest begin. . . .

This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death.

And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides — or are chosen. A world in which good rides on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abigail — and the worst nightmares of evil are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the dark man.

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don’t kill him first, that is.

Aspen Springs Psychiatric Hospital is a place for people who have played the ultimate endgame. The suicide attempt survivors portrayed in this novel tell starkly different stories, but these three embattled teens share a desperate need for a second chance. Ellen Hopkins, the author of Glassand Crank, presents another jarring, ultimately uplifting story about young people crawling back from a precipice.

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

A story of love lost...and found.

Mia Wells's eco-friendly career goals are about to become a reality-but her life-altering moment is interrupted when an unexpected call ushers in her tremulous past. A man who's never left Mia's memory: Flynn, the enigmatic, passionate man whose disappearance broke her heart, has mysteriously resurfaced.

Now back in her life and in the hospital, Flynn is gravely injured. Mia keeps a bedside vigil-terrified that he will die, awestruck at the prospect of his survival. In a story filled with sweetness and suspense, Mia's what-ifs are endless. And Flynn's return ignites an achingly powerful tale about the most enduring love, one that is greater than honor, or friendship, or the passing of time.

Evie Taylor, a girl with a big heart, gets lost in the big city. For the past two years, Evie has lived an invisible life in London. Her neighbours think she’s just moved in, her sister mistakes her for a live-in nanny, and even Evie’s manager at work can’t remember her name. But all that is about to change …this Christmas has brought a flurry of snow and unimaginable possibilities into town. Evie works in the stockroom of an old-fashioned, family-run, London fashion department store. Hardy’s is a beautiful, wood-panelled jewellery box of a building, but it’s in dire need of a makeover. One day Evie overhears that if the entire store’s takings don’t turn round by Dec 26th – 3 weeks’ time – the family who own it will be forced to sell to one of the big chains. Hardy’s is in need of a Christmas miracle. Determined to save her beloved store, Evie hatches a plan to secretly transform it into a magical place to shop again. But has the time come for her to be noticed too? When an accidental romantic encounter with handsome, enigmatic Joel gives her the chance of a whole new identity, she takes it.

One night, Silas Umber's father Amos doesn’t come home from work. Devastated, Silas learns that his father was no mere mortician but an Undertaker, charged with bringing The Peace to the dead trapped in the Shadowlands, the states of limbo binding spirits to earth. With Amos gone, Silas and his mother have no choice but to return to Lichport, the crumbling seaside town where Silas was born, and move in with Amos’s brother, Charles.

Even as Silas eagerly explores his father’s town and its many abandoned streets and overgrown cemeteries, he grows increasingly wary of his uncle. There is something not quite right going on in Charles Umber’s ornate, museum-like house—something, Silas is sure, that is connected to his father’s disappearance. When Silas’s search leads him to his father’s old office, he comes across a powerful artifact: the Death Watch, a four hundred year old Hadean clock that allows the owner to see the dead.

Death Watch in hand, Silas begins to unearth Lichport’s secret history—and discovers that he has taken on his father’s mantle as Lichport’s Undertaker. Now, Silas must embark on a dangerous path into the Shadowlands to embrace his destiny and discover the truth about his father—no matter the cost.

Happy reading everyone!

Review: We Can Be Heroes

2011-12-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

Title: We Can Be Heroes
Author: Catherine Bruton
Publisher: Egmont
Publication date: 1 August 2011
Format: Paperback - 486 pages
YA
Source: UK Book Tours
My Rating: 9/10

Summary:

My Dad was killed in the 9/11 attacks in New York. But the stuff in this book isn't about that. It's about the summer me and Jed and Priti tried to catch a suicide bomber and start a riot.

There's stuff about how we built a tree house and joined the bomb squad; how I found my dad and Jed lost his; and how we both lost our mums then found them again.

So it's not really about 9/11 but then again none of those things would have happened if it hadn't been for that day. So I guess it's all back to front, sort of...

My thoughts:

This is a book I instantly fell in love with from the first page.

The narrative is so different and I was sucked straight into the story which really surprised me.

We Can Be Heroes deals with a lot of issues that are normally quite hard to read about. Racism, mental health, bereavements, separations and gangs; they are all a big part of the story from the eyes of a 12 year old boy.

Reading the story from the person of a 12 year old boy named Ben was pretty amazing and really clever. It had this innocence to it that was funny and adorable at times. Parts of the book would take me back to when I was that age and parts made me laugh because of the situations the young characters would get themselves into.

It was really great that the book was about serious topics but at the same time made me laugh. That's really rare in a book I think because it doesn't always work. We Can Be Heroes deals with stereotypes such as Muslims being terrorists because of 9/11 and although it was such a tragic day, tackling the subject by having a little Muslim girl trying to get evidence of her brother being a terrorist was pure genius in my opinion. Being a Muslim myself these stereotypes are quite hard to deal with but this book looked at it in such a new light that it couldn't do anything but open my mind to different ways of thinking about all sorts of stereotypes not just in relation to 9/11. It really makes you think hard.

In my opinion, this book is seriously underrated and I would love to see what other people think about it. I strongly urge you to have a go at it because you won't be disappointed!

Catherine Bruton:
Goodreads|Website|Twitter

The Time Will Come #9

2011-12-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

Jodie over at Books for Company is hosting a Thursday meme. It's really easy to join in. Here's what you have to do:

Pick a book you have been meaning to read
Do a post telling us about the book
Link the post up in the linky
Visit the other blogs!

Bella Mafia by Lynda La Plante

I swapped this for another book quite a while back now so I've been wanting to get this off of my TBR shelf for ages! It doesn't sound like anything I've ever read before so I really want to get into it.
Hopefully I'll get round to it soon but in the meantime - happy reading everyone!

Review: Sektion 20

2011-12-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

Title: Sektion 20
Author: Paul Dowswell
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication date: September 2011
Paperback: 274 pages
My rating: 7/10

Summary:

An agent employed by a state to obtain secret information.

Alex lives in East Berlin. The Cold War is raging and he and his family are forbidden to leave. But the longer he stays, the more danger he is in. Alex is no longer pretending to be a model East German, and the Stasi have noticed. They are watching him.

One false move will bring East and West together in a terrifying stand-off which will change everything for Alex and his family....for ever.

My thoughts:

This was a new kind of read for me, apart from Between Shades of Grey I've never read anything based on any kind of war because it normally doesn't really appeal to me.

This was quite a good read for the most part. The problem for me though is that it doesn't completely keep me utterly engrossed in the story the whole way through. I only started to get into it around half way through even if exciting things happened throughout. It just wasn't exciting enough.

I did enjoy it when I got into the story though. It was exciting and it certainly got my heart pounding. What I loved most was that I know things that happened in the book (spies, kidnappings e.t.c) really happened to people in a time and place like that which made the book incredibly realistic.

Also, I really felt for the characters. I felt their frustration from staying in a place they hated and being restricted from doing what they want to do. Alex likes to play guitar and listen to music that's not allowed, if anyone finds out then he is in huge trouble to the point of being detained. He has to choose a career he doesn't want to do, he has to stay in a place where everyone is the same in every way from what they wear to what they do and all Alex wants to be is different. I think everyone who reads this book will connect with the characters in some way or another and that's what gave me a good liking for the book disregarding how much I actually liked the plot.

Paul Dowswell:
Goodreads|Website

Teaser Tuesday #35

2011-12-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can take part! All you have to do is:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us (2) teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (but don't give any spoilers!)
Share the title of the book that the teaser is from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

You can find out more here!

My current read:We Can Be Heroes by Catherine Bruton

Random Page: #60

Teaser:

I can feel my bag of sweets getting hot and sticky in my pocket and my face doing the same.
'Anyone who volunteers that much clearly has a desperate need to be needed,' she says authoritatively, like it's something she's read in another of her mum's books.

Author Interview: Kelley York

2011-12-12T00:00:00.001-08:00

Title: Hushed
Author: Kelley York
Genre: YA Thriller
Publication: December 2011

Summary:

He's saved her. He's loved her. He's killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn't protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he's never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn't matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another -Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who's ever cared about Archer without a single string attached.. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is. But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer's committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn't get what she wants...And what she wants is Evan's death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.

Interview with Kelley York!

1. Can you give a little background to the characters and the story of Hushed?

HUSHED is about a boy named Archer who is trying to right the wrongs done to his childhood sweetheart and best friend, Vivian. Enter sweet and charismatic Evan, who worms his way past Archer's defenses and starts making him question everything he's ever done.

2. How long did it take to write your novel?

I'm sketchy on my timeline, but I would wager about four or five months. I queried agents for about six months before getting my publishing offer from Entangled.

3. What's your writing process? Are you a big planner or do you just go where the story takes you?

I'm not much of a planner. Sometimes, when I'm halfway through the book, I'll take all the loose ends I've created and mentally try to figure out how I'm going to tie them up for the second half of the book. Writing down an actual outline never seems to work out for me.

4. What kind of research, if any, did you do to write Hushed?

I researched a number of the murders, mainly. Well, and the weather of a West coastal town. Candle Bay is a fictional place (though kudos if you know where I got the name from), but it's loosely based on somewhere like Monterey—which is a city I love.

5. What made you become a writer?

I've written for ages, but never 'seriously.' I finished my first book and surprised myself. Even after finishing my third, I'm still worried maybe those three books were flukes or something! But I love the process, no matter how hard it can sometimes be. I love creating characters. I love letting them surprise me with how a story goes completely different than I think it will.

6. What do you do to relax when you're not writing?

I play video games, watch movies, read, go to cemeteries to take photos. I also have a lot of pets, so there's never a shortage of things to do.

7. What are your all time favourite books?

Growing up, my favorites were THE LAST UNICORN by Peter S. Beagle, and MRS. FRISBY AND THE RATS OF NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien. More recently, GONE, GONE, GONE by Hannah Moskowitz, BROTHER/SISTER by Sean Olin, WARM BODIES by Isaac Marion... The list could go on and on.

8. Who are your all time favourite authors?

When I was little, I'd read anything by Beverly Cleary or Judy Blume. These days, Hannah Moskowitz, Maggie Stiefvater, and Sean Olin make the list.

9. What's your favourite comfort food?

Steak. That sounds weird, doesn't it? But I love meat. I could eat steak every night of the week and be happy.

10. If you could give Hushed a song what would it be?

HUSHED has a lot of songs! The one I think of is "What Sarah Said" by Death Cab for Cutie, as it was probably the song I listened to the most when I was writing.

11. Anything else you'd like to add?

Recommend to me some good thrillers, ghost stories, or zombie stories! I love all three!

'Kelley York delivers in this impressive debut. I was at the edge of my
seat waiting to see what would happen next! Bottom line, this was
unputdownable!!!' --- YA Fantasy Guide ---

'How exciting that we live in a time when gay teen protagonists can be
just as screwed up as straight ones -- and their stories just as creepy!'
--- Brent Hartinger, award-winning author of Geography Club and Shadow
Walkers ---

Author Bio:

Kelley was born and raised in central California, where she still resides with her lovely wife, daughter, and an abundance of pets. (Although she does fantasize about moving across the globe to Ireland.) She has a fascination with bells, adores all things furry - be them squeaky, barky or meow-y - is a lover of video games, manga and anime, and likes to pretend she's a decent photographer. Her life goal is to find a real unicorn. Or maybe a mermaid.

Within young adult, she enjoys writing and reading a variety of genres from contemporary with a unique twist, psychological thrillers, paranormal/urban fantasy and horror. She loves stories where character
development takes center stage.

Kelley's website: http://www.kelley-york.com/blog

Buy the book:Amazon|Barnes & Noble

Be sure to recommend some books in the comments for Kelley!

Happy reading everyone!

Guest Post: Abria Mattina

2011-12-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

WAKE

by Abria Mattina

Kindle / Barnes & Noble

Pages: 727

Published September 22nd 2011

ISBN: 9780986957

Eighteen isn’t too young to run your life into the ground, but it’s not too old to fix it, either. The desire for change drives Willa Kirk from St. John’s, Newfoundland back to her hometown of Smiths Falls, Ontario, away from her mistakes and the place where her sister died. She’s looking for a place to settle and rebuild, but Jem Harper just wants to get out of town, back to the life he knew before cancer. By letting the tragedies in their lives define them, they are both dying a little more every day. Welcome to the wake.

Guest Post: Abria Mattina

Author of WAKE

My writing process for Wake was very much a synaesthete’s experience. Synaesthesia is a rare perceptual condition in which one sensory experience—seeing a number, for instance—will stimulate another experience—for example, seeing that digit in a certain colour.* My type of synaesthesia causes me to perceive sounds as colours and shapes, and letters as colours.

When I started to think about the story for Wake, it came together very quickly. Everything hinged on a specific shade of teal, and once I had that, everything else fell into place. I had a clear idea of the characters’ voices and where I wanted the story to go.

Music was also very important to the writing process. Not only to the characters use it in Wake, I used it to help put myself in a writing mindset. If I was writing a scene that involved a character whose personality or voice is primarily blue, I would look for a song of similar color. Listening to it while I wrote made me feel more in tune with my characters and my writing. But like any serious project, I had to make a lot of time in my day to work on Wake.

I set a writing goal of one chapter per week, and was able to meet my goal throughout the composition process. I had the whole manuscript drafted in nine months, and then spent another nine redrafting and revising. The Research some of Wake’s scenes or characters are based on cancer patients I’ve known in real life, but the nitty-gritty medical details came from a variety of sources. I consulted medical textbooks and journals, medical memoirs, and spent a lot of time reading through the threads on support forums for patients and their families. The medical details of Wake were edited by a PICU nurse.

I also had to do a lot of research about food. This was probably the most fun part of the research process, because I live with a chef. He gave me free rein over his cookbooks and let me thumb through his industry magazines for ideas. Initially I crosschecked these potential recipes with nutritionist’s information, but then I came across the wonderful book Goes Down Easy by Elise Mecklinger. Goes Down Easy is a cookbook designed for cancer patients and their families, and was written in conjunction with the dieticians at the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation. Its chapters are divided up by symptom, so you never have to guess what recipes will work with your specific issues, and the book also includes helpful meal planning guides.
*“Research into Colourful World of Synaesthesia | News, Media, and Events | University of Waterloo.” Media Resources | University of Waterloo. 26 June 2001. Web. 05 Nov. 2011.

Video about synaesthesia research/condition

* * * * *

Abria Mattina's links

Website / Twitter / Facebook

Follow the rest of the WAKE tour!

12/1 review @ Maria's Handmade Love

12/2 review @ Books Glorious Books

12/4 review @ Nightly Reading

12/5 review @ Aobibliosphere

12/6 guest post @ Kickin Back with Kiwi

12/7 guest post @ Aobibliosphere

12/9 review @ The Phantom Paragrapher

12/10 guest post @ Maria's Handmade Love

12/10 review @ All things books

12/10 review @ The Book Diva's Reads

12/11 review @ Just Another Book Addict

12/12 guest post @ Books Glorious Books

12/12 guest post @ Just Another Book Addict

12/13 review @ Keeping Up With The Rheinlanders

12/14 review @ Owl Tell You About It

12/15 guest post @ Owl Tell You About It

12/16 review @ Celtic Lady's Reviews

12/17 guest post @ The Book Diva's Reads

12/18 guest post @ The Phantom Paragrapher

12/19 guest post @ Nightly Reading

12/20 guest post @ Keeping Up With The Rheinlanders

12/21 review @ Kickin Back With Kiwi

12/22 review @ Just One More Paragraph

12/22 guest post @ All things books

12/23 guest post @ Just One More Paragraph

12/30 guest post @ Celtic Lady's Reviews

In My Mailbox #30

2011-12-11T08:13:00.001-08:00

In My Mailbox idea from Kristi @ The Story Siren, all links take you to goodreads.

Hiya guys! Welcome to another In My Mailbox!

This week I got two books from UK Book Tours:

The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Set in Calcutta in the 1930s, The Midnight Palace begins on a dark night when an English lieutenant fights to save newborn twins Ben and Sheere from an unthinkable threat. Despite monsoon-force rains and terrible danger lurking around every street corner, the young lieutenant manages to get them to safety, but not without losing his own life. . . .

Years later, on the eve of Ben and Sheere’s sixteenth birthday, the mysterious threat reenters their lives. This time, it may be impossible to escape. With the help of their brave friends, the twins will have to take a stand against the terror that watches them in the shadows of the night—and face the most frightening creature in the history of the City of Palaces.

Happy reading!

On My Wishlist #39

2011-12-10T05:15:00.001-08:00

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life....

Is life offering fewer and fewer options? Then join the dead.

When Annelise meets dark and seductive Ronan, he promises her a new life-if she has the courage to chance the unknown. Now, she's whisked away to a mysterious island and pitted against other female recruits to become a Watcher-girls who are partnered with vampires and assist them in their missions. To survive and become a Watcher, Annelise has to beat out every other girl, but she's determined to do so, because to fail doesn't mean dishonor-it means death.
Is life offering fewer and fewer options? Then join the dead.

When Annelise meets dark and seductive Ronan, he promises her a new life-if she has the courage to chance the unknown. Now, she's whisked away to a mysterious island and pitted against other female recruits to become a Watcher-girls who are partnered with vampires and assist them in their missions. To survive and become a Watcher, Annelise has to beat out every other girl, but she's determined to do so, because to fail doesn't mean dishonor-it means death.

Happy reading everyone!

The Time Will Come #8

2011-12-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

Jodie over at Books for Company is hosting a Thursday meme. It's really easy to join in. Here's what you have to do:

Pick a book you have been meaning to read
Do a post telling us about the book
Link the post up in the linky
Visit the other blogs!

The Fall by Robert Muchamore

This is another one that's part of a series that I really want to re-read. I've actually read all of them apart from the last which I've promised myself I can only read if I start the series again!

The Fall is the seventh book in the Cherub series which I encourage everyone to read because it is fantastic!

Happy reading!

Winner!

2011-12-07T11:18:00.001-08:00

And the winner of the Book Lover's Giveaway Hop is.....

Coreena McBurnie!

Congratulations! You can expect an email from me in the very near future!

Happy reading everyone!

Review: Nearly Departed

2011-12-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

Title: Nearly Departed
Author: Rook Hastings
Series: Weirdsville #1
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: 04 February 2010
Paperback: 266 pages
Y.A: Horror
My rating: 5/10

Summary:

'I've seen a ghost,' said Emily.
'Well not seen one exactly. Heard one. At least, I think I have...'

Woodsville is not like other towns. Night falls a little earlier there, the shadows are darker and denser, and everyone knows it's a place where strange things happen. Even if they won't admit it.

Bethan would prefer to be anywhere but here. Jay has his theories, but isn't ready to share. Hashim sees more than he'll say, while Kelly's demons are all too flesh and blood. But Emily's freak-out brings them out of denial and face to face with the supernatural.

Anywhere else, Friday night would be date night. But not in Weirdsville...

My thoughts:

Initially I thought this would be a really creepy weird read based on the beginning which - I'll be honest - freaked me out!

I wanted the book to carry on the way it did but sadly I got more and more disappointed. It was one of those situations where I really didn't want to carry on reading but I was already half way through so felt obligated to.

Initially the characters were really fun to read about. There was Hashim who was the class looker and loved to crack unfunny jokes and there was Jay, the class geek with insane theories on the world as we know it. Beth, who thought the students were all a joke and Kelly, miss popularity. They were all completely the opposite which made for great scenes in the book.

The problem for me was that the story itself was too cheesy. It was easily ignored at first but as I read on it became a little unbearable. There were just too many clichés.

It did have it's creepy parts though. Nearly Departed is a book that shouldn't be read before bedtime that's for sure!

Overall it was a great read until about half way through where it becomes an overload of cheese. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be reading the next in the series.

Rook Hastings:

Goodreads|Author Bio

In My Mailbox #29

2011-12-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! Welcome to in my mailbox!

This week I got one e-book and a book from UK Book Tours.

The e-book is:

Fairytale by Maggie Shayne

And the paperback is:

Hidden by Miriam Halahmy

Happy reading everyone! And be sure to check out my Book Lover's Giveaway!

On My Wishlist #38

2011-12-03T05:39:00.001-08:00

Twelve-year-old Annemarie Wilcox (a.k.a. Shug) is facing the start of junior high saddled with a lot of baggage: an impossibly gorgeous older sister, bickering parents, an excruciating crush on her best friend, Mark, and absolutely no self-confidence. Boasting one of the most likable young protagonists in recent memory and narrated in the pitch-perfect voice of conflicted 'tweenness, Jenny Han's appealing debut novel scored an unqualified success with our grown-up booksellers. We think it's sure to resonate with the 9-12 set.

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the charming college co-ed. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his charms, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’ apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

Written in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell's chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, Orwell's narrative is timelier than ever. 1984 presents a startling and haunting vision of the world, so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of multiple generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions a legacy that seems only to grow with the passage of time.

Happy reading everyone! And make sure to check out the giveaway hop!

Review: Wake

2011-12-02T10:32:00.001-08:00

Title: Wake

Author: Abria Mattina

Source: BLB Book Tours

Summary:

Eighteen isn’t too young to run your life into the ground, but it’s not too old to fix it, either. The desire for change drives Willa Kirk from St. John’s, Newfoundland back to her hometown of Smiths Falls, Ontario, away from her mistakes and the place where her sister died. She’s looking for a place to settle and rebuild, but Jem Harper just wants to get out of town, back to the life he knew before cancer. By letting the tragedies in their lives define them, they are both dying a little more every day. Welcome to the wake.

My thoughts:

With this one I feel I should start with the characters. Admittedly I didn't like Jem at first. I found him to be rude and kind of obnoxious as a character but I didn't let it hold me back from reading on as I grew quite fond of him in the end.

What I really loved about the characters was that they were extremely complicated. At first it was quite overwhelming but as I got into the story I found myself really feeling for them and liking how relatable they are. They had faults, they had a lot of baggage and they were human. I do like characters where you want to shout at them for doing one thing and then the next thing you know they come together and they have this chemistry that makes them so easy to read about.

I also loved how the book came together as a whole. Initially I saw how many pages it was and was like, woah, this is going to take quite a bit of time, but it didn't. It had this nice flow to the writing that made me utterly engrossed so I flew through the book.

Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop!

2011-12-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

*Sorry about the missing rafflecoptor form! For some reason it didn't show up *sigh* but since quite a few people have entered through a comment I'm going to change the way to enter and leave it just at that - a comment with your email. Sorry again and thanks for visiting the blog*

Hi guys!

Welcome to the book lover's giveaway hop!

This is actually the first blog hop of any kind that I've participated in so I'm really excited!

For the giveaway I've decided to keep it simple and to keep international readers in mind - and for me that means anyone outside the UK :D

Therefore the giveaway is for one book of choice from the book depository worth up to £10.

The giveaway hop is running from the 2nd to the 6th so you have to be quick!

Good luck to you all!

Make sure to check out the rest of the blog hop!

Teaser Tuesday #34

2011-11-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can take part! All you have to do is:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us (2) teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (but don't give any spoilers!)
Share the title of the book that the teaser is from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

You can find out more here!

My current read: Nearly Departed by Rook Hastings

Random Page: #133

Teaser:

"All of that, everything that happened in there! It was all crazy, man. Emily screaming her head off, turning up in a locked room. You turning into Mother Teresa. Us lot deciding to find out the truth like we're the Famous Five or something. It's mental."

Happy reading everyone!

Review: Touch

2011-11-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

Title: Touch
Author: Jus Accardo
Series: Denazen #1
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: November 2011
YA: Paranormal Romance
My rating: 7/10

Summary:

When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes back home.

Except there's something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she'll turn to dust if he touches her. It's not until Dez's father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realises there's more to this boy - and her father's "law firm" - than she realised.

Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation - an organisation devoted to collecting "special" kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons - his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. Dez and Kale team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they're caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.

A secret Kale will kill to protect.

My thoughts:

For this review I just have to start off by talking about Dez (the protagonist). She was brilliant. I really liked how flawed she was, how she always wanted to get on her father's last nerve and how realistic she was too. Dez did stupid things when she could have handled a situation a whole lot better. Instead of getting annoyed by this though, I enjoyed it. It added to her character and made her relatable in different ways.

Of course Kale was great too. He was such fun to read about at times - there was plenty of humour with him and a bucket load of cuteness with a capital C!

As for the plot I did like the story line. A company that had Kale working for him to the point of slavery and torture because he's a 'Six'. It was great to read and it meant for some cool action at points.

What I liked about it most though, was the Sixes. I just loved the whole idea of their secrecy and variety of gifts. I was really excited when it came to reading about a load of Sixes coming together - it was a great chance for the author's imagination to run wild.

Whilst the characters were really great, I did think that they could have been developed a bit more along with their powers (if they had any) just to give them a bit more depth.

I really do recommend this read! It was quick, fun (for the most part - it did have its serious moments) and an all-round good read. Personally, I'm looking forward to more from Jus!

Connect with Jus:
Website|Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads

Don't forget to check out the interview with Jus Accardo which you can find here!

Author Interview: Jus Accardo

2011-11-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

Title: Touch
Author: Jus Accardo
Series: Denazen #1
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: November 2011
YA: Paranormal Romance

Summary:

A secret Kale will kill to protect.

An interview with Jus Accardo:

What is 'Touch' about? Can you tell us a little about the characters and background to the story?

Dez is a girl trying to get a reaction from her Dad. Any reaction will do. He's cold and distant and her goal in life is to come up with new and amusing ways to set his blood pressure soaring. Enter Kale - a serious hottie she runs into after sneaking home from a party

After she helps him escape some strange men in the woods, she sees only one thing - a way to piss off her Dad. She does - but it doesn't have quite the effect she hoped for.

What inspired you to come up with the idea of the Denazen Corporation and the 'Sixes'?

The Denazen Corportion was actually born in something I wrote years ago - though it's function was slightly different. I'd always loved the overall concept and was thrilled to have the chance to use it.
The Sixes were a result of Kale. I was writing, thinking, hey! What if there were more than just him and they could do different things?

How long did it take you to write 'Touch'?

The first draft took 3 weeks.

To me, Dez was a strong, determined character who likes to be in control. Is she based on anyone you know?

Not really, no. Dez came to me fully formed and had her own mind and personality.

Did you put any research into writing the book?

I did go Bungee jumping. Dez was an adrenalin junkie and I wanted to feel that rush - though I think what I felt was more terror than anything else...

What is your writing process? Do you plan, plan, plan or just go with the flow?

No planning. Not ever. It messes me up. I sat down with a single scene in my head - a girl being chased through the woods, the ground beneath her bare feet withering with each step - and went to town. The story and the characters came out on their own.

What do you do to relax?

I'm a huge World of Warcraft junkie. I also love to cook and watch cartoons.

Do you have any all time favourite books?

A couple of the books I could read over and over are, Nightlife by Rob Thurman and Bitten by Kelley Armstrong.

What's your favourite comfort food?

Well, since coffee technically isn't a food, it's gonna be cheese. Or chicken marsala. It's a tie really, but cheese is easier - and quicker to come by - in a pinch.

If you could give 'Touch' a song, what song would it be?

Horror Show by Powerman 5000.

Anything you'd like to add?

Thank you so much for letting me hand today!

Author Bio:

Jus Accardo is the author of YA paranormal romance and urban fantasy fiction. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald. Her first book, Touch, is due out in November 2011 from Entangled Publishing. She is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

Connect with Jus:
Website|Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads

Give Thanks For Good Books: What Book I'm Grateful For

2011-11-05T17:38:00.001-07:00

Beth Revis is doing this amazing competition where a boatload of books can be won if we do a blog post about one book we are all grateful for. As you might have already guessed, this is my entry.

So here it is:

Lord Loss by Darren Shan

I bet you didn't expect that huh?

There was a time where I hardly ever used to read...at all. I know, shocking!

But then, during English lesson at the beginning of my high school years, we had to do a book report on anything we had read recently as a sort of oral test.

I didn't choose Lord Loss if that's what you're thinking. No, no. Back then I never would have even looked at a book like that. I remember choosing Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson (I actually still have it) and doing my report on that. I loved the book, but it still didn't encourage me to read more in any way.

So where does Lord Loss come into this little anecdote of mine?

My friend read it. My friend did a report on Lord Loss because she absolutely adored books by Darren Shan. And I was completely and utterly captivated. I just desperately wanted this book.

Of course, the next time I was in Waterstones I just had to buy it and then I finished it in a day, bewildered that ever such a book could even exist. I was completely hooked.

Keep in mind that I did read Harry Potter and Roald Dahl - they were like my whole childhood, they were everything to me at the time, but they never seemed to make me want to explore anything else. I never read any magical story not set in Hogwarts, nothing remotely resembling science fiction and definitely no horror.

Lord Loss though. It just blew my mind. I immediately wanted the next book in the series, and the next and the next until I was just like every other fan of Darren Shan eagerly anticipating his next masterpiece.

From there my mind seemed to have been opened to every sort of worlds, characters and stories and I started to read like I have never read before.

There is a quote from W. Somerset Maugham, which just so happens to be one of my favourites:

To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.

That is what I felt Lord Loss did for me. I just delved into a whole other world filled with demons and characters with amazing powers and I felt sort of disconnected from everything that was constantly playing on my mind, whether it was schoolwork or friends, enabling me to give myself a brief respite.

As for after that, I read loads of books -some of which I loved, some of which I despised - and I felt the need to share my thoughts with someone. Then along came this blog.

So I am grateful for books. They've given me a way to voice my opinions and open my mind to new ideas and knowledge and for that I am grateful. Everyone learns something from every book they read and for that I am grateful. They allow us to escape, for a little, from a world that can be horribly unfair and for that I am indeed grateful.

The Time Will Come #7

2011-11-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

Jodie over at Books for Company is hosting a Thursday meme. It's really easy to join in. Here's what you have to do:

Pick a book you have been meaning to read
Do a post telling us about the book
Link the post up in the linky
Visit the other blogs!

This is the tenth book in the Demonata series by Darren Shan which I absolutely adore!
I've been meaning to read the whole series again and review them (I want to share my love for these beauties!) but I just haven't gotten round to it as of yet. Hopefully sometime soon though!

Happy reading!

Everneath Book Trailer

2011-11-02T01:00:00.000-07:00

Hi guys!

So Harperteen on youtube just posted a trailer for Everneath by Brodi Ashton which I think looks super amazing so I wanted to share it with you! Plus the cover is so pretty too.

Check it out!

So what do you think?

Teaser Tuesday #33

2011-11-01T06:51:00.001-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can take part! All you have to do is:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us (2) teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (but don't give any spoilers!)
Share the title of the book that the teaser is from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

You can find out more here!

My current read: There is No Dog by Meg Rosoff

Random Page: #137

Teaser:

'Sorry I couldn'y save you.' Lucy handed Bob his cup of tea. 'Only another half hour, and then we'll go.' She'd had enough, more than enough.

Teaser Tuesday #32

2011-10-25T05:20:00.001-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can take part! All you have to do is:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us (2) teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (but don't give any spoilers!)
Share the title of the book that the teaser is from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

You can find out more here!

My current read: Cuckoo by Julia Crouch

Random Page: #375

Teaser:

She switched on the hall light and listened for any sound or movement. Then, carefully, holding the umbrella a little like a sword, she edged up the stairs until she was in the bed-sitting room. She hadn't been in here properly - without Polly watching her every movement - for a long while.

Happy reading everyone!

Review: Soul Beach

2011-10-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Title: Soul Beach

Author: Kate Harrison

Publisher: Orion Books

Publication date: September 2011

Paperback: 272 pages

Young Adult

Source: UK Book Tours

Extract

My rating: 9/10

Summary:

When Alice Forster receives an email from her dead sister she assumes it must be a sick practical joke. Then an invitation arrives to the virtual world of Soul Beach, an idyllic online paradise of sun, sea and sand where Alice can finally talk to her sister again - and discover a new world of friendships, secrets and maybe even love . . . . But why is Soul Beach only inhabited by the young, the beautiful and the dead? Who really murdered Megan Forster? And could Alice be next? The first book in an intriguing and compelling trilogy centred around the mystery of Megan Forster's death.

My thoughts:

This book absolutely fascinated me. It was just so unexpected I was sucked right into it and loved ever second.

Alice was a great character who had recently lost her big sister. At first she thought the emails sent inviting her to Soul Beach was a sick joke until she found it was a place she could talk to her sister again. Weird right? It gets better. This Soul Beach is supposed to be this virtual world where only some dead people go and yet Alice can hear the sea calling and the feel of the sand tempting her to open her laptop up and fall into this other world once more.

I felt like Soul Beach was an introduction into the trilogy it's set to be, which I normally don't like because sometimes it results in the book having no real depth to it. Not in this case though. I was literally captivated with the characters both dead and alive.

The ending really shocked me and the next book really could go anywhere from the way Soul Beach was wrapped up, which was....not at all. The ending was left wide open which shocked me a bit.

I can't really say much more without risk of ruining the story but I do strongly recommend this one.

Kate Harrison:

Goodreads|Website|Twitter

On My Wishlist #37

2011-10-22T06:08:00.001-07:00

Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he's on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian - leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies.

Nobleman, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, Captain Jezal dan Luthar has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.

Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.

Enter the wizard, Bayaz. A bald old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he's about to make the lives of Logen, Jezal, and Glotka a whole lot more difficult.

School is over, not just for the year, but forever. Tiff and Kayla are free, which is what they've always wanted, but now summer is nearly at and end and that means life decisions. Tiff is hoping her job at the local paper will lead to something more... But 'The Shark' soon puts her straight on what it takes to become a hard-nosed reporter like him. At home, Reggie - the only grandad she's ever known - has quit the smokes and diagnosed himself as cactus. Then Kayla hits her with some big news. And into all this stumbles Davey, the first boy who has ever really wanted to know her.
Tiff is smart with words and rarely does tears, but in one short week she discovers that words don't always get you there; they don't let you say all the stuff from deep in your heart.

Happy reading everyone!

Teaser Tuesday #31

2011-10-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can take part! All you have to do is:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us (2) teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (but don't give any spoilers!)
Share the title of the book that the teaser is from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

You can find out more here!

My current read: Prisoner of the Inquisition

Random Page: #205

Teaser:

'To finance such an expedition would cost a great deal of money.'
This comment came from a man dressed in the garb of a notary. It was known that the monarchs guarded their purses against the ruinous cost of the war.

Sorry about the lack of reviews lately - been super busy - one is coming very soon though!
Happy reading everyone!

The Time Will Come #6

2011-10-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Jodie over at Books for Company is hosting a Thursday meme. It's really easy to join in. Here's what you have to do:

Pick a book you have been meaning to read
Do a post telling us about the book
Link the post up in the linky
Visit the other blogs!

I love the Wolves of Mercy Falls series so I thought I would buy Lament and give it a go. I'm a little apprehensive about this one though since I haven't had much luck with books based on faeries. Hopefully some time soon though!

Happy reading!

On My Wishlist #36

2011-10-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Rachel White is the consummate good girl. A hard-working attorney at a large Manhattan law firm and a diligent maid of honor to her charmed best friend Darcy, Rachel has always played by all the rules. Since grade school, she has watched Darcy shine, quietly accepting the sidekick role in their lopsided friendship. But that suddenly changes the night of her thirtieth birthday when Rachel finally confesses her feelings to Darcy's fiance, and is both horrified and thrilled to discover that he feels the same way. As the wedding date draws near, events spiral out of control, and Rachel knows she must make a choice between her heart and conscience. In so doing, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren't always neat, and sometimes you have to risk everything to be true to yourself.

As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

New York City, 1882. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Stewart's latest obsession is a painting of the handsome British Lord Denbury. Something in his striking blue eyes calls to her. As his incredibly life-like gaze seems to follow her, Natalie gets the uneasy feeling that details of the painting keep changing...

Jonathan Denbury's soul is trapped in the gilded painting by dark magic while his possessed body commits unspeakable crimes in the city slums. He must lure Natalie into the painting, for only together can they reverse the curse and free his damaged soul.

Happy reading everyone!

Review: Raw Blue

2011-10-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

Title: Raw Blue

Author: Kirsty Eagar

Publisher: Penguin Australia

Publication date: 29/06/09

Paperback: 274 pages

Young Adult: Contemporary

Source: Loan from UK Swap Shop

Extract|Video

My Rating: 7/10

Summary:

Carly has dropped out of uni to spend her days surfing and her nights working as a cook in a Manly café. Surfing is the one thing she loves doing … and the only thing that helps her stop thinking about what happened two years ago at schoolies week.

And then Carly meets Ryan, a local at the break, fresh out of jail. When Ryan learns the truth, Carly has to decide. Will she let the past bury her? Or can she let go of her anger and shame, and find the courage to be happy?

My thoughts:

I had heard loads of great things about this one so I just had to pick it up.

Unfortunately though I was a little disappointed. It was a good read but I was expecting it to be a lot better.

Raw Blue is basically about a nineteen year old, Carly, who loves to surf and so she dropped out of University to have more time to do so. She's fallen out with her family, she has this a horrible past, she has to work in a horrible cafe during the night where she's not having a great time of it.

I really liked the characters. I thought the way Carly was written made reading the whole book a great experience where I was completely relaxed reading it and I found myself forgetting about everything else going on around me and was solely focused on the story.

Kirsty Eagar made a video about Raw Blue which I've linked at the top of this post and she mentioned that normally, writing is telling a story, but for Raw Blue it was like listening to one. I completely agree with where she's coming from because reading this was like listening to Carly's story. The problem was, I didn't feel like Carly was a strong enough character for me to feel the anger she feels in the book. I knew she was angry. I just didn't feel angry for her, which is what I should have felt given her circumstances. That's where I was disappointed.

Ryan was a great character. It was great how the typical roles in novels was reversed in this one. Ryan was the one to help Carly get through obstacles and tell him her past so she could deal with it. I think normally in books it's the other way round. However, I felt that Ryan wasn't mentioned no way near enough for how important he was to the story and to Carly's development as a character.

Overall I do recommend this read. It was a quick read and despite my negative thoughts about it, it was rather memorable.

Great Quotes:

Once they know they've got a hold of your shame, they can shake it out and hold it up for the all world to see. And you become less than it. You become something disgusting.

He’s still singing to himself, eyes closed, pretending, I think, that I’m someone else.
I shout in his ear again. ‘So you can’t just lay down and die?’
He doesn’t open his eyes, but he nods. ‘You can’t just lay down and die”

Kirsty Eagar:
Goodreads|Website|Blog|

The Time Will Come #5

2011-10-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Jodie over at Books for Company is hosting a Thursday meme. It's really easy to join in. Here's what you have to do:

Pick a book you have been meaning to read
Do a post telling us about the book
Link the post up in the linky
Visit the other blogs!

I've already read Evermore and I quite enjoyed it so I bought Blue Moon quite a while ago. It's just a case of getting round to reading it...in fact, I should probably read Evermore again before starting this one straight after since it's been so long!

Happy reading!

Random Acts of Kindness: October

2011-10-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's the start of another month so you know what that means!

For those of you that aren't familiar with the programme head on over to Book Soulmates to check out the details

Unfortunately this month I didn't send anything out to anyone and I didn't receive anything either so I'm just going to go straight to the wishlist!

October Wishlist:

(new/used paperbacks/hardbacks - no kindle)

The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder
Fallen by Celia Thomson
Immortal by Gillian Shields
Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent
Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
Beautiful Demons by Sarra Cannon
Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott

Happy reading everyone!

In My Mailbox #28

2011-10-02T08:46:00.001-07:00

In My Mailbox idea from Kristi @ The Story Siren, all links take you to goodreads.

Hiya guys! Welcome to another In My Mailbox!

This week I got one book from UK Book Tours:

Soul Beach by Kate Harrison

Happy reading everyone!

Giveaway Winners!

2011-10-01T13:08:00.001-07:00

As part of BLB Book Tours I was having a couple of giveaways on the blog for Imperium by Nicholas Olivo and The Door at the Top of the Stairs by Alison Holt.

The giveaways ended yesterday so it's time to announce the winners!!

The winner of Imperium is:

Anita Yancey!!!

And the winner of The Door at the Top of the Stairs is:

Farah M.J Elmajdoub

Congratulations to the both of you and I hope you enjoy the reads. I've already emailed both you and the authors!

Happy reading!

On My Wishlist #35

2011-10-01T12:46:00.001-07:00

Their love was meant to be.

When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRís.

But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction.

*the cover of this one is intriguing and I definitely want to know more about this.*

Until now, high school junior, John Keats, has only tiptoed near the edges of the vortex that is schoolmate and literary prodigy, Gordon Byron. That is, until their mutual friend, Shelly, drowns in a sailing accident.

After stealing Shelly's ashes from her wake at Trinity Catholic High School, the boys set a course for the small Lake Erie island where Shelly's body had washed ashore and to where she wished to be returned. It would be one last "so Shelly" romantic quest. At least that's what they think. As they navigate around the obstacles and resist temptations during their odyssey, Keats and Gordon glue together the shattered pieces of Shelly's and their own pasts while attempting to make sense of her tragic and premature end.

*The summary of 'So Shelly' made me really want to read it - it sounds promising - hopefully it lives up to that promise!*

It’s the end of Year 12. Lucy’s looking for Shadow, the graffiti artist everyone talks about.

His work is all over the city, but he is nowhere.

Ed, the last guy she wants to see at the moment, says he knows where to find him. He takes Lucy on an all-night search to places where Shadow’s thoughts about heartbreak and escape echo around the city walls.

But the one thing Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes.

*I've heard a lot of good things about 'Graffiti Moon' so I definitely need to pick this one up.*

Happy reading everyone!

The Time Will Come #4

2011-09-29T07:59:00.001-07:00

Jodie over at Books for Company is hosting a Thursday meme. It's really easy to join in. Here's what you have to do:

Pick a book you have been meaning to read
Do a post telling us about the book
Link the post up in the linky
Visit the other blogs!

This is the twelfth book in the Cherub series. I bought this one a while ago and I've been meaning to read it ever since. I love this series and I can't wait to find out what happens in this one. It's just a case of getting round to it like all the other books!

If you haven't read the first book in the series, The Recruit you really should pick it up. It's a brilliant read by a brilliant author.

Happy reading everyone!

Review: Ashes

2011-09-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Title: Ashes

Author: Ilsa Bick

Publisher: Quercus

Publication date: 29th September 2011

Paperback: 465 pages

Source: Received from publisher

Young adult: Horror

My rating: 10/10!!!

Extract

Summary:

No, she thought. No, please, God, I'm not seeing this.

Seventeen - year - old Alex is hiking through the wilderness when it happens: an earth-shattering electromagnetic pulse that destroys almost everything.

Survivors are divided between those who have developed a superhuman sense and those who have acquired a taste for human flesh. These flesh-hunters stalk the land: hungry, ruthless and increasingly clever...

Alex meets Tom, a young army veteran, and Ellie, a lost girl. They will fight together and be torn apart, but Alex must face the most difficult question of all: in such a vastly changed world, who can you trust?

A story of high-wire tension, gut-wrenching twists, and burgeoning love, Ashes will leave you breathless.

My thoughts:

I can't even begin to describe how much I loved reading this book. I never wanted it to end!

It literally had everything I personally love in books. It had loads of twists and turns, great characters, horror that isn't for the fainthearted and such strong emotions that a reader can actually feel as the characters experience them because of the desperate situation they are in.

Alex was by far my favourite character. Not because she's the main protagonist, but because she's the no-nonsense, tell it like it is sort. She was smart and she wasn't afraid to act when the time came down to it. There was no 'acting the hero' sort of thing with her, it was just doing what needed to be done and to keep other people safe before herself.

Tom and Alex were great companions along with Ellie. They both fit well together and worked well as a team which made them both likeable. I felt that I couldn't really get to know Tom as a character properly though before the end of the novel for reasons obvious when you read the book. There were little tidbits of Tom's past that were revealed but not enough! I want to know more!

That's another thing, about halfway through the book, the plot takes a dramatic turn which I'm sure not everyone will appreciate. It did work for me though so I can't complain. It was one of those moments where you keep reading, sort of get a little confused for a second at the way the story is developing, and then just accept it as the way the author wanted it to go. I thought it was a brilliant turn of events and it made me read just that little bit faster!

The plot itself was amazing! An electromagnetic pulse? That could have gone either way, I'm sure, but in Ashes it worked so well. Plus, it was a read that made me cringe quite a bit which doesn't happen very often anymore with the amount of horror I read! I seriously loved every shiver that went down my spine and every revolted gasp I made!

One thing I can't believe though, was the ending. For obvious reasons I won't say how it ended but it took me so completely by surprise that I was kind of in shock for a while and couldn't read anything else! I really can't wait for more from Ilsa Bick because Ashes was a truly glorious read that gave me goosebumps! One of my top favourites of the year so far!

Ilsa Bick:
Goodreads|Website|Facebook|Twitter

Teaser Tuesday #30

2011-09-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can take part! All you have to do is:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us (2) teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (but don't give any spoilers!)
Share the title of the book that the teaser is from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

You can find out more here!

My current read:Night Road by Kristin Hannah

Random Page: #89

Teaser:

The remark was unsettling. ' I saw a master gardener class that looked interesting,' she said, hearing - and hating - the anemic tone in her voice. Lately, she'd begun to wonder the exact same thing. What would she do when her children were gone?

Happy reading everyone!

In My Mailbox #27

2011-09-25T06:14:00.001-07:00

In My Mailbox idea from Kristi @ The Story Siren, all links take you to goodreads.

Hiya guys! Welcome to another In My Mailbox!

This week both of the book I received came from UK Book Tours.

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

Lexi and Mia are inseparable from the moment they start high school. Different in so many ways - Lexi is an orphan and lives with her aunt on a trailer park, while Mia is a golden girl blessed with a loving family and a beautiful home. Yet they recognise something in each other which sets them apart from the crowd, ad Mia comes to rely heavily on Lexi's steadfast friendship. Something which, at first, worries Mia's mother, Jude.

Mia's beloved and incredibly good-looking twin brother Zach finds life much less complicated than his sister. Jude thought she's never have to worry about her son, that he's always sail through life achieving whatever he, and his family, wanted and expected - but then he fell in love.

The summer they graduated is a time they will always remember, the one they could never forget. It is a summer of love, best friends, shared confidences and promises. Then one moment one night changes them all forever. As hearts are broken, loyalties challenged and hopes dashed, the time has come to leave childhood behind and learn to face the future.

Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery by Keren David

Money can't buy you love. But it can buy many other very nice things. Lia's mum is a nag, her sister's a pain and she's getting nowhere in pursuit of the potentially paranormal Raf. Then she wins GBP8 million in the lottery, and suddenly everything is different. But will Lia's fortune create more problems than it solves? Everyone dreams of winning the lottery - but what's it really like?

Happy reading everyone!

On My Wishlist #34

2011-09-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Living among us are the "Others," an ancient race of humans with supernatural powers who swear allegiance to either the Dark or the Light. A thousand-year treaty has maintained the balance of power, and the two sides coexist in an uneasy truce. But an ancient prophecy decrees that one supreme "Other" will rise up and tip the balance, plunging the world into a catastrophic war between the Dark and the Light. When a young boy with extraordinary powers emerges, fulfilling the first half of the prophecy, will the forces of the Light be able to keep the Dark from corrupting the boy and destroying the world?

Olive Corbett is definitely NOT crazy.

Not anymore. These days she takes her meds like a good girl, hangs out with her best friend Ami, and stays the hell away from the toxic girls she used to be friends with.

She doesn’t need a boyfriend. Especially not a lifesaver-type with a nice smile. And she doesn’t need the drama of that creepy new girl Miranda, who has somehow latched on to Olive's ex-best friend.

Yet from a distance, Olive can see there's something sinister about the new friendship. Something almost... parasitic. Maybe the wild rumours ARE true. Maybe Miranda is a killer.

But who would believe Olive? She does have a habit of letting her imagination run away with her…

Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind-a skinwalker of Cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires and hunts vampires for a living. But now she's been hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katie's Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who's killing other vamps...

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Happy reading everyone!

The Time Will Come #3

2011-09-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Jodie over at Books for Company is hosting a Thursday meme. It's really easy to join in. Here's what you have to do:

Pick a book you have been meaning to read
Do a post telling us about the book
Link the post up in the linky
Visit the other blogs!

After years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home.

At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behaviour. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either

I've actually read this trilogy before but it was quite a while ago now. I did love it though so I've been meaning to start it again with 'The Summoning' to review it on the blog. Hopefully one day soon!

Happy reading

Teaser Tuesday #29

2011-09-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can take part! All you have to do is:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us (2) teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (but don't give any spoilers!)
Share the title of the book that the teaser is from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

You can find out more here!

My current read: Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Random Pages: #34 and #382

Teasers:

Alex pulled in a quick gasp. Air rushed into her mouth and over her tongue, and then she registered sour...and sharp char and...and sweet.

Well that wasn't good. She couldn't think of a decent excuse that would get her into the basement so she could steal some ammo - or past a locked door, for that matter. So that meant she would have to steal a weapon from someone's house.

Happy reading everyone!

Review: Beautiful Creatures

2011-09-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

Title: Beautiful Creatures

Author: Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

Publisher: Puffin

Publication date: 04 Feb 2010

Paperback: 563 pages

Source: Swapped

Fantasy

My Rating: 7/10

Summary:

IN ETHAN WATE'S HOMETOWN THERE LIES THE DARKEST OF SECRETS...

There is a girl.
Slowly, she pulled the hood from her head...green eyes, black hair.
LENA DUCHANNES

There is a curse.
On the sixteenth moon, of the sixteenth year, the book will take what it's been promised.
AND NO ONE CAN STOP IT.

In the end, there is a grave.

Lena and Ethan become bound together by a deep, powerful love. But Lena is cursed and , on her sixteenth birthday, her fate will be decided.
ETHAN NEVER EVEN SAW IT COMING.

My thoughts:

A lot of people have recommended this read to me so I just had to pick it up.

For the most part it was a good read for me. A boy growing up in a town that he wants to get away from and a new, completely unusual girl comes into the picture that interests him because she's so different to what he's used to. It's the basis of a story that can go anywhere.

It had a lot of exciting and shocking events within the story that made me feel for the main characters but the problem was it went on too long. It's fine for a book to be over 500 pages, but when it gets repetitive it's hard to finish for the storyline and not for the sake of finishing it because I had already read 400 pages.

The characters themselves were great. Lena was a strong character that didn't take no for an answer and Ethan was sweet. The supporting characters were good too. Link (Ethan's best friend) was funny and seemed to be the opposite to Ethan which was probably why they fit so well. The characters that are there to sort of test the protagonists - which they did in bucket loads - were written really well.

Beautiful Creatures is all about this curse that Lena has. It's all about counting down to Lena's sixteenth birthday when something disastrous is going to happen. The build up to the birthday is full of suspense which is definitely what kept me reading. Which brings me to another problem I had. The timing of this book was brilliant until it got closer to the birthday. It just seemed like as it got closer to the date in the book the time gap between events got shorter and shorter which put me off a little. It wasn't evenly distributed if that makes sense. Something would happen and then readers are reminded the date is three months away, but then something else would happen and then reader's are reminded that the birth day is the next week. It was a little frustrating.

The setting of the story - a small town called Gatlin - was brilliantly written. It was a place that was meant to be suffocating and stuffy. It was meant to put people off, at least people who had any sense according to Ethan. I think it was the perfect place for a story like Beautiful Creatures to take place. Gatlin was probably my most favourite aspect of the novel.

Overall, I did enjoy this read because it has a little of everything. I do recommend it for those who like novels filled with suspense, nasty schoolgirls and sweet romance that develops in its own time.

Great quotes:

Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead

I'm just the librarian. I can only give you the books. I can't give you the answers.

Kami Garcia:

Goodreads|Website|Blog|Twitter|Facebook

Margaret Stohl:

Goodreads|Website|Twitter|Facebook

In My Mailbox #26

2011-09-18T05:37:00.001-07:00

In My Mailbox idea from Kristi @ The Story Siren, all links take you to goodreads.

Hiya guys! Welcome to another In My Mailbox!

This week I got one book which was received for review with big thanks to Quercus Books!

Alex has run away and is hiking through the wilderness with her dead parents' ashes, about to say goodbye to the life she no longer wants to live. But then the world suddenly changes. An electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky zapping every electronic device and killing the vast majority of adults. For those spared, it's a question of who can be trusted and who has changed... Everyone still alive has turned - some for the better (those who acquired a superhuman sense) while others for the worse (those who acquired a taste for human flesh). Desperate to find out what happened and to avoid the zombies that are on the hunt, Alex meets up with Tom - an Army veteran who escaped one war only to find something worse at home - and Ellie, a young girl whose grandfather was killed by the electromagnetic pulse. This improvised family will have to use every ounce of courage they have just to find food, shelter, while fighting off the 'Changed' and those desperate to stay alive.

Happy reading guys!

On My Wishlist #33

2011-09-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

For every woman trying to strike that impossible balance between work and home-and pretending that she has-and for every woman who has wanted to hurl the acquaintance who coos admiringly, "Honestly, I just don't know how you do it," out a window, here's a novel to make you cringe with recognition and laugh out loud. With fierce, unsentimental irony, Allison Pearson's novel brilliantly dramatizes the dilemma of working motherhood at the start of the twenty-first century.

Meet Kate Reddy, hedge-fund manager and mother of two. She can juggle nine different currencies in five different time zones and get herself and two children washed and dressed and out of the house in half an hour. In Kate's life, Everything Goes Perfectly as long as Everything Goes Perfectly. She lies to her own mother about how much time she spends with her kids; practices pelvic floor squeezes in the boardroom; applies tips from Toddler Taming to soothe her irascible boss; uses her cell phone in the office bathroom to procure a hamster for her daughter's birthday ("Any working mother who says she doesn't bribe her kids can add Liar to her résumé"); and cries into the laundry hamper when she misses her children's bedtime.

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

Carly has dropped out of uni to spend her days surfing and her nights working as a cook in a Manly café. Surfing is the one thing she loves doing ... and the only thing that helps her stop thinking about what happened two years ago. Then she meets Ryan and Carly has to decide ... Will she let the past bury her? Or can she let go of her anger and shame, and find the courage to be happy?

Frey is the captain of the Ketty Jay, leader of a small and highly dysfunctional band of layabouts. An inveterate womaniser and rogue, he and his gang make a living on the wrong side of the law, avoiding the heavily armed flying frigates of the Coalition Navy. With their trio of ragged fighter craft, they run contraband, rob airships and generally make a nuisance of themselves. So a hot tip on a cargo freighter loaded with valuables seems like a great prospect for an easy heist and a fast buck. Until the heist goes wrong, and the freighter explodes. Suddenly Frey isn't just a nuisance anymore - he's public enemy number one, with the Coalition Navy on his tail and contractors hired to take him down. But Frey knows something they don't. That freighter was rigged to blow, and Frey has been framed to take the fall. If he wants to prove it, he's going to have to catch the real culprit. He must face liars and lovers, dogfights and gunfights, Dukes and daemons. It's going to take all his criminal talents to prove he's not the criminal they think he is ...

Happy reading everyone!

Review: Eight Keys

2011-09-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Title: Eight Keys

Author: Suzanne LaFleur

Publisher:Puffin Books

Publication date: 11 August 2011

Uncorrected book proof: 216 pages

Source: UK Book Tours

My Rating: 6/10

Summary:

Before I used it, the key had infinite possibilities.

Eleven-year-old Elise feels stuck. Her school locker-buddy squashes her lunch and laughs at her, every day. She doesn't want to go to school - and her best friend Franklin just makes things worse.

Now I was ready for something to be different. Anything, really.

One day Elise discovers an incredible secret. A secret that might just help her unlock her past, and take a chance on the future.

I decided that tomorrow I would see what that key opened up. It had my name on it after all...

My thoughts:

This is going to be one of those awkward reviews where I'm struggling to get my thoughts down on paper...or the internet in this case.

I loved how cute this read was. An eleven, turning twelve, year old who discovers a key meant just for her is going to be a cute character no matter what happens.

The secret behind the key is so sweet and heartbreaking that it makes the book worth reading anyway but apart from that the book wasn't that great. It was a quick and easy read but it just didn't sit well. It was actually quite depressing but not in that I could still read if I was in the mood for a sad story - it was just, depressing, which was quite disappointing.

I also thought that Franklin wasn't a realistic character, he seemed way too young for eleven or twelve so his character didn't really make sense to me sometimes which was frustrating.

Apart from that it was a quick read that can be finished in an afternoon and it did have its good parts that tugged at my heartstrings.

Suzanne LaFleur:
Goodreads|Website

The Time Will Come #2

2011-09-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

Jodie over at Books for Company is hosting a Thursday meme. It's really easy to join in. Here's what you have to do:

Pick a book you have been meaning to read
Do a post telling us about the book
Link the post up in the linky
Visit the other blogs!

An electric combination of angels, mystery and romance, EXILE is the breathtaking sequel to MERCY in a major new paranormal romance series.

Mercy’s search continues ...

Mercy is an angel with a shattered memory, exiled from heaven for a crime she can’t remember committing.

So when she ‘wakes’ inside the body and life of eighteen-year-old Lela Neill, Mercy has only limited recall of her past life. Her strongest memories are of Ryan, the mortal boy who’d begun to fall for her – and she for him.

Mercy soon discovers that circumstances have forced Lela into waitressing at the Green Lantern, a busy city café frequented by suits, cab drivers, strippers, backpackers and the homeless, while caring for her terminally ill mother.

Just as Mercy is adjusting to Lela’s life, her beloved, Luc, reappears in her dreams, and she begins to glimpse her true nature and true feelings for Ryan. What she does not know is that her attempts to contact Ryan may have explosive consequences for everyone around her.

Meanwhile, ‘the Eight’ — the angelic beings responsible for her banishment — remain determined to keep Mercy and Luc apart, forever .

Happy reading everyone!

Review: Kill All Enemies

2011-09-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

Title: Kill All Enemies

Author: Melvin Burgess

Publisher:Puffin Books

Publication date: 01 September 2011

Paperback: 320 pages

Young Adult

Source: UK Book Tours

My Rating: 7/10

Summary:

Everyone says fourteen-year-old Billie is nothing but trouble. A fighter. A danger to her family and friends. But her care worker sees someone different.

Her classmate Rob is big, strong. He can take care of himself and his brother. But his violent Stepdad sees someone to humiliate.

And Chris is struggling at school. He just doesn't want to be there. But his Dad sees a useless no-hoper.

Billie, Rob and Chris each have a story to tell. But there are two sides to every story, and the question is...who do you believe?

My thoughts:

I really liked this read because of the realistic characters. They are probably the most realistic characters I have come across in a book so far which is always a good thing. They weren't likeable all the time but they each had their own story that came together in the end in a way that makes you question the way society works sometimes.

It's a good author that can make you like and dislike a character at the same time. The characters did stupid things sometimes and yet I felt for them when they continued to be misunderstood.

It makes you realise that a person's actions are for a reason whether it be good or bad. I won't bore you with a rant about society from me because I'll get carried away, but, it really makes you think twice about judging someone based on their actions and your immediate response.

Having said that the book didn't sit well with me at times. I can't place it exactly but the jump between characters and events sort of frustrated me somehow. Maybe there could have been more details and such but sometimes the book was uncomfortable to read. For me anyways.

I do recommend this one though. It's the book that makes you think whilst reading it in order to understand what's going on fully. It's a good read.

Melvin Burgess:
Goodreads|Website|Blog|Twitter

Teaser Tuesday #28

2011-09-13T10:39:00.001-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can take part! All you have to do is:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us (2) teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (but don't give any spoilers!)
Share the title of the book that the teaser is from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

You can find out more here!

My current read: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

Random Page: #277

Teaser:

These days, such a strong current flowed between us that it was hard to sort out what was me and what was her.
All I knew was, I wanted to kiss her.

Happy reading everyone! And make sure to check out the giveaways going on the blog in the sidebar.

Giveaway!

2011-09-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

That's right, it's another giveaway!!!

As part of the BLB tour for 'The Door at the Top of the Stairs', the author, Alison Holt, has kindly offered to give away an ecopy of her novel.

To enter read the rules at the bottom of the rafflecopter widget and fill it in!

Good luck!

Happy reading!

In My Mailbox #25

2011-09-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

In My Mailbox idea from Kristi @ The Story Siren, all links take you to goodreads.

Hiya guys! Welcome to another In My Mailbox!

This week I only got one book which was another swap.

I swapped a book for:

Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz

Matt has always known he has unusual powers. Raised in foster care, he is sent to Yorkshire on a rehabilitation programme, only to find himself in the midst of sinister goings-on. Matt investigates and uncovers a terrible secret - eight guardians are protecting the world from the evil ones, beings banished long ago by five children. But devil worshippers want to let the evil ones back in. As the story reaches its climax, it looks like Matt has succeeded in stopping them...or has he?

I've always loved this series and I've read all of the books so far but I've never owned Raven's Gate for some reason. Hopefully I'll be able to read the books again and share my thoughts!

Happy reading everyone!

On My Wishlist #32

2011-09-10T04:50:00.001-07:00

An intergalactic cold war-and some heated passion- from an inventive new voice in futuristic romance.

After a stint in an alien prison, Captain Ari Rose wonders why she even bothered to survive. Stripped of her command and banished to her father's scientific expedition to finish a Ph.D. she doesn't want, Ari never planned to languish quietly behind a desk. She wasn't built for it, either. But when pirates commandeer her father's ship, Ari once again becomes a prisoner.

As far as pirate leader Cullin is concerned, Ari's past imprisonment puts her dead center in Cullin's sights. If she hasn't been brainwashed and returned as a spy, then he's convinced she must be part of a traitorous alliance endangering billions of lives. Cullin can't afford the desire she fires within him and he'll stop at nothing, including destroying her, to uncover the truth.

That's all on my wishlist this week. Make sure to check out the giveaway on the blog and have a nice weekend!

Happy reading!

Review: Seared by Desire

2011-09-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

Title: Seared by Desire

Author: Jennifer T. Alli

Publication date: December 12th 2010

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Source: Received from author.

My Rating: 8/10

Summary:

A cold heart…
For centuries Lucian has battled on two fronts. Defeating the Malachites, all that stand between him and becoming King of the vampires and the demon within himself, battling desperately for release. His attention stretched thin he has no time for women but Sara, his fiery bride won’t be denied.

A burning touch…
With a deadly curse hanging over her head, Sara knows her time is short. Placing her life in Lucian's hands is a risk she knows she must take and one her innocent heart gladly makes for Lucian makes her body burn and her soul fly.

Never had hot and cold reacted so combustively.
Sara’s presence pushes Lucian to the brink of madness, her nearness making him crazed with the need for her blood. Though his fangs ache with longing, to bite her could condemn them both but the attraction between them is too strong to be denied. As they race headlong towards a fiery conclusion will they emerge unscathed to will the flames of desire consume them both?

My thoughts:

This a great read about a fire elemental, Sara, who is shunned from both her family and community for being powerless. However, things soon change when Sara discovers she is cursed and that only one certain vampire can keep her alive.

I think the best thing about this novel is the characters. Lucian, the Lord of the vampires, is a strong character from the start - completely unselfish with only his people in mind, a strong warrior and to top it all off he's completely irresistible.

The plot was full of desperation, anxiety and a few battle scenes so it had a little bit of everything. It had a perfect ending which definitely leaves you wanting more from the author. Definitely a recommended read!

Jennifer T. Alli
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Giveaway!

2011-09-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's time for another giveaway!

As part of the Book Lovin' Bitches tour forImperium, the author, Nicholas Olivo, has kindly offered to giveaway an ecopy of Imperium on the blog! You can check out my review of the book here.

To enter check out the rules at the bottom of the Rafflecopter widget and fill it in!

Happy reading everyone!