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Friday, 20 January 2012

On My Wishlist #44

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.

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!

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.

Thursday, 19 January 2012

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

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!

Wednesday, 18 January 2012

The Time Will Come #10

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

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

Sunday, 15 January 2012

Review: Revealing Eden

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: