Once Upon a Bookcase

Blogspiration (1)

2012-01-29T17:16:00.001Z

Blogspiration is a Brand Spankin' New weekly meme hosted by both GrowingUp YA and Saz101. The meme was created to help spark inspiration among bloggers, readers and writers alike. An inspirational quote/picture/video is posted weekly, on the day of the author's choosing, so that it may inspire creativity, conversation and just a little SOMETHING.

So for my first post, I'm sharing this:

Source.

I think it's a fantastic carving! But it also shows that books and reading can take us away to other places! I think it's brilliant!

I'd love to see your own Blogspiration posts, so please feel free to link to them in the comments if you wish.

In My Mailbox (79)

2012-01-29T14:59:00.000Z

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. All links go to Goodreads.

For review:

Rebirth by Bets Davies
Choker by Elizabeth Woods - 2012 Debut
A Cold Season by Alison Littlewood
POD by Stephen Wallenfels
Vampireology by Nicky Raven

News: Crow's Revenge by Marcus Alexander

2012-01-23T09:00:00.023Z

On 2nd February, Puffin will publish Crow's Revenge by Marcus Alexander, the first in the Keeper of the Realm's series, and I have some great things to share with you all!

Keeper of the Realms: Crow's Revenge by Marcus Alexander (released 2nd February 2012) - 'I've just had a flesh-eating giant tearing around my house and now I'm in this strange land I don't know anything about!'

Charlie Keeper has been forced from her home by a bloodthirsty and terrifying stranger.

But in escaping she discovers her house holds the gateway to the Realm of Bellania - a place of myth, magic . . . and an evil Lord with a very bad attitude.

Now its fate rests squarely upon Charlie's shoulders. But before she can untangle the mystery that will save Bellania, she needs the answer to a life-changing secret her guardian, the dastardly Mr Crow, has been keeping from her . . . Just who is Charlie Keeper? from Amazon UK

Sounds cool, huh? Check out the awesome trailer too:

And take a look at the awesome artwork that features in the book (click images for larger view):

In case you need any more convincing (Really? After all that?) here's an extract for you!

Review: Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

2012-01-22T19:26:00.001Z

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine - WELCOME TO MORGANVILLE. JUST DON'T STAY OUT AFTER DARK.

Morganville is a small town filled with unusual characters -- when the sun goes down, the bad come out. In Morganville, there is an evil that lurks in the darkest shadows -- one that will spill out into the bright light of day.

For Claire Danvers, high school was hell, but college may be murder. It was bad enough that she got on the wrong side of Monica, the meanest of the school's mean girls, but now she's got three new roommates, who all have secrets of their own. And the biggest secret of all isn't really a secret, except from Claire: Morganville is run by vampires, and they are hungry for fresh blood... From Amazon UK

I've read Glass Houses before, before I ever started blogging, and so I'm writing a proper review for it. It's been quite a while since I last read Glass Houses, that I couldn't quite remember the story. I remembered Claire left her dorm at uni to go live with Michael, Eve and Shane after being attacked by Monica, I remembered her finding out about the vampires, and I remembered a search for the book, but there was quite a lot I didn't remember, which made the reread pretty exciting!

Some of the things I didn't remember. Claire has had black hair since when?! I've always imagined her as a blonde! Probably because of the cover of my edition (above). I'd forgotten just how psycho Monica is - who I have always imagined to look like Megan Fox; Monica is a psychotic version of Megan Fox's character, Carla in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen - and how she actually wants Claire dead! She's a cow throughout the series, but I forgot just how bad she is in this book. I also forgot the introduction of certain characters in this, I didn't think they were introduced until several books into the series! And I forgot how this book ended! I thought something that happens in a later book ended this one! It got all confusing! But almost like a completely different, unread book, as I wasn't sure what was happening! It was fun! And I didn't realise the "will they? won't they?" romance between Claire and Shane even started simmering in this book! I thought it happened later on! So that was a lovely surprise and really fun to rediscover! Ohhh, it's so sweet! I do love those guys.

The story itself is exciting! The vampires are scary, and it's sitll easy to get freaked out right along with Claire even though I've read all the other books. It's so cool to have a series were the vampires are scary, there don't seem to be many of them any more. The action is still edge-of-your-seat good as I had forgotten the specifics. However, having read all the other books, despite Glass Houses being brilliant, it's very much a first book in the series, because so much more seems to happen in the other novels. But still a great start to the series! I love it, and I'm looking forward to rereading the others!

We can't seem to buy Glass Houses as an actual book at the moment, so I have the following is for the first omnibus that includes Glass Houses

Published: 2008
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Caine's Website

In My Mailbox (78)

2012-01-21T17:59:00.002Z

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. All links go to Goodreads.

(The Repossesion isn't in the pile because it has nothing on the spine, and I just received Divergent as I was sorting out this post, and was too lazy to get all the books together yet again.)

For review:

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
The Wood Queen by Karen Mahoney
The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan
A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton - 2012 Debut
Heaven by Christoph Marzi (ARC) - 2012 Debut
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendra Blake (ARC) - 2012 Debut
Slated by Teri Terry (ARC) - 2012 Debut
The Repossession by Sam Hawksmoor (ARC) - 2012 Debut
Deception by Lee Nichols
Starters by Lissa Price (ARC) - 2012 Debut
Daylight Saving by Edward Hogan - 2012 Debut
Legend by Marie Lu (ARC) - 2012 Debut
The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg (ARC) - 2012 Debut
Falling Fast by Sophie McKenzie
Divergent by Veronica Roth - pretty new cover!

From the RHCB's Blogger Brunch:
The Vixen by Jillian Larkin

Won:
This is Not Forgiveness by Celia Rees - from Kirsty at The Overflowing Library's British Books Challenge.

News: Cover Reveals and More

2012-01-19T15:25:00.000Z

Various bits of news for you all!

Cover Reveals

A Midsummer Tights Dream by Louise Rennison (released 2nd February) - It’s the hotly anticipated sequel to the winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, WITHERING TIGHTS – laugh your tights off as Tallulah Casey and her bonkers mates return for a new term at Dother Hall performing arts college. Boys, snogging and bad acting guaranteed!

Yaroooo! Tallulah’s triumphant Heathcliff in ‘Wuthering Heights’ the comedy musical was enough to secure her place at Dother Hall performing arts college for another term. She can’t wait to see her pals again, Charlie and the boys from Woolfe Academy and maybe even bad boy Cain…

Could the bright lights of Broadway be calling? And for who? Find out in the next Misadventures of Tallulah Casey. From Amazon UK

Bite Me by Lori Strongin (released 30th January) - “Talbot blamed his mother for the fact he’d spent most of the summer impersonating a nun.”

So begins Bite Me, a humorous urban fantasy YA novel set at Hedgehill University for Paranormal Creatures.

In this Animal House meets Christopher Moore-esque story, freshman Talbot Osbourne is under pressure to find a summer job, an affordable apartment, and to not flunk out; otherwise he’ll face the wrath of his werewolf clan back home. Buddhist, vegetarian vampire Julian St. George has problems, too, but his are more of the being-stalked-by-a-psychotic-slayer type. After he ousts the intruder from his home, Julian figures that’s the last of that.

Wrong.

Talbot and Julian are forced to partner on a class assignment to study humans in their natural habitat. That is, a strip club. But while these two co-eds try to live their para-normal lives and pass their classes, the slayer targets both the university and the club, taking out students with any kind of supernatural abilities. After Julian’s home is destroyed and he’s nearly killed, the vampire and werewolf form an unlikely—and probably unholy—duo to catch the stalker before the psycho slays them. If they don’t kill each other first, that is.

Between surviving an apartment with cannibalistic furniture, zombie squirrels, and a strip club where the drinks are scarier than the suspects, Talbot and Julian struggle to catch up to the slayer, who always seems one stake ahead of them.

Throw in a shapeshifter with ferret envy, a nymphomaniac wizard who makes people’s clothes disappear, and the ghost of a five-year-old with the potty mouth of a sailor, and these boys are in for the summer of their lives. Or deaths. From LoriStrongin.com

What do you think?

Character Blog

The apocalypse is coming. There’s no way out of I’m afraid. Nope, not even through that sneaky door labelled “exit” – it’s fire and brimstone for us all.

But hey! Let’s not be downbeat about it! Why not laugh your way to the end of the world with some commentary from one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse himself? Ok so he might not be the most mysterious or powerful of the four, but he’s probably not the ugliest anyway. Pestilence has set up his very own blog to document the lead up to the end – which you can read at the13thhorseman.com

Conveniently the countdown to the end of the world coincides with the publication of the hilarious new book from Barry Hutchison, The 13th Horseman on the 1st of March. Barry has created this innovative blog to feature all sorts of extra information on the lives of the horseman. You can now learn why exactly Toxie the Hellhound owes them one, where Pest got that nasty rash and watch Death descend into madness (well, waiting for an apocalypse for thousands of years can be pretty boring). The end of the world has never been so entertaining. This additional content will really lead readers into the book, acting as a prequel to the text.

Website Launch

"Pan Macmillan has launched its new website – http://www.panmacmillan.com/ – designed for consumers, trade and the media. The new site delivers a web infrastructure on which to build and develop a growing range of direct-to-consumer platforms to support Pan Macmillan’s established and evolving brands, including picador.com and mykindabook.com

The website was designed by design agency Root, selected after a four-way pitch for their original and striking design. MMT Digital was selected after a five-way pitch for the technical build.

A content-rich Home Page enables visitors to find out about new titles, featured authors and books, with carousel Showcase, Brand New and Featured bars which spin and highlight particular themes and subjects guiding readers to relevant books and authors.

A stand-alone Children's Home Page takes visitors directly on a journey through Macmillan’s wide range of bestselling children’s titles. News and Events pages with regular updates about author readings and events, and a host of other Pan Macmillan-related activity, take visitors straight through to comment and trailers. A range of subject pages such as 'Crime & Thrillers', ‘Women's Fiction’ and ‘Science Fiction’, drive visitors to other content and titles around the site. A new “Books You Might Like” feature encourages readers to explore new authors. The site is e-commerce enabled but also features links to a range of retailers."

Review: If I Die by Rachel Vincent

2012-01-17T14:29:00.061Z

If I Die by Rachel Vincent (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

NO ONE WANTS TO BE THIS TEACHER’S PET . . .

Everyone else is talking about Eastlake High’s gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck, but Kaylee Cavanaugh has bigger things on her mind. Kaylee’s a banshee—her scream is a portent of death.

But the next scream might hit too close to home. Kaylee’s borrowed lifeline has almost run out.

Yeah—it’s a shock to her, too. So to distract herself from her own problems, Kaylee is determined to defend her school against the latest supernatural threat. That hot new teacher is really an incubus, who feeds from the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend’s delinquent ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren’t quite human either.

But Kaylee’s running out of time, and those who love her will do anything to save her life.

ANYTHING. From RachelVincent.com

Just to warn you, this review is likely to be quite long, and you may not survive the tsunami of love that will spill out from it.

I'm going to start this review by saying something outrageous. Who nees family or friends, hell, who needs food when you can lock yourself in a room and immerse yourself in the wonders that are the Soul Screamers series? I'm exaggerating, of course, but that should give you some idea as to how much I really mean my love knows no bounds when it comes to this series. No review I could ever write would ever come close to expressing how much I adore this series, and specifically this book (but I'm going to try!). If I Die surpasses My Soul to Steal, and I thought that was brilliant! I'm going to say something now I never, ever thought I would say. Are you ready? Ok, here goes. I love this series more than I love the Shifters series. I know! The Shifters series was absolutely phenomenal, and I didn't think Vincent could ever write anything that came close to how amazing it is, because how can you beat perfection?! Guess what? The Soul Screamers series is better!

Should I get on with the specifics now? Yes? Ok...

That's going to be hard actually, because there's so much that happens in this book that is major important, and it leaves very little I can talk about. I would say this is probably the most important book in respects to Kaylee's life so far. It's a turning point in the biggest way possible. Everything's changed. Everything. And it's brilliant!

As we learned much earlier in the series, Kaylee was supposed to die when she was three. However, her mother took her place, and Kaylee has been living on borrowed-time since then; she's been living the time her mother would have had had she not died, and now that line will be coming to an end in a few days. And there's absolutely nothing anyone can do to save her. As if that's not enough to deal with - having to face the fact she will die, trying to make sure everyone will be ok when she's gone, and decide what she wants to do with the little time she has left - she finds out there is an Incubus posing as the school's new Maths teacher, and has the sweet, young things he teaches in his sights - specifically Emma, Kaylee's best friend. Kaylee can't die, she doesn't have time to die! There is a freaking incubus attempting to impregnate half the student body! So, as you can imagine, Kaylee's fit to burst with everything she has to deal with and how very little time she has to deal in. It's enough to drive anyone mad, and perhaps make a few mistakes...

That's what's just so fantastic about Vincent; she doesn't shy away from putting her characters of her readers through hell. In all kinds of ways. And not one person, not one, comes out the other side unscathed, be it mentally or physically. If I Die is absolutely hellish on it's characters, it's terrifying and unbelievably sad, and yet it's also so, so beautiful. There were tears in my eyes as I closed the book because of more emotions than I could possibly name. But mostly, I was in complete and utter awe.

I have to mention Tod. My love for this boy has grown and grown with each book, and I'm sure it will continue to do so. He's just the most amazing, brave and selfless guy - and one of the funniest. He is just so completely wonderful, and I want one of my own. Sabine is still very much Sabine, and so I'm still loving her. That girl has serious spunk, and despite the way she can treat Kaylee sometimes, I love her for it. I am so looking forward to more of her. And I'm so glad I finally got an answer to a question I've been wondering about ever since reading the prequel novella, My Soul To Lose. Just shows how brilliantly talented Vincent is, If I Die is the fifth book in! She has had this book in head in some form since the very beginning. It blows me away.

I am so happy there has been a change when it comes to the titles! If I Die makes perfect sense, and I'll remember which book it is, but I'm always having to look up the others when I want to talk about them, because I can never remember whether it's MSTTake, Save, Keep or Steal. So I'm liking the chnge! I also love the cover - I love all the UK covers for this series - but it doesn't link to the story whatsoever that I can see, I have no idea of the significance of the dragonfly. So for this book, I think the US cover says a lot more about the story, it really works.

This is not a book anyone can miss. You have to read this book. Pre-order this book now, right now, because you simply cannot not read this book. It's absolutely amazing! Rachel Vincent, you are beyond amazing, and I cannot thank you enough for the joy I get through readin your books. You're a gift to readers. Now I just need Mira Ink to publish the eBook novellas Reaper and Never to Sleep in the UK so I can read them, and I will be an extremely happy girl.

Thank you to Mira Ink for sending me a review copy.

Published: 3rd February 2012
Publisher: Mira Ink
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Vincent's Website

Other reviews from the series:
My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers Prequel)
My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers Book 1)
My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers Book 2)
My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers Book 3)
My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers Book 4)

Discussion: Author/Blogger Relationships and Reviewing

2012-01-15T20:44:00.002Z

I have been catchin up on the blog posts of adult urban fantasy author, Stacia Kane, and her last series of posts (Something in the Water? / Freedom of Speech / I'm Not a Reader) are about authors responding to negative reviews, how people review, and author reviews. The posts actually go a lot deeper than how I've summarised them and say a lot more, but at the very, very basic, that's what they're about. I highly recommend you go and check them out because they're so fascinating and interesting! I just love when authors write posts like this, it's such an eye opener.

Anyway, in one way or another, the idea that authors getting friends and family to review/rate their books on Amazon and Goodreads is wrong crops up a few times. Of course it is, I'm not disputing that whatsoever, but it got me thinking about a few things that are only slightly related, and I wanted to ask what people's views on them were. And so here we have a discussion!

Imagine these situations:

Situation A:
There are two book bloggers. Over time, among others, these bloggers comment on each other's posts. Along with others, they chat on Twitter. They may bump into each other at author/publishing events, or go along to blogger meet-ups and they chat. About books; characters, authors, recommendations, etc etc. They're not the bestest of buddies, but they know each other, they have conversations, and they get on. Skip to several months/years down the line, and one of those bloggers has a book published. The other blogger receives a review copy from the publisher.

Situation B:
A blogger hears about a debut novel that will be released several months down the line that they like the sound of. They look it up to find out a bit more about it and come across the author's website. Deciding that this is a book they think they will enjoy, and therefore also think they will enjoy what the author has to say, they follow the author on Twitter, after finding the author's username on their website. This author tends to be pretty active on Twitter about various things, and blogger responds to some tweets. The author replies. After a while, the author and the blogger respond to each others tweets quite a bit. They're not the bestest of buddies, but the author knows of and talks to the blogger. Then the blogger received the author's review copy from the publisher.

Situation C:
At an event, be it an author, publisher, or blogger organised event, a blogger meets an author (not the author who's event it is) who's debut will be released in a fair few months time. Blogger and yet-to-be-published author, along with others that are at the event, chat books and everything to do with them. They may chat a little bit online after the event, on Twitter via reviewer & author blogs. As in Situation A, they know each other, they have conversations, and they get on, but aren't the bestest of buddies. When the book is close to being published, the blogger is sent a review copy.

For each situation, with the assumption that the blogger is an honest one and would write based on their actual views of what they've read rather than anything else, is it ok for the blogger to review the book? Obviously, the blogger could have thought the book sounded good and have bought it once it was published, but for this discussion I'm saying the blogger was sent a review copy because then there is the hope for a review from the publisher (where as there's not necessarily any need for a review for a bought book). In each case, the author hasn't asked for a review, it's come straight from the publisher, so it's not the author asking a friend for a review. But would they be considered "friends" anyway? That's my point, would the possible review be seen as wrong in some way because there was some sort of relationship/prior interaction (however you wish to class it) before the book was published?

In what situations other than I've mentioned would it be frowned upon by... readers/other bloggers/authors, whoever, if the blogger reviewed a book? Is there a line? Do bloggers have to watch how they interact with authors? What are your thoughts specifically or generally on what's mentioned in this post?

ETA: It seems there has been a little confusing with what exactly it is I'm asking, so I'm going to put it slightly differently. If the reader of the possible review is aware of the blogger's "relationship" with the author, should you review if there's the possibility that the reader will doubt your honesty if the review is positive?

Comments from bloggers, readers, authors - anyone! - welcome!

Cover Reavel and Trailers

2012-01-15T09:00:00.003Z

I have a cover reveal and some trailers to share with you all.

First of all, the cover reveal for the UK cover of Black Dawn by Rachel Caine:

Black Dawn by Rachel Caine (released 1st May 2012) - In Last Breath, the rain brought a new and dire threat to Morganville and its vampires...their ancient enemies, the draug. Now, the vampires are fighting a losing war, and it will fall to the residents of the Glass House: Michael, Eve, Shane and Claire, to take the fight to an enemy who threatens to destroy the town, forever.
Lovers of Morganville, rejoice: Black Dawn takes the intrigue, romance and nail-biting suspense of the series to its highest level yet! From AllisonandBusby.com

Gorgeous, huh? So looking forward to this one!

And now for the trailers.

A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton (released 5th January 2012) - Anna Winterson doesn't know she's a witch and would probably mock you for believing in magic, but after moving to the small town of Winter with her father, she learns more than she ever wanted to about power. When Anna meets Seth, she is smitten, but when she enchants him to love her, she unwittingly amplifies a deadly conflict between two witch clans and splits her own heart in two. She wants to love Seth, to let him love her - but if it is her magic that's controlling his passion, then she is as monstrous as the witch clan who are trying to use her amazing powers for their own gain.

When love is tangled up in magic, how can you be sure what's real? From Amazon UK

UK trailer:

Tempest by Julie Cross (released 5th January 2012 in the UK, 17th January 2012 in the US) - The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps– it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future. Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.

US trailer:

Check out the Tempest Series Facebook Page, where you can read the first four chapters.

In My Mailbox (77)

2012-01-14T16:49:00.002Z

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. All links go to Goodreads.

For review:

Saving Daisy by Phil Earle
Hollow Pike by James Dawson (ARC) - 2012 Debut
If I Die by Rachel Vincent
Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi - 2012 Debut

Bought:

Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2012 - I hope to get a job in publishing, I thought the contacts in this book might give more places to look.
How to Get a Job in Publishing by Alison Baversock, Susannah Bowen and Steve Carey - this was recommended to me by Stacey of Pretty Books who found it extremely helpful in getting her job.
Swag:

I received a fair few bookmarks from author Jeri Smith-Read - who writens the Shade series, as well as several adult urban fantasy series - which I love! She also included two bookmarks from adult urban fantasy author, Adrian Phoenix. I hadn't heard of her before, I'll have to check her out.

Blog Tour: Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

2012-01-14T09:00:00.002Z

Today, the Touch of Power Blog Tour is stopping by my blog! Maria V. Snyder, author of Touch of Power, the first in a brand new series, is stopping by to answer some of my questions!

Touch of Power is the first book in your third YA high fantasy series. Urban fantasy/paranormal romance and dystopia are very popular YA genres at the moment, so why high fantasy?

Interesting! I don’t really see my books as high fantasy. When I think high fantasy, I think of LOTR. I look at them more as fantasy lite with elements of mystery, suspense, and romance. No matter what they’re called, I enjoy writing fantasy and am not the type to jump on trends. Plus, if I’m not excited about my story and world, then my readers won’t be either. :)

Despite the popularity of UF/PR and dystopia, your Study and Glass series have done brilliantly well. Do you see YA high fantasy becoming the next big thing in YA?

I hope so. ;> However, I think the key to my success has not been the genre, but the characters. I always focus in my characters first and then the world. And I’ve gotten so many emails from readers who just love my characters and they’re not always talking about my main protagonists, but the minor/side characters like Ari and Janco, Kiki, and Belen.

What high fantasy novels and/or authors would you recommend?

I really loved Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series – she created a number of wonderful characters. One of my favourite authors, Barbara Hambly has a number of fantasy series (they’re older), and I enjoyed them all, but the Darwath Trilogy was my favourite. And I really enjoyed David Eddings, Belgariad series (another older title). A more recent series would be Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series.

You also have a dystopian series with the Insider series. Why do you think YA dystopia has become so popular?

I think there are a number of factors that has fuelled the current trend in YA dystopian. One is the economy, with the news talking non-stop about the economy and natural disasters, a reader can take some comfort that things could be much worse than they are. Also if you think about it, high school is a thinly disguised dystopia—students are subject to dress codes, constantly being watched, and required to attend - the readers of these books might feel a sense of familiarity. And it’s great for escape and entertainment, imaging yourself as the main character as he or she fights against future tyranny. Finally, I think the YA versions, no matter how dark and depressing always have the message of hope. That one person can make a difference and the world can change for the better.

Is YA dystopia a genre you would revisit again?

Yes. In fact, I wrote a short story for the YA dystopian love story anthology, Brave New Love, edited by Paula Guran and is being release on 14 February 2012. It’s a fascinating genre and I’m sure I’ll be writing more.

Thank you, Maria, for answering my questions! Touch of Power came out on 20th December 2011. Be sure to check out Maria's website.

Review: Lost Christmas by David Logan

2012-01-13T16:14:00.002Z

Lost Christmas by David Logan - "Give him your hand Frank. Let him tell you what you've lost. Old lady's lost a bangle, he knows I've lost a dog, well you've lost something too. Let him tell you what."

Eleven-year old Goose is lost. It's Christmas, his parents are dead and now his dog Mutt has gone missing. Those round him aren't doing much better: his Uncle Frank's wife has walked out on him and his nan is losing her mind.

But then Anthony appears: a man who seems to know everything about those he touches by nothing at all about himself...

Who is he, how does he know so much, and can he help Goose?

So begins a dramatic journey through love, loss and the quest for home. From the blurb

I received Lost Christmas as a Christmas pressie from my Mum and Dad. I originally planned to keep it until December of this year, so I would be reading a Christmassy book around Christmas, but had to pick it up on my Mum's insistence. Why? Well, she wants to watch the film Lost Christmas which we recorded when it was on last month. She's not the type of person who can watch movies based on a book or movies where a book version has been writen (as is the case with Lost Christmas) without reading the book first, so I let her borrow it. Once she finished, she said I HAD to read the book before we watched the movie because it was brilliant, and as she wanted to watch the movie soon, I had to read the book, like, yesterday. Obviously, my Mum didn't say those exact words, but you get the idea. She was right, the book is brilliant.

I picked Lost Christmas up thinking it was a children's book, but I would say it's more a pre-teen/early teen novel, with cross over appeal. The loss of Goose's parents has had a huge, huge impact on Goose's life. He's gone a bit off the rails because he hasn't dealt with things properly, and his Nan, who is his guardian now, has Alzheimer's that's steadily getting worse. His life doesn't look good. And the lives of various other people in the book have lives that are less than perfect. Lost Christmas reminds of movies like Love, Actually, as there are a lot of characters with their own individual stories, but they're all linked. It was quite a novelty to see something like this in a book; instead of just one or maybe two narrators like I'm used to, there were a whole number of them - though some had only very small parts, it really doesn't get confusing at all. The main narrator is Goose and it's his story that is the main focus. There's such a wealth of characters, but each of them have experienced loss in some form.

Which leads on to my next point. Lost Christmas is sad. There are some very light, amusing moments, but there are a number of moments that are just incredibly sad. There's one excruciating moment where I came so close to tears, because it's one of those rare moments where you know what's going to happen - you actually know, it's not a theory or a prediction, you know - and it's nothing good, and reading it is just awful! It's drawn out over several pages, and I just wanted to put the book down. It's excruciating! Really, there are some terribly upsetting moments.

I was so surprised by the ending! All the way through I was trying to work out who Anthony was, I had various theories that were based on nothing but guesses. They were discarded and another thought up, and then brought back, but never guessed what his story was, or how he knew everything about everyone else. It's so clever! And the actual ending of the book was just so good! Oh, it was just lovely! I loved.

The cover for Lost Christmas is really beautiful, but other than the snow, I have absolutely no idea how it relates to the story. I have no clue about the tree, and it looks like the shortest figure is a girl, which makes no sense to me. I am at a lost. But it is gorgeous!

A really sweet but also sad novel that's just wonderful and brilliant and all things good! I highly recommend Lost Christmas, it's fantastic!

Published: Quercus
Publisher: 27th October 2011
Buy as an eBook on Amazon US
David Logan's Website

Cover Reveal: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

2012-01-13T13:10:00.000Z

Breaking News, people! The long awaited UK cover for Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver!

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (released 1st March 2012) - Love, the deadliest of all deadly things.
It kills you when you have it.
And when you don't.

I'm pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Pandemonium is a poignant, explosive, recklessly romantic and utterly heartbreaking novel. Like Delirium, the first in the compelling trilogy, it will take you to the very edge. That's all you need to know. We'll let Lena do the rest of the talking... From official blurb.

What do you think? I don't like it, myself. The colour is too close to orange, and I hate orange. And it just doesn't say much about the book, though I guess running is important to Lena in the book. I don't know, it just isn't my cup of tea. The words inside are brilliant though! How about you? Do you like it?

Review: Night School by C.J. Daugherty

2012-01-11T18:24:00.001Z

Night School by C.J. Daugherty (ARC) - Sometimes school can be murder. . . Allie Sheridan's world is falling apart. She hates her school. Her brother has run away from home. And she's just been arrested. Again. This time her parents have finally had enough. They cut her off from her friends and send her away to a boarding school for problem teenagers. But Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. It allows no computers or phones. Its students are an odd mixture of the gifted, the tough and the privileged. And then there's the secretive Night School, whose activities other students are forbidden even to watch. When Allie is attacked one night the incident sets off a chain of events leading to the violent death of a girl at the summer ball. As the school begins to seem like a very dangerous place, Allie must learn who she can trust. And what's really going on at Cimmeria Academy. From Amazon UK

When I first heard about Night School, there was such a buzz about it and I thought it sounded amazing, and I was so excited to read it! Having finished it now, I really enjoyed it, but it wasn't as brilliant as I was expecting.

Night School is very much a first novel in a series. The characters - fantastic characters I have to say, I especially loved Jo - are all set up, the scenario is in place, and then things start to happen. Once someone dies at the Summer Ball, things start to get moving, and the questions start being asked.

However, very few questions are answered, and the ones that are aren't answered fully. So you finish the book very little the wiser to what's really going on. There are some shady chatacters, some links to Night School, and people who we hear about but never see, but nothing concrete. This would normally be really frustrating, but Daugherty keeps things going with the big events of the story - depsite not really knowing anything, enough happens to keep me interested to want to know more.

As I said, there are a few big events - the shock discoveries, the action scenes, and so forth - which make things exciting and build the tension. However, these events have a bit of a lull between them. Although they scare and worry the characters and cause more questions for them to think about, there can be days or weeks in the timeline of the story between the next big event, where things seem to go back to normal and everyday life seems to go on, so the excitement and tension kind of calm down. That's the other reason I didn't love Night School as much as I expected to, the tension didn't keep building enough for me.

The characters are what kept me reading the most. The tagline on the book is "When everyone is lying, who do you trust?", and it's spot on. It seems everyone has something their hiding, and you're never completely sure who is actually on Allie's side, or if they have another agenda. Even those who seem to be against her can be surprising. Not only that, but secrets are being kept from Allie about her. She's more important than she realises, and no-one will tell her who she is. It keeps you guessing, and it's brilliant! However, there is something that happens between two of the characters that absolutely disgusted me, and I cannot believe how the relationship between those two is how it is at the end of the book. Sorry for sounding cryptic, but I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read the book - hopefully those who have will know what I'm talking about. I was astonished with how that situation resolved itself, and I don't think I'll ever think well of the character in the wrong again.

Overall, Night School is a pretty awesome book I really enjoyed reading, I just think it could have been a little more exciting. I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel and finding out what's going on, and just who Allie is! I really recommend it!

Thank you to Atom for the review copy.

Published: 5th January 2012
Publisher: Atom
Buy as an eBook on Amazon US
C.J. Daugherty's Website

News: Maria V. Snyder Goodies

2012-01-09T17:00:00.004Z

Maria V. Snyder news!
Maria kicked off the Touch of Power blog tour today on the Touch of Power site, so go check out what she has to say.
AND! Check out the animated cover for Touch of Power!

Gorgeous, huh? And lastly, a competition to win an iPad:

Create a video review of A Touch of Power and be in with a chance of winning an iPad!
Maria V. Snyder has teamed up with top teen mag Mizz to give you the chance to win an iPad and be the official book review for MizzMag TV to boot! All you need to do to enter is make a video review of A Touch of Power. MIRA Ink is giving away free review copies to the first 50 people who get in touch, so visit facebook/MIRAInk for more details on how to get involved! Also, check out Mizz Mag TV for an exclusive video of Maria talking about her new Healer series!

The Dark Days of January Blog Tour: Sara Grant Talks Girl Power

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000Z

Today I'm taking part in The Dark Days of January Blog Tour for Dark Parties, the debut novel from YA author Sara Grant! Read on for her brilliant post on girl power!

Girl Power

Dark Parties should come with a warning: potentially hazardous to misogynists. I can’t help it. I’m all about girl power. If you read Dark Parties, be forewarned women are the rebels. They take the risks and lead the charge. They don’t weald weapons, but they are instruments of change none the less.

Females are the perfect protagonist in a story of rebellion. Fact: women can hack pain much better than men. Let’s see: there are bras, panty hose, waxing, plucking and – don’t get me started on our monthly test of torture.

A huge thank you to Suzanne Collins. Before she created Katniss Everdeen, I’d heard a few children’s book editors say they weren’t interested in kick arse female protagonist. They didn’t think readers would be interested. Seriously?!

When I was young, I was absolutely obsessed with the TV show Charlie’s Angels. I loved that three beautiful women were catching the bad guys with brains, revolvers and style. I never understood how they could run in high heels (I tried it once with disastrous consequences), but oh-so admired them for it.

My sister and a few of the neighbourhood kids would pretend to be Charlie’s Angels – running around Northeast Ninth Street catching faux baddies. I had the board game, the dolls, the radio, a complete set of the collectable cards, not to mention that I was an official member of the Cheryl Ladd (the actress who played Kris Monroe) fan club. Sure, I found out much later, Charlie’s Angels was known as jiggle TV, but at eight years old, I wanted to be Jill, Kelly, Kris and Sabrina. In the mid-1970s, it was one of the only feminine lead dramas.

If you ask me, not much has changed. We need more female protagonists catching the villains and mixing it up for the greater good. I’ve got nothing against romance or men. There’s a love triangle in Dark Parties and a hot, mysterious leading man, who mixes it up and gives a little white knight action of his own. But most of Dark Parties is about Neva, my female protagonist, finding her voice, her power and her strength.

And, if you think Dark Parties is enough to make you burn your bra, stay tuned for my next book. It’s girl power times infinity.

Sorry boys, but it’s time for girls to rock!

Thank you, Sara, for such a fantastic post! Is it just me, or did anyone else read this post and hear Alexandra Burke singing "All the ladies tell the fellas we can do what they can do, we can do it even better in broken heels" in their head? What do you think of what Sara says? Can you think of other YA novels where the girls are showing the boys how it's done?

Dark Parties was released on 22nd December 2012. Be sure to check out Sara's website.

In My Mailbox (76)

2012-01-07T14:30:00.000Z

I haven't done an IMM post for a while, so I thought I'd try starting up again. IMM is hosted by The Story Siren. All links go to Goodreads.

For Review:
Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder
The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman
Switched by Amanda Hocking (2012 Debut)
Raising Demons by Rachel Hawkins
Love Inc. by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout
Flying Blind by Deborah Cooke
Winging It by Deborah Cooke
Pulse by Tricia Rayburn
The Things We Did for Love by Natasha Farrant (2012 Debut)
Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Christmas Gift:
Lost Christmas by David Logan

Night School Blog Tour: Photographer Josefine Jönsson on the Cover Photo

2012-01-06T12:00:00.004Z

Here is the second post of the Night School by C.J. Daugherty Blog Tour! I now have a post from the photographer and model of the photo used in the cover of Night School, Josefine Jönsson. Josefine's photos have also been used on the covers for Entangled by Cat Clarke and Forgotten by Cat Patrick. Josefine has written about the inspiration for the series of photos the cover image is from, and how it feels to see her photos on covers.

When it comes to self-portraiture I like to think of myself as another person and create a character to capture on film. For these images I really wanted some dark feeling to them, yet wanted them to be quite peaceful. The series is called my disease, as I was inspired by a song called My Disease by A Skylit Drive. The lines that I had in mind while creating these photos were:

It's exactly what it seems
The horror I live
The evil that beats inside me
It's called "my disease"
The first photo, which is used on the cover of C.J Daugherty's book, is quite peaceful when looking at it. I wanted to capture the feeling where the person in the photo is trying to hide themselves, to cover up what is her disease. What the disease really is would be up to the viewer to decide when looking at the photo.

The second one in this series suggests that she's letting the disease take over, but still not showing her eyes to the viewer to not reveal what it really is.

I am always very positively surprised when it comes to seeing my photos on covers! It still feels a little weird seeing myself on the cover, but I sure enjoy it. It’s also fun to see what they will do with the photo, change colours, crop it or add things. Sometimes it feels like a whole new image than before, it really shows how little elements you can add/remove to create another feeling. It sure is a certain feeling when walking to a book store and seeing your image on a book and the feeling when reading a book with your face on it is really amazing! I can’t remember when I only used to dream to be on a book cover some day and now it’s my fifth one! Really looking forward to be reading Night School which would be in my post very soon!

Thanks, Josefine, for such a fantastic guest post! How brilliant are her photos? I am such a fan! Be sure to check out Josefine's website, blog and Facebook page.

Night School was released yesterday, 5th January 2012.

Head on over to Fluttering Butterflies tomorrow to read a guest post by Christi on feaisty heroine in YA!

Night School Blog Tour: If At First You Don't Succeed... by C.J. Daugherty

2012-01-06T09:00:00.002Z

Today, debut author C.J. Daughtery is stopping by my blog as part of the Night School Blog Tour! Read on to find out about the different drafts Christi wrote before the story became Night School!

Night School: If at first you don’t succeed…

I wrote Night School on a whim – or more honestly on a dare. My husband dared me to write a novel, and I was determined to win. So I sat at my laptop, tapping away after work and on weekends for about five months.

Since I was writing it for fun, neither of us took it particularly seriously until about halfway through, when it suddenly struck both of us that, well, it didn’t completely suck.

The book I wrote was about vampires – the only character who was not a vampire was Allie. And I have to say, in all humility, as vampire books go, it wasn’t too shabby.

When I’d finished it, my husband and I had a glass of champagne and then sat looking at each other.

“What do we do now?” I asked.

“We find you an agent,” he said without a hint of hesitation.

To me, it seemed like a crazy dream. My on-a-whim book about boarding school vampires couldn’t possibly get published. But at his insistence I started researching agents. One day I stumbled across the Darley Anderson Agency’s website and found a page on Madeleine Buston. She represents precisely this genre and the agency has a stellar reputation. So I put together a submission package.

I mailed it to her on a Thursday in October 2009, and went on about my life. I didn’t expect to hear from her for weeks, if at all.

The next day she called and asked to see the whole manuscript. The day after that, which happened to be my birthday, she signed me to her agency.

But that was just the beginning. Madeleine was concerned that it would be hard to sell the book as a vampire book – there were too many on the market and publishers were overrun by the little bloodsuckers.

So I re-envisioned it as a book about gods, of a sort – immortal teenagers with limited powers. I revised it over the course of a couple of months, and then resubmitted it.

She thought it worked, and she had an editor in mind at Atom, Sam Smith, who she thought might like it too.

Sam did like it… But.

She thought the first half of the book – when it was not paranormal – worked better
than the second half, when it was. She asked if I would consider rewriting it as a straight psychological thriller. No vampires. No immortals. Just kids taking things too far, and adults who fail to guide them.

With my heart in my shoes, I said I’d try.

I’m not going to lie to you. When I sat down to revise it again I cried for an hour.

I wasn’t sure I could do it. I was losing half of my book and scenes I dearly loved. But I wasn’t going to turn down the chance to work with an amazing, talented editor without at least trying.

So I spent two months revising. When I was halfway through it just took off. It wrote itself. It felt right. I was writing thousands of words a day. Plot tangles would snarl up and I would untangle them. Problems developed and were instantly solved.

It was magical.

When I’d finished it, I knew it was a much better book than the one I’d started with. It had gone through so many changes but each layer of transition made it better – by the end the characters were more believable and the plot was more exciting.

What’s happened since has been overwhelming. So far it’s been picked up by publishers in 18 countries. It’s being translated into 16 languages. It’s all so unbelievable that I don’t actually believe it myself and I’m the one getting all the paperwork.

I’m writing the second book in the series now, and while much has changed in my life since I wrote that first version on a dare, I’m writing this one for exactly the same reason I wrote the first one: For fun.

Thank you, Christi, for such a brilliant guest post! I think it's a bit of an eye opener, that writers to keep going and not give up, no matter how discouraging things may seem sometimes. Night School was released yesterday, on 5th January 2012. Be sure to check out Christi's website.

Come back later today for a guest post from Josefine Jönsson, the photographer and model behind the photo used on the Night School cover.

Book Trailers: Cinder and Beat the Band

2012-01-04T18:41:00.004Z

I have trailers for you! Lookie lookie!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer - released 5th January 2012

Marissa Meyer's:
Blog / Facebook / Twitter

Lastly, there will be an author event on January 9th as a Facebook/ Twitter party at 7:00 EST.

Beat the Band by Don Calame - released 1st February 2012

Don Calame's:
Website / Twitter

Review: Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart

2012-01-03T23:21:00.002Z

Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

Ruby Oliver is in love.
Or it would be love, if Noel, her real live boyfriend, would call her back.
But Noel seems to have turned into a pod-robot lobotomy patient, and Ruby can’t figure out why.

Not only is her romantic life a shambles:
Her dad is eating nothing but Cheetos,
Her mother’s got a piglet head in the refrigerator,
Hutch has gone to Paris to play baguette air guitar,
Gideon shows up shirtless,
And the pygmy goat Robespierre is no help whatsoever.

Will Ruby ever control her panic attacks?
Will she ever understand boys?
Will she ever stop making lists?
(No to that last one.)

Roo has lost most of her friends. She’s lost her true love, more than once. She’s lost her grandmother, her job, her reputation, and possibly her mind. But she’s never lost her sense of humor. The Ruby Oliver books are the record of her survival. From Amazon UK

I have just finished this book, the fourth in the Ruby Oliver series, and I am sad. Really sad. Sad with a capital S. It's the last book in the series, and I won't get to read about Ruby anymore. I feel like someone has died. I think I might have got too emotionally involved in these books.

Real Live Boyfriends is just as brilliant as the other novels in the series, but it's also different. It's a pretty sad book. Sure, the others in the series weren't exactly bright and breezy, but this is sad in a different way. There is still Ruby's amusing outlook and witty voice, her lists and her funky words, but sad and sometimes scary things happen, and it's different. Maybe slightly better.

Why? Well, Ruby gets with Noel at last. (At last!). But then he starts being all weird for no apparent reason, and things end up not so great. And then Ruby has another boyfriend. That's not a spoiler, see the title; Real Life Boyfriends - plural. Follow this by complications, warped views of things and confusion, and well, you have Ruby Oliver's life as we expect it. But more. Better. I can't ellaborate, you'll just have to read it.

And now no more Ruby! No more Doctor Z, no more Noel, no more nutty parents, no more Meghan or Nora or anyone else. Despite the fact that these books are fairly short, so in the great scheme of things, Ruby hasn't been in my life long, there was something about her voice, her therapy sessions with Doctor Z, her story that I fell in love with, that touched me. Despite the deceptive light, comedic seeming surface, so many serious things happen in these books, and with the therapy element, they actually made me, as well as Ruby, look at things differently. And I'm devastated they're finished! This is a seriously fantastic series, and one that will be with me for a long time. I cannot recommend this series enough!

Published: 27th December 2011
Publisher: Ember
Buy on Amazon US
E. Lockhart's Website
The Boyfriend List Website

Other reviews from the series:
The Boyfriend List (Ruby Oliver Book 1)
The Boy Book (Ruby Oliver Book 2)
The Treasure Map of Boys (Ruby Oliver Book 3)

Cover Reveals: Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth

2012-01-03T19:14:00.004Z

Today, thanks to the lovely people at HarperCollins UK, I get to share with you the new cover for the Divergent paperback and reveal the cover for it's sequel, Insurgent, both by Veronica Roth! And incase you don't know what I'm talking about, the blurbs for both.

Divergent by Veronica Roth (Paperback published on 2nd February 2012) - She turns to face the future in a world that’s falling apart.

For sixteen-year-old Tris, the world changes in a heartbeat when she is forced to make a terrible choice. Turning her back on her family, Tris ventures out, alone, determined to find out where she truly belongs.

Shocked by the brutality of her new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her. The hardest choices may yet lie ahead….

A debut novel that will leave you breathless. From Amazon UK

Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Published on 1st May 2012) - Fighting for survival in a shattered world… the truth is her only hope.

The thrillingly dark sequel to New York Times bestseller, DIVERGENT.

War looms in sixteen-year-old Tris’s dark dystopian world as disputes between the factions grow. Tris must now fight against all odds to discover the truth that can save her and the people she loves. Sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge – and the choices she makes will have devastating and unexpected consequences. From Amazon UK

Aren't they gorgeous?! I love them! I much prefer this Divergent cover to the hardback!

Review: Fury by Elizabeth Miles

2011-12-30T14:01:00.007Z

Fury by Elizabeth Miles (review copy) - Sometimes sorry isn't enough....

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.

Em and Chase have been chosen. From Amazon US

I thought this book sounded like it would be pretty good, but I had no idea how amazing it was going to be! I absolutely loved it!

This book is creepy and freaky, but not in the usual way. This book has been classed as paranormal horror, but it didn't scare me like a horror would. I had no problems reading it at night, it didn't give me nightmares, I wasn't jumping at every little noise - though there were definitely scary parts in it, what with random girls suddenly showing up in windows. No, this book scared me because I didn't know what was going to happen. Furires punish the wrong do-ers, but what they consider "wrong" isn't set in stone - for a completely unrelated to the book example, the furies would punish you just as harshly for dropping litter as they would for kidnapping. Not oly is the definition of wrong very loose, the punishment, what they consider "justice" for what you did isn't predictable either. For the litter example, going arond wearing a bright jacket picking up other people's litter isn't as likely as you being "dropped" in some way, but what could "dropped" mean? There are hundreds of possibilities. You just don't know what the furies are going to decide you deserve. And that's what I found scary, not being able to work out, or even make a guess, at what would happen, or when. With every turn of the page, I was on edge, waiting for god knows what, just something bad. Yet having to read on because it is so exciting!

As I said, Fury didn't scare me in the traditional horror sense, but I was definitely freaked out by some of the furies behaviour. As readers, we know these mysterious, beautiful girls are furies - blurbs, descriptions, even reviews tell us so. Yet the characters in the book don't get any kind of inkling of something not-quite-human until quite a ways into the book. So the behaviour of the Furies, the things some of the characters see, not knowing that Furies exist, believing them to be human... the torment is freaky, and I was empathetically freaked out.

Yet I kind of loved them, like villians you love to hate. It sounds kind of right to have something that goes around fixing wrongs, something that dishes out karma. I'm sure plenty of us have wanted bad things to happen to bad people - I think it's natural with some of the things we see on the news. And these ladies are making sure those bad things happen. When said like that, I did feel there was a strange kind of "rightness" to them. But then you read on and see how messed up they are and things start to change. What if the furies were real? What mistakes have you made? What would they think you need to be punished for? And how? It's freaky and creepy, but all kinds of briliant!

When it comes to urban fantasy, there's a certain progression that I expect. By the time I put the book down, no matter what the story, or if it's in a series, I just expect a certain kind of ending. There tends to be a lot of action in urban fantasy, and the constant threat of danger to our main characters and narrators. There are fights, people get hurt, and you're excited, and sitting on your edge seat in suspence. But eventually, the book will still have that ending, even if there's a cliff hanger. The main characters are a little bruised and roughed up, and plan to try and kick some paranormal butt the next time when book two comes along, or at least try to live a normal life until paranormal butt comes a-knocking again. You expect certain things to go a certain way simply because that's how these thing go. It's like urban fantasy law or something. However, a little over half way through Fury I realised that the ending I expected - without even realising I expected it, because you don't expect the moon to come after the sun, it just does - wasn't what I was going to get. On a second read of this book, I would probably react differently, but the first time round, there was just complete shock. I was shaken. Miles tore up the urban fantasy law book, slapped me in the face and left me reeling. I believe my thoughts were along the lines of "WHAT?! But that can't happen!" I read on for a little while in a daze, sure there was a mistake, or some sort of joke, and things were going to change and sort themselves out. They didn't. Which makes me SUPER excited to read more of Miles books, because not only do you not know what to expect from the furies, but you don't know what to expect from Miles' writing either! I was completely blown away!

If I had any kind of criticism, at some points, some of the characters just seemed a little too young for their age, a little too naive, but it's a very small thing, and can easily go unnoticed in all the excitement. Also, on it's own, I really like the cover, but I don't think it says much about the book, except that the girl is like smoke. I guess that's true, furies can disappear like smoke, but it doesn't really say "fuies" to me, but I'm not sure what would. With the US cover, at least you know it's Ty, one of the furies, on the cover, because of the hair colour. I generally prefer the US cover.

Fury is a phenomenal debut novel, absolutely brilliant, and I cannot wait to read book two, Envy, when it's released next year. It's going to be incredible. If you haven't read Fury yet, you need to read it now!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the review copy.

Published: 1st September 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Buy on Amazon US
Buy on Amazon UK
Elizabeth Miles' Website

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T09:00:00.000Z

Blog Tour Announcement: Night School by C.J. Daugherty

2011-12-19T15:49:00.004Z

Click image to make it bigger.

News: Fracture by Megan Miranda Extract and Trailer

2011-12-19T15:44:00.000Z

Some cool news from Bloomsbury!

Eleven minutes might as well be eternity underwater. It only takes three minutes without air for loss of consciousness. Permanent brain damage begins at four minutes. And then, when the oxygen runs out, full cardiac arrest occurs. Death is possible at five minutes. Probable at seven. Definite at ten. Delaney Maxwell was underwater for eleven minutes. And she’s alive.

Intrigued? Then make sure you get your hands on a copy of Fracture by Megan Miranda, published 5th January 2012. If you can’t wait until then you can read an extract and take a look at the trailer:

Find out more about Megan on her website and follow her on Twitter/

There will be exciting competitions and news on the Facebook page throughout January. Make sure you ‘like’ it to keep up-to-date.

News: Delirium Short Story, Hana by Lauren Oliver - Buy on Christmas Eve!

2011-12-19T12:27:00.008Z

Some great news from Hodder and Stoughton!

We now have a special Christmas treat for all you Delirium fans: whilst you're eagerly awaiting its sequel, Pandemonium, out in March, you can read Lauren's amazing short story, Hana. It's told from the point of view of Lena's best friend (who, you might have guessed, has some secrets of her own…) There's a shocking twist to her tale that will leave you with your heart in your mouth. The short story is out exclusively in eBook this Christmas - it's available to buy for just 99p for a limited time only over the festive season. (I've attached the image here)

Now, we know you'll be desperate to order it immediately, but we have a favour to ask you. We'd love to give Lauren the best Christmas present ever: seeing Hana at number one in the eBook charts on Christmas Day.

Will you help us get it there by joining in on one big Christmas Eve push? If we all buy it on the 24th December, that will propel it up the charts into (hopefully!) the top spot.

Also, if you head over to the official announcement page you can also download lovely Hana-themed Christmas decorations!

In My Mailbox (75)

2011-12-18T13:25:00.004Z

I haven't done an IMM post for a while, so I thought I'd try starting up again. IMM is hosted by The Story Siren. All links go to Goodreads.

For Review:
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Mortal Chaos by Matt Dickinson (ARC)
Smoulder by Brenna Yovanoff
Fracture by Megan Miranda (ARC)
The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
The Killables by Gemma Malley (ARC)

Bought:
The Vampire Stalker by Allison Van Diepen

News: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor to Become a Movie!

2011-12-15T17:51:00.002Z

Exciting news! The absolutely amazing Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor is going to hit the big screens! Yes! Universal Pictures has acquired the rights to the book! I am SO excited! This is one of my favourite books of the year, and it will be awesome to see it as a movie!

You can read my review of the book here, and to find out more, read the press release or the following online articles.

Entertainment Weekly
Hollywood Reporter
MTV Hollywood Crush
The Wrap

So are you excited too? Who do you think should star? And direct? I'm thinking Peter Jackson!

Best YA Novels of 2011

2011-12-13T22:09:00.006Z

As the year is drawing to a close, I thought I'd share with you a few of my favourite books of the year. Enjoy!

Best Contemporary / Boys' Book / Comedy / Debut:
One Seriously Messed Up Week in the Otherwise Mundane and Uneventful Life of Jack Samsonite by Tom Clempson

Published 2nd June 2011
Read my review
I had all three catagories listed, but could only come up with OSMUW as an answer for each. This book is just far too funny! It's brilliant! I love it, and I can't count the times I've recommended it to other people. Also, Tom Clempson is a pretty funny guy, so you should go read his blog and follow him on Twitter. Along with two other books, OSMUW is joint first place for my favourite book of the year. You need to read this book. Now. Go go go!

Best Dystopia:
Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Published in:
Hardback - 3rd February 2011
Paperback - 4th August 2011
Read my review
Do I really need to explain? This book is just brilliant! It's clever and thought-provoking, it's disturbing and beautiful, it's terribly sad but full of hope. I was moved far more than words can possibly express and completely blown away! Hence acting like such a fangirl when I got to meet Lauren Oliver earlier in the year. I fell in love with Delirium and Oliver's writing, and you should love it too! Another book in joint place for my favourite book of the year.

Best Sci-Fi:
Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Published 3rd March 2011
Read my review
I am generally not a fan of sci-fi in books. I tried it many years ago, and it just didn't do anything for me. But Across the Universe is brilliant because it's not heavy on the techy, and focuses on the plot and the charaters, and it just amazed me the whole way through. It's clever and fascinating and I am sooo excited for A Million Suns, the sequel, released next year! This book was just awesome!

Best Urban Fantasy-High Fantasy Mix:
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Published 29th September 2011
Read my review
Oh my god, my love for this book knows no bounds. It's been a fair while since I read this book, and I still have difficulty articulating just how good this book is, so check out my review for specific gushing, and go read this book now! Love, love, love! The final book that's in joint first place for my favourite book of the year.

Books 3 and 4 in the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent, My Soul to Keep and My Soul to Steal, come a joint close second. The only reason they missed out was because more time is spent in our world than in the Netherworld, so just a minor detail really!

Best Vampire Urban Fantasy:
Last Breath by Rachel Caine

Published 28th OCtober 2011
Read my review
Bite Club was also released this year, but simply for the amazing new storyline, this book gets it. It's just brilliant, and Caine never fails to amaze me! It's simply wow, and I can't wait to see where this story goes in the next book, Black Dawn.

Best Werewolf Urban Fantasy:
The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

Published 7th March 2011
Read my review

Because it's an entirely new take on the werewolf myth, and continued from The Dark Devine down such a fantastic route! Oooh, I am looking forward to the third book, The Savage Grace, it's going to be fantastic!

Best Angel Urban Fantasy:
Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

Published 4th October 2011
Read my review
Because this series is just far too awesome for words! I cannot really elaborate on my review, it says it all! Passion by Lauren Kate wasn't chosen simply because I personally would have liked to have seen Luce spend more time in her previous incarnations. Minor thing!

Best Zomebie Urban Fantasy:
Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

Published 1st May 2011
Read my review
I don't think I'd read a zombie book before Dead Beautiful, but this one has made me want to read more! It was amazing, so different to the zombie idea you'd automatically think of, such a clever take! I can't wait for Life Eternal, the sequel.

Christmas Contest Winner

2011-12-12T21:52:00.003Z

It's time to announce the winners of the Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick. Thanks to everyone who entered. Randomizer.org has done it's thing, and the winner is:

Kulsuma B!

Congratulations! I have notified you by email. I will send your details on to my contact at Walker, who will be sending you your prize.

To those who didn't win, better luck next time!

Book News

2011-12-12T19:25:00.005Z

I received quite a bit of news recently, so here you go!

Help Reach Out and Read and Scholastic's You Are What You Read Give Books to Others This Holiday Season

As a fellow book lover, you know books have the power to impact our lives. What books influenced you the most?

Live on The View today, Whoopi Goldberg kicked off Scholastic’s “One Million Bookprints for One Million Books” Campaign – an initiative to donate one million books to kids in need through the literacy nonprofit Reach Out and Read. By joining Scholastic’s online book community YouAreWhatYouRead.com, you can make a Bookprint – a list of 5 books that have shaped your life. And for every Bookprint, Scholastic Book Clubs will donate a book. It is that easy to make a difference this holiday season!

Here are Whoopi’s books:
- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
- East of Eden by John Steinbeck
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

With your readers help, Scholastic Book Clubs will donate up to one million books to Reach Out and Read, to help put books into the hands of children in need through pediatricians offices around the country. Now more than ever, Reach Out and Read needs our help. Recent government funding cuts has made it a major challenge for literacy organizations like Reach Out and Read to continue to get books into the hands of kids in need. Join Judy Blume, Malcolm Gladwell, James Patterson, Jodi Picoult, Suzanne Collins, and make your bookprint today!

Read the press release for more info.

------------------------------------------------

Introducing Strange Chemistry

Strange Chemistry is a brand new imprint for YA books. We are the sister imprint to Angry Robot books, who have created a name for themselves as publishing excellent examples of sci-fi and fantasy novels. Some of you may know Amanda Rutter, Strange Chemistry's Editor, as the book blogger behind Floor to Ceiling Books.

We have our official launch next September, with exciting titles being announced up to that point. Until then, we want to engage with the YA community - read posts on the website, chat with us via Twitter at @strangechem and generally try to build a good relationship with all you lovely people.

We currently are running a series of posts on the Strange Chemistry site - YA Novels You Should Be Reading - and would love you to come join the discussion.

------------------------------------------------

Trailer for Hallowed by Cynthia Hand, the sequel to Unearthly.

------------------------------------------------

A Touch Of Power Microsite

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder is going to have a microsite! This will feature all of Maria’s books, the latest trailer, competitions and more! Themicrosite will hopefully go live at the end of this week!

In the meantime you can always check out MIRA Ink’s Facebook page for the most up-to-date news on Maria and all of the other incredible MIRA Ink titles and authors.

2011 Reading Challenges Wrap Up Post

2011-12-07T21:21:00.002Z

As it's December and I've completed most of my reading challenges for the year, I thought I'd write up my wrap up post for my challenges. Although there are a few weeks left in the year, I may actually read more than what's listed, but I'm happy to post this now as most are complete.

Aim: to read 12 Debut YA novels from 2011. I completed this one! All links go to the reviews. I read:

1. Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
2. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
3. Firelight by Sophie Jordan
4. Siren by Tricia Rayburn
5. Forgotten by Cat Patrick
6. My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher
7. One Seriously Messed-Up Week in the Otherwise Mundane and Uneventful Life of Jack Samsonite by Tom Clempson
8. Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon
9. And By the Way by Denise Deegan
10. The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter
11. Everybody Jam by Ali Lewis
12. Swim the Fly by Don Calame

Aim: to read 12 books by British authors. Another challenge I finished! Again, links go to the reviews. I read (across both my blogs OUaB and Ink and Paper):

1. The Bitter Seed of Magic by Suzanne McLeod
2. My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher
3. Della Says: OMG! by Keris Stainton
4. One Seriously Messed-Up Week in the Otherwise Mundane and Uneventful Life of Jack Samsonite by Tom Clempson
5. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
9. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
10. By Midnight by Mia James
11. Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane
12. Everybody Jam by Ali Lewis
13. Geekhood by Andy Robb - but no review as the book isn't published til next year. So I guess this doesn't completely count.

Aim: to read 100 books in a year. Unfortunately, this isn't one I'm going to be able to complete. I'm only at 55 now, I'm not going to get enough books in in the last few weeks. You can read which books I read here. I did read less this year than I did last year. I think this is because of a few reading slumps, a holiday, and visting a mate, there were just some periods where I wasn't reading. I hope to do better next year.

News: Cover for Life Eternal by Yvonne Woon

2011-12-07T16:44:00.003Z

Look at the cover for Life Eternal by Yvonne Woon, sequel to Dead Beautiful!

Life Eternal by Yvonne Woon (released 1st May 2012) - In this title life and death collide in the stunning sequel to the breathtaking "Dead Beautiful". Renee Winters has changed. When she looks in the mirror, a beautiful girl with an older, sadder face stares back. Her condition has doctors mystified, but Renee can never reveal the truth: she died last May, and was brought back to life by the kiss of her Undead soul mate, Dante Berlin. Now, her separation from Dante becomes almost unbearable. His second life is close to an end, and each passing day means one less that she will spend with the boy who shares her soul. Just when Renee has almost given up hope, she learns of the Nine Sisters - brilliant scholars who, according to legend, found a way to cheat death. She can't shake the feeling that they are somehow connected to her dreams, strange visions that hint at a discovery so powerful, and so dangerous, that some will stop at nothing to protect it. Renee thought she knew the truth about life and death. But there is a secret woven through history that holds the only hope for Dante and Renee. Unless they find answers soon, their time together is doomed to be cut short. From Amazon UK

It's very wintery! And the book sounds absolutely amazing! I can't wait to read it!

News: Cover Reveal for Cinder by Marrissa Meyer

2011-12-05T19:20:00.003Z

Check out the gorgeous cover for the first book in The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, Cinder!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (released 5th January 2012) - A forbidden romance.
A deadly plague.
Earth's fate hinges on one girl...

CINDER, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She's reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she finds herself at the centre of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen - and a dangerous temptation.

Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth's future.

This is not the fairytale you remember. But it's one you won't forget. From Puffin's Website

Isn't it gorgeous?! And it sounds so intriguing! You can read an extract here and check out The Lunar Chronicles' Facbeook page.

Christmas Contest: Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick

2011-12-05T09:00:00.005Z

Thanks to the lovely people at Indigo, I'm giving away a copy of Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick as a Christmas treat!

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick - Have you ever had the feeling that you've lived another life? Been somewhere that has felt totally familiar, even though you've never been there before, or felt that you know someone well, even though you are meeting them for the first time? It happens. In 2073 on the remote and secretive island of Blessed, where rumour has it that no one ages and no children are born, a visiting journalist, Eric Seven, and a young local woman known as Merle are ritually slain. Their deaths echo a moment ten centuries before, when, in the dark of the moon, a king was slain, tragically torn from his queen. Their souls search to be reunited, and as mother and son, artist and child, forbidden lovers, victims of a vampire they come close to finding what they've lost. In a novel comprising seven parts, each influenced by a moon - the flower moon, the harvest moon, the hunter's moon, the blood moon - this is the story of Eric and Merle whose souls have been searching for each other since their untimely parting. Beautifully imagined, intricately and cleverly structured, this is a heart-wrenching and breathtaking love story with the hallmark Sedgwick gothic touches of atmosphere, blood-spilling and sacrifice. From Amazon UK

Rules:

Enter by filling in the form below.
One entry per person. Multiple entries wll be deleted.
Open to UK entrants only.
One winner.
Contest closes on 11th December.
The winner will be picked via Randomizer.org and announced on 12th December.
The winner's contact info will be passed on to my contact at Indigo, who will send out the prizes.
Please read my Privacy Policy.

***CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!***

I've Started a Challenge - Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge 2012!

2011-12-02T19:57:00.005Z

Over on my fantasy blog, Ink and Paper, to celebrate the news that Rachel Caine will be released another three books to the series, I will be hosting the Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge 2012!

There are five different levels, so there's something for everyone, whether you're an old fan or have yet to try the series, there's something that should be doable for everyone! There will also be contests and prizes!

I will be taking the Bishop level challenge, which means I'll be attempting to read all the 13 novels that will be available by the end of the year, plus all Morganville Vampires short stories!

I do hope some of you will join in with me, it should be fun!

2012 Reading Challenges Sign Up Post

2011-11-27T23:48:00.008Z

To check out my progress on the following challenges, click on the 2012 Reading Challenges page link on the left sidebar.

2012 Debut Author Challenge

The Story Siren is hosting the 2012 Debut Author Challenge for the fourth year running this year! Where bloggers read a minimum of 12 debut authors' novels over the course of a year. And I, of course, am signing up! For more info, see the link above.

What's In a Name? Challenge 2012

Beth Fish Reads hosts the What's In a Name? Challenge 2012, where the aim is to read books with a word in the title that fits the categories below. For more info, see the link above.

1. A topographical feature (land formation)
2. Something you would see in the sky
3. A creepy crawly
4. A type of house
5. Something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack:
6. Something you'd find on a calendar

New Author Challenge 2012

Literary Escapism is hosting the New Author Challenge 2012, where the aim is to read new-to-me authors, old or new. I'm going to aim for 25, though I hope to read more. For more info, see the link above.

2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge

The Eclectic Reader is hosting the 2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge, where the aim is to read the number of YA books from your chosen level. I'm going for Jumbo Size, which is to read 40 YA books, though I hope to read more. For more info, see the link above.

2012 Dystopian Reading Challenge

The Non Reluctant Reader is hosting the 2012 Dystopian Reading Challenge, where the aim is to read the number of dystopian books from your chosen level. I'm going for Medium, which is to read 8-14 books. For more info, see the link above.

Review: My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent

2011-11-27T15:09:00.003Z

My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

SOMETIMES DREAMS DO COME TRUE...AND THAT'S THE LAST THING KAYLEE NEEDS.
Working things out with Nash - her maybe boyfriend - is hard for Kaylee. She's already coping with being a teenage banshee. Worse, Nash's gorgeous ex-girlfriend just transferred to their school. Sabine's no ordinary girl. She's a mara, a real-life walking nightmare. Draining people's energy through their darkest dreams sustains Sabine...and makes her Kaylee's top suspect in a cluster of super-creepy deaths. To win back Nash, Kaylee's determined to unearth the truth. But Sabine knows the deathly secrets of Kaylee's subconscious - and she's not afraid to use them to get whatever and whoever she wants... From Amazon UK

After finishing My Soul to Keep, I immediately picked up My Soul to Steal, desperately needing to read more of this story I am now hooked on. And it didn't disappoint!

With the introduction of a Mara, a creature that reads your darkest fears and creates nightmares for you to have while sleeping so they can feed from your fear, MSTSteal knocks the creep-factor up a level. What makes it slightly worse is that the Mara in this story, Sabine, is Nash's ex-girlfriend, and he is absolutely certain she is not behind the seriously bad things that happen in the book - which means that what she does might not be because of some evil scheme, but because she simply wants to torment Kaylee. To me, the possibility of her not actually being the one who is killing these people, but just sending Kaylee nightmares through jealousy makes her creepier, because if she's not the villain, how can you get rid of her?

I love how amidst all the urban fantasy, Vincent can still give us a human element, or more specifically, in the Soul Screamers, the teenage human element. In the last book it was teens using drugs, in this book, it's boyfriend stealing. Kaylee and Nash are on a break after she discovered, while he was addicted to Demon's Breath, he let Avari, a Hellion in the Netherworld, possess Kaylee's body, and never told her about it. Although she still loves him, she doesn't trust him, and is still hurting from the betrayal. Then along comes Sabine. As I said, Sabine is Nash's ex-girlfriend, and she is determined to get him back. She complicates everything for Kaylee, because although she doesn't want to lose him, she can't be with him right now, where Sabine is quite happy to accept he's done some bad things and love him anyway - and give him things Kaylee is not yet ready to give. Kaylee can't deny that Sabine and Nash obviously have a strong bond, and is terrified Nash will turn to her if she doesn't take him back soon, but how can she take him back so soon when she's still struggling with her trust issues? Add to this that Sabine is happy to play dirty by tormenting Kaylee with seriously freaky nightmares among other things, and you will have yourself one seriously stressed out bean sidhe!

As creepy as she is, I actually really liked Sabine. Sure, she goes about trying to get Nash back completely the wrong way (though frankly, I think she shouldn't have just accepted he loves Kaylee and gave it up), I have to admire her determination, and was impressed, along with sometimes shocked and angry, at how far she was willing to go to get what she wants. She is unbelievable! But I empathise with Sabine too, even if I can't relate to her. She has had such a tough life, and for all her tough front, she just seems so insecure and, well, desperate. Nash may belong to someone else, but he is all she has in the world, and she really does need him. And beyond Nash, Kaylee has absolutely everything Sabine doesn't - a family, friends, people who care about her, and a generally good life. Sabine is just a really complicated character, and I feel sorry for her. And I also think she's going to make make future books that little bit more interesting!

What I've discovered from reading MSTKeep and MSTSteal is that what appears to be the main conflict for the story, despite how big a deal it seems at first, it's nothing compared to what is around the corner - and there's always, always something. And the magnitude of these somethings is just beyond anything you can imagine! There is so much more going on in this book than the freaky events surrounding the Kaylee-Nash-Sabine love triangle, so much more, but I can't say anything about it! It's one of the things I love about the Soul Screamers Series, the mix of urban fantasy - Kaylee and friends in our world, and high fantasy - all the goings on in the Netherworld, which is completely made up by Vincent, so you never know what's going to come next! I love it! It's always big, and scary, and freaking awesome!

And, if I'm reading things right, I believe the current love triangle might actually become a love diamond (sounds much better than a square or rectangle, don't you think?)! There might just be a certain someone who also has feelings for our little bean sidhe, and I think I might possibly be rooting for him! Another incredible book, and I cannot wait for If I Die! I think the Soul Screamers might just be, dare I say it... possibly a little bit better than the Shifters series! I am addicted to these books!

Thank you to Mira Ink for sending me a review copy.

Published: 21st October 2011
Publisher: Mira Ink
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Vincent's Website

Other reviews from the series:
My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers Prequel)
My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers Book 1)
My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers Book 2)
My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers Book 3)

Review: My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent

2011-11-25T14:09:00.004Z

My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them. Until something does.

Demon’s breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that really can kill you. Somehow, the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends—one of whom is already hooked. And when the epidemic hits too close to home, Kaylee will have to risk everything to save those she loves. From RachelVincent.com

Oh my god. In my previous reviews of the Soul Screamers series, I have always said how much I enjoyed them, which was and is true. However, as much as I enjoyed them, I did feel they weren't as exciting as Rachel Vincent's Shifters series, which I was reading at the time. I enjoyed them, but there was no urgent desire to read the next ones, I'd just read them when I read them. I was recently sent My Soul to Keep and My Soul to Steal by Mira Ink, and during a lull in my reading where I didn't know what I fancied, I decided to pick MSTKeep up. And WOW! I have said I loved the previous books in previous reviews, but that love comes no where near the love I have for this book! Now this is on par with the Shifters series!

Before I continue with my review, there's something I have big issues with. It's not the contents of the book, it's with the outside: the blurb. Above you will see I used the description from Rachel Vincent's own website. The description on the Amazon US isn't too bad, and was usable, but on Amazon UK, and on the actual UK edition of the book, there is what I believe to be a major spoiler. I highly suggest that if you plan on reading this book, do not read the back of the UK book or read the description on Amazon UK. As you can see from the description above, you're told enough. There is an extra detail that is on the UK blurb that is simply not needed, and without, would have made a major part of the book that much better for me if I didn't already know it was coming. It is such a big deal to the whole story of the book, and in one sentence in the blurb, they've taken the shock and surprise away from you. It's not fair, and it's really frustrating. Rant over.

Oh, my love for this book knows no bounds! It's creepy! Really! I actually found myself getting fairly freaked out at some points in the book. I am anti-drugs with a passion, and so this book really played to that side of me, and although Demon's Breath doesn't actually exist, the things it did and just how dangerous it was scared me on a normal, real-life level - this drug may not exist, but drugs are dangerous, and the effects they have on people... it scares me! But add on top of that the creepy urban fantasy element, and it's really warped.

What I absolutely loved, though, was how, unbelievably, the fact that Kaylee's school friends are getting high off a Netherworld narcotic ends up seeming so... almost trivial when other events unfold. And they just keep on and on unfolding, until you're on the verge of a heart attack with all the tension and anxiety for these characters and all the stuff that happens. But it's all genius! And the action! It is literally one of those moments when you can't see any good outcome, or any way out of the trouble their in. It's serious edge-of-your-seat, nail biting excitement! And I am liking Tod. I know in previous reviews I've been all about Nash, but I'm changing my mind. Tod, for all his jokes and annoying behaviour, he's actually a really nice guy, and when lives are in danger, or people are being treated badly, he steps up to the plate and he really surprised and impressed me. He's really cool!

Vincent is one of those authors whose mind I'd quite like to take a tour of, because just how she manages to write stories like this that flow so seemlessly and so believably I'll never know. I am just left in complete and utter awe! Incredible book! This is a brilliant, brilliant story, and I've already started the fourth book in the series, My Soul to Steal. If the series carries on like this, I believe I've just found myself another favourite series! Oh, how I love Rachel Vincent!

Thank you to Mira Ink for sending me a review copy.

Published: 15th April 2011
Publisher: Mira Ink
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Vincent's Website

Other reviews from the Soul Screamers series:
My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers Prequel)
My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers Book 1)
My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers Book 2)

Read It and Laugh - Laugh of the Week: Doing It by Melvin Burgess

2011-11-15T19:56:00.006Z

Have you heard about Read It and Laugh? No? Well, prepare for the funny! Read It and Laugh is a collaborative author blog where YA authors of funny books aim on showing the world that YA is not all doom and gloom and evil. It's pretty awesome. I only discovered it today, and reading and commenting on the posts, I've had a fair bit of a giggle :)

As well as telling you about the blog, there is another point to this post. My submission for Laugh of the Week!

Have you ever read a book where you're laughing so hard you actually have to put the book down and rush to the loo because you're on the verge of... an accident? Doing It by Melvin Burgess did that to me. It is that funny. The excerpt below is just one of the hilariously funny moments in the book, but this is one of the best - to introduce it, Jonathan, one of the narrators, fears he has a gential problem.

ETA: If you are drinking a hot drink, put it down before reading. Don't hurt yourself!

That’s why girl’s are so lucky. Doctors are always examining fannies. It’s the first thing you do when you get a fanny, you take it down the doctor and get it looked at. If you’re a girl and you go down to the doctor even with a sore foot or something, the doctor looks at your foot and says, Fine, OK, ointment, bandages, whatever-- Oh, and while you’re here would you like me to look at your fanny? And the girl, says, Yeah, sure, might as well, and off they go. It happens all the time. Girls are used to it. But willies are different. No one ever shows the doctor their willy. Name me one person. I bet you know loads of people who’ve had their fannies examined. You know, smear tests and things, they happen almost once a week. But name one single person who’s shown their knob to the doctor. You can’t, can you? There’s even a profession dedicated entirely to looking at fannies, gynaecologists. Have you ever heard of a single doctor who specialises in knobs? A knobologist? Doesn’t exist. Now, see, if a man goes down to the doctor’s and says, I want you to check my knob out, you’d get thrown out just like that. What do you mean, you pervert, you want to show me your knob? Right, nurse, ring the police.

How can you not read that and laugh your head off? Oooh, it almost killed me. I loved it! It is my intent on posting a Laugh of the Week submission whenever I come across something funny in the future - but I can't say how regularly this will be.

Review: Last Breath by Rachel Caine

2011-11-10T21:10:00.005Z

Last Breath by Rachel Caine (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

Claire Danvers is concerned when three vampires vanish from Morganville without a trace. The last person seen with them is someone new to town - a mysterious individual named Magnus. Claire is convinced creepy Magnus isn't human ...but is he a vampire, or something else entirely? Claire's hunt for answers leads her to solving another mystery that's long been puzzling her: why do vampires live so far out in a sunny desert when they're sensitive to sunlight? The answer has nothing to do with sunlight, but with water - and an ancient enemy who has finally found a way to invade the vampires' landlocked community. Vampires aren't the top predator on earth. There's something worse that preys on them ...something much worse. Which means if Claire, and Morganville, want to live, they will have to fight on to the last breath... From Amazon UK

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Rachel Caine is a genius! With every book she writes, she brings us something new, unique, unpredictable and completely engrossing! And Last Breath is no different!

As weird as this may sound to fellow Morganville Vampires fans, considering all the weird stuff that happens in previous books, I think this might just be the creepiest of all the whole series so far! Seriously! These new creatures that prey on vampires... well, if you thought the vamps in these books could be bad, you've read nothing that. I was Freaked Out. Yes, with capital letters. These new beasties gave me the heebie-jeebies. Not necessarily for what they do or how they do them, but for what they are. You know how mean and evil Caine's vamps can be, seriously creeptastic! Yet this new creature scares them! They're nasty and they're.. ohh, they're just not right. For a lot of the novel it seems like there isn't any mythical creature that we know of that they're actually like, until they started doing one thing, and I actually said outloud, "Oh, they're like them!", except "them" was actually the creature I was thinking of, but I'm not going to spoil it for you. Them, but 100 times worse!

If these weird creatures weren't bad enough, we get some serious jaw-dropping moments in this book where you're just like "what the hell?!" Readers, once you get to this point, you'll know what I'm talking about. Because you know what that means! And you know it's going to change absolutely everything for Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael in massive ways! Yet, do you know? Caine is just so good at this writing thing that she's throwing you curve balls left, right and centre so you don't know which way is up let alone trying to come up with any kind of theory on where this book is going to go. She takes everything we think we know, and then BAM! turns it on it's head, in a completely believable way for the world she's writing - there's no "that can't happen, because she said XYZ before!" It all makes sense, you just never would have believed it before. No, believed it is wrong, you wouldn't even have thought of it. Caine's brain must be the size of a planet, because she thinks of absolutely everything - and this isn't her only series!

I loved how Caine carried on with adding other characters' points of view that she started in Fight Club. It's all mostly Claire still, but as well as her and Shane, we also get Michael, Eve and Amelie too. Yes, Amelie! And oooh, I want more of being in her head! She thinks like someone from centuries past, very proper and formal, with a lot of "one" instead of "I" going on. And she's just fascinating! This scary ice queen that rules with an iron fist isn't as strong as we all think. It's just wonderful to see all these different points of view! And things happen in this book where it's absolutely necessary to see through other people's eyes. No, I won't say more than that!

And the ending! Oh my god, the ending! I actually didn't know it was the end until I turned the page expecting the next chapter, and found Caine's playlist for the book. This is not a stand alone story! I don't know how many books it will cover, but this story is not completely wrapped up in this book, and there's so much more to find out, and EEEE, I am so excited that we've got another story that carries on, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next book, Black Dawn, which is out in May 2012! MV fans, you have to buy this book immediately! This is not one to miss! Incredible!

Thank you to Allison and Busby for sending me a review copy.

Published: 28th October 2011
Publisher: Allison and Busby
Buy on Amazon US
Rachel Caine's Website

Other reviews from the Morganville Vampires series:
Carpe Corpus (Morganville Vampires Book 6)
Fade Out (Morganville Vampires Book 7)
Kiss of Death (Morganville Vampires Book 8)
Ghost Town (Morganville Vampires Book 9)
Bite Club (Morganville Vampires Book 10)

News: Root - Interactive Thriller From Guardian Teen Books and Random House

2011-11-08T16:03:00.003Z

Guardian Teen Books has partnered with Random House for a new interactive, serialised story called Root - a fast-paced thriller set in the shadowy world of computer hacking and espionage. Every weekday for six weeks a new chapter will be released on guardian.co.uk/teen-books. The content will be directly influenced by readers’ contributions, such as their ideas for characters' personalities and skills.

The heroine Molly Root is a 15 year old computer genius whose friend Danny is killed after being caught stealing priceless data from a ruthless global corporation. Now she's in over her head. So far Molly Root's mission to get to the bottom of her best friend's murder has taken her on a perilous trail across London. Her key lead is a dodgy police detective - and her attempts to expose his shady contacts are testing her ingenuity to the limits.

As well as incorporating suggestions from readers, the story will also be brought to life via several social media platforms. For example, Guardian Teen Books' Twitter and Facebook accounts will be providing behind the scenes updates of how Molly is progressing, along with clips on Audioboo featuring the voicemails that Molly has discovered. This will be accompanied by onsite quizzes and photo puzzles on Flickr.

News: Cover Reveals for Lauren Kate's Fallen in Love and Rapture

2011-11-07T20:03:00.003Z

Great news to share with you! The covers for Lauren Kate's Fallen in Love and Rapture have been released!

Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate - What makes your heart race a little faster? Just in time for Valentine's Day, it's FALLEN IN LOVE, four wholly original new stories collected in a new novel set in the Middle Ages by Lauren Kate. FALLEN IN LOVE gives fans the much-talked about but never-revealed stories of FALLEN characters as they intertwine with the epic love story of Luce and Daniel. The stories include: Love Where You Least Expect It: The Valentine of Shelby and Miles , Love Lessons: The Valentine of Roland; Burning Love: The Valentine of Arriane; and Endless Love: The Valentine of Daniel and Lucinda. From Amazon UK

ETA: Check out this excerpt from Fallen in Love.

Rapture by Lauren Kate - The sky is dark with wings....

In RAPTURE, the highly anticipated fourth and final novel in the FALLEN series, Luce and Daniel are together... but for how long? Can history be rewritten? Or are some punishments eternal? From Amazon UK

Aren't they gorgeous?! Improved since Passion! They look a lot more realistic. I love them!

Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampire Series Omnibuses

2011-11-02T15:40:00.006Z

You may or may not know what a huge fan I am of Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampire series. Massive fan! I love this series! This is one of those series where, even if I have a huge TBR pile, I will buy the next book, even if I don't have much money, I will go without something else - chocolate, coke, etc - so I can buy a copy. This is a series I can't wait for. As soon as it's released, I am getting me the latest book.

So loving this series as much as I do, and with Christmas not too far away, I thought I'd let you know about the Morganville Vampires Series Ombinbuses for those who think they'll be an ideal gift for people they know or an early gift for yourself if you've not yet started them.

The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine Omnibus 1 (released 4th October 2010) - The New York Times bestselling series following Claire and her friends as they survive in the town of Morganville, run by vampires.

A chance for fans to own a stunning hardback edition of the first three books in the bestselling Morganville Vampire series: Glass Houses, The Dead Girls' Dance and Midnight Alley. From AllisonandBusby.com. Buy from Amazon UK.

The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine Omnibus 2 (released 31st October 2011) - In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans have learnt to coexist in relative peace. Then comes Bishop, a master vampire who threatens to abolish all order, revive the forces of the evil dead and let chaos rule - and Claire and here friends are the only ones who stand in his way...

Comprising of books four to six in the series - Feast of Fools, Lord of Misrule and Carpe Corpus - this beautiful edition is a must for old and new fans of the chart-topping Morganville Vampires series. From AllisonandBusby.com. Buy from Amazon UK.

Review: The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart

2011-10-31T12:11:00.006Z

The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the other books in the series. Do not read any further if you haven't read the previous books and don't want them spoiled for you.

Ruby is back at Tate Prep, and it’s her thirty-seventh week in the state of Noboyfriend. Her panic attacks are bad, her love life is even worse, and what’s more:

· Noel is writing her notes,
· Jackson is giving her frogs,
· Gideon is helping her cook,
· and Finn is making her brownies.
· Rumors are flying, and Ruby’s already sucky reputation is heading downhill.

Not only that, she’s also:

· running a bake sale,
· learning the secrets of heavy metal therapy,
· encountering some seriously smelly feet,
· defending the rights of pygmy goats,
· and bodyguarding Noel from unwanted advances.

Ruby struggles to secure some sort of mental health, to understand what constitutes a real friendship, and—if such a thing exists—to find true love. From Amazon UK

Having loved the previous two books in the series, as soon as this book arrived, I immediately started reading. Yet another fantastic book in this series read in one day!

Boys continue to be confusing in this book, with them sending mixed signals, or not sending any signals at all and Ruby just thinks there are signals to read, or simply won't come out and say exactly what they mean. With her still being a social pariah, and the various other aspects of her life these boys are linked to - like friends and ex-friends - the confusion over these boys, what they mean, and what that means for everything else in her life pushes Ruby back to panic attacks.

And I love it all! Well, not the fact that Ruby's mental health is going down hill again, but the funny situations she finds herself in and the way she thinks and agonises over what's happening. She's just hilariously funny, and I love her!

I have to say, I love the constant visits to Doctor Z. Even when she doesn't say very much, she has a way of making Ruby look at things differently, which works on me and how I think of Ruby's situation too. Despite being very funny books, this series is great for showing just how helpful seeing a psychologist can be if you need it. I think it's just wonderful.

Not a very long review, but I don't want to spoil anything or repeat what I've said in previous reviews - though it's all still true! I love these books, and I hate that there's only one left to read, Real Live Boyfriends. I am really looking forward to it, though!

Published: 28th July 2009
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Buy on Amazon US
E. Lockharts Website
The Boyfriend List Website

Reviews of other books in the series:
The Boyfriend List (Ruby Oliver Book 1)
The Boy Book (Ruby Oliver Book 2)

Review: Swim the Fly by Don Calame

2011-10-29T16:43:00.004+01:00

Swim the Fly by Don Calame (review copy) - Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal. This year's? To see a real-live naked girl for the first time. But this mission impossible starts to look easy in comparison to Matt's other challenge: to swim the 100-yard butterfly and impress the gorgeous Kelly West. From Amazon UK

I love reading YA. I wouldn't review it if I didn't. But I have to admit that I prefer YA written for boys than YA written for girls. They're just so funny! So when Swim the Fly came through my letterbox, I started reading straight away. And it's brilliant!

I can't count the times I actually laughed out loud while reading this book, or how many of those times I actually sat there laughing for a good while before being able to continue reading. There are so many incidents in this book - whether it be the three mates desperate attempts to see a naked girl, or Matt's Grandad trying to woo a recent windower - that are just so silly and ridiculous, you can't help but laugh. Though I have to say there were moments when I felt a little disturbed at some of the things that happened, but I guess boys will be boys, and it was all fairly believable despite that.

Swim the Fly was light on the serious issues. It touched on a thing or two every now and then, but for the main part, it's a comedy. This isn't a bad thing though, as there was never much of a downer on the story, and I was kept smiling.

This review is pretty short, but I don't know what else I can say without spoiling it, as so much happens. The characters are awesome, they get themselves into so many scrapes, and come out with really funny phrases. It's just a brilliant book, and would make a good summer read. I highly recommend it, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, Beat the Band. An awesome book!

Thank you to Templar Publishing for sending me a review copy.

Published: 9th May 2011
Publisher: Templar Publishing
Buy on Amazon US
Don Calame's Website

Animated Cover: My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent

2011-10-28T12:35:00.005+01:00

We have been given a brilliant from the lovely people at Mira Ink! Here's the news straight from the horse's mouth:

As if My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent wasn’t awesome enough, it now comes with an animated book jacket! MIRA Ink are the first YA publishers to create an animated book jacket for one of their titles! Not only this but this jacket is only available to UK bloggers – it’s not being sent out in the US!

And here it is:

How fantastic is it?! It's brilliant!

There's also a brilliant competition:

MIRA Ink are offering you a chance to win a copy of My Soul to Steal! There are ten copies available, and all you have to do is go on to the MIRA Ink Facebook site click on the jacket image of My Soul to Steal and post a comment in the comment box below the picture. Then MIRA Ink will select the winners.

Pretty cool, huh? So get entering!

Spooky Trailers!

2011-10-27T17:34:00.002+01:00

Thanks to the lovely people at Random House Children's Books, I have three spooky trailers of creepy books as Halloween is just around the corner. Check them out!

Long Lanking by Lindsey Barraclough

Long Lanking on Goodreads / Read an excerpt

Spook's: I am Grimalkin by Joseph Delaney

Spook's: I am Grimalkin on Goodreads / Read an excerpt

The Haunting of Charity Delafied by Ian Beck

The Haunting of Charity Delafied on Goodreads / Read an excerpt

Also, Joseph Delaney will be online TONIGHT from 6pm-7pm for a LIVE webchat. Sign up here: http://www.spooksbooks.com/webchat/

Review: Sharing Sam by Katherine Applegate

2011-10-24T17:20:00.003+01:00

Sharing Sam by Katherine Applegate - Sam is gorgeous and Alison can't resist him. So when Sam asks her to the Valentine's Day dance she is elated, until she finds out her dying friend Isabella, has fallen for him too. She wants Isabella's last days to be happy, even if she and Sam have to hide their love. But can they keep it secret? From Amazon UK

Sharing Sam is a very sweet, very short novel which explores the brilliant bond of friendship in arguably the worst scenario friends can find themselves in. Alison seriously fancies new boy Sam, and Sam returns her feelings. However, Alison's best friend, Izzy, likes him too - and she's dying from a brain tumour. With the desire that her best friend's last few months are happy, Alison asks Sam to go out with Izzy instead, even though he's not interested and it will hurt her.

At 183 pages (my edition - which has a different cover from the one shown above. I couldn't find a quality image of my cover, which is the one you see below), Sharing Sam is really short. Because of this, it's a little difficult to get emotionally involved; before you know it, the book is over. Although there is a complete story, it feels like you only scratch the surface of who these people are. In an ideal world, the book would have been a lot longer, with more chances to see how difficult it is for all the characters; Izzy being ill, Izzy and Sam together, Alison seeing them together. It's these instances that would really draw the reader into how sad the story is, if only there was a bit more meat to the book.

Saying all this, it's not a bad story. It's actually really quite sweet. Seeing Alison and Sam together at the beginning, you can't help but smile, they really are just adorable. But what's wonderful is that Alison "happily" hands Sam over to Izzy to make her happy, even though it hurts her. Sometimes it does seem like Alison is only cares about Izzy, and seems to forget Sam has issues - quite big issues - of his own to deal with. And on top of thos issues making his life hard, Alison wants Sam to stay away from the girl he wants and go out with another - a girl who is going to die he inevitably starts having feelings for. Yes, her best friend is going to die, and it's really sad, but she just seems to push Sam into it, not caring much about how he feels, because they can be together once Izzy's gone... it just seems a bit much. Though I guess you can take the view point that because of her encouragement, Sam ends up getting to know and care for such a wonderful person, and gets to have her in his life.

That is the main focus of the story, their relationships and Izzy's happiness. We don't find out too much about Izzy's tumour or her treatment. All we really know is she's going to die, and Alison wants her happy while she's alive. And although it's a short story that only scratches the surface, that's what stays with you, their love and friendship. Hours after finishing the book I was still thinking about it, but how could I not be? It really makes you think, could I do that? Give up the one thing you want more than anything, sacrifice your own happiness, so your best friend can spend her last temaining days smiling in bliss? It's a question I must admit I struggle with, as bad as that sounds, but it makes me admire Alison's strength and bravery and love. I think it's just brilliant.

Despite it's length and not giving me as much as I would have liked to see, Sharing Sa, is still a really good book, and I loved reading it. I really recommend you give this book a go, it's brilliant.

Published: 1997
Publisher: Bantam Children
Buy on Amazon US
Katherine Applegate's Website

Review: Everybody Jam by Ali Lewis

2011-10-24T15:16:00.004+01:00

Everybody Jam by Ali Lewis (review copy) - Danny Dawson lives in the middle of the Australian outback. His older brother Jonny was killed in an accident last year but no-one ever talks about it.

And now it's time for the annual muster. The biggest event of the year on the cattle station, and a time to sort the men from the boys. But this year things will be different: because Jonny's gone and Danny's determined to prove he can fill his brother's shoes; because their fourteen-year-old sister is pregnant; because it's getting hotter and hotter and the rains won't come; because cracks are beginning to show...

When Danny's mum admits she can't cope, the family hires a housegirl to help out - a wide-eyed English backpacker. She doesn't have a clue what she's let herself in for. And neither do they. From Amazon UK

I'm not entirely sure what I expected from Everybody Jam, but what I got wasn't it. Although I enjoyed reading it, I finished it thinking, "That's it?"

The story is of several months in Danny Dawson's life, a cattle ranch owner's son in the Australian outback. His brother, Jonny, died a year ago, his sister, Sissy, is pregnant, and there has been a long drought - things are not looking great. But Danny is looking forward to this year's muster - where the cattle across the territory are gathered together and it's decided which should be kept and which should go to be slaughtered (it's actually a lot more exciting than I make it sound). When an extra pair of hands is needed to help them out at home, Liz, the "Pommie", is hired - the first of a number of events that change the life Danny is used to for several months

The book was really good. I loved Danny's voice, which was similar to that in My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece by Annabel Pitcher; Danny is 13, so his voice is older and he knows more, but there is stil the naivity and innocence. I loved the use of Australian slang, but sometimes it took a while to work out what some of them meant - I've watched a fair number of episodes of a popular Australian soap, but I still had some problems, and there was no glossary.

Although Jonny died a year ago, and Danny is still grieving for him, it's not the focus of the book, it's a subplot. Just like the "Pommie" arriving, Sissy being pregnant, the muster and the drought are subplots. There isn't one main plot for this story, just several little ones. What we do get of Danny's grief is really quite sweet. His family doesn't talk about Jonny, so neither does Danny, though he needs to. He shared a room with Jonny, and has kept his things - clothes on the floor, sheets on the bed, toys left out - exactly as Jonny left them, as a kind of shrine to him. He touches the photo of Jonny on the piano everyday, and doesn't feel right if he doesn't. There is one incident where Danny really blows up, and you see how badly he's grieving, yet unable to deal with it, because he can't talk about it - until the "Pommie" asks about him. It doesn't make things better, but it's like a release for him.

As I said, there is no one main forcus for this story, which is why I felt so bewildered when I finished. It was just ordinary. Obviously, I don't live on a cattle ranch in the Australian outback, so I can't exactly say what is ordinary or not, but the book felt like it was "this is a taste of what it's like". I can't summarise this story, because there's no main conflict. Is it the drought? The pregnancy? Jonny's death? What I'm trying to say is, even though I learnt about the outback, the book was just everyday occurances in this boy's life. If an actual boy who lives this life was to pick up the book, I think it would be too much like their life to enjoy it - there was no event or conflict to make it different from the ordinary, to make it exciting, to make it an escape. Hence the "That's it?" feeling when I finished.

So yes, I enjoyed Everybody Jam, but came away wondering what the point of the story was - until I read in the Acknowledgements that Ali Lewis was a Pommie on a cattle ranche during a muster, and was inspired to write about it. Probably a nice summer read, as long as you don't expect anything huge. Worth a read.

Thanks to Andersen Press for sending me a review copy.

Published: 3rd March 2011
Publisher: Andersen Press
Buy on Amazon US

Review: Abandon by Meg Cabot

2011-10-23T17:31:00.004+01:00

Abandon by Meg Cabot (ARC) - Last year, Pierce died - just for a moment. And when she was in the space between life and death, she met John: tall dark and terrifying, it’s his job to usher souls from one realm to the next.

There’s a fierce attraction between them, but Pierce knows that if she allows herself to fall for John she will be doomed to a life of shadows and loneliness in the underworld. But now things are getting dangerous for her, and her only hope is to do exactly what John says... From Amazon UK

I hadn't read any Meg Cabot before picking up this novel, but as it sounded right up my street, I thought I'd give a go and see why people love her novels so much. I was expecting to be wowed, I was expecting to be blown away. The truth is, I didn't get any of those things. I was hugely disappointed.

Nothing happened in this book until half way through. The first half was mostly showing Pierce feelings over now living in Isla Huesos, and all these different events that happened in the past, like what happened when she died, and various other big events. This wouldn't be so bad if we were told everything at once, but we aren't. We're given dribbles and trickles, never fully finding out what happened at each event until you reach the middle, and in my opinion, it wasted a lot of pages and time. It wasn't as exciting, because we already knew it was all in the past, so she didn't die permanently, or end up seriously injured, so there was no suspence, it was just finding out what happened, and it took so long.

Then things finally get moving... except, they don't really. It's full of things that you think will be subplots - a banned high school tradition, animosity between Pierce's cousin, Alex, and the popular kids - but they never amount to anything. They may be continued in the next book, but I don't see any point as they're so inconsequential to the main story. All that's really interesting is a conversation Pierce has with a cemetary Sexton, where you finally start finding things out, but nothing major really happens until the last 20 pages.

The whole story just dragged for me, unfortunately. It was very much the first book in a series, just setting everything up - but I've since been told by a Cabot fan that that's what all her fisrt books are pretty much like, so I guess die-hard Cabot fans will still enjoy it. But I have to say I was bored quite a lot of the way through, and in my opinion, a lot of it could be cut out, and it would be snappier and more interesting as a novella. There is potential for it to get better though, and I'm undecided on whether or not I will read the sequel, Underworld, when it's released next year. We'll see.

Thank you to Macmillan for sending me a review copy.

Published: 2nd September 2011
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Buy on Amazon US
Meg Cabot's Website

My Cupcakes for Clara Delivery!

2011-10-23T17:01:00.004+01:00

I recieved this parcel in the post yesterday:

Inside it was:

Which opened up to reveal:

Which included:

A note:

And:

Which unwrapped to reveal:

Inside of which was:

There was also:

And this is the keyring I made:

So it's not as great as the one's Laura herself makes, there are some screwy stiches - I hadn't done blanket stiching before, my Nan had to show me and then help when I did things wrong - there's some fraying, and general shabbyness,but I'm still quite proud! It's the first thing like this I've ever made, I normally just do cross-stich, so I'm pretty pleased! :)

You can buy your own Clara goodies at the Cupcakes for Clara Shop, ut check out the Cupcakes for Clara website too!

Now excuse me while I go pop the bubble wrap.

Cupcakes for Clara's New Shop!

2011-10-19T18:44:00.005+01:00

A non-bookish post to share some news with you.

You may remember back in April I interviewed professional crafter Laura Clempson, the lovely lady behind the website Cupcakes for Clara.

Well, Laura has opened her new Cupcakes for Clara Etsy Shop! It's absolutely wonderful, and I implore you to check it out! Not only are some of her items wonderful for kids, they're just so cute, even adults are likely to love them! There are fattie soft toys, finger puppets, cupcake keyrings and a Christmas pudding flattie to sew and make, there are Clara dess-up dolls and additional clothes, and there are Clara note cards and post-it notes! Ohh, there's so much I want!

I myself have bought a cupcake keyring and one of the post-it notes designs. Once I've got some more money in my pocket, I'm definitely getting a fattie, and I LOVE the note cards, just so cute! Oooh, to be rich!

Be sure to check the shop out! You may get some ideas for Christmas pressies! :)

Review: Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles

2011-10-17T16:05:00.002+01:00

Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

Caleb Becker left Paradise eight months ago, taking with him the secret he promised to take to his grave. If the truth got out, it would ruin everything.

Maggie Armstrong tried to be strong after Caleb broke her heart and disappeared. Somehow, she managed to move on. She’s determined to make a new life for herself.

But then Caleb and Maggie are forced together on a summer trip. They try ignoring their passion for each other, but buried feelings resurface. Caleb must face the truth about the night of Maggie’s accident, or the secret that destroyed their relationship will forever stand between them. From Amazon UK

I absolutely loved Leaving Paradise, so I didn't hesistate to buy Return to Paradise once it was released, excepting the same brilliance. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed.

I said in my review of Leaving Paradise that I was disappointed in the romance because it started too abruptly to late on in the book. I'm still disappointed. I just didn't really feel it. All emotional aspects Maggie and Caleb felt because of each other - anger, sadness, love - just felt a little over the top to me. When they were complaining about the other, it felt like they were making a big deal over nothing. And the love felt more like they were just silly teenagers declaring love when they didn't really know what it is. That's not how the story sets it up, but how it felt to me, it was just a little melodramatic to me.

As well as all the emotion issues, not a huge deal happens in the book, either. Caleb and Maggie meet up when she signs up for and he's forced into joining the Re-START programme, a programme that has a bunch of kids who have suffered from drink driving in various ways, and they are to go and talk to other kids at summer camp, universities, juvie, and so on, to make them aware of the consequences. But we see very little of what happens at the meetings that take place, and don't get to know the other kids as well as I would have liked. The focus is all on the emotional connection between Caleb and Maggie.

All in all, I was really disappointed. I have absolutely loved every other Elkeles book I've read, so it's a shame that I didn't enjoy this one. However, I'm not sure whether Leaving Paradise should be read as a stand-alone, as that's not the way it was intended. Maybe you will enjoy it more than I did.

Published: 8th September 2010
Publisher: Flux
Buy on Amazon US
Simone Elkeles' Website

Other reviews of the Leaving Paradise series:
Leaving Paradise

Review: The Boy Book by E. Lockhart

2011-10-15T14:03:00.003+01:00

The Boy Book by E. Lockhart - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

In The Boy Book, Ruby Oliver confronts
the secret about Noel,
mysterious notes from Jackson,
the interpretation of boy-speak,
the villainy of Cricket,
the horrors of the school retreat,
and the exploitation of hooters everywhere.
There are fruit roll-ups.
There is upper-regioning.
There are so many boys to choose from!
And there are penguins. From EmilyLockhart.com

I picked up The Boy Book right after finishing the first book in the Ruby Oliver series, The Boyfriend List, expecting it to be just as funny, just as poignant, and just as amazing. I got all three!

This book starts pretty much where The Boyfriend List left off. The summer is now over, Ruby is starting her junior year. She's still seeing her shrink, Doctor Z, she's still a social pariah - unless you count carpooling with Meghan friendship, and she's still broken hearted over Jackson - who is still going out with Kim.

But there are further complications; stirrings of interest in two other guys on her Boyfriend List. Noel, the guy from school she has a laugh with in Paint Elective, who suppoted her during the whole "Spring Fling debacle", as she calls it, and Angelo, the son of her mum's best friend, who turned up to her Spring Fling after party with a corsage who she kind of had a moment with. I have to say, I really enjoyed watching Ruby with these guys and questioning her feelings - or if there were any feelings - because she is still hung up on Jackson. When something happens between her and Angelo, is it just a thing, or is it a thing thing? Is she having moments with Noel, or are they just friends? Does she want to have moments with Noel or a thing thing with Angelo, anyway? And why on earth is Jackson sending her notes when he's seeing Kim? It's all so complicated and brilliant reading! I was rooting for Noel the whole way through, he's so quirky and cool and over all the teenagery crap. I liked him!But what happens in the end? You'll just have to read to see!

The only trouble is, as social pariah, Ruby has very few people, bar her therapist, to share and have girly chats with. Just Meghan. Meghan wouldn't normally be her first choice, because she found her unintentional flirty behaviour, PDAs with her boyfriend last year, and general gorgeousness highly annoying, but she has no-one else. What's great to see is te friendship that grows between the two girls as they get closer, and Ruby realises Meghan isn't the shallow, social airhead she thought she was. With her being a pariah, and with the therapy she's getting, Ruby is starting to look at people in a different light, and those she didn't think to highly of before, she's re-evaluating. Even those she thought hightly of - her ex-friends - are being re-evaluated.

It's also great to see therapy help Ruby take action to solve her problems, rather than wallowing. IT helps her rebuild her friendship with Nora, and over time, helps her take a look at herself and help herself. It's just great to see her a much stronger, focussed young woman.

This may sound like I've told you the whole story, but I haven't. Despite being only 193 pages long, quite a bit happens, with a fair few humourous incidents. a really fantastic book, and I can't wait to read The Treasure Map of Boys, the third in the series. Highly recommended!

Published: 7th June 2007
Publisher: Corgi Children's Boks
Buy on Amazon US
E. Lockharts Website
The Boyfriend List Website

Other Reviews of the Ruby Oliver series:
The Boyfriend List (Ruby Oliver Book 1)

Review: The Boyriend List by E. Lockhart

2011-10-14T15:51:00.004+01:00

The Boyriend List by E. Lockhart - The Boyfriend List was a homework assignment for my mental health. Doctor Z, my shrink, told me to write down all the boyfriends, kind-of boyfriends, almost-boyfriends, rumoured boyfriends and wished-he-were boyfriends I've ever had. Plus, she recommended I take up knitting.

In the same ten days I: lost my boyfriend (boy #13); lost my best friend; lost all my other friends; learned gory details about my now-ex boyfriend's sexual adventures; did something shockingly advanced with boy #15; did something suspicious with boy #10; had an argument with boy #14; drank my first beer; got caught by my mom; lost a lacrosse game; failed a maths test; became a leper and became a famous slut. Enough to give anyone panic attacks, right? I was so overwhelmed by the horror of the whole debacle that I had to skip school for a day to read mystery novels, cry and eat spearmint jelly candies. From Amazon UK

I fancied a book full of humour, and so picked The Boyfriend List up thinking that it would be pretty funny. What surprised me is that not only was it hilariously funny, but it was also a fairly serious book too.

A series of events - which I'd like to say I believe are mostly not her fault - happen following Ruby's split with her boyfriend Jackson, which lead to Ruby going from being fairly popular to the bottom of the food chain with everyone laughing, whispering and being complete gits to her. Her whole world is turned upside down over a series of days, and she gets so stressed it leads to panic attacks - and lots of them. There were times when my heart just broke for her, because her friends were just being unjustifiably mean, and there were such levels of betrayal that just astounded me. No wonder she had panic attacks and needed therapy!

As all her problems seem to evolve around boys, her therapist gets her to write a list of all the boys there has been any kind of romantic - though I use that word a little loosely - and try to work out what her actual problems are, and so goes the story. As I said this book is also extremely funny, despite the fact that there is a lot of pain. Ruby's personaility just shines through the whole novel, and even the most awkward of situations are written with Ruby's humour shining through. A magazine described the book as "agonizingly funny", and that sums the book up perfectly.

I can't really say much more without spoiling the book, but it's just brilliant! I highly recommend you go out and buy this book! I absolutely loved it! Frotunately, I have the sequel, The Boy Book already, and I'm jumping right in. You should definitely buy TheBoyfriend List!

Published: 4th May 2006
Publisher: Corgi Children's Books
Buy on Amazon US
E. Lockhart's Website
The Boyfriend List Website

Review: The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter

2011-10-12T21:32:00.005+01:00

The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter (review copy) - It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall. Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests. Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess. From Amazon US

I am so intrigued by Greek myths that when I picked up The Goddess Test, I was excited to read about lots of gods and godly events and general excitement. Unfotunately, I was disappointed. This isn't to say I didn't like the book. I did, I really enjoyed it. But there could have been so much more!

I was expecting perilous quests and lots of action when it came to the tests. However, the tests Kate has to take may happen without her knowing, so the reader doesn't know about them either. Very few gods make an appearance too. Most of the book is just Kate spending time in the Henry's Manor, making friends, learning about the Greek myths, and spending time with Henry.

The book is quite short, and so Kate's time at the manor flies by, weeks, sometimes months going by with nothing major happening, but I would still liked ot have read more of the time Kate spends with her friends and Henry, seeing the friendships grow better. I would especially have liked more development of Kate and Henry's relationship. I just didn't find the feelings between them believeable. It all just happened too quick for me - although weeks were going by for Kate, it was only a few pages for me. I would have liked things to have been slower, and believed it.

I did enjoy it though, as I said, and with the ending, I think there is a lot of potential for this series to be really good. I think the parts that feel lacking to me just have to be put down to it being a first book in a series, and it's setting everything up. Goddess Interupted, the sequel, sounds brilliant, and I'm really looking forward to reading it! All in all, not a bad book.

Thank you to Mira Ink for the review copy.

Published: 22nd September 2011
Publisher: Mira Ink
Buy on Amazon US
Aimée Carter's Website

Review: Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

2011-10-12T15:02:00.003+01:00

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

The noise between Patch and Nora has gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past, bridged two irreconcilable worlds and faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for - and their love - forever. From Amazon UK

I absolutely love this series, so I was so excited to readthis book when it arrived! And I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed!

Nora was kidnapped eleven weeks ago, and has no memory of the last three months. Nothing but the image of black and some eyes. She has to start from scratch finding out about her life before she was kidnapped, and trying to piece together what happened. Who kidnapped her? And why can't she remember?

I can't tell you much more than that, because it's just all so interlinked, and I would end up spoiling it for you. But wow! It's clever! Nora has such a hard time; she's scared, and she has to meet several people all over again, trying to piece her life back together and believe the impossible. There is also the left over story of the Black Hand from Crescendo, and everything just comes together, and, oooh, is it good!

I'm really struggling trying to figure out what I can say, and I'm finding it really difficult. Because of the previous books, the reader knows a lot more than Nora does, and we're just rooting for her to remember,to fiige things out. But even so, there's still plenty of surprises for us. There's action, danger, or mystery around every corner, and I could barely put the book down, sitting n the edge of my seat the whole time! It's just brilliant. What's also lovely is seeing Patch and Nora together. Nora doesn't remember enough, so it's almost like staring out with him for the first time, and it's just so cute the way he is with her. It really is awesome!

There really isn't much else I can say without spoiling it for you. It's fast-paced and action packed, and just brilliant! A little different from the previous novels with Nora's amnesia, but just brilliant! And the ending is just incredible! And I'm so excited for fourth and final book in the series next year! I just know it's going to be amazing!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for sending me a review copy.

Published: 4th October 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Buy on Amazon US
Becca Fitzpatrick's Website

Other Reviews of:
Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush Book 1)
Crescendo (Hush, Hush Book 2)

New Beauty Blog

2011-10-12T14:55:00.003+01:00

I don't know if anyone knows - or if anyone's interested - but I'm now running a beauty blog, Clear Red. I've got some reviews up on there, and some to come, but it's still quite new. Please bare with me; reviewing beauty products is a lot different from books, and so I'm learning as I go. Hope you enjoy!

Also, in case you were unaware, I also run a fantasy blog, Ink and Paper. It's actually older than this blog. All YA fantasy reviews are x-posted over there, but I also review quite a lot of adult urban fantasy too, so if that's your thing as well as YA, you might want to check it out.

Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow by Daniel Nayeri Commercials

2011-09-29T17:39:00.006+01:00

Daniel Nayeri, co-author of Another Faust, is releasing his own solo-novel, Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow, on 25th October from Candlewick Press! The book is a collection of four stories of different genres:

Straw House: A Western sizzling with suspense, set in a land where a rancher grows soulless humans and a farmer grows living toys.

Wood House: This science-fiction tale plunges the reader into a future where reality and technology blend imperceptibly, and a teenage girl must race to save the world from a nano-revolution that a corporation calls "ReCreation Day."

Brick House: This detective story set in modern NYC features a squad of "wish police" and a team of unlikely detectives.

Blow: A comedic love story told by none other than Death himself, portrayed here as a handsome and charismatic hero who may steal your heart in more ways than one. With humor, suspense, and relatable prose, this hip and cutting-edge collection dazzles.

And check out these awesome comercials advertising each story.

Our Lady of Villains:

Wish Police:

Doom With a View:

Toy Farm:

How cool does this book sound? I shall be keeping my eyes peeled for a copy!

Competition: Jack the Ripper Tour with Maureen Johnson

2011-09-29T17:17:00.009+01:00

JACK THE RIPPER FAN WALK

To celebrate the publication of Maureen Johnsons new YA thriller The Name of the Star, HarperCollins Children’s Books is offering 10 lucky readers the opportunity to accompany Maureen Johnson on a private Jack the Ripper walk in London on Thursday, 13th October 2011.

The walk begins at 5:00 PM and will carry-on for two hours into the night! Visit the haunting sites of Jack the Ripper and hear first-hand from Maureen how they inspired her new book The Name of the Star.

To enter, simply email nameofthestar@harpercollins.co.uk for a chance to attend the event with a friend.

Disclaimer: Entrants must be 13 or over. Please ensure that you are available to attend the event on Thursday, 13th October from 5.00pm to 7.00pm before entering. Winners will be informed on Friday, 7th October, and will be provided with further instructions then.

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

2011-09-29T09:00:00.003+01:00

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (review copy) - 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 art 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 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. From Amazon UK

One word for you: Wow! Seriously. I thought this book sounded good when I read the blurb, but I never expected to find what I did within it's pages. And all I can say is wow!

What I find really awesome is how Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a mix of urban fantasy and high fantasy - and perhaps sci-fi? Beings that are not human in a world that is not our own? Karou works for Brimstone, a chimaera - a being that can have the body parts of humans and various different animals - and wishmonger. An orphan, Karou has been with Brimstone for as long as she can remember, and works as his errand girl, trading teeth and wishes across the world for reasons she doesn't know of. Why does Brimstone want these teeth? She travels through the door in Brimstone's shop that will lead to anywhere on Earth he wants at any given time. For Brimstone's shop isn't here, it's Elsewhere. A door that will only open into the shop when Brimstone wants. Brimstone and the people who work with him are the only family Karou has, if she is on the other side of the door and it won't open for her, she will be completely alone. So when the angels arrive, marking every door around the world that will open into Brimstone's shop with a black handprint, well, things get a little worrying.

To be honest, I can't really say much more than that about the plot. It sounds like a lot, but I'm barely skimming the surface. You find out a whole lot more about this in just the first few chapters. There's the rest of the book to read, and it is epic. It's so much more than I imagined it could be. I am simply amazed at the imagination of Laini Taylor to come up with such a full and awe-inspiring world (worlds?) and story! It's just fantastic.

But wait, there's more. Move over Patch and Nora, Edward and Bella, and Daniel and Luce. Who are they, anyway? Hello Akiva and Karou! The love that sparks, kindles and burns in these pages will have you melting into your chair. Really. Beautiful, beautiful Akiva who's soul was practically dead, and art student Karou who constantly feels like something in her is missing, when they meet, it's electric, even if it's not in the best of circumstances. When they're apart, it feels wrong. This is not obsession or addiction, this is physical, this is a need that goes far beyond anything I've ever read before. And when they are together, well, they burn hotter than a bonfire. Just so you don't confuse my meaning, I am not talking sex here, I'm talking simply of the depth of their feelings, their love for each other. It is that big. And they will take your breath away.

I am completely blown away by just how amazing this is! I absolutely love it! It's one of the best fantasties I've read for quite a while, combining what I love about all the sub-genres, and creating such a believable, wonderful, and exciting story! I absolutely cannot recommend this book enough. I can't even fathom why anyone wouldn't like it. It's perfect. Bring on book two!

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the review copy.

Published: 29th September 2011
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
But on Amazon US
Laini Taylor's website
Daughter of Smoke and Bone Website

News: Design the New Cover for Lord fo the Flies Competiton for 13 - 16-Year-Olds

2011-09-27T19:13:00.003+01:00

There is a new design initiative for young people, which has been recently announced between Faber and Faber and Guardian News & Media.

They're calling on young artists to create a brand new look for one of the world’s most famous books: Lord of the Flies by William Golding. One talented artist will be selected by a team of expert judges and will have the chance to watch as their work is transformed by the Faber design team into a cover for the new educational edition of Lord of the Flies. The winning illustration will be unveiled at a special exhibition showcasing the best of the entries, and the winner and other featured entrants will be invited to the opening of the exhibition at the Guardian’s offices in London in February 2012.

The competition is open to young artists aged 13 to 16, and submissions are welcome in any medium. The closing date for entries is 20 January 2012 and can be made by visiting http://lordofthefliescover.com/, which also features exciting additional content for aspiring illustrators.

For more information, check out the press release.

News: Lauren Kate to Release Companion Novel to the Fallen Series - Fallen in Love

2011-09-27T17:50:00.004+01:00

Big news!!!! Lauren Kate is publishing a comanion novel to her Fallen series, Fallen in Love! Read the press release below:

Random House Children’s Books will publish an original novel by Lauren Kate that is connected to her internationally bestselling series, Fallen. The novel, FALLEN IN LOVE, acquired in the UK by Annie Eaton and Becky Stradwick, will be released in the UK on 2nd February 2012, before the fourth and final title in the series, Rapture, is published. FALLEN IN LOVE is a riveting collection of four intertwined love stories featuring the Fallen characters that fans have grown to know and love: Miles, Shelby, Roland, Arriane, and Luce & Daniel.

Since the publication of the first book, Fallen, in December 2009, Kate’s series has become a bona fide smash hit with close to half a million copies sold in the UK alone. Her story of star-crossed lovers and fallen angels has captured the hearts and imaginations of readers all over the world, with rights sold in 33 countries and counting. All bestsellers in the United States, the novels of the Fallen series: Fallen, Torment, and Passion, have become international sensations, hitting No.1 slots in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The final novel in the series, Rapture, will be released in the UK in June 2012 taking readers on a journey that will close the chapter on Luce & Daniel’s love forever.

Annie Eaton, Fiction Publisher comments "It's incredibly exciting for us - and all Lauren Kate's legion of fans- to have this extra-special Fallen book coming for Valentine's Day. What a treat to start 2012 with!"

The release coincides with Lauren Kate’s current UK tour to promote the third book in the Fallen series, Passion. Last night guests attended a drinks reception at Proud Camden which featured a reading from Lauren. The tour includes a visit to Ireland, and an appearance at the Bath Children’s Lit Festival this weekend.

How exciting is this?! Thoughts people!

Review: By Midnight by Mia James

2011-09-22T16:25:00.006+01:00

By Midnight by Mia James (review copy) - April Dunne is not impressed. She's had to move from Edinburgh to Highgate, London, with her parents. She's left her friends - and her entire life - behind. She has to start at a new school and, worst of all, now she's stuck in a creepy old dump of a house which doesn't even have proper mobile phone reception. Ravenwood, her new school, is a prestigious academy for gifted (financially or academically) students - and the only place her parents could find her a place, in the middle of term, in the middle of London, on incredibly short notice. So she's stuck with the super-rich, and the super-smart ...and trying to fit in is when the rest of the students seem to be more glamorous, smarter, or more talented than she is, is more than tough. It's intimidating and isolating, even when she finds a friend in the conspiracy-theorist Caro Jackson - and perhaps finds something more than friendship in the gorgeous, mysterious Gabriel Swift.

But there's more going on at Ravenwood than meets the eye. Practical jokes on new students are normal, but when Gabriel saves her from...something...in the Highgate Cemetery, and then she discovers that a murder took place, just yards away from where she had been standing, April has to wonder if something more sinister is going on.

...and whether or not she's going to live through it... From Amazon UK

I love me some vampires, yes I do! So for the simply fact that By Midnight had vampires in it was a definite plus in it's favour for me reading it. However, I am not a fan of books where people are popular and rich and focus all their attention on either how they look or putting others down. From the blurb above, I assumed that's what I would find, among other things, in this book, and it did put me off for a while - hence the fact that I've only just read it. But I picked it up recently when trying to decide what to read next, and vampires and murders and cememtries... well, my interest was piqued enough to know now was the time to give it a go.

By Midnight is a really good stry, but it's not what I expected. I know it's a mystery, but the fact that it's about vampires, I expected a bit more of the supernatural element. You know, maybe April stumbling across some vampires being vampish and drinking blood or being extra strong or something, but there isn't much of anything along those lines in the book until much later on. It really is a mystery. April doesn't find out the existance of vampires by accident, but through trying to work out who's behind various murders. Through clues, and books, and talking to people, and going about things the old fashioned way.

I have to say, the research part of the book was just awesome! This book is loosely based on actual real life legends of the Highgate Vamire, people actually believed there was one in Highgate Cemetary, which features hugely in this book. Real places with real "supernatural" history are the settings for this story, which just add credibility to this story which is just wonderful. I actually want to go visit Highgate Cemetary now because it sounds wonderful. But I also love the research April does herself into vampires; the old victorian books she reads that are just full of brilliant myths and folklore, and, oooh, I want those books! It was just fascinating!

The mythology James has created for her story is just wonderful, but highly intriguing. There is still a big mystery, and the mechanics of the vampire society, if you will - or what we know of it so far - is just so interesting. There's a lot of conspiracies going on, and because of this I can't tell you much more, but I can't wait to find out more about vampires as a whole, and the specifics that April is interested in in the later books.

Thankfully, there wasn't too much queen bee bitching going on to wind me up, but there were elements of By Midnight that did annoy me. April is 16 and starting her A-Levels. I remember being that age, and the people around me. April was sometimes too immature and shallow for her age, and I just wanted to shake her and yell at her to grow up. She could be so fickle, swayed too easily by good looks. And when she had an inkling as to what was going on, she would jump back and forth over whether she was right or wrong, without actually listning to what would give her the answers she would need to know either way. She really wound me up, and I have to say, I'm not her biggest fan.

But still, the story was really, really intriguing, and I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel Darkness Falls. A pretty good book!

Thank you to Gollancz for sending me a review copy.

Published: 22nd July 2010
Publisher: Gollancz YA
Buy from Amazon US
The Ravenwood Mysteries Website

Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

2011-09-19T09:00:00.002+01:00

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoilingthe Vampire Academy series. Do not read any further if you haven't read the VA series and don't want it spoiled for you.

Sydney protects vampire secrets - and human lives.

Sydney belongs to a secret group who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the world of humans and vampires.

But when Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, she fears she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. What unfolds is far worse. The sister of Moroi queen Lissa Dragomir is in mortal danger, and goes into hiding. Now Sydney must act as her protector.

The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one... From Amazon UK

I am a seriously huge fan of Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, huge! I loved how the series ended, but was sad it was over, and sad for some of the characters. So when I heard that there wa going to be a spin-off series, with Sydney, Rose's Alchemist friend, I was over the moon! More awesomeness from the world! And once I had the books in my hands and opened the first page... well, I didn't stop reading until it was finished. Amazing!

I lapped the book up! However, although I read it in one day, I did have to get used to the difference. This is Sydney's story, not Rose's, and she's not as strong willed and angry as Rose can be, so although there were emotional highs and lows, it was a little less to do with immediate danger, and more to do with Sydnety's dislikes of certain people, worrying that she will fail, and going out of her mind trying to follow rules yet try to keep everyone happy - despite the fact hanging out with vampires isn't her favourite pasttime. Even so there is a big difference between the characters of Rose and Sydney, and their priorities - which makes the stories different - Bloodlines was still an amazing story!

I found it really fascinating finding out more about Sydney's life, and the role of Alchemists, and all the tricks they have up their sleaves. It's just so interesting to seethe science that they're work is based on. It's quite refreshing to have science play a bigger part in a world of myths. Yes, there's is another YA vampire series where there is a scientist, but it's different with Bloodlines. This is chemistry, mixing things together to get what you need. It's just a strange but cool way of separating the moroi from the alchemists - one used magic, one uses real, physical science. I just found the contrast really interesting.

But the science isn't the main focus, that is keeping Jill safe, and to do so, she hasn't come on her own. As well as Jill, we also get Eddie and, hurrah, Adrian! There are cameo appearances of some of the other characters we know, including Rose, but Sydney, Jill, Eddie and Adrian are the main four we stick with. Jill is still a young, teenage Moroi girl, and wants to have a teenage life, but she's having enourmous trouble fitting in, is seriously underconfident, and feels that no-one relly cares about her, they just want to keep Lissa, who is now the Queen, safe - on top of trying to get used to the fact that they're related. Eddie is Jill's guardian, and is super vigilant, but still the nice guy we know from the previous series. And Adrian is his usual laid-back, snarky self, but he's also hurting a lot over wht happened with Rose. Despite this, I am so happy Adrian is back, because I absolutely love him! He just cracks me up!

Sydney isn't a guardian, so there's less fighting in this book that we're used to, but she is smart, so where it's a battle of the fists and stakes with Rose, it's a battle of the minds with Sydney, and whether she can out-smart those that need out-smarting. There is, however, a big, and quite disturbing, fight scene. Oooh, it was good! And worrying - as I said, Sydney isn't a guardian.

Now, I don't knbow if it's because I have read all the previous books and therefore know the signs, or just jknow the world enough, but two out of the three major plot revelations I guessed fairly early on. I don't know if it will be the same for other reasons, but they both just semed fairly obvious to me. That doesn't take away from how good the book is though; just because I already knew what these revelations would be, I didn't know how the characters would find out, what that would mean, and the consequences of finding them, so it was still really good watching the others figure things out. The third I had half right, I just didn't know the reasons for it. But I did shout at my book at least once saying, "Come one! It's so obvious!..." with frustration that the characters weren't as quick on the up-take as I had been. Still, as I said, it didn't make the book any less enjoyable.

In all honesty, Bloodlines isn't as heart-pumping exciting as the Vampire Academy series, but it's amazing nonetheless. It is the first book, so ground work is laid, and with a few hints throughout the novel make me believe that the book will get the whomp we've come to love. There are a fair few unanswered questions that I'm highly intrigued about! And the stirrings of possible feelings that you know are just going to cause all kinds of complications! Oh, I love it! I am just so excited to read the next novel, The Golden Lily, when it comes out next year. The wait makes me wish I hadn't read Bloodlines in one day! It will most definitely be worth the wait though! Mead has done it again, an amazingf start to what I can tell is going to be a brilliant series! I just have to get my hands on her adult series now!

Thank you to Puffin for sending me a review copy.

Published: 25th August 2011
Publisher: Razorbill UK
Buy on Amazon US
Richelle Mead's Website

My reviews of thee Vampire Academy Series:
Vampire Academy
Frostbite
Shadow Kiss
Blood Promise
Spirit Bound
Last Sacrifice

Death and Bereavement in Teen Lit Week: The End

2011-09-18T12:00:00.001+01:00

Today is the last day of Death and Bereavement in Teen Lit Month! That's it! Finished!

I have a lot of people to thank. First of all, thanks to Clover of Fluttering Butterflies, Emma of Book Angel Booktopia, Sammee of I Want to Read That and Vivienne of Serendipity Reviews for being so understanding when things didn't go as plnned. These three ladies were going to be taking part in D&B with me when it was first going to be a month event, and prepared really well for it, only for my computer to die. Thsi not only caused problems for me, but for the others who couldn't post any other time because of their own blogging commitments and other reasons. So thank you to you three, and I'm sorry!

I also want to thank Annabel Pitcher, Lauren Oliver, Jenny Downham and Denise Deegan for allowing me to interview them or writing guest posts. It's so lovely of you all to take time out of your bust schedules to get involved in the week, and I really appreciate it!

I also need to thank the various publishers who were kind enough to respond to emails on suggestions for books I could cover for this themed event. It really was lovely of you to go through your backlists for me and help me out, I appreciate it!

Although not a lot of books were covered for this week, unfortunately, I loved every one of them! I may have reviewed books by some of these authors previously, like those by Lauren Oliver and Jenny Downham, but these were read first, so this week has helped me discover some fantastically brilliant authors who just completely blew me away. At the time of reading the books reviewed for this week, they were all knew to me, and I had such a great time getting lost in their pages.

I really enjoyed seeing how these authors dealt with the topic of death and bereavement. No two books are at all similar, each one taking a different route - be it that the teen narrator was dying, or was dead, or was almost dead, or whether the narrators were dealing with recent grief, or grief that's been there for a while - and each and everyone made an impact on me. I may not have managed to cover as many books as I had wanted, but the ones I did were just so incredible, I find I don't mind so much. It's been emotionally wrenching, but it's been amazing.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you've enjoyed D&B Week too. :)

Other Bloggers' D&B Posts

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Originally , D&B was going to be a month long event, but due to the death of my computer, problems arose. This meant that some of those who were going to take part with me no longer could, and posted their reviews back in July anyway. So here are their posts for D&B.

From Michelle of Fluttering Butterflies:

Review: Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Jennifer Brown's Guest Post on Death and Bereavement in Hate List
Review: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Review: Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Review: One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones
Review: Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers
Review: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Review: Chanda's Secrets by Allan Stratton
Allan Stratton's Guest Post on Chanda's Secrets

From Vivienne of Serendipity Reviews:

Review: Rockaholic by C.J. Sckuse

Previously Reviewed

2011-09-17T12:00:00.000+01:00

For this post, I'm going to highlight two books I've read previously that work so well for D&B Week, books I absolutely adored!

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson - Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to centre stage of her own life - and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, with a nearly magical grin. One boy takes Lennie out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But the two can't collide without Lennie's world exploding... From Amazon UK

Taken from my Review:
This book is chock full of emotion. To compare it to a rollercoaster ride, like I would normally do, wouldn't work for this book. It just seems silly to do so in light of the depth of feeling running through this book - it would be like comparing the heat of the sun to a radiator. As weird as this may sound, Lennie's grief over Bailey's death is beautiful; it's sharp, it's overwhelming, it's heavy, and it's endless. Lennie compares it to a building, but I'd compare it to the sea; it washes over her - and you - and drags her down, away from the surface, leaving her unable to breath.

Read my complete review here.

Taken By Storm by Angela Morrison - Sometimes only love can save you.
Leesie Hunt's Unbreakable Rules: No Kissing (at least not of the French variety)...No Sex (hah! Not even close to happening anyway)...No Dating Outside the Mormon Faith (what would be the point?)...ABSOLUTELY No Falling in Love with the Wrong Boy (would ruin everything).
Leesie thinks she has her whole life planned out: get into the school of her dreams, write her poems, meet the perfect guy, and settle down. Then she meets Michael--a boy whose parents were killed in a diving accident during a terrible storm.
Michael is drowning in tragedy. And all Leesie wants is to save him. With each day, her heart hurts more. Could it be, perfect Leesie is falling from grace? Or is she just falling in love?
But if Leesie gives in to temptation, who is going to save her? From Amazon US

Taken from my review:
The plot is just awesome. Michael is grieving over the death of his parents, and isn't coping too well, suffering from nightmares and visions, and Leesie is the only one who can seem to keep it all at bay. However, Michael isn't used to having to control himself, so finds it really difficult to stick to Leesie's rules as a Mormon. Having been passionately in love twice before, Michael doesn't see how you can get close enough to someone to fall in love without actually loving them, like he feels so much he's unable to express it well in any other way.

Read my complete review.

Review: A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley

2011-09-17T09:00:00.001+01:00

A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley - A summer of friendship, romance, and songs in major chords...

CHARLIE DUSKIN loves music, and she knows she's good at it. But she only sings when she's alone, on the moonlit porch or in the back room at Old Gus's Secondhand Record and CD Store. Charlie's mom and grandmother have both died, and this summer she's visiting her grandpa in the country, surrounded by ghosts and grieving family, and serving burgers to the local kids at the milk bar. She's got her iPod, her guitar, and all her recording equipment, but she wants more: A friend. A dad who notices her. The chance to show Dave Robbie that she's not entirely unspectacular.

ROSE BUTLER lives next door to Charlie's grandfather and spends her days watching cars pass on the freeway and hanging out with her troublemaker boyfriend. She loves Luke but can't wait to leave their small country town. And she's figured out a way: she's won a scholarship to a science school in the city, and now she has to convince her parents to let her go. This is where Charlie comes in. Charlie, who lives in the city, and whom Rose has ignored for years. Charlie, who just might be Rose's ticket out.

Told in alternating voices and filled with music, friendship, and romance, Charlie and Rose's "little wanting song" is about the kind of longing that begins as a heavy ache but ultimately makes us feel hopeful and wonderfully alive. From Amazon US

I have absolutely no idea how I could possibly do this book justice with a review. It's beautiful, it's sad, it leaves you aching. It's absolutely wonderful.

I'm having trouble knowing where to start. Both Rose and Charlie want something. Rose, to get out of the town she's lived all her life and learn more. Science is her favourite subject, and has such wonder over learning. She can't see any future in her little town, and knows if she doesn't get out now, she never will. Charlie, to be noticed by her Dad, mostly, but also by people in general and to have someone who gets her. Although she's a brilliant musician, song writer, and singer, she's terribly shy and so hardly anyone knows. With the death of her grandmother seven months ago, Charlie knows Christmas won't be the same this year, not with both her Grandpa and her Dad mourning their wives - even though Charlie's Mum died seven years ago - and not coping too well. Even Charlie has "ghosts" of both her Gran and her Mum with her, who she talks to.

It's hard to read A Little Wanting Song when the characters desperately want, so much. Their hearts reach out so far, dying to grab hold of what it is they want, but slipping through their fingers everytime. You end up wanting right along with them, and it's depressing, but in a really good way. There's no way you can read this book without being affected by it. It's complete and utter yearning at it's very rawest.

The language! God, I couldn't get enough of the language! It was like chocolate. You know when you eat chocolate slowly and it melts in your mouth, you could just die because that has to be what heaven tastes like? That's what the language of A Little Wanting Song is like. It's beautiful, it's poetic, it's just gorgeous. You almost want to read it outloud, just so you can hear it. Like music to your ears.

Talking of music, this book is full of music. Charlie has a unique way of seeing the world. Music is her life, and so everything is described with musical metaphors; sounds, playing instruments, she sees music in everything - literally, even sun rises have "sound". It just goes back to what I said about the language. It's just amazing.

As I've read this book for Death and Bereavement in Teen Lit Week, I should cover the bereavement in more detail. What's interesting in this book is it's not just Charlie who is grieving, so is her father and her grandfather over two deaths, and nor is she the one who's coping the worst. Her Grandpa doesn't want to get up most days, and her Dad goes out at night and doesn't come back til late, and barely acknowledges Charlie's existance. Not only is she having to cope with her own grief, but also feeling like she's practically orphaned. It's extremely sad, and Crowley writes Charlie's own and the others' turmoil so well. As I said before, you can't read this book without being effected by it.

An extremely good book. I will definitely be on the look out for other books by Crowley. You can't miss this book.

Thank you to Luisa from Chicklish for lending me her copy.

Published: 8th June 2010
Publisher: Knopf
Buy on Amazon US
Cath Crowley's Website

Other Reviews of A Little Wanting Song:
The Crooked Shelf

Guest Post from: Denise Deegan: Bereavement in And By the Way...

2011-09-16T12:00:00.000+01:00

Joining us today for Death and Bereavement Week to talk about her debut YA novel, And By the Way..., is author Denise Deegan.

Every story starts somewhere, sometimes with the tiniest idea that just takes on life and grows. And By The Way did not start as a story of loss. It began as a voice that entered my head, one afternoon, in a coffee shop. It was the angry, sarcastic but also vulnerable voice of Alex (16), who was talking at her rock-star father. Alex was coming from a place of hurt. I didn’t, at the time, know what that hurt was. I let that come, the same way I let Alex’s voice come, to see where it would take me.

As the story formed, it became clear that Alex’s turmoil was caused by the loss of her mother to cancer, (six months before the story opens), and the loss of her father to work. And By The Way explores, not just how two people can react so differently to loss, but how one person’s reaction can impact so strongly on another.

Alex’s circumstances highlight how influenced children are by their parents’ response to grief. Alex lost, not just her mother, but her father, as, unable to cope, he turned to his music, unaware how his actions might be misinterpreted by his lost and vulnerable daughter. Yes, he hired ‘the experts’. It was he Alex needed.

When the book opens, Alex is beginning to adopt a coping strategy. She is hardening, pulling back emotionally, so she doesn’t leave herself open to that kind of loss again. Alex doesn’t see that she is sabotaging herself, that if unchecked, her actions will lead to the loss of people who genuinely care. Two of those people are determined not to let that happen.

I did not want to write a sad book, just an honest one. I wanted it to be warm and human and infused with humour and ultimately love. I have published four other novels and have never received the response I have from And By The Way. People’s reaction has blown me away.

Thank you, Denise, for a great guest post! Don't forget to check out Denise's website. What did you think about what Denise had to say?

Review: And By the Way... by Denise Deegan

2011-09-16T09:00:00.000+01:00

And By the Way... by Denise Deegan - At Strandbrook College, we are Kids Of. Kids of diplomats, media stars, musicians, artists, actors, oh, and wealthy people who aspire to all of that. I'm the kid of a rock star. Means nothing to me.

When Mum died, six months ago, I didn't just lose her, I lost my dad, 'The Rockstar'. To work.

But now I don't trust anyone or rely on anyone. That way, I won't get hurt.

My best friend Rachel won't let me pull back though. And that's a problem.

Another one is David McFadden, a guy in my class (who calls me the Ice Queen). He says he wants to help. Six months ago, he could have - but he didn't. Now, it's too late. The very last person in the world I'm going to listen to is David McFadden. I'll show him who's Ice Queen.

When Keris Stainton first told me about And By the Way... for D&B Week, I didn't know what to expect. It sounded really good, but I hadn't heard of Denise Deegan before. I have to say, I judged the book by it's cover. When I opened it's pages, I was looking forward to what I expected would be a fluffy read, despite the topic. It's anything but fluffy. But it's completely fantastic!

I don't even really know where to begin. Alex is suffering terribly from the death of her mother six months ago. Her Dad pretty much acts like she doesn't exist, and she feels so alone. She has her friends, but is so absolutely terrified of losing anyone else that she holds back from people. She doesn't share what she's feeling, she'll avoid socialising outside school. It's so difficult to read, because she is so unbelievably lost. There was a moment where I almost burst into tears on a bus. I'm not like Alex, nor is my Mum like Alex's, but they had the same kind of close, fun relationship I have with my Mum, and it just really hit home how devastated it is. She keeps herself behind think concrete walls and won't let anyone inside. Until David starts showing an interest, and just won't leave her alone.

I'm not going to say any more than that about the plot, I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but it's just brilliant. The book almost seems to be split up into several parts - the main one being before X and after X (and no, I won't tell you what X is). Yet there are several over ways you could break the story down, because so much happens. This book is about so much more than just Alex coping with her mother's death. Almost every important character in this book is dealing with some sort of problem. Relationship issues, family issues, self-esteem issues, loss in other ways. As I said, there's a lot going on, and it's terribly sad. I didn't cry while reading this novel, but that's simply because I way beyond crying. It was too sad to cry.

What I love is how we get to see several other people effected by grief, too - namely 'The Rockstar' and Alex's Gran. Her Dad doesn't function on anything other than work. That is his life now. Alex thinks it's because he just doesn't care, but it's the only way he's able to deal with things - though he doesn't realise how he's treating Alex. Gran stays at home all day with the curtains drawn. Alex is the only person she sees. It's only through hearing about Alex's life that she gets back her old spark back. It's all really sad.

There is one character in this book who, initially, I would quite like to beat to a pulp. However, as the book goes on we see more of his nicer side show. He doesn't really have much page time, but I found him to be quite interesting, a "more than meets the eye" character. I know this series is about the three friends, but I'd so love to see him with his own book!

I'm going to end this review with an anecdote. I was talking to my Mum about the book, how sad it was and how awful all the things that were happening were, and went to get myself some chocolate for comfort eating...
Mum: "You can make me a cup of tea while you're down there."
Me: "Noooo.."
Mum: "It will cheer you up!"
Me: "Making you a cup of tea will cheer me up?"
Mum: "Yes! Because you CAN make me a cup of tea. I'm not dead."

Got to love her.

And By the Way... is a truely amazing and heart-wrenching novel that I couldn't put down. I absolutely loved it, and can't recommend it enough. I'm so looking forward to the sequel!

Thank you to Keris Stainton for lending me her copy.

Published: 17th February 2011
Publisher: Hachette Books Ireland
Buy on Amazon US
Denise Deegan's Website

Interview with Jenny Downham

2011-09-15T12:00:00.000+01:00

Today, I have the delight of sharing with you an interview with Jenny Downham, author of Before I Die.

The plot for Before I Die is such an incredible idea. How did you come up with the idea for it?

I didn’t know Tessa was dying when I began writing. I just had this idea about two friends who were very different from each other and I started with their voices. Tessa was angry and sad and Zoey didn’t seem able to comfort her. It became apparent after only a few weeks writing that Tessa was ill. I knew if she was terminally ill that it would increase the narrative drive.

As a story-teller, your characters need boundaries to push against, and there’s no bigger boundary than death. Putting this kind of ticking clock into the story increased the narrative drive, but also risked losing tension because the end of the story was determined. The challenge became how to make a journey towards the inevitable interesting. That’s where the ‘before I die’ list came in.

What research did you have to do for this book?

I read a lot of books about terminal illness as well as fiction and poetry about dying. Susan Sontag’s ‘Illness as a Metaphor,’ was very inspirational, as was Anatole Broyard’s ‘Intoxicated by my Illness’ and Gillian Rose’s ‘Love’s Work.’ I read a lot of poetry about bereavement and loss, finding particular inspiration in Raymond Carver’s collected poems, ‘All of Us.’

Two nurses helped me with medical detail over many months. One of them was a palliative care nurse who worked with terminally ill teens. It felt really important not to get too embroiled in the medical stuff though. I wanted it to be accurate, but it was never supposed to be a medical or hospital-based story.

Why did you decide to write a story about death for your debut?

I never plan structures for novels, instead I do thousands of words of ‘freewriting’ and eventually I find a story in the pages I turn out. I revise as I go along, working on several chapters at once.
I started Before I Die with two characters (Tess and Zoey) and the idea of a friendship. I had their voices but not much else. I didn’t know what it was about, but I couldn’t let go of them.

Sometimes the way forward was obvious – if it were film-making, it would be like a take in ‘one.’ But there were also points where the way ahead was murky and unknown, and then I found myself thinking consciously about structure and pace.
Funnily enough, I don’t actually think of the book as being ‘about death.’ Tessa attempts to live as if there was only ‘this’ moment, right now. I think this is something people relate to, but find extremely hard to do. Most of us save up for the future, looking forward to tomorrow when things might be better or different somehow. But Tessa is forced to value things in a different way, to seek out the things that truly matter.

Life becomes concentrated when it’s boundaried. Death is the biggest boundary of all. When you can’t look deeply into the future, then all you have is the present, and in the present, small ordinary things become rich. By looking so closely at death I was actually hoping to write about life.

Before I Die is such a terribly moving and heart wrenching novel. Why did you choose to write the novel from Tessa’s point of view, that of the dying?

I wanted the reader to inhabit Tessa’s body in the hope that they would have both a visceral and an emotional response. If Tessa’s body does the talking - if the reader experiences a lumbar puncture or a haemorrhage with her - then it inevitably pushes the reader closer to the physical self. I wanted to achieve an immediacy between the body’s decline and the words Tess uses to describe what’s happening to her. Using first person, present tense meant that she had to narrate her own death, and that was a great challenge.

Your novel is very life affirming. Did you write Before I Die with the intention of making people think about the longevity of their lives and to get out there and do things?

I was attempting to write a good story, one that moved readers emotionally, but also made them think. So, something as random as illness happens and Tess has to make sense of it. Why me? Did I do something wrong? What choices do I have left? What actually am I in charge of in my life? There are no ‘lessons’ though. I think storytellers should give other world’s, other lives, so that reader’s can empathise, can think ‘what would I do if that were me?’

What is your opinion on how YA novels deal with death and bereavement?

Books can address difficult situations and confront social issues and help readers deal with real-life challenges. They can transport you, make you think, move you…. the list is endless. I think good YA novels should be beautifully written, shouldn’t patronise and shouldn’t make assumptions that teens are not interested in difficult or complex issues.

Young adults are experiencing so much for the first time and are drawn, I think, to stories that reflect that intensity, or which evoke feelings that match the emotional rollercoasters they're riding in their own lives.

There are some wonderful books out there that deal with very difficult subjects extremely sensitively.

Were there any books you found dealt well with this topic when you were a teen?

I was always attracted to books that could transport me from the rather boring town I grew up in to somewhere ‘other.’ For me, it was the story - with all its complexities, with the emotional truths it uncovered, the experiences beyond the everyday that it gave – that was the reason I read.

I didn’t experience the death of a loved one until my late teens, but I did know the more general feelings of pain and isolation that came with teen territory and I found it so cathartic reading about someone else’s troubles!

I had a fantastic teacher who used to hand me books in the corridor – D.H.Lawrence, Gunter Grass, Jane Austen. He introduced me to poets – Dylan Thomas, John Donne, Keats, R.S.Thomas, Auden. He also spoke to the librarian and I was allowed to take out books that were clearly marked as being for older children. On my first visit, I chose Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and D.H.Lawrence’s ‘The Rainbow,’ both of which have a very special place in my heart. I also loved Ann Holm (I Am David) and Robert C.O’Brien (Z for Zachariah).

Thank you, Jenny, for such a great interview! What do you think about what Jenny has to say?

Review: Before I Die by Jenny Downham

2011-09-15T09:00:00.000+01:00

Before I Die by Jenny Downham - Tessa has just a few months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It's her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is sex. Released from the constraints of 'normal' life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa's feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallized in the precious weeks before Tessa's time finally runs out. "Before I Die" is a brilliantly-crafted novel, heartbreaking yet astonishingly life-affirming. It will take you to the very edge. From Amazon UK

I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing this book is. It's absolutely wonderful, simply heartbreaking, and just brilliant. Such a beautiful story!

Tessa is a character I am unbelievably in awe for. How someone so young is able to cope so well with being told they only have so long left to live is just beyond me. She's strong, she's brave, and she's just incredible. And she has a plan. A plan to live before she dies. She makes a mist of things she wants to do before she no longer can, and it makes me want to list.

The first few things on her list I weren't the biggest fan of. Either because they're things I disagree with or Tessa doesn't actually want to do, but feels like she should just so she can say she has. Where was the sky diving? Where was the swimming with dolphins? Drugs, casual sex and breaking the law... not really the first things I would have thought of. But she does them, and her story as she goes along is just so sad.

A lot of the things she wants to she does with her best friend Zoey. I really didn't like her. She seemed unsupportive, a bad influence, and quite selfish. She got a little better towards the end, but she was always criticising Tessa and what/how she did things. I really wanted Tessa to just give her the elbow and try doing things on her own. I think she may have enjoyed things a little more if she did.

I cannot tell you how awful it was to read about Tessa's family trying to deal with Tessa's imminent death. Her Dad was in denial, yet wanted Tessa to be careful. Her younger brother was a typical younger brother, but also really scared and upset. Her Mum didn't know what to do with herself. No-one really coped too well. It was difficult to read the arguments between Tessa and her Dad, because you cn understand Tessa wanting to get out there and live, but you can also understand her Dad not wanting her to do anything that will bring her death date closer. And there really wasn't anything her Dad could do, and he knew it. So, so sad.

Adam, the love interest of the story, is just amazing. He is just so sweet, and he does all these little things to try and help Tessa tick items off her list. He's such a sweetheart, and he tries so hard. But I kind of almost didn't want Tessa to end up with someone. It just didn't seem fair; you know how this story is going to end, and sure, Tessa is allowed some happiness, but it just felt a little selfish of her, he would be left behind. I was almost crying when they got it together. And this quote really got me:

'I know I look like a pile of bones covered in cling film. I see the shock of it in Adam's eyes.
"Not quite how you remembered me, eh?"
He leans down and kisses me on the cheek. "You're gorgeous."
(p279)

I cried like a baby over the last few chapters. So much I could hardly see what I was reading. It was just excruciating, and the way Downham wrote those chapters was just so well done. In the end, it felt like Tessa was someone I knew, and I mourned when she died. At some points, I was so wrapped up in the story, it felt like I was the one who was dying, and wanted less to complete my own bucket list, the things that I had thought of that I wanted to do, but to relish every small thing. I received a text from a mate while I was reading saying he was just saying on the sofa, and I just so wanted to do the same myself, like I hadn't done it in years. Just something small that would be so good. That was pretty much what Tessa was doing. It made me so happy to be alive, and want to notice things more, take less for granted.

Before I Die may just be the most amazing book I've ever read. Simply brilliant. Cannot wait to read more by Downham.

Published: 5th July 2007
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Buy on Amazon US

Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

2011-09-14T12:00:00.000+01:00

If I Stay by Gayle Forman - Everybody has to make choices.
Some might break you.
For seventeen-year-old Mia, surrounded by a wonderful family, friends and a gorgeous boyfriend decisions might seem tough, but they’re all about a future full of music and love, a future that’s brimming with hope.
But life can change in an instant.
A cold February morning... a snowy road... and suddenly all of Mia’s choices are gone. Except one.
As alone as she’ll ever be, Mia must make the most difficult choice of all.
Gripping, heartrending and ultimately life-affirming, If I Stay will make you appreciate all that you have, all that you’ve lost - and all that might be. From Amazon UK

I bought this book a while back before I even knew I would be doing Death and Bereavement Week at the behest of a fellow blogger. I had read on several blogs that this book was brilliant, so I did indeed buy it. Considering its subject matter, it was a no brainer that I would read it for the week. Now I wish I had read it much sooner.

When schools have announced a snow day, Mia's family decide to go out for the day and visit some friends. But then there is an accident, a car crash. Mia ends up in hospital, but is somehow separated from herself; her spirit sees and hears and walks. While her body is lying in a hospital bed, she is roaming the hospital with a decision to make; should she stay, live and deal with the tragedy, or should she go and die?

To be honest, when I started reading it, I had trouble with it. The very first pages were great, as it was painted as being just an ordinary morning. But when it comes to the accident, I couldn't deal with how graphic the crash scene is. So much so, you don't realise actually what's happening until it hits you. That along with all the blood was just too much for me at the time. I had to put it down. I read four other books before I could pick it up again, after some encouragement from another blogger. I picked it up again, and worked past the squeamishness to get to the heart of the story. Once I was there... wow.

The story takes place just over 24 hours, but is interspaced with flashbacks of beautiful, happy, joyous moments of Mia's life. The important things in her life; her family, her boyfriend, her best friend, her music. And it's just wonderful. Some of these moments are so crazy yet normal, they caused flashbacks of my own, moments of my life that are ridiculous and crazy and normal. It was just brilliant.

The main crux of the story is Mia's choice, and which way she will go. Throughout the novel, you're never entirely sure which she will choose. Watching her deal with the her time in hospital and remember all those moments, struggling with the decision of whether to live or die is just... mind blowing. If you think of the gravity of that decision, that there is a possibility she may choose to die, it's just amazing, the whole idea. And seeing both sides of the coin, reasons for living and dying, and undersanding, just makes it even more hard yet beautiful to read, and her ultimate decision so powerful.

What was also really lovely was getting to see Mia's family and friends visit Mia at her bedside, them not knowing about Mia's presence. Seeing them talk to her while they're in this limbo of not knowing whether she'll make it or not is just heartbreaking but lovely.

This is a fantastic, beautiful book that everyone should read. I absolutely adored it, and it makes me so, so happy that I don't have to make Mia's choice.

Published: 13th May 2010
Publisher: Definitions - Random House
Buy on Amazon US
Gayle Forman's Website
If I Stay's Website

Discussion: Reasons for Reading Books About Death

2011-09-14T09:00:00.000+01:00

"By the end of high school, 20 percent of today's students will have lost one of their parents; 90 percent will have experienced the death of a close relative or loved one. Add to this the fact that one in every 1,500 secondary school students dies each year, and we can see that death and the resulting grief is a part of everyday life for many teenagers." From Bereavement Poems and Articles.

People die all the time, I know this. However, due to being lucky enough that I haven't had that many major people in my life die - and I believe those that did died while I was an adult, I found the above quote really shocking. From looking at those statistics, it looks like probably most people I know had a loved one who died while they were a teenager, it's a lot larger than I expected, simply because it never happened to me as a teenager.

During my googling for various things for this week, I came across a lot of websites and nonfiction books that deal with teen bereavement, how to get through it, but I think novels that deal with the subject also have their place, because through reading a story about someone who is going through the same thing, they find someone who understands. This could be said for any topic, but when you're feeling as lost as you are when you lose someone, I think novels can really help.

Yet, there's also the entertainment value of such books. Despite the fact that most teenagers might actually have known someone who died could have very little to do with them coming across such books. An article that come out on the Guardian website back in February 2010, when The Lovely Bones movie came out, Teenage Fiction's Death Wishes by Alison Flood, gives two sides to the entertainment argument.

The popularity of these books, believes [Gayle] Forman, [author of If I Stay] isn't necessarily because teenagers are drawn to the morbid – more that they are attracted to dramatic stories with stark moral choices. "When you're at this age, you tend to be experiencing so much for the first time – first love, first time away from home, first heartbreak – so life is imbued with extra intensity," she says. "I think teens are drawn to books that reflect that drama, or which evoke feelings that match the emotional rollercoasters they're riding in their own lives. So, while I don't think a story necessarily has to be all sturm und drang, it needs to stir something up."

Cate Tiernan [author of Immortal Beloved] isn't so sure: she does perceive a certain yearning towards the macabre among teen readers. "Traditionally, teenagers tend to be fascinated by morbid topics," she says. "The Lovely Bones probably spurred an interest in a dead teenager narrating a compelling story – you know it will be dramatic, because she's already dead. The storyline and impetus are in-built."...

Teenagers, Tiernan points out, are going through an enormous growth period – the greatest they've experienced since they left infancy for toddlerhood. "I see 'morbid' topics as a way to safely explore extreme, even threatening emotions, to vicariously experience hard, even shocking events from the safety of one's own room," she says. "I remember being intrigued by death, as a teenager. Some of my friends died in high school, either by suicide or from stupidity, and while it was horribly final, it was also surreal. There was definitely a feeling of 'it couldn't happen to me.' Even dangerous situations didn't seem that bad. I look back on dumb stuff I did and wince."

The article is really interesting and does have a lot lot more to say, so you really should check it out. But what do you think? Can such novels help those who are grieving? And what would you say is the reason such books are so popular?

Interview with Lauren Oliver

2011-09-13T12:00:00.001+01:00

Joining us today for Death and Bereavement Week to talk about her debut novel, Before I Fall, is author Lauren Oliver.

The plot for Before I Fall is such an incredible idea. How did you come up with the idea for it?

To be honest, I was really mostly interested in writing a book about the possibilities of change. I wanted to explore a character’s evolution, from a mean and self-centered girl to someone with a real capacity for care and self-sacrifice.

What research did you have to do for this book?

Fortunately, none! That’s the great thing about fiction—you can just make it up! I grew up in a town similar to the one in which Before I Fall takes place, so I was really just inspired by my own memories and observations.

Before I Fall has such intricate plot threads. How did you keep track of the secrets, stories, histories of all the characters in the novel?

Outlining, outlining, outlining! I carefully mapped out the whole book before I began writing, because I knew that otherwise I’d become hopelessly ensnared in continuity problems.

Why did you decide to write a story about death for your debut?

To be honest, I didn’t initially set out to write a book about death; that part of the plot was kind of secondary, which surprises many people. I set out to write a book about Sam Kingston, a mean girl who changes, and I was trying to generate a convincing set of circumstances that would allow her to begin to see her choices from a different perspective. Paradoxically, it’s her death that she gives her clarity about her life.

Your novel is an eye-opener and very thought provoking. Did you write Before I Fall with the intention of making people think about how they live their lives?

A central theme of the book is that it’s important to live life with as much deliberateness as possible. That’s definitely something I believe in very strongly.

Were there any books you found dealt well with this topic when you were a teen?

There are a ton of books that deal well with death, particularly ones aimed at young readers, although I happened upon many of them later in life. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson and If I Stay by Gayle Foreman are two that come to mind, for example. But I like both of these books because they’re actually about life, and I’d like to think that Before I Fall is, too.

Anything else you would like to add?

Thanks for having me! And please check out http://www.laurenoliverbooks.com/ for more info/upcoming book releases.

Thank you, Lauren, for such a great interview! What do you think of Lauren's answers?

Be sure to check out Lauren's website, above, and her blog.

Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

2011-09-13T09:00:00.002+01:00

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver - They say to live every day as if it's your last - but you never actually think it's going to be. You always think you'll have more time.

That's what I thought. But I was wrong.

The thing is, you don't get to know when it happens. You don't remember to tell your family that you love them or - in my case - remember to say goodbye to them at all.

What if, like me, you could live your last day over again? Could you make it perfect? If your whole life flashed before your eyes, would you have any regrets? Are there things you'd want to change? From the back cover

There's something that amazes me about books. I've read quite a lot over the years, and most of them have been really good books. I have a lot of them amongst my favourites. But every so often I come across a book, a jewel that is just so incredibly good, when I finish it's like time stops for a short while, and I just sit there in astonishment. Astonishment over how amazing the book was, and feeling incredibly lucky that I happened to pick that book up over another, that I was lucky enough to read it in my life time, that I have the memory of this read, this wonder, this astonishment forever. It's the one thing that makes me wonder if fate exists, as crazy as that sounds.

Before I Fall is one of these phenomenal books. There really aren't any words to describe how good it is, or how it made me feel. It's completely full of surprises, high moments, incredible lows, tragedy, laughter, craziness, utter bliss, paralysing fear, and deepest sorrow. It has absolutely everything, yet none of those words can even come close to the beauty of the moments I thought of as I wrote them. The plot, the writing, the characters, the small events, the big events... I'm just completely dumbfounded.

Sam Kingston dies at the end of what is a normal day. Except that's not the end. She wakes up again the morning of that day, again and again, having to relive it. Each day something different happens; she'll do, say, be somewhere different, which will lead to her seeing, hearing, knowing something different. As the days pass, she slowly begins to piece together how she dies, but learns about herself, about her friends, and about the life she leads. Will Sam break the circle, or will she continue to live the same day over and over? And if she does, what then?

How fully formed the characters in this novel are is fantastic. Seriously, there are so many different characters that play a part in this book at one point or another, but most are all part of the same popular clique, so it would be very easy for them all to blur into each other and for us to not see much difference, but they all have their own personalities, quirks, histories, secrets, stories. So many layers to if not all, then most of the characters, and you're always learning, always discovering - along with Sam.

Of all the characters in the book, I have to mention Lindsay, Elody, Ally and Kent. The three girls are Sam's best friends, the queen bees of the school and are so loyal, love each other deeply, but then can be the nastiest cows you could possibly imagine to anyone who looks at them the wrong way. It's so bewildering to read, because you want to hate them so much for what they do to people, because they are so absolutely disgusting, but the friendship and camaraderie between the four - they really are each other's best friends, and you can't help but smile over their antics. And Kent! Lovely, geeky, quirky Kent! I want one for myself. He is just the sweetest, most loveliest guy, and he makes me "aww" so much! And I can't say any more that I want to without spoiling the book.

You can't read this book without noticing things around you, and realising what you take for granted. I went out shortly after finishing it, and couldn't help but enjoy listening to the wind in the trees, and the rain on my face. Sam started paying more attention once she knew it was her last day replaying over and over, but we can never do that unless we start now. As the blurb says, you don't get to know when it will happen. It was brilliant to see how Sam reacted to finding out, and then how she chose to live each day, the decisions she would make that would change the outcomes of other things. It was really eye opening, and pretty much just brilliant.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It was unbelievable. I will relish reading this again at some point in the future. You cannot miss out on Before I Fall! I cannot urge you enough to pick up this book! You will not regret it.

Published: 22nd July 2010
Publisher: Hodder
Buy on Amazon US
Lauren Oliver's Website

Interview with Annabel Pitcher

2011-09-12T12:00:00.000+01:00

Joining us today for Death and Bereavement Week to talk about her debut novel, My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, is authorAnnabel Pitcher.

Thank you, Annabel, for writing such a fantastic novel and letting me interview you for Death and Bereavement Week. How did you come up with the idea for My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece?

The idea came to me in a youth hostel in Ecuador, of all places! I was travelling with my husband and, having arrived in South America in the middle of the night, we were too jet lagged to sleep and a little nervous of venturing out of the hostel in the early hours. Instead, we went to the tiny TV room and found a pirate copy of a film about 9/11, which really affected me. The idea for Mantelpiece sort of fell into my head after that, that very night in fact! I started the novel in a notepad and wrote the rest of the book travelling round the world. It was a blissful existence!

Jamie has an incredibly authentic voice, and I fell head-over-heels over how adorable he is. How easy or difficult was it to get into the mind of a ten-year-old?

I found it incredibly easy. Jamie was so real to me – so three dimensional. I have a very strong memory of my own childhood and I have worked with young people in my adult life in various capacities, so it wasn’t difficult to create his voice. Very early in the first draft, I put ‘speech rules’ in place (for instance, Jamie speaks in a very matter-of-fact way, usually in short sentences, with little verb variation) and once I had those parameter in place, creating the rest of the character’s voice was easy.

There are some cleverly woven in issues in My Sister that the reader will understand a little more than Jamie, such as anorexia. Although Jamie doesn’t see the full seriousness of Jas not eating, the reader will, and adds more credibility to the story as we see everyone effected. Was it difficult to insert these issues so that the reader would notice them yet leave Jamie to his innocence?

That’s a good question! Yes, it was at times. I didn’t want Jamie to come across as stupid in any way, so I had to make the references subtle so that the reader could understand why Jamie might not pick up on them, but sufficiently strong for the reader themselves. It was a fine line, and one that took a couple of edits to perfect.

What research did you have to do for My Sister, if any?

There are two very different answers to that – very little and a lifetime’s worth! Very little because I didn’t feel the need to research anything that happens in the story, and a lifetime’s worth due to the fact I put absolutely everything into it, 28 years of knowledge and experience and everything that I’ve ever learned about life. It’s a book about human emotion, loss, love and family, so I wrote from the heart, drawing on my own and others’ experience, rather than looking up facts in books.

Why did you decide to write a story about bereavement for your debut?

I am fascinated by humans – their experiences, their stories, their emotions, their struggle to cope with the things life throws at them – and I suppose death and bereavement exaggerate all of this. However, the bereavement in the novel is very much the backdrop to what is (I hope) just an entertaining and moving story about all sorts of things – friendship, courage, coming of age, acceptance, bullying, love, the list goes on! I don’t see it as a book about bereavement. I see it as Jamie’s story, which just so happen to includes bereavement.

Not only does My Sister deal with bereavement, but also specifically with how terrorism can affect those left behind. Why did you decide to write a novel on the effects of terrorism? Was it hard to tell the story through the eyes of a ten-year-old?

It was important to me to write a contemporary story, set in a world young people recognise. I wasn’t interested in writing a fantasy, or a fluffy romance. I wanted my debut to be hard hitting and real. Terrorism, being such a contemporary issue that we’re all affected by in some way or other, enabled the story to become the raw, true-to-life one that I imagined.

What is your opinion on how YA novels deal with death and bereavement?

I don’t really feel qualified to answer that as I haven’t read a huge amount of YA novels about death and bereavement. However, the one book that qualifies is Before I Die by Jenny Downham, and I was in awe of the writer’s unflinching approach to cancer and grief. It captured the heartache and tragedy of the girl’s death without ever becoming sentimental. It is the most astonishingly real book – a huge triumph.

Were there any books you found dealt well with this topic when you were a teen?

Not really – and if there were, I didn’t tend to read them! I was always more interested in fantasy than I was in reading things that were too harrowing. I do remember Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume, but all I can recall is being gripped and moved by the story; I wouldn’t be able to say if the book dealt well with the topic.

Anything else you would like to add?

Thanks for having me and for your interest in the novel!

Thank you, Annabel, for such great answers! Be sure to check out Annabel's website. What do you think about what Annabel has said?

Review: My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher

2011-09-12T09:30:00.000+01:00

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher (review copy) - Ten-year-old Jamie Matthews has just moved to the Lake District with his Dad and his teenage sister, Jasmine for a 'Fresh New Start'. Five years ago his sister's twin, Rose, was blown up by a terrorist bomb. His parents are wrecked by their grief, Jasmine turns to piercing, pink hair and stops eating. The family falls apart. But Jamie hasn't cried in all that time. To him Rose is just a distant memory. Jamie is far more interested in his cat, Roger, his birthday Spiderman T-shirt, and in keeping his new friend Sunya a secret from his dad. And in his deep longing and unshakeable belief that his Mum will come back to the family she walked out on months ago. When he sees a TV advert for a talent show, he feels certain that this will change everything and bring them all back together once and for all. From Amazon UK

As much as I liked the sound of My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, when it came to reading it, I did put it off quite a few times. Why? Because the story was told by a ten-year-old, and in my mind that meant that it was aimed for quite young readers. As I'm not normally a fan of books for younger readers, I was worried I'd be disappointed by this novel. In actual fact, I was completely blown away.

The first thing I need to talk about is just how sweet this book is. Yes there are some pretty bad things that have happened before the start of the book and happen within the book's pages, but it's Jamie's voice; young, ten-year-old Jamie who is telling us his story and has such a brilliant, wonderful, and simple outlook on life, it's just lovely. He finds beauty int he most unexpected places, and love and strength in the most dire of circumstances, he is just wonderful! He explains things in his simple, child-like way, but makes absolute, perfect sense. The voice is just so incredibly real, together with the perfect cover, you can't help but imagine that gorgeous little boy telling you his story, and I wanted to pick him up and give him a hug so many times.

This story was also completely heartbreaking. His sister, Rose, died five years ago, and he doesn't really remember her. Yet his family are still suffering from the grief. His Mum walked out on them, and his Dad drinks himself into a stuper almost everyday. His Dad is completely obsessed with Rose, to the point that she gets a stocking put by her urn every Christmas, and a slice of cake whenever it's someone's birthday. He cannot let go, and everything is about her, to the point that Jamie might as well be invisible.

Jas, Jamie's older sister and Rose's twin, tries hard to give him the care he needs, but at just 15 herself, and going through her own issues, it just isn't perfect. But Jamie finds fun in the absolutely lovely Sunya, the girl he sits next to at school. However, as Rose died in a terrorist attack, his Dad is completely anti-Muslim, so Jamie goes through this inner conflict of wanting to be Sunya's friend, but how can he be when Muslims killed his sister? And when his Dad hates them so much? On top of all this, Jamie desperately, desperately wants to get his Mum and Dad back together and for everyone to be happy again, and he tries so hard.

There are also some other issues covered in My Sister, such as bullying and religions/beliefs, and those that Jamie himself doesn't know are big issues due to his age but the reader will, such as anorexia. In the case of anorexia, although Jamie doesn't realise how serious his sister's eating is, the little glimpses show a bigger picture, how the death of her twin, the abandonment from her mother, and her Dad's drinking affects Jas, and makes the story even more credible. Jamie may not see it, but we do, and understand. With this as one of many examples in mind, yes, this book can be enjoyed by younger teen readers, but it can also by enjoyed by older teenagers and adults alike, it has complete crossover appeal. It's such an amazingly fantastic novel that everyone can find something to enjoy from it.

This really is a beautiful, moving, and heartbreaking story, and at times really difficult to read, but absolutely brilliant. I am completely in awe of Pitcher over how spot on Jamie's voice and how real the story feels. It really does feel like he's talking to you, and you can't help but fall in love with him and want to look after him. This is one little boy I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

Thanks to Orion for sending me a review copy.

Published: 1st March 2011
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Buy on Amazon US
Annabel Pitcher's website

Death and Bereavement in Teen Lit Week: It's Here!

2011-09-12T09:00:00.002+01:00

Death is a fact of life. Everyone dies, and we have to accept that. But what's hard is actually coming to terms with the fact that loved ones are no longer here. In my opinion, the teenage years are when everything feels so much bigger and important, and when things effect you most strongly. This is not to detract from the greif felt by adults, everyone finds grief hard, but I feel losing someone close to you as a teenager, when you yourself feel invincible... it's going to be a huge deal.

And so Death & Bereavement in Teen Lit Week was born, to see how authors deal with such a sensitive subjet. Unfortunately, due to computer issues, I was unable to make this a month long event, but I'm able to use what I had already written to hold a themed week. During this week, I will look into books that deal with those in mourning, those who are dying, and in some cases, those who are dead. There will be reviews, author interviews, and discussions.

Below is a schedule of what you'll find on Once Upon a Bookcase during this week. I hope you, for want of a better word, enjoy.

Monday 12th September 2011
My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece by Annabel Pitcher
Interview with Annabel Pitcher

Tuesday 13th September 2011
Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Interview with Lauren Oliver

Wednesday 14th September 2011
Discussion: Reasons for Reading Books About Death
Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Thursday 15th September 2011
Review: Before I Die by Jenny Downham
Interview with Jenny Downham

Friday 16th September 2011
Review: And By the Way... by Denise Deegan
Guest Post from Denise Deegan: Bereavement in And By the Way...

Saturday 17th September 2011
Review: A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley
Previously Reviewed
Other Bloggers' D&B Posts

Sunday 18th September 2011
Further Reading
Death and Bereavement in Teen Lit: The End

Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

2011-09-10T15:26:00.008+01:00

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling - WARNING! I am reviewing the Harry Potter ooks with the idea that those who read my reviews have read the books. There will be spoilers. If you haven't read Half-Blood Prince, read no further.

'In a brief statement on Friday night, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge confirmed that He Who Must Not Be Named has returned to this country and is once more active. "It is with great regret that I must confirm that the wizard styling himself Lord - well, you know who I mean - is alive and among us again," said Fudge.' These dramatic words appeared in the final pages of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. In the midst of this battle of good and evil, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince takes up the story of Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with Voldemort's power and followers increasing day by day... From Amazon UK

The excitement of the previous books continues in Half-Blood Prince. Not only does the wizarding community now know for definate that Lord Voldemort is back, but us readers know thisis the sixth book, that there is one book left, and after finding out at the end of the last book about the prophecy, the steaks are higher.

I absolutely loved getting to look at all the memories that show Voldemort's history in Harry's lessons with Dumbledore. It makes Voldemort seem more human, which makes it even more disturbing that he became what he did. I can't help but feel slightly sorry for him because of the events that led up to is birth and left him parentless, but god, he was vile!

The whole idea of Voldemort's horcruxes is just genius, because it's so complicated and you realise just how hard it will be to defeat him, and he great mission that it will be to find and destroy them all. It just goes to show, despite the fact that he is completely beyond evil, Voldemort is quite clever, even if disgustingly so. The one thing I didn't understand completely was Dumbledore's explanation of how Nagini is a horcrux. I can understand that she is, but Dumbledore said that Voldemort used her to kill an old man - which we saw at the beginning of Goblet of Fire - and that5 was the death, that splitting of his soul, that he used to make her a horcrux. But I don't understand how, by Nagini killing that man would split Voldemort's soul. Yes she did it on his orders, but he didn't actually kill him himself, so that confused me a little.

And then there is the death of Dumbledore. Oh, it's so sad! Even now, years after first reading this book, I still get all upset. I remember how I felt about Snape the first time I read it. Although I despised him with a passion along with Harry, I did kind of go along with the idea that, well, Dumbledore trusts him, so he's just a bitte man taking it out on the only one he can, Harry. But then you read about the Unforgivable Vow, and you start to wonder... and when you realise that Malfoy has to kill Dumbledore, and that's what Snape vowed to do in his stead if Malfoy couldn't, and I was completely shocked. And when he does... oh, the hatred! Even I felt betrayed, because I trusted him even if Harry didn't. Oooh, it was awful! And Dumbledore's funeral, and Fawkes' song! So, so sad! And Harry without the last person he counted on, he looked up, he believed would keep everyone, including him, safe.

And then Harry has to split up with Ginny after only just getting with her! I was so happy they got together, nd then he has to leave her, it's so sad! Though I would have liked to have seen more of them together anyway, I think that would have been really sweet.

Another brilliant book! I absolutely love this series!

Published: 2005
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Buy on Amazon US
J.K. Rowling's Website

Other reviews of the series:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix