Heaven, Hell and Purgatory - Book Reviews

Cover Recreating

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:09:00 +0000

My seven year old daughter, Lucy, has as much a thing about book covers as I have. She's quite often found in front of my book shelves purring over a pretty cover, as well as her own.

So when Luisa Plaja's latest book popped through the letterbox a few days ago, she instantly fell in love. In fact she thought it was for her full stop and I had to wrestle it out of her hands. It was the little Hama bead people on the front she was so taken with, and today she decided to recreate them herself with Aqua beads (we don't have the other type..yet)

Here's the result. I think she did a pretty good job.. don't you?

Maybe this could be a theme *off to see what other covers we can recreate with play doh, pipe cleaners and sequins* Suggestions below ... :D

Kiss date Love Hate by Luisa Plaja is out February 2nd. I'll be reading and reviewing it next week.

Talking Series-ly; When one book MAY be enough...

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:52:00 +0000

Something which has been bugging me for a while is the sheer amount of series/trilogies about in YA fiction. You know when you come across an amazing sounding book which has you drooling in anticipation, only to get to the end of the synopsis and see 'First In A Brand New Series'? It's been causing my heart to sink a little bit recently.

I'm not going to lie, I've LOVED certain series in the past. I've religiously collected each book as it's published and get all swoony at a completed set prettily adorning my book shelves. But the truth is, my shelves are FULL of half completed series and it bothers me. I can't physically keep up with some (most) of them and despite still acquiring the latest release, I'm that far behind with a few I doubt I'll ever feel motivated to pick it back up. And some don't even keep to trilogy's...we're talking 4, 5 books behind and there's still no end in sight! I've tried the 'read a series in a month/week' thing but as someone who get's bored easily this doesn't work.

Just some of the unfinished series I own

It takes a great deal of commitment to stick to a series, and maybe the problem is I have a bit of an issue with commitment. Example: I've been blogging here over two years now...that's longer than I've kept a job EVER! (although my current one is coming up to that) I get bored and move on. Or maybe it's just that last year I started to feel a bit cheated by series. After loving first books, I was disappointed with quite a few sequels. And it annoyed me. It makes me question whether I truly loved that first book as much as I thought, maybe I'm doing the looking through rosy specs thing.

Or maybe, like the job thing it's just down to not finding the right series for you. I was ready to denounce ALL series a couple of weeks ago, and then I read two amazing sequels that proved some series are worth sticking with (Hallowed by Cynthia Hand and A Million Suns by Beth Revis if you're interested) I would've missed those if I'd decided to wipe series completely off my reading radar. And what about series like The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Sweet Valley High (because I can not imagine my teen years without Elizabeth and Jessica no matter how terrible I think they were in retrospect) We grow up with our favourite series by our bedside and the characters become our friends, are constants when nothing else is.

So I've come to the eventual conclusion that right now, there's just far too many and trying to get in on all of them is neither practical nor possible. I'm not ready to shut the door on series books yet, but I'll picking much more wisely from now on and guiltlessly abandoning those that let me down. What I want more of this year is amazing stand alone novels, to enjoy a brief and enjoyable fling with without all the commitment.

What about you...are you a series-oholic? Do you find it hard to keep up with them? Or are you too a bit sick of reading a book and having to wait another year for the rest of the series?

Book review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:19:00 +0000

I’m not going to lie. In the last couple of months I’ve become a little disillusioned with both Paranormal YA and sequels. The books tended to be so samey, the sequels disappointing. However seeing as how I loved Cynthia Hand’s Unearthly last year, I was willing to give second book Hallowed a chance. Am I pleased I did? You bet ya I am.

Warning: Possible spoilers for Unearthly. If you’ve already read that then you’re safe

Hallowed picks up just weeks after Unearthly ended. Clara is coming to terms with the fact she appears to have failed her purpose and struggling to make sense of it. But when she starts getting a new vision, it becomes apparent she’s going to lose someone she loves and her purpose isn’t over yet. Clara realises there’s much she still needs to learn, both about herself, her mother and the black wings whose threatening presence is always in the background.

So yeah, I was a little sceptical going into this one. In my recent experience, sequels rarely live up to the amazingness of the first book but Hallowed so did. Something about Cynthia Hand’s writing is just so addictive. Once in, I can’t get out; I get completely lost in the story and reading her books is an absolute pleasure.

What I love about this particular series though is how the focus isn’t just on the main characters but their whole family and wider circle of friends. Sure Clara is the main player, but her strength comes from those around her. In this book we find out much, much more about her mother Maggie and other angel-bloods. I really like the world Hand has created which is complex, mysterious and exciting. Things quite often turn out to be not quite as they seem, and Clara’s brother Jeremy in particular starts displaying some interesting traits. I’ve a feeling he’s going to really surprise us in the next book, which as yet is unnamed. Angela also intrigues me. There’s definitely more to her and in Hallowed it feels like foundations are being laid for a big reveal yet to come.

I can’t talk about this series without mentioning Tucker and Christian. I have to hand it to the author, she’s managed to take the predictable and annoying love triangle cliché and keep me interested. Very interested. In Unearthly I was firmly team Tucker. In Hallowed, I’m not so sure. I want to still be team Tucker, but man does Christian come into his own here. Now I know the love triangle thing can be a bone of contention, but you know…if it’s done well I love it. And Cynthia Hand does do it well.

While Hallowed isn’t the most action packed novel you’ll read, it is a book of revelations, revealed secrets and intrigue. It’s left me wanting to know more and eager for book three. It also reduced me to tears at one point. Sad just doesn’t come into it. A heartbreaking situation is written with such delicacy and emotion I could barely see the words through my brimming eyes.

My one regret about Hallowed is that Wendy is reduced to a sideline character and I missed the normalcy of her relationship with Clara and her wicked sense of humour. I felt of all things, Clara could have done with a bit more Wendy in her life in this book. It’s a shame that the truly human character in this series becomes less important than the angelic ones.

Wendy niggle aside, Hallowed was an amazing, emotional and captivating book and has smashed my run of disappointing sequels. This is without doubt one of the best YA series out there and one I’d recommend without any hesitation.

Published by Egmont (UK) January 2012
Thanks to the publishers for providing a copy for review.

Blog Tour: Cynthia Hand's Seven Tips for Writers

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:35:00 +0000

Today is our stop on Cynthia Hand's UK blog tour to celebrate the release of Hallowed (Book 2 in the Unearthly series). Over to Cynthia...

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Cynthia Hand's Seven Tips For Writers...

1. Write. I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but there are plenty of people out there who call themselves writers who simply don’t write (which is good for me, competition-wise, hee hee). I did this for a long time. It’s romantic to call yourself a writer, to “wear the black beret,” as I call it, and look like an intellectual artsy type. What is not romantic is to sit down every day all alone and sweat and stare at the screen and painstakingly put your words to the page. But that’s what you have to do, to truly become a writer. Write!

2. Write every day. Your brain is like a muscle that you exercise. If you give it a writerly work-out every day, writing will get easier and easier. I’ve been doing this writing thing for a long time, but even I get mentally flabby if I let too much time go by between writing sessions. I operate best when I take some time to write every day.

3. Set a goal for yourself. When I was first writing Unearthly, my goal was to write EVERY DAY NO MATTER WHAT until I had my book finished. I shot for 1,000 words a day, which is around 3 or 4 double-spaced pages. Some days I hit that goal easily, and wrote 2,500 words, and some days I got busy with something else and wrote 100 words. But that’s okay because I held fast to my WRITE EVERY DAY rule.

So often I meet people who want to be writers, but they are overwhelmed at the idea of writing a 300 page (or 400, in my case) novel. I always tell them, if you just wrote 250 words a day, (that’s one page) you could have a novel in a year.

4. Write about what you love. I know it’s tempting to write toward the trends. You hear that the next big thing in publishing is going to be aliens, so that’s what you should write, right?

Nope. Not unless you happen to be fascinated with/in love with the idea of aliens. Write about what you love. If you don’t love aliens, your work is not going to be very passionate, and that will hurt you in two ways: a) it’s really hard to write a book, and if you don’t love it, chances are you won’t finish it, and b) even if you miraculously pull off a book about aliens, unless the real fire is there, chances are it’s not going to be very good. Which means you probably won’t get it published, and if you do get it published, or self-publish it, then it probably won’t sell too well. Put your heart in your work, and you are so much more likely to succeed.

And another thing: usually by the time you hear about a trend in fiction, that boat is sailing. Meaning, unless you write your aliens novel really, really fast, by the time you finish your novel all the publishers will already be super saturated with alien books and it will be very difficult to sell. So write what you love.

5. Read. This too is a no-brainer, but I think it should be said. And said again: read. Not only will reading be another kind of work-out for all those little neurons in your brain, but reading will tell you what the current climate of publishing is. It will show you what’s being done, so you can gauge how your own story might be different, and how it might be the same, which will be essential if you have to write up a comparable titles section in a query. (Read both in the genre you want to write in and outside of it, so you don’t get tunnel vision.) The year I wrote Unearthly I read over 70 young adult books. I wanted to know my market. This was wonderful fun, because the books were awesome, and I came to quickly understand what I wanted my own book to be about and how I wanted it to pull away from what was already on the shelves. It also introduced me to a bunch of amazing and talented authors. Read, read, read! Because seriously, if you don’t love to read, you probably don’t have any business being a writer.

6. Study. This is a step a lot of would-be writers skip, or don’t know that they should focus on. They think if they just read books, that should be enough. To this I say: remember that writing is an art. When a person wants to be a great painter, yes, they look at other people’s paintings. But they also STUDY: technique, theory, history. They grow, not only in their ability to put paint on a canvas, but in their knowledge of the craft. That’s what writers need, too: knowledge of the craft.

Now, by study, I don’t mean that you have to get a formal education in writing. I did, and it was very helpful, but I don’t believe you need a university to study writing. By study I mean: read books about craft. There are a lot out there, and some of them aren’t any good, but there are several great ones. I have a writer’s library bookshelf on my Goodreads page where I keep a list of these books. Also, as study, join a crit group or a writing workshop. You can learn so much simply from watching others struggle to do the same thing you’re trying to do. Do exercises. Go to conferences. Go to readings. Ask questions. Consider yourself a student of writing like a beginning flutist considers himself a student of music.

7. Play. Have fun! Writing is magic. It’s fun. Don’t take yourself so seriously that you miss out on the fun of spending the day with your characters, the joy of coming up with a new, fresh way to say something, the sheer awesomeness of discovering your story. So allow yourself to experiment, and try new things, new genres, new perspectives. Writing is work but it can also be play.

Find Cynthia:

Her Website

On Goodreads

On Facebook: Cynthia Hand

On Twitter: @CynthiaHand

Checkout the rest of the blog tour (which has some AMAZINGLY posts!) Details below

Read my review of Unearthly

Check back tomorrow for my review of Hallowed (which by the way is awesome!)

Book review: The Future Of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:02:00 +0000

It’s 1996. You’re about to log onto the Internet for the very first time. The World Wide Web is about to be opened up to you…exciting right? Imagine though if that very first time you were faced with a strange website called Facebook, and even stranger it seems to be you updating it…well your future self that is.

That’s exactly what happens when Emma receives her first desktop from her Dad. Confused at first she calls in Josh, life long neighbour and friend to take a look. At first he’s convinced someone’s playing a prank…until they discover Emma’s friends list and realise he also has a page. As it dawns that this is themselves, fifteen years in their future, they both feel very different about what they see. While Josh can’t believe he’s married to the most popular girl in school, Emma’s concerned by her clearly miserable and lonely life. When she realises decisions she makes now can affect the future according to Facebook she becomes obsessed. But knowing the future is a dangerous thing. Changing it might be even worse.

This book appealed on so many levels I just had to get a copy as soon as it was released. I was a teen when the Internet first arrived in homes and schools and can distinctly remember loading up cd-roms and painfully waiting for dial up pages to load. The Future Of Us was certainly a nostalgia trip for me, even down to the fashions, TV shows and Discmans.

The idea of coming across Facebook before it was even invented and seeing your future life played out was genius. Who wouldn’t be tempted by that? Emma and Josh’s perplexity at the things they were posting about in the future was hilarious. If someone had described Facebook to me fifteen years ago I’d probably have thought it sounded ridiculous too.

Aside from the nostalgia I was also intrigued by the time slip element in this book. Emma becomes obsessed with changing her future and then checking its implications on Facebook and I thought this would be fascinating. Unfortunately I think a massive opportunity was missed here to make this book brilliant. The idea is fantastic, the execution is disappointing and the authors just don’t explore things enough. It’s all very surface, I wanted to know so much more. Why did this happen? What are the far-reaching repercussions? What do the characters learn from it all? The opportunity to change your future is unbelievably fascinating but sadly, all Emma comes across in being interested in is which guy she ends up with.

I also felt I just didn’t connect with either of the characters. The book is told from both Josh and Emma’s viewpoint and is written by two authors. I’ve no idea which parts where written by whom, whether they each wrote a character or contributed to both so I don’t think the issue was down to two styles not meshing. I think it’s down to a lack of depth and detailing. By the end I had no idea why this pair were as connected as they were. I also wonder how teens today will relate to this book; after all it’s aimed at them yet the most enjoyable part of it for me was the 90’s nostalgia. I’m not convinced they’ll truly get it.

If you take The Future Of Us as a piece of easy, fluffy story telling then it’s an enjoyable read. I can’t deny I flew through it in a couple of hours. If you start scratching the surface though then you realise there’s a lot of faults. Not least the ease with which Emma accepts Facebook in the first place and understands it’s from her own future. I found this an easy and entertaining enough read, but ultimately unsatisfying. I rated this book as three stars on goodreads when I finished reading it, now as I write my review I realise it has pretty big flaws and think I was possibly a little generous. If you find yourself with a copy of The Future Of Us I’d say as a quick easy read it does the job. On the other hand I wouldn’t recommend this as a must read and overall it was a disappointment.

Published January 2012 by Simon & Schuster Children's books (UK)

Book Review: Reckoning (Strange Angels #5) by Lili St. Crow

noreply@blogger.com (Lyndsey) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Reckoning is the fifth and final book in the Strange Angels series by Lili St. Crow. It was published on 27^th October 2011 by Quercus and the book is 304 pages long. Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy for review.

Plot

Nobody expected Dru Anderson to survive this long. Not Graves. Not Christophe. Not even Dru. She’s battled killer zombies, jealous djamphirs, and bloodthirsty suckers straight out of her worst nightmares. But now that Dru has bloomed into a full fledged svetocha—rare, beautiful, and toxic to all vampires—the worst is yet to come. Because getting out alive is going to cost more than she’s ever imagined. And in the end, is survival really worth the sacrifice?
Dru Anderson’s not afraid of the dark.

But she should be.

What I thought

As one of my favourite YA series, I am really sad to see Strange Angels come to an end. Lili St. Crow has given us 5 books that stand out so much compared with other series and they do not go on for longer than was needed.

In true Strange Angels style, Reckoning starts as it means to go on – full of action and intensity. Because of the nature of the plot, Dru is most definitely oneEven of the strongest and bravest girls in YA. Even though she kicks ass most of the time, it was nice to see a different side to her this time around. After other books of hard times, no wonder she finally started to break down. Preparing to face off with the king of vampires would do that to me (and anyone) as well! I loved seeing the contrast from her tough chick persona. If I had been in her situation though I would have been sat in the corner crying like a baby and refusing to move. Some of the scenes in Reckoning are extremely hard hitting and very emotional. I really wasn't expecting this book, even as it is the last in the series, to make me well up and nearly cry.

Reckoning is set in various locations due to the vampires being after Dru. The fact that the characters are on the run for quite some time makes for many interesting and exciting situations. I don't want to give anything away about these but I will just say that everything and anything happens in this book. The plot focuses on Dru getting her revenge on Sergej for the pain and upset he has caused her over the course of the series. As this is the main storyline in the book, it comes with a lot of action. As Dru was on her journey to do what she set out to do, I was hooked! I couldn't read fast enough to find out how the final showdown between her and Sergej would work out. I was pretty sure it was going to go in her favour but you really never know with Lili St. Crow.

Due to the plot sending Dru all over the damn place, many of my favourite character were missing for quite a large amount of the time. Christophe isn't around nearly enough. Dru and Graves didn't get enough one on one time and poor Dib barely gets a look in. I also really missed the friendship between Dru and Nat. There was a serious lack of female characters and it's not often I say that at all. The one thing I will say though about the lack of use of the other characters is that it really made Dru shine. It showed that she really is a surviver and that she can do things all on her own (even if she has no choice in the matter).

My one major disappointment with Reckoning though is the ending, which was a complete cop out in my eyes. I don't want to say too much though apart from that I think it ruined the end of the series. For anyone who has already read this book, I'm sure you will know what I am talking about. Nothing is really defined clearly enough and everything really is left for the reader to decide. I wanted concrete answers from the last book in a series but that wasn't what I got at all. Apart from that though, I did really enjoy this book because it was such a roller-coaster of emotions.

I really am sad to see this series end but I will be watching Lili St. Crow for what she does next. After enjoying this series so much, I will definitely buy anything that she writes now.

Busting The Newbie Blues 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:21:00 +0000

Busting The Newbie Blues is an event organised by Small Review which I discovered over on one of my favourite blogs Daisy Chain Books. The aim is to provide support to new bloggers by sharing our own experiences and to encourage blogger interaction. Find out more and discover the blogs taking part here

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When Did You Start Your Book Blog?

I started this blog back in September 2009. I posted up a couple of reviews that same day then didn't come back for a while. At the time I didn't have a clue about other blogs, followers or any of the book blogging world. My main motive for starting the blog was after seeing a quote from a book review I'd written for a UK consumer website credited to them rather than me directly. I decided then to start my own book review site but it wasn't until January 2010 when I came back and really got going.

Do you ever still feel like a newbie?

All the time! Despite being at this for over two years, I feel like its a constantly evolving thing and sometimes it's difficult to keep up. The book blogging community was still fairly small when I joined, or at least here in the UK it was but particularly in the last year it seems to have exploded and sometimes I feel I've been left behind.

What has been your biggest challenge so far? Did you make any mistakes new bloggers can learn from?

I think the biggest challenge I've faced was over the last couple of months of 2011 where I became disillusioned with blogging and almost gave up. The problem was, my blog had turned into something I never intended it to be. My original aim for blogging was to talk about the thing I loved, reading, and make friends/enjoy discussions with people who have similar interests. I feel towards the second half of last year this blog had turned into something pretty soulless. Yes there were lots of reviews, but it was pretty much post and run. Done out of obligation than anything else. My review pile was ridiculous and I wasn't reading what I wanted, when I wanted which was depressing me and it all felt so clinical. In short, I wasn't blogging for me anymore.

Anyway, I gave myself a good talking to and decided that yes I did want to continue blogging, but more in the way I did in 2010. Who cares if there isn't a post everyday? And judging by the declining comments my readers obviously preferred the blog with an eclectic mix of books I felt passionate about and personal posts when I wrote what I wanted and not what I thought publishers and other readers wanted. This year I'm taking a far more relaxed approach and it's paying off dividends. I feel excited about reading again. What I want for this year is to get back in touch with the blogging community and have more interaction. That's what I loved to begin with and that's what I've missed.

So in short my advice to newbies would be to stay true to yourself. Blog for you and not what you think other's may want you to blog about. Enjoy blogging and don't let the TBR pile, follower counts and stats get you down.

What did you find most discouraging as a new blogger? How did you deal with this?

I honestly don't think I did feel that discouraged about anything. In fact I'd say I felt very supported and encouraged. I still to this day hate the fact I live so far away from London where a lot of UK events take place and bloggers regularly meet up. I wish I could do more of that but there's not a lot I can do about it.

What did you find most encouraging?

This is easy...COMMENTS! The fact that people took the time to come and comment on my reviews/posts. Encouraging others through comments is my big thing to do this year.

If you could go back in time and speak with your newbie self, what five bits of wisdom would you tell yourself?

Follower counts don't matter.

Review books are not the be all and end all, they can be a curse.

Be true to your blogging self

Don't make blogging/reading a chore.This is a hobby NOT a job

Twitter will be both your best friend and worst enemy. Use it wisely

What do you like best about the blogs you read? Have you tried to replicate this in your blog?

The blogs I like best have well thought out reviews, discussion posts and features and speak with an individual voice. I also love blogs that don't just focus on the 'big books of the moment'- there's nothing more boring than seeing the same book reviewed on every blog at the same time. I've tried to replicate this in the past and it's definitely something I plan to work on this year.

What do you dislike about blogs you’ve seen? Do you try to avoid this?

Constant competitions where you have to follow to be involved. It's obvious when a blog has a huge follower count due to their giveaways rather than content. I may have fallen victim to this in the beginning but quickly saw it for what it was.

Black backgrounds with white text. Sorry if this is your design, but I find it so difficult to read! So, ermm, don't. I like clean, clear and crisp. I remember going a bit overboard decorating my blog with fancy designs and loads of widgets when I first started but at the end of the day, if it's an assault on the eyes, people aren't going to read it. Simple and easy to navigate works best for me.

How did you bring your blog to the attention of so many people?

In the first instant, probably by commenting and visiting lots of other blogs. By joining a couple of meme's - it definitely got my blog out there. I don't do In My Mailbox anymore, but it was a fantastic way to find other blogs, comment and let people find you. Finally I'd say Twitter. A lot of my traffic comes from there and I've also found some fantastic blogs through it. Which brings me back to a point I made above. I LOVE twitter and being able to have book related discussions, finding out what's going on in the publishing world and with favourite authors. however it does have a downside. It's a stealer of time. Many a day has past when I've not done anything I needed to, blog or otherwise, because I've wasted it on twitter.

When and how did you get your first ARC (or first few ARCs)?

I can't remember what my first ARC was. The first review request I ever had was actually from an author (and I thoroughly enjoyed her book). I'd probably been blogging two or three months before publishers started getting in touch. I've only contacted publishers directly to request books for review a handful of times. Most of my ARC's are pitched to me by publishers who contact me by email or sent out as surprises from regular contacts. Review books are a double edged sword. I love getting them, and some surprise books have turned out to be my favourites which I probably wouldn't have heard of before. But on the other hand, the TBR carries on growing and feelings of guilt and obligation can creep in. I accept far fewer review books than I did this time last year and feel much happier for it. This probably isn't the most informative post on how to get ARC's because my approach is to wait and see what comes along. If you have an e-reader, then netgalley's probably the place to be, but even then it's easy to go all kid in a candy shop and end up with an intimidating to read pile. And of course there's thousands of free books at the library.

So there you go. I think what I've learned by writing this (and reading a few other posts) is that blogging is constantly changing, we all love comments and interaction and blogging should most definitely be fun. What do you think?

Book Review: This Is Not Forgiveness by Celia Rees

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

I’m a massive fan of Celia Rees’s historical novels and Witch Child sits firmly on my ‘favourites of all time’ shelf. When I first read the synopsis for her latest novel, This is Not Forgiveness, I felt a little pang of disappointment as I’d been so looking forward to another fantastic historical read. However this was quickly followed by excitement and I was eager to give something different a go.

This Is Not Forgiveness is a tense psychological thriller told from alternating viewpoints of the three main characters, Jamie, Caro and Rob. When gorgeous and unobtainable Caro starts showing an interest in Jamie, he can’t believe his luck. He’s heard the rumours about her, particularly from his sister Martha who hates the girl with a passion, but he doesn’t care. He can’t help but be attracted to her impulsive and dangerous attitude.

But over the summer Jamie comes to realise there’s more to Caro than anyone even realised. Caro’s deeply political beliefs are becoming increasingly extremist, which Jamie feels less and less comfortable with. And that’s not his only worry. His older brother, Rob, who was injured out of the army in an explosion in Afghanistan, is falling apart; drinking heavily and becoming angry and violent. Separately, Caro and Rob are enough to keep Jamie awake at night, but when the two come together no one could have predicted the outcome.

Saying this book is different to anything I’ve read by this author before is an understatement. Firstly it’s set very much in modern times and Celia Rees proves she has as much a handle on the youth of today as she does on those in her historical novels. Her tiny observations and detailing are rich and evoke clear images making her characters both main and minor very real.

The book starts with the ending, which I wasn’t immediately aware of and prompted a little bit of confusion, as did the switching narrative. It took me a few chapters to fully get into the stride of this book and understand which viewpoint I was actually hearing from. Once I did though I couldn’t stop reading. It isn’t an easy book at all. The characters in this book are flawed and damaged, the themes are political and the ending is as desperate a climax as the lead up to it. It’s thought provoking and very much a story of our times.

This Is Not Forgiveness is at times shocking and uncomfortable reading and isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste. Personally I thought it was a compelling, edgy thriller that left me thinking about its themes once I finished the last page. While it doesn’t quite match up to Rees’s historical novels for me, it does nothing to waiver my admiration for this author. I do hope for more historical from Celia Rees, but I also look forward to seeing what else she may come up with eagerly.

Published by Bloomsbury February 2012 (PB) Kindle version available for download now.
thanks to the publishers for providing a copy for review.

Blog Tour: 5 quick questions with Maria V. Snyder

noreply@blogger.com (Lyndsey) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

As part of the blog tour for Maria V. Snyder's newest book, Touch of Power, I got to ask her 5 quick questions! I reviewed the book earlier on today so please check it out!

1. Who would you like to see as the main cast if Touch of Power got made into a movie/ TV adaptation?

I don't know! I'm out of the loop as far as the current crop of young actors and actresses. I only watch a few TV shows and a handful of movies since I'm so busy with writing and my family. Perhaps your readers would like to suggest people?

2. What is your favourite book of all time and why?

Frederick, by Leo Lionni. It’s a children’s picture book that my mother read to me when I was little, but I’ll never forget it. It’s about a family of field mice getting ready for the winter. While the mice work hard to gather enough food for the long winter, Frederick is sitting around doing nothing as if he’s being lazy – he claims he’s harvesting the sunshine and taking in the colours. Later when the mice get bored in the winter then Frederick entertains them all with descriptions of the warm sun and summer colours. As a chronic daydreamer, I could really relate to Frederick!

3. Which YA (human) character would you love to be and why?

I would like to be Lessa from the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffery. She gets to ride and communicate with a dragon – how cool is that?

4. Which YA (non human) character would you love to be and why?

Grimalkin the cat from Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series. He's fun and has the ability to disappear during dangerous situations – handy!

5. Some authors do certain things while they write like listen to music etc. Do you have to do anything like this while you write?

Yes. I need to have music on – mostly pop, rock and classical – songs I've listened to a thousand times so it doesn't distract me. I also need a hot cup of tea.

Thanks Maria for dropping by

Touch Of Power by Maria V. Snyder was published by Mira Ink (UK) December 2011

Blog Tour: Book review - Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

noreply@blogger.com (Lyndsey) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Touch of Power is the first book in the new Avry of Kazan series by Maria V. Snyder. It was published by Mira on 20^th December 2011 and the book is 400 pages long. Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy for review.

Plot

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

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

What I thought

Although I have other books by this author, I have yet to read them – which now I think is very unfortunate. As soon as the emailed arrived about this book though, I got excited. It sounded completely different than the other books I have been reading recently and I was desperate for something else.

Touch of Power begins full of excitement, instantly hooking me into the story. Avry, the main character, is a healer. While this should be a good thing, it isn't. People hate healers, blaming them for the plague and the state the world is currently in. The is a price on the head of any healer which means Avry is constantly on the run. At the point where the book starts, Avry is staying with a family who have an extremely sick child. She knows she shouldn't use her powers to heal the child but Avry can't help herself. Unfortunately, while the family are grateful, they have no problem ratting her out. After being captured, being prepared to die, Avry is rescued by a group of travellers who want her to use her power to heal a Prince, whom she hates.

From here, I understood just how much of an amazing character Avry was. Although she had just been rescued and saved from death, she refuses to go along with what the travellers want. She hates the Prince in question and flat out refuses to heal him, no matter what. Avry is feisty, strong and extremely clever, knowing that she is only being used. As she spends more time with the group of travellers, being dragged around for miles and miles, she gets more used to them, getting to know them. Finally, she finds friends in Loren, Quain, Flea and Belen. She teaches them things in return for being taught how to fight and how to handle a set of daggers. The only person she cannot bring herself to like, or even stand, is Kerrick.

I really didn't like Kerrick for the majority of this book. Even as the main male character, I hated him. He was rude, arrogant and especially mean to Avry. Unlike the others in his group, he showed no respect for Avry whatsoever and expected her to do what he wanted without even as much as a good reason. Or even saying please. Avry had no problem showing her hatred for Kerrick either and I loved her for that. As the story went on though, I found myself liking him more and more and I really didn't want to. There were tiny little moments where I could see something change in him and I could see why he acted in certain ways and the reasons behind his toughness.

Not only is there a whole range of fantastic characters to get to know and love but also a very serious side to the story. With the fifteen kingdoms in trouble, there is a lot about the politics of the realm but it is never too much. I quite enjoyed learning about the different power struggles, the ways in which people thought they could make everything better and also wondering to myself who I think would be best in charge of everything. Once there were different rulers of different parts of the land but due to the current situation, things went from bad to worse and with Prince Ryne unable to move, Tohon has taken it upon himself to rule everything.

The parts of the story concerning Tohon were amazing. He is the epitome of evil and one of the best bad guys I have read about in a long time. Not wanting to ruin the story, I will say that Tohon has powers of his own and these make him into the great bad guy that he really is. There was something about this character that made my skin crawl, that made me want to hit him over the head with something and knock him out. Still, I loved him. He made the book a lot more interesting and a lot more exciting, even with so much going on already.

As well as a lot of excitement, there are also a few mysteries to be solved. Secrets are hidden all over the place in this book and I loved being kept waiting for answers, while being impatient for them at the same time. Avry has been on the run for years and has no idea what has become of most of her family. Why does she hate Prince Ryne so much? Why is Kerrick the way he is? What was the real cause of the plague and why are healers hated so much? Maria V. Snyder really throws in everything possible to make this an amazing book. There is love, death, hatred and passion as well as intrigue and mystery. I loved every single page of this one!!

Royal Mail Celebrates Roald Dahl...plus Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:23:00 +0000

I've been asked to let you know about Royal Mail's new stamps celebrating Roald Dahl...

Royal Mail is celebrating one of the nation’s best-loved children’s authors, Roald Dahl, with its first stamp issue of 2012.

The presentation pack of six stamps celebrates six of Dahl’s most famous books that children and adults alike came to know and love, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox, The Twits and Matilda.

The stamps themselves recreate the magic of the Dahl books, using the beautiful illustrations of Quentin Blake.

For the launch, Royal Mail Stamps is running a competition on its Facebook page, facebook.com/royalmailstamps, to win Roald Dahl's Scrumdiddlyumptious Story Collection featuring seven of his best-loved books, a pop-up book of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and a Roald Dahl presentation pack.

I also have FIVE presentation packs to giveaway...and they are gorgeous! To be in with a chance just fill out the form below and let me know your favourite Roald Dahl book in the comments below. Contest closes midnight 24th January, open to UK residents only. Winners will be notified by email.

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Book review: Torn by Cat Clarke

noreply@blogger.com (Lyndsey) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Torn is the second novel by Cat Clarke. It was published by Quercus on 22^nd December 2011 and the book is 384 pages long.

Plot

Four girls. One dead body. A whole lot of guilt.

Alice King isn’t expecting the holiday of a lifetime when she sets off with her classmates on a trip to the Scottish wilderness, but she’s not exactly prepared for an experience beyond her darkest nightmares…

Alice and her best friend Cass are stuck in a cabin with Polly, the social outcast, and Rae, the moody emo-girl. Then there’s Tara – queen of mean. Powerful, beautiful and cruel, she likes nothing better than putting people down.

Cass decides it’s time to teach Tara a lesson she’ll never forget. And so begins a series of events that will change the lives of these girls forever...

What I thought

I LOVED Cat Clarke's début novel, Entangled so when I found out about her next release, I couldn't wait to read that either.

Cat Clarke has an amazing ability to get into the head of teenage girls and write exactly what they are feeling/ have felt at some point or another. School is not an easy place for any teenager and girls especially can be really bitchy and cruel. The teenagers in Torn are real – beyond belief. What I love so much about Clarke's writing is that she isn't afraid to say exactly how things and she doesn't shy away from real issues. In this book, the issue tackled is bullying and how people deal with being bulled/ what the bullies themselves deal with. It isn't very often that you see the story of things like this from both sides and I liked being able to form a complete opinion about the people in questions.

As the main character, I really liked Alice. I probably shouldn't have though. Alice is pretty damn messed up, not only because of what happens on that school trip but also other things that have happened in her life. Because of this, I couldn't help but empathise with her, slightly understand why she was feeling a certain way or why she would think certain things. I could completely feel Alice's guilt over what happened and why she was so undecided about how to feel in regards to what happened.

Other characters were just as good. From Cass, Polly and Rae who are in on everything with Alice to Tara, the bully. Tara is where the different sides of characters comes in. While I really wanted to smack Tara round the face (multiple times) but then a few minutes later, I kind of wanted to hug her. Really, who has the ability to write about the biggest bitch in the world that you also want to hug?! I'm sure if Tara had been in my school though I wouldn't have wanted to hug her, much like 99% of the other girls she did go to school with.

As for the story, it was gripping, thrilling and pretty damn nasty at times but I loved that. It takes no time at all for the story to get going, diving right into what happened on that school trip. Part way through, I was really disappointed and thought that everything had been explained way too early but then I realised just how much more there was to it. It wasn't just about what happened on that trip. It was about what happens after, what happened before and everything in-between. There are plenty of twists to keep you guessing and wanting to read as fast as possible to figure out what is really going on.

Torn reminded me of a mix between I Know What You Did Last Summer and Jawbreaker – two great films all mashed together in one book! While I didn't like it quite as much as I did Entangled, it is still bloody good!!

Dave Cousin's Fifteen Days Without A Head Blog Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 07:31:00 +0000

Today it's our stop on Dave Cousin's Fifteen Days Without a Head blog tour to celebrate publication of his book of the same name. Over to you Dave:

************

A Day in the Life of an Author – Photo Story!

7:30 Get up, feed the cats. Make tea.

8:00 Shower

8:30 Get dressed to face arctic conditions in my attic workroom.

9:00 Check e-mail and schedule for the day.

9:30 Writing (in my special Word Wig and Cap of Inspiration)

11:00 “Whose round is it?” Make tea.

11:15 Writing not going so well. I knew I shouldn’t have removed the Word Wig.

11:30 Book delivery saves me from further torment. Martha does a quick check for illegal substances.

12:00 Lunch with author friends from The Edge. More tea. (left to right: me, Katy Dale, Sara Grant, Bryony Pearce, Miriam Halahmy)

1:00 Off to do a school author visit, loaded up with props.

5:00 Back for a well-earned cuppa.

5:30 Check e-mail and update website.

8:00 Catch train into London for book launch.

12:00 The end of another exhausting day in the life of an author. Bed.

************

Two brothers. One cartoon dog. And a load of trouble.

Meet Laurence, fifteen years old and six feet tall. Very soon, he'll dress up as his mum and impersonate a dead man on the radio. Meet Jay, his six year old brother. He looks like an angel but thinks he's a dog. He'll sink his teeth into anyone who gets in the way. Today is Tuesday and the next fifteen days will change the boys' lives for ever.

Published January 2012 by Oxford University Press

Check HERE for my review of this brilliantly funny and touching book!

Book Review: 15 Days Without A Head by Dave Cousins

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 07:27:00 +0000

Fifteen year old Laurence hasn't had the best upbringing. With an alcoholic mum and a six year old brother Jay who thinks he's Scooby Doo he's left to pick up the pieces in their chaotic life more often than not. But when their Mum doesn't come home one night, Laurence has to face his biggest challenge yet. Over Fifteen days Laurence does everything he can to keep their dysfunctional family together, but with no money and a nosy neighbour poking their nose in it isn't easy. Dreading the authorities getting involved and the thought of being separated from Jay, can he get his mother back before anyone finds out and the family is torn apart for good?

Until I started reading this book I had very little idea of it's subject so was somewhat surprised to find such a powerful and touching story. This is a very real story of neglect and life with an alcoholic parent and one I'm sure too many children across the globe live with everyday. My heart went out to Laurence, who at fifteen years old has to be parent to his younger sibling for most of his childhood. With a responsibility a lot of adults couldn't cope with and zero resources, I admired his loyalty and determination to to keep his younger brother with him.

This could quite easily have been a depressing read, but with Dave Cousins humour it has plenty of moments of lightness which had me laughing out loud at times. In one scene where, in his desperation to get money from his savings account, he tries dressing up as his mother, I was almost crying with laughing. The author has a natural comedic talent and the brothers plight is made all the more poignant by moments like this. I also felt very angry at times while reading this book, that a mother could just abandon her children for the sake of a drink. Yet Laurence never waivers in his support and belief in her. He recognises her alcoholism as an illness and his insight into it is thought provoking.

15 Days Without A Head is one of those books that encourage thought and education about it's topics without you even realising. Despite it's dark subject I found it quite uplifting and hopeful by the end. A brilliant book that I'll be encouraging my own teenager to read and one I recommend highly.

Published by OUP January 2012
Thanks to the publishers for sending an advance copy for review.

British Books Challenge 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 10:39:00 +0000

I wasn't go to sign up to challenges this year, but then I realised there's no good reason why I shouldn't do this one. For one thing it requires zero effort other than going about what I normally do. I read quite a lot of British Authors anyway and the minimum target of twelve in a year should be ridiculously easy (I've read two already this year) What I'm not going to do though is set myself a target. I'm just going to see how it goes. Secondly I want to show my support of authors here and this is the perfect opportunity. So consider this post as me signing up!

So what is the British Books Challenge?

The BBC is a reading challenge where bloggers sign up to read books by British writers throughout 2012 which was first hosted in 2011 by www.thebookette.co.uk

The books can be in print or out. Old or new titles. They can be from any genre and for any age. My blog is obviously focused on YA literature but you are welcome to read adult or children's novels if you wish.

If you sign up for the Challenge you will be aiming to read at least 12 books by British Authors (which works out to one a month). For every book you review each month you will get an entry into the draw to win a monthly prize pack. Therefore the more you read the more entries you will rack up.

Towards the end of the year I hope to do some kind of special prize draw for those who have gone to the most effort over the year managing to read 50 or more British Books.

So there you go...head on over to www.OverflowingLibrary.com if you're interested in taking part or just want to check out some books by British authors.

Here's a few authors I hope to read this year:

Keren David

Luisa Plaja

Milly Johnson

Louise Douglas

And these also fit with my own challenge, The Oldest Book On The Shelf Challenge 2012 (which you can find out more about here) so a double win really!

Book Review: Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey

noreply@blogger.com (Lyndsey) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Stolen Away is a stand alone novel by Alyxandra Harvey. It was published on 5^th January by Bloomsbury and the book is 278 pages long. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

Plot

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

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

What I thought

I love Alyxandra Harvey's Drake Chronicles series and when Stolen Away came through the door, I couldn't wait to read it. Knowing it was about fey and along with the stunning over, I knew it would be something that I enjoyed.

The book starts off with Eloise, who was a great heroine. From the very beginning, she showed that she was far from stupid and had plenty of street smarts. Eloise was clearly different from her friends and I liked this about her. She stood out. She was also pretty funny. When Lucas turns up at her table and acts the way that he does, she thought he was insane and I would have been exactly the same. I definitely would have told him where to go! As the story really got going, Eloise's strength and bravery began to shine through. Having to deal with a complete change in her life would have been hard to begin with but add in being kidnapped and a faery king and you know things are about to get complicated.

As much as I liked Eloise, it was Jo that I loved. For some reason, Jo has a bit of an obsession with all things British, especially slang words. Because of this, you can expect a fair amount of swearing compared with a lot of YA books. Obviously, Stolen Away isn't really for younger readers because of this aspect but it was perfect for me! I have always said that real teenagers swear and although some won't like this being used in a YA book, I loved it. I didn't only love Jo's foul mouth though. She's feisty, knows what she wants and isn't afraid to go for it – especially if what she wants is a seriously hot boy. Overall, I loved Jo so much because on top of all of these things, she was really funny too and was generally a well rounded character.

Not only does this book have some kick ass female characters but there are also a couple of swoon worthy boys as well. On each end of the spectrum we have Lucas and Eldric. One is so good that a halo should be shining above his head whereas the other should probably have a pair of little red horns. It's strange how I loved both of them pretty ewually. Each boy had something wonderful to offer and I would have quite happily had either of them. I'm not that picky!

As Stolen Away is a standalone, quite a lot is packed into just under 300 pages. Still, the pacing is fantastic. It didn't take long at all for me to feel like I knew Eloise and Jo really well and because of this, I didn't mind how quickly the story really began. The moment that Eloise meets Lucas (and that's only a few pages in) is where things begin to get interesting. Eloise's world is turned completely upside down when she realises that everything is not as it seems. Her family aren't who she thought they were and things exist that shouldn't be possible. I loved how exciting the world Alyxandra Harvey created was. It seemed as though anything could happen next and some other fantastical creature could pop up at any minute out of no where. Due to the size of this book, I didn't think there would be quite as many twists and turns but there was... all over the place.

Alyxandra Harvey never fails to amaze me!

Book review: Desert Angel by Charlie Price

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:58:00 +0000

Fourteen-year-old Angel has had a tough start to life. Dragged around by her mother as she moves from one abusive relationship to the other, they’ve never stayed anywhere for very long. But latest boyfriend Scotty is in a different league to the others and when Angel discovers her mother murdered one morning she becomes his next target.

Fleeing their trailer in the Californian desert, Angel embarks on a journey of survival. With no money, food or shelter and in harsh and unwelcoming surroundings she must escape Scotty before he finds her and kills her too. But he has an advantage, he’s an illegal hunter and Angel is the prey. Her only chance of survival is by enlisting the help of strangers, but by doing so she also brings danger on them. Angel can only see one way out…get Scottie before he gets her first.

You know when you pick a book up just to have a quick look, not intending to actually read it there and then, but suddenly find an afternoon gone and a couple of hundred pages covered? That’s what happened with Desert Angel. It only arrived that morning and I was tidying away when I took a peak and became hooked to the story. A couple of hours later and the whole book was finished. It’s a pretty fast paced read and one where you just have to know how it will end.

From the very first paragraph this book is hard-hitting and brutal, even shocking. Charlie Price doesn’t ease us in slowly to Angel’s bleak existence. It’s driven home from the very beginning and within the first chapter we’re given some violent and disturbing scenes of abuse and murder.

Angel’s a tough girl, who’s led a tough life very different to the one most of us will be accustomed to and so normal rules don’t apply. No one knows of her and her mother, nobody would miss her and having lived her life fleeing the system she’s fearful of it so it’s not where she turns. Her instinct is to do as she always has, take care of herself, and I thought Price portrays her plight perfectly. Scotty is awful and a very believable threat and the whole book had the feel of one of those movies where the villain keeps popping up suddenly making you jump. Actually, I can see this book making a great film.

The book is set in the Californian desert and the stark landscape makes a brilliant, eerie, backdrop for this game of cat and mouse. Populated mainly by settlers from nearby Mexico, some illegally, Angel finds herself in the care of a reluctant Hispanic community. To begin they are suspicious of Angel, not wanting to be involved or draw the attention of the authorities themselves but under the tough love of Rita, she finds herself experiencing a family’s love for the first time. One of the strengths of this book is how believable the characters are, no matter how small a part they play.

The dialogue is particularly powerful, very blunt and authentic and certainly adds to the tension. However I think this may have been a bit of a downfall too. Because it’s so stark and brutal I felt I lacked connection with the characters, even Angel. There was something just keeping me distant from her, so I never fully connected or understood her despite my sympathy and respect for her, and it was the same with the other characters. I get why the book was written like this, it does make it very tense, but maybe seeing Angel open up just a little would have meant I could empathise and understand her more.

Desert Angel is a taut, fast paced psychological thriller that grabs your attention from the off. It’s a quick read at only 240 pages and one you’ll almost certainly want to finish in one sitting. With some graphic and shocking content including sexual abuse, guns and violence this isn’t a book for younger readers and I’d recommend it for ages fourteen and over. In the YA market this book certainly stands out as different with it’s bleak, no holes barred approach and genuinely jump out of your seat scary moments. If you fancy something a bit different, with real grittiness then I’m happy to recommend it.

Published by Random House (UK) February 2012

Thanks to the publishers for providing a copy for review.

Book Video: Beat the Band by Don Calame!

noreply@blogger.com (Lyndsey) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Last summer, one of my favourite books was Swim The Fly by Don Calame. The sequel, Beat The Band is about to be released so I thought I'd share the video with you all. Below is also the synopsis for the book.

Synopsis

In this hilarious sequel to SWIM THE FLY, told from Coop’s point of view, it’s the beginning of the school year, and the tenth-grade health class must work in pairs on semester-long projects. Matt and Sean get partnered up (the jerks), but Coop is matched with the infamous "Hot Dog" Helen for a presentation on safe sex. Everybody’s laughing, except for Coop, who’s convinced that the only way to escape this social death sentence is to win "The Battle of the Bands" with their group, Arnold Murphy’s Bologna Dare. There’s just one problem: none of the guys actually plays an instrument. Will Coop regain his "cool" before it’s too late? Or will the forced one-on-one time with Helen teach him a lesson about social status he never saw coming? With ribald humor and a few sweet notes, screenwriter-turned-novelist Don Calame once again hits all the right chords.

Get ready for riffs on hot girls, health class, and social hell! The outrageously funny boys from SWIM THE FLY return to rock their sophomore year.

Waiting on Wednesday: If I Die (Soul Screamers #5) by Rachel Vincent

noreply@blogger.com (Lyndsey) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine and allows us to spotlight upcoming books we are eagerly anticipating.

If I Die by Rachel Vincent

Kaylee can see death coming. But how will she face her own? Teen banshee Kaylee and her friends have barely recovered from the violent chaos unleashed the last time their school was invaded by Netherworld entities when she recieves the news she s top of a reapear s list and scheduled to die within days! But contemplating her own impending demise will have to wait, when it s revealled that new maths teach Mr. Beck s an incubus who s just come into his once-acentury fertile period. And he s looking for a few healthy young girls capable of carrying a non-human infant to full term and Kaylee s mortal best friend Emma fits the bill perfectly. But as Kaylee fights to save her female classmates, her dark fate is closing in. And as Kaylee s borrowed lifeline nears its end, and the men who love her will do anything to save her life. Even if it costs their own...

Published: 3rd Feb by Mira Ink

Book Review: The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:51:00 +0000

Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart--he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees.

This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them. (From Goodreads.com)

I was drawn to this book by the romance of the publisher’s synopsis and the contrast between the harsh, brutal reality of life on a 1920’s Alaskan homestead and a fairytale child. With its roots in Russian folklore, the story of The Snow Child doesn't disappoint and is both magical and heartbreaking. It has the feel of a real old fashioned myth and is breathtakingly beautiful to read.

The characters of Mabel and Jack are painfully realistic and well developed. From the very beginning you can sense their acute pain and longing. Little moments and glances between the couple drive home the despair they feel at their crumbling marriage and my heart went out to them. Mabel’s isolation in particular was depicted so perfectly I could feel it myself. Considering we meet the couple in middle age, I think the author’s ability to establish such a strong bond and history between the pair was nothing short of remarkable. Despite their difficulties, the tenderness and love they share is beautiful in a very subtle and believable way.

The setting too was also nothing short of breathtaking. Eowyn Ivey manages to get across the beauty and ferocity of the Alaskan wilderness and life for those trying to not only survive but also earn a living and raise a family in their unwelcoming surroundings. The contrast between the fairytalesque Faina and the brutal honesty of this harsh existence is simply stunning. I’m going to say as little as possible about the enigmatic Faina, who is central to this story, for fear of spoiling the book for anyone else. I will say that I loved her and she stole my heart completely.

The Snow Child quite simply blew me away. The writing is beautiful, evocative and atmospheric; it’s difficult to believe that this is Ivey’s debut and is certainly a huge accomplishment. Both heartrendingly sad and eerily, subtly magical, this is an enthralling read from start to finish. This book is perfect for being swept into another world, curled up in front of a blazing fire and allowing hours to pass you by as you find yourself lost in the pages. I loved everything about this book and recommend it highly.

Published by Headline February 2012...go pre-order it/add it to your wishlist NOW!

My copy was received from the Amazon Vine program

When books get turned into films!!

noreply@blogger.com (Lyndsey) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

After a (not so recent) conversation about the difference between my all time favoiurite book and the film adaptation, it got me thinking about other books that have been made into films.

The book/ film that started this whole thing is The Picture of Dorian Gray. As a book, it is my all time favourite and I don't think that is something that will ever change. What I love so much about this book is that it makes you think. A really good imagination is needed to be able to picture everything that happens and the changes that occur. The film version ruins this. Completely. Where the book makes things dark and mysterious, the film lays things out clear as day. There is no guessing or imagination needed and for me, this is what the book was all about.

Other book to film adaptations that bug me are the third and fourth films in The Twilight Saga – Eclipse and Breaking Dawn Part 1. This is more about what was included in both films and what wasn't. A large chunk of Eclipse didn't actually come from that book. A lot of it was taken from The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. Now, I get that it was needed to show the situation but what if that book had never been written? With Breaking Dawn, the parts surrounding Jacob, Leah and Seth were severely lacking. I thought that these part added a lot to the book and to not see them be used in the film was disappointing.

With quite a lot of YA books being optioned for/ made into films now, I wonder how well they're going to be done. Personally, I cannot wait for The Hunger Games and The Mortal Instruments but as books that I love, I really hope that the films are amazing. I would especially hate for The Hunger Games to be less brutal in the film than in the book.

With this in mind, we have decided to do something a little different on the blog. I (Lyndsey) am going to be posting some film reviews now, as well as book reviews, for films that were books first. I obviously will also be trying to read the books as well if I have the chance!!

Are there any book to film adaptations that get you really riled up? Are there any that you think were done perfectly? Let us know!!

Book Review: Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

noreply@blogger.com (Lyndsey) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Forgive My Fins is the first book in the Fins series by Tera Lynn Childs. The book was published by Templar on 1^st July 2011 and the book is 295 pages long.

Plot

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid – she’s a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been living on land and going to Seaview high school ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems – like her obnoxious, biker boy neighbour Quince Fletcher – but it has that one major perk – Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type – when they “bond,” it’s for life.

When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

What I thought

Having previously read Tempest Rising, I decided mermaids were definitely my thing. I'd had this book sitting around for months without having read it and the book just mentioned is the one that made me decide

The main character, Lily, was one that I loved completely. Being a teenager, she has insecurities and worries like everyone else – mainly asking out Brody, the guy she's been drooling over for ages. She stumbles her words and gets extremely nervous around him and I can remember being exactly like that when I was in school. Even with the help of her best friend, Lily is no closer to getting the boy that she so desperately wants. As well as having normal teenage worries though, Lily has bigger things to think about. She's actually half human, half mermaid and this causes her no end of problems.

Due to her mermaid heritage, Lily comes out with all sorts of wonderful sayings. She uses analogies from the sea and relating to fish and any other water creature you can imagine. Hearing her say these kinds of things really made me giggle throughout the book. The way she speaks and the way she mixes in her mermaid life with her human one was one of the things I loved most about Lily. Being half mermaid comes with some pretty big issues though. When a mermaid kisses someone else, it means that they are bonded for life so she can't go around kissing just anyone. Lily hopes that Brody will be the recipient of this kiss and be with her forever.

Things don't quite work out as she planned though. Instead of kissing Brody, Lily manages to accidentally kiss her neighbour, Quince and become bonded to him instead. Yes, he's hot but she can't stand him! Quince was ass great as Lily though and I thought that they worked really well together. The banter and jokes between them made for funny, light-hearted reading but there were also more serious things going on underneath that. Although Quince begins as a bit of a joker, he does have a lot of charm at the same time. From the beginning you can tell that there is more to him than meets the eye and I couldn't wait to see what he was really like.

The story of Lily and Quince, their bond and what they were planning to do about it was fresh, exciting and refreshing. I haven't read a book quite like this before so it was really nice to read something completely new and original. The way in which Lily and Quince get to know each other, are forced to spend time with each other and experience quite a lot together was written in such a believable way – even though we're talking about mermaids here. Their situation brings about a wonderful underwater world, Thalassinia, and while it did feel a little like The Little Mermaid at times, I didn't care. The different creatures and personalities under the water were diverse and really helped to make the story as good as it was.

Forgive My Fins is a fabulous read and I can't wait for the next in the series, Fins Are Forever!

The Statistical Probability Of Love At First sight Blog Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:02:00 +0000

Today we're welcoming Jennifer E Smith, author of The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight....over to you Jennifer...

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FIVE FICTONAL BFFs

Hermione Granger from Harry Potter – I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to be best friends with Hermione.  She’s clever and loyal and funny, and she always seems to have the answers.  The only person in the world I’d rather have as a BFF is possibly JK Rowling.

Ron Weasley from Harry Potter – Can I pick two buddies from Hogwarts?  If so, I’d like to be pals with Ron too.  If only to get invited to spend holidays at The Burrow.

Jo March from Little Women – I don’t think there’s a better literary hero out there, at least not for bookish types.  She’s stubborn and passionate, and you can’t help but root for her.  I don’t just want to be her best friend – I want to be her sister!

Rue from The Hunger Games – If I had to forge any sort of alliance, Rue would definitely be my girl.  I still get choked up when I think about her bravery.

Tibby from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants – All four of the girls from these books are great, and I wouldn’t mind being friends with all of them, but Tibby has always been my favorite.  She’s a little bit unpredictable, but she’s a great friend to all the others.

Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie – I love these books, and I love reading about Laura’s adventures.  Plus it’s always handy to have a BFF who can churn butter or start a fire or just generally survive on the prairie.  Or in the big woods.  Or wherever else you might be.

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Thanks Jennifer...other stops on the tour listed below...

You can read my review here.

'So I say Thank you For The Books...' Featuring Robin Wasserman

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:58:00 +0000

Today we're welcoming Robin Wasserman as part of the UK Blog tour for her new novel, The Book of Blood and Shadow. (I'd also like to apologise to Robin for the lateness of this post due to a confusion over dates! Over to you Robin...

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I’m told that when I was a baby, my first word was “book.” (I should add here, as my parents always do when telling this story, that my first word didn’t happen until absurdly late, by which point my parents had resigned themselves to having a mute child. I suspect by my teenage years, they came to regret being wrong.) I don’t remember what first inspired my love of reading, or even whether “love” was the right word for it, because when I was a child, books weren’t just some random thing you loved, like cupcakes or roller skates or Oscar the Grouch. Books were like food, like air, like my parents: Necessities of life. Pre-conditions of life. I loved reading the way I loved breathing. It would just never have occurred to me there was any other way to be.

My father was an English teacher who visited four libraries per week and took me along to each one; my mother was a former English major/almost-before-she-got-a-more-“practical”-mathish-type-job-librarian who never went anywhere without a book in hand. And I was a shy kid who liked nothing more than to shut my door against the world and escape into a world of my own, or someone else’s imagination. So it’s no wonder I read, and read constantly: While I ate. While I brushed my teeth. While I was walking to school or down the stairs. While I took a bath (tricky but manageable, even with a library book—though don’t tell my school librarian). And I guess you could say that all those books turned me into a writer—not so much because they inspired me to write stories of my own, but because I came to see books as the only truly valuable in the world. So when people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, there was ever only one option: Writer, of course. Because writers made books. And I couldn’t conceive that, given the choice, any grown-up would bother to do anything else.

So I thank my parents for addicting me to stories at an early age; I thank my eye doctor for making sure I could read them (even if it meant wearing coke bottle glasses in nursery school), and I thank the people who wrote the books that changed my world, as only the books you read as a child can do:

The Velveteen Rabbit, Harold and the Purple Crayon, and A Child’s Garden of Verses (especially “The Land of Counterpane”), which showed me that if you told yourself the right story, you could make the world of your imagination come to life.

A Wrinkle in Time, A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and Interstellar Pig (actually, everything Madeleine L’Engle, Douglas Adams, and William Sleator ever wrote), which made me laugh, made me wonder, and most of all, made me think. I spent most of my teen years reading nothing but science fiction and the occasional (under duress) fantasy novel, and for that I have these three books to thank.

The Westing Game, because it is perfect.

It, which may not be the best of Stephen King’s books, but will always be my favorite, because it is the book that gave me courage when I needed it—which, in my dark junior high years, was plenty.

These are the books—along with hundreds of others, all of which I wish I had the space to mention here—that let me escape from my boring and angsty suburban life, that showed me the possibilities of the universe, that let me breathe and helped me dream, and that eventually persuaded me that if I wanted my life to mean something, I would devote it to writing books of my own, and hoping that someday, somehow, one of them would change someone’s life.

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The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman is published by Atom as a paperback original on the 19^th January 2012, £6.99

It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up. When the night began, Nora had two best friends and a boyfriend she adored. When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands. Chris was dead. Adriane couldn't speak. And Max, Nora's sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also-according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone-a murderer. Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora's determined to follow the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. But Chris's murder is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.

Please do go and checkout the other stops on the tour!

Visit Robin's Website: www.robinwasserman.com/

Book Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

noreply@blogger.com (Lyndsey) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

The Night Circus is the debut novel by Erin Morgenstern. It was published by Harvill Secker on 15^th September 2011 and the book is 387 pages long.

Plot

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

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

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

What I thought

As soon as I heard about this book, I was dying to read it. Everything about it sounded exactly like something I would love - from the initial idea of the book to the final copy, which has beautiful black edged pages. Unfortunately though, I had a lot of books I needed to read first and I didn't even have a copy of this. My lovely friend Kirsty gave me an ARC and I couldn't wait to get stuck into it.

The book begins full of mystery. In a chapter called Anticipation, Erin Morgenstern gives readers a small insight into what is about to come. The circus is about to arrive and no one knows anything about it. It 'Opens at midnight, closes at dawn'. The first descriptions of the circus were magical and intriguing and I couldn't wait to find out what was actually going to happen here, let alone who would be a part of it. This is definitely the way to start a book and to get readers hooked!

The Night Circus is told from multiple perspectives which enables the story to be told from all point of views. The story is also told in the past tense which is something I'm generally not too keen on but with this book, it didn't bother me at all. The Night Circus spans multiple decades and flits from one year to another throughout. While this sounds like it should be extremely confusing, I wasn't confused at all. I knew exactly what was going on all of the time and I knew what year the book was currently in. Considering how all over the place the time line of this book is, it was super easy to follow and I wasn't expecting that at all.

The Night Circus tells the tale of Celia and Marco, two people entered in a game by their guardians. Neither player knows what the game consists of nor do they know the rules. They don't even know who they are playing against. All they know is that they are bound to this game whether they like it or not. Both players are in fact magicians, just like their guardians. One guardian believes that the skill of magic is born in someone and the other believes it can be learned. I loved the contrast that each character had in this respect and because of the way they were brought up, Celia and Marco have very different ideas about the way that things should be.

As both characters grow, both in age and in wisdom and talent, I grew to love them more and more. Celia, being a main feature of the circus itself, comes to learn of the things she is capable of and how she should be using her gifts. Marco on the other hand does learn more of the things he is capable of but also he learns how to use them in very special ways. The things Marco can do are extremely different compared with Celia but both of their gifts are amazing and wonderful. The way in which their gifts are described is absolutely stunning. The imagines I had in my head were something that dreams are made of and I loved every minute of picturing what they could create in my head.

This is where the circus comes in. Although the book revolves around Celia and Marco, the main focus is really on the circus. Le Cirque des Rêves. It really is the circus of dreams in every sense possible. Inside a black and white big top are lots of different, smaller tents, each different from the next. Inside are the most wonderful and strange attractions/ people you could ever possibly think of. Every tiny detail had been thought of in this setting down to what everything looked like to the foods being sold as well as the people who visit the circus. I could imagine being there myself and wondering about which tents I would want to go to first and what I would find there if I could go. This circus is one of the most magical and mystical places I have ever read about and I so desperately wanted it to be real.

As the circus has many different tents, there are also many other characters than Celia and Marco. I loved the other characters involved in the circus although some of them weren't used nearly enough. Poppet and Widget, the twins, were by far my favourite of secondary characters. They brought a fun and youthful element to the story which was a lovely thing considering by this point, Celia and Marco were a lot older and more mature. Their parts of the story were very entertaining and a little bit different to the rest of it but still as magical.

The thing about this book is that it isn't extremely exciting and while there is romance, it isn't full of passion. I've been thinking of how to describe the pacing for a long time but it is so hard! While a lot does happen, it is over the span of many years and due to them being really spread out, it never seems as though much does actually happen. I would say it is more interesting, well thought out and extremely inventive than anything else but I still loved it regardless. There have only been a couple of books this year for me that have been completely amazing. This is at the top of my list!