Feeling Fictional

Review: The 13 Curses - Michelle Harrison

2012-05-26T18:00:00.056+01:00

When fairies stole her brother, Red vowed to get him back.

Trapped in the fairy realm, Red must beg an audience with the fairy court. There, she strikes a bargain. Her brother will be returned - but only if she can find the charms of Tanya's bracelet scattered in the human world.

Returning to Elvesden Manor, Red is assisted by Tanya and Fabian, and a desperate hunt begins. Soon they make a shocking discovery. The charms are now cursed with the twisted qualities of the thirteen treasures they represent . . . and the longer they are missing, the worse the consequences will be.

Can Red, Tanya and Fabian find all the charms? And even if they do, will the fairies keep their promise?

Thirteen Treasures Trilogy:
The 13 Treasures
The 13 Curses
The 13 Secrets

Visit Michelle Harrison's website for more information

Review:
After Red sacrificed herself to save Tanya at the end of The 13 Treasures she is now trapped in the fairy realm. She is determined to use the opportunity to continue the search for her missing brother so she can finally bring him home. When Warwick ends up caught in a fairy ring and taken to the fairy realm himself they both find themselves trapped by the Hedgewitch. Working together to escape they eventually make it to the court where Red agrees to accept a task in order to have her brother returned to her. She must find the 13 charms from Tanya's bracelet and Warwick will be held captive by the fairies until she returns. After enlisting the help of Tanya and Fabian Red begins her search but can they track down the charms before they cause damage in the human realm thanks to the curses the fairies have put on them?

I have to admit that I'm not usually a big fan of books about fairies, they tend to be my least favourite paranormal creature so I'm wary about picking up books about them. Having said that I really enjoyed the first book in Michelle Harrison's Thirteen Treasures series so I was looking forward to finding out what happened next. I don't read a lot of children's literature but this is a fun series and one that I think will be extremely popular with younger children.

I enjoyed the chance to find out more about Warwick's past and what happened to Fabian's mother and it was great to get to see a bit of the Seelie and Unseelie courts when Red goes to them to make her appeal. The fairies in this series are devious and darker than you find in some other books and I actually prefer them that way. You definitely wouldn't want to cross paths with these fairies! It is interesting to see the ways that Tanya, Red and the others have of avoiding notice from the fairies - for example by wearing their clothes inside out or dressing in red to name a couple of them.

I hate to say it but I found that this story dragged a little which is something that surprised me compared to the first book. Although there is some action in the first half of the book as they are captured by the Hedgewitch I felt it was quite slow moving. The main part of the quest doesn't start until around page 300 and then I felt they were able to track down the charms a little too easily, I thought it would have been a much harder task. In spite of those minor problems this was still an enjoyable read and the ending has left me very curious to see how the trilogy ends in The 13 Secrets. I would recommend this series to younger readers who enjoy fantasy and fairy stories.

Source: I was given this book by Kirsty from The Overflowing Library

Other Reviews:
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Review: The Last Echo - Kimberly Derting

2012-05-25T18:00:00.090+01:00

IN THE BEGINNING
Violet's morbid ability to sense echoes from the dead led her to uncover dark murders and long-buried secrets. The only people she told were her supportive parents and boyfriend Jay.

NOW SHE CAN FINALLY BE HONEST
Violet hopes that working with a special investigative team will give her the chance to actually save lives - or at least catch more killers. But the instant connection she feels with mysterious partner, Rafe, is both confusing and unsettling, and their unique bond creates tension with Jay.

IN THE END, ALL THAT'S LEFT IS AN ECHO
When she discovers the body of a student murdered by 'the collector', Violet is determined to solve the case. With her own relationship on the line, Violet doesn't realise that the serial killer is looking to add to his collection, and that she may have caught his eye.

Will the next life Violet has to save be her own?

The Body Finder Series:
The Body Finder
Desires of the Dead
The Last Echo
There will be a fourth book in this series but the title and release date are currently unknown

Visit Kimberly Derting's website for more information

Review:
The Body Finder was one of my favourite books of 2010 and I have been a fan of Kimberly Derting and this series ever since I read it. It shouldn't come as any surprise to hear that I have been eagerly waiting for this book since I read Desires of the Dead last year. Considering the lengthy wait and my high expectations it would have been easy to end up disappointed but I'm happy to say that The Last Echo completely blew me away and was by far my favourite instalment to the series so far! Kimberly Derting hit the ball right out of the park with this one and I have no idea how I'll survive the wait until the final book of the series next year!

As The Last Echo is the third book in the body finder series I'm going to assume that anyone reading this review will already have read the first two books. Therefore this will include spoilers for the previous books but will remain spoiler free for The Last Echo - don't say I didn't warn you if you choose to carry on reading!

Violet has been through a lot since we first met her, she has helped track down several murderers and almost been killed in the process. She has seen more dead bodies than anyone would ever want to see - especially considering she is only 17 years old - and she has been recruited by an FBI agent to work on a special psychic task force. Yes, it has definitely been an interesting year for Vi! Luckily she has a supportive boyfriend Jay who has always known about her abilities and her family are there to stand by her. On the downside she is about to face her toughest adversary yet and things will never be the same again.

Violet has always kept her abilities a secret so it is strange for her to be working with her new team and she finds it hard to trust them at first. I really enjoyed getting to find out more about Sara and Rafe along with meeting other team members Krystal, Sam and Gemma. They all have slightly different abilities and I'm enjoying discovering just what they are capable of. Violet feels guilty that her powers are only useful after a murder has been committed, her ability to sense the echo left behind on both the killer and the body doesn't offer much help trying to stop a crime from being committed in the first place. Some of the others are able to sense things before they happen and Violet wants to find a way to use her gift to stop future murders. Their latest case against a serial killer dubbed as "the collector" isn't going to be easy though and he has his sights set on collecting one of their own.

I found myself slightly frustrated that we don't get to see more of Jay in this book, I absolutely love him and think he and Violet are made for each other. He has always been such a good friend to her and he is incredibly romantic, the kind of boyfriend any girl would want to have! I was pleased to see that most of the time they are together things are going better between them than they were in the last book though. While I like Rafe as a character and desperately want to know more about his abilities I am frustrated that Violet seems so drawn to him and I really hope that she doesn't end up ditching Jay. I can see why Violet feels able to share things with Rafe that she is wary of talking to Jay about but considering how Jay has been there for her for so many years I think he understands her better than she understands herself! I think I'm just a little bit fed up with the whole love triangle thing as it seems to be occurring in almost every YA series I read. At least it isn't done too heavy handedly in these books though.

What I love most about this series is the mystery. Kimberly Derting always includes short chapters from the killer's perspective and while they are always creepy I think she outdid herself this time around. Scenes in The Last Echo

Source: Received for review from Headline in exchange for an honest review

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Book Trailer & Cover Comparison: Dark Inside - Jeyn Roberts

2012-05-24T18:00:00.047+01:00

Last year I read Jeyn Roberts' debut novel Dark Inside and thoroughly enjoyed it. This is a dark and disturbing dystopian novel that made for gripping reading! If you haven't read this one yet you can read my full review here but I'd highly recommend the book for anyone who likes a good zombie story.

Have a look at the trailer if you still can't make up your mind:

Dark Inside was first published as a hardback last year and today Macmillan release the paperback version with a brand new cover so I thought it would be fun to compare the different versions.

Hardback Cover:

Paperback Cover:

What do you think? Do you have a favourite? I actually find it really hard to choose between them because I like them both in different ways. I think the black and white cover stands out really well, I love the crack down the middle which symbolises the earthquakes that play such a major part in the story. I also love the way the faces have been added and the way they are almost an optical illusion so you don't quite spot them when you just glance at the cover. The bright red number four stands for the way the story is told from four different perspectives.

Then we have the new paperback cover. The deep red would really jump out at me from the shelves when I'm looking around a book store. I actually think this cover looks a lot like a movie poster and considering I'd love to see this book made into a film that is a great bonus. The hand is really creepy (but not quite as creepy as the actual zombies in the book!) and I like the fact that you still have the faces of the four main characters.

I still can't make up my mind which I like best but I think they are both fantastic covers and I'd definitely be drawn to either of them in the book shop. I can't wait to see what the cover for the sequel Rage Within looks like when it comes out this August. That is a book I can't wait to get my hands on!

Have you read Dark Inside? What did you think of it? Has it been added to your wish list? Which cover do you like best? Who else is dying to get their hands on a copy of Rage Within?

Hardback / Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Lord of Rage - Jill Monroe

2012-05-23T18:00:00.091+01:00

Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out…

Princess Breena had been dreaming of her warrior lover when she was ripped from her Elden castle and thrown into a strange, dangerous realm. Lost and alone, she prayed for survival and vengeance for her stolen kingdom. She found both in a woodland cottage…in a dark bear of a man.

The golden-haired beauty had eaten his food and slept in his bed when Osborn found her. Though he wanted to awaken his virgin princess to carnal pleasures, Breena wanted more—including his warrior skills. Skills the once-legendary mercenary had long buried. Now Osborn had a choice—risk his life or deny his princess her fairy-tale ending.

Royal House of Shadows Series:
Lord of the Vampires - Gena Showalter
Lord of Rage - Jill Monroe
Lord of the Wolfyn - Jessica Anderson
Lord of the Abyss - Nalini Singh

Visit Jill Monroe's website for more information

Review:
I was really curious about the Royal House of Shadows series, 4 books written by 4 different authors and all based on a different fairytale - whats not to like about that? Especially when one of the authors is Nalini Singh and another is Gena Showalter - both authors who have written books I have enjoyed in the past. I hadn't read anything by Jill Monroe or Jessica Anderson before so I thought this would be a great way to try their work too. Lord of Rage is the second book and Jill Monroe's contribution to the series.

Lord of Rage is based on the tale of Goldilocks and is the tale of Nicolai's younger sister Breena. Raised as a princess Breena always knew it would be her duty to marry a man chosen by her father to make an alliance between kingdoms. Everything changes when Elden comes under attack and her parents are killed by the blood sorcerer. On their death beds the king and queen used the last of their magic to send their 4 children to safety. Breena finds herself alone in the forest - lost, terrified and grieving for her family she is tired and hungry when she stumbles across the isolated cottage that Osborn shares with his brothers Bernt and Torben. Osborn is the last of the Ursan beserkers, his village was destroyed in a vampire attack that only his 2 young brothers survived. After years working as a mercenary to provide for them all Osborn wants now is a quiet life and to eventually get revenge on the vampires that took everything from them. The last thing he needs is a beautiful stranger invading his space, particularly one who has been invading his dreams to share passionate kisses. Breena is determined to trace her brothers and discover what happened to their kingdom and she will do whatever it takes to get Osborn to help her achieve her goals.

I have to admit I wasn't a huge fan of the first book in this series which surprised me because I'm a fan of Gena Showalter. This is the first book that I've read by Jill Monroe so I wasn't too sure what to expect when I picked up Lord of Rage but I found I enjoyed it more than the first book. There seemed to be more humour to the story and I laughed several times while I was reading it. I liked the fact that the comparison to Goldilocks was more obvious and I did find it amusing when Breena steals the beserker's porridge, breaks their chair and falls asleep in his bed!

I wasn't the biggest fan of Breena to begin with though, she comes across as pretty useless and there were several times when she listed her top skill as being good at brushing her hair. Now I know she was a princess who'd led a very sheltered life but I like my heroines to have a bit more spunk to them than that and I was worried she was going to be a complete doormat. She did change quite a bit as Osborn started training her though and I was pleased to see her start to gain confidence and grow up a bit. Osborn was a tortured hero with a difficult past who has spent years focused on getting revenge. I actually loved his brothers more than I loved him but he did grow on me as I got to know him better. I was annoyed by the way he kept pawing at Breena every chance he got but would then push her away and be incredible rude to her though. He seemed to change his mind about what he wanted so often that I was almost left with whiplash! Considering how young and innocent she was supposed to be I also felt that she accepted his attitude and attentions a bit too eagerly.

Overall I enjoyed this more than the first book in the series and I will read on to find out what happened to Breena's other brothers and to see if Nicolai can manage to regain his kingdom but unfortunately I don't think this is a series I'll want to re-read in the future.

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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Review: Fated - Alyson Noel

2012-05-22T18:00:00.077+01:00

Strange things have been happening to Daire Santos. Animals follow her, crows mock her, and glowing people appear from nowhere. Worried that Daire's having a breakdown, her mother sends her to stay with the grandmother she's never met, who lives on the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico. There Daire crosses paths with Dace, a gorgeous guy with unearthly blue eyes.

Her grandmother recognises Daire's episodes for what they are - a call to her true destiny as a Soul Seeker, a person who can navigate between the living and the dead. Guided by her grandmother, Daire must be quick to learn how to harness her powers, because Dace's brother is an evil shape-shifter out to steal them.

Daire must embrace her fate as a Soul Seeker and discover whether Dace is the guy she's meant to be with . . . or if he's allied with the enemy she's destined to destroy.

The Soul-Seekers Series:
Fated
Echo (November 2012)
Mystic (2013)
Horizon (2013)

Visit Alyson Noel's website for more information

Review:
Daire has spent her life travelling the world with her mother who works as a make-up artist on various movie sets. She has never had somewhere to call home and has to start all over again every time they head off to a new destination. As she approaches her sixteenth birthday she starts suffering with strange visions and worries that she is losing her mind. When the doctors want to institutionalise her Daire's mother sends her to live with Paloma, the grandmother she has never met, as a last resort. Paloma may not have been in Daire's life as she was growing up but she claims to know why she is having these visions and promises to help her control them.

I have to confess that I've only read the first book in Alyson Noel's Immortals series, it is a series I want to continue but I just haven't had time to finish it yet. I couldn't resist Fated though - it sounded completely different to anything else I've been reading recently and I was intrigued by the idea of finding out more about Native American culture, shamans and spirit animals. I wasn't disappointed and Fated is a great start to this new series and it is one I'm looking forward to continuing.

When we are introduced to Daire she is living the high life in Morocco out on a date with the popular young heart throb from the movie her mother is working on. She seems just like any other sixteen year old until the terrifying visions start and she becomes hysterical. She has no explanation for the things that are happening to her which just makes it all the more frightening and she genuinely fears she is losing her mind. She never met her father's family, he died before she was born and her grandmother disappeared shortly after his death and hadn't been heard from since. When Paloma contacts her mother out of the blue Daire is horrified at the idea of going to live with a complete stranger in some small town in the middle of the desert. She resents her mother for sending her there but deep down she knows there is no other alternative unless she wants to be admitted to hospital.

As Daire gradually gets to know Paloma she finally realises what it is like to have a place that she can consider her home. She even starts to make some friends and gets to attend a proper school for the first time which is something she only ever dreamed of before. At first her grandmother's talk of spirit guides, magic and Soul Seekers just makes Daire raise her eyebrows and wonder if crazy runs in the family but she soon starts to realise that there is truth to what Paloma is saying. Daire starts to learn to control her abilities and as a reader you are taken on a fascinating journey with her into the spirit realm.

Fated moves at a good pace, the story is full of magic and mythology and there is the beginning of a promising romance that I'm looking forward to seeing more of. This is definitely a series I'm keen to continue and one I'd recommend to anyone looking for something a bit different in the YA paranormal genre. I can't wait to see what happens to Daire next!

Source: Received from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review

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Book Trailer: Fated - Alyson Noel

2012-05-22T09:00:00.012+01:00

I have been looking forward to reading Fated, the first book in Alyson Noel's new Soul Seekers series ever since I was lucky enough to meet her at a Macmillan event last year. Fated is a fabulous start to the series (I'll be posting my review later today) and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book!

Review: Night Pleasures - Sherrilyn Kenyon

2012-05-21T18:00:00.082+01:00

Dear Reader,
Have you ever wanted to know what it's like to be immortal? To journey through the night stalking vampires that prey on humans? To have unlimited wealth, unlimited power? That is my existence, and it is dark and dangerous. I play hero to thousands, but am known to none. And I love every minute of it.

Or so I thought until one night when I woke up handcuffed to my worst nightmare: a conservative woman in a button-down shirt. Or in Amanda's case, one buttoned all the way up to her chin. She's smart, sexy, witty, and wants nothing to do with the paranormal - in other words, me.

My attraction to Amanda Devereaux goes against everything I stand for. Not to mention the last time I fell in love it cost me not only my human life, but also my very soul. Yet every time I look at her, I find myself wanting to try again. Wanting to believe that love and loyalty do exist.

Even more disturbing, I find myself wondering if there's any way a woman like Amanda can love a man whose battle scars run deep, and whose heart was damaged by a betrayal so savage that he's not sure it will ever beat again.
Kyrian of Thrace

The Dark-Hunters Series:
Fantasy Lover
Dragonswan (Novella) (Were-Hunter 0.5)
Night Pleasures
Night Embrace (Were-Hunter 1)
Dance with the Devil
Kiss of the Night
Night Play (Were-Hunter 2)
Seize the Night
Sins of the Night
Unleash the Night (Were-Hunter 3)
Dark Side of the Moon (Were-Hunter 4)
The Dream-Hunter (Dream-Hunter 1)
Fear the Darkness
Devil May Cry
Upon the Midnight Clear (Dream-Hunter 2)
Dream Chaser (Dream-Hunter 3)
Acheron
One Silent Night
Dream Warrior (Dream-Hunter 4)
Bad Moon Rising (Were-Hunter 5)
No Mercy (Were-Hunter 6)
Retribution
The Guardian (Dream-Hunter 5)
Time Untime (2012)

Chronicles of Nick Series:
(This is a YA spin off from Sherrilyn Kenyon's adult Dark-Hunters series)
Infinity
Invincible
Infamous

Visit Sherrilyn Kenyon's website for more information

Review:
Kyrian, warrior prince of Thrace, gave up his soul to become a Dark-Hunter after suffering the ultimate betrayal by the love of his life - his wife Theone. He has spent the last 2,000 years protecting humans from the vampires that prey on them but has never fully recovered from his broken heart. Amanda has eight older sisters including a psychic, a vampire hunter and a voodoo priestess but has never really felt like she fits in with her flamboyant, paranormal loving family. All she wants is to settle down with a normal man and have a quiet family life. When she wakes up handcuffed to Kyrian she gets a lot more than she bargained for and starts to realise that perhaps all things paranormal aren't quite as bad as she thought they were.

The Dark-Hunter series is another one that I started ages ago but never got around to continuing. I loved the first book Fantasy Lover so it was about time I picked up Night Pleasures and luckily it didn't disappoint. I have a feeling that Sherrilyn Kenyon is going to be quickly added to my favourite authors list and this is already shaping up to become a favourite series! The story has everything I look for in a paranormal romance - interesting mythology, a good selection of believable characters, an engaging plot with a nice amount of action but most of all a hot romance with a likeable heroine and a hero you can fall for.

I liked Kyrian when I "met" him in Infinity (the first book in Sherrilyn Kenyon's spin off YA series) so it was nice to actually get the chance to find out more about him. Learning about his past you can see he was a brave and proud warrior who worked hard to protect his people from the Romans. It was heartbreaking to find out about the way his wife betrayed him, he gave up everything for her and she threw it all back in his face. It's no wonder he is wary of trusting anyone again! Considering everything he has been through he could have turned into a bitter and uncaring man but he hasn't - he acts as a father figure to Nick, cares for his housekeeper and fellow Dark-Hunters and immediately puts himself in danger to protect Amanda and her family.

Amanda always thought she was the normal one amongst her crazy family, her mother and sisters are all involved in the supernatural community while she is a plain old accountant. We'd actually already met one of her sisters in Fantasy Lover (Selena) so it was nice to catch up with a familiar face and I enjoyed the interactions between all of the sisters. I'm keeping my fingers crossed we'll see more of them as the series continues. All Amanda ever wanted was a quiet life that didn't involve anything paranormal but after meeting Kyrian she starts to wonder if a normal life would be quite what it's cracked up to be. I loved the romance between these two, there is fab banter between and they have great chemistry. The love scenes are sensual, romantic and hot which is just what I'd expect after reading the first book. It was great to catch up with Julian and Grace too and find out how they are getting on a year or so on from the ending of their book.

If you're one of the few people who is yet to discover this series then I'd definitely recommend it to paranormal romance fans. I love the Greek mythology, the unusual take on vampires and daimons, and Sherrilyn KenyonNight Embrace!

Source: Purchased

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Quick Review: Dragonswan - Sherrilyn Kenyon

2012-05-21T09:00:00.063+01:00

New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon delivers a special collector's-edition tale of unexpected passion woven from the mysteries of a celebrated ancient tapestry.

Beautiful scholar Channon MacRea has spent years studying the legendary Dragon Tapestry, devoting days and nights to deciphering the impenetrable Old English symbolism. Then one evening the unnaturally handsome Sebastian appears. He claims to hold the key to solving the tapestry's mysteries. Bearing magnificently taut and tanned flesh marked by intriguing scars of battle, he also claims to be a dragon slayer trapped between two worlds.

For Channon there's only one way to finally uncover the secrets of the intricate embroidery-by following the seductive stranger into a fantastic alternate world of magic, danger, and erotic adventure.

The Dark-Hunters Series:
Fantasy Lover
Dragonswan (Novella) (Were-Hunter 0.5)
Night Pleasures
Night Embrace (Were-Hunter 1)
Dance with the Devil
Kiss of the Night
Night Play (Were-Hunter 2)
Seize the Night
Sins of the Night
Unleash the Night (Were-Hunter 3)
Dark Side of the Moon (Were-Hunter 4)
The Dream-Hunter (Dream-Hunter 1)
Fear the Darkness
Devil May Cry
Upon the Midnight Clear (Dream-Hunter 2)
Dream Chaser (Dream-Hunter 3)
Acheron
One Silent Night
Dream Warrior (Dream-Hunter 4)
Bad Moon Rising (Were-Hunter 5)
No Mercy (Were-Hunter 6)
Retribution
The Guardian (Dream-Hunter 5)
Time Untime (2012)

Chronicles of Nick Series:
(This is a YA spin off from Sherrilyn Kenyon's adult Dark-Hunters series)
Infinity
Invincible
Infamous

Visit Sherrilyn Kenyon's website for more information

Review:
The Dragonswan novella was originally published in the Tapestry anthology that also features stories from Karen Marie Moning, Lynn Kurland and Madeline Hunter but has since been published on it's own in both paperback and ebook formats. This is a novella so don't expect a full length book, I believe it is about 80 pages long (I read the kindle version so can't be 100% sure on that) and if you're looking for a quick but fun read then this is perfect. This fits into the Dark-Hunters series between the prequel Fantasy Lover and the first book Night Pleasures but as it is our first introduction to the Were-Hunters and there is no crossover of characters it can easily be read as a stand alone story.

I don't want to go into detail about the story because it would be too easy to give spoilers but this was a fun, fast, paranormal romance that is perfect when you've not got much time to spare but want to read a full story. There isn't much time for the author to built the romance between Channon and Sebastian so it is definitely a case of instant lust that very quickly turns to more but there is an intense chemistry between them that was enjoyable to read and both characters are very easy to like - Sebastian is particularly delicious.

I enjoyed finding out more about the Were-Hunters and how they came about and am glad we get to see more of them in the Dark-Hunters series. Sebastian is a dragon shifter and I have to confess I have a bit of a thing for dragons so I'm hoping we get his brother's story at some point in the future!

This story also has one of the best opening lines ever:
"Be Kind to dragons, for thou art crunchy when roasted and taste good with ketchup."

Recommended for fans of the Dark-Hunters series or for people looking to get a taste of Sherrilyn Kenyon's writing style.

Source: Purchased

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Publisher Spotlight: Hodder & Orchard - July - November 2012

2012-05-20T18:00:00.308+01:00

I thought it would be fun to start spotlighting new releases that different publishers have coming up over the next few months for us to look forward to. I'm constantly looking for new books to add to my wish list and thought it would be a nice way of spreading the bookish love with other bloggers. It's been a little while since my last Publisher Spotlight post so I thought it was about time for another one! So in the spotlight today we have . . .

Today I'm going to talk about the YA titles that Hodder Children's Books and Orchard Books are publishing in the second half of 2012. They all look fab & I can't wait to read them! Check out the Hodder Children's Books website and the Orchard Books website for more information. All book descriptions have been taken from Amazon UK unless otherwise stated.

July the 5th:

First up we have A Witch in Love by Ruth Warburton, this is the second book in her Winter trilogy and one I'm really looking forward to. You can read my review of the first book A Witch in Winter here. Can I just say how much I love this cover - don't you think it's gorgeous? Visit Ruth Warburton's website for more information.

Anna still finds it hard to believe that Seth loves her and has vowed to suppress her powers, no matter what. But magic - like love - is uncontrollable and soon, Anna is being hunted. Abe wants Anna to embrace her power, while Seth is pushing Anna to accept that his feelings are real. She finally does ... a moment too late. Suddenly, it's like the Salem witch trials all over again: burnings, torture and faceless judgements. In the face of the ultimate betrayal, who will save her?

The second novel in the Winter trilogy, this follows the critically acclaimed debut A WITCH IN WINTER.

Next we have the first book in a new series by David Gatward called Doom Rider. I don't read a lot of YA horror because I'm a big wimp but I think this may be more of an action story and I'm very curious about it. Visit David Gatward's website for more information.

Seth Crow has lived a thousand lives, and in each one he's been murdered before he turns thirteen.

And now he's being hunted again. But this time it's different.

Enter Lily, who tells him of his fate: Seth is CONQUEST. The first of the four riders of the Apocalypse. And people want him dead, before he can fulfil his destiny.

Seth's only hope lies in finding the other riders - Strife, Famine and Death.

Together, the fate of the world lies in their hands ...

Next we have Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley. Now I don't read many contemporary books but I absolutely love the sound of this one and am looking forward to picking it up soon. Visit Cath Crowley's website for more information.

'We've got at least seven hours to get what we want before the sun comes up.'

School is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. Somewhere in the glassy darkness, he's out there, spraying colour, birds and blue sky on the night. And Lucy knows that a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for - really fall for.

The last person Lucy wants to spend this night with is Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since punching him in the nose on the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells Lucy he knows where to find Shadow, the two of them are suddenly on an all-night search to places where Shadow's pieces of heartbreak and escape echo off the city walls. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.

Also published in July is the second book in Ally Cater's Heist Society series Uncommon Criminals. I've heard really good things about this series and it sounds like a lot of fun but it is one I haven't started yet. Perhaps I'll get around to trying it soon! Visit Ally Carter's website for more information.

Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life: Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she's simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That's why Kat isn't surprised when she's asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.

There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn't been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long - and in Kat's world, history almost always repeats itself. But it's the third problem that makes Kat's crew the most nervous, and that is...the emerald is cursed.

Kat might be in way over her head, but she's not going down without a fight. After all, she has her best friend -- the gorgeous Hale - and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses and realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless for this heist.

This time, Kat's going to have to make up her own rules...

The final July release is one of the ones that I'm looking forward to the most and that is Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. It's not often we get to read books written from the boy's point of view and this one sounds fabulous. I also adore the cover - so eye catching! Visit Kendare Blake's website for more information.

Cas Lowood is no ordinary guy - he hunts dead people.

People like Anna. Anna Dressed in Blood. A beautiful, murderous ghost entangled in curses and rage. Cas knows he must destroy her, but as her tragic past is revealed, he starts to understand why Anna has killed everyone who's ever dared to enter her spooky home.

Everyone, that is, except Cas...

August the 2nd:

If you enjoyed Sam Hawksmoor's debut novel The Repossession then I'm sure you're already looking forward to the sequel The Hunting with is being published in August. I guess I need to hurry up and read the first book so I'm ready for this one! Visit Sam Hawksmoor's website for more information.

Genie and Rian thought they'd beaten The Fortress and stopped the dreadful experiments. But now someone even more ruthless has taken over, and wants to investigate why the experiments didn't kill Genie Magee. She is Fortress property, he claims - along with the other survivors.

Now there's $10,000 reward on their heads, armed roadblocks on the highway, and the dreaded threat of 'Mosquito' that can shut down their brainwaves by using their genetic information against them. There's only one possible escape from the bounty hunters with shotguns, and that's down the wild unforgiving river to a bleak future forever on the run.

Or they must turn and face The Fortress, find out its secrets, and use them against it. Seize their lives back, and fight for their very right to exist!

Have you read Robert Muchamore's CHERUB series? Guardian Angel is the second book in his spin off Aramov series that started with People's Republic. Visit Robert Muchamore's website for more information.

Guardian Angel is the second book in a brand-new CHERUB series from Robert Muchamore. Ryan has saved Ethan's life more than once. Ethan thinks he must be a guardian angel. But Ryan works for CHERUB, a secret organisation with one key advantage: even experienced criminals never suspect that children are spying on them. Ethan's family runs a billion-dollar criminal empire and Ryan's job is to destroy it. Can Ryan complete his mission without destroying Ethan as well?

For official purposes, these children do not exist.

Next up we have Lisa Stasse's debut novel The Forsaken which sounds amazing. It's been described as a cross between Lost and The Hunger Games which immediately caught my attention and I love how kick ass the main character looks on the cover. Yup, I definitely can't wait for this one! Visit Lisa Stasse's website for more information.

Alenna Shawcross is a sixteen-year-old orphan growing up in a police state formed from the ashes of Canada, the US and Mexico after a global economic meltdown.

But when she unexpectedly fails 'the test' - a government initiative which supposedly identifies teens destined to be criminals - she wakes up alone on a remote island reserved for the criminally insane.

Terrified and confused, she soon encounters a group of other teen survivors battling to stay alive, including Luis, a boy who will become her love...and her lifeline.

Soon Alenna makes the terrifying discovery that there's more to the island (and her past) than she could ever have guessed... But who can she trust? And can she ever escape?

The first of a planned trilogy, this incredible novel will leave you gasping for the sequel...

Another August release I'm really excited about is The Blessed by Tonya Hurley. I love the idea of a contemporary retelling of three famous female martyrs, it's so different from anything else I've read and I can't wait to try it. I also adore the UK cover for this book - let me just say if I didn't already have a tattoo between my shoulder blades I think I'd be getting one done that looked very similar to this cover! Visit Tonya Hurley's website for more information.

Brooklyn teens Lucy, Cecilia and Agnes find themselves in the emergency room at Perpetual Help Hospital at the lowest point in their lives. Lucy, the superficial party girl; Cecilia, a drop out rock chick; and Agnes, a hopeless romantic. All rebels running from their lives and themselves, plagued by broken hearts and broken dreams.

Enter Sebastian: mysterious, compelling, seductive.

He brings the girls together and seems to provide each of them with what they long for ... and they begin to heal.

But Sebastian is on the run - and soon the girls are hunted too ...

A dark, contemporary rock 'n' roll retelling of three famous female martyrs - Agnes, Cecilia and Lucy - and their transformation from street delinquents to soul models.

September the 6th:

If you're a fan of The Secret Circle series created by L.J. Smith then keep an eye out for the fourth book in the series The Divide written by Aubrey Clark. I have to admit that even though I bought the first 3 books way back before I started blogging I've never got around to reading them!

The bonds of the Secret Circle are weakening. Cassie's evil half-sister has surfaced and won't rest until she has taken Cassie's place in the Secret Circle. And a band of powerful witch-hunters are targeting the group, determined to destroy them.

Will the circle remain intact despite the powerfully evil magic that has infiltrated their ring?

And will Cassie survive this ultimate battle between good and evil?

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger sounds like a fun read for contemporary fans. I've heard great things about Kody's debut The DUFF so must add this one to my wish list! Visit Kody Keplinger's website for more information.

Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention.

Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all. She and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.
(Description taken from Kody Keplinger's website)

October the 4th:

Now I'm a massive fantasy fan so I'm really excited about Catherine Fisher's new book Obsidian Mirror. Time travel, mystery & adventure with a male main character - what more can you ask for? Visit Catherine Fisher's website for more information.

Jake's father disappears while working on mysterious experiments with the obsessive, reclusive Oberon Venn. Jake is convinced Venn has murdered him. But the truth he finds at the snow-bound Wintercombe Abbey is far stranger ...

The experiments concerned a black mirror, which is a portal to both the past and the future. Venn is not alone in wanting to use its powers. Strangers begin gathering in and around Venn's estate: Sarah - a runaway, who appears out of nowhere and is clearly not what she says, Maskelyne - who claims the mirror was stolen from him in some past century. There are others, a product of the mirror's power to twist time. And a tribe of elemental beings surround this isolated estate, fey, cold, untrustworthy, and filled with hate for humans.

But of them all, Jake is hell-bent on using the mirror to get to the truth. Whatever the cost, he must learn what really happened to his father.

November the 1st:

For those of you who read R.J. Anderson's Ultraviolet you'll be pleased to know you don't have much longer to wait for the sequel Quicksilver. This is another one of those series that I've heard good things about and want to read at some point but haven't got around to adding to my mountainous to read pile yet! Visit R.J. Anderson's website for more information.

Once I was a girl who was special.
Now I am extraordinary.
And they will never stop hunting me.

The compelling follow-up to the bestselling ULTRAVIOLET, this psychological thriller will take your breath away...

I'm sure Vampire Diaries fans will be excited about the third book in The Hunters series created by L.J. Smith - Destiny Rising. I read the original series back before I started blogging & have always meant to re-read them so I can review them but never seem to find the time. One day I'll get around to it so I can read the two new spin off series too!

Elena Gilbert has never been an ordinary teenager. After falling in love with the irresistible vampires Stefan and Damon Salvatore, she became a vampire, died, returned from the dead, and journeyed to hell and back to save Stefan. Now in college, Elena faces a terrifying new danger and discovers her destiny.

I read the first book in Gabriella Poole's Darke Academy series Secret Lives not long after I started blogging (you can read my review here) and although I enjoyed the book it seems to have been one of those series I completely forgot about. With the fourth book Lost Spirits being released in November it really is about time I get caught up! Gabriella Poole is the pseudonym of Gillian Philip and you can find out more about the series by visiting her website here.

A new term, a new location for the Darke Academy - and everything is different for Cassie Bell. The beauty of the turquoise Kenyan sea can't make up for the loss of her soulmate, Ranjit. He's on the run, and Cassie will do anything to find him.

But when the evil Katerina and her mother appear, more powerful than ever, Cassie has to make a crucial decision.

And her love for Ranjit might just be her ultimate weakness ...

Last but not least is another one for Robert Muchamore fans. If you love the CHERUB books and always wanted to know about the history of the organisation then you need to look out for One Shot Kill in November.

Spring, 1943. The war is turning against Germany, but Hitler isn't giving up. In a secret bunker deep in occupied France, scientists are hard at work on Hitler's latest deadly weapon: code name FZG-76.

Back in England Henderson's boys will need to undergo advanced sniper training if they've any chance of infiltrating the bunker. Parachuting into occupied France, they track down a secret dossier filled with invaluable material - and uncover the meaning of the enigmatic code.

For official purposes, these children do not exist.

So what do you think of the Hodder & Orchard upcoming releases? Which ones are you most excited about? Personally I can't wait for A Witch in Love, Anna Dressed in Blood, The Forsaken, The Blessed & Obsidian Mirror!

Hachette Children's Books Bloggers Brunch - 24th March 2012

2012-05-20T09:00:00.026+01:00

Back in March I was lucky enough to be invited to the Hachette Children's Books bloggers brunch where we got to find out about some of the upcoming releases they have along with books being published by their imprints Hodder Children's Books and Orchard Books. We all gathered in the conference room on the 16th floor (you can see from the picture below what a wonderful view we had across London!) where we were spoilt with lots of delicious nibbles and got to mingle with the other bloggers and the Hachette publicists. It is always so nice to finally get to meet the people you have spent months emailing!

View from the 16th floor of Hachette Towers!

Kirsty, Ruth Warburton, Cait & me

We were also very excited to get to meet special guest author Ruth Warburton, her debut novel A Witch in Winter was published back in January (you can read my review here) and was a book I absolutely loved. The second book in the trilogy A Witch in Love is being published in July so you can imagine how excited we all were when we saw this pile of books:

It was fantastic to get a chance to chat with Ruth and talk to her about the series as well as her writing career and I was very impressed by the fact that she wrote the Winter series while also working full time. Ruth was so friendly and happily signed our copies of A Witch in Love (I wish I'd known to take my copy of A Witch in Winter with me!). I've been looking forward to reading A Witch in Love for ages so keep an eye out for my review in the next few weeks.

Laure & Victoria from Hachette

We got to chat about some of the new books that we can look forward to in the next few months and I can tell you now there are a lot to get excited about! I'll be posting a Publisher Spotlight post later today to tell you all about the different books but ones I'm particularly looking forward to include A Witch in Love by Ruth Warburton, Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley, Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, The Forsaken by Lisa Stasse, The Blessed by Tonya Hurley and Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher!

The Bloggers with Ruth Warburton

I'd like to say a massive thank you to everyone at Hachette Children's Books for a fab event, I had a brilliant time and it was lovely to meet you all and of course Ruth too! Check out the slide show below for a few more pictures I took at the event (watch out for the one of Kirsty in the glass lift of TERROR that gave us a scary bird's eye view as we travelled down from the 16th floor!).

Who was there:

Victoria, Laure & Corinne - Hachette Children's Books (Imprints include Hodder Children's Books & Orchard Books)

Ruth Warburton - Website

Alice - The Reader Room

Amy - Turn the Page

Arjun - Excellent Reads

Cait - The Cait Files

Casey - Dark Readers

Danielle - Pen to Paper

Jenny - Chocolate Chunky Munkie

Kirsty - The Overflowing Library

Liz - My Favourite Books

Lucy - Choose YA

Lynsey - Narratively Speaking

Raimy - Readaraptor

Viv - Serendipity Reviews

Review: Grave Mercy - Robin LaFevers

2012-05-19T18:00:00.069+01:00

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

His Fair Assassin Series:
Grave Mercy (UK Publication date = 7th June 2012)
Dark Triumph (2013)
Dark Hope (2013)

Visit Robin LaFevers' website for more information

Review:
Grave Mercy is the first book in Robin LaFevers' new historical fantasy series and a book I'd highly recommend to fans of Maria V. Snyder's Touch of Power. Ismae has suffered from prejudice and abuse her whole life - starting with her mother's attempt to abort her before she was even born. The poison used by her mother left her scarred and marked her as Death's daughter, her father never forgave her for being born and after years of abuse he forced her into an arranged marriage when she was just 14. After suffering a brutal beating on her wedding night Ismae is rescued by the local herb witch and taken to the convent of St Mortain. Mortain is the god of Death and the nuns at the convent train as his handmaidens to become assassins.

Ismae is an easy character to love, she starts the story with a very low self image, lacking in confidence and believing that she is worthless and unwanted. She feels powerless in a world where men get to control women's destinies and it isn't until she arrives at the convent that she starts to realise that she can change her future. As the nuns train her with weapons and in the art of poison and she starts to uncover her previously hidden abilities Ismae grows as a person and becomes a confident, powerful and kick ass young woman. It is easy to see how she comes to blindly trust in the nuns who gave her her freedom and why she believes they have her best interests at heart. When she is assigned to go to court to protect the Duchess Anne she starts to realise that the orders from the convent aren't always the best way to serve her god. It is at that point that we really get to see her become a woman and begin to follow her destiny. Ismae has the courage to go against orders from the people she believes saved her because she has the intelligence to figure things out for herself.

I can't write this review without mentioning the wonderful slow-build romance between Ismae and Gavriel Duval. These characters start off with very good reasons to mistrust each other - they don't like each other much either! - but both of them are sworn to protect the Duchess and they finally realise that they are on the same side and start to work together. Trust slowly turns to friendship and eventually becomes something more and it was beautiful to watch. Duval and Ismae really are made for each other and I hope we get to see a lot more of them both as the series continues. I was a little disappointed when I first found out that the second book Dark Triumph will be told from Sybella's point of view - I'm going to miss Ismae - but the more I think about it the more I actually like the idea. I've been intrigued by Sybella since we first met her and I think that Ismae and Duval's part of the story has come to a natural conclusion so it will be interesting to see what part Sybella has to play.

This story is full of mystery and political intrigue that had me turning the pages as fast as I could. This feels more like a historical book with slight fantasy elements than a full on fantasy novel although I don't know enough about the time period to know how historically accurate it is. Either way it was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel. I am very curious to see how things play out for Anne and her subjects and I highly recommend this series to both historical and fantasy fans.

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, I also received a print copy from Andersen Press.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Paperback / Kindle

Review: Bloodfever - Karen Marie Moning

2012-05-18T18:00:00.001+01:00

I used to be your average, everyday girl, but all that changed one night in Dublin when I saw my first Fae and got dragged into a world of deadly immortals and ancient secrets . . .

In her fight to stay alive, MacKayla must find the Sinsar Dubh - a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over the worlds of both the Fae and Man. Pursued by assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she can't trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and powerful men: V'lane, the immortal Fae Prince, and Jericho Barrons, a man as irresistible as he is dangerous.

For centuries the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only one thing that stands between them.

Fever Series:
Darkfever
Bloodfever
Faefever
Dreamfever
Shadowfever

Visit Karen Marie Moning's website for more information

Review:
Bloodfever is the second book in Karen Marie Moning's Fever series starring Sidhe-Seer MacKayla Lane. The story picks up right after the ending of Darkfever - Mac is staying with Barrons as she recovers from her injuries and has agreed to help him search for the Sinsar Dubh (an ancient book that is supposed to contain Fae secrets). She now knows who was behind her sister's murder and is determined to track them down and make them pay. With the number of Unseelie Fae on the streets of Dublin increasing daily and the interest she has attracted from the Seelie prince V'lane it isn't going to be easy for Mac to keep her head down and stay out of trouble. Especially when an old enemy comes out of the woodwork looking to get revenge against her. Add in the Sidhe-Seer organisation that want her to join them and things are about to get complicated.

I'm making it my mission this year to finally finish reading all those series that I started, bought the whole series after enjoying the first book and then never got around to finishing and the Fever series is first on my list. I really enjoyed the first book when I read it last year and I have no idea why I never got around to finishing it, perhaps afterwards I'll finally get around to trying Karen Marie Moning's Highlander series too!

Mac isn't your typical urban fantasy heroine, she is much more girlie than most - she loves to dress up in fun flirty colours and was quite a pool bunny before she left her home in Georgia to track down her sister's killer in Dublin. Having said that she is also smart and stubborn and she is learning to kick ass when she needs to. She may not be the strongest character physically but she has determination and she is able to stand on her own two feet emotionally. I love the fact that Mac still has that flirty side to her but it was nice to see that she has started to grow up too.

My favourite thing about this series so far has to be Mac's developing relationship with Barrons. I love the banter between them, every single scene with the two of them in it has me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how things play out. They have such a love / hate relationship right now but I know exactly which way I want to see things go as the series continues. Barrons is a complete mystery man and I'm dying to start uncovering some of his secrets. He can be evasive and often comes across as uncaring and emotionless but every so often you get a glimpse of something more to him and those instances have me hooked. Barrons is definitely the kind of guy that leaves you wanting more. The chemistry between him and Mac is intense and I can't wait to see that spark finally ignite -- I have a feeling that when it does the outcome is going to be an inferno!

I'm still curious about the death-by-sex fae prince V'lane too, I wouldn't trust him as far as I can throw him but I don't think he is all bad. I have a feeling that he could end up being someone that Mac has to rely on in the future and it will be interesting to see if he ends up betraying her or if he'll actually be someone she can trust to support her. Bloodfever had a darker story line than Darkfever and I was actually shocked at the things that Mac has to go through so early in the series. It just goes to prove that she is a lot stronger than most people give her credit for though and it made me look at her with a new respect too. These are the kind of books that you want to make sure you have time to devour in one sitting, I found it impossible to put down once I'd started and I'm itching to pick up the next book. Luckily I have the rest of the series sitting on my shelves and I'm determined that it won't be another year before I pick up the next one!

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Book Trailer: Cinder - Marissa Meyer

2012-05-17T18:00:00.000+01:00

Back in January I posted my review of Marissa Meyer's debut novel Cinder (you can read it here). This was such a fantastic story and is an unusual mix of a dystopian and science fiction fairytale retelling of Cinderella that I can't recommend highly enough. I don't think I've seen anywhere near enough buzz for this book so since I stumbled across the book trailer I thought I'd give it another shout out!

If you've already read Cinder I'd love to know what you thought of it & if you haven't then seriously you need to go out and grab your copy now - I don't know what you've waited this long for! If you're still not sure you can read the free prequel short story Glitches online here (read my review here).

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.

Lunar Chronicles Series:
Glitches (free prequel short story can be read online here)
Cinder
Scarlet (2013)
Cress (2014)
Winter (2015)

Visit Marissa Meyer's blog for more information

Review: Changeling - Philippa Gregory

2012-05-16T18:00:00.000+01:00

The year is 1453, and all signs point to it being the end of the world.

Accused of heresy and expelled from his monastery, handsome seventeen-year-old, Luca Vero, is recruited by a mysterious stranger to record the end of times across Europe. Commanded by sealed orders, Luca is sent to map the fears of Christendom, and travel to the very frontier of good and evil.

Seventeen-year-old Isolde, a Lady Abbess, is trapped in a nunnery to prevent her claiming her rich inheritance. As the nuns in her care are driven mad by strange visions, walking in their sleep, and showing bleeding wounds, Luca is sent to investigate and all the evidence points to Isolde's criminal guilt. Outside in the yard they are building a pyre to burn her for witchcraft. Forced to face the greatest fears of the medieval world - dark magic, werewolves, madness - Luca and Isolde embark on a search for truth, their own destinies, and even love as they take the unknown ways to the real historical figure who defends the boundaries of Christendom and holds the secrets of the Order of Darkness.

Visit Philippa Greggory's website or the Order of Darkness website for more information.

Order of Darkness Series:
Changeling (International release date 24th May 2012)
Future book titles and release dates to be confirmed

Review:
I'll admit it's been quite a while since I read one of Philippa Gregory's adult titles but as soon as I heard about Changeling I knew I wanted to read it. I've been really enjoying historical fiction recently and as I have a love of anything paranormal I couldn't wait to find out more about these nuns who are being accused of witchcraft! Set in 1453 Changeling gives readers a great feel for the era and makes for fascinating reading.

Luca is extremely intelligent and has an aptitude for science (as much as was known at that time) and mathematics, he loves to learn and soaks up any new information that he can. Growing up in a monastery his abilities quickly get him into trouble and he is accused of heresy. Luckily rather than earning him a death sentence this gets the attention of the leader of The Order of the Dragon who knows that Luca's intelligence will be useful investigating a range of paranormal occurrences across Europe. Along with the clerk Brother Peter and Luca's close friend Freize who will act as their servant Luca sets out to investigate the events that people think herald the end of the world. Can he explain the unexplainable?

Isolde's father was obviously very forward thinking for the time period and he raised her as a leader, training her to take over his holdings and run things after his death. However, he changed his mind at the last minute and instead left everything to her brother. Isolde is shocked by what she considers his betrayal and when she refuses to marry the man he chose for her she has no other option than to join the nunnery. Although that is the last thing she wants she feels it is preferable to a forced marriage to someone that she detests and decides to make the best of things. Her faithful friend Ishraq accompanies her but is mistrusted by the other nuns because of the colour of her skin and her faith. When strange things start happening at the nunnery they blame Isolde and Ishraq and accuse them of witchcraft. Luca is sent to investigate and must try to uncover exactly what is happening, is someone really practising witchcraft and if so can he stop them?

I loved both Luca and Isolde and it was great to see things from each of their points of view as this really allowed us to get to know them both. They have good friends in Freize and Ishraq who were some of the best secondary characters I've come across in a long time - the banter between them all was fantastic. I enjoyed the dynamic between the whole group, particularly after they leave the convent so I'm looking forward to seeing more of that in the sequel. It was interesting to discover more about life during this period of history and see just how people could be made to think something supernatural was happening. It was easy to see how people could be fooled into believing things when they didn't have our knowledge of science to explain them. My one minor complaint was that it was made a little too obvious who was behind the events at the convent, I hadn't quite figured out the whole reason why they were doing it though so there was some surprise at the final reveal.

Changeling is a fantastic start to Philippa Gregory's new Order of Darkness series and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book. I'm excited about the potential for romance between Luca and Isolde but glad that this has been left for future books rather than rushed into too quickly. I also can't wait to see more of Freize and Ishraq who I think are going to have major roles to play as the series continues. I'll be recommending this series to any fan of historical fiction.

Source: Received from Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review

Other reviews of this book:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: Chasing Fire - Nora Roberts

2012-05-15T18:00:00.002+01:00

Rowan Tripp is addicted to danger. Ever since she turned eighteen, Rowan has been a 'smoke jumper', fighting back the ferocious forest fires that sweep through the Montana mountains each year. But now Rowan is mourning the death of her good friend and partner, Jim - haunted by the belief that she could have saved him.

Determined to carry on, Rowan throws herself into training the new recruits to the smoke-jumping team - not realising there is a different kind of danger waiting for her. She has always had a strict rule: never get romantically involved with a workmate. But the moment she meets Gull Curry that rule is severely tested. And when it becomes clear that someone blames Rowan for Jim's death,, and is determined to get revenge, Rowan realises this is one fight she can't win on her own . . .

Visit Nora Roberts' website for more information.

Review:
Rowan is a smoke jumper who spends her summers fighting wildfires in the Montana mountains. She is part of a close team but the death of her jump partner (Jim) last year has left her grief stricken and feeling guilty even though she knows there was nothing she could have done to save him. Gull is a seasoned fire fighter but a rookie jumper who is immediately drawn to Rowan. She has a rule never to mix work and pleasure but he is determined to break through her defences and get her to date him. As the fire season continues it becomes clear that someone blames the smoke jumpers, and Ro in particular, for Jim's death and they are determined to make them pay. Can Ro figure out who is behind the accidents on base before she or Gull pay the ultimate price?

I have a confession to make - as unlikely as this may sound Chasing Fire is actually the first book I've read by Nora Roberts! I've heard so many good things about her writing that I can't believe I've only just got around to giving her a try but I'm sure it won't be long before I pick up more of her work. As the daughter of a fireman I have always had a huge amount of respect for firefighters but living in the UK I never really knew that much about smoke jumpers. I have to say right now that they are something else, kudos to those men and women who put themselves into such dangerous situations to protect the wildlife and rural homes effected by wildfires!

I really enjoyed reading about the smoke jumpers and their way of life, the camaraderie amongst the team was realistic and I loved the banter between them all. The work they do is dangerous and hard and you feel like you're right there alongside them feeling the heat of the blaze and breathing in the smoke fumes as they battle the dragon. Just thinking about what these guys put themselves through physically was enough to leave me feeling exhausted! Like many people who work hard the jumpers also play hard, they use banter and snark as a way of coping with stressful situations and they look out for their own.

Ro has been part of the team for a long time and she is a strong and capable woman who really knows what she is doing when it comes to her job. She is just as tough as the men she works with and has earned their respect, I loved the fact that she isn't looked down on because she is a woman and although there are less females in the crew than men there was no hint of sexism towards them. As much as I respected Ro for her professional abilities I did find myself getting frustrated with her in other ways. She is very immature emotionally, very much a daddy's girl and at times I felt she acted like a spoilt 12 year old which left me wanting to shake her. Gull was a hero it was easy to fall for but I felt he deserved to find someone so much better than Ro. He was sweet and caring, a romantic at heart but also a strong guy who looks out for the people he cares for. I enjoyed the banter between them and I did like seeing him break down Ro's defences and get under her skin. The romance between them built up nicely but I felt it ended a little abruptly - I wanted to see more of how their future played out so would have really appreciated an epilogue to show how they were getting on after the summer season was over.

When it comes to the mystery of who was causing trouble for the jumpers I felt it was a bit too obvious who was the one behind everything. To me it didn't feel like there were many potential suspects which made it far too easy to guess who was the murderer. I also didn't find myself particularly interested in the secondary romance involving Ro's father. All it really did was bring out Ro's childish side which irritated me so much I wanted to throw the book across the room. Overall I loved the book for the smoke jumpers and would love to re-visit the crew again in the future, I'm sure there must be at least a few stories that could be told about the rest of the team! I felt suspense was a little disappointing but I'm still looking forward to reading more by Nora Roberts in the future.

Source: Received from Piatkus in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
Read in a Single Sitting
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Bloomsbury Event with Celia Rees - 2nd March 2012

2012-05-14T18:00:00.079+01:00

Celia Rees

I'm very late posting about this event but I thanks to Bloomsbury I had the pleasure of meeting Celia Rees back in March to celebrate the launch of her latest novel This Is Not Forgiveness (this is an awesome book & you can read my review here if you haven't already read it). I was completely useless that day and forgot to take my camera with me so thanks to Viv for letting me use the above photo of Celia (Viv has included lots more pictures in her write up which you can read in full here).

It was a pleasure to meet with Celia and talk to her about This Is Not Forgiveness and her writing career. I may not have taken pictures but I did take lots of notes so here are some of the things that we talked about:

When asked why she decided to change from writing historical fiction to writing a contemporary thriller Celia said that she hadn't written a contemporary story for a long time but it was the genre that she first started in. Her first book was a YA contemporary thriller called Every Step You Take. As a teacher she knew her pupils wanted to read gritty thrillers that were like adult books so she decided to write one for them. She heard a true story about students who were caught up in a murder investigation that gave her the idea for Every Step You Take.
Her second book was called The Baby Game and was a story about bullying that her younger daughter suggested she write. After that she wrote a few more thrillers and even a vampire book. She actually spent 10 years writing contemporary books followed by 10 years writing historical ones so felt it was time for a change again.
Celia was inspired to write This Is Not Forgiveness after watching an old French film called Jules et Jim. The film was set in the war and was a story about two boys and a very charismatic and free spirited girl that they both fell in love with. She was fascinated by the young girl and wanted to write about someone similar.
She wanted to update the story for modern times rather than set it during the war, she started by making Caro a goth type but changed her mind and instead made her interested in politics. Celia knew that she wanted to make Jamie a normal, average boy but she wanted Rob to be very different to him. It was when she decided to make Rob a soldier that everything really fell into place.
Celia pointed out that teens can be very intolerant readers - you have to grab their attention early and keep it throughout the whole story.
One of her biggest tips for writers is to always have a notebook with you to jot down ideas. Celia (like a lot of women) has a lot of handbags so she is always having to buy new notebooks so she can keep one in each bag!
She uses spider diagrams to keep track of her ideas and when she starts writing a book she types it straight onto her computer rather than handwriting it first. As she's writing she prefers to write the book chronologically from beginning to end. Even if she gets stuck she refuses to skip forward - she writes each stage in order.
Celia also confirmed that she only works on one book at a time. She said it would be too easy for her to mix the different voices and styles if she was working on multiple books at the same time and that both books would end up reading like one single story.

Celia was absolutely lovely to talk to and happily answered all of our questions. It was great to meet her and I'd definitely recommend you check out This Is Not Forgiveness if you haven't already. I'm actually looking forward to working my way through some of her back list - I'm particularly interested in trying Witch Child which a lot of other bloggers were raving about during the event.

I'd like to say a massive thank you to Emma at Bloomsbury for inviting me to the event and for spoiling us all with cakes, nibbles and books!

Who was there:

Emma - Bloomsbury

Celia Rees - Website

Alice - The Reader Room

Hannah - My Book Journey

Hayley - Dark Readers

Laura - SisterSpooky: Book Fangirl

Megan - The Book Addicted Girl

Michelle - Much Loved Books

Raimy - Readaraptor

Sammee - I Want To Read That

Viv - Serendipity Reviews - Event Report

Review: Alien Diplomacy - Gini Koch

2012-05-13T18:00:00.000+01:00

Being newlyweds and new parents is challenging enough. But nothing's ever easy for Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini, particularly not when they have to switch from being super-being exterminators and Commanders in Centaurion Division to mastering the political landscape as the new heads of American Centaurion's Diplomatic Corps.

Kitty's brand of diplomacy and lobbying isn't quite as smooth as Jeff's - Washington parties, lobbyists of all stripes, and politicians from all states and countries present challenges a well-stocked iPod and quirky sense of humour aren't always up to handling. But when a shadowy assassination plot and a new set of anti-alien conspirators are identified, Kitty's the diplomat for the job - in between "Mommy and Me," "Diplomacy for Beginners," and the dreaded "Washington Wife" classes.

As explosions, assassination attempts, and murders pile up, the question shifts from "who's the target" to "will we all survive to see next week"?

Armed with only their wits, and dressed to kill, it's up to Kitty and the Diplomatic Corps to stop the bad guys from unleashing mayhem on all the world's leaders. But will Kitty trust the right people, at the right times, or will going her own way prove deadly - not just to her, but to her daughter, Jamie?

Katherine "Kitty" Katt Series:
Touched by an Alien
Alien Tango
Alien in the Family
Alien Proliferation
Alien Diplomacy
Alien vs. Alien (December 2012)
Alien in the House (April 2013)
Alien Collective (December 2013)

Visit Gini Koch's website for more information

Review:
It's all change for the Alpha team since Kitty gave birth to her baby daughter. With Jeff, Kitty and Christopher now working in Washington heading up the American Centaurion Diplomatic Corps it has left Reader, Gower and the others to take over the role of hunting down the super-beings. Kitty has never been the most diplomatic character so her new job doesn't come naturally - in fact she has been signed up to multiple classes just to learn how to behave around the other ambassadors. Luckily Jeff is coping a little better but no matter which way you look at it the transition isn't going smoothly. Throw in an assassination attempt, Washington politics and the usual plots against the AC's and they're going to be in for a bumpy ride.

It's no secret that I'm a massive fan girl when it comes to this series - I can't get enough of Kitty, Jeff and the Alpha Centaurion crew! I love the humour, the snark, the action and the romance not to mention all the hot men - both the alien and human ones. I love the way Kitty has built up such a loyal team of men and women, the banter between the various human and alien agencies and the way they all work together to battle the big bad fuglies. Without a doubt this is one of my favourite series and one that I can't recommend highly enough.

It pains me to say it but I didn't enjoy Alien Diplomacy quite as much as the first four books. Don't get me wrong, it's still an awesome read and a must for any fan of the series, it just didn't quite live up to my (admittedly high) expectations. I don't think it helped that it has been a few months since I read Alien Proliferation, when a series has as many characters as this one does it can be hard to remember exactly who everyone is - especially the more minor players. It didn't take me too long to settle back into Kitty's world and I enjoyed the fact that some of the people we have met previously now have a more important role to play but I have to confess to finding myself confused by the number of new characters. I kept finding myself having to backtrack to figure out who was who, especially when it came to members of Kitty's Washington Wives class and their respective spouses.

I also found having Kitty and the team based in Washington was a big change of pace, particularly in the earlier part of the book where everyone is trying to settle into their new roles and figure out how things work in the world of the diplomats. The action really picked up in the second half of the book but I missed watching Kitty and Jeff out battling super-beings. The plot was still incredibly complex though, if you've read any of this series then you'll already know that Gini Koch is an expert at weaving multiple layers into her books. I don't think I've ever read a series as complex as this one and I never manage to fully figure out all of the plots that are going on. Alien Diplomacy is no exception and as usual Kitty and the gang have to put together the clues to figure out how many different factions they are up against this time around.

Please don't be put off by the fact that this isn't my favourite book in the series. These books are still outstanding and they're ones I have and will continue to recommend heartily. I have already pre-ordered my copy of Alien vs. Alien and I can't wait to get my hands on my next Jeff and Kitty fix!

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: Shadow Heir - Richelle Mead

2012-05-12T18:00:00.000+01:00

The Otherworld, a mystic land inextricably linked to our own - and balanced precariously on one woman's desperate courage . . .

Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham strives to keep the mortal realm safe from trespassing entities. But as the Thorn Land's prophecy-haunted queen, there's no refuge for her and her soon-to-be-born children when a mysterious blight begins to devastate the Otherworld . . .

The spell-driven source of the blight isn't the only challenge to Eugenie's instincts. Fairy king Dorian is sacrificing everything to help, but Eugenie can't trust the synergy drawing them back together. The uneasy truce between her and her shape-shifter ex-lover Kiyo is endangered by secrets he can't - or won't - reveal. And as a formidable force rises to threaten the human world, Eugenie must use her own cursed fate as a weapon - and risk the ultimate sacrifice . . .

Dark Swan Series:
Storm Born
Thorn Queen
Iron Crowned
Shadow Heir

Visit Richelle Mead's website for more information

Review:
Shadow Heir is the fourth and final book in the Dark Swan series so this review will contain spoilers for the previous three books - if you haven't started the series yet you probably want to stop reading now! I'm a massive fan of Richelle Mead, I love her Georgina Kincaid series and her Vampire Academy books make up one of my favourite YA series. I really liked the first couple of books in the Dark Swan series but felt disappointed with Eugenie in the last book, Iron Crowned, I was irritated by her refusal to accept her duties to the Thorn land and the way she let her people suffer because of that. I was also extremely annoyed with the way she kept running back and forth between Dorian and Kiyo! So I'll admit that I was nervous before I picked up Shadow Heir, particularly after reading the blurb and seeing a mention of a truce between her and Kiyo - he tried to kill her and their unborn children in the last book so I couldn't see how there could possibly be any kind of truce between them!

Shadow Heir picks up the story a few months after Iron Crowned ends, Eugenie is five months pregnant, Kiyo and Maiwenn are still determined that her son needs to die before he can fulfil the prophecy about him and Dorian is protecting her as he promised to do but Eugenie is unsure if she can completely trust him after his previous betrayal. I can't really go into any more detail than that without giving spoilers so I'll just say that I was surprised at a couple of places where Richelle Mead took the story.

Since the last book I haven't been Eugenie's biggest fan, I've found her actions to be selfish and I think she has made some incredibly stupid decisions. I'm sad to say that this continued to be the trend in this book. Although I could understand why she made some of the choices she did because she was trying to protect her children I felt that she didn't think things through properly. She could have saved herself a lot of trouble if she had just trusted Dorian but then again he has done some pretty horrible things in the past so I was never particularly his biggest fan either. He did grow on me a lot in this book though and I think he is now my favourite character in the series. I don't think Eugenie deserves him though, especially after her actions at the end of the book (I can't say more because I don't want to give spoilers but I'm sure anyone who has read the book will know what I mean).

I spent most of the book wanting to punch Kiyo and was really surprised that Eugenie didn't take more of a stand against him and Maiwenn. His actions were despicable in the last book and he made no attempt to apologise in this one. I'm annoyed that he never really got what he deserved and I couldn't understand why he continued to support Maiwenn even after the things he admitted near the end of the book. The plot was quite slow moving during the first half of the book during the final months of Eugenie's pregnancy. I did enjoy reading about her reactions to the babies when they were born but that just made her actions after that point even harder to understand. There were two major twists that should have shocked the heck out of me but unfortunately I'd figured them both out in advance so they didn't have the expected wow factor.

Overall I find myself extremely disappointed with the way this series ended, if this hadn't been the last book or if we knew a spin off series was planned then I think I'd have felt more forgiving but we are left with so many questions and I just didn't find Eugenie's actions even slightly believable. I still love Richelle Mead as an author and will look forward to trying her next adult series but in all honesty I don't think I could recommend this series when it ended on such a low note. I would happily recommend her Georgina Kincaid series though or her Vampire Academy books for YA fans.

Source: Library

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: Illegal - Miriam Halahmy

2012-05-11T18:00:00.000+01:00

If Jemma had lived, none of this would have happened. I'd have been too busy to get dragged into this filthy, illegal business . . .

Since Lindy's baby sister died, her family have been caught in a downward spiral. Her brothers are in prison and her parents have given up. Soon Lindy is out of her depth too, caught in the centre of an international drugs ring, with no way out. Then Lindy finds help from an unexpected ally: weird, mute Karl from school, and together they plan a daring and desperate escape. But when you're in this deep, can you ever be free?

Touching, surprising and painfully honest, Illegal is the second in a cycle of three novels by Miriam Halahmy, and the follow up to her acclaimed first novel, Hidden.

Hayling Island Series:
Hidden
Illegal
Stuffed (March 2013)

Visit Miriam Halahmy's website for more information

Review:
Ever since Jemma died Lindy's family has been falling apart - her mum has lost her job and started drinking, her dad spends his time gambling away the little money they have and her older brothers are both in the young offenders institute. Lindy is trying to hold things together for her younger brother Sean but quickly finds herself in deep trouble. Offered a job by her cousin she sees it as a lifeline but soon ends up caught in an international drugs ring completely unable to see a way out. Sometimes help comes from the most unlikely sources though and when she befriends the school outcast, a mute boy called Karl, she begins to feel hopeful that she might escape.

Illegal is the second book in Miriam Halahmy's series set on Hayling Island but each of these books can be read as a stand alone novel as there is no cross over of story lines. I haven't read the first book Hidden yet but I enjoyed Illegal so much that I'm definitely planning on picking it up soon and I will look forward to reading Stuffed when it is released next year.

Illegal touches on some difficult topics from poverty, neglect and grief through to the drugs trade that brings Lindy into contact with some pretty shady characters. These subjects are tackled with realism and sensitivity though and show just how easy it is for someone to be drawn into something without realising how far reaching the consequences will be. Lindy comes from a problem family and nobody has ever expected much from her, after the death of her baby sister everything gets much worse but Lindy falls through the cracks and doesn't have anyone on her side to help her. She gets pulled into her cousin's world of dodgy deals and drugs because she is trying to earn some money for food for herself and her younger brother Sean. What she really wants is to study hard and train to become a paramedic but her circumstances force her into a different direction. It is so easy to feel sorry for Lindy but you have to admire her too, not for the trouble that she has got herself into but for her determination to find a way out.

I loved the relationship between Lindy and Sean, you can see how much he looks up to his older sister and the way he worries for her is really sweet. She does what she can to protect him even though he annoys her like any younger sibling often does. They are both devastated by the loss of Jemma but also from the loss of their older brothers to the young offenders institute. Garth in particular has always looked out for the pair of them and Lindy feels as if he has abandoned her when she needs him the most. It was hard to have sympathy for Garth as I felt he was old enough to know better than do what he did but he was also struggling with his grief and from the lack of proper parental supervision and he did the best he could in the circumstances. At first I felt like he'd set Lindy up but he comes through for her in the end and you get to see how much he really cares for her. The whole Bellows family are crying out for help and you just end up wishing they'd been given it sooner.

Karl was another great character, he has also suffered the loss of someone who he cares about so he understands what Lindy is going through. Their backgrounds may be very different but there is a connection between them and they each help the other learn how to cope. Karl's way of dealing with things has always been to shut others out, he lost the ability to speak and stopped communicating with anyone at school or home. It takes Lindy's fierce attitude to bring him out of his shell and I enjoyed seeing the changes in both of them as they get to know each other better. Theirs is a sweet relationship and one that gives them both a lot of comfort.

Illegal is at times a heart wrenching read but it is a book I would highly recommend. It may even make you think differently about that annoying family that lives down the road and is always causing trouble - what happened in their lives to make them behave that way? This may be the first book I've read by Miriam Halahmy but it definitely won't be the last and I'm looking forward to continuing this series.

Source: Received from Meadowside Fiction in exchange for an honest review

Other reviews of this book:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: Darkness Unbound - Keri Arthur

2012-05-10T18:00:00.001+01:00

Born from a lab-enhanced clone mother and an Aedh father, Risa Jones can not only talk to the souls of the dying and the dead, but she can see reapers and walk the grey fields that divide this world from the next. They are skills she rarely uses, however. But when her mother asks her to help the parents of a little girl locked in a coma, she reluctantly agrees. What she discovers terrifies her: someone has ripped the girl’s soul from her flesh.

As it turns out, a creature consuming the souls of the innocent - and not so innocent - is the least of her problems. Because someone wants to rip open the gates that divide hell from earth, and Risa is a key component in their plans. And the only person standing between her and disaster is a reaper who isn't exactly on her side.

Dark Angels Series:
(This is a spin off from the Riley Jenson Guardian series)
Darkness Unbound
Darkness Rising
Darkness Devours (June 2012)
Darkness Hunts (November 2012)

Riley Jenson Guardian Series:
Full Moon Rising
Kissing Sin
Tempting Evil
Dangerous Games
Embraced by Darkness
The Darkest Kiss
Deadly Desire
Bound to Shadows
Moon Sworn

Visit Keri Arthur's website for more information

Review:
Darkness Unbound is the first book in Keri Arthur's Dark Angels series. It is a spin off from the Riley Jenson series staring Dia's daughter Risa and does have cameo appearances from Riley and the rest of our favourite characters. I do think that it would be possible to read this new series separately but be aware that it will give you spoilers for how the Riley books ended if you decide to pick them up at a later date. I'm a massive fan of Keri Arthur's and would highly recommend both the Riley series and Darkness Unbound.

If you've read the Riley series then you'll remember Risa as a young child, Darkness Unbound begins her story about 25 years later. Risa is now 28 years old and runs a restaurant with her two best friends Ilianna and Tao. As a half-werewolf and half-Aedh she has some unusual abilities that have put her in the Directorate's radar, they want her to become a Guardian like her aunt Riley but so far she has refused. All she really wants is a quiet life, she may be able to see reapers and visit the grey lands (the spirit world) but she only does so reluctantly and usually when she feels compelled to help someone.

It did feel a bit strange at first to be reading about Risa as an adult but it didn't take me too long to get used to that. I loved getting a glimpse of how things have turned out for Riley, Quinn, Rhoan and Liander but I'm glad that they weren't the main focus of the story. I hope we see more of them as the series continues but I don't want them to overtake Risa. We are introduced to an interesting new cast of characters and I'm looking forward to getting to know them all better. Risa and her friends Ilianna (a mare who is also a powerful witch) and Tao (a werewolf with the ability to control fire) are a tight group and have each others backs. It's always nice to read about supportive friendships and this was no exception. Risa is a strong woman on her own but surrounded by her friends and family she can take on the world. In fact she will do anything to protect those she loves but I like the fact that she isn't too proud to ask for help when she needs it.

Risa's current love interest is another Aedh called Lucien, now he may be hot but I have to admit that I have my suspicions about him. There is nothing concrete but I just don't trust him and am concerned that he doesn't actually have Risa's best interests at heart. I'm much more interested in reaper Azriel - who can resist a half naked, sword wielding warrior? - and after watching the attraction between him and Risa I have high hopes for a future romance between them.

The plot is just as strong as any of Keri Arthur's other books although there is slightly more focus on introducing the new characters as this is the first of a new series. I'm fascinated with Risa's abilities and have a feeling we've only touched the surface of what she can do. I'm also very curious to find out more about her father and to see how Risa copes with the aftermath of a very shocking event at the end of the first book. This was a great start to a new series and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Source: Received from Piatkus in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle

Review: Fateful - Claudia Gray

2012-05-09T18:00:00.000+01:00

All I have to do is make it through this one trip, I think, as I step off the gangplank and finally board the RMS Titanic.

Tess has bigger dreams than being a lady's maid and plans to start a new life as soon as the skip reaches America. But once they set sail Tess finds herself in grave danger. Not just from the ice-cold waters of the Atlantic, but from the two strangers with eyes like wolves who are tracking her every move . . .

One wants her dead, the other wants her heart. The ocean wants them all.

Visit Claudia Gray's website for more information

Review:
Tess has spent years working as a lady's maid to Irene, the daughter of Viscount Lisle and Lady Regina. As much as she likes Irene working for Lady Regina isn't easy and she has plans to leave their service and start a new life as soon as the family arrives in America. She just has to make it through their journey on the Titanic and collect her final wages before she can make her escape. But her voyage isn't going to be all smooth sailing - she has attracted the attention of a dangerous stranger, one who has motives she could never even begin to guess at.

Fateful is one of those books that I have mixed feelings about. I absolutely loved the historical side of the story, it was very easy to picture the scenes unfolding in front of you and I think anyone who has seen the movie Titanic will be able to visualise things perfectly. The story has a great selection of characters and it was interesting to see life at the time from so many different perspectives - you have the daughter of a rich family, her lady's maid and other servants, wealthy passengers both from aristocratic families and those who have earned their money through various trades, a ship's officer and even foreign passengers who are travelling to America to start a new life.

Tess was an interesting character and someone who was likeable and easy to route for. You find yourself wanting to see her succeed in making a new life for herself and escaping from the horrible Lady Regina. I loved the romance that develops between her and Alec, the way it isn't a case of instant love, the way they get to know each other and the way that they both go against traditional society rules in order to spend time together. Things haven't been easy for Alec but he has a lot of support from his father and Tess is willing to stand by her man and look out for him.

My problem was with the werewolf side to the story. I wasn't too sure how I would feel about the idea of adding supernatural characters to the Titanic and in the end I felt that part of the storyline just didn't quite work. It seemed too absurd when taken alongside the seriousness of the Titanic disaster. The ending didn't quite fit the feel of the rest of the story but it has left things open for what could be a very interesting new series. I understand that this is a stand alone book but if Claudia Gray did decide to revisit the characters and show how they are getting on in the aftermath of the disaster I'd definitely want to read more.

Overall I loved this as a historical romance but feel a bit less sure of the supernatural side and think it would have worked better if it had been written as two different books. I enjoyed the story enough to recommend it though - if you love the film Titanic and enjoy paranormal romances then I'm pretty sure you'll like Fateful.

Source: Received from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Winners: The Pack - Jason Starr

2012-05-09T17:07:00.000+01:00

With the help of Rafflecopter I am also excited to announce the 5 winners of a copy of The Pack by Jason Starr are:

Mel S (email address starting notanotherbookblog@...)

Grace P (email address starting gracepesticcio@...)

Kate (email address starting memybooksandi@...)

Tracy Risebrow (email address starting trisebrow@...)

Jax Blunt (email address starting jaxblunt@...)

Congratulations to you all! You should have already received an email from me asking for your addresses so please make sure you look out for it. If I don't hear back from you within 48 hours then a new winner will be chosen. Your prize will be sent out by my contact at Berkley UK so you'll need to give permission for me to forward your address to them.

I'd like to say a massive thank you to Berkley UK for allowing me to host this giveaway for them.

Insurgent Week Wrap Up Post #INSURGENTUK #CANDORUK

2012-05-08T18:45:00.002+01:00

This post is part of the Team #CANDORUK campaign for #INSURGENTUK. Click on the picture above for more information.

If you've been on Twitter or any of the UK blogs this week then I doubt you'll have missed the madness of the Insurgent release week. As joint leader of the UK Candor Faction along with the fabulous Carly from Writing from the Tub I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone on our team for being so enthusiastic and putting so much effort into getting their reviews and other posts up on time.

If you haven't already checked out the Candor UK blogs then I'd highly recommend you do - they are all wonderful bloggers so make sure you're following them!

Carly - Writing from the Tub - Twitter (LEADER)
Caz - Big Book Little Book - Twitter
Darren - Bart's Bookshelf - Twitter
Emma - Book Monkey - Twitter
Georgina - Chick Litaholic - Twitter
Hannah - Booking in Heels - Twitter
Iffath - Painting With Words - Twitter
Jesse - Books 4 Teens - Twitter
Jo - Once Upon A Bookcase - Twitter
Kayleigh - K-Books - Twitter
Keren - Gothic Angel - Twitter
M & Little M - We Sat Down - Twitter

Honorary Team Member:
LittlePirateChicks - For the love of a good book

Now I wanted to make a list of all the posts that have gone up as part of Candor UK's release week campaign just in case you missed any of them!

Divergent Reviews:

Insurgent Reviews:

Writing from The Tub
Painting With Words
Feeling Fictional
K-Books
Bart's Bookshel f
Booking In Heels
Big Book Little Book
Books4Teens
Gothic Angel Book Reviews
Book Monkey Scribbles
Once Upon a Bookcase
We Sat Down - Little M's Review
We Sat Down - M's Review
Chick Litaholic (Unfortunately no review has been posted by Georgina)
For The Love of A Good Book (Honorary Candor member who created a book blog to post her review)

Extra Posts:

I hope I didn't miss anyone's posts but please forgive me if I did - it was a lot to keep track of! Please let me know if I missed anything & I'll get the links added!

Once again a massive thank you to everyone on Team Candor UK!! I've had a blast taking part in the week and have really enjoyed reading all of your reviews and the fabulous extra posts you've created. Candor UK for the win!!! :o)

Book Trailer: Insurgent - Veronica Roth

2012-05-08T09:00:00.000+01:00

This post is part of the Team #CANDORUK campaign for #INSURGENTUK. Click on the picture above for more information.

If you've been anywhere near my blog this week then you'll already have heard all about Veronica Roth's debut Divergent and the sequel Insurgent but I just stumbled across the Insurgent book trailer on YouTube so I thought I'd share it with you here. This is a series that I absolutely love so I'd definitely recommend you check it out!

In case you haven't read the first book yet here is the Divergent trailer for you:

Divergent Discussion 5: Fearless or In Control of your Fears? #INSURGENTUK #CANDORUK

2012-05-07T09:00:00.000+01:00

This post is part of the Team #CANDORUK campaign for #INSURGENTUK. Click on the picture above for more information.

As part of the Insurgent release week madness I thought it would be fun to have some discussion posts about Divergent. I got the ideas for these topics from the HarperCollins Divergent Discussion Guide that can be found online here. These posts will contain spoilers for Divergent but I'd like to keep them spoiler free for Insurgent so please keep that in mind when you're commenting. I'll be welcoming members of Team #CANDORUK here every day to answer a different question so please give them all a warm welcome!

Taking part in today's discussion we have:

Carly - Writing from the Tub

Keren - Gothic Angel

Jo - Once Upon A Bookcase

M & Little M - We Sat Down

Iffath - Painting With Words

Lesley - Big Book Little Book

Today's topic:

Dauntless value bravery over everything else but is bravery about being fearless or learning to control your fear? What is the difference? Can anyone ever be truly fearless? Is it braver to face your fears or not to be afraid in the first place? What are your greatest fears and do you think you could overcome them?

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My Thoughts:

I don't think anyone is truly fearless, no matter how much they might wish (or even pretend) that they are. In fact I don't think it is possible to be brave unless you were frightened of something in the first place. There are lots of different kinds of bravery but most of them involve learning to control your fears. I'd be much more impressed by someone who was absolutely terrified but went ahead and did something anyway than I would be by someone who wasn't afraid in the first place.

As far as my fears go I have way too many to list them all here but I'll tell you the main ones. I'm terrified of wasps (I stood on a wasps nest when I was younger and ended up being stung more than 50 times!), I also run a mile when I see a spider (although I think that is more because my mum always screamed the house down whenever she saw one than because I've had a bad experience with them), I'm not very good with heights (although I did do a bungee jump on my 21st birthday - never again though because it scared me half to death and my dad had to push me off of the crane lol) and I panic in crowded places.

All of those fears may worry me but I usually find ways to deal with them. My biggest and most irrational fear is my blood and needle phobia. I'm one of those people who will faint at the sight of blood or if I have to have an injection, I'll even pass out at the thought of operations or what I could possibly see in a hospital ward. I know it is ridiculous but no matter what I do I can't seem to control it, I've fainted in the dentists chair, I've had fillings where they drilled right down to the nerve without painkillers because I'm so frightened of the needle - that was beyond stupid because it was a million times more painful than an injection would have been but I'd do the same again lol. I have to be physically held down for blood tests and I've fainted numerous times visiting friends and family who are in hospital. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to black out in the middle of a hospital ward when there is nothing wrong with you? Can you think of a more ridiculous person to choose as a first aider? Yup, I was that person who fainted in the middle of their first aid course because we'd got to the part where they were talking about blood loss! Well, at least the rest of the class had a live dummy to practise the recovery position on lol.

The really weird thing about blood / needle phobia is that it is the only phobia that causes your blood pressure to actually drop which is why I have such an extreme physical reaction and pass out. Most of the time if something scares you it will trigger either your fight or flight reflex which causes an increase of adrenaline and makes your blood pressure increase, Trypanophobia (blood / needle phobia) starts off the same but is quickly followed by an extreme drop in heart rate and blood pressure. I have had a fear of blood and needles since I was a child but I wasn't diagnosed with the phobia until I was in my 20's. Will I ever get over my phobia? I hope so but in reality I think it's extremely unlikely.

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Carly's Thoughts:

True bravery is learning to control your fear. Accepting that you have a fear and challenging it, facing it and beating it is the embodiment of true bravery. Acknowledging that you have fears is one of the bravest things a person can do, in my opinion.

Being fearless is often linked with bravery in our society but I don’t agree. People who are obsessed with showing that they are fearless are often more afraid that those who own up to their fears. Those who are ‘fearless’ are often afraid to fail, afraid to look weak and these fears can be some of the most dangerous. They can force you to make reckless decisions to prove that you aren’t afraid; that’s not something to be admired. However, admitting that you have a fear and then beating it? To me, that takes real bravery.

In terms of my greatest fears, I have a terrible fear of failure. I worry about it to the point that I will often not try something in case I fail, which I’m well aware is a failure in itself. I worry every day that I’m never going to get published, never going to find an agent, never going to see my books on the shelf – if I’m honest I know that’s why I’m still tweaking Reckless to get it perfect, why I’m always wondering whether I should start a new project. I think one of the bravest things I’ll ever do it is send a book out to an agent for the first time. I’m getting closer to being in that position and it scares me. A whole lot.

This one always surprises people as I know I appear pretty confident as a person but I’m actually scared of a ridiculous amount of things. I seem calm on the surface most of the time but under that I’m pretty much a nervous wreck. If I see someone slightly sinister in a hoodie walking towards me – I’m dead. If I hear a noise in the house after the sun has gone down – dead. The phone rings after midnight – someone I love is dead. I’m meeting a friend or my boyfriend for dinner and they’re more than five minutes late – they’re dead. Seriously! If you arrange to meet me and you’re a second late, I’ve already written you off as dead and grieved for you.

And you don’t want to be anywhere near me on a plane, for real. If there’s any kind of noise – we’re about to plummet to our death. If I see anybody so much as twitch when the seatbelt signs are on – IMMINENT TERRORIST ATTACK. If the cabin door swings open and I catch a glimpse of the pilot – omgwtf he’s like twelve, we’re doomed. DOOMED. If I see an air hostess without a massive grin on her face – she knows we’re about to run out of fuel, the pilot told her, he told her we’re not going to make it. SHE KNOWS SOMETHING.

I am aware this is not normal behaviour.

Also, spiders. Laugh it up, folks, I think spiders are actually the one I’m most scared about. Because it’s the only one I can’t control. My constant fear of dying – I can tell myself that’s just silly and I get on with my day. My fear of failure – I just make sure I’m good enough at things I care about that I won’t fail. Spiders – I have no mind powers great enough to defeat them.

Oh, and can I just say, don’t ever think it’s amusing to play a spider-related prank of me – I have punched people square in the face for pretending I have a spider on me. I’m not joking. It’s not even me being violent; it’s literally an instinctive reaction. Someone says spider and my fists of fury come into play.

I actually saw a hypnotherapist about my spider fear. They were apparently famous in their field for helping people cure their fears. Did it help? NO. If I’m faced with a spider do you know what I do? I freeze, then cry, back slowly away (never breaking eye contact with said spider) and then, when I’m at a safe distance, scream repeatedly until somebody else can remove the spider. And so it will continue until the end of time.

So, basically, this was a really long winded way of me saying that, no, I don’t think I will ever overcome my spider fear. The others? Yeah, with a little work.

I wouldn’t last a day in Dauntless, would I? Imagine how chaotic my simulation would be. GIANT SPIDERS RAMPAGING THROUGH THE WRECKAGE OF A PLANE CRASH.

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Keren's Thoughts:

I think bravery comes from becoming the master of your fears. I don't think anyone is completely fearless, no matter what they would have you believe. I think it is far braver to face your fears head on and try to overcome them than to try to pretend you fear nothing, only to be proved wrong.

My biggest fear is water.
My step-dad tried to teach me to swim when I was younger. But he thought it was clever to hold my head under the water and to drop me in the deep end with no arm bands - assuming I would either sink or swim. The outcome was always the same, I sunk.

I am morbidly afraid of water if it comes above my chin. I fear that I can't breathe and will die if I stay too long under the water. Irrational? Maybe it is. But I have tried to overcome it. I went snorkelling in the middle of the Mediterranean - I absolutely hated it. I was panicky and could not calm down.

So I will certainly never be fearless. I admit that. I try my best to confront anything else head on, but water scares the bejesus out of me.

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Jo's Thoughts:

In the examples you give, I think bravery is more about learning to control, and therefore face, your fear/s. I don’t think facing something you’re not scared of could be considered brave, even if it is risky. I think that’s more reckless than anything. I’m not sure anyone can be truly fearless, but I don’t think all fears are things you can force yourself to face, like spiders or the dark. There are also the fears of things which might come to pass. For example, you often hear of parents fearing for their child – that’s not necessarily a specific situation their child could end up in, it could be any number of situations, it’s just the idea of something bad happening at some point, in whatever form. You can’t face all those possibilities at once.

My greatest fear is linked to my biggest dream. More than anything else, at some point I want to become a mother, so my biggest fear is that I will be told that I can’t be one. I have no reason to fear being told I’m infertile and can’t have children, it’s just an irrational fear. I think anyone who wants something badly enough can relate to the fear of being told they can’t have it. If I was ever told I can’t have children, I would be crushed. But there are other options, so I would hope that time would help me heal and accept, and move in a different direction. I can’t say for certain if that would be the case, though.

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M's Thoughts:

Hypodermic needles, spiders, and bungee jumping. I control the first two with varying success. The third, no way – but then, I’d never be Dauntless!

Little M's Thoughts:

Heights, the sea/lakes, spiders as well. I control heights and seas by closing my eyes. Spiders, get my dad or put a cup over them then get dad to sort them out. I think I still could be Dauntless?????

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Iffath's Thoughts:

I don’t think there is a single person in this world that is truly fearless. Sure, people claim they are, but I don’t think it’s true. In an ideal world, nobody would be afraid of anything, but then where would that leave us? Facing your fears to me is more brave than not having any fears in the first place. It shows that you can overcome that fear, and if you never had any, how do you know if you could overcome it, be bigger than it?

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Lesley's Thoughts:

I'm not sure that bravery is about being fearless. I think it's healthy to have a bit of fear in daily life - it stops us from being too reckless and getting into danger. I think of my 22 month old who is at that 'no fear' stage and who would happily climb up to the top of the couch and leap off if I would let him. To me he is pretty fearless at the moment, but if I let him just launch himself off the furniture I know he would injure himself and there would be a lot of tears! He is only fearless because he lacks understanding and can't process yet the consequences of his actions. As adults, I think that life requires us to be pretty brave in many circumstances - not just the physical, but emotionally and mentally too and I do believe that includes being able to control our fear at times. It's not possible (for me anyway) to be completely fearless. It's part of human nature to have fears and I would imagine that to meet a person who was completely fearless (other than mine, and any other toddler around!) would be a rare thing. It's a very brave thing to confront your fears and unrealistic to expect people just to not be afraid in the first place. Life is too unexpected and for myself, having people that I care about means that I can become fearful if they are sick or in danger. My own greatest fears are usually the thought of the loss of any family member or close friend. I don't worry or become fearful regarding my financial or social status but the thought of anyone I loved suffering in anyway does scare me. I can only overcome it by being as faithful and loving a parent/wife/friend as I can be and to know that I do my utmost to ensure their safety and happiness. Fear for me sometimes is knowing that I can't always control the outcome of a situation and bravery is stepping up to the plate to handle it no matter how painful.

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Thank you to everyone for taking part, I've really enjoyed reading all your answers!

I'd love to know what you all think too so please join the discussion in the comments. A lot of the Candor team will be checking back throughout the week to see if you agree with them or not!