Ailsbet loves nothing more than music; tall and red-haired, she’s impatient with the artifice and ceremony of her father’s court. Marissa adores the world of her island home and feels she has much to offer when she finally inherits the throne from her wise, good-tempered father. The trouble is that neither princess has the power–or the magic–to rule alone, and if the kingdoms can be united, which princess will end up ruling the joint land? For both, the only goal would seem to be a strategic marriage to a man who can bring his own brand of power to the throne. But will either girl be able to marry for love? And can either of these two princesses, rivals though they have never met, afford to let the other live?

For some reason, I got my authors mixed up when I requested this on NetGalley. I vaguely thought this was a new novel by Eva Ibbotson. After thinking Ms Ibbotson’s writing wasn’t anywhere near as interesting as I remembered, I realised my mistake.

It turns out The Rose Throne is by the same author of Tris and Izzie, a book I thought was pretty poor and said so two years ago.  Had I known, I wouldn’t have requested this one for review, but I did, so I felt obliged to give it a go. However nowadays I’m much less inclined to continue reading a book I’m not interested in and at 19% I’m moving on from this one.

I don’t think it’s really fair to give a full review of The Rose Throne having read so little, but I will say that I do think this is a better book than Tris and Izzie. The two main characters are bland, and don’t seem to really react to anything, but on the up side, they don’t inspire feelings of complete disgust in the short time I spent with them.

That being said, I don’t see any signs of this being a great book either. The writing is just too emotionless for me, something I recall bothering me in Ms Harrison’s previous work.  Unfortunately, it’s a bit like reading one long monotone.  There appears to be two types of magic taweyr and neweyr, in Harrison’s world. The author kind of dumps the reader in the middle of all this without cohesively explaining it, but from what I can gather, neweyr is a female power, connected to new life, growth and nurturing, while taweyr, the magic of death and war, is a male power. The existence of taweyr in a woman, or neweyr in a man is deemed unnatural and those with the wrong weyr are despised, hunted down and killed. Not being at all confident this author could explore this uncomfortably sexist magical system in a satisfactory way and being completely bored by the prose, I swiftly decided The Rose Throne, sadly, wasn’t for me.

As with Tris and Izzie, I really do love the cover though.

Many thanks to Egmont USA and Net­Gal­ley for mak­ing this ebook available.

*Please keep in mind that this review is based on an Advanced Review Copy from Net­Gal­ley and there­fore some of the nar­ra­tive and dia­logue may change before publication.*

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

Let’s start with the semi-good. The relationship between Noah and his brother was the most interesting part of the book. The whole fostering/adoption storyline was written, like everything else, in such a way as to try to manipulate an emotional response from the reader. However, it did attempt to convey how difficult and painful it must be to watch what’s left of your family become part of a new one without you. That being said, Noah certainly didn’t help his case. Instead of acting responsibly and trying to take steps to build a life where he could eventually be considered a suitable guardian, he does the complete opposite.

After initially being intrigued by Echo’s scars, I got frustrated the longer we were left in the dark. The secret of what happened to her seemed overly drawn out and anti-climatic once everything was finally revealed. I would have preferred more time spent on Echo actually dealing with her trauma and the reader getting to know her mother (who only appears briefly near the end and isn’t painted in the best light, given that she is mentally ill). The complex relationship between Echo and her mother wasn’t explored as it should have been, which was disappointing.

Unfortunately, the book spends far too much time on the ‘romance’, which I didn’t care for in the slightest. I was really turned off by the constant pet names (“siren”, “nymph”, “seductress”) and the way Noah talked was particularly cringe-worthy. Noah is clearly meant to be the ‘bad boy’ with hidden depths in need of a ‘good woman’ to get him on the straight and narrow, but in reality he’s just an asshole. No amount of simpering over Echo is going to make me like him.

Aside from Noah’s fear of loosing his younger brothers, everything else in Pushing the Limits feels overwrought and angst-ridden simply for drama’s sake, instead of taking the opportunity for a nuanced look at mental illness, the effects of trauma, domestic abuse and the foster system.

*Many thanks to NetGalley, HarlequinTEEN and Mira Ink for sending me a copy for review*

There’s also quite a few lovely cover designs in the mix, as well as a few… bad ones (I’m looking at you Maid of Secrets).

Check them out here:

As always, click on the book covers to see Goodreads reviews

The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr

1st May 2013

Lucy Beck-Moreau once had a promising future as a concert pianist. The right people knew her name, her performances were booked months in advance, and her future seemed certain.

That was all before she turned fourteen.

Now, at sixteen, it’s over. A death, and a betrayal, led her to walk away. That leaves her talented ten-year-old brother, Gus, to shoulder the full weight of the Beck-Moreau family expectations. Then Gus gets a new piano teacher who is young, kind, and interested in helping Lucy rekindle her love of piano — on her own terms. But when you’re used to performing for sold-out audiences and world-famous critics, can you ever learn to play just for yourself?

Half Lives by Sara Grant

2nd May 2013

Present day: Icie is a typical high school teenager — until disaster strikes and her parents send her to find shelter inside a mountain near Las Vegas.

The future: Beckett lives on The Mountain — a sacred place devoted to the Great I AM. He must soon become the leader of his people. But Beckett is forced to break one of the sacred laws, and when the Great I AM does not strike him down, Beckett finds himself starting to question his beliefs.

As Beckett investigates The Mountain’s history, Icie’s story is revealed — along with the terrifying truth of what lies at the heart of The Mountain.

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch

2nd May 2013

A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.

Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.

Shades of Earth (Across the Universe 3) by Beth Revis

2nd May 2013

Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They’re ready to start life afresh–to build a home–on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience.

But this new Earth isn’t the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed’s former passengers aren’t alone on this planet. And if they’re going to stay, they’ll have to fight.

Amy and Elder must race to discover who–or what–else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed–friends, family, life on Earth–will have been for nothing.

FUELED BY LIES.
RULED BY CHAOS.
ALMOST HOME.

14 by Peter Clines

7th May 2013

Padlocked doors. Strange light fixtures. Mutant cockroaches.

There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment.

Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn’t perfect, it’s livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don’t nag at him too much.

At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbor across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela’s apartment. And Tim’s. And Veek’s.

Because every room in this old Los Angeles brownstone has a mystery or two. Mysteries that stretch back over a hundred years. Some of them are in plain sight. Some are behind locked doors. And all together these mysteries could mean the end of Nate and his friends.

Or the end of everything…

Doll Bones by Holly Black

7th May 2013

Zach, Poppy and Alice have been friends for ever. They love playing with their action figure toys, imagining a magical world of adventure and heroism. But disaster strikes when, without warning, Zach’s father throws out all his toys, declaring he’s too old for them. Zach is furious, confused and embarrassed, deciding that the only way to cope is to stop playing … and stop being friends with Poppy and Alice. But one night the girls pay Zach a visit, and tell him about a series of mysterious occurrences. Poppy swears that she is now being haunted by a china doll – who claims that it is made from the ground-up bones of a murdered girl. They must return the doll to where the girl lived, and bury it. Otherwise the three children will be cursed for eternity …

How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

7th May 2013

Rosie’s always been impulsive. She didn’t intend to set her cheating ex-boyfriend’s car on fire. And she never thought her attempts to make amends could be considered stalking. So when she’s served with a temporary restraining order on the first day of summer vacation, she’s heartbroken—and furious.

To put distance between Rosie and her ex, Rosie’s parents send her on a cross-country road trip with responsible, reliable neighbor Matty and his two friends. Forget freedom of the road, Rosie wants to hitchhike home and win back her ex. But her determination starts to dwindle with each passing mile. Because Rosie’s spark of anger? It may have just ignited a romance with someone new…

Icons by Margaret Stohl

7th May 2013

Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol’s family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn’t know it was fighting.

Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside — safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can’t avoid.

She’s different. She survived. Why?

When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador’s privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn’t a coincidence. It’s a conspiracy.

Within the Icon’s reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions — which they’ve always thought to be their greatest weaknesses — may actually be their greatest strengths.

Loki’s Wolves: Blackwell Pages by K. L. Armstrong and M. A. Marr

7th May 2013

In Viking times, Norse myths predicted the end of the world, an event called Ragnarok, that only the gods can stop. When this apocalypse happens, the gods must battle the monsters–wolves the size of the sun, serpents that span the seabeds, all bent on destroying the world.

The gods died a long time ago.

Matt Thorsen knows every Norse myth, saga, and god as if it was family history–because it is family history. Most people in the modern-day town of Blackwell, South Dakota, in fact, are direct descendants of either Thor or Loki, including Matt’s classmates Fen and Laurie Brekke.

However, knowing the legends and completely believing them are two different things. When the rune readers reveal that Ragnarok is coming and kids–led by Matt–will stand in for the gods in the final battle, he can hardly believe it. Matt, Laurie, and Fen’s lives will never be the same as they race to put together an unstoppable team to prevent the end of the world.

Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan

7th May 2013

Seventeen-year-old Meg Fellowes is a wry, resourceful thief forced to join an elite group of female spies in Queen Elizabeth’s Court. There she must solve a murder, save the Crown, and resist the one thing that will become her greatest freedom–and her deadliest peril.

For Meg and her fellow spies are not alone in their pursuit of the murderer who stalks Windsor Castle.

A young, mysterious Spanish courtier, Count Rafe de Martine, appears at every turn in the dark and scandal-filled corridors of the Queen’s summer palace. And though secrets and danger are Meg’s stock-in-trade, she’s never bargained on falling in love…

Reboot by Amy Tintera

7th May 2013

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).

Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.

The perfect soldier is done taking orders.

The End Games by T. Michael Martin

7th May 2013

It happened on Halloween.

The world ended.

And a dangerous Game brought it back to life.

Seventeen-year-old Michael and his five-year-old brother, Patrick, have been battling monsters in The Game for weeks.

In the rural mountains of West Virginia, armed with only their rifle and their love for each other, the brothers follow Instructions from the mysterious Game Master. They spend their days searching for survivors, their nights fighting endless hordes of “Bellows”—creatures that roam the dark, roaring for flesh. And at this Game, Michael and Patrick are very good.

But The Game is changing.

The Bellows are evolving.

The Game Master is leading Michael and Patrick to other survivors—survivors who don’t play by the rules.

And the brothers will never be the same.

The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey

7th May 2013

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher

7th May 2013

First it was SLUT scribbled all over Lizzie Hart’s locker.

But one week after Lizzie kills herself, SUICIDE SLUT replaces it—in Lizzie’s looping scrawl.

Lizzie’s reputation is destroyed when she’s caught in bed with her best friend’s boyfriend on prom night. With the whole school turned against her, and Angie not speaking to her, Lizzie takes her own life. But someone isn’t letting her go quietly. As graffiti and photocopies of Lizzie’s diary plaster the school, Angie begins a relentless investigation into who, exactly, made Lizzie feel she didn’t deserve to keep living. And while she claims she simply wants to punish Lizzie’s tormentors, Angie’s own anguish over abandoning her best friend will drive her deep into the dark, twisted side of Verity High—and she might not be able to pull herself back out.

Thorn Abbey by Nancy Ohlin

7th May 2013

Becca was the perfect girlfriend: smart, gorgeous, and loved by everyone at New England’s premier boarding school, Thorn Abbey. But Becca’s dead. And her boyfriend, Max, can’t get over his loss.

Then Tess transfers to Thorn Abbey. She’s shy, insecure, and ordinary—everything that Becca wasn’t. And despite her roommate’s warnings, she falls for brooding Max.

Now Max finally has a reason to move on. Except it won’t be easy. Because Becca may be gone, but she’s not quite ready to let him go…

 Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon

7th May 2013

Zenn Scarlett is a resourceful, determined 17-year-old girl working hard to make it through her novice year of exovet training. That means she’s learning to care for alien creatures that are mostly large, generally dangerous and profoundly fascinating. Zenn’s all-important end-of-term tests at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars are coming up, and, she’s feeling confident of acing the exams. But when a series of inexplicable animal escapes and other disturbing events hit the school, Zenn finds herself being blamed for the problems. As if this isn’t enough to deal with, her absent father has abruptly stopped communicating with her; Liam Tucker, a local towner boy, is acting unusually, annoyingly friendly; and, strangest of all: Zenn is worried she’s started sharing the thoughts of the creatures around her. Which is impossible, of course. Nonetheless, she can’t deny what she’s feeling.

Now, with the help of Liam and Hamish, an eight-foot sentient insectoid also training at the clinic, Zenn must learn what’s happened to her father, solve the mystery of who, if anyone, is sabotaging the cloister, and determine if she’s actually sensing the consciousness of her alien patients… or just losing her mind. All without failing her novice year…

May Golden by Jessi Kirby

15th May 2013

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.

Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.

Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference.

Out of This Place by Emma Cameron

14th May 2013

Luke spends his days hanging out at the beach, working shifts at the local supermarket, and trying to stay out of trouble at school. His mate Bongo gets wasted, blocking out memories of the little brother that social services took away from his addict mom and avoiding the stepdad who hits him. And Casey, the girl they both love, longs to get away from her strict, controlling father and start anew in a place where she can be free. But even after they each find a way to move on and lead very different lives, can they outrun their family stories — and will they ever be able to come together again?

School Spirits (Hex Hall) by Rachel Hawkins

14th May 2013

Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy’s mom decides they need to take a break.

Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who’s always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.

Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt?

Sold for Endless Rue by Madeleine E. Robins

14th May 2013

This captivating historical answers the question, “Why did Rapunzel’s mother lock her in the tower?“
After a blighted childhood, young Laura finds peace and purpose in the home of a midwife and healer. Later, she enrolls in Salerno’s famed medical school—the first in the world to admit women. Laura and her adoptive mother hope that Laura can build a bridge between women’s herbal healing and the new science of medicine developing in thirteenth century Italy.

The hardest lessons are those of love; Laura falls hard for a fellow student who abandons her for a wealthy wife. Worse, her mother rejects her as “impure.” Shattered, Laura devotes herself to her work, becoming a respected medico. But her heart is still bitter, and when she sees a chance for revenge, she grabs it—and takes for her own Bieta, the newborn daughter of a woman whose husband regularly raided the physician’s garden for bitter herbs to satisfy his pregnant wife’s cravings.

Determined to protect her adored daughter from the ravages of the world, Laura isolates the young woman in a tower. Bieta, as determined as her mother, escapes, and finds adventure—and love—on the streets of Salerno.

Bieta’s betrayal of her mother’s love comes at a terrible price as lives are ruined and families are torn apart. Laura’s medical knowledge cannot heal her broken heart; only a great act of love can bring everyone forgiveness and peace.

The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan

14th May 2013

After a bizarre accident, Ingrid Waverly is forced to leave London with her mother and younger sister, Gabby, trading a world full of fancy dresses and society events for the unfamiliar city of Paris.

In Paris there are no grand balls or glittering parties, and, disturbingly, the house Ingrid’s twin brother, Grayson, found for them isn’t a house at all. It’s an abandoned abbey, its roof lined with stone gargoyles that could almost be mistaken for living, breathing creatures.

And Grayson has gone missing.

No one seems to know of his whereabouts but Luc, a devastatingly handsome servant at their new home.

Ingrid is sure her twin isn’t dead—she can feel it deep in her soul—but she knows he’s in grave danger. It will be up to her and Gabby to navigate the twisted path to Grayson, a path that will lead Ingrid on a discovery of dark secrets and otherworldly truths. And she’ll learn that once they are uncovered, they can never again be buried.

 The Cydonian Pyramid (The Obsidian Blade 2) by Pete Hautman

14th May 2013

More than half a millennium in the future, in the shadow of the looming Cydonian Pyramid, a pampered girl named Lah Lia has been raised for one purpose: to be sacrificed through one of the mysterious diskos that hover over the pyramid’s top. But just as she is about to be killed, a strange boy appears from the diskos, providing a cover of chaos that allows her to escape and launching her on a time-spinning journey in which her fate is irreversibly linked to his. In this second volume of the Klaatu Diskos trilogy, Tucker Feye and Lah Lia each hurtle through time, relating their stories in alternating viewpoints that converge at crucial moments. Fans of the first adventure will be intrigued by the chance to see the world through Lah Lia’s eyes — no matter how disturbing the vision might be.

The Rose Throne by Mette Ivie Harrison

14th May 2013

Ailsbet loves nothing more than music; tall and red-haired, she’s impatient with the artifice and ceremony of her father’s court. Marissa adores the world of her island home and feels she has much to offer when she finally inherits the throne from her wise, good-tempered father. The trouble is that neither princess has the power–or the magic–to rule alone, and if the kingdoms can be united, which princess will end up ruling the joint land? For both, the only goal would seem to be a strategic marriage to a man who can bring his own brand of power to the throne. But will either girl be able to marry for love? And can either of these two princesses, rivals though they have never met, afford to let the other live?

The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

14th May 2013

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky … But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green

14th May 2013

It all started on a whim: the game was a way for Tenley Reed to reclaim her popularity, a chance for perfect Caitlin “Angel” Thomas to prove she’s more than her Harvard application. Loner Sydney Morgan wasn’t even there; she was hiding behind her camera like usual. But when all three start receiving mysterious dares long after the party has ended, they’re forced to play along—or risk exposing their darkest secrets.

How far will Tenley, Caitlin and Sydney go to keep the truth from surfacing? And who’s behind this twisted game?

Under the Light by Laura Whitcomb

14th May 2013

Helen needed a body to be with her beloved and Jenny needed to escape from hers before her spirit was broken. It was wicked, borrowing it, but love drives even the gentlest soul to desperate acts.

When Jenny returns to her body, she finds that someone has been living her life while she was away. She doesn’t remember being Billy’s lover or defying her family. But now she is faced with the consequences. And Helen, who has returned to warn Jenny—to help her—finds herself trapped, haunting the girl she wished to save.

In this captivating companion novel to A Certain Slant of Light, the love story between Jenny and Billy begins out-of-body—where they can fly and move the stars–and continues into the tumultuous realm of the living, where they are torn away from each other even as they slowly remember their spirits falling in love.

Transparent by Natalie Whipple

21st May 2013

Plenty of teenagers feel invisible. Fiona McClean actually is.

An invisible girl is a priceless weapon. Fiona’s own father has been forcing her to do his dirty work for years—everything from spying on people to stealing cars to breaking into bank vaults.

After sixteen years, Fiona’s had enough. She and her mother flee to a small town, and for the first time in her life, Fiona feels like a normal life is within reach. But Fiona’s father isn’t giving up that easily.

Of course, he should know better than anyone: never underestimate an invisible girl.

Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell

28th May 2013

Tilda has never given much thought to dragons, attending instead to her endless duties and wishing herself free of a princess’s responsibilities.

When a greedy cousin steals Tilda’s lands, the young princess goes on the run with two would-be dragon slayers. Before long she is facing down the Wild Hunt, befriending magical horses, and battling flame-spouting dragons. On the adventure of a lifetime, and caught between dreams of freedom and the people who need her, Tilda learns more about dragons—and herself—than she ever imagined.

Dare You To by Katie McGarry

28th May 2013

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk’s home life, they’d send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom’s freedom and her own happiness. That’s how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn’t want her and going to a school that doesn’t understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn’t get her, but does.…

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can’t tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn’t be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won’t let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all…

Tale of Two Centuries by Rachel Harris

30th May 2013

Alessandra D’Angeli is in need of an adventure. Tired of her sixteenth-century life in Italy and homesick for her time-traveling cousin, Cat, who visited her for a magical week and dazzled her with tales of the future, Alessandra is lost. Until the stars hear her plea.

One mystical spell later, Alessandra appears on Cat’s Beverly Hills doorstep five hundred years in the future. Surrounded by confusing gadgets, scary transportation, and scandalous clothing, Less is hesitant to live the life of a twenty-first century teen…until she meets the infuriating—and infuriatingly handsome—surfer Austin Michaels. Austin challenges everything she believes in…and introduces her to a world filled with possibility.

With the clock ticking, Less knows she must live every moment of her modern life while she still can. But how will she return to the drab life of her past when the future is what holds everything she’s come to love?

For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she’ll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams.

Some of this turns out to be true. Some of it doesn’t.

When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer.

But it’s the things Cricket hadn’t counted on–most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits–that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality.

A beautiful future is within her grasp, and Cricket must find the grace to embrace it. If she does, her life could be the perfect shade of Nantucket blue.

Nantucket Blue is about discovering yourself and who you want to be. Cricket, determined to be there for her best friend following the death of her mother, gets a job in Nantucket Blue, so she’ll be nearby if Jule’s needs her. But, as often happens in life, the death of someone who was a mother figure to both girls causes them to grow apart and Cricket has to figure out who she is without Jules. I thought the cracks in their relationship, the hurtful comments, the betrayal of confided secrets and little signs of how much they still cared was very well drawn. We’ve all experienced the sadness that comes from outgrowing a friendship and I thought Howland captured it realistically.

As well as the romance. I won’t spoil who Cricket ends up falling for, except to say it was sweet and built up gradually. Normally I would have preferred a little more on the romance front — Howland does a pretty good job recreating the giddiness and quick intensity of first love, but the reader is never shown too much insight the love interest’s character. However, in this instance it works. I never found myself wanting or needed to know ‘x’ better, as this was very much Cricket’s journey. I also liked seeing a YA novel that treated sex, in particular losing your virginity, in a way that will probably be relatable to a lot of readers.

It wasn’t what I thought it would be like at all. It wasn’t as easy as they make it look in the movies. It took kind of a while to get everything all lined up and protected and ready to go. The actual sex part was pretty short, and I was relieved it was short. I know I’m supposed to want it to last, but I didn’t. I’ve heard that’s kind of normal for a first time. I kept my eyes open when I always thought I’d be the type to keep them shut. Oh, and the kissing was still my favourite part, which isn’t what I thought, that the first thing you do with a boy would be the best… And my face was really hot and that made me feel pretty. I didn’t think I would feel pretty.

Best of all, the protagonist doesn’t feel regretful or ashamed about having sex, so Nantucket Blue gets major points for that.

As for Cricket, she isn’t the most memorable heroine, but she has everyday flaws and has a nice character arc in the book. One aspect I really liked was watching Cricket discover and come to better understand her mother through her old diaries.

Nantucket Blue could easily have been a depressing or ansty novel. Or it could have gone the other way and been too fluffy. Instead it strikes a nice balance as a gentle summer romance with a little of the sadness and bittersweetness of life thrown in. The one thing I would say is that the ending feels a little too rushed.

As always, click on the book covers to see Goodreads reviews

Spellbinding by Maya Gold

1st April 2013

There’s more than one way to be powerful …

It is during a routine school project that Abby Silva–sixteen and nearly friendless–makes a startling discovery: She is descended from women who were accused of witchcraft back in 1600s Salem. And when Abby visits nearby Salem, strange, inexplicable events start to unfold. Objects move when she wills them to. Candles burst into sudden flame. And an ancient spellbook somehow winds up in her possession.

Trying to harness her newfound power, Abby concocts a love potion to win over her longtime crush–and exact revenge upon his cruel, bullying girlfriend. But old magic is not to be trifled with. Soon, Abby is thrust headlong into a world of hexes, secrets, and danger. And then there’s Rem Anders, the beautiful, mysterious Salem boy who seems to know more about Abby than he first lets on.

A reckoning is coming, and Abby will have to make sense of her history–and her heart–before she can face the powerful truth.

Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin 2) by Robin Lafevers

2nd April 2013

Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. Naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, the convent views Sybella as one of their most dangerous weapons.

But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father’s rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother’s love is equally monstrous. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

4th April 2013

When Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, cheats on her with an online girlfriend, Mallory decides the best way to de-Jeremy her life is to de-modernize things too. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in1962, Mallory swears off technology and returns to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat with computer avatars). The List:
1. Run for pep club secretary
2. Host a fancy dinner party/soiree
3. Sew a dress for Homecoming
4. Find a steady
5. Do something dangerous
But simple proves to be crazy-complicated, and the details of the past begin to change Mallory’s present. Add in a too-busy grandmother, a sassy sister, and the cute pep-club president–who just happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too far.

Fractured by Teri Terry

4th April 2013

How do you know where to go when you don’t remember where you came from?

Kyla’s memory has been erased,
her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost for ever.

Or so she thought.

Kyla shouldn’t be able to remember anything. But she can — and she’s beginning to realise that there are a lot of dark secrets locked away in her memories. When a mysterious man from her past comes back into her life, she thinks she’s on her way to finding the truth. But the more she learns about her history, the more confusing her future becomes…

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

4th April 2013

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O’Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.

Then Graham finds out that Ellie’s Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media’s spotlight at all costs?

Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

9th April 2013

In a magical kingdom where your name is your destiny, 12-year-old Rump is the butt of everyone’s joke.

Rump has never known his full name—his mother died before she could tell him. So all his life he’s been teased and bullied for his half-a-name. But when he finds an old spinning wheel, his luck seems to change. For Rump discovers he can spin straw into gold. Magical gold.

His best friend Red Riding Hood warns him that magic is dangerous—and she’s right! That gold is worth its weight in trouble. And with each thread he spins, Rump weaves himself deeper into a curse.

There’s only one way to break the spell: Rump must go on a quest to find his true name, along the way defending himself against pixies, trolls, poison apples, and one beautiful but vile-mannered queen. The odds are against him, but with courage and friendship—and a cheeky sense of humor—Rump just might triumph in the end.

Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent

13th April 2013

In 1861 London, Violet Morgan is struggling to establish a good reputation for the undertaking business that her husband has largely abandoned. She provides comfort for the grieving, advises them on funeral fashion and etiquette, and arranges funerals.

Unbeknownst to his wife, Graham, who has nursed a hatred of America since his grandfather soldiered for Great Britain in the War of 1812, becomes involved in a scheme to sell arms to the South. Meanwhile, Violet receives the commission of a lifetime: undertaking the funeral for a friend of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. But her position remains precarious, especially when Graham disappears and she begins investigating a series of deaths among the poor. And the closer she gets to the truth, the greater the danger for them both…

Taken by Erin Bowman

16th April 2013

There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

Dead Silence (Body Finder 4) by Kimberly Derting

16th April 2013

Violet thought she’d made peace with her unique ability to sense the echoes of the dead and the imprints that cling to their killers…that is until she acquired an imprint of her own. Forced to carry a reminder of the horrible events of her kidnapping, Violet is more determined than ever to lead a normal life. However, the people who run the special investigative team Violet works for have no intention of letting her go.

When someone close to Violet becomes a suspect in a horrific murder, she finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a madman with an army of devoted followers. Violet has survived dangerous situations before, but she quickly discovers that protecting those closest to her is far more difficult than protecting herself.

Project Paper Doll: The Rules by Stacey Kade

23rd April 2013

1. Never trust anyone.

2. Remember they are always searching.

3. Don’t get involved.

4. Keep your head down.

5. Don’t fall in love.

Five simple rules. Ariane Tucker has followed them since the night she escaped from the genetics lab where she was created, the result of combining human and extraterrestrial DNA. Ariane’s survival—and that of her adoptive father—depends on her ability to blend in among the full-blooded humans in a small Wisconsin town, to hide in plain sight at her high school from those who seek to recover their lost (and expensive) “project.”

But when a cruel prank at school goes awry, it puts her in the path of Zane Bradshaw, the police chief’s son and someone who sees too much. Someone who really sees her. After years of trying to be invisible, Ariane finds the attention frightening—and utterly intoxicating. Suddenly, nothing is simple anymore, especially not the rules…

Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

25th April 2013

Lottie is tired of long-term boyfriends who don’t want to commit to marriage. When her old boyfriend Ben reappears and reminds her of their pact to get married if they were both still single at thirty, she jumps at the chance. There will be no dates and no engagement—just a straight wedding march to the altar! Next comes the honeymoon on the Greek island where they first met. But not everyone is thrilled with Lottie and Ben’s rushed marriage, and family and friends are determined to intervene. Will Lottie and Ben have a wedding night to remember or one to forget?

I read some saddening news on the blog of one of my favourite authors yesterday, Stephanie Burgis. A dispute between Simon & Schuster and Barnes & Noble means a lot of authors won’t be getting their books in B&N stores, Stephanie’s included. Right before her third novel is due to be released! A second blog post by Stephanie brings the news that B&N employees cannot even order Stolen Magic (book 3 in the Kat series that comes out next week) for in-store delivery.

Now — this doesn’t affect sales in the UK (at least directly) since Stolen Magic (or A Reckless Magick as it’s titled in the UK) has been out since last October over here (and yes, it’s amazing, I’ve just been pretty darn useless at reviewing anything the last 6 months). But not only is it sad to see a truly great book not get the attention it deserves, but sales in the US often have a big impact on what publishers are willing to pick up over here and let me tell you — I need A Reckless Magic to not be the last book in this series, okay? I mean it wraps it up nicely, but I need more Kat in my life. I really need more Frederick in my life, and I definitely want to see more of a certain character introduced in the last book. And I can only get more Kat adventures if this one sells well.

Not to mention the fact that Stephanie totally deserves to be just as well-known as J.K Rowling. She was one of the first authors to contact me about reviewing her books when I first started this blog and I can honestly say — out of all the review requests I’ve had — these are the books I have enjoyed reviewing the most. So much so, I have already re-read all three. I’m a big, big fan of hers. And while I doubt I can make much of a difference on my little, rather sparsely updated of late, blog, I’m hoping I can inspire at least a few of you to go pick up this series. If you need some convincing — here’s my reviews of book one and two, and some great blog posts by Caitlen Rubino-Bradway on why you should read them (another favourite middle grade writer of mine. Also read her book!)

So go forth. Buy them for your kids, your cousins, your friends and yourself. Yes — they are middle grade fiction. It doesn’t matter — these books are fun, well-written and entertaining for all ages. And for a book aimed at a younger audience, certain characters can certainly bring on the smolder and make me grin like an utter fool I tell you.

And oh look — they happen to be on sale for Kindle at amazon right now *cough*

Also, these US covers are stunning. I think I might order second copies in just so I can have them on my shelves.

For as long as Ebony can remember, she’s been sheltered. Confined to her home in a secluded valley, home-schooled by her protective parents, and limited to a small circle of close friends. It’s as if she’s being hidden. But something is changing in Ebony. Something that can’t be concealed. She’s growing more beautiful by the day, she’s freakishly strong, and then there’s the fact that she’s glowing.

On one fateful night, Ebony meets Jordan and she’s intensely drawn to him. It’s as if something explodes inside of her–something that can be seen from the heavens. Ebony still doesn’t know that she’s a stolen angel, but now that the heavens have found her, they want her back.

Marianne Curley was one of my favourite authors growing up. I love Old Magic and her Guardians of Time trilogy and have read them all several times, though not for many years now. I have to wonder if I’d still love them as much if I picked them up for the first time today. Would I have the same trouble with them as I did with Hidden?

Perhaps Old Magic also followed a trend at the time it was written — but at the time, it wasn’t like any other book I had read. It was a perfect combination of my favourite things: magic, romance, the good guys fighting the bad guys and a strong historical feel.

Well, not much has changed — I’ll still pick up any book that promises those things — but I’m also far more aware of what’s out there now. I know what’s popular and what’s been done to death and I know what I’m personally bored of, or turned off by, in YA. I’m (slightly) better read. And Hidden, sadly, is just too generic for me to muster any interested in it. It feels lazy to me. I got practically half way through and nothing stood out. It feels like the same story that’s been circulating the paranormal YA bookshelf for a couple of years now and I couldn’t help but compare it to more powerful writers I’ve come across since I last picked up a Curley novel.

Perhaps it was unfair of me to even request to review Hidden. I had strong misgivings just after reading the synopsis. Frankly it sounded like a book I’d hate. But I so wanted to be surprised.

Instead I was bored. Hidden fails to invoke any sort of tension or intrigue. The character’s were uninspiring, cliché and just plain forgettable. Ebony’s only attributes are that she is clumsy and awkward and has unusual, striking eyes and an unnatural strength. Jordan falls for her at first sight. He has a mysterious, tragic back-story, one he’s intent on punishing himself for for most of the book. With his typical bad boy image, Jordan is misjudged by the entire town, while Ebony is universally (we’re told) loved by it.

The dialogue is awkward and jarring. Ebony is (apparently) extremely intelligent, but comes across instead as condescending, not to mention completely unrealistic. It’s very difficult to take a sixteen-year-old protagonist seriously when she says things like:

‘Today, my beautiful friend -’ I lean forward to pat Shadow’s elegant neck and whisper in his ear — ‘you will have a chance to stretch your long Arabian legs and we will fly together as if you have wings.’

Or one who talks to her parents like this:

‘Someone blackmailed you into silence! What happened to your brains? This man didn’t want you to expose his crime so he could go on selling more stolen babies.’…

‘What about the non-belief system by which you raised me?’ …

‘I promise you both it won’t change our relationship, but you know me. You raised me to accept nothing less than facts substantiated by a second source.’

Jordan’s dialogue, on the other hand, mostly consisted of:

‘It’s brilliant, man’…

‘Just be straight with me dude, and we’ll get on fine.’…

‘Get out of here!’…

And,

‘No shit’.
There’s also some seriously clunky info-dumping, whereby two angels explain the entire back-story, and everything we need to know about their kind, to Jordan in one overly long conversation.

Hidden just isn’t for me. I expect it will go down well enough with the thirteen to sixteen year-old demographic this book is aimed at, and at the end of the day, there’s nothing wrong with that. I went through my stage of inhaling those kinds of books then too. I’ve just outgrown them.

I don’t think Hidden will reach the same popularity as other books in the genre have over the last few years. It’s too late, too tired, for that. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Hidden has it’s share of readers who enjoy it, just as I enjoyed Old Magic ten years ago.

Regardless, of how I feel about this one, Curley’s earlier books will continue to have a special place on my bookshelf. Hidden however, won’t be joining them.

*Many thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for making Hidden available for review*

“My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes.”

Who doesn’t love Anne-with-an-e-Shirley? I love her ridiculous way of speaking, her overactive imagination, the utter despair she felt over her red hair, her temper. She never fails to make me laugh and I loved seeing Anne grow up throughout the books and become a mother herself. One of my favourite surprise presents to this day is my dad popping into a bookstore along Whitby after seeing the whole collection in hardback and buying them for me because he knew how much I loved them.

The first book is still my favourite, followed closely by Anne of the Island, where Anne goes off to college (I used to dream of living somewhere like Patty’s Place with friends just like Anne’s).

Favourite moments

Her apology to Rachel Lynde.

Dying her hair green.

Getting Diana drunk.

And of course, breaking a slate over a certain boy’s head.

“I suppose it was a romantic was to perish… for a mouse”

Oh look. It’s Gilbert Blythe.

*cough*

I’ll just leave this here:

OK. So the ‘fishing for trout’ quote is technically in the book but it’s a brilliant scene all the same.

If you love the books and haven’t seen it yet, definitely check out the Megan Follows TV version. Perfection. I remember watching these curled up after dinner on Sunday evenings when I was little. (Don’t bother with number three — it still makes me mad).

And yes, I totally want to visit Prince Edward Island!

Who’s your favourite children’s book heroine?

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Best of the Bunch in January 2013

Ordinary Magic by Caitlin Rubino-Bradway

I may read a lot of YA, but there’s just something about a MG novel done right that makes me fall in love with reading all over again. Ordinary Magic first came to my attention following a glowing review over at The Book Smugglers. Abby is the kind of heroine I love to read about, brave, compassionate, loyal and completely ordinary in a world where magic is normal. If you’re looking for a a bit of escapism full of magic and adventure, for a book that is charming and warmhearted with endearing characters, then you can’t go far wrong with this.

The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle

I’m not much of a vampire fan, but The Hallowed Ones completely won me over. This book is gruesome, with a plot that expertly builds up an eerie tension and features an intelligent, strong and capable heroine. By setting The Hallowed Ones in an Amish village, Bickle not only gives the reader a fascinating glimpse of a very different way of life, but creates an isolation that is totally complete. This is how you write a vampire book.

Best of the Bunch in February 2013

Eona by Alison Goodman

Any book that causes me to stay awake until 5am just to finish it deserves to win Best of the Bunch. Eona is the second book in a two part series, so I’m not going to give too much away here, except to say that Eona definitely holds it own against the brilliant Eon. Goodman has created a rich, vibrant world filled with complex characters whose motives are difficult to guess right up to the end. And there’s two pretty steamy romances to enjoy too. Definitely one of the best YA fantasy series out there.

The Cadet of Tildor by Alex Lidell

Another fantasy — can you tell it’s my favourite genre? The Cadet of Tildor isn’t the strongest in it’s genre, it certainly doesn’t reach the heights of Melina Marchetta and Megan Whalen Turner, but The Cadet of Tildor is a page-turner with a lot going on and a great female protagonist. It also sets up some interesting relationships for the next book. I can’t wait for book two.

Best of the Bunch is a great end of the month originally created by Lyrical Reviews and now hosted by Sally at Always Lost in Stories

 Book Reviews and posts for January and February

 The Divin­ers by Libba Bray

Charm­fall by Chloe Neill

The Misinterpretation of Tara Jupp by Eva Rice

 Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

A Witch in Love by Ruth Warburton

What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang

Top Ten Romances in Books

Cover Corner: Kelly Murphy

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t …

For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet … for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

I loved the premise. A parallel world to ours (I’m assuming), where everyone is born with two souls inhabiting one body. Over time, one of these souls becomes the dominant, while the other just fades away. But for Addie and Eva, this hasn’t happened and now they have to pretend that Eva died long ago in a world that despises and fears people like them.

I guess I felt that nothing really seemed to set Addie and Eva apart. They needed more distinct personalities and for me, none of the relationships seemed to have any real depth or emotion behind them.

Ultimately, nothing really grabbed me. Not the characters, or the situation they found themselves in. I didn’t get any sense of danger or urgency at key moments in the book that should have been filled with tension. Zhang had some interesting events going on, but I didn’t feel like anything was really pushed, like it could have been. For example, Addie and Eva are both female souls within a female body. Does it always happen like that? What happens if one of the inhabiting souls identifies differently? Has that ever happened? What about if the two souls are attracted to different genders? Perhaps these kind of questions might be touched upon in later books. Zhang does question how someone like Addie and Eva might have a relationship one day, but it only very briefly comes into conversation right at the end of the book.

What’s Left of Me is like a light, vanilla dystopian, which is fine, but it could have been far more interesting. Despite my yearning for an easy read, sometimes things need to be gritty and messy and complicated. As it stands, I’m not overly fussed about picking up the rest of the Hybrid Chronicles, I feel satisfied having read this one.