October 2011 - Competition Winners//Books of the Month & Best New Books for November!

I've already mentioned how my October reading was severely hampered through both illness and injury. First I had the never ending bug that would not go away, and then I pulled a muscle in my neck which left me in agony. Have you ever pulled a muscle in your neck? You would not believe how painful this is!

Anyhow, here's my regular monthly round up. Starting off with...

Competition Winners!

Adele H. won a copy of VIII by H.M. Castor

Brooke won a copy of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Kira B. won a copy of Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Winners of Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

Jules, Edith, Debbie, Jessica and Georgina

Winners of The Taker by Alma Katsu

Elaine, Louise,  Robin and Shauna

All winners have been notified and you should have your books soon. For books sent from The Book Depository please allow up to 28 days for delivery.

*Please Note: I am not responsible for books lost in the mail.

I have two competitions running at the moment! Enter to win a copy of The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan and a Halloween Prize Pack!

Books I loved in October:

Book of the Month: This is a toughie as I read some great books in October, but I'm going for Angel Fire - the follow up to L.A. Weatherly's Angel. I cannot resist Alex (I have a huge book crush on this guy!)and the romantic scenes in this book just made me swoon like the romantic fool that I am! I'll be reviewing the book tomorrow!

I also loved: I have high praise for both Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor and Between by Jessica Warman. Either of these could also have been my book of the month, but Alex just won it for Angel Fire.

Read my reviews of Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Between.

What I'm reading now: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of YA dystopian I had to check this out as it's by Kimberly Derting and I always enjoy her books. I'm enjoying The Pledge so far, and will be reviewing soon!

Top picks for November:

Although there are a couple of buzzed about releases out this month - Crossed by Ally Condie, The Pledge by Kimberly Derting, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi I'm not super excited for any of them.  I really like the sound of The Sharp Time by Mary O' Connell, so that's one I will be checking out.  November and December are generally slow months for book releases, but just wait until January when the release day madness begins again!

Coming up on the blog in November:

Along with the usual news and reviews I'll be taking part in the blog tour for Destined by Jessie Harrell and I'll have a competition to win a copy of the book too, so keep an eye out for that!

Win a super spooky Halloween Prize pack!!

 Happy Halloween!!

I had such big plans for Halloween on the blog, you know? But during the past month I've succumbed to both illness and injury, and as a result of these my spooky reading plans had to take a back seat.

So, instead of  a spooky review to celebrate Halloween, I have a spooky giveaway for you!

Included in the Halloween prize pack:

click on links to read reviews

The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley

I reviewed this one last year around Halloween time and it is a gloriously creepy tale - suspenseful, chilling and just a little twisted. A great gothic tale that is perfect for Halloween reading.

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver

Recently reviewed on the blog by Jen who gave this one a perfect five out of five. High praise indeed for this ghostly tale from the oh so talented Lauren Oliver.

Fury by Elizabeth Miles

A darkly seductive tale of revenge and retribution - I really enjoyed Fury by Elizabeth Miles as it reminded me of all the old school horror I grew up on!

Competition is open: Internationally!

One lucky person will win: The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley (Hardback)

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver (Hardback)

Fury by Elizabeth Miles (ARC)

Competition closes: November 20th 2011.

Following the blog is not required to gain entry to the competition, but is always appreciated!

Fill in the form below to enter!

COMPETITION CLOSED! WINNER ANNOUNCED SOON!

Exclusive UK Cover Reveal: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand!

The UK edition of Hallowed by Cynthia Hand just got a whole new look!

You might remember the original cover for Hallowed that I posted on here a while back? Well, it looks like we're not going to see Christian on the cover after all! Even though I was a big fan of the Christian cover, I like this new cover a lot too. One things for sure - I cannot wait to read Hallowed. Gimme, gimme!

In other news...did you hear that Unearthly is being developed into a TV series for the CW?! How exciting is that! I really hope the TV show happens and that the casting is more Vampire Diaries than The Secret Circle (seriously - the boys in TSC are such a let down!)

OK....I'm babbling. Here's the cover. Tell me what you think!

Book Review: Between by Jessica Warman.

Product details:
Publisher: Egmont Books Ltd.
Paperback, 384 pages.
Release date: October 3rd 2011.
Rating: 4½ out of  5.
Ages: 12+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

Only the good die young. Right? Elizabeth Valchar has it all: friends, money, beauty, a cute boyfriend and assured popularity. But on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, she is found drowned next to her parents' boat. Everyone thinks it was a tragic accident - teens drinking on a boat, a misstep leading to a watery death. But Liz is still here after death, and she doesn't know why. There are gaps in her memory. Her only company Alex, a boy killed by a car a year earlier, Liz sets out to piece together her life. But their small coastal town is hiding many secrets - about families, boyfriends and friendship. Plus, Alex hates Liz for being mean when they were alive. Was she as squeaky clean as she thinks she was? Could it be that she herself is hiding the biggest secret of all? Can Liz discover the truth? And if she does, who can she tell? An engrossing, compelling thriller that peels back the layers of small-town life to expose true, ugly, cruel human nature.

Billed as a Lovely Bones for teens Between by Jessica Warman is an atmospheric  thriller that will grip you from the very first page and keep you reading late into the night as you strive to unravel its complex plot of small town secrets, lies and betrayal.

Pretty, popular and rich, Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Valchar has it all. Loved by her family and friends, and adored by her boyfriend, Richie, Liz is the girl who all other girls want to be, and all guys want to be with. Or so it seems. For Liz is hiding some dark secrets, and what lies behind her polished smile and seemingly charmed life could be deadly, dangerous and may even have led to her death. For you see, we don’t meet Liz as a living breathing girl, but as a ghost, who is trapped in the ‘between’ as she tries to uncover how exactly she died on the night of her eighteenth birthday party while surrounded by her friends. Accompanying Liz on her journey is the ghost of Alex, a boy who died in similarly mysterious circumstances a year previously. Through a series of flashbacks we revisit the years and months leading up to Liz’s death and discover that everyone in her life, from family to friends and even her beloved Richie, has been hiding something from her, and it is up to Liz to discover who is hiding the biggest secret of all.

If David Lynch is the filmic master of exposing the dark underbelly that so often seemingly lies beneath sleepy small town exteriors, then Jessica Warman in this book is his literary equivalent as she uncovers a murky underworld lying beneath the prosperous town of Noank, Connecticut where teenagers party on the yachts of parents too preoccupied with high-flying careers to notice that their kids are spiraling out of control in a haze of drugs and alcohol. The depiction of a small town where everybody has a shady secret and the darkest things happen behind closed doors lends a brilliantly norish appeal to this book which is multi-layered and has a cross-genre appeal both thematically and topically.   Not only does Between contain all the elements of a thrilling mystery, this book also deals with a number of hard hitting issues, not least of all the issue of anorexia which has dominated Liz’s life in one way or another ever since she was a child.

In Liz, Warman presents to us a complex character and it is a testament to her skills as a writer that while the reader will initially dislike the character of Liz thinking her spoiled and shallow, they will come to warm to her over the course of the book as they watch her grow and realize the mistakes that she made in life. In death she comes of age, and we learn that she is so much more than the bitchy rich kid that she presents to us and to everybody else in her world. Liz  may appear to lead a charmed life, but all is not what it seems.

Fast paced and intense throughout and with a conclusion that is totally satisfying if not wholly unexpected, Between is everything I love in a book and is one of my 2011 favourites. In fact I liked this one so much so much that as soon as I turned the final pages, I ordered another of Warman’s books, Breathless, which I’ll be reading soon. I hope to love this one just as much as I loved Between.

Halloween Guest Blog: Savita Kalhan picks her scariest reads and you could win a copy of The Long Weekend!

Product details:
Publisher: Andersen Press Ltd.
Release date: October 2nd 2008.
Ages: 12+

Sam knows that he and his friend Lloyd made a colossal mistake when they accepted the ride home. They have ended up in a dark mansion in the middle of nowhere with man who means to harm them. But Sam doesn't know how to get them out. They were trapped, then separated. Now they are alone. Will either of them get out alive? This gripping and hypnotic thriller will have you reading late into the night.

Happy Halloween! It’s great to be here!

My Top 5 Scariest Books

Okay, I’m going to be really honest and tell you that I am a big scaredy cat when it comes to reading horror. I’ve got worse as I’ve got older, I think, but I don’t know why! When I was in my teens I read a lot of horror. It used to scare me to death and I couldn’t sleep afterwards, but I read it anyway. I read Stephen King’s Carrie, and then everything else that Stephen King had written. I read Dennis Wheatley’s The Devil Rides Out and his other occult stories. I read William Blatty’s The Exorcist, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

I’m not sure how many of those I would re-read now! Not all scary books are horror books, or vampire books, books about the occult or other dark magics. When I was in my teens, I read The Collector by John Fowles, and the main character seriously creeped me out. Before that, I read Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews, which me and my younger sisters found really scary – but none of us could put it down! We had to read the whole series.

My present list of top scary books (in no particular order) –

The Silence of the Lambs – Thomas Harris

There is something about the cannibalism of Hannibal Lecter that makes me feel physically sick and to never want to leave the house.

The Exorcist – William Blatty

The ultimate story of possession in all its macabre, violent ugliness. Scary!

The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson

This has got to be one of the best ‘haunted house’ stories ever written. Not gory or bloody, but scary.

The Amityville Horror – Jay Anson

This is a very different ‘haunted house’ story to Shirley Jackson’s, but I found it really frightening. All the more so because it’s supposedly based on the experiences of a real family!

The Road – Cormac MacCarthy

I’ve just read Richard Matheson’s I am Legend, and almost put it as the fifth book in this list. But there was something about The Road that was very, very frightening. The book is so well written, so evocative of the bleak despair humanity has sunk to. There were a couple of scenes where I really felt scared. I really recommend it.

Dark Matter – Michelle Paver

Yes, I know I’m only allowed to name my top 5, but I’m sneaking this one in because I really loved it. It’s a ghost story, and if you haven’t read it then you’re in for a treat!

Here’s a link to a website run by librarians for all sorts of spooky, horror, ghost, vampire, zombie, monster books should you need ideas for Halloween reading... http://monsterlibrarian.com/horrorfictionlistya.htm

Okay, now it’s your turn – tell me your favourite scary books in the comments section. One lucky person is in line to win a copy of my book, The Long Weekend. 

Watch this trailer and see how creepy it is for yourselves!

Thanks for inviting me, Leanna. It was great fun!


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Thanks for the great guest post, Savita!

To enter to win a copy of The Long Weekend leave a comment and your email address letting Savita know your favourite scary reads! 
I will accept entries until November 3rd 2011.
Competition is open to EVERYONE!

COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED!
WINNER ANNOUNCED SOON!
You can still comment on the post, but you won't be entered into the giveaway.

Book Review: The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan.

Product details:
Publisher: Andersen Press Ltd.
Paperback, 180 pages.
Release date: October 2nd 2008.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Source: Received from author for review.

Sam knows that he and his friend Lloyd made a colossal mistake when they accepted the ride home. They have ended up in a dark mansion in the middle of nowhere with man who means to harm them. But Sam doesn't know how to get them out. They were trapped, then separated. Now they are alone. Will either of them get out alive? This gripping and hypnotic thriller will have you reading late into the night.

A gripping thriller from the pen of Savita Kalhan, The Long Weekend is a cautionary tale of two young boys, one big mistake and the weekend from hell that will haunt their lives forever.

Frighteningly realistic, The Long Weekend follows two pre-teens, Sam and Lloyd as they prepare to spend an afternoon hanging out together after school. With their parents running late, the boys are overjoyed when a flashy car turns up to collect them, an apparent treat that has been arranged by Lloyd’s wealthy father. Blinded by the sweets and treats on offer, the boys ask no questions as their journey begins. However, it soon emerges that the man driving the car is not the friend he claims to be. What follows is a truly chilling series of events where Sam and Lloyd find themselves in a do or die situation from which there may be no escape.

While The Long Weekend may be short in length it is a truly griping page turner which certainly packs a punch as details of Sam and Lloyd’s weekend from hell begin to unfold.  There is a sense of foreboding throughout the book and I got shivers down my spine as I learnt of the horrors suffered by the boys as they struggle to survive at the hands of their captor. Kahlan captures the voice of eleven year old Sam perfectly, and in him readers will find a brave, resourceful and loyal character they can really root for. When the unthinkable happens to Lloyd, Sam is unflinching in his support for his friend.  Not for the faint of heart, The Long Weekend is a book which tackles tough and often unsavoury issues, but does so in a sensitive and age-appropriate manner.

When I first picked up The Long Weekend I imagined it to be a haunted house story, but what lies inside these pages is much more realistic and much scarier than any ghost could be.  Savita Kahlan has written a timely an important book highlighting the scary truths of the world we live in today.  Recommended.

Book Review: Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions edited by Melissa Marr & Kelley Armstrong.

Product details:
Publisher: HarperCollins.
Paperback, 443 pages.
Release date: September 20th 2011.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: YA.

A journey may take hundreds of miles, or it may cover the distance between duty and desire.

Sixteen of today’s hottest writers of paranormal tales weave stories on a common theme of journeying. Authors such as Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and Melissa Marr return to the beloved worlds of their bestselling series, while others, like Claudia Gray, Kami Garcia, and Margaret Stohl, create new land-scapes and characters. But whether they’re writing about vampires, faeries, angels, or other magical beings, each author explores the strength and resilience of the human heart.

Suspenseful, funny, or romantic, the stories in Enthralled will leave you moved.

A stunning anthology featuring some of the best YA authors around, Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions takes its readers on a paranormal road trip alongside authors such as Kimberly Derting, Jeri-Smith Ready, Rachel Caine and many more. While I am not usually one for anthologies the inclusion of Skin Contact by Kimberly Derting, set in the world of The Body Finder series, piqued my interest in this particular collection which combines a series of stories with the common theme of journeying.

A highly enjoyable collection, this is the perfect book to dip into over Halloween. Authors such as Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely), Jeri-Smith Ready (Shade) and Rachel Vincent (Soul Screamers) have contributed stories set in worlds familiar to fans of their books, while authors such as Claudia Gray explore new worlds and characters in this anthology. In short, there’s something for everyone and here are just some of my favourites:

Giovanni’s Farewell by Claudia Gray

A sweet coming of age tale with a paranormal twist set against the backdrop of a sweltering Roman July, Giovanni’s Farewell tells the story of twins Cairo and Ravenna as they make some startling self-discoveries while on a school trip to Rome.

I’ve had Gray’s Evernight series on my bookshelf for the longest time, and it’s one I’ll definitely be bumping up my TBR having enjoyed Giovanni’s Farewell with its sunny setting and intriguing cast of characters.

Skin Contact by Kimberly Derting

I couldn’t wait to get started on Skin Contact by Kimberly Derting to finally find out more about the mysterious character of Rafe who we first met in Desires of the Dead (The Body Finder #2). This is a tragic and sometimes horrific tale giving a lot of insight into Rafe’s background, his character and his abilities. 

Rafe fans may shed a tear over what he has to endure in Skin Contact, and even though my heart belongs only to Jay, I have to admit that this guy has been through a lot. He deserves some happiness.

Gargouille by Mary E. Pearson

                                    

From the author of The Adoration of Jenna Fox comes a mythological romance detailing how far a boy called Étienne will go for his one true love. The world building in this story is fantastic.  I immediately became immersed in the world of Gargouille and was left wanting more.

Also, why must book boys by the name of Étienne always be so dreamy?!

The Third Kind by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

My absolute favourite! This tale of sisters Jess and Kissy and their mysterious road trip to San Antonio gripped me right from the start. This one has got mystery, danger and romance and is completely addictive. I would love to read more about these characters and what their abilities mean for the world Jennifer Lynn Barnes has created in this awesome tale. I want more!!

Book Trailer: Crossed by Ally Condie.

Not long to go now until we all find out what happens in Crossed, the sequel to Matched by Ally Condie.

In the meantime take a look at this new trailer for Crossed.

You can also read the first two chapters of Crossed: here.

Crossed (Matched #2) by Ally Condie.

Publisher: Puffin/Razorbill

Release date: November 24th 2011.

Rules are different outside the Society.

Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky-taken by the Society to his certain death-only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons. On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life and the enthralling promise of rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices everything to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again.

Narrated from both Cassia's and Ky's points of view, this hotly anticipated sequel to Matched will take them both to the edge of Society, where nothing is as expected and crosses and double crosses make their path more twisted than ever...

Cover Candy #16 - Recent Swoonworthy Cover Reveals.

Oooh, it's been a while since I did a Cover Candy post, so I'm back today with a bumper post featuring lots of lovely covers from the past while. So much pretty!

Let me know what you think of the featured covers in comments. Will you be adding any of these to your wish list? 

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First up is the UK cover for The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman. This book is high on my wishlist and I could not be more in love with the cover! I can't wait to read it. The setting (Prague), the mystery, the romance...this all sounds wonderful! I've requested this on Netgalley, although I'm not having too much luck with Netgalley requests of late (anyone else experiencing lots of rejections lately?).  I'm not a fan of the US cover which you can see here. The UK cover is definitely the winner for me on this one!

The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

Publisher: ATOM

Release date: January 2012.

Ages: 12+

It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up.  When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love.  When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark.

But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead.  His girlfriend Adriane, Nora's best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora's sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.

Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world. Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.

I'm adding a little spooky to this post with the next two covers featured here! First up is Ghost Flower by Michele Jaffe. I've never read anything by Jaffe although Rosebush has been on my wish list for over a year! Love the sound of that one, and this one which will be releasing in May 2012. This is the UK cover. You can see the US cover: here.

Ghost Flower by Michele Jaffe

Publisher: ATOM

Release date: May 2012

Ages: YA

What would you do to find your best friend’s killer?

Eve, a runaway, finds a new job at a coffee shop on the outskirts of Tuscon. When she’s approached by two wealthy teens who claim she bears an uncanny resemblance to their missing cousin Aurora, her life takes a turn for the dark and mysterious. Drawn into a scheme to win Aurora’s inheritance, Eve finds herself impersonating the girl, who disappeared three years ago on the night her best friend Elizabeth died. But when Liza’s ghost begins to haunt Eve, doing harm to the people close to her under the guise of “protecting” her, Eve finds herself in a nightmare maze of lies and deception that leads her to question even her own identity. She realizes her only chance is to uncover the truth about what happened the night Liza died, and to find Liza’s killer— before she’s next.

This teen thriller by Michele Jaffe will keep readers turning pages well into the night.

The Haunting of Tabitha Grey is releasing in April 2012 but this is definitely one that I'll try to save for Halloween reading. Sounds so chilling! It's definitely sure to scare younger readers...and maybe even a few older readers too!

The Haunting of Tabitha Grey by Vanessa Curtis
Publisher: Egmont.
Release date: April 2012.
Ages: 11+


 I've just moved into a creepy old manor house with my family. And it feels like the house is waiting for something. I can't explain all the things that are happening here. The maids I hear sobbing...The old ladies that stand in the hall. The cold breath of...Life? Death? I don't know. I can't tell Dad or Mum. But least I've got my little brother Ben to talk to. This is a ghost story unlike any other...It will leave you chilled to the very last page.

Next up is Revived by Cat Patrick. I loved Cat's debut Forgotten when it released earlier this year, and this one also sounds amazing. This author just has THE best imagination! Can't wait to read this one. Come to think of it, I seem to be keeping up the spooky theme with the covers...

Revived by Cat Patrick

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release date: May 2012

Ages: YA

As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.

A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she discovers the agency’s true goals, she realizes she’s at the center of something much larger — and more sinister — than she ever imagined.

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti doesn't have a spooky cover but it has a very, very pretty cover! I know this one has been around for a while, but I just had to include the pretty here! Love it! 

 Illuminate by Aimee Agresti

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Release date: March 2012

Ages: 12+

Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything begins to change when she turns sixteen. Along with her best friend Dante and their quiet and brilliant classmate Lance, she is awarded a prestigious internship in the big city— Chicago—and is sent to live and work at a swanky and stylish hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of gorgeous and shockingly young-looking strangers: powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; her second-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff of glamazons called The Outfit As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people are not quite what they seem. With the help of a mysterious book, she uncovers a network of secret passageways from the hotel’s jazz-age past that leads her to the heart of the evil agenda of Aurelia and company: they’re in the business of buying souls. Will they succeed in wooing Haven to join them in their recruitment efforts, or will she be able to thwart this devilish set’s plans to take the souls of her classmates on prom night at the hotel?      Illuminate is an exciting saga of a teen’s first taste of independence, her experience in the lap of luxury, and her discovery she may possess strength greater than she ever knew

 Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock is another one that's been on my radar for a while. I believe I first heard about this one over at Stories and Sweeties - one of my fave blogs! Love the cover of this, and even though I am not a major fan of werewolf books (team Vamp!) I think that this one sounds good! 

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books.

Release date: May 2012.

Ages: 12+

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

 And finally for this edition of Cover Candy, here's the cover of Until I Die the second book in Amy Plum's Revenants trilogy. I loved Die for Me and I can't wait to find out what happens in this one. Isn't it pretty!

Until I Die is released in May 2012.

* Please note: These covers may not be  final and may be subject to change.  
** All Cover Images have been taken from Goodreads and/or Publishers catalogs/websites. 

The tale of the neverending bug and other stories...

Hello, lovely readers!

Are you wondering where I've been?

I had been scheduled to take a 'reading week' last week to prep for Halloween on the blog. I had such great spooky ideas, but unfortunately illness intervened and scuppered my plans! The last fortnight  has consisted of lots of coughing and sneezing for me and not too much reading. 

Normal service will resume on here soon, and I still intend to have some spooky Halloween treats  on the blog next week, but my reading has taken a back seat and it'll take me a while to get back into my reading groove, so bear with me if content is a little scant for the next while!

In times of illness I tend to switch off my laptop and instead listen to music and catch up on TV shows.

So, here's what I've mainly been listening to....

Lana Del Rey's Video Games. This is probably my song of the year. You should totally listen to this.

Also, I have a last.fm profile if you want to click on the link and friend me.

I've been catching up on TV shows too, and I think I may finally have found a show to replace the huge '24' shaped hole in my heart.  I recently completed a series 1-8 complete re-watch of '24' which makes me miss that show more than ever, but now with the advent of Homeland (from the makers of '24'), I think I might have found a new show to obsess over. It's off to a good start in any case.  Let's hope it doesn't go downhill from here alá Vanished, FlashForward and The Event...

I also checked out a couple episodes of The Secret Circle and so far the jury is out on that one. Hmmmm...I'm not totally addicted just yet. Call me shallow, but the guys in this show have nothing on the TVD hotties!  Meanwhile, Gossip Girl remains my #1 guilty pleasure. I do wish Prince Louis would disappear though. Who knew anyone could make a French accent sound so unsexy?!


So, that's what I've been up to. Not a lot of reading, but lots of TV and music! I've also neglected to comment on any blogs in a while (but I was ill, so forgive me!) I'll visit you all soon!

In the meantime, I will have some spooky treats for you next week (maybe even a giveaway or two!)

My giveaways of Dark Inside and Daughter of Smoke and Bone (both international) are ending soon, so make sure you enter those before they close.

By the way - I was in no way seriously ill. Just the flu - which was passed from my sister to me. I then passed it on to my boyfriend and he passed it back to me again. Well, they do say that sharing is caring...

Book Review: Indelible by Lani Woodland.

Product details:
Publisher: Pendrell Publishing.
Hardcover, 416 pages.
Release date: September 27th 2011.
Rating: 2½ out of 5.
Ages: YA.
Series: The Yara Silva Trilogy.
Other Books in Series: Intrinsical.
Source: Received from publisher for review.

Yara is beginning to understand just how much her life has changed now that she is a full-fledged Waker. After narrowly escaping death during her junior year, all she wants is a ghost-free senior year at Pendrell Academy with her boyfriend Brent and her best friend Cherie. But Yara soon discovers that there are more dark secrets in her school’s history than just the curse she broke last year. While an angry ghost makes Yara question everything she thought she knew about spirits, she and Brent learn that they might not have escaped last year as unscathed as they thought. Yara finds herself in the center of another deadly mystery, and this time all of her enemies might not be dead.

 With the same blend of ghostly mystery, intrigue and romance that made its predecessor Intrinsical such an enjoyable read, Indelible the second book in Lani Woodland’s Yara Silver trilogy invites us back into the mysterious world of Pendrell Prep where dark forces are at work and danger looms around every corner.  In Intrinsical Yara discovered her Waker abilities, and now she must utilize this newfound power that allows her to communicate with ghosts in order to solve an age old mystery, or risk losing her one true love forever…

We catch up with Yara just as she’s returning to Pendrell Prep after a summer spent in Brazil with her Waker grandmother learning the secrets of the Waker way of life. While Yara is busy catching up with her boyfriend Brent and best friend Cherie it soon emerges that dark forces are at work behind the scenes at Pendrell Prep. Yara is pulled into a new mystery which involves a disgruntled ghost, a secret society, a shady newcomer with some secrets of his own, and a boyfriend who is suffering most of all.  Things turn pretty frightening as Yara faces a race against time to figure out the latest Pendrell mystery. If you thought that things were dark and scary in Intrinsical, it soon becomes clear that Yara is dealing with a whole other level of baddie in Indelible.

While I enjoy this series for its original premise and its well drawn characters, for me this book lacked the page-turning qualities of its predecessor. While the synopsis of Indelible grabbed me from the get go, seeming to offer lots of great mystery, I felt that overall things were a little too predictable here at times. The plot slow moving and sometimes repetitive, and the writing, while sometimes beautifully descriptive was a little long-winded in places for my tastes.

The characters in this book, though, are a joy to read.  Yara and Brent’s relationship has progressed from the first book, and takes center stage here, in favour of Yara and Cherie’s friendship which was so integral to Intrinsical. Like any love match Yara and Brent’s has its ups and downs, especially when mysterious new boy DJ makes his entrance and begins referring to Yara as his ‘cupcake’ right from the start. Thankfully Yara finds this just as inappropriate as you just did, and so thankfully her and Brent remain untouched by the dreaded love triangle for now, although it’s fair to say that these two have much bigger things to worry about than another guy making a play for Yara’s heart.

While I didn’t lose myself in the mystery of Indelible, I found myself totally invested in the lives of the characters in this book. With that in mind, and with a lot of questions still unanswered, I’ll be checking out Inevitable, the final book in this trilogy, when it releases in 2012.  I’m looking forward to finding out how things work out for Yara, Brent and Co. as their story draws to a close.

Competition! Win a Copy of The Taker by Alma Katsu//Cover Alert: The Reckoning by Alma Katsu!

Today sees the paperback release of The Taker by Alma Katsu.  A stunning tale of immortal love, The Taker is one of my favourite books of 2011. You can read my review: here.

To celebrate the paperback release of The Taker, Alma's UK Publishers have provided me with four copies of The Taker. Be in with a chance to win a copy by filling in the form below.

This is one book that's not to be missed!

The Taker by Alma Katsu.
Publisher: Arrow Books Ltd./Cornerstone
Release date: October 13th 2011

True love can last an eternity . . . but immortality comes at a price. . . .

On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae—Lanny—walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her . . . despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated. 

Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley.

Part historical novel, part supernatural page-turner, The Taker is an unforgettable tale about the power of unrequited love not only to elevate and sustain, but also to blind and ultimately destroy, and how each of us is responsible for finding our own path to redemption.

Check out the sunning book trailer for The Taker by Alma Katsu:

The next installment of Alma Katsu's Immortals trilogy is coming soon...Check out the cover art for The Reckoning releasing in February 2012.

Win one of four copies of The Taker by Alma Katsu.
Competition is open to: UK & ROI
Competition closes: October 21st 2011.
One entry per person.
Check out my other competitions: Dark Inside//Daughter of Smoke and Bone//Silence: here.

COMPETITION CLOSED! WINNERS ANNOUNCED SOON!

Guest Post: Lani Woodland on the Indelible Cover Story!

Thanks to Lani Woodland for stopping by today and providing this great guest post. Her books Intrinsical and Indelible are fun reads full of mystery and romance. You can read my review of the first book in the Yara Silva trilogy Intrinsical: here.  My review of Indelible will be available for you to read later in the week!

Over to Lani for the story behind the stunning cover of Indelible!

When we shot Intrinsical’s cover, we had a very clear idea of what we wanted it to look like.  When we came together to discuss the cover of Indelible, we didn’t. We had several different ideas instead of one firm vision. The funny thing is that while we ended up LOVING the final cover, it was nothing like we had originally envisioned.

There were a few things we knew for certain. One was that we wanted a red dress, we wanted to take the pictures at the beach, we wanted to use the same model that we used for Intrinsical (and we were lucky enough to get Stephanie again), and we knew the basic essence or mood the we were going for. Knowing we wanted to use the beach didn’t really narrow down the location. There are a lot of beautiful beaches in California so we started looking up different places. Kamilla, the president of Pendrell Publishing, and I found the pier and both loved it.  It was different than most of the other piers we have out here in California. To me it looked like a school hallway with water coming down it, and evoked a sort of spooky vibe.

We decided to shoot the cover for Inevitable (the third book in the Yara Silva trilogy) on the same day. So that required Kamilla (who did the hair, the make-up, and some of the photography for the shoot) to try and make Yara look younger in one photo and older in the other. To help Yara look younger for Indelible’s image she added extensions to Stephanie’s hair. We shot at two different locations and Stephanie had her make-up redone in the back of the car while we went from location to location.

Since we weren’t exactly sure which way we were going for the cover we also invited Delco—our model who plays Brent—to come along too. We didn’t end up using him for the cover but we did use a picture of him and Stephanie for the title page.

 No matter how well you plan and discuss a shoot, sometimes things don’t work. That is sort of what happened on this shoot. The one main idea we really wanted did not work at all. I’m not going to show you those pictures but believe me, things did not come together. So we ended up using some of the other pictures we had taken just to be safe. I will admit I felt like the Indelible cover was a bust. We uploaded the images and nothing was what we planned or talked about. But we sent the handful of pictures we did at least like to the graphic designer. She had been in the discussion with us from the beginning so she knew the mood, tone and main ideas we had wanted to incorporate into the cover.

She told me which shot she had picked and I looked the picture and was like, “Yah, it’s okay, but it doesn’t really work. The lighting wasn’t fantastic on it, etc.” So I wasn’t sure about it. But I was blown away by the amazing job she did it on it. It was perfect. It was the exact sort of feel we were hoping for. It also had the subtle things we needed the cover to have. Things most people might not notice. If you want to know what those are you will have to ask me about them AFTER you have read the book. :) But yes, I love the cover. It is from an important scene in the book. It is no less important but perhaps a tad bit less heart stopping than Intrinsical’s cover. But I am beyond thrilled with the final cover and am grateful to our amazing graphic designer.

Big thanks to Lani for stopping by the blog today and sharing the cover story and the photos behind Indelible, book #2 in the Yara Silva trilogy. Indelible is out now! If you've already read Intrinsical you'll be itching to find out what happens next!

Find out more:

http://www.laniwoodland.com/

http://laniwoodland.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/laniwoodland

http://intrinsicalthebook.com/

Additional images are © Lani Woodland and may not be used without permission.

Angel Fire Blog Tour: L.A. Weatherly discusses the Angel Fire Soundtrack.

The Angel Fire blog tour is stopping here today! Read on for a fabulous guest post from L.A Weatherly where she discusses the Angel Fire soundtrack. I had fun listening to this yesterday. The song that immediately spoke to me from the soundtrack is Mexico by Incubus where the lyrics seem to capture a  certainconflict in Alex and Willow's relationship perfectly. Read on to find out more about the songs behind the book.

If you haven't already started on this series, I highly recommend that you do. Both books are awesome! I'll be reviewing Angel Fire on the blog soon, but for now if you'd like to know why I love these books so much you can check out my review of Angel the first book in this stunning series!

Angel Fire by L.A. Weatherly
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd.
Release date: October 1st 2011.

The thrilling second chapter in the electrifying Angel Trilogy. Angels will never be seen in the same way again.

Only Willow has the power to defeat the malevolent Church of Angels, and they will stop at nothing to destroy her. Willow isn’t alone, though. She has Alex by her side – a trained Angel Killer and her one true love. But nothing can change the fact that Willow’s a half-angel, and when Alex joins forces with a group of AKs, she’s treated with mistrust and suspicion. She’s never felt more alone…until she meets Seb. He’s been searching for Willow his whole life – because Seb is a half-angel too.

L.A Weatherly on the Angel Fire Playlist

Click here to listen to the Angel Fire playlist!

1. Holy – Mariachi El Bronx

2. Mexico - Incubus

3. Thistles and Weeds – Mumford & Sons

4. I was broken – Marcus Foster

5. Sad Song – Christina Perri

6. Miss Nothing – The Pretty Reckless

7. Ain't no grave – Johnny Cash

8. Iron - Woodkid

9. Big Burned Hand – Iron & Wine

10. Shake it Out – Florence and the Machine 

What could be cooler than having people with fabulous musical taste put together a playlist for your book? If you love music as much as I do, the answer is "Not much." I think the playlist for Angel Fire is a real tour de force. The soundtrack for Angel had a very distinct feel to it, and now so does this new one as the story moves further south to Mexico: deceptively simple songs, with a brooding intensity and power that builds as the playlist continues.

Here are some of my favourites, and what they mean to me in terms of the story:

"Holy", by Mariachi El Bronx: A song with a great Latin lilt and dark lyrics, "Holy" to me encapsulates Alex's fears for Willow's safety as he and Willow make the decision to go to Mexico City, with all its dangers. The perfect opening to set the mood for the book.

"Thistles and Weeds", by Mumford and Sons : This is a brilliant song about despair and holding on. To me, this is Seb as he's trying to find Willow against all odds, and feeling both so close and so far away from her.

"Sad Song" by Christina Perri: This song is SO Willow! She's reacting to the situation in the house, with everyone so suspicious of her, and tending to blame herself for not being 'mature' enough to take it all in her stride.

"Ain't No Grave" by Johnny Cash : Such a great theme for Raziel, as he brags that no grave can hold his body down. I love Cash's gravelly voice here, and the dark, rhythmic beat that pulses through the song.

"Iron" by Woodkid. An AMAZING song, absolutely perfect for the scene in the cathedral, with all its violence and horror. And you must, must, go onto YouTube and check out the video. It's jaw-droppingly awesome - genuinely the most beautiful music video I think I've ever seen.

"Big Burned Hand" by Iron & Wine : Alex's reaction to what's happened in the cathedral; his realisation that he might have lost Willow forever. Very powerful - it's sung with just an acoustic guitar, and has absolutely brilliant lyrics, ideal for this moment in the story.

"Shake it Out" by Florence and the Machine : Willow's song: the happy ending. "It's always darkest before the dawn." The perfect catharsis to end it all with.


Huge thanks to Anna and Amy for putting together such an amazing playlist for Angel Fire. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do; I know I'm going to be listening to this for a long time to come!



The full schedule for the Angel Fire blog tour is posted in the sidebar.
The Angel Fire blog tour continues  on Thursday at Reading Teenage Fiction. Make sure you check it out!

Glow Blog Tour: Interview with author Amy Kathleen Ryan.

Today I'm kicking off the blog tour for Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan. A story of a love divided set in space, Glow is a compelling read, and you can read my review: here.

Read on to find out more about Glow, the first in Amy Kathleen Ryan's Sky Chasers trilogy.

An intoxicating blend of sci-fi and dystopia, love and loss, Glow has something for everyone and is a gripping read from start to finish.  What were your inspirations and influences for writing Glow?

I love The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. The setting felt claustrophobic and threatening in a way that I thought added tension to the story. I also have great admiration for science fiction writers like Ray Bradbury, Ursula LeGuin, Doris Lessing, Octavia Butler... the list goes on. Good science fiction operates at a very high level, with all the characterisation and lovely prose of the more established genres, but an added layer of world development that allows the writer to comment on society in a new way.

Dystopian fiction with its frighteningly dark themes is a huge trend in young adult fiction right now.  What do you think it is about dystopian fiction that keeps readers coming back for more?

Short Answer: Writers have always been writing dystopian novels, but now publishers are eagerly publishing and promoting them after seeing the immense success of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games.

Long Answer: Right now the world seems to be in even more turmoil than usual. The post 9/11 era is much more chaotic and threatening than we’re used to, and I think a lot of people are becoming quite disillusioned with government in the midst of it. As a result, perhaps people enjoy seeing our society reflected in these dystopian novels, and the plots help us deal with our anxiety about what’s happening around us.

In Waverly you have created a strong, determined and likeable heroine who fights for what she believes in. What do you like most about the character of Waverly? Can you name any of your favourite female characters in books or movies who might have inspired her character?

In a crisis, some people shut down and try to make it through with minimal emotional engagement, dulling their faculties to minimize the trauma they experience. Some people, on the other hand, go into high alert, looking for a way to help themselves. Waverly is of this second type, and I admire that immensely in her. She doesn’t give up, no matter how frightening the circumstances become. Though I didn’t base Waverly on any character, I can say I’ve always especially loved books about fearless heroines, like Elizabeth Bennet or Jane Eyre. I try to give each of my female characters some aspect of their fire.



The action in Glow takes place upon two spaceships, the Empyrean and the New Horizon, with great attention paid to describing the ships and their workings.  What kind of research did you undertake in writing this aspect of Glow?

 
Honestly, I didn't do very much purposeful research at all. I have always enjoyed science fiction, and you gain a lot of theory just reading that. Also, I have a husband who enjoys reading The New Scientist, and I’ll read interesting articles he points out to me. An article from that magazine about space travel gave me the idea for the way the two ships maintain artificial gravity by constantly accelerating to create inertial force. The rest of the theory was kind of already in my head.

Can you name three other books that readers of Glow might also enjoy?

Ask a writer to recommend three books, you'll get at least five:
Parable of the Talents and Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler
The Handmaids Tale, by Margaret Atwood
The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula LeGuin
Feed, by M.T. Anderson
The Martian Chronicles, by Raymond Bradbury

As the first book in the Sky Chasers trilogy, Glow is fast paced and exciting and left me wanting more.  Can you give me any insight into the next book in the series? What can readers expect to happen next?

The second book, Spark, is mostly Seth’s story, concerning how he will redeem himself to rejoin his community after so spectacularly failing as the presumptive captain of the Empyreans.

Watch the trailer:

Find out more:

Amy's Website

Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Book to Movie news: L.A. Weatherly's Angel Trilogy movie rights optioned!

How exciting is this! Ever since I read Angel last year I've been hoping to see this series (and especially one of my favourite book crushes, Alex) on the big screen! Now that the movie rights have been optioned, there's a strong possibility of that happening! I'm reading the second book in the series Angel Fire at the moment, and it is soooooo addictive (although emotionally draining!). I'm forever recommending Angel to anyone who's looking for something a little different from their YA Angel reads. You should totally check it out!

Last year I took part in a fun blog tour where L.A. Weatherly discussed her dream movie cast list for Angel. What do you think? Don't you want to see that movie already?!

Read my review of: Angel

Check out L.A Weatherly's dream movie cast for Angel.

UK Covers

From the Press Release:

As Angel Fire, the eagerly awaited sequel to the best selling Angel, is published in the UK, the film rights for the trilogy have been optioned in the US by The Hatchery LLC and Jayne Startz Productions, Inc.

Penny Holroyde of the Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency secured the rights deal with Dan Angel at The Hatchery LLC and Jane Startz and Jane Startz productions, Inc. Jane Startz is one of the pre-eminent producers of book-to-film adaptations which have included Ella Enchanted, Tuck Everlasting, The Indian in the Cupboard, The Mighty, and The Babysitters Club.

L.A. Weatherly says of the option; “I'm absolutely thrilled that the film rights for the Angel trilogy have been optioned, especially by such a distinguished team of producers. To see it up on the big screen would be my dream come true, so along with the recent release of book 2 in the trilogy, Angel Fire, it's a very exciting time indeed - I have to keep pinching myself to make sure it's all true!”

 Usborne Fiction Firector Rebecca Hill notes, “ Usborne are thrilled with this exciting news. Publishing such a stunning series, we knew it was only a matter of time before L.A Weatherly’s epic world would be a contender for the big screen.  This unique story of forbidden love, with its breathtaking twists and turns is, is completely captivating and not to be missed.”

US Covers

The Angel Fire Blog Tour will be stopping here on Tuesday, October 11th. 

Book Review: Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan.

Product details:
Publisher: MacMillan Children's Books
Paperback, 385 pages.
Release date: October 7th 2011.
Rating: 3½ out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside

The story of a love divided set in space, Glow, the first book in Amy Kathleen Ryan’s new Sky Chasers trilogy  is a tense, exciting thriller that will keep you hooked from the very first page. Both brutal and exhilarating with frighteningly dark themes, Glow is an intoxicating blend of Sci-Fi and dystopia that will appeal to fans of  Across the Universe by Beth Revis and Ally Condie’s Matched in equal measure.

Fifteen year old Waverly has spent her whole life on board The Empyrean, a spaceship that left a crumbling and devastated earth behind forty two years ago in order to seek out a New Earth where civilization could once again flourish. Along with her boyfriend Kieran, Waverly is seen as the future of the ship and expects that she will soon be married to Kieran who is one day set to take over as Captain of the Empyrean. Waverly’s future is all mapped out for her.  It is expected that girls will marry young and give birth to many children in order to populate ‘New Earth’ once they land. However, when their supposed allies on board the New Horizon unexpectedly descend upon the Empyrean, Waverly and Kieran are cruelly separated, and it remains to be seen if the young couple will remain apart forever or find a way back to each other in what soon becomes a survival of the fittest on board the two spaceships.

Told in a dual narrative, Glow tells us of Waverly and Kieran’s experiences on board the fervently religious New Horizon and the secular Empyrean respectively.  The Empyrean is a ship in chaos and Kieran struggles to maintain control of his crew as he deals with rebellion, mutiny and absolute chaos.  Meanwhile over on the New Horizon Waverly suffers unspeakable horrors at the hands of religious zealot Anne Maher, a self-proclaimed prophet who will do just about anything to get what she wants. As you might have guessed by now, religion is a main theme of this book, and while I am not a fan of religious themes in books, I found that the religious aspects of this one were well handled raising a lot of questions about religious beliefs and motivations and never detracting from the fast-paced plot which maintained its page turning qualities throughout.

Personally, I could take or leave what was happening on board the Empyrean which most of the time amounted to nothing more than a bunch of boys being really, really cruel to each other.  What happened on board the New Horizon was a different matter entirely though.  Waverly is fierce and brave – a character you can really root for as she tries to find a way to escape the strange religious customs of New Horizon, make her way back to the secular haven of The Empyrean, and into the arms of Kieran.  In actual fact, I’m not sure I totally believed in the relationship between Waverly and Kieran. They are presented to us as two teenagers in love, but I often wondered if theirs was a relationship borne out of  not love, but necessity. Certainly Waverly seems at times to want more from her young life than to be a teenage bride.  Then there’s Seth, a boy with a dark side who intrigues Waverly and who I’m sure is going to play a bigger part in her life as this trilogy progresses.

Containing some very dark and unsavoury themes, Glow is not for the faint of heart, but it is a clever, compelling and thought provoking read, and with it’s cliffhanger conclusion, you will be back for more when Spark (Sky Chasers #2) releases in 2012.