Book Review: Undone by Cat Clarke.

Product details:
Publisher: Quercus.
Paperback, 502 pages.
Release date: January 31st 2013.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Source: Purchased.

Jem Halliday is in love with her gay best friend. Not exactly ideal, but she's learning to live with it.

Then the unspeakable happens. Kai is outed online ... and he kills himself.

Jem knows nothing she can say or do will bring him back. But she wants to know who was responsible. And she wants to take them down.

A searing story of love, revenge and betrayal from a bestselling author.

What if your whole life was taken away from you? Would you want to go on living, or would you want to get revenge?

Jem and Kai have best friends forever.  For Jem, though, Kai is not just a friend – he’s her everything. Kai is the person who makes Jem laugh like no other – the only person who really gets her at all.  And Jem is in love with Kai – she’s been in love with him her whole life.  But there’s one problem; Kai doesn’t feel that way about Jem, and he never will, because he’s gay.  Though she still crushes on Kai, Jem is learning to live with the fact that he’ll never be hers. While Jem is accepting of the fact that Kai is gay, not everybody is, and when Kai is ‘outed’ in very cruel and public way, he can’t deal with the fallout and commits suicide, leaving Jem all alone in the world.

Jem decides that there’s no point in living without Kai, but by chance or fate, on the very day that Jem decides to die, she receives a package containing a twelve letters from Kai, one to be opened each month for the year after Kai’s death.   So, Jem decides to live for one more year, and she decides that in that time, she’ll wreak revenge on the popular kids in school – led by golden couple Lucas and Sasha - that she holds responsible for Kai’s suicide.

Undone is Cat Clarke’s third novel, and is my first introduction to her work.  I’ve heard lots and lots of good things about Clarke’s books, but for one reason or another, Entangled and Torn are still sitting unread on my shelf.  Not for much longer though, because I loved Undone *so much* and now I can’t wait to read everything else by this talented author.  You know that excited feeling you get when you think you might just have found a new favourite author? That’s the feeling I got while I was reading Undone. It’s just that good!

So, what makes Undone so good?

Oh, well, just about everything – the writing, the teenage voice, which is pitch-perfect and oh, so believable, and the fact that Clarke tackles so many tough subjects – suicide, grief and homophobia to name a few – and does so head on – never sugar coating the fact that the world can be a cruel place full of nasty people sometimes.

The relationship between Kai and Jem also makes Undone a special read.  We mostly get to know Kai through his letters and through Jem’s memories of him, so it’s a testament to Clarke’s writing that even though I didn’t get to see a whole lot of him, I adored Kai. He certainly was a great guy, and it’s easy to understand why Jem feels like her life is over without him in it.  The pain Jem feels at the loss of Kai practically leaps from every page. It lets us get under Jem’s skin, and at times it’s almost as if we can see into her soul.

While I wanted to give Jem a hug at times and assure her that things would get better, I also wanted to talk her out of her revenge plot. But her grief is so raw and rage-filled that there was never any hope of that, because letting go of her revenge, would mean letting go of Kai, and even if she knows in her heart that it’s the right thing to do, Jem can’t allow herself that.

Honest, hard-hitting and heartbreaking, Undone will make you cry with its final twist – guaranteed. An outstanding and important book, I urge you to pick up a copy of Undoneif you haven’t already done so. 

 

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US readers: Sourcebooks have bought the rights to publish Undone in the US - I haven't heard a release date yet, but you can keep up to date with Undone in the US news by following Cat Clarke on twitter: @cat_clarke

Cover Alert: Cruel Summer by James Dawson.

If you loved Hollow Pike, you'll be very excited to hear that James Dawson has another book coming out soon.  Cruel Summer releases August 1st 2013. Described as a racy teen thriller that fans of Christopher Pike (me!!) will love, Cruel Summer sounds all kinds of awesome and I cannot wait to read it!  

Take a look at the newly released cover below, and let me know what you think!

Cruel Summer by James Dawson || Publication date: August 2013.

Ryan is looking forward to spending the summer with his old school friends at Katie’s luxurious Spanish villa. He hasn’t seen the gang since their friend, Janey, committed suicide a year ago. He hopes this summer they’ll be able to put the past behind them and move on – until someone else arrives, claiming to have proof that Janey’s suicide was murder – and it’s only a matter of time until her killer strikes again… 

Ryan was hoping for sun, sea and sand. Suddenly, he’s facing a long, hot summer of death, drama and deceit

 

 

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Delightful Debutantes #38 - C.J. Flood and Infinite Sky.

Today I have the lovely C.J. Flood on the blog as part of the Infinite Sky Blog Tour.  I just started reading Infinite Sky last night and will be reviewing on the blog next week, but for now you can read all about C.J's life as a debut author!

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Hi C.J! Congrats on the publication of Infinite Sky. What inspired you to write the story of Iris and Trick?
Thank you! I have always loved coming of age novels, and so began writing about a teenage protagonist. I didn't really know what the story was for a long time - until Trick arrived really. Once I had the idea of including a family of travellers, the story started to come together.


Can you give me a run down of your path to publication rom those initial inspirations right up to when you got the phone call informing you that Infinite Sky had sold and you were going to be an actual published author?
Well, it took about three years from inception to book deal. I think my path was sped up by my decision to do an MA at UEA. My writing improved so much in that year, and then I met my agent at one of the meetings the university set up. I was in London when I heard that we had our first offer, and my phone was broken (I have a bad history with phones) so most of the news came to me via email. It was so strange! We got a little offer first, and then another and then another. I mostly shared the news with my dad as I was living at home. He was so excited for me. He used to ask every day if Catherine the Great had called (that's what he calls my agent) and if we had another offer.


How did you celebrate that piece of exciting news?
I am not sure I celebrated it properly. I think I was too excited, and forgot! I had a pretty celebratory year after though, I went on a few holidays and caught up with all my friends that I'd neglected for years because of lack of money/spending so much spare time on the book.

What are your top tips for any aspiring authors out there?
Read and write a lot, and generally pay attention to the world around you. Have experiences, be curious, listen to people. Oh, and don't give up! That's important.
 

Infinite Sky has garnered a lot of positive reviews amongst lucky early readers and the book is certainly striking a chord with its audience. Name some other books you would recommend to anyone who enjoyed Infinite Sky?
Good question! And thanks, I am so pleased that people seem to be enjoying it. I would recommend Meg Rosoff's How I Live Now, Jenny Downham's Before I Die, Annabel Pitcher's My Sister Lives in the Mantlepiece, David Almond's Jackdaw Summer and also some old classics like I Capture the Castle, A Kestrel for a Knave, The Outsiders. Ah, so many!
 

What are you working on now? Do you have any exciting projects in the works?
I'm working on my second novel, which is hopefully going to come out next February. It's about a teenage girl's search for her missing brother, and is about friendship and adventure and heroism. I'm also working on a collection of short stories.

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Find C.J. Online:  Blog || Twitter

Book Review: Notes From Ghost Town by Kate Ellison +++ Giveaway (US/CAN).

Product details:
Publisher: Egmont USA.
Hardcover, 336 pages.
Release date: February 12th 2013.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Source:Received from Media Masters for review.

They say first love never dies...

From critically acclaimed author Kate Ellison comes a heartbreaking mystery of mental illness, unspoken love, and murder. When sixteen-year-old artist Olivia Tithe is visited by the ghost of her first love, Lucas Stern, it’s only through scattered images and notes left behind that she can unravel the mystery of his death.

There’s a catch: Olivia has gone colorblind, and there’s a good chance she’s losing her mind completely—just like her mother did. How else to explain seeing (and falling in love all over again with) someone who isn’t really there?

With the murder trial looming just nine days away, Olivia must follow her heart to the truth, no matter how painful. It’s the only way she can save herself.

When Olivia Tithe kisses her best friend Lucas Stern, she thinks it the start of something special.  Instead, she’s about to find out that the kiss she’s been waiting for is the end of life as she knows it. And not in a good way.   As soon as she opens her eyes after the kiss, art student Olivia finds herself stranded in of grey – colorblind.  And that’s not all.  A week later, Stern is dead, and Olivia’s mother, a woman who has struggled all her life with mental illness, is the prime suspect in his murder.   Olivia, though, is convinced of her mother’s innocence, and when the ghost of Stern visits her and assures her of the same, Olivia sets out on a mission to free both her mother, and the ghost of her lost love, who can’t rest easy until he finds out the truth.

But it Stern real? Is he imagined? Or is Olivia about to succumb to the same illness that may have cost her mother her freedom?

A compelling read from start to finish, Notes from Ghost Town is a murder mystery that flirts with the unusual and unknown, dealing with topics of murder, death and mental illness.   At its core, though, Notes from Ghost Townis the story of a girl who’s had her life turned upside down and inside out, and who is struggling to make sense of it all. 

Olivia, herself, is a great character, and by that I mean that she reads as very real.   Moody and bratty – she’s prone to outbursts especially where her dad and soon-to-be new wife are concerned, but she’s capable of great love too, as evidenced not only in her dealings with Stern, who she never wants to let go, but also in her relationship with her adorable soon-to-be step-sister, Wynn.  Those two had such a cute relationship, and it really showed all the good that was in Olivia, because for the most part, we don’t get to see the best of her in this book.  Angry and confused, she lashes out at almost everybody, gets a little too drunk a lot, neglects any and all of her friends and responsibilities and flirts with a boy who likes her only because she thinks this might help her get over Stern. Okay, also, because he’s really hot. But no matter how long she spends flirting with Austin, it’s Stern who is always on her mind.  Olivia’s grief is right there on every page – it’s raw and real, and even if you don’t really like Olivia (I did, by the way), you’ll probably find yourself rooting for her because of this.

The mystery in Notes from Ghost Town is pretty well done.  Because of the inclusion of the ghost of Stern in the storyline, I was always second guessing what exactly was going on in Olivia’s life.  And while I did figure out in the end where the story was going, it took me a little while to get there, which is always good, because lately I’ve been finding every twist and turn in my YA reads a little too obvious for my liking.  This one had just the right amount of ambiguity to keep me guessing.

Refreshing in its originality and beautifully written, Notes from Ghost Town kept me hooked right until the end.  Kate Ellison is definitely an author worth checking out.  I missed out on her debut The Butterfly Clues last year, so that’s one I definitely have pick up sometime soon.

 

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Giveaway! Thanks to Media Masters one lucky reader can win a hardcover copy of Notes from Ghost Town and a copy of the newly released paperback (complete with pretty new cover!) of The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison. 

Competition is open to readers in the US/Cananda and closes February 28th 2013.

 Fill in the Rafflecopter form below to enter!

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Read All About It: News, Deals and Cover Reveals from L.A. Weatherly, Lauren Kate, Gretchen McNeil, Samantha Young & More!

Here's a round up of the latest book news, deals and some cover reveals that I've discovered over the past few weeks!  It's also basically a digest of all the exciting news stories that come my way and which I've mostly already posted on my twitter and Facebook feeds, so if you want up-to-the-minute book news and you don't want to have to wait around for me to type this up, you can follow me on those sites!

 Like DaisyChainBookReviews on Facebook  ||   Follow  @daisychainbooks on Twitter 

And then you'll never miss a thing! 

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The cover of Angel Fever, the final book in L.A. Weatherly's unmissable Angel trilogy has been revealed. There's still a wait to go for the book (October 2013), but if you've read the series so far, you'll already know that this one will be so worth the wait!

Also, check out this very cool Angel Fever competition from Usborne: http://www.usborne.com/angel/ 

Oh yeah - that's Seb on the cover, right? So he's STILL going to be a problem?! *sulks*

Also, this synopsis doesn't exactly fill me with hope for my boy Alex. Oh, don't go breaking my heart!

In the devastated remains of the world, millions of people live in "refugee" camps provided by the angels who have all but enslaved humanity. As this angelic stranglehold tightens, Willow and Alex are recruiting and training new Angel Killers while struggling to hold ground on the celestial battlefield. But Willow continues to have feelings for Seb, and her love and resolve are tested as a shattering revelation sends Alex on a separate journey. Now that the final battle versus the angels is about to begin-and the fate of the world hangs in the balance-each of them must face the consequences of their own choices. Will love endure? Will the human race survive?

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Book Deals, Book Deals, Book Deals....

 

Forget Me by K.A. Harrington*

K.A. Harrington's FORGET ME, set in a dying town full of abandoned places, in which a 17-year-old uploads a photo of her dead boyfriend to a social media site and the facial recognition software tags him with someone else's name: a boy who lives two towns away and looks just like him, but is very much alive, to Shauna Rossano at Penguin Children's, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group. 

*Kim Harrington (Clarity, The Dead and Buried) writing as K. A. Harrington.

A Whispered Darkness by Vanessa Barger

A Whispered Darkness is a YA Paranormal Romance in which a girl and her mother are haunted by spirits who inhabit their new home, and the only way to stop the spirits from possessing her mother is to become one of them. Jennifer Mishler of Literary Counsel did the deal for world rights. 

Tennis Star Monica Seles Writes YA Fiction For Bloomsbury

Bloomsbury will be publishing Game On, the first book in a series entitled The Academy, this June. A second book, No Pain, No Fame will follow in 2014. Both titles will be available in paperback and eBook format priced £6.99. Caroline Abbey acquired world rights, all languages for both books from John Steele at REXOF, INC.

Game On tells the story of Maya, a budding tennis star who has scored a scholarship at the hottest international sports school for teen athletes. The Academy is full of beautiful talented teens and of course, plenty of drama. Perfect for fans of Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars.

*****

More Book Covers of Awesome....

Doesn't it seem like EVERY book cover was released this week?! Lovely new covers from Lauren Kate, Gretchen McNeil and more!

 

Teardrop by Lauren Kate || Publication date: October 2013.

Never, ever cry. . . . Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before.

But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth . . . and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined. From Lauren Kate comes an epic saga of heart-stopping romance, devastating secrets, and dark magic . . . a world where everything you love can be washed away. 

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3:59 by Gretchen McNeil || Publication date: September 2013

Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo.

Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.

By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

From master of suspense Gretchen McNeil comes a riveting and deliciously eerie story about the lives we wish we had – and how they just might kill you.

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Follow Me Down by Tanya Byrne || Publication date: May 2013.

The sensationally good Tanya Byrne returns with her new novel - a dark, compulsive tale of obsession and betrayal.

When sixteen-year old Adamma Okonma, a Nigerian diplomat's daughter, arrives at exclusive Croften College in Wiltshire, she is immediately drawn to beautiful, impetuous, unpredictable Scarlett Milton. Adamma and Scarlett become inseperable - until Adamma falls for Scarlett's boyfriend Dominic. Soon the battle lines are drawn and Adamma is shunned by Scarlett and her priviledged peers. But then Scarlett goes missing and everything takes a darker turn. As Adamma begins to uncover a series of ugly scandals at the school, she realises there was more than one person who wanted Scarlett to disappear and indeed that Croften has its own disturbing secrets to hide...

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The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White || Publication date: September 2013.

Isadora’s family is seriously screwed up.

Of course, as the human daughter of Egyptian gods, that pretty much comes with the territory. She’s also stuck with parents who barely notice her, and a house full of relatives who can’t be bothered to remember her name. After all, they are going to be around forever—and she’s a mere mortal.

Isadora’s sick of living a life where she’s only worthy of a passing glance, and when she has the chance to move to San Diego with her brother, she jumps on it. But Isadora’s quickly finding that a “normal” life comes with plenty of its own epic complications—and that there’s no such thing as a clean break when it comes to family. Much as she wants to leave her past behind, she can’t shake the ominous dreams that foretell destruction for her entire family. When it turns out there may be truth in her nightmares, Isadora has to decide whether she can abandon her divine heritage after all.

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 The Dream Thieves (Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater || Publication date: September 2013.

-- And I still haven't read The Raven Boys. Must get to it!!

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Here's the cover of The Registry by Shannon Stoker -- this is the New Adult dystopian I was talking about in my Rise of New Adult Fiction post. 

The Registry by Shannon Stoker || Publication date: June 2013.

The Registry saved the country from collapse. But stability has come at a price. In this patriotic new America, girls are raised to be brides, sold at auction to the highest bidder. Boys are raised to be soldiers, trained by the state to fight to their death.

Nearly eighteen, beautiful Mia Morrissey excitedly awaits the beginning of her auction year. But a warning from her married older sister raises dangerous thoughts. Now, instead of going up on the block, Mia is going to escape to Mexico—and the promise of freedom.

All Mia wants is to control her own destiny—a brave and daring choice that will transform her into an enemy of the state, pursued by powerful government agents, ruthless bounty hunters, and a cunning man determined to own her . . . a man who will stop at nothing to get her back.

 

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 And here's the cover for Down London Road (On Dublin Street #2). Super dooper excited to read this one!

Down London Road  (On Dublin Street #2) by Samantha Young || Publication date: May 2013.

Johanna Walker is used to taking charge. But she’s about to meet someone who will make her lose control....

It has always been up to Johanna to care for her family, particularly her younger brother, Cole. With an absent father and a useless mother, she’s been making decisions based on what’s best for Cole for as long as she can remember. She even determines what men to date by how much they can provide for her brother and her, not on whatever sparks may—or may not—fly.

But with Cameron MacCabe, the attraction is undeniable. The sexy new bartender at work gives her butterflies every time she looks at him. And for once, Jo is tempted to put her needs first. Cam is just as obsessed with getting to know Jo, but her walls are too solid to let him get close enough to even try.

Then Cam moves into the flat below Jo’s, and their blistering connection becomes impossible to ignore. Especially since Cam is determined to uncover all of Jo’s secrets …even if it means taking apart her defenses piece by piece.

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From Book to Screen....

Delirium Casting News

Emma Roberts is to lead new Fox drama pilot Delirium.

The Scream 4 star will play teen heroine Lena Holoway in an adaptation of Lauren Oliver's novel series.

Delirium - from Prison Break producer Karyn Usher - is set in a future world where all feelings of love have been eradicated. Roberts's character rebels against the system when she falls for a young man.

The Killing‘s Billy Campbell has been cast in Fox’s dystopian drama pilot Delirium


.Campbell will play Thomas Fineman in the project, which is set in a world where love is deemed illegal and is able to be eradicated with a special procedure.

Thomas is a wealthy lobbyist who supports the use of the procedure, which leads to a peaceful society free of the ups and downs of romantic entanglement. Despite his good looks and perfect image, though, Campbell’s character can be reduced to unbridled rage during times of trouble.

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Please note that book covers may not be final and may be subject to change.

Additional sources:  PW Children's Bookshelf,  Book Trade.Info,  Goodreads and TV Line.

Happy Valentine's Day - International Giveaway!

Happy Valentine's Day everybody! Any excuse for a giveaway, eh?!


Fill in the Rafflecopter form below to be in with a chance to win a romantic bundle of books featuring lots of swoony times!

One lucky reader will win copies of From What I remember, Irresistible and Love at Second Sight!

The Romantic Prize bundle contains copies of:
From What I remember by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas
Irresistible by Liz Bankes
Love at Second Sight by Cathy Hopkins.

Competition is international and closes February 28th 2013.

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Book Review: Boundless by Cynthia Hand.

Product details:
Publisher: HarperTeen.
Hardcover, 438 pages.
Release date: January 22rd 2013.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 13+
Series: Unearthly  #3.
Other Books in Series: Unearthly, Hallowed, Radiant.
Overall Series Rating: 4 out of 5.
Source: Purchased.

The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all.

 Please note: This is a review of a next-in-a-series book. There may be spoilers for the previous book in the series in this review.


Ah, Boundless.  You made me smile, and then you almost made me cry.

Saying goodbye to an absolute favourite series is always a little bittersweet.  Bitter because it’s always sad to leave characters you’ve grown to love, but sweet because you generally leave them in a better place than when you first met them. I say generally, because that’s what usually happens, but not always.  And in order to avoid spoilers in this review all I’ll say is that a certain somebody from the Unearthly series really needs their own spin-off alá Adrian Ivashkov from Vampire Academy. Because my heart broke a little bit for that someone at the end of this book. Please, please, please make that spin-off happen.

Boundless begins with Clara packing up her old life in Jackson Hole and moving back to California where she’ll attend Stanford University.   While Unearthlywas all about fulfilling her purpose, and Hallowedtested Clara’s resolve with heart-wrenching loss, Boundless is all about new beginnings and letting go of the past.   That’s easier said than done, though, especially when the past is the place your heart calls home.  Clara may have said goodbye to Tucker in Hallowed, but even though he’s no longer in her life, she often thinks of him, and the good times they shared.  That’s not to say that Clara doesn’t have other distractions though – namely University and all that entails, old enemies that continue to taunt her, and of course, a boy called Christian.

Ah, Christian Prescott.  Love him. I’ve loved him since day one. 

Let me take a minute:

“Hot is really not an adequate enough word for this guy. He is crazy beautiful. And it’s more than his looks—the intentionally messy waves of his dark hair; the strong eyebrows that make his expression a bit serious, even when he smiles; his eyes, which I notice can look emerald in one light and hazel in another; the sweetly sculpted angles of his face; the curve of his full lips.”  -

Cynthia Hand.

Le sigh. Christian is my Jay Heaton, he’s my Adrian Ivashkov, he’s my Noah Shaw, he’s my Cole St. Clair. In short, he’s one of my all time favourite book boys.

But can Christian win Clara’s heart? I mean, I don’t want to make this review all about Christian, but you know….Also, in the battle of the boys he pretty much dominates this book. Christian is a huge part of Clara’s every day life, while the cowboy, for the most part, is out of the picture.   I’m not sure how Team Tucker fans will feel about that, but that’s just how it is. However, rest assured that while Tucker isn’t physically present like before, he’ll always have a special place in Clara’s heart.   Then again, after all Christian’s been through – especially what he goes though in this book – doesn’t he deserve a little happiness? I mean, this guy would go to hell and back for Clara.

And Clara kind of knows that, which is why, having been a big Clara fan throughout the series, she infuriated me at times in this book.  Then again, Clara’s treatment of the people around her rings very true.  She has great qualities – she’s loyal, loving and caring.  But on the other hand she can be terribly stubborn and selfish.  I guess she’s very real. And that’s what makes her a great character.

As the final book in a series, Boundless features an epic showdown where good versus evil, lives are lost and all kinds of revelations come to light.  The thing about Boundless (as with Hallowed) is that is starts off a little slow, but that’s okay, because Cynthia Hand writes so, so, so beautifully. Beautiful words that become beautiful sentences, paragraphs, and pages. Then Boom!  Everything kicks off.  There are lots of surprises involving Angela (an actual OMFG moment!) and Christian – I so didn’t see that coming, although I’m thinking now that I totally should have.  What can I say? His face is a distraction.

Overall, Boundless is a great conclusion to a wonderful series that was just a joy to read from start to finish.  I miss Clara and co. already and I wish there was still more to come.  So, about that spin-off? Yeah?

*****

Radiant – Unearthly #2.5

Seriously one of the best novellas I’ve read.  Radiant depicts a hot summer in Rome with Clara and Angela that takes places between graduation (the end of Hallowed) and Stanford (the beginning of Boundless).  I loved this one because I’ve always been so intrigued by the character of Angela – I knew that girl had some major secrets! What happens in Rome stays in Rome, but that summer also has major consequences for Angela and Clara too, in Boundless.

Guest Post: Alma Katsu author of The Taker and The Reckoning on The Influential Power of Fairy Tales.

 The Reckoning (The Taker #2) by Alma Katsu

Publisher: Arrow

Release date: January 31st 2013 (First Published April 2012).

Ages: Adult

I turned to Luke and reached for him. My blood felt as though it had seized up in my veins.
 

"Lanny, what is it?" Luke asked.
 

I clutched his lapel desperately
 

"It's Adair. He's free."

  

FOR 200 YEARS SHE'S BEEN HIDING

He gave her immortality.
 

She tried to destroy him.
 

Now he is searching for her.
 

They must not meet.
 

Or there will be a RECKONING

The Influential Power of Fairy Tales: Rise or Fall?

Alma Katsu is the author of The Taker and The Reckoning (Arrow Books), the first two novels in trilogy about love, magic, betrayal and redemption.  The Taker has been published in fifteen languages and was named a top ten debut novel in the US; The Reckoning has been nominated for several fantasy awards. She lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband, musician Bruce Katsu. You can find out more about her writing at www.almakatsu.com

Fairy tales never quite leave us, do they? The stories that we’re told when we’re young—often the first stories we here—echo in the back of our minds for our entire lives.  Some might argue that this is because fairy and folk tales are derived from legend and myth, which are themselves so old that they’re rooted in our DNA, part of what Jung called the collective unconscious.

Even so, it would seem that fairy tales are enjoying a resurgence in our popular culture lately, what with the release of several movies—Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror, Mirror and most recently, Hansel and Gretel—and here in the US, not one but two hit television series, Grimm and Once Upon A Time. Can this be mere coincidence or is it a manifestation of our collective longing for the stories of our childhood?

As an author, I understand the power of fairy tales. I drew on fairy and folk tales in writing my two novels, The Takerand The Reckoning, combining history, magic and mystery to caution readers against being too reckless with one’s heart. While the Taker novels are not fairy tales themselves, I wanted them to have the same off-kilter feel and dark, evil (and sometimes sensual) thread running through them as the old fairy tales. Little bits of folk tales—Pinocchioin the case of The Taker, Beauty and the Beast in The Reckoning—were sewn throughout the books with a light hand to make the reader feel a subtle connection.

Fairy tales are referenced so often in literature, however, that one can hardly say they are enjoying a resurgence because they’ve never left—although the trend does seem to have heightened the past few years. It’s a common device in young adult books, used to great effect recently by authors such as Jackson Pearce (Sweetly, Sisters Red and most recently, Purity) and Marissa Meyer and books Cinderand Scarlet.  And while fairy tales have long been a staple in fantasy fiction, it seems lately that more literary writers are rediscovering fairy tales. For instance, very interesting work is being done at the Fairy Tale Review, founded by Kate Bernheimer, whose 2010 anthology My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me, proved that these familiar tales can inspire great original new works.

What do you think? Are fairy tales enjoying a resurgence in pop culture, and if so, why? Are we attempting to retreat to a simpler time in our lives? Or do you think it’s because fairy tales tell enduring simple truths? Which are your favorite fairy tales, and why?

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Thanks for the fabulous guest post, Alma. It's always great to have you stop by the blog!

If you would like to find out more about Alma Katsu and The Taker trilogy, check out these links:

Alma's Blog

Alma's Website

Follow Alma on Twitter

Self-Pubbed Hub #7 - C.J. Duggan & The Boys of Summer!

Emily reviewed The Boys of Summer yesterday, and today author C.J. Duggan has stopped by to talk about her writing life, the self-publishing process and The Boys of Summer.

This one sounds like such a cute read!

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The Boys of Summer by C.J. Duggan  ||  Release date: December 2012 

It seemed only natural to nickname them the ‘Onslow Boys’. Every time they swaggered in the front door of the Onslow Hotel after a hard week’s work, their laughter was loud and genuine as they settled onto their bar stools. I peeked through the restaurant partition, a flimsy divider between my world and theirs. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I saw them, saw him ... Toby Morrison.


Quiet seventeen-year-old Tess doesn’t relish the thought of a summertime job. She wants nothing more than to forget the past haunts of high school and have fun with her best friends before the dreaded Year Twelve begins.
To Tess, summer is when everything happens: riding bikes down to the lake, watching the fireworks at the Onslow Show and water bomb fights at the sweltering Sunday markets.

How did she let her friends talk her into working?

After first-shift disasters, rude, wealthy tourists and a taunting ex-boyfriend, Tess is convinced nothing good can come of working her summer away. However, Tess finds unlikely allies in a group of locals dubbed ‘The Onslow Boys’, who are old enough to drive cars, drink beer and not worry about curfews. Tess’s summer of working expands her world with a series of first times with new friends, forbidden love and heartbreaking chaos.


All with the one boy she has never been able to forget.


It will be a summer she will always remember.

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C.J. Duggan talks The Boys of Summer...

Hi C.J! Can you tell me about your self-publishing experience so far – the high points and low points (if any!) and also let me know on a scale of one to ten just how much work is involved in getting your book out there. 

I made the decision to self-publish and I have never looked back. It’s more than just writing a story, doing a spell check and pressing a button. The Boys of Summer was two years in the making. It was something I wanted to get right so in order to do that I had to research, build an audience and make sure the result was polished.  I also work with a graphic designer, formatter, editor, copy editor - an entire team. The difference with self-publishing is that I have complete creative control and I love that, at the end of the day whatever I produce has been because I have whole heartedly fought for it to be that way. It’s very liberating as an Author to have that kind of freedom.  It wasn’t an immediate thing, but one day something did click that made me think that I was going to take my writing to the next level and self-publish. The day I decided to ‘own what I do’ was a day that changed my life.

 I wrote and rewrote The Boys of Summer about a dozen times through my own edits, substantive edits, copy edits, and proofreads. For me it’s hard to rate. Even though it is, without question, a lot of hard work, I never look at it as something to complain about. I am so passionate about what I am doing and I am so busy, I seldom get a chance to think of it any other way than an utter blessing to do what I love. Yes, there are some really bad days like with anything. Self-Publishing is certainly not all sunglasses and autographs, it’s hours and hours of work, of being in the zone neglecting loved ones. Yes, we put our own money into it, our time in creating, producing, publishing and promoting our work is also all on our shoulders, it definitely has its challenges. However, the feeling of seeing something transform before your eyes and then have readers emotionally connect with your story, it wouldn’t matter if I had to claw my way through finishing it, that’s the ultimate pay off.

I like the idea of self-publishing, but it does seem like a lot of work.  What made you take the self-pubbed route with The Boys of Summer?

It’s such an exciting time to be a writer with the advance and demand of technology. It is easy to become overwhelmed and question: “how am I going to be part of such a massive thing?” Technology nowadays with self-publishing allows people to make a place for themselves in this market; you just have to make room for yourself in it. I chose to self publish because it suites my lifestyle and I have such creative flexibility. The fact I also get to make a living out of writing has exceeded all my expectations, my one and only regret is I should have started self publishing years ago.

Speaking of The Boys of Summer, this one sounds like such a fun read.  I love coming-of-age stories with beach/summer settings.  What inspired you to write the story?

It was something that has been churning in my mind since I was a little girl, even if it was something no more mapped out than a group of friends hanging lakeside over a summer. It was an idea that has manifested into an entire world and I felt that I owed it to that eleven-year-old little me to develop it into a story. I know I was eleven because I had found an old exercise book with the story plotted out in my child-like handwriting and I could seldom believe it was something that had been swimming around in my subconscious for so long. It fell perfectly in line with me doing NaNo that year (National Novel Writing Month) and that was that, in one month I smashed out the bones of ‘The Boys of Summer’ (TBoS). In writing TBoS I really wanted to capture the essence of growing up in Australia. I set it in a small fictional lake side town in the 90’s to give it a certain flavor and provide a rich setting for a coming of age story, it is an absolute labor of love.

Can you name some other books that anyone who enjoyed The Boys of Summer might also enjoy?

I think anything by Melina Marchetta, she is an amazing Aussie Author who writes wonderful emotionally charged YA books set in Australia. ‘Saving Francesca’ and ‘The Pipers Son’ are two of my favorites.

What is your writing process? Where do you write? How long do you dedicate to writing each day?

I am predominantly a night writer, I work fulltime so I have the evening to sit down in my office and get to work, usually until 2am. I have decked out an office, or as I fondly refer to it as ‘the cave’. It is my own space with my desk, my bookshelves, filing cabinets and of course a couch! I think it’s so important to have a place to be creative in, it really works for me.

What are your top tips for any aspiring authors out there?

Read, read, read. I cannot stress that enough; it’s a form of invalid research for genres, tense and style. What gets you hooked into a book? What makes your heart race? The more you read the better writer you will become.

Write what you know. Don’t write for the market, write what comes natural to you. Don’t pigeon hole yourself exclusively to a particular genre. You are a writer, go with your heart.
Research but don’t be overwhelmed by it. There is a lot of great advice out there and great forums to be a part of to learn more about your craft from those who have gone through what you are about to embark on.

Set yourself goals and stick to them as best you can, procrastination is the writers arch nemeses, it really is.

Editing. Don’t cut corners, there is a particular expectation that Indie Authors don’t produce quality, this is a falsehood. Research, build a team of people you gel with and be open to criticism, remember you are all striving towards making that manuscript the best it can be because you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Own what you do, be proud of your ability and don’t be afraid. Have the humility to accept you are not perfect and that you will learn something new every day, this is a GREAT thing!

And the best advice I have received was to remember you write because you love writing first and foremost, anything else is a bonus.

What books are on your ‘must-read’ list for 2013?

My TBR pile is so ludicrously large I long for those times when I am not working on my own book so I can read someone else’s. I have to do a catch up on my Richelle Mead, Karen Marie Moning, Patricia Briggs, Sarah MacLean, Stephanie Perkins. And of course I am always excited to see what my fellow writing friends are producing. I am really looking forward to 2013.

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Find out more about C.J. Duggan and The Boys of Summer:  www.cjdugganbooks.com

 

If you are a self-published author and would like to take part in Self-Pubbed Hub send an email to daisychainbookreviews@gmail.com and I will get back to you if your book is a good fit! Please include book cover and synopsis in your email.

Reviewed by Emily: The Boys of Summer by C.J.Duggan & Just Remember to Breathe by Charles Sheehan-Miles.

Whether you’re looking for the perfect poolside read or hoping to beat the winter blues, The Boys of Summer is a scorching contemporary romance that’s sure to delight.

It’s the end of Year Eleven and Tess couldn’t be happier to leave behind school and the awful nickname her ex-boyfriend Scott bestowed upon her. She’s ready to spend summer by the lake with her best mates, Ellie and Adam. When Adam talks her into a taking on a waitressing gig at the local pub, Tess is sure her summer is ruined. But that all changes when her job throws her in the path of the Onslow Boys. Tess has her sights set on one Onslow Boy in particular – twenty-two year old mechanic Toby Morrison.

The Boys of Summer takes place during the 90s in an Australian country town called Onslow. From kookaburras to Cold Chisel, Duggan’s world has a great Aussie vibe.  It’s also peppered with pop culture references, which bring the story to life. I wasn’t a teen in the 90s like Tess, but I appreciate the inclusion of Lip Smackers, cassettes, Impulse body spray and Shania Twain.

But the thing I loved most about TBoS is the friendship between Tess, Ellie and Adam. From the very first chapter, we see how close they are and how they’ve got each other’s backs. As Ellie and Tess grow closer to the Onslow Boys, their friendship dynamic changes and it’s interesting to see how they deal with that and how they learn more about each other in the process. The Onslow Boys themselves were funny, sexy and confident, and I totally wish I knew them in real life.

I took a while to warm up to Tess. Just when I thought I had her figured out, she’d do or say something frustrating. She’s quite judgemental and often jumps to conclusions based on her low self-confidence. And it also started to bug me that every guy in her life was attracted to her and felt the need to kiss her and tell her how beautiful she is. I think this aspect of the novel weakened the chemistry between Tess and Toby, because I just didn’t believe it as much as I would’ve if what they had together was unique. While I grew to like Tess in the end, she’s definitely a difficult character. I had issues with how she treated her friends at times and I wondered why they would forgive her so easily.

That said, the ending was very sweet and left me smiling giddily at my Kindle. For those suffering series fatigue, fear not, this one is fairly resolved by the end and can be read as a stand-alone. But the final chapter did leave me a curious about what happens next. In fact, the whole book has that feel, which is exactly what kept me up ’til insane hours on a week night, telling myself, “Just one more chapter.” (Pfft, who was I kidding?)

The Boys of Summer by C.J. Duggan.  Publisher: Self-Published.  Release date: December 17th 2012.  Ages: 17+. Emily's Rating: 3.5/5.  Source: Purchased. 

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When Alex discovers her ex-boyfriend, Dylan, is back from serving in Afghanistan and attending her university, she’s horrified. What’s worse is they’ve been assigned to the same work study program and have to spend a lot of time with each other. Dylan isn’t too happy about it either. This is the girl that broke his heart – the girl he’s been trying to forget. In order to not let their personal issues interfere with work, Alex and Dylan set boundaries. But soon it becomes clear that neither of them have let go of the past.

Just Remember to Breathe is a new adult novel told from the alternating POVs of college students Alex and Dylan. I liked Dylan straight away. He still had a sense of humour and a relatively positive attitude despite the crappy things that had happened to him. Not only did he come back injured from Afghanistan, but he also lost his best friend over there and now struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder. In his bio, Charles Sheehan-Miles says he was a soldier and now works with disabled veterans – and this shows in the novel. The details of Dylan’s injuries and recovery felt authentic, and I appreciated that. Dylan was the strongest character in this story and I wouldn’t have minded if the entire book was told solely from his perspective.
 

On the other hand, by the end of the story, I didn’t feel like I knew Alex at all. At times it seemed as if her whole life revolved around a boy. And she cried way too much. Her character didn’t begin to develop until the midway point, when we learn about her family life and the pressure she’s under from her father. But it just felt like too little, too late.

At first, I enjoyed the romance. I loved the tension when they went running together, hearing about their past relationship and seeing they still had feelings for each other. But, the thing is, their past was talked about so much that I started to feel like the most interesting story had happened before the first page of Just Remember to Breathe. And there was far too much angst. I got so sick of them going back and forth – we’re together, oh now we’re not together, and so on – that I lost interest. Their relationship became melodramatic and unhealthy. Towards the end, I wanted Alex and Dylan to break up because they were just so bad for each other.
 

I also didn’t like that the book was filled with typos. It seemed as if it hadn’t been proofread at all before it was published. I think I could’ve overcome those mistakes but, ultimately, the story as a whole fell short in the end. I didn’t believe the ending at all; it felt forced.
 

So, if you’re looking for a novel with substance that explores post-traumatic stress disorder and has a good dose of romance, I recommend picking up Trish Doller’s Something Like Normal instead.

 

Just Remember to Breathe by Charles Sheehan-Miles.  Publisher: Self-Published.  Release date:August 30th 2012.  Ages: 17+. Emily's Rating: 2/5.  Source: Received from author for review.

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