Book Review: Now You See Me by Emma Haughton.

Product details:
Publisher: Usborne.
Paperback, 336 pages.
Release date:May 1st 2014.
Rating:  3½ out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

Three years ago, thirteen-year-old Danny Geller vanished without trace.

His family and friends are still hanging on to every last shred of hope. Not knowing if he's alive or dead, their world is shrouded in shadows, secrets and suspicions.

This is the story of what happens when hope comes back to haunt you. When your desperation is used against you. When you search for the truth – but are too scared to accept the reality staring you in the face...

A mesmerizing psychological thriller with the most incredible twist you'll read all year.

Long-hidden secrets and lives built on lies are the order of the day in Now You See Me, an engagingly-written pulled-from-the-headlines psychological thriller from debut novelist Emma Haughton.

Danny and Hannah have pretty much been best friends since birth, so when Danny goes missing without a trace, age thirteen, Hannah feels as though her world will never be the same again. It’s true that Danny had been distant in the months before his disappearance, but at the time, Hannah put this down to growing up and growing apart. After Danny’s disappearance Hannah wonders if something more might have been going on in Danny’s life, something bad, maybe a secret that he didn’t feel he could share with her, but she’s clueless as to what Danny might have been hiding.

Life’s not easy for Hannah. Her mum has recently died, her best friend is missing, and her dad, lost in his own grief, is barely ever home.  But Hannah is resilient, and little by little, she moves on with her life, all the while maintaining ties with Danny’s family, in particular his adorable sister Alice. Three years on, Danny’s parents are constantly stressed; things have been strained since Danny disappeared, and Hannah knows that things will only get worse if Danny is ever found, because she’s sure that after all this time, Danny can’t be alive.

Thing is, though, in a wish come true, Danny is alive. But you know what they say about being careful what you wish for? Yeah, that too.

When Danny went missing, he was a boy. Now, back in Hannah’s life at sixteen, Danny is all grown up. At first, Hannah barely recognizes this new taller, scruffier Danny, but then she looks into his eyes, and she sees the boy she used to know. Even so, though Danny still calls Hannah by her childhood nickname, it’s pretty clear that he no longer wants to be friends with her.  He no longer wants to hang out with Alice either, even though three years previously, they were super close siblings. Old Danny was into sports, specifically swimming, but New Danny, well, all he wants to do is cause trouble, bunk off school and smoke cigarettes. Danny declares that he remembers nothing of the three years he spent away from home; not where he was, what he did, or who he met. But Hannah isn’t so sure that Danny is telling the whole truth. In fact, as times goes on and Danny sneaks out night after night, she thinks that every word that comes out of Danny’s mouth might just be a big fat lie.

Like most thrillers, Now You See Me contains a clever plot twist or two, and so for that reason, if you plan on reading this one, it’s best to do so without knowing all that much about the storyline past the fact of Danny’s disappearance and the fact that he has a dark side when he returns. Unfortunately for me the real life events that inspired this book are noted in the press release, and so I knew what was going on with Danny from the get go. Actually, I guessed the story behind Now You See Me after reading the blurb. Nonetheless, I found this UKYA to be a very enjoyable read –it’s especially perfect for anyone who enjoyed Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie- and knowing what I know of the origin story, it was interesting to see how the author dropped clues here and there and dealt with certain aspects of Danny’s return. I can’t say much more without spoiling the story, but I will be very interested to see if readers who are not familiar with the true story behind Now You See Me will figure out the truth behind Danny’s lies.

 

Win! Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly "Pretty Principessa" Prize Pack! (US Only!)

Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly || Release date: May 6th 2014

The first in a series of four epic tales set in the depths of the ocean, where six mermaids seek to protect and save their hidden world.

Deep in the ocean, in a world not so different from our own, live the merpeople. Their communities are spread throughout the oceans, seas, and freshwaters all over the globe.

When Serafina, a mermaid of the Mediterranean Sea, awakens on the morning of her betrothal, her biggest worry should be winning the love of handsome Prince Mahdi. And yet Sera finds herself haunted by strange dreams that foretell the return of an ancient evil. Her dark premonitions are confirmed when an assassin's arrow poisons Sera's mother. Now, Serafina must embark on a quest to find the assassin's master and prevent a war between the Mer nations. Led only by her shadowy dreams, Sera searches for five other mermaid heroines who are scattered across the six seas. Together, they will form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood and uncover a conspiracy that threatens their world's very existence.

*****

A new release from Revolution author Jennifer Donnelly is always a cause for excitement and today, thanks to Disney Publishing I'm here to amp that excitement up a notch or ten in the form of a very special giveaway!

First, though, take a look at the beautiful trailer for Deep Blue: 

Now, on to the giveaway!

Here's what you need to know.

Giveaway is open to US Addresses Only.

Giveaway Closes: May 6th 2014.

Two winners will each win a Deep Blue "Pretty Principessa" Prize pack comprising a copy of the book and a custom Deep Blue nail polish set.

Take a look:

Now fill in the Rafflecopter form to enter: a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

*This is a sponsored giveaway.
 *Please be advised that books/prize will be sent out via the sponsoring body.
*Books may take up to 28 days (longer if sent from overseas) to arrive.
 *Please note that I cannot guarantee delivery of prizes and cannot take responsibility for books lost in the post.**
 ** Alternative prizes may be offered.

Book Review: The Taking by Kimberly Derting.

Product details:
Publisher: HarperTeen.
Hardcover, 368  pages.
Release date: April 29th 2014.
Rating:  3 out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

A flash of white light . . . and then . . . nothing.

When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day.

Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men.

Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

For sixteen year old Kyra Agnew, life is good. The star softball player at her school, it looks like Kyra has a bright future ahead of her, and as for her love life, well, that couldn’t be better. Kyra and Austin have been together forever, first as friends, and then as a whole lot more. Kyra knows that Austin will be in her life for a long time, and despite her dad’s protests, she’s determined to stick to her plans of attending the same college as Austin. Why be apart when you can be together, right? Kyra’s dad thinks she needs to live a little before she settles on ‘The One’ but Kyra’s having none of it.  Kyra is hot-headed, she’s stubborn and she’s a fighter. One fateful night her dad pushes Kyra too far on the ‘Austin issue’ and she flips, insisting that her dad stops the car and lets her make her own way home.

And Kyra does make her way home. Five years later…

I am the biggest fan of The Body Finder series, and as such Kimberly Derting is on my auto-buy list. I fully admit, though, that apart from The X-Files, I’ve never been a huge fan of Sci-Fi or anything involving alien abduction. With that in mind, I confess that The Taking isn’t a new favourite of mine.  I can’t fault this book in terms of page-turning quality; Derting’s zipping writing definitely kept me interested throughout, but overall The Taking didn’t leave a huge impression on me. Also, The Taking is very much a ‘first in a series’ book – throwing up all sorts of questions and not giving very many answers at all. I had decided towards the end of The Taking that I probably wouldn’t continue with this series and with that in mind (and the lack of explanation for just about anything!) I feel a teensy bit cheated. I mean, give me something, you know?

Anyway, back to the book.

The Taking is split into two distinct sections. The first sees Kyra wake up behind a dumpster the morning after (or so she thinks) that fight with her dad.  Kyra’s phone won’t work, so she can’t call Austin to come pick her up, and when she gets to her house, she discovers that not only are her mom and dad not home, but there are strangers living in her house! Turns out that the rude guy who answers the door and pretty much turfs Kyra out on the street is her mom’s new husband. Now, maybe it’s just me, but I had a pretty hard time believing that Kyra’s mom’s new husband wouldn’t recognize his own wife’s missing-for-five-years daughter. I mean, it was a stretch to buy his reaction to Kyra. Wasn’t there at least a photo of her lying around the house? I dunno…Anyway, Kyra, very much freaked out by the fact that her family is AWOL, runs across the street and straight into the arms of Austin. At last – a familiar face! But wait, that’s not Austin, it’s his brother Tyler. Uh, but the last time Kyra saw Tyler he was an annoying twelve year old, and now, well now, he’s all kinds of hot. He’s also obviously not twelve years old anymore. The bomb finally drops that Kyra has been missing for five years. It also turns out that while everyone else has moved on -Her mom has a new husband and kid and her dad is a drunken conspiracy theorist who is convinced Kyra was abducted by aliens! -Kyra hasn’t aged a day. Oh, and while Kyra has been away, Austin has been at play – and is now entirely enamored with Kyra’s best friend (ouch!). Maybe Kyra’s dad was right about Austin after all…

That’s OK though, Kyra’s not one to dwell on a broken heart. After all, she’s got a ready replacement in the boy-next-door, Tyler. Yeah, Austin’s brother. Kyra and Tyler’s romance is sweet and cute, but, boy oh boy is it fast-moving. Kyra’s barely back a week and this guy is telling her he loves her. Yeah.  We’re dealing with love of the INSTA variety; strange enough in its own right, and made stranger by the fact that Kyra is not exactly easy to love. Short version: Kyra is pretty bratty, and she pretty much hates everyone in her life. Except Tyler.

Moving quickly on to part two of the book which picks up the pace and introduces the shady stalker-like Agent Truman and a boy called Simon, who is also shady and stalker-like and has strange eyes. Turns out that like Kyra, Simon is one of ‘The Returned’ and Agent Truman is the bad guy. It also looks like Kyra’s dad was right again, and crazy abductions are taking place, although whether this has to do with aliens or fireflies is yet to be decided. The final part of the book is told at breakneck speed as Kyra flees from agent Truman with Tyler by her side, but there are things about her abduction that Kyra doesn’t yet know, things that put everyone in Kyra’s life in very grave danger (things that Simon, despite knowing all the answers, annoyingly and inexplicably fails to tell her until it’s too late).

While The Taking certainly had its moments, it fell a little short for me on a number of counts. First of all, the pacing is uneven. Part one of the book is really slow: whole days where Kyra hangs out at home texting Tyler and obsessively checking the time (I don’t know why, it’s kind of her thing), while part two is told at absolute breakneck speed. The final chapters of the book, although thrilling, throw up more questions than answers, while solutions to certain problems just seem far too convenient to be plausible.  I was hoping for more from The Taking, and while it is exciting in places, overall I found it a tad predictable. This, combined with a rushed romance and a heroine I never did warm to, means that overall The Taking was a miss for me.

 

Stacking The Shelves #6 - New Books From Rainbow Rowell, Jennifer Donnelly, Jennifer E. Smith & More!

Stacking The Shelves is hosted at Tynga's Reviews.

Links Lead to Goodreads

Received for Review

Landline by Rainbow Rowell (Netgalley)

Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly 

Landline will be my second Rainbow Rowell. I enjoyed (in parts) but didn't love Fangirl so I'm hoping this one will be more to my taste. I've been told I need to read Eleanor & Park. Haven't gotten to it yet.

Arianne will be reviewing Jennifer Donnelly's new novel Deep Blue sometime soon and I have a very special Deep Blue giveaway coming up on the blog tomorrow --stay tuned for that!

The Moment Collector by Jodi Lynn Anderson (Netgalley)*

Now You See Me by Emma Haughton (Blog Tour)

Keep Your Friends Close by Paula Daly (Netgalley)

How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran (Edelweiss)

*Published as The Vanishing Season in the US.

Bought

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Current Reads: Now You See Me by Emma Haughton & The Secrets of Lily Graves by Sarah Strohmeyer.

This week I read Open Road Summer by Emery Lord and I am highly recommending to anyone who loves a great summer read and cute boys!  If you loved Morgan Matson's Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, Open Road Summer should be on your TBR! 

--

Here's what I said in my initial Goodreads review of Open Road Summer (full review to come later!)

So damn cute! The perfect coming-of-age-best-friends-on-the-road-with-cute-boys summer read!

Matt Finch, you are not apple pie, but you are so YUM! ;)

Essential soundtrack: Taylor Swift on repeat.

4.5/5

--

That's it for this week! Leave your thoughts & links in comments!

Blog Tour: Maura Brickell of Riot Communications talks Publicity & The Year of the Rat!

The Year of the Rat by Clare Furniss || Release date: April 24th 2014

I always thought you'd know, somehow, if something terrible was going to happen. I thought you'd sense it, like when the air goes damp and heavy before a storm and you know you'd better hide yourself away somewhere safe until it all blows over.

But it turns out it's not like that at all. There's no scary music playing in the background like in films. No warning signs. Not even a lonely magpie. One for sorrow, Mum used to say. Quick, look for another.

The world can tip at any moment … a fact that fifteen-year-old Pearl is all too aware of when her mum dies after giving birth to her baby sister. Told across the year following her mother's death, Pearl's story is full of bittersweet humour and heartbreaking honesty about how you deal with grief that cuts you to the bone, as she tries not only to come to terms with losing her mum, but also the fact that her sister - The Rat - is a constant reminder of why her mum is no longer around…

*****

Guest Post: Maura Brickell talks publicising The Year of the Rat 

Maura Brickell

Now, obviously, I am completely biased, but I absolutely love The Year of The Rat and feel very lucky to be part of the publishing process for such a special book.

Very briefly, my role has included securing reviews, interviews, and features across print, online and broadcast. All these things aim to raise awareness, get people talking, encourage potential readers to discover, engage with and, ultimately, buy the book.

Just as every book is different and every author is an individual, every publicity campaign is bespoke – right from ideas stage, on to planning and then securing coverage, every aspect of the campaign is carefully thought out. So, here is how we publicised #ThatRatBook:

1. THE BOOK: first step is reading the book to get a sense of key themes, understanding the plot and getting to know the characters. We’ll be telling the world about this book, so it’s important that we know exactly what we are sharing.

2. THE PLAN: at Riot Communications, we all get together and thrash out ideas so that our campaign covers all the bases in the most creative way possible. This can be anything from topics for discussion on radio, to a big stunt or even a theme for a blog tour. Then we begin planning how to make our ideas happen. Everything from who should get a proof to, what the author could talk or write about and how we make The Year of the Ratthe most talked about YA debuts of the year. Knowing that encouraging the blogging and vlogging world to take the book to their hearts would be vital, we wanted to create a hashtag to collect conversation together and, after much discussion, #ThatRatBook was born!

3. THE AUTHOR: meeting the author is always very important for me - working closely with writers is one of the main reasons I wanted to work in publishing in the first place. This process is especially important with debut novels, as it gives you a sense of why the author wrote their book, what they want the world to know about them, what they feel comfortable doing and saying and, it’s the perfect opportunity to talk them through our ideas and plan.

4. GETTING THE BOOKS OUT INTO THE WORLD: this is where we work hard to get the book into the right hands – firstly via a proof mailing to selected journalists, broadcasters, other authors and key influencers. These people get a huge number of books every day, so to ensure The Year of the Rat grabbed their attention, we gift wrapped the proofs and tied them with Pearl and Rose ribbons - inspired by the names of the characters. Hopefully, contacts felt like they were getting something special. We’ll also meet up with contacts specifically to tell them about a book and share our love for it. It will almost certainly come up in conversation at other book events and in conversations with other people in publishing. Basically, we begin championing the book and sharing our enthusiasm for it.

THE PITCH: once we know exactly what coverage we want and where, we begin to put together our pitches. This can be done in person, over the phone or on email. We’ll share an idea, details about the book and the reasoning why we think it might work for them. This process can also work both ways, once contacts know about the book they often contact us with their own ideas as to how they’d like to cover the book.

THE CHASE: with so many books vying for space in the media, sometimes you’ll need to nudge, cajoule and persuade a contact about your idea. This is more commonly known as ‘chasing’ and needs to be done very carefully and requires just the right level of enthusiastic persistence so as not to annoy anyone. Over the years, you get to know when to push and when to let something go and you also get to know media contacts much better, so that the whole process is much more enjoyable.

THE COVERAGE: Once the coverage is agreed, we are then responsible for making it happen: asking the author to write something or arranging for the author to meet a journalist. We arrange timings, transport and keep the author up to speed with what is expected of them. Often we might go along to the interview to make sure everything runs smoothly or work with an author on a feature, if they need our imput.

So, after much pitching, pushing and championing, we are really pleased to have secured The Year of the Rat some great coverage which, we hope, will launch it into the world and help it sell lots and lots of beautiful books. Oh and I'll give you an exclusive: Clare Furniss is wonderful to work with!

---

Maura Brickell is Campaigns Director at Riot Communications.  Follow her on Twitter @Red_Books

http://clarefurniss.com/

For more information on author Clare Furniss and The Year of The Rat

@ClareFurniss 

Reviewed by Arianne: The Year of the Rat by Clare Furniss.

Product details:
Publisher: Simon & Schuster.
Hardcover, 320 pages.
Release date: April 24th 2014.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Source: Received from publisher for review.
Reviewed by: Arianne.

I always thought you'd know, somehow, if something terrible was going to happen. I thought you'd sense it, like when the air goes damp and heavy before a storm and you know you'd better hide yourself away somewhere safe until it all blows over.

But it turns out it's not like that at all. There's no scary music playing in the background like in films. No warning signs. Not even a lonely magpie. One for sorrow, Mum used to say. Quick, look for another.

The world can tip at any moment … a fact that fifteen-year-old Pearl is all too aware of when her mum dies after giving birth to her baby sister. Told across the year following her mother's death, Pearl's story is full of bittersweet humour and heartbreaking honesty about how you deal with grief that cuts you to the bone, as she tries not only to come to terms with losing her mum, but also the fact that her sister - The Rat - is a constant reminder of why her mum is no longer around…

The Year of the Rat is a book I never expected to land in my review pile – but now it has, I’m so glad I took the time to read and enjoy it. 

The world gives and the world takes away. Fifteen-year-old Pearl thought she understood this. After all, she’s never known her real dad, but she’s got a great stepdad instead. Somehow, though, losing a mother and gaining a wrinkly little ratsister is an equation that just doesn’t seem to add up.

This is not an easy read. It’s emotional and unexpectedly brutal. Pearl’s grief is very real and being inside her head is a tough place to be – but the author knows her inside out and short, time-lapse chapters keep the pages turning. Full of heartbreak and desolation, it’s at the very forefront of UKYA in 2014.

After the loss of her mother, Pearl is devastated and furious and lost all at the same time. She doesn’t know what to feel, and she needs someone to blame. Baby sister Rose is the perfect candidate. Pearl can see Rose taking up more and more space in her stepdad’s heart – and she’s pushing Pearl out. Bitter and angry, Pearl starts to rebel. 

Pearl shuns many of her loved ones over the course of this book, but they are still incredibly present. Her stepdad is devoted but inconsolable. To him, Rose is a reminder of his late wife, and he clings to her in the same way that this tiny baby is clinging to life. He tries to reach out to Pearl but when it appears that he is the last thing Pearl wants, he puts all his energy into willing Rose to survive. Pearl’s best friend also makes an appearance, but with her new boyfriend Ravi providing far more entertaining conversation than unhappy, misanthropic Pearl, even she gives up after a while. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the huge role played by Pearl’s mother herself, and not just as a symbol or a memory. Pearl’s connection with her lost mother is open to interpretation, but it’s impossible not to be moved by the forlorn vestiges of their relationship. 

As she becomes more and more distant from the people she knew 'before', Pearl seeks out new sources of attention - her biological father in particular. In a style similar to Morgan's road-trip to find her father in Janet Gurtler's 16 Things I Thought Were True, Pearl sets out a journey to find a new version of herself, wondering if maybe her real dad will be able to fill the gap that's tearing her apart from the inside out. Like many teenagers, Pearl wants an escape from the harsh realities of life – and hers is tougher than most. 

Pearl's new way of thinking is underlined by the idea that if everyone’s going to die anyway, what’s the point? She misbehaves at school and she lashes out at others - even people like Finn, the wonderful boy next door character who tries to show her that the world can still be a wonderful place even after you’ve suffered loss so close to home. I would have liked to have seen more of Finn, actually, but this is a book about survival, not romance, and that’s made clear from the beginning.

There’s only one reason I’m not giving this book five stars, and that’s the simple fact that Pearl’s behaviour is at some points so appalling it alienates the reader from the story. There is one particular moment where she can’t cope with looking after newborn Rose for a couple of hours and her response is just inexcusable. She has a mean streak that can’t be excused by the fact that she's reverted to a recklessly childlike state in the wake of her mother’s death.

It’s important to note that The Year of the Rat isn’t all misery, though. It’s heart-wrenchingly funny as well as extraordinarily bittersweet. My favourite character, without doubt, was Verity. She made me laugh so much more than I expected. There are unexpected and astonishing moments of joy to be found in these pages, and they make the book well worth reading.

In short: raw and honest, this heart-breaking tale of loss and anger is one of the most unique and compelling novels I’ve read so far this year. 

--Arianne.

Book Review: Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting.

Product details:
Publisher: Headline.
Hardcover, 389 pages.
Release date: April 16th 2013.
Rating: 4½ out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Series: The Body Finder  #4.
Other Books in Series: The Body Finder, Desires of the Dead, The Last Echo.
Overall Series Rating: 4½ out of 5.
Source: Received from publisher for review.

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

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

 Note: I try to keep things spoiler free, but you should be aware that there may be spoilers for previous books in The Body Finder series in this review!

 Violet Ambrose has pretty much come to terms with her unique ability by which she can sense ‘echoes of the dead’ and track down murderers via the imprints that cling to their bodies. There are side-effects to this, sure; such as the fact that Violet now bears an imprint of her own due to events in The Last Echo. For the most part, though, Violet sees her ability as something good: something that helps catch killers and enables the dead to rest in peace. Violet is no stranger to putting herself in danger, but her friends and family are sacred to her and she would do anything to keep them safe. However, in Dead Silence, the latest and rumored final installment in Kimberly Derting’s always-thrilling Body Finder series, the stakes are higher than ever as much to Violet’s dismay things get personal – very personal. Violet faces a race against not only time, but also a deadly serial-killer in the quest to save her nearest and dearest from certain death.

But even as we read the opening pages of Dead Silence we begin to wonder if Violet is fighting a losing battle…

Right from day one The Body Finder series has been a huge, huge favorite of mine. Back in the days of insta-love, Violet Ambrose and her best-friend-turned-boyfriend Jay Heaton were a breath of fresh air, and they still are: theirs is a romance that has stood the YA test of time, side-stepped an (unnecessary) love-triangle and emerged on the other side stronger, united and more in love than ever. In the past Violet has been stubborn, secretive and foolhardy at times, but here she is a fully-realized, well-rounded character who has her priorities in check, and ever-supportive Jay always by her side. Love that guy. #BestBookBoyfriend

Of course, while the romance in this book is pretty much to-die-for, romance is not what Dead Silence is all about. No. The Body Finder books have always been a little darker than the usual YA fare, and Dead Silence ups the gore factor and then some. This time round, Violet happens upon the actual slaughter of a family, and her investigation leads her to a Charles Mason-esque killer (complete with ‘family’ of drug addled murderers) in whom she might have just met her match. Of course, Violet being Violet, she walks straight into danger, but this time, she may just have bitten off more than she can chew. This is the final book, after all. And nobody is safe.

You might think that chasing down a serial killer might take up pretty much all of Violet’s spare time, but, no: she has a whole lot of other stuff to contend with too. Such as Rafe- the third wheel in the just-not-happening love triangle who just won’t give up, even going so far as to enroll as a student at Violet’s school. What is with that guy? Okay, Okay-it’s well known that I’m not a Rafe fan. I know some of you guys are; but the love connection is (I’ll say it again) Just. Not. Happening. I will say that in Dead Silence, Rafe is a good friend and confidante to Violet and in this book he goes above and beyond the call of duty to make Violet’s world a nicer place to be. Really. Above and beyond. It’s kind of gross, actually. I’m being harsh, I know. But it’s time for Rafe to move on and maybe he does: maybe Rafe gets a love interest of his own. Maybe. Aw, shucks. I know what this boy has been through in the past. He deserves a happy ending.

As a series, The Body Finder has it all: all four books are fast-paced thrillers from start to finish with engaging characters and that to-die-for romance. I’m so sad to see the series end. I’m extra sad to say goodbye to Jay. I’ll miss him, and I’ll miss Vi.  An added bonus to this book was getting to read Violet’s Grandmother’s diary and finding out more about the ability the two share. There is a whole lot going on in Dead Silence, and I loved every minute.   Though this is currently the last-planned book in the series (as far as I’m aware) there is still so much more than Derting could explore from this multi-layered creation of hers. A spin-off series is a strong possibility (the ending of one characters story-arc in particular throws up a whole lot of OMG!) and I would love, love, love to see The Body Finder series on TV.

I bet Jay Heaton would give those Vampire Diaries boys a run for their money in the hot TV-boyfriends stakes.

If you are a fan of YA, romance, suspense and mystery, and you haven’t yet checked out The Body Finder series, I strongly urge that you do. You are really missing out!

 

Author Event: Rainbow Rowell to meet UK 'fangirls' in July 2014!

Rainbow Rowell to meet UK ‘fangirls’ in July 2014

New York Times bestselling author, Rainbow Rowell, will embark on a UK tour in July 2014

FANGIRL author Rowell announced plans for a UK tour to her fans on her blog and via Twitter on Wednesday 16th April. Rowell will visit Scotland, England and Wales during a five-day promotional tour. The trip will include an appearance at YALC the first YA Lit Con at London Film and Comic Con, curated by Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman.

Details of the tour are as follows:

Thursday 10th July – 6.30pm
Ticketed author talk and book signing
Waterstones
153-157 Sauchiehall Street
Glasgow
G2 3EW
T: 0141 332 9105
Tickets are available from the shop at £3/£2 Waterstones Cardholders

Friday 11th July – 6:30pm
Ticketed author talk and book signing
Waterstones
12 College Lane
Liverpool
L1 3DL
T. 0151 709 9820
Tickets are available from the shop at £3/£2 Waterstones Cardholders 

Saturday 12th July – from 12noon
Author panel event and book signing
YA Lit Con at London Film & Comic Con
Earls Court 2,
Earls Court Exhibition Centre,
Warwick Road,
London
SW5 9TA
For tickets and further information visit: http://www.londonfilmandcomiccon.com/

Sunday 13th July – 2pm
Book signing
Waterstones
2a The Hayes
Cardiff
CF10 1WB
T: 029 2066 5606
This signing will not be ticketed. Please arrive early to avoid disappointment.

Monday 14th July – 6:30pm
Ticketed author talk and book signing
Waterstones
203/206 Piccadilly
London
W1J 9HD
Tickets available from: Waterstones.com/tickets £5/£3 Waterstones Cardholders (includes
refreshments) 

Grab the button if you're a 'fangirl'

Additional information: Press Release.
 

Blog Tour: Read the First Chapter of STORM by Brigid Kemmerer.

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer || Release date: April 17th 2014

(First published 2012)

Secrets are hard to keep when your life's at stake.

Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys; all the ones she doesn't want. When she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot, everything is about to change. Chris is different from the guys at school... really different. He can control water just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. The brothers are powerful and dangerous. And now that Becca knows the truth, so is she.

When the mysterious new kid, Hunter, turns up, Becca thinks she can trust him. But when he goes head-to-head with Chris, Becca's left wondering who's hiding the most dangerous truth of all.

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>>Click the top-left arrow to read in full screen.
>>Or READ/DOWNLOAD HERE.

Follow the STORM Blog Tour

Stacking The Shelves #5 - New Books From Becca Fitzpatrick, Lauren Barnholdt, Ali Harris & More!

Stacking The Shelves is hosted at Tynga's Reviews.

Links Lead to Goodreads 

I haven't done a Stacking The Shelves post in about three weeks now, so I have a LOT of books to share. Let's get to it! Also, I need to go on a Netgalley/Edelweiss ban. Seriously.

Received for Review 

Written in the Stars by Ali Harris (Netgalley)

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord (Netgalley)

The First Last Kiss by Ali Harris was my favourite read of 2013 and I've been very excited to get my hands on her new release - even more excited when I spotted it on Netgalley a whole two months before it releases. Yay! Can't wait to get started on this.

Open Road Summer has been getting a bunch of review love from my Goodreads friends and it looks like a pretty sweet summer read! 

Above by Isla Morley

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick (Edelweiss)

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer (Blog Tour)

The Long Fall by Julia Crouch

I hadn't heard a whole lot about ABOVE by Isla Morley until it landed on my doorstep, but let's just say after reading the Press Release and accompanying blurbs, my interest is most definitely piqued for this one! 

BLACK ICE, the highly anticipated new novel from Hush, Hush author Becca Fitzpatrick showed up on Edelweiss - I grabbed - and then the day after I was approved the copy EXPIRED (?!!) Thankfully, as already mentioned I had GRABBED as I have previous experience with Edelweiss copies expiring twenty-four hours after the approval email has been sent. This happened to me with Lauren Oliver's Delirium and let's just say I learned my lesson. I now grab copies from Edelweiss immediately, and currently have 48 days to read Black Ice before it expires on my eReader.

I'm on the Blog Tour for STORM by Brigid Kemmerer on April 15th. I've heard a lot of good things about this one and the Goodreads reviews seems wholly positive. 

I'm totally sold on the premise of THE LONG FALL by Julia Crouch a summer mystery which takes place in two time periods; Greece in 1980 and present day London. Sounds good!

The Best Thing I Never Had by Erin Lawless (Blog Tour)

The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank (Edelweiss)

Through to You by Lauren Barnholdt (Edelweiss)

American Blonde by Jennifer Niven (Edelweiss)

Man, I really need to cut back on my Edelweiss requests! The Hurricane Sisters sounds like a great summer saga and I'm always excited to check out anything new by Lauren Barnholdt. I haven't heard much at all about American Blonde, but I LOVE anything Old Hollywood so I'll check it out! The blurb of The Best Thing I Never Had promises that it's perfect for fans of One Day so that sounds good to me!

Bought

A Heart Bent out of Shape by Emylia Hall

If Only by A.J. Pine

The Love of my Life by Louise Douglas

Phew! And that is it! This post tells me that while I turn down a lot of books I'm sent for review, I'll still never have enough time to read ALL THE BOOKS! It's a good problem to have, I guess. Could be worse!

It's around this time of year that I always seem to take a break from blogging, and it's no different this year. I am partaking in a couple of blog tours this month, but apart from that it'll probably be pretty quiet around here for the next few weeks as I have other important things to do like binge watch House of Cards, catch up on True Detective and check out the new season of Game of Thrones, although maybe not at 2 in the a.m. 

Current Read: Far From You by Tess Sharpe. 

Book Review: A Kiss in the Dark by Cat Clarke.

Product details:
Publisher: Quercus.
Paperback, 384  pages.
Release date: April 3rd 2014.
Rating:  4 out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

When Alex meets Kate the attraction is instant.

Alex is funny, good-looking, and a little shy – everything that Kate wants in a boyfriend.

Alex can’t help falling for Kate, who is pretty, charming and maybe just a little naive…

But one of them is hiding a secret, and as their love blossoms, it threatens to ruin not just their relationship, but their lives.

Intense and gripping, A Kiss in the Dark is another page-turning winner from Cat Clarke. Filled to the brim with love, lies, secrets and heartache, Clarke’s latest offering demands to be read in one-sitting, thanks to its timely subject matter and jaw-dropping plot twists and turns.  I’ve said this before of Cat Clarke’s books, and after reading A Kiss in the Dark, my thoughts remain the same: YA doesn’t get much better than this.

Alex and Kate are virtual strangers. Actually, scratch that. Virtually these two know each other pretty well, having met on an internet forum where they’ve chatted on an off for a while. Tonight is the night that they get to meet in person. And it goes well. It goes really well. Both Alex and Kate are a little shy, a little innocent, a little unsure-footed in the ways of romance. Kate has an overprotective mother which has rendered her naïve to the ways of the world, while Alex is the sweet, sensitive type; his only concession to typical boyish behavior, a love of skateboarding.  Together, Alex and Kate are a perfect fit. And soon, they are inseparable.

What follows could be a simple, sweet tale of first love; and A Kiss in the Dark is certainly a sweet love story in parts. But. This is Cat Clarke, so, you just know there’s going to be a twist in the tale. And, this twist, when it happens is not just any little old twist. Oh, no. It’s big. I’m staying far, far away from spoiler territory here, so I’ll say is, Bravo, Cat Clarke, Bravo! Now, that is how you write a twist.

A Kiss in the Dark is one of those books that’s quite difficult to review without spoiling the big reveal. 1. Because the reveal comes along very early in the story and 2. Because once you’ve read A Kiss in the Dark, you’re just going to want to talk to everyone about the twist. I will say that before reading A Kiss in the Dark I had very little knowledge of what the book was about past the ‘first love’ and ‘a big secret’ both of which are mentioned in the blurb. But Cat Clarke’s books are on my auto-read list for a number of reasons. Her books hook you immediately. And I mean immediately. I picked up both Undone and A Kiss in the Dark meaning to read just a few chapters and ended up binge-reading both all in one sitting. In the future I’ll be sure to clear a couple hours for a Cat Clarke release. Clarke also writes great characters; characters that are realistic and relatable – characters you can really identify with and root for.

Interestingly enough, though I can’t mention what it is, I saw a documentary on the very subject matter dealt with in A Kiss in the Dark a year or two ago. At the time I was left uncomfortable and intrigued in equal amounts, so make of that what you will. I will say that the documentary in question (which was based on real life A Kiss in the Dark incidents) went a lot further than Clarke does in this book. Of course, that’s entirely understandable since Clarke is working within the boundaries of YA. It also would have made for a much darker read and entirely reconstructed the motives of her character if she had ‘gone there.’

That too, would have been interesting to see.

In fact, maybe because of the heart-wrenching twist at the end of Undone, I was expecting similar here, but instead Clarke takes A Kiss in the Dark in a different direction, changing the narration late on in the book. It makes sense in a way, but for me the narration change was quite abrupt, and at that point I was very invested in the original narration. I felt the story lost a little of its momentum here. Also, at this point, I kept on expecting a killer twist right at the end. But that’s not what this book is all about.  I am too fond of my killer twists at times, it’s true.

A timely tale of relationships in the age of the internet, of self-acceptance, of adversity, honesty and of love against the odds, A Kiss in the Darkkept me hooked from start to finish, and is yet another great read from Cat Clarke. I’m counting down the days to her next book already!

 

Tweet why you want a signed competition copy of Cat Clarke’s A Kiss in the Dark between the 31^st March and 4pm on 4^th April. Make sure you @Cat_Clarke & include the #AKITD to be in with a chance of winning. The winner will be announced on Friday 4^th at 4:30pm. Good luck.

Delightful Debutantes Revisited: Catching up with Cat Clarke!

Hi, Cat. It’s been a while since we last spoke on the blog (way back in 2010 to be exact – right around the release of your debut novel Entangled). Since then, you’ve written more great books! What’s been your best author or fan experience to date and how has your writing life changed since those early days?

What a great question! I think my best author experience was at the Salon du Livre de Jeunesse in Paris late last year. It’s this huge children’s book fair, filled with people who are crazy about books. I got to meet so many lovely fans and bloggers – it was kind of overwhelming. I was signing books for so long I got cramp in my wrist – that’s NEVER happened before! I think for the first time in my career I almost felt like a real author. (ALMOST!)

As for my writing life, well it hasn’t changed all that much. I’m faster at writing now, which is just as well, because deadlines are a big feature in my life! Oh, and I now have two dogs to distract me from my work. Weirdly, I’ve managed to be more productive since getting the dogs. All that walking in the park has turned out to be very valuable thinking time!

I recently read A Kiss in the Dark and my jaw literally dropped within chapters. You know how to surprise your readers, huh! And you know how to write a great plot twist. Undonetotally made me cry, by the way. Now I want to know what books have shocked you and made you cry (or maybe both!)

Thank you so much. I do like to try to surprise readers whenever I can! It’s quite rare for books to shock me, but one that did recently was The Fault in Our Stars. I can’t say why, but it also made me cry. A lot. That’s probably the most I’ve cried when reading a book. Another recent read that made me cry (and laugh out loud) was A Boy Called Hope by Lara Williamson. I seem to be reading a lot of tear-jerking books recently!

Cat Clarke writes great books!

Of all the characters you’ve written, do you have a particular favourite? Who can you imagine yourself hanging out with in real life? Are there any characters you would like to revisit in the future?

I have a bit of soft spot for Jack from Torn and Kai from Undone. I think they would both be fun to hang out with. They’d probably get on really well, actually! I quite like Alex from A Kiss in the Dark too. If I was looking for a drinking buddy, I’d probably give Grace from Entangled a call… which I might end up regretting.

As for revisiting a character, I get asked a lot about Sasha from Undone. A lot of people seem really keen to know how things turn out for her. I don’t think I’ll ever write her story though… but never say never!

Since we last talked UKYA has really grown in popularity. What are some of your favourite UKYA books? Also, if you’ve read any upcoming UKYA releases you think everyone needs to read, please share.

My absolute favourite UKYA novel has to be Looking for JJ, by Anne Cassidy. I loved it so much I’m almost too scared to read the sequel, Finding Jennifer Jones, which has just been released.

The UKYA book I’m most looking forward to this year is Say Her Name by James Dawson. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but it will be top of my TBR pile as soon as I can get my grubby little hands on a copy.

Finally, I hear your next book is a psychological thriller called Safe and Sound. It’s no secret that I love a good psychological thriller (and I bet this one will be all kinds of twisty!) Tell me more!

I’m finishing the first draft as we speak! I’m really excited about this book. I’ve been able to explore some things that really fascinate me, so I’ve really enjoyed writing it. Weirdly enough the writing of this book has been a lot less angsty than usual, even though there’s a fair bit of angst in the story!

Thank you so much for having me on your blog!

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Thanks for the great catch up, Cat! I can't wait to read Safe and Sound! 

Tweet why you want a signed competition copy of Cat Clarke’s A Kiss in the Dark between the 31^st March and 4pm on 4^th April. Make sure you @Cat_Clarke & include the #AKITD to be in with a chance of winning. The winner will be announced on Friday 4^th at 4:30pm. Good luck.