welcome blog: December 2010

Product details:
Publisher: Puffin.
Paperback, 327 pages.
Release date: October 1st 2009 (First published 2008).
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Series: Vampire Academy #2.
Other books in series: Vampire Academy.

Rose Hathaway's got serious guy trouble. Her gorgeous tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason has a huge crush on her, she keeps getting stuck in her best friend Lissa's head while she's making out with her boyfriend, Christian.

Then a massive Strigoi attack puts St. Vladmir's on high alert, and the Academy crawls with Guardians-including the legendary Janine Hathaway...Rose's formidable, long-absent mother. The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy's not taking any risks. This year, St. Vladmir's holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only provide the illusion of safety. When three students run away to strike back against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. Only this time, Rose-and her heat-are in more danger than she ever could have imagined.

Frostbite, the second instalment in Richelle’s Mead Vampire Academy series was a crazy ride that totally left me hooked and wanting more from this series. While I enjoyed Vampire Academy, I wasn’t blown away by it, and so I didn’t go into this book with huge expectations, but to say I was impressed with this one is an understatement. I loved it! The characters and storyline are more developed here, and now in Dimitri I have a major book crush going on. I also liked the in-depth prologue here, and found it very helpful. I had a little trouble getting all the vampire mythology straight in the first book (there’s a lot to take in!), but now I’m good.

My favourite aspect of these books is the dynamic between Rose and Dimitri. There is just something special about those two. In addition to denying her growing feelings for her tutor, Rose has more boy trouble here in the form of her friend Mason, who is increasingly infatuated with her. In addition to this, Dimitri may have another love interest of his own (yikes!), and then there are the constant threats from the Strigoi who are attacking more and more frequently, and who seem to have a vendetta against Royal Moroi families. This spells trouble for Rose and her best friend Lissa, a Moroi princess, who is the last in her family line.

This book had a little bit of everything. Rose is still a little bratty and bitchy at times, but here she goes through hardships that mean she has no choice but to mature. Through all this Dimitri is there for her. Their feelings for each other simmer under the surface, but there is real chemistry between these two. The pages practically sizzle with every scene they share. This book also sees the introduction of Adrian, another Royal Moroi. He is a hardcore party boy and a major flirt who has his sights set on Rose. I’m interested in finding out more about him and the secrets he holds.

The action is non-stop here too. Usually I am not a big fan of major battle scenes or drawn out fight sequences in books, but the pacing here is great, and Mead handles everything wonderfully. Her writing is addictive and this book is a total page turner. There are also a lot of plot-twists and surprises here and Mead is not afraid to dispense with characters who you might think are in it for the long haul.

Overall, I loved this one, and the final line that Dimitri utters to Rose is so swoonworthy that I picked up the next book, Shadow Kiss straight away after reading this. Now, let me tell you about that one…

Product details:
Publisher: Puffin.
Paperback, 443 pages.
Release date: February 4th 2010 (First published 2008).
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Series: Vampire Academy #3
Other books in series: Vampire Academy, Frostbite.

Rose Hathaway knows it is forbidden to love another guardian. Her best friend, Lissa-the last Dragomir princess-must always come first. Unfortunately, when it comes to gorgeous Dimitri Belikov, some rules are meant to be broken...

But since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn't been feeling right. Something dark has begun to grow in her mind, and ghostly shadows warn of a terrible evil drawing nearer to the Academy's iron gates. And now that Lissa and Rose's sworn enemy, Victor Dashkov, is on trial for his freedom, tensions in the Moroi world are higher than ever.

Lying to Lissa about Dimitri is one thing but suddenly there's way more than friendship at stake. The immortal undead are on the prowl, and they want vengeance for the lives that Rose has stolen. In a heart-stopping battle to rival her worst nightmare, Rose will have to choose between life, love, and the two people who matter most..but will her choice mean that only one can survive?

If Frostbite is the book that made me fall in love with the Vampire Academy series, then this book is the one that got me completely and utterly addicted. Shadow Kiss is my favourite book of the series so far, and the ending of this one, well, let me tell you, I don’t think I’ve ever been so utterly shocked and dismayed by a plot twist as I was here. I was staring in disbelief at the last page of this one for a while after reading it. One thing is for sure, you can’t finish Shadow Kiss and not pick up the next book straight away. This is a heart-wrenching and totally emotional ride. It’s so, so, so good, and I can’t recommend it highly enough!

We’re back in the world of St. Vladimir’s Academy, and back in the life of Rose Hathaway, who, since making her first Strigoi kills, has felt a darkness wash over her. Now even more prone to dark thoughts and mood swings than is usual for her, she is also seeing ghosts, and they seem to be warning her of something. An imminent threat? But, what is it, and why? The implications of Rose’s shadow kissed state are also explored further here, as is her connection and growing resentment towards Lissa. Their dynamic is changing. Rose wants to be with Dimitri just like Lissa is with Christian, but she is meant to sacrifice that in order to protect Lissa, and while she’s always accepted that her fate is to be Lissa‘s guardian, and has never questioned it before, now that she’s totally in love with Dimitri, things are different.

This is also the book where Dimitri finally gives into his feelings for Rose. He can’t hold back any longer, and this leads to one truly hot scene between them. Things get pretty steamy between Rose and Dimitri here, and it looks like they are about to descend into a period of blissful romance. That’s until the Strigoi launch a major attack on the Academy which sees a battle to end all battles, one which will have long-lasting and disastrous consequences for Rose, Dimitri and all those around them.

Right now I love everything about this series. So, it breaks my heart, but I can’t get enough! The world building and vampire mythology in these books is truly sumptuous and multi-layered, while the depth of characterisation amazes me. I am so invested in these characters. Rose, although she can be impetuous and brash at times, is one of my favourite book heroines, while Dimitri is high on my book crush list. Christian has been a favourite of mine since the first book, and he shines here when Rose and him combine their strengths in battle to kick some Strigoi ass! There’s also more of Adrian here. A lot of people told me I would fall for Adrian in these books, and while I am liking him more and more with each book, that hasn’t happened yet.

Dimitri has my heart.

It’s little wonder then that I was left shocked and saddened by the ending of this book. Mead certainly knows how to throw a spanner in the works of a happy ever after, huh! I am almost afraid to discover what awaits me in Blood Promise….

Competition! Win 1 of 3 copies of WEREWORLD: Rise of the Wolf by Curtis Jobling!

Thanks to Puffin, I have three copies of Curtis Jobling's WEREWORLD: Rise of the Wolf up for grabs today! This one is billed as an exciting blend of fantasy and horror for readers aged 11+ and will publish on January 6th 2011, so if don't get lucky in this competition you can grab a copy then!

Read on to find out more about WEREWORLD, and make sure to check out the book trailer too.

Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf by Curtis Jobling
Publisher: Puffin Books.
Release date: January 6th 2011.
Ages: 11+

'You're the last of the werewolves son. Don't fight it...Conquer it'. When the air is clear, sixteen year-old Drew Ferran can pick up the scent of a predator. When the moon breaks through the clouds, a terrifying fever grips him. And when a vicious beast invades his home, his gums begin to tear, his fingers become claws, and Drew transforms ...Forced to flee the family he loves, Drew seeks refuge in the most godforsaken parts of Lyssia. But when he is captured by Lord Bergan's men, Drew must prove he is not the enemy. Can Drew battle the werecreatures determined to destroy him - and master the animal within?

Please fill in the following form to enter:
- Competition is UK only (publishers request)
- Please include full UK mailing address.
- Competitions ends Friday, January 7th 2011.
- One entry per person!
- Good luck!

COMPETITION CLOSED! WINNERS ANNOUNCED SOON!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Book Review: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff.

Product details:
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books.
Paperback, 240 pages.
Release date: Jan 6th 2011.
Rating: 2½ out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

Brenna Yovanoff’s The Replacement is a dark and twisted gothic fairytale that will take you on a murky journey through the dark underworld of a small town called Gentry. Though the premise here, the story of a changeling from a faerie world, is nothing new, Yovanoff’s tale nonetheless adds something a little different to the YA genre. Her idea is innovative, and the story is eerie and haunting in parts. For me, this one fell flat for a number of reasons. While the story starts out well, the characterisation is off, and the plot fails to take hold. Unfortunately I found this all a little predictable and unsatisfying in the end.

Initially, I was intrigued by the premise of this book, and by the inclusion of a male protagonist. If you read a lot of YA fiction, you’ll know that a male protagonist is a somewhat rare thing. I was excited to read a book from the male point of view, but I couldn’t warm to Mackie Doyle, and I questioned why Yovanoff decided to use a male protagonist when there was nothing really very manly about him at all. As a Replacement from another world Mackie struggles to live in our world. He is slowly dying, and weakened from his allergies to blood and iron. Like everybody else in Gentry, Mackie knows that all is not right in the town. Every seven years, a child goes missing, and is replaced by something that’s not quite human. And like everybody else in Gentry, Mackie turns an blind eye to this until pushed to help out his crush, Tate, when her little sister goes missing.

Can I just point out the relationship between Mackie and Tate? One word - Awkward! This pairing didn’t work for me at all. Tate is pushy and rude, and I truly struggled to find any connection between her and Mackie or to understand his attraction to her. Similarly, Mackie’s friends are all pretty one-dimensional. Nobody stood out for me and I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. However, there is human element here in addition to the paranormal slant of the story that I liked. Mackie is an outsider, and his struggle to fit in is touching at times. The underlying message of the importance of love and friendship, and Mackie’s relationship with his sister, Emma, were possibly my favourite parts of this book.

Yovanoff’s writing shows promise, and I found her creation of a murky underworld and it's hidden meanings interesting and reminiscent to similar themes in the work of David Lynch. The story moves at a slow pace, and while unsettling and even horrific at times, I felt that the plot was also disjointed and quite inconsistent in places. The underworld and it’s players are truly freaky and grotesque, but the storyline definitely drifted into mundane territory for me and was somewhat predictable. There were underlying messages on humanity and human motivations that added a rich element to the story, but overall these were not enough to save the book for me. This one just didn’t hold my interest. I know that a lot of people have enjoyed The Replacement, but it wasn’t for me.

Monday, December 27, 2010

My Top 5 books of 2010 and a chance to win one of my faves!

Hope you all had a happy Christmas! Today I'm back to present to you my top five books of the year, and offer you a chance to win one of my favourite books of the year!

I was going to chicken out and list this top five in no particular order, but instead, I've decided to be brave and list this from 1-5 in order of preference. What do you think of my picks?

*All links lead to my reviews of the books, so feel free to check those out.

I've only included books here that were released in 2010, but I'm recommending that everybody read If I Stay by Gayle Forman and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, two books I read, and loved this year, but which didn't have 2010 releases.

Now onto the TOP 5!

1. I'm guessing that a lot of you are not surprised by my number 1 book of the year - especially if you follow me on Twitter, where I gush about this book all the time. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting was my favourite book of the year, for sure. I couldn't get enough of this book, and I can't wait to read more!!

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.

2. There are so many angel-themed books around right now, but this year, Angel by L. A. Weatherly stood out for me. This one has a romance to die for and a great storyline to boot. It's not released in the US until May 2011, but y'all are in for a treat when you read this one!

In a world where angels are beyond redemption, Alex thinks he's found one that might deserve mercy. Alex is a ruthless assassin - of angels. Forget everything you've heard about them before. Angels are not benign celestial creatures, but fierce stalkers whose irresistible force allows them to feed off humans, draining them of their vitality until there is barely anything left. As far as Alex is concerned, the only good angel is a dead angel...until he meets Willow. She may look like a normal teenager but Willow is no ordinary girl. Half-angel, half-human, Willow may hold the key to defeating the evil angels. But as the hunter and the hunted embark on an epic and dangerous journey and Willow learns the dark and terrifying secrets of her past, Alex finds himself drawn to Willow...with devastating consequences. Eoin Colfer reinvented the fairy, Stephenie Meyer reinvented the vampire, L.A. Weatherly reinvents the angel! This is a heart-pounding, knuckle-whitening, paranormal romance action-adventure for fans of the "Twilight" series. This is the first in a devastating new trilogy.

3. Beautiful Malice is one of those books that contains just about everything you'll need for a great read. This was one of my favourite reads of the year, and I can't wait to read more from Rebecca James. This is a great psychological thriller with toxic friendships and some truly chilling moments!

Who is Katherine Patterson? It is a question she hopes no one can answer. To erase her past, Katherine has moved to a new city, enrolled in a new school, and even changed her name. She’s done the next best thing to disappearing altogether. Now, wary and alone, she seeks nothing more than anonymity. What she finds instead is the last thing she expected: a friend.

Even more unlikely, Katherine’s new friend is the most popular and magnetic girl in school. Extroverted, gorgeous, flirtatious, and unpredictable, she is everything that Katherine is not and doesn’t want to be: the center of attention. Yet Alice’s enthusiasm is infectious, her candor sometimes unsettling, and Katherine, in spite of her guarded caution, finds herself drawn into Alice’s private circle.

But Alice has secrets, too—darker than anyone can begin to imagine. And when she lets her guard down at last, Katherine discovers the darkest of them all. For there will be no escaping the past for Katherine Patterson—only a descent into a trap far more sinister . . . and infinitely more seductive.

4. I have to include a little historical fiction on my list, and Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly was a book that truly captivated me. This book has major crossover appeal, and I truly think that just about anyone will be impressed by the storyline and the strength of writing here. Even if you don't know one thing about the French Revolution, read this, and you'll soon want to find out more!

BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.

5. I love to read about themes of rebirth, reincarnation and soulmates, and this book contains all of these elements. It's an epic romantic tale and it was a great surprise to me because I picked up the book not really expecting anything much from it. My name is Memory by Ann Brashares makes the list just ahead of The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller - another book I read this year which dealt with the same themes of reincarnation and soulmates. Both books are well worth checking out!

From the New York Times-bestselling author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, inspired, magical book-a love story that lasts more than a lifetime.

Daniel has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl. Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Sophia (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together-and he remembers it all. Daniel has "the memory", the ability to recall past lives and recognize souls of those he's previously known. It is a gift and a curse. For all the times that he and Sophia have been drawn together throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart. A love always too short.

Interwoven through Sophia and Daniel's unfolding present day relationship are glimpses of their expansive history together. From 552 Asia Minor to 1918 England and 1972 Virginia, the two souls share a long and sometimes torturous path of seeking each other time and time again. But just when young Sophia (now "Lucy" in the present) finally begins to awaken to the secret of their shared past, to understand the true reason for the strength of their attraction, the mysterious force that has always torn them apart reappears. Ultimately, they must come to understand what stands in the way of their love if they are ever to spend a lifetime together.

A magical, suspenseful, heartbreaking story of true love, My Name is Memory proves the power and endurance of a union that was meant to be.

To be in with a chance to win an ARC of Angel by L.A Weatherly, just fill in the form below:
One entry per person.
Competition is International and open until January 7th 2011.
Winner will be contacted by email and asked to provide me with a mailing address. The winner will have one week to respond to my email before a new winner is picked.
*Please note - cover of ARC is different from finished copy.

COMPETITION CLOSED! WINNER ANNOUNCED SOON!

Friday, December 24, 2010

In which I wish you all Happy Holidays and tell you about my very special early Christmas gift!

I will be taking a short break from blogging over the holidays, so I wanted to write this post to wish all the readers of this blog a very Happy Christmas! I hope you all have a good one! Thanks to everybody who takes the time to read this blog and to comment on my posts. I really appreciate it! I'll be back blogging on the December 27th when I'll be putting up a list of my favourite books of 2010. Which books will make the list? You'll just have to wait and see!

I'll also be running two competitions next week - one of which will feature one of my absolute favourite books of 2010 and another on behalf of Puffin Books for an exciting new release they have coming up in 2011, so make sure you stop by for those!

Now, on my my very special early Christmas gift. Well, the good news is - you can have it too! Yesterday I had a major fan girl moment when Kimberly Derting announced that the first seventy pages of Desires of the Dead, the follow up to her book The Body Finder is available to read online. Some of you may know that I am a rather big fan of The Body Finder (and Jay!!). Desires of the Dead is #1 on my wishlist for 2011. I read the extract last night, and I have to say that it's amazing, and Jay is still totally and utterly dreamy. I want more now!! I just can't believe that the extract stopped right in the middle of a paragraph, right in the middle of a sentence. I thought my e-reader had malfunctioned, but no. :(

Anyhow, if you didn't know about this exciting piece of news, and you want to read the extract, you can find it on The Dark Days of Supernatural website, which HarperTeen have launched. The website features all kinds of widgets, banners etc for some of their most exciting upcoming releases. There's also an extract of Unearthly by Cynthia Hand available on there. I read the book this week, and I'll be recommending that everyone should read it in 2011. It's amazing!

So, there you have it. I hope you all have a wonderful time, at Christmas, eat lots of wonderful food, and watch lots of wonderful festive movies. My favourite movie to watch at Christmas is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the original!). I watch it every year at Christmas!

Happy Holidays! x

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Book Review: Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles.

Product details:
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books.
Paperback, 368 pages.
Release date: January 6th 2011.
Rating: 3½ out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Series: Perfect Chemistry #2
Other books in series: Perfect Chemistry.
Source: Received from publisher for review.

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado . Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.

Rules of Attraction takes place two years after Perfect Chemistry and sees us right back in the thick of things with the Fuentes brothers. This time, the focus is on Carlos, the middle brother, who has a rebel-without-a-cause type chip on his shoulder, and who is cocky and arrogant to boot. He’s certainly not easy to warm to and he pretty much acts like jerk most of the time, but don’t you just know that underneath that bad boy exterior he’s got a heart of gold, just like his yummy older brother. When we meet Carlos, he’s headed for major trouble in Mexico due to gang-involvement and as a result is sent to live with his older brother, Alex, in Colorado. Yes, I’m happy to report that Alex and Brittany are back, and still oh, so in love. Le sigh! Carlos isn’t happy with this enforced move to Colorado, though, and he soon finds even more trouble and trouble finds him. He also finds a girl called Kiara who does her best to keep him out of trouble, but that’s not an easy feat where Carlos is involved.

This story follows the same route as Perfect Chemistry when opposites attract and different worlds collide. Carlos is the ultimate bad boy, while Kiara, is shy, quiet, and not impressed by his attitude. She’s no wallflower though. In fact she’s a tomboy who likes to hike and fix up her vintage car. She’s also more than a match for Carlos. Even so, she can’t help but notice that he’s hot, a fact that he points out to anybody who might care to listen to him, and there is a little attraction between the two that grows over time. While Alex and Brittany had perfect chemistry, Carlos and Kiara just love to hate each other, which leads to a whole load of tension, and you know what happens next! Yes, this book has the same steamy romantic scenes as Perfect Chemistry and this is something that Elkeles really excels at. Hot!

I’ve have to say that I found the storyline and the romance here less powerful than Perfect Chemistry. When reviewing a second book in a series, I don’t like to compare it too often to the first, but that’s simply unavoidable here. The books are similar in many respects, and, for me, Rules of Attraction wasn’t a huge departure in terms of character or plot from Perfect Chemistry. Also, while there is danger here for Carlos, it is resolved all too and easily, and even a little rushed. I didn’t feel the same intensity as I did with Perfect Chemistry where the plot took quite dark turns at times and where I really feared for Alex.

Overall, while I didn’t think this book was anything new or exciting, it’s still a good read. Elkeles has an addictive writing style that just sucks you in and just like Perfect Chemistry, I read this one in one sitting. I didn’t warm to the characters here like I did in the first book, but then, a guy like Alex Fuentes is pretty difficult to live up to, right? I’m glad that Elkeles is taking a different direction with the third book in this series, Chain Reaction (May 2011), which will focus on the youngest Fuentes brother, Luis. He’s a good boy, with big dreams, until he falls for the wrong girl. If the cover is anything to go by, Luis is all grown up now and things are about to get pretty steamy! Can’t wait!

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Waiting on Wednesday #29 - Summer and the City by Candace Bushnell.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine that spotlights eagerly awaited upcoming releases.

Summer and the City by Candace Bushnell
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release date: April 2011 (US & UK)
Series: The Carrie Diaries #2

Summer is a magical time in the city and Carrie is in love with all of it - the crazy characters in her neighborhood, the vintage-clothing boutiques, the wild club scene, and the mysterious new guys who have entered her life. She’s finally in a real writing class, taking her first steps toward fulfilling her dream. And there's the fact that she gets to live in Samantha Jones's apartment.

Summer and the City brings surprising revelations as Carrie learns to navigate her way around the Big Apple, going from being a country “sparrow”—as Samantha likes to call her—to the person she always wanted to be. But as Carrie continues to evolve, she knows she must balance this exciting new life and her writing aspirations with the big decision that awaits her at the end of the summer.

The sequel to The Carrie Diaries gives readers insight into what turned a small-town girl into one of New York City's most unforgettable icons, Carrie Bradshaw.

I loved The Carrie Diaries, and I can't wait for this next book in the series. I'm so excited to read about Carrie and Samantha's first summer in the city together! So much fun! I think the cover art for this book is much cuter than the first book too. Both US & UK covers are cute! Which one is your favourite?

Let me know what you think, and share your WoW picks in comments! :)

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Delightful Debutantes #5: Cat Clarke & Entangled.

Entangled by Cat Clarke is an upcoming UK debut that I've heard a lot of good things about already. I'm looking forward to checking this one out when it releases in January. Read on to find out more about Cat and Entangled. Don't you just love the cover of this book? Stunning!

I know you like to tweet! Can you describe Entangled in just one tweet (140 characters or less)?

Grace wakes up in strange white room and must struggle to make sense of the tangled relationships in her life. Story includes two hot boys.

I think you’ll find there’s one whole character to spare there. Although it took me WAY longer than it should have.

Learning that your book is going to be published must be very exciting. How did you celebrate when you learned that Entangled was going to be published?

It was massively exciting. On the actual day I just went home and sat on the sofa in a sort of daze. Over the next few weeks there may or may not have been some champagne consumed. I also bought myself a yay-your-book’s-being-published necklace, which I wear most days.

I know from reading your blog that Christopher Pike was one of your favourite authors as a teen (mine too!) What is your favourite Pike book/s?

You’re a Christopher Pike fan too? AWESOME! So hard to choose my favourites, but I’ll go with Remember Me, the Final Friends trilogy and The Midnight Club. Ooh, and I loved Bury Me Deep too. What are your favourites?

- My favourites have to be the Chain Letter books and Whisper of Death. The cover of that book is scary!!

What is it you love about Young Adult fiction, and why do you like writing for teens?

I love everything about YA, especially the importance of great storytelling, believable characters and a strong voice. It never even occurred to me to write anything else. When people ask me when I’m going to start writing books for adults, I think they’re crazy.

Can you name three other books that you think readers of your book might enjoy?

Just three? *puts thinking cap on* *takes thinking cap off two hours later*

Some Girls Are, Courtney Summers
Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver
Everything Beautiful, Simmone Howell

You can’t possibly go wrong with those three.

I read that the working title of your next work-in-progress novel is Buried. Can you tell me a little about that one?

If you’ve read Entangled, you won’t be surprised to find out that it’s somewhat dark. It’s about the mysterious death of a girl on a school trip – one of those activity holidays where you’re forced to do lots of outdoorsy things in the rain. The main character is called Alice, and she manages to get herself involved with the dead girl’s brother, Jack. Jack is utterly adorable.

You can also:
Read Cat's Blog
Follow Cat on Twitter
Check out the book trailer for Entangled:

Thanks to Cat for providing me with such delightful answers to my questions. I wish her all the best of luck with Entangled, which is released on January 6th 2011 by Quercus Books.

Blog Tour Announcement: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff.

To celebrate the UK release of The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff, Simon & Schuster UK are hosting a very special blog tour where you will be treated to extracts, Q & A's, giveaways and more! I'll be posting an extract of the book here on January 5th, so stop by then to find out more about Yovanoff's dark, twisted take on faerie lore!

Here's the full tour line-up:

Feel free to grab the blog tour buttons and add them to your blog to help spread the word about the tour! :)

Monday, December 20, 2010

Book Trailer: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand.

The blogosphere is a-buzz with love for this book, and according to readers of this blog it's one of the most anticipated YA debuts for 2011! Unearthly is available to request from HarperTeen on Netgalley, so if you're interested, you can read it for free! I've just put my request in and I hope I get approved! If you've already read this one, I'd love to know what you thought!

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release date: January 4th 2011.
Ages: 12+

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what it is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place--and out of place, at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make--between honesty and deciet, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Since I love book covers, and I especially like seeing different vesions of book covers from around the world, I thought I'd post the Australian edition of this one. Pretty, isn't it! Which cover do you like best?

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Book Review: Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen.

Product details:
Publisher: Puffin.
Paperback, 400 pages.
Release date: January 6th 2011.
Rating: 3½ out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties.

Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star...

Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined—and more dangerous. It's a life anyone would kill for...and someone will.

The only person Cordelia can trust is Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia's brother, Charlie. But Astrid's perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.

Across the vast lawns of Long Island, in the illicit speakeasies of Manhattan, and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, the three girls' fortunes will rise and fall—together and apart. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe comes an epic new series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age.

Summary from Goodreads.

Bright Young Things is one of those books I’d been looking forward to for ages and ages. I was hooked first by the glorious cover, then by the Jazz age setting, and finally by the coming-of-age and historical themes, both of which I love. Of course, with great expectation, often comes great disappointment, and while I won’t say that I was really let down by this book, I definitely have some issues with it. Overall, by the end of this one I was invested enough in the characters and their destinies to stick with the series, but that’s not to say that I didn’t encounter a few stumbling blocks along the way with Bright Young Things.

The book begins with a prologue, and boy, will this hook you! Honestly, there was one line in the prologue that was so good, and so shocking that you will immediately be sucked into this book. The prologue though, is a little deceptive, and I had a totally different vision of the direction this book would take when I read it. It serves it’s purpose, though. Even if, like me, you don’t totally fall in love with this book, you will want to read the next book in the series just because of the prologue!

At the start of the story, we are introduced to Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur who are leaving their boring, small-town lives behind, and heading for the bright lights of New York. Various trials and tribulations ensue in the city, and the girls quickly go their separate ways, which was a little at odds with their lifelong friendship, but hey, it happens! From here, the plot is a little lacking at times. There is definitely an element of style over substance for a large part of this book, and while Godbersen’s descriptive writing is quite lovely, I would have liked a little more plot development and action. Overall, the storyline is fully predictable, and the characters, for me, were a little dull. Granted, Cordelia and Letty are small town girls finding their way in the world, and so they are going to mess up and make mistakes, but honestly, at times, these two struck me as being slightly dim. The third of our girls, Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all was my favourite character to read about, although this was maybe due to Godbersen’s lush descriptions of her clothing. I just love the flapper style, and Godbersen describes it well.

With the coming-of-age theme and the jazz age setting, you would expect lots of parties, speakeasies and boys. Yes, there are boys, but mostly they didn’t appeal to me. However, I’m hoping that a certain male character with potential will resurface in the next book. I just hope these girls can find the right guy in the end!

Overall, this book is a fun way to while away a few hours. It wasn’t my book of the year, but I did warm to it in the last third of the book when the action picks up, and many secrets and lies are revealed. I’m still trying to work out the prologue, which was so good I wish I could tell you all about it. Instead, you’ll just have to pick up a copy of this one for yourself and discover the secret!

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Have you seen the cover art for Book #2 in the series? I love it! Beautiful Days will publish September 2011 (US) from HarperTeen. I will post up the UK release date and plot synopsis when available.

In My Mailbox #26 - New Books This Week!

In my Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren in which bloggers share the books they have received each week.

Click on links for Goodreads descriptions.

Last IMM of 2010! These are all the book I got in the last fortnight.

For review:

So, when I first heard of Low Red Moon I loved the sound of it. Since then I've read some not so good reviews. Now that I have a copy, I guess I can decide for myself. If you've read this one, what did you think?

The only thing Avery Hood can remember about the night her parents died is that she saw silver—deadly silver, moving inhumanly fast. As much as she wants to remember who killed them, she can't, and there's nothing left to do but try to piece her life back together. Then Avery meets the new boy in school—Ben, mysterious and beautiful, with whom she feels a connection like nothing she's ever experienced. When Ben reveals he's a werewolf, Avery still trusts him—at first. Then she sees that sometimes his eyes flash inhuman silver. And she learns that she's not the only one who can't remember the night her parents died.Part murder mystery, part grief narrative, and part heart-stopping, headlong romance, Low Red Moon is a must-read for teen paranormal fans. As breathless as Twilight and as spooky as Shiver, this is a book to be devoured in one sitting—by an acclaimed YA author making her paranormal debut under the pseudonym Ivy Devlin.

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Eighth Grade Bites (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod #1) by Heather Brewer

Mortlock by Jon Mayhew

These were all surprise review books this week, and honestly, they are probably not for me. I don't know much about Mortlock, but as for Rot and Ruin, I simply don't do zombies (is this weird?) I really don't like zombie stuff - even the covers of zombie books make me feel all uncomfortable. lol! I actually declined a request for Eighth Grade Bites as I thought the series might be a little young for me, but then a copy arrived in the post. I'm always willing to change my mind though, so if you've read any of these let me know what you thought of them!

Small Blue Thing by S.C. Ransom

This book is from a new UK publisher called Nosy Crow. I can't wait to see what they have in store for the YA market!

Crusade by Linda Press Wulf

I love historical fiction, and I also love the cover of this one. I haven't seen any reviews for it yet, so if you've read it, let me know what you think!

Tyme's End by B.R. Collins

I love the cover of this book. I featured it in Cover Candy last week and then it arrived in the post as a nice surprise. Yay! Looking forward to this one!

Gift:

I got an early Christmas surprise when I found this in my mailbox this week! I can't wait to read this one, and it's signed too! Thank you *SO* much Heidi from YA Bibliophile.

From National Book Award winner Judy Blundell, the tale of a sixteen-year-old girl caught in a mix of love, mystery, Broadway glamour, and Mob retribution in 1950 New York.
When Kit Corrigan arrives in New York City, she doesn't have much. She's fled from her family in Providence, Rhode Island, and she's broken off her tempestuous relationship with a boy named Billy, who's enlisted in the army.

The city doesn't exactly welcome her with open arms. She gets a bit part as a chorus girl in a Broadway show, but she knows that's not going to last very long. She needs help--and then it comes, from an unexpected source.

Nate Benedict is Billy's father. He's also a lawyer involved in the mob. He makes Kit a deal--he'll give her an apartment and introduce her to a new crowd. All she has to do is keep him informed about Billy . . . and maybe do him a favor every now and then.

As she did in her National Book Award-winning What I Saw and How I Lied, Judy Blundell traps readers in a web of love, deceit, intrigue, and murder. The result? One stunner of a novel.

Share your IMM links in comments. :)

Thanks to Bloomsbury, Penguin, Simon & Shuster UK & Nosy Crow for review copies.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Competition Winners! VIXEN & The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

All winners have been contacted, details have been sent off to the publishers, and you should all have your books soon! I hope you enjoy them!

Winners of Vixen by Jillian Larkin

With thanks to Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Adriana V.

Mandy A.

Ashlyn R.

Winners of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Film tie-in)

With thanks to Harper Collins Children's Books

Kalsuma B.

Alice D.

Dorothy K.

Hanna H.

Michelle W.

- I didn't post full names, but you guys know who you are! :)

Congratulations!

If you didn't win this time, I have another competition coming up after Christmas. Maybe even more than one! Stay tuned!

Top Five YA Debuts of 2011 according to....YOU!

I was just about to delete the spreadsheet for my 2011 YA giveaway when I thought of doing this. Please note, this is just for fun, and the list is in no way a conclusive list! For my 2011 YA giveaway, readers were asked to pick their top five debuts of 2011 and I've compiled a list of the most popular. Any surprises here? There were for me. For starters, the debuts I'm most looking forward to, Timeless by Alexandra Monir and Amy Plum's Die for Me don't feature in the top five. Also, The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney wasn't really on my radar before this, but it got lots of votes so I may just have to check it out.

What do you think of the list? It looks like the angel trend in YA is set to remain popular! Is your most anticipated debut for 2011 on there? If not, tell me what it is. I might find a new book to add to my never-ending TBR!

Also, if you've already read any of these, let me know if they are living up to the hype!

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
Publisher: HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen books.
Release date: Feb 15th 2011

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill
Release date: January 11th 2011 (US) / March 3rd 2011 (UK)

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship—tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
Publisher: Flux (US) / Corgi Children's (UK)
Release date: February 2011 (US & UK)

Freak. That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.

When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release date: January 4th 2011.

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what it is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place--and out of place, at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make--between honesty and deciet, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's (US) / Voyager (UK)
Release date: March 22nd 2011 (US) / August 4th 2011 (UK)

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.