August - Month in Review, great new books for September & saying goodbye to Summer Spotlight!

Books Read & Reviewed:

Click on links to read reviews: 

A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davis- review coming soon!
Before I go to Sleep by S.J. Watson - rating 4 out of 5.
Beginning of After, The by Jennifer Castle - rating 3 out of 5.

Brother/Sister by Sean Olin - rating  3½ out of 5
Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts - review coming soon! 
Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur - rating 4 out of 5

Everlasting - (Immortals #6) by Alyson Noel - rating 3½ out of 5
Fury by Elizabeth Miles - rating 4 out of 5
Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie - rating 4 out of 5

Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson - rating 4½ out of 5
One Day by David Nicholls -  review coming soon!

Saving June by Hannah Harrington - rating 3 out of 5

We Can be Heroes by Catherine Bruton - rating 3½ out of 5

Reviewed by Jen: Tiger's Curse & Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck - 3½ out of 5
Reviewed by Liz:  Between the Land and the Sea & The Moon and the Tide by Derrolyn Anderson - rating 4 out of 5

August Favourites:

Dark Inside - Jeyn Roberts

Hunting Lila - Sarah Alderson

Book News/Features:

Book News: Introducing Electric Monkey -  new YA Imprint from Egmont 
Book News: Read all about BZRK by Michael Grant.

Book Trailer: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor 
Book Trailer: Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Book Trailer: Fury by Elizabeth Miles 
Book Trailer: Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick 
Sneak Peek: Bleeding Hearts by Alyxandra Harvey

Blog Tours/Interviews/Guest Posts:
 Delightful Debutantes #23: Sarah Alderson & Hunting Lila

Delightful Debutantes #24 - Elizabeth Miles & Fury

We Can Be Heroes Blog Tour: Catherine Bruton's Top 10 female characters in books!

New Books for September - my picks

Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor
Dark Inside - Jeyn Roberts
Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions - Melissa Marr et al.
Envy - Gregg Olsen
Frost - Marianna Baer

Fury - Elizabeth Miles
Indelible - Lani Woodland

Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Sister, Missing - Sophie McKenzie

Soul Beach - Kate Harrison
The Lady of the Rivers - Philippa Gregory

Saying Goodbye to Summer Spotlight

The time has come to say goodbye to Summer Spotlight. I had a lot of fun with this feature and I plan on having it back on the blog again next year. Hope you all found lots of fun summer books to read! Special thanks to all the fabulous guest posters who participated in Summer Spotlight - Jodie, Alexa, Steph, Laura and Ruby - thank you so much!

Click on the image to read through Summer Spotlight posts

Competitions

I have a bunch of competitions running at the moment - 

All details can be found in the sidebar

Check them out! :)

Sneak Peek: Read an extract of Bleeding Hearts by Alyxandra Harvey!

Bleeding Hearts The fourth installment in Alyxandra Harvey's fun vampire series The Drake Chronicles releases October 3rd and today thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing I have an extract to share with you! Read on for more, and don't forget to check out My Love Lies Bleeding on Facebook for all the latest news and some great competitions!

Bleeding Hearts (Drake Chronicles #4) by Alyandra Harvey

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.

Release date: October 3rd 2011.

Lucy's cousin Christabel has come to live in Violet Hill, and adjusting to the difference between life in a small mountain town and her home in the city is difficult enough. The strict curfew that Lucy's parents enforce is the worst part. Something really dangerous couldn't possibly happen in this tiny town. But Christabel has noticed some mysterious happenings, and it seems like Lucy, her boyfriend Nicholas and his brother Connor are all in on a secret that Christabel doesn't understand - one that seems deadly serious. Although she won't admit it, Christabel would love to be in on any secret with Connor Drake. But after Christabel is kidnapped by the ruthless Hel-Blar vampires, Lucy and Connor finally fill her in on all the undead drama. Together, they must find a way to stamp out the Hel-Blar for good.

Bleeding Hearts by Alyxandra Harvey - Extract.





View in fullscreen or download for larger text.

Book Review: Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur.

Product details:
Publisher: Puffin.
Hardcover, 272 pages.
Release date: August 11th 2011.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 9+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

Elise and Franklin have always been best friends. Elise has always lived in the big house with her loving Uncle and Aunt, because Elise's parents died when she was too young to remember them. There's always been a barn behind the house with eight locked doors on the second floor.

When Elise and Franklin start middle school, things feel all wrong. Bullying. Not fitting in. Franklin suddenly seems babyish. Then, soon after her 12th birthday, Elise receives a mysterious key left for her by her father. A key that unlocks one of the eight doors upstairs in the barn...

A charming coming of age tale that highlights the importance of family and friendship, Suzanne La Fleur’s Eight Keys is a gorgeous book that will find fans amongst readers young and old alike.

Eleven year old Elise has had a great summer, playing Knights in the woods with her best friend Franklin, and eating her aunt Bessie’s home made ice-cream. Now, though, sixth grade looms ahead, and with the beginning of the new school year, Elise’s life is about to change, and it’s not for the better. On day one at her new school, Elise makes a formidable enemy in the shape of Amanda, a popular girl who takes pleasure in making Elise’s life hell. Worse still, Amanda despises Franklin, mocking him and his “childish” games. Elise, so desperate for the bullying to stop pushes Franklin away, but this only makes her feel worse. Her school life is unbearable and she can’t concentrate on her homework. She can’t even make it to school some days, and her grades are starting to slide. She’s feeling lost and alone when a mysterious key shows up on her twelfth birthday, followed by another, and then another. Could these keys hold the secret to Elise’s past and maybe help her figure out her future too?

For me, Eight Keys was a wonderfully touching read, and an important one too. My heart went out to Elise as she tried to deal with Amanda’s bullying on her own. She feels as though her teachers don’t care, and that if she tells her aunt and uncle then maybe things will get worse. LaFleur tackles the issue of bullying well and offers advice for Elise and for anyone who may be going through the same thing. Girls will relate to Elise as she struggles with growing up and having more responsibility than before. The transition from childhood is not an easy one, and Elise, orphaned at a young age, is finding it especially difficult to figure her way through her problems, but with her letters from her dad who died years before, and her mysterious keys that lead to locked rooms in her uncle’s barn, she is hopeful of finding some answers.

A story of a girl unlocking her past and finding her future, Eight Keys is a heartwarming and moving tale from the pen of Suzanne LaFleur and is well worth checking out.

Book Trailer: Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick.

Do you guys remember that excruciating cliffhanger ending that Becca Fitzpatrick left us with in Crescendo? While I loved that cliffhanger, it kind of killed me all the same! Now though, the wait is almost over, as Silence is almost upon us.  Silence releases on October 4th which means you have plenty of time to both re-read Crescendo if you need a recap and to feast your eyes on this delicious trailer for Silence.

Enjoy!

Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
Release date: October 4th 2011.

The Hush, Hush series has captivated readers with the story of Nora Grey, her friend Vee, and a mysterious fallen archangel named Patch. In the gripping conclusion of the trilogy, Nora finds that as things start to unravel around her, she is more drawn to the enigmatic Patch.

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever.

Fury Blog Tour: Delightful Debutantes with Elizabeth Miles!

I'm kicking off the blog tour for Fury by Elizabeth Miles today and I'm very happy to have Elizabeth along for a fun Delightful Debutantes interview! I really enjoyed Fury, and if you want to know more of my thoughts on the first in the Furies trilogy you can read my review here.

Now over to Elizabeth for more info on bad boys you'll love to hate, and girls who are hellbent on revenge!

Combining mythology with horror, Fury is a chilling read and a unique addition to the YA Paranormal genre. Safe to say, this one had me hooked from start to finish and sent shivers down my spine.  What were your inspirations and influences for Fury?

Why thank you! I was inspired by mythology and folklore, creepy movies (which I often watch with my hands over my eyes), the Maine outdoors (especially winter nights and dark, thick woods), and some of my own romantic disappointments.

Fury contains a whole host of great characters. Some I just loved to hate (Zach) and some who I totally want to get to know better (JD). What I loved most about the characters though is that they are flawed, yes, but also very realistic.  Who was your favourite character to write and why?

I too love to hate Zach (it was kind of cathartic, writing him, in fact) and adore JD. JD is almost as perfect as my real boyfriend :). But I suppose if I had to choose a favorite I would pick Chase. It was a fun challenge to write from the male perspective, for one thing. And I appreciated the chance to give Chase some depth. He’s a complicated guy!

UK Cover

I have to mention your gorgeous book covers! The US and UK covers for Fury are both striking but also very different. Do you have a favourite cover of the two? If you can’t choose, tell me your favourite elements of both!

Aren’t they pretty?? Of course I love them both equally (you knew I was going to say that). The way the hair wraps around the back cover on the US version is super-cool. And on the UK cover, I like how the image of the girl and the fire almost looks like a flower -- an orchid, even -- from far away.

Fury contains some great scares, and in part it reminded me of the spine-chilling Stephen King and Christopher Pike books I so loved as a teen. What books were on your favourites shelf as a teen?

That is exactly what I was going for. Glad you got chills. My favorites as a kid were more along the spunky-girl-heroine lines: Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Island of the Blue Dolphins. I also loved the Westing Game and contemporary YA books by authors like Judy Blume, Caroline B. Cooney and Norma Fox Mazer. And -- don’t judge! -- I was totally addicted to The Baby-sitters Club and Sweet Valley High series. (Ha! Oh, me too!)

US Cover

Can you name some upcoming debut novels that you just can’t wait to read, or any recent debuts that you’ve read and would like to recommend to readers?

I always start by recommending books by my bestie Lauren Oliver (Before I Fall, Delirium, and her new middle-grade book, Liesl and Po). I just read Tabitha Suzuma’s Forbidden and was blown away. Now I’m looking forward to starting The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin and Past Perfect by Leila Sales.

Fury is the first in a trilogy, and I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here.  What do you have planned for Envy, the next book in the series?  Any sneak peeks as to what happens next?

Envy will follow some of the same characters and introduce a few new ones (including one hot bad boy who I totally love!). We’ll continue to see how the Furies wreak merciless havoc in Ascension...and start to wonder whether or not there’s a way to stop them.

 
Thanks to Elizabeth for the great interview. I can't wait to meet this hot bad boy in Envy!

Make sure you stop by Girls Without a Bookshelf tomorrow for the next stop on the tour where you'll be able to read an exclusive extract from Fury!

Elizabeth's Website

Fury Trilogy Website

Elizabeth on Twitter

Elizabeth on Facebook

Book Review: Fury by Elizabeth Miles.

Product details:
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books.
Hardcover, 352 pages.
Release date: September 1st 2011.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.

Em and Chase have been chosen.

A darkly seductive tale of revenge and retribution, Fury, the first in a trilogy from debut author Elizabeth Miles is a haunting story that mixes the small town horror of Stephen King with the guilty secrets of Lois Duncan’s I Know What You Did Last Summer and adds a dash of Greek Mythology to present a menacing tale of terror and revenge that grows decidedly darker with every page, leading to a stunning finale that will leave you wanting more.

Fury introduces us to Emily Winters, a girl who is madly crushing on Zach, a total hottie, who just happens to be dating her best friend. Meanwhile, Chase Singer is a guy from the wrong side of town who will do just about anything to maintain his social standing amongst his band of high school jocks. Totally selfish and horribly self-absorbed, Em and Chase think only of themselves and are not particularly likeable characters, to say the least. Now though, things are going to change. With the arrival of three beautiful and mysterious girls to the town of Ascension, Maine, Em and Chase are about to pay for all their wrongdoings. With the Furies in town, there’s no such thing as an innocent mistake, and revenge is not only sweet, but is also relentless, brutal and horrific.

While I loved Fury on a number of levels, I have to admit, its contents were quite surprising to me. When I first read the synopsis of this one I was expecting a straight-up modern day retelling of the Furies of Greek Mythology. After all, modern day retellings of Greek Mythology with romances to die for are where it’s at in the Young Adult realm these days, and one more couldn’t hurt, right? However, Miles underplays both the mythological and romantic aspects of Fury to instead give the book a deliciously old school horror feel. The Furies themselves exist to us not as distinct personalities, but instead as beautiful yet horrific and genuinely scary entities. Indifferent to the havoc they bring to the town of Ascension, and relentless in their pursuit of revenge, their brutality knows no bounds. While we meet the Furies, and we get to learn exactly the extent of their powers, the main focus here is on just one of the Furies, a beautiful red head called Ty, and we don’t get a whole lot of information of their history or origins. I suspect that this element of the story along with a budding romance that I totally want more of will be explored further in future books, but for now I’m labeling this one part paranormal romance, part psychological thriller and a whole lot of horror! Prepare to be scared!

As someone who loves horror and grew up on scary tales of Stephen King and Christopher Pike, I loved all the shocks and scares that Fury contained. A chilling, thrilling page-turner from start to finish, Fury is more mature in tone to many YA paranormals I have read lending to its major crossover appeal. With delicious twists and turns throughout, and a finale that I adored, I can’t wait to discover what Elizabeth Miles has in store in Envy, the next book in the Furies trilogy, releasing next year.

Win! Bloodlines by Richelle Mead & Vampire Academy: The Graphic Novel! (UK & ROI)

Today sees the UK & ROI release of Bloodlines, Richelle Mead's much anticipated Vampire Academy spin-off. I can't wait to catch up with Adrian, Sydney & Co in this one! Thanks to the lovely Jayde at Puffin, one lucky person will win a copy of Bloodlines, along with a copy of Vampire Academy: The Graphic Novel.

What are you waiting for?

Fill in the form below to enter!

COMPETITION CLOSED! WINNER ANNOUNCED SOON!

1,000 Followers Mega Giveaway! Prize Pack #3 - Most Wanted!

The giveaway madness continues today with a 'most wanted' collection of up and coming releases.  One lucky winner will win one of the books listed below. All of these books are on my wish list, so hopefully you'll all find something that you can't wait to read here too!

The winners choice will ordered from The Book Depository, so please make sure TBD ships to your country by checking this list.

If you are visiting the blog for the first time today or haven't yet seen the other contests in the 1000 followers mega giveaway, check them out here:

Prize Pack #1 - Really Great Reads.
Prize Pack #2 - The Summer Special.

1000 Followers Prize Pack #3- Most Wanted

One lucky person will win ONE book from the selection below:

 Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick | Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins | The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern | Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions edited by Melissa Marr & Kelley Armstrong | Angel Fire by L. A. Weatherly | The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Fill in the form below to enter. 

Good luck! :)

COMPETITION CLOSED! WINNER ANNOUNCED SOON!

1,000 Followers Mega Giveaway! Prize Pack #2 - The Summer Special!

So, we've had Really Great Reads - now how about some really great summer reads! Up for grabs this time are the first two books in Jenny Han's Summer series.  I really enjoyed these when I read them earlier this summer, and lucky for you lot, I have extra copies to give away! To win The Summer I Turned Pretty and It's Not Summer Without you, just fill in the form below!

Some summers are just destined to be pretty.

COMPETITION CLOSED! WINNER ANNOUNCED SOON!

1,000 Followers Mega Giveaway! Prize Pack #1 - Really Great Reads!

 A couple of days ago I reached that all important blogger milestone - 1,000 followers! YAY! I promised something special once I reached 1,000 and here it is - a Mega Giveaway! I really appreciate all of you taking the time to follow the blog and to those of you who read and comment on my reviews - extra special thanks! I'm always grateful of the feedback and book discussion. This is to say thank you! :)

I will be posting lots of giveaways throughout the week (keep checking back!) and I have tried to make them all international, although there are restrictions as to where The Book Depository will ship, so please check out this list to make sure they deliver to your country.

First up is a giveaway of some of my favourite books since I've started blogging!
These books will be ordered from The Book Depository and sent to the winner. 

1000 Followers Prize Pack #1- Really Great Reads*

One lucky person will win TWO books from the selection below:

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand | Die for Me by Amy Plum | My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares | Forever by Maggie Stiefvater | Forgotten by Cat Patrick | Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson | Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini | Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro | One Day by David Nicholls | Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

*OK, I can't promise that Forever is a great read as I haven't read it yet (I have high hopes for it!) The rest I can assure you, are excellent! 

Please fill in the form below to enter.

COMPETITION CLOSED! WINNER ANNOUNCED SOON!

Book Review: The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle.

Product details:
Publisher: Harper Teen.
Hardcover, 432 pages.
Release date: September 6th 2011.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Ages: 13+
Source: Netgalley.

Sixteen-year-old Laurel’s world changes instantly when her parents and brother are killed in a terrible car accident. Behind the wheel is the father of her bad-boy neighbor, David Kaufman, whose mother is also killed. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laurel navigates a new reality in which she and her best friend grow apart, boys may or may not be approaching her out of pity, overpowering memories lurk everywhere, and Mr. Kaufman is comatose but still very much alive. Through it all there is David, who swoops in and out of Laurel’s life and to whom she finds herself attracted against her better judgment. She will forever be connected to him by their mutual loss—a connection that will change them both in unexpected ways.

Jennifer Castle’s debut novel is a heart-wrenching, surprisingly witty testament to how drastically life can change in the span of a single moment.

Jennifer Castle’s The Beginning of After is a debut that at first glace would appear to have an interesting premise and a lot of promise, but on an emotional level this book which deals with shocking deaths and the grief which follows, failed to hit the mark for me. While I didn’t hate it, nor did I love it, and as soon as I had turned the final page, I knew it wasn’t a book that would have any kind of lasting impact on me.

Essentially, the success of a book such as this hinges on the readers emotional connection to its characters, and here is where The Beginning of After falls short as at no time did I feel connected to Laurel on any level. Here is a sixteen year old girl who has just lost both her parents and her little brother in a car crash, and while I can safely say that Laurel and I don’t have a whole lot in common, I should feel sympathy or sadness for her, right? Wrong. Laurel makes that impossible. Everyone has different approaches to grief, and people have to do whatever it is that gets them through that awful time, but in Laurel’s case, she becomes detached from the awful event that has just happened. Adopting a ‘stiff upper lip’ approach to grieving, Laurel, always a top student, insists on keeping busy with school, SAT’s and her upcoming prom. Thoughts of her family are pushed to the back of her mind, essentially removing the characters from the story. We never get to know them, and so we never share Laurel’s loss. Laurel disconnects emotionally, which in turn makes us disconnect from her character, and from the story.

On reading the synopsis of The Beginning of After, I was reminded of Gayle Forman’s If I Stay, and as such, I had high hopes for this one. While the opening chapters of Castle’s book follow a similar path to Forman’s life affirming story, that’s where the similarities end. I was holding out some hope for the romance in this one, but I’m sad to report that David Kaufman, Laurel’s bad boy neighbour, is no Adam Wilde. Laurel and David are drawn together in their shared grief. David lost his mother in the crash that killed Laurel’s parents, and so understandably Laurel feels that David is the only one who truly understands what she is going through. The problem is that David is pretty much a jerk who spends most of his time feeling sorry for himself and behaving like a bratty three year old, while also messing with Laurel’s emotions. Laurel maintains a link to David through his dog, Masher, who she is taking care of since David is unable to cope with, well, anything. There is another guy who Laurel might be interested in, but she basically messes him around while waiting for David to return from his road trip so that he can mess her around. Fun!

So I guess the romantic aspect of this one didn’t work for me, but if this book has one saving grace, then it’s Masher and the other animals that are featured throughout the story. Laurel looks after Masher in David’s absence, she takes a job at a vet’s surgery, and she gives an abandoned family of cats a home. As a huge animal lover, I very much understand how important that the unconditional love of an animal can be to the grieving process, and that aspect of the story really worked for me. The animals in Laurel’s life make her feel worthwhile and give her a sense of purpose as she rebuilds her life without her family.

While I enjoyed parts of this story and while I do think the author shows promise, mostly I found The Beginning of After repetitive and ultimately forgettable. I always think that books of this nature should touch your soul in some way, but unfortunately instead of leaving me emotionally spent, this one just left me feeling indifferent.

Book Review: Before I go to Sleep by S.J. Watson.

Product details:
Publisher: Harper
Hardcover, 368 pages.
Release date: June 14th 2011.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: Adult.
Source: Netgalley.

 'As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me ...' Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love - all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story. 

Welcome to Christine's life.

One of the most buzzed about debuts of 2011, S.J. Watson’s Before I go to Sleep is a riveting psychological thriller that certainly lives up to all the praise which has been bestowed upon it. Billed as perfect for fans of movies such as Memento and Shutter Island, Before I go to Sleep is a fast-paced, intense and unputdownable page turner that will have you hooked right from the very first page.

We first meet Christine Lucas as she wakes up in a strange bed, in a strange room, lying next to a man she doesn’t know, and has no recollection of meeting. As she plans her escape before the man wakes up, or worse still, his wife returns to find them in bed together, Christine makes her way to the bathroom where she sees the reflection of a much older woman staring back at her in the mirror. Stifling a scream, Christine wonders what the hell is going on. No longer the fun loving party girl of twenty years ago, Christine is now ia forty seven year old woman with ‘wrinkled skin’, ‘thinning lips’ and a ‘sagging chin’. Still recovering from the shock, she then learns that the man lying beside her is her husband, Ben, and she loves him, or she must do to have married him, but just like everything else, she has no recollection of their life together. It soon emerges that every night when Christine goes to sleep, she forgets everything that has happened to her during the day. This is her life. It happens day after day after day, and has been happening for more than twenty years. Up until now, Christine has been totally reliant on Ben to tell her all the details of her life, past and present. Recently though, with the help of a Dr. Nash, Christine has started to keep a journal where she can log her own memories and this is when things start to get interesting as it soon becomes apparent that there are a whole lot of discrepancies in the stories that Ben has been telling. Has he left certain details of Christine’s life out to save her from re-living pain and sadness, or is there something far more sinister at play?

Before I go to Sleep is as compelling and thought-provoking a book as it is disturbing and scary at times. Can you imagine if you had no memories of your own and you had to rely on one person to recount the details of your life for you? Could you trust them not to keep secrets from you, and not to tell lies? Christine’s world is as scary and as unknown to her as it is to us. She provides the narration throughout the book, and so we only know what she knows, and what little she remembers. In a clever move, Watson ensures that we never have all the details we need and at no point do we know if any of the details presented to us are the truth or just lies which up until now Christine has not questioned. Admittedly even through the foggy haze of Christine’s memory loss, I didn’t have a hard time predicting the outcome here, although my enjoyment of the book wasn’t affected by this. In fact, with numerous plot twists and countless surprises I was kept second-guessing myself throughout and at one point I suspected almost everyone in Christine’s life of having sinister motives towards her!

An accomplished debut, I enjoyed Before I go to Sleep from start to finish and found it all so exciting that I read it in one sitting. S.J. Watson is an author to watch, and I can’t wait to read the next book from this great new talent!

Read All About It: The Complete Lowdown on BZRK by Michael Grant!

Last week I promised you more info on BZRK the new book from Gone author Michael Grant which is to be published by Egmont in both the US and UK in February 2012. BZRK promises to provide a unique reading experience as it combines the worlds of YA literature and Gaming in an interactive reading experience encompassing the written word along with video, puzzles and more.

About BZRK:

The missing son of a U.N. diplomat... the reemergence of a strange organization... a pair of society twins caught in the middle... this is just the beginning of "Go BZRK," a new transmedia experience from author Michael Grant.

The Interactive Experience Starts Here:

 While the book releases in February, the interactive experience starts now!  Here are the sites you need to check out:

GoBZRK 

The Official Site which contains all the links you need!

 Nexus Humanus  

Sign up and unravel a mystery that may hold the key to the fate of all mankind.

 The Society Twins 

Keep up to date as Sophie & Sylvie begin the search for their missing brother. These two are quite entertaining!

 The Shadow Gang

Enter your Email address to join the gang!

What the publishers are saying:

‘BZRK is a brilliantly original thriller. What particularly excites me is that it shows that a cracking story is what matters, and all formats, whether digital or print, serve that story, taking it to where the audience is.’ Cally Poplak, Managing Director, Egmont Press.

‘It’s an approach that encourages a community to form and participate in the story as it unfolds, which is a new way to publish for teenagers.  Layers will be added through different media over six months before BZRK book one is even released. That’s the equivalent of a marketing campaign worth £1m.’ Mike Richards Head of Marketing for Egmont Press

An Interview with the Author

Here's an interview with author Michael Grant where he answers some of those burning questions you may have about BZRK!

What is “Go BZRK”? Is this a book or some kind of interactive story?

Both. The book comes out this winter, but the interactive part starts now.  One leads up to the other, but they're part of a complete package.

Why “transmedia”?

There are different approaches to transmedia.  Most people take a single story and reproduce it on various platforms.  My philosophy has been to make each element - ARG, app, web, book - a thing unto itself, each revealing some aspect of the world of BZRK.  I've been fascinated with this is as a new way to tell stories.  The book remains central, but now I can reach beyond the book and create a much more complete world.  I can tell stories that enhance the book, and stories that parallel the book, and stories that are offshoots of backstory.  I guess the answer to "why" is "because it's fun."

Is this the future of publishing?

I began a few years ago reaching out to publishers and saying we collectively needed to understand that the old models were dead or dying.  I want publishing to survive, and of course I'd like my own career to thrive.  So Egmont Publishing and my partners and I certainly hope this is a part of the future of publishing. 

How long is this running? Is this part of a larger picture?

We'll be running this in several chunks between now and the book release this winter. Because these things have a hard start/stop point, August is a ramp-up phase. There'll be a lot of content coming out, but the experience really gets underway at the end of the month… just in time to distract the kids from their schoolwork.

What if someone wants to follow the story but doesn’t want to participate?

You don't have to do anything.  You can do one thing and not another.  But the deeper you plunge the wetter you get.  I think every part of this is fun, I think people will enjoy the ARG, the app, the site and the books. 

App? You've mentioned that a couple times now.

Just wait and see.

What can you tell us about the story? What is “BZRK”?

It's a battle for the soul and freedom of the human race carried out simultaneously in the world we know, and in a world that you're not going to expect. It's a world where if you make a false move, you're going to lose your mind.

Insanity… is this something you have a personal familiarity with?

The line between writer and crazy person is very thin.  Both go around holding long, involved conversations with people who aren't there.

What’s this other world thing all about?

Do you really want spoilers? I'll tell you this. We'll be going "down in the meat." It's going to be vast, bloody, and beautiful.

Wait… isn’t this supposed to be for kids?

Adults like to flatter themselves that kids won't get, won't understand, won't be able to handle, more intense, more complex stories. That's nonsense.  It's the adults who are easy to creep out or scare.  Say the word "biopsy" in a room full of adults. Or "audit."  See?  Easy to scare.  Kids are a tougher audience because kids think they're immortal.

I have to say I'm impressed by all the promotion that this one is getting. It seems the publishers are expecting great things, so I'll be keeping an eye on it!  

Additional info & quotes: Press release.

Waiting on Wednesday #36 - Angel Fire by L. A. Weatherly.

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

Angel Fire by L.A. Weatherly

Publisher: Usborne Publishing

Release date: October 1st 2011

This is the thrilling second chapter in the electrifying "Angel Trilogy". Angels will never be seen in the same way again. Gorgeous, charismatic Alex has the courage and skill of a trained Angel Killer. Unique, dazzling Willow has the beauty and power that comes with being half-angel. As the power of the malevolent Church of Angels grows, now it's up to Alex and Willow to train a new team of Angel Killers. Willow soon finds her half-angel identity met with hostility by some of the other AKs, while privately, she must wrestle with the knowledge that her father, Raziel, is a depraved, evil angel. However, while life in the AK training camp is tough, at least Alex and Willow are together. But when Alex discovers that the death of his brother and fellow Angel-Killer, Jake, was linked to a secret CIA mission to defeat the angels, he is forced to leave the camp to complete his brother's work... without Willow. Alex promised Willow he would never leave her, but with the fate of the human race at stake, destiny has ruled that Alex and Willow must be parted once more..

Cannot wait for this book! L.A. Weatherly's Angel was one of my favourite books of 2010 and I'm really excited to find out what happens next.  I'm sensing trouble here for Alex and Willow. Nooo!!!

As always let me know what you think, and leave your WoW links in comments.  If you have a favourite cover here, let me know your choice! :)

Book Review: Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie.

Product details:
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
Paperback, 304 pages.
Release date: August 4th 2011 (First published 2006)
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

Lauren has always known she was adopted but when a little research turns up the possibility that she was snatched from an American family as a baby, suddenly Lauren's life seems like a sham. How can she find her biological parents? And are her adoptive parents really responsible for kidnapping her? She manages to wangle a trip across the Atlantic where she runs away to try and find the truth. But the circumstances of her disappearance are murky and Lauren's kidnappers are still at large and willing to do anything to keep her silent…

Fast-paced and thrilling throughout, Sophie McKenzie’s Girl, Missing is a totally addictive read with an engrossing plot, compelling characters and a delicious romance to boot! I read this in one sitting, and was totally hooked from start to finish!

Fourteen year old Lauren has always known she was adopted, but now, feeling out of place amongst her adoptive family, Lauren wants some answers about her birth mother.  With her parents unwilling to provide the details, or even to discuss the situation, she decides to take the matter into her own hands, with alarming results.  Lauren will stop at nothing to figure out why her adoption was seemingly shrouded in secrecy, and so, with the company of her childhood friend James ‘Jam’ Caldwell, she sets out to find some answers.  Their search takes Lauren and Jam right around to world, to America, where they encounter treachery and deceit at every turn.  It soon emerges that Lauren’s parents are not the only one’s who want to keep the details of her adoption secret, and the people who know all the answers will stop at nothing to keep them hidden. As Lauren endeavours to uncover the truth she soon realizes that fact is often stranger than fiction, and understands that sometimes you really should be careful what you wish for.

While I have always heard good things about Sophie McKenzie’s books, Girl, Missing is the first book of hers I’ve read, and I’m happy to say that it definitely won’t be the last. I couldn’t get enough of this and read it in one sitting.  In Lauren, McKenzie has created a heroine who is both headstrong and brave and also very relatable.  Lauren is selfish at times, she messes up and she often doesn’t treat the people who love her most very well at all.  She’s a conflicted character, but she has a good heart, and I loved watching her grow and following her on her journey throughout the book.

The romance in this book was an unexpected, but very pleasant surprise too.  With young teenage characters – Lauren and Jam are fourteen and fifteen respectively, I wasn’t expecting much in the way of romance here, but the crush that Jam harbours on Lauren and their growing attraction towards one another really rings true, and is, in a word, delicious as well as being very realistic. Jam and Lauren are lifelong friends and total BFF’s – they share everything, but while Lauren acknowledges that girls are becoming increasingly attracted to Jam, she just sees him as a friend. Jam, on the other hand has other ideas.  This guy is adorable and a whole lot of teenage girls are going to totally fall for him when they read this book!

While the plot of this book can veer a little into predictable territory at times, it is nonetheless an exciting page-turner throughout and kept me hooked all the way through. I loved Girl, Missing, and can’t wait to catch up with Lauren, Jam and Co. when its sequel, Sister, Missing is released on September 15th.

Book Review: We Can be Heroes by Catherine Bruton.

Product details:
Publisher: Egmont Books Ltd
Paperback, 400 pages.
Release date: August 1st 2011.
Rating: 3½ out of 5.
Ages: 11+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

My dad was killed in the 9/11 attacks in New York. But the stuff in this book isn't about that. It's about the summer my mum went away. The summer that me and Jed and Priti tried to catch a suicide bomber and prevent an honour killing. There's stuff about how we built a tree house and joined the bomb squad; how I found my dad and Jed lost his; and how we both lost our mums then found them again.

So it's not really about 9/11 but, then again, none of those things would have happened if it hadn't been for that day. So I guess it's all back to front, sort of...

A timely portrait of friendship, family and loss in the modern world, Catherine Bruton’s We Can be Heroes is a touching coming of age tale depicting a summer in the life of Ben, a sensitive twelve year old boy who lost his father in the terrorist attacks of September 11^th 2001.

We meet Ben as he arrives at his Grandparents house where he will spend the summer along with his cousin Jed, a troubled boy who has a lot of family issues to deal with.  In contrast to Jed who is often rude and boisterous, Ben is a quiet boy; he spends hours drawing comic book heroes, lost in a world of his own.  The two boys soon make friends with Priti, a wonderfully entertaining Muslim girl whose family has just moved into the area.  The three are soon spending all their time together, but their mischief takes a dark turn when they stumble upon some radio equipment in Priti’s older brother’s room.  Jed soon decides that Shakeel is a terrorist because ‘everyone knows that a Muslim tinkering about in his bedroom with home-made electronics is dodgy’.   It’s a sentence which Jed doesn’t think twice about saying, but it’s a sad indication of how a parent’s prejudice has been passed along to his child, and has begun to shape his world view. Priti, to her credit, is unperturbed by this, as only an innocent child can be, and even somewhat delights in the fact that her brothers, if not her whole family, might be part of a terrorist cell.  Well, uncovering a bomb plot sure beats hanging out in the park every day!  So begins a summer of espionage for the three children in which they end up discovering a whole lot more than they bargained for!

Although the story here is told through Ben’s eyes, this book is not simply the story of a boy growing up without a dad and all the problems that might bring. Rather, Bruton examines the personal and societal consequences of September 11^th.  How the terrorist attacks affected families, and in some cases tore them apart, and how we, as a society, behave differently now.  As a book which references Osama Bin Laden as still living, We Can be Heroes is also a book that is a great example of our ever changing world and of how events that often occur in the blink of an eye can change things forever.  It is a testament to Bruton’s writing that she writes about such complex issues as terrorism, racial prejudices and riots and makes them wholly accessible to the 11+ age group she is writing for.  We Can be Heroes is both entertaining and educational and is well worth a read.

Book Review: Saving June by Hannah Harrington.

Product details:
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Paperback, 375 pages
Release date: May 1st 2011
Rating: 3 out of 5
Ages: 14+

‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again

Having read and loved Morgan Matson’s  Amy & Rogers Epic Detour earlier this summer, I was hungry for another book filled with road trips, romance and music, and so, from its synopsis, Saving June sounded like the perfect book for me. I wanted to love this book, I really did, but unfortunately it didn’t work out for me on a number of levels.  Let’s just say that if the plot of a book is on the weak side, then I need to fall in love with its characters, and to put it mildly, that did not happen here.

 

In Saving June we are introduced to Harper Scott, a sixteen year old girl who is trying to come to terms with the death of her older sister, June.  As far as Harper can see, June with her great grades and ‘perfect daughter’ status had it all. So, why did she commit suicide?  Harper will never know the dark secrets that June kept locked up inside, but she can do one last thing for June, and so she decides scatter her sister’s ashes in California where June always dreamed of going. Thus ensues a road trip where Harper is joined by her best friend Lacey, and Jake, a mysterious older guy, who is connected to June in some way, although he’s not saying exactly how.

Saving June is a road trip book where I never felt included in the journey. The pacing in this book is often off, while the story seems strangely disjointed as the characters move from place to place.  I didn’t get to experience what they experienced and frankly I would rather not have encountered some of the people Harper, Lacey and Jake met on their way to California.  Take the politically motivated and pretentious bunch of friends that Jake introduces the two girls to at the beginning of their road trip.  These are the kind of people I can’t stand to be around! They sit around smoking pot while having pseudo-intellectual conversations and judging each other by their music tastes.  For them, political activism is something of a hobby, and for some unexplained reason, Harper and Lacey think it would be fun to get involved in a protest…..just because.  On the first night of their trip, Harper ends up in a bad way after drinking bucket loads of tequila, while Lacey hooks up with the first guy she sees.  Jake and his friends are the kind of people who try way too hard to be cool, while Harper and Lacey are the kind of impressionable girls who buy into it, and try way to hard to impress the older kids. This is a constant throughout the book.

I was banking on Jake to save this book for me. The plot is pretty straightforward, but we’re counting on the secret that Jake is keeping to be something major. Does he know why June killed herself? Was there a romantic interest there? For me, the ending was pretty anti-climactic and made me question Jake’s character, so take from that what you will.   I was really looking forward to meeting Jake though. I love bad boys, and music loving bad boys, well, that’s totally my thing, but Jake has a huge chip on his shoulder, and sure, he knows his music, but unfortunately he’s pretty much a music snob too. Yawn. Jake is one of those ‘too cool for school’ guys whose taste in music is so much better than yours. I’ve encountered a whole lot of guys like Jake in my life already, so really, he was nothing special for me. As for Jake and Harper, maybe it’s meant to be chemistry, but from me all I took from them was nasty bickering. Harper is hurt and angry.  She’s on internal lockdown and she’s not particularly nice to the people around her, so as far as romance goes, this one didn’t work for me.

 Overall, it’s safe to say that Saving June isn’t a favourite of mine, although it does have its plus points. Harrington’s writing style is accessible and engaging, her knowledge of music is stellar, and her depiction of grief is raw, honest and real.  As a guy, Jake is a character who will probably appeal to a lot of people, but for me, I’ve been driven crazy by Jake-alikes too often in my own life to take him to my heart.  I may not have loved this one, but I’m still interested in checking out future titles from Harrington to see if they are a better fit for me.

UK Book News: Introducing Electric Monkey - a new YA imprint from Egmont!

Exciting news came my way today when I heard about Electric Monkey a new YA imprint from Egmont which is set to launch in February 2012.  Egmont already publish some great YA titles, including Cat Patrick's Forgotten and the upcoming Between by Jessica Warman, so I'm looking forward to seeing what else they have in store with the launch of this new imprint.

Electric Monkey launch titles include:

BZRK from Gone author Michael Grant, described as not only a book, but  a transmedia experience incorporating video games, puzzles and an interactive website.   The story of BZRK centers around a the missing son of a U.N. diplomat, the re-emergence of a strange organisation and a pair of society twins caught in the middle.   I'm intrigued by this one, and will be sharing more info with you soon. Stay tuned! 

Oliver Twisted by J.D Sharpe which sounds like a scary take on Oliver Twist including  Vampyres who 'feed on the defenceless' and orphans who are 'sacrificed to hungry gods'.   

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein a historical fiction set during World War II which is set to release in Spring 2012.

This imprint is set to carry ten titles in its first six months, so watch out of more YA titles from Egmont and Electric Monkey over the coming months!

Additional info: The Bookseller

 

Book Trailer: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

Check out this great trailer for the upcoming Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. This is part one, so I guess there's more to come! Sometimes book trailers are a little hit and miss for me, but I have to say that this one is amazing - one of the best book trailers I've seen. If I didn't already have a copy of the book, this trailer would totally make me want to read it!

What do you think?

 Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release date: 29th September 2011

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?