Book Review: We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han.

Product details:
Publisher: Puffin.
Release date: May 3rd 2012.
ebook, 304 pages.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Series:  Summer #3
Other books in series: The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You.
Overall series rating: 4 out of 5.
Source: Purchased.

It’s been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college—only, their relationship hasn’t exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It’s time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever.

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

In We’ll Always Have Summer the conclusion to Jenny Han’s heart-warming, and sometimes heart-wrenching Summer series, eighteen-year-old Belly has to decide once and for all where her heart lies.  Will she choose Conrad, the boy she has loved all her life, but who never let her in to his, or his brother, Jeremiah, who has always been open and honest about his love for her?

We’ll Always Have Summer opens two years after the cliffhanger events of It’s Not Summer Without You, where Conrad let Belly leave his life.  We now find out that she went straight into the arms of his brother, where she’s been ever since, even going so far as to attend the same college as him. So maybe Belly has already made her choice.  In no way is her relationship with Jere just a substitute for what she had with Conrad.  She’s with Jere now, and she’s in love with him just as much as he’s always been in love with her.  They have the perfect relationship, and Conrad doesn’t enter the picture at all. Conrad, her first love, the boy she said she’d love forever, is no longer in her life. 

But just like his brother, the boy who had it and threw it all away, Jere’s not perfect.  He’s living college life to the full, and when he does the worst thing that a boy can do to a girl, when he breaks Belly’s heart, she has to decide if she can have him in her life anymore. Should she let him go for good, or should he be her forever guy?

We’ve seen Belly grow up, and while she’s sometimes a naïve girl who doesn’t make the best choices, she’s an endearing character too, and we want the best for her. As they have done throughout the series, Han’s expertly executed flashbacks will once again tug at your heartstrings here as Belly recounts summers past, and we recall all the years she’s spent at Cousins Beach with the boys, how once upon a time she could never imagine Jere as anything more than a friend, how it was always Conrad for her.  Surely that can’t be it for the two of them.  Surely Belly and Conrad can’t be done.

Conrad feels that way too. Finally, finally, we get to see inside this boys head as Han includes chapters from his point of view. Finally we get to see why he’s done some of things he’s done, why he pushed Belly away, why he can’t tell her he loves her still, that he’s always loved her, that he’s never loved anyone but her.  Conrad is a closed book, he protects his heart, he hides himself away from hurt, but he’s a special guy.  I get why some people might not get Conrad, why they might see him as a jerk, why they might not lose their heart to him. I get it.  But right from day one, it’s always been Conrad for me.  Jere is the easy choice.  He’s an outgoing, carefree, fun-loving guy.   What you see is what you get with him. With Conrad though, you have to work a little harder, you have to dig a little deeper to find out what makes him tick,  find out what makes him care so much.

Really, I could talk about Conrad all day long.  He’s a character of such multi-layers. I love how he cares.  Conrad cares more than anybody. He cares in his own way, and he might not always show it, he might not always let others see it, but it’s always there.

So, the choice is easy for me, but it's not so easy for Belly.  Will she stay with Jere, who she loves,  or will she choose Conrad, who might no longer be at the core of her day to day life, but who is never far from her mind, always in her heart.   I can’t tell you who she chooses, of course, but I will tell you that it’s not Cam Cameron. That guy does not make a comeback in this book!

 We’ll Always Have Summer was, for me, a wonderful read, with Han’s voice as always pitch perfect on every page. This  book has passages to bookmark, quotes to remember, and words to savour, words that will make you think, words that you won’t forget.   If you haven’t started on the Summer series by Jenny Han, what are you waiting for? These books are the ultimate summer reads. They are heartfelt, honest and true. They’ll make you tear up completely, and they’ll make you smile wide all day long.

What more could you ask for from a book?

US Paperback Bonus Material

The US Paperback of We'll Always Have Summer (April 2012, Simon & Schuster) includes some extra special bonus material in the form of Conrad's letters to Belly. Eeep!  Just a heads up for anyone who didn't know about this already. I need to read those letters!!

Cover Alert: The Dead And Buried by Kim Harrington.

Oh boy, oh boy! I am SO super excited for The Dead And Buried by Kim Harrington.  This sounds like my perfect book (I live for scary haunted house books!!) and as an added bonus its only written by Kim Harrington author of the freakin' awesome Clarity series!

And if that wasn't enough -- check out the cover!! One word. Awesome!! I cannot wait to read this one!

No news on a UK release date yet, but I'll keep an eye out for any news on that!

The Dead And Buried by Kim Harrington

Publisher: Scholastic Point

Release date: January 2013

*****

Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.

Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school -- until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?

*****

Reviewed by Jen: Kiss, Date, Love, Hate by Luisa Plaja.

Product details:
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Release date: February 2nd 2012.
Paperback, 278 pages.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Source: Received from publisher for review.
Reviewed by: Jen

What if you could change your friends' lives and loves through the settings of a computer game...?

Lex Murphy's group of friends have all dated, hated, ignored and lusted after each other for the last few years. If only there was a way of matching people perfectly to avoid all the unrequited love, dumping and drama! Then Lex's friend George is given a mysterious Sims-like game by his software-testing dad which involves building character profiles in the categories of Life, Looks and Love. Lex and George populate the game with avatars for all their mates, making a few 'wishful thinking' adjustments to the settings - and find that the next day these tinkerings have come true! But how long can this new calm, loved-up atmosphere continue?

In reading Luisa Plaja’s Kiss, Date, Love, Hate I had one continuous thought, “This book was not meant for adults,” and that is perfectly fine, but I think my opinion of it was definitely hindered by my advanced age. So, while I was not very fond of this story I do think that the seventeen -year old drama queens in my classes will love it because it is a story they can relate to.

When Lex Murphy’s best friend George asks her to play a new video game called “Pygmalion’s” she has no idea the impact it will have on her life.  As Lex and George set about creating avatars for themselves and each of their friends they have fun making everyone just a bit better looking than they are in real life.  When they arrive at a special film class the next day Lex and George realize that the changes they made in the game have come true in real life.  Now the fun really begins as Lex uses the game to wreak havoc on everyone’s love life, and discovers that what she thinks she wants may not be at all what she needs. 

There were a few things about this book that just didn’t work for me.  The first problem was Lex.  No matter how hard I tried I could not make myself like her.  I found her to have absolutely no redeeming qualities.  She was self-centered and shallow and the more I read the worse she got.  The rest of the characters really weren’t all that much better.  I could have cared less what happened to them or who ended up with whom. 

Another issue I had was the way the book was formatted.  It was told in four parts: Kiss, Date, Love, and Hate.  Each part was at least 50 – 100 pages each with no chapter breaks throughout.   It became difficult to track when the scenes changed time or where the characters were.  Also, there were no natural places to stop reading because everything was clumped together.   

With all of that said I do think that the intended audience for this book, teen girls, will enjoy it.  They will probably see a bit of themselves in Lex and sympathize with her problem of which boy to choose.  The idea of being able to manipulate everyone around you to get what you want, while giving yourself bigger boobs and better hair is definitely enticing.  In fact, there is already a waiting list in my classroom for my copy and I anticipate having to order at least one more. 

UK Cover Reveal & Extract: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.

If any of you missed out on the UK cover reveal for the highly anticipated Throne of Glass (Bloomsbury, August 2012) by Sarah J. Maas over on the Hooked on Books Facebook page yesterday, here it is again. 

This is one wicked cool cover, don't you think?

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Release date: August 2012

*****

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

*****

Click here to read an extract

Click here to see the US cover art

Guest Post & Giveaway: Victoria Hanley shares her top 5 tips for YA Novelists and Win a copy of Wild Ink : Success Secrets to Writing and Publishing in the Young Adult Market.

I have a great guest post and giveaway today for all you budding YA novelists out there! Author Victoria Hanley has stopped by to share her top five tips for YA novelists, and thanks to Prufrock Press three lucky readers could win a copy of Victoria's book  Wild Ink : Success Secrets to Writing and Publishing in the Young Adult Market.  This book has been tagged by Cynthia Hand as one of her writer-must-haves on twitter, and having read an extract, I can see why! This book is chock full of useful tips for budding writers!

  

Wild Ink: Success Secrets to Writing and Publishing in the Young Adult Market by Victoria Hanley
Publisher: Prufrock Press
Release date: May 1st 2012

What do you need to know to break in to the flourishing young adult (YA) market? With humor and a solid grounding in reality, author Victoria Hanley helps readers understand the ins and outs of the YA genre, how to stay inspired, and how to avoid common mistakes writers make in trying to reach teens. This book includes unique writing exercises to help readers find their own authentic teen voice and dozens of interviews with YA authors, blogging experts, editors, and agents to give inspiration and guidance for getting published. Chapters include writing exercises and self-editing techniques tailored to YA, along with encouraging words on dealing with self-doubt, rejection, and lack of time.

Top 5 Tips for Young Adult Novelists --Victoria Hanley

1.      Find your voice. Editors and agents are always looking for fresh voices. How do you find yours? This may sound counter-intuitive, but I recommend working with a shredder. Really. Start with a blank page and then write whatever you want to say. Feed what you’ve written to the shredder before anyone (including you!) reads it. By spending a few minutes a day on this activity, you’ll be giving your creative mind permission to run free--free of pressure, obligation, and fear. Soon, you may surprise yourself with a new level of flow in your writing. A style that’s all yours may emerge.

2.      Give in to passion. Teens are full of honesty and raw emotion. Make a point of remembering what it was like for you during the teens years, so your characters will have believable feelings. Write about convincing heartache, true rebellion, wild exploration.  

3.      Be mean to your characters. Whatever you do when writing YA, do not hold back on the conflict! Resist the urge to take care of your characters and give them easy lives. They need to be under plenty of pressure, pressure that keeps increasing until the climax. (And don’t allow the adults to resolve things.) 

4.      Get through that sucky first draft.  It’s normal for a first draft  to be a jumbled mess in serious need of revision. When you hit the wall (and you will), don’t get discouraged. Take a class; join a good critique group; get 'er done! Once you finish a first draft, you’ve got something to polish.

5.      Study and read. Learn about industry standards, including submission guidelines and correct manuscript format. Find out  how to write a synopsis and a query letter.  And read everything you can get your hands on in the YA genre.

********************

Read an extract of Wild Ink:  here. 

Number of copies to be won: Three.

Competition is open: Internationally -- many thanks to Prufrock Press.

Competition closes: May 31st 2012.

Following this blog is not required to enter the competition, but is always appreciated. 
To win a copy of Wild Ink  just fill in the form below!

COMPETITION CLOSED! WINNERS ANNOUNCED SOON!

Summer Shorts: Jersey Angel by Beth Ann Bauman & The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland.

Product details:
Publisher: Random House Children's Books.
Release date:  May 8th 2012.
Hardcover, 208 pages.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Source: Netgalley.

It's the summer before senior year and the alluring Angel is ready to have fun. She's not like her best friend, Inggy, who has a steady boyfriend, good grades, and college plans. Angel isn't sure what she wants to do yet, but she has confidence and experience beyond her years. Still, her summer doesn't start out as planned. Her good friend Joey doesn't want to fool around anymore, he wants to be her boyfriend, while Angel doesn't want to be tied down. As Joey pulls away, and Inggy tours colleges, Angel finds herself  spending more time with Inggy's boyfriend, Cork. With its cast of vivid and memorable characters, this tale from the Jersey shore is sure to make some waves.

If you like summer reads of the sweet and innocent coming of age type, then this is not the book for you! A fun summer romp on Jersey Shore, Beth Ann Bauman’s Jersey Angel follows the life and loves of seventeen year old Angel Cassonetti, as she embarks on a summer of fun and hook ups.  And that’s about it really.  Jersey Angel is plot light in that it doesn’t really have much of a plot.   It’s just a breezy summer read with added raunch.  Angel is a girl with some pretty loose morals, and she doesn’t face the consequences of her actions, which are mostly pretty low, especially in relation to her best friend, Inggy. Angel is a girl who sets her sights on what she wants and then she goes and gets it. It’s not that Angel doesn’t care about the people standing in her way, it’s just that it mostly doesn’t even enter her mind to consider them before she jumps into bed with their boyfriend.

All the same, Angel is not all bad.  She has a sometimes sweet relationship with her ex, Joey, who she genuinely seems to care about, just not enough to date him. Angel doesn’t really understand why Joey wants to be exclusive – she just wants the no strings hook up thing.  She does have a cute and caring relationship with her siblings, though, and that’s her main saving grace, that, and the fact that she doesn’t take life too seriously, which is refreshing in itself.  In hindsight, Angel could probably benefit from taking life a little bit more seriously, but hey, summers when you’re seventeen are all about having as much fun as you can.

Just like its protagonist, Jersey Angel is an easy read – and is perfect for a hot day at the beach.

Product details:
Publisher: Speak.
Release date: May 10th 2012.
Paperback, 250 pages.
Rating: 2½ out of 5
Ages: 12+
Source: Netgalley.

Elizabeth Margaret—better known as Em—has always known what life would contain: an internship at her father’s firm, a degree from Harvard and a career as a lawyer. The only problem is that it’s not what she wants. When she gets the opportunity to get away from it all and spend a month with the aunt she never knew, she jumps at the chance. While there, Em pursues her secret dream of being a chef, and she also learns that her family has kept some significant secrets from her, too. And then there’s Cade, the laid-back local surfer boy who seems to be everything Em isn't. Naturally, she can’t resist him, and as their romance blossoms, Em feels she is living on her own terms for the first time.

 Elizabeth Margaret, or Em as she is known to friends, has always lived her life by the rules, and oh, do her controlling parents make sure there are rules, lots of rules! So, from her summer internship at her dad’s law firm-to her degree at Harvard- to her future career in law- absolutely everything in Em’s life has been planned right down to the final detail.  Em is tiring of living her life this way-she would love to pursue her dream of becoming a chef - but what can she do? This is the way her life has always been, and it doesn’t look as if things are going to change now.

Then, out of the blue, she receives an invitation from her long lost aunt Tilly to spend summer at her B&B in the Outer Banks. This is Em’s dream come true, and surprisingly her parents grudgingly agree that she can go. Finally. This is the summer that Em has been waiting for—the summer of her dreams, the summer of fun, and the summer of love. It’s also a summer of family secrets so big, that when uncovered, Em’s life will never be the same again.

I love coming-of-age reads with sunny settings and sweet romances, and while this book does fit that description, it also fell flat for me on a lot of counts, with characters that didn’t ring true and dialogue that was forced and stilted. The Summer My Life Began had all this potential to be a good beach read, but unfortunately it turned out to be all a little tame, all a little predictable, and overall a little dull, just like the big family secret contained within its pages.

Blog Tour: Read an exclusive extract from The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern +++ Win a Night Circus Party Pack!

The circus arrives without warning. 

No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.
The black sign, painted in white letters that hangs upon the gates, reads:
Opens at Nightfalll
Closes at Dawn
As the sun disappears beyond the horizon, all over the tents small lights begin to flicker, as though the entirety of the circus is covered in particularly bright fireflies. When the tents are all aglow, sparkling against the night sky, the sign appears.
Le Cirque des Rêves
The Circus of Dreams.
Now the circus is open.
Now you may enter.

********************

Erin Morgenstern's Best-Selling and much loved debut novel The Night Circus releases tomorrow - May 24th 2012 - in paperback from Vintage Books, £7.99, ebook available

Find out more about The Night Circus on the Vintage Books Website 

To celebrate the launch of The Night Circus in paperback Vintage Books have organised this fabulous Blog Tour. Below you can read an exclusive extract of The Night Circus. You can also enter to win a great Night Circus Party Pack which feature a reading guide, author interview, balloons, sweets and circus themed recipe along with a copy of the book -- everything you need to host your very own Night Circus themed reading group party!

Follow the tour on twitter via @vintagebooks and #NightCircusTour 

Exclusive Extract from The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

For larger text download this document or click on fullscreen. 

 Win a Night Circus Party Pack!

Thanks to Vintage Publishing I have two Night Circus Party Packs to give away!

Each pack features a reading guide, author interview, balloons, sweets and circus themed recipe along with a copy of the book -- everything you need to host your very own Night Circus themed reading group party!

Competition is open to: UK & Commonwealth

Competition ends: May 31st 2012

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

COMPETITION CLOSED! WINNERS ANNOUNCED SOON!

Summer Spotlight: Author Alison Lucy on her favourite summer reads +++ Win a copy of The Summer of Secrets!

The Summer of Secrets by Alison Lucy
Publisher: Canvas
Release date: May 17th 2012
Ages: Adult

One heady summer. Three big secrets. 1989: Newlyweds Danny and Harriet arrive at their honeymoon paradise in the Caribbean. Days later Harriet returns home. Danny is left distraught but finds comfort in the arms of two women. Nine months later, three baby girls are born... 2010: Megan leaves her childhood sweetheart behind in the UK to go in search of her long-lost father. Miles from home and temptation is at every corner - not least in the arms of the gorgeous Ray... Esmé, a Mexican beauty, married Miguel at fifteen. In unlocking the secrets of her past, can she shed the shackles of her enforced marriage? Claudia has led a life of privilege but she's never really known what it feels like to be loved. Could David be the answer? Or will he disappoint her, just like her mother always did? Three women set off on an adventure to uncover the secrets surrounding their missing father. It may be the only way to lay their demons to rest but seeking out the truth could tear their lives apart.

Author Alison Lucy on her favourite summer reads!

This is what I want from a perfect summer read. It must be utterly absorbing and yet easy to read at the same time. It must hold my attention but not demand it. It must not be too depressing or preoccupying, but it mustn’t be too flighty either, I would prefer it to last more than one short day on the beach. Every time I go on holiday I plan meticulously which books to take but still the books I enjoy the most are not those that I pack, but the ones I acquire. Spending time and money in bookshops overseas is a must, whether that means browsing the English Language corner of a city centre chain or rummaging through a stacked table in the corner of a boatyard. I have found treasure on book swap tables like this, buried beneath every book that Dan Brown and Nora Roberts ever wrote, the parched saga of the The Thornbirds kept me going for weeks, I discovered Janet Evanovich, and I found one my most beloved non-fiction books, Travels, a collection of essays by Michael Crichton, which combines the authors first-rate storytelling ability with brutal honesty concerning his life’s journeys, physical and otherwise.

If I am on holiday I want a book that I can easily take to the beach. I used to treat myself to airport exclusive editions of new paperbacks, in the larger paperback format, but after hauling I Am Charlotte Simmons around for three weeks I wished I had waited for the mass market edition. I haven’t bought a Kindle yet but it is the prospect of lighter holiday luggage that I find most tempting. I picked up The Immigrants by Howard Fast in a second hand bookshop in Mexico. The Immigrants is an enormous brick of a book, spanning generations of family life in San Francisco and Napa Valley. Despite its heft it ticks almost all of my summer read boxes: sexy heroes, exotic locations, romance, peril, and the ability to sweep me up into a fantastic story without a great deal of mental effort on my part.

Which is why my favourite summer reads will always be those written by Jackie Collins. I read Hollywood Wives first, the summer I turned fourteen, and ever since then Jackie has featured prominently in my summers, lying out in the back garden during some precious British sunshine, or my first holiday on my own with friends. I remember buying oversized paperbacks at Heathrow, and being unable to resist an American hardback edition of Vendetta: Lucky’s Revenge when I saw it in a bookshop in L.A. Most of all I like how reading these books of summer in the depths of a mundane winter will transport you to a warmer, more optimistic place where true love can conquer anything at all.

**********

Thanks to Alison for the great guest post! I hope you all got some ideas for your summer reading list!

Alison will be hosting a live Twitter Interview ‘twinterview’ on the 23rd May between 5-6pm so be sure to log on for that!

 

I have an extra special treat for UK readers today -- Alison's publisher Canvas have very generously offered TEN copies of Summer of Secrets for you lucky readers to win. Just fill in the form to enter!

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

COMPETITION CLOSED! WINNERS ANNOUNCED SOON!

Guest Blogging at Confessions of a Book Addict!

Want to find out what books I most want to read this summer?

Then click the image above and hop over to Confessions of a Book Addict where, along with a bunch of other bloggers, I'm sharing my top summer 2012 reads!

Hope you find some great summer reads to add to your reading list!

Thanks for having me again, Christina! :)

Summer Spotlight 2012 Launch Party +++ Mega Giveaway!

 

Summer Spotlight  your one stop shop for all the best summer reads is back and I'm kicking off the summer fun with a mega giveaway!

One lucky reader will win TWO of the books shown below. All of these books are on my summer wish list, and hopefully I'll get around to reviewing most of them! Also featured are Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard and When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle, both great books which I think will make great beach reads!

I have some great summer comps coming up over the next few months so stay tuned for those.

Enjoy summer spotlight! I hope you find some great summer reads! 

This competition is open Internationally - wherever The Book Depository ships.

Check this list to see if you are eligible to enter.

Competition ends: June 22nd 2012.

* This competition is open to blog followers new and old*

COMPETITION CLOSED! WINNER ANNOUNCED SOON!

Recent Winners:

Kelly M won the 2 Year Blogoversary Giveaway!

Alice (The Reader Room) won the Queen of Teen Giveaway !

Congrats!

Book Review: Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins.

Product details:
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Books.
Paperback, 336 pages.
Release date: March 29th 2012
Rating: 3½ out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Series: Hex Hall #3
Other books in series: Hex Hall, Raising Demons.
Overall series rating: 3½ out of 5
Source: Received from publisher for review.

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

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

Queen of snark and all round kick-ass heroine, Sophie Mercer is back, in this, the final installment of Rachel Hawkins entertaining Hex Hall series.  Spell Bound sees the stakes raised higher than ever in the ultimate battle of good versus evil, but first, Sophie needs to get her magic powers back!

Raising Demons (Hex Hall #2) ended on a cliffhanger of epic proportions, one which put this book firmly on my I-need-to-read-it-ASAP wish list. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to Sophie & Co., but while the action in Spell Bound picks up pretty much in the immediate aftermath of Raising Demons, I felt out of the loop when I started reading this one.  This was mainly due to the introduction of the Brannick family; Sophie’s supposed sworn enemies, who play a major role in this book. But while the Brannicks play  an important part in both the plot and in Sophie’s life, I felt that the inclusion of so many new characters in a book where there’s already a whole lot going on, was problematic.  While Sophie’s story is all wrapped up here, for the most part, there are definitely some Brannick character threads left hanging loose at the end of the book. I wonder if Hawkins plans to revisit these characters in a future series.  It would make a lot of sense if she did.

Raising Demons rated very highly for me, and I have to say that while overall this book still had its moments, it just fell flat at times.  My major qualm with Spell Bound is that it’s just too busy. There’s so much going on in terms of new characters to get to know, old characters to remember – the action takes us back to Hex Hall here, so there are some characters unseen since the first book – and a whole lot of location changes to take in too.

 Unfortunately some of the things I love about the series got a little lost in the process.

Take the witty inter-play between Sophie and her love interest, Archer Cross, for instance.  This was excellently portrayed in Raising Demons, but here it all seems a little forced at times, and there’s not all that much romance here either. I remained invested in these two because of what I remembered of them in the previous books in the series, not because of what I read about here. Sophie has a somewhat steamy interaction too with her other possible romantic interest, her ‘fiancé’, Cal, which could have consequences for her relationship with Archer, but which doesn’t because it is never discussed, never explored further on in the book.  As for Cal, he’s a nice guy, but really, he never stood a chance against Archer Cross.  I felt that the whole love triangle aspect of this series never really took off, and honestly I didn’t really see the point of it. It was always going to be Cross for Mercer.

With evil enemies to battle in epic final showdowns, and a shocking twist or two, there is still a lot to enjoy in Spell Bound, and I enjoyed this series overall, despite my qualms about the final book.  I look forward to reading whatever Rachel Hawkins writes next, because I like her style and her snark!

UK Cover Reveal: Envy by Elizabeth Miles.

Here's the beautiful new UK cover for Envy (Fury #2) by Elizabeth Miles. I'm really looking forward to this one, and I love the new look!

 What do you think?

Spring is here, and the ice is slowly melting in Ascension…revealing the secrets buried beneath.

The Furies are back, and Emily Winters is about to discover that their roots in Ascension are deeper than she ever imagined. With the help of her new friend Drea, she vows to take them down. But it's hard to focus when she's desperate to make up with JD, and to figure out why Crow, a mysterious Ascension High dropout, seems to be shadowing her.

Meanwhile, new girl Skylar McVoy is determined to leave her own dark past behind. So she's thrilled when not only does popular Gabby takes her under her wing, but the stunning and sophisticated Meg offers to give her a major makeover. But everyone knows what happens to the vainest girl of all…

It's tempting to be naughty. But beware: the Furies are always watching, and their power grows stronger by the day.

Envy (Fury #2) by Elizabeth Miles releases on August 30th 2012 from Simon & Schuster UK

Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe Blog Tour: Meet KDRS Staffers Chloe & Clementine

Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe
Publisher: Amulet Books
Release date: May 1st 2012
Ages: 14+

Big-hearted Chloe Camden is the queen of her universe until her best friend shreds her reputation and her school counselor axes her junior independent study project. Chloe is forced to take on a meaningful project in order to pass, and so she joins her school’s struggling radio station, where the other students don’t find her too queenly. Ostracized by her former BFs and struggling with her beloved Grams’s mental deterioration, lonely Chloe ends up hosting a call-in show that gets the station much-needed publicity and, in the end, trouble. She also befriends radio techie and loner Duncan Moore, a quiet soul with a romantic heart. On and off the air, Chloe faces her loneliness and helps others find the fun and joy in everyday life. Readers will fall in love with Chloe as she falls in love with the radio station and the misfits who call it home.

Meet KDRS Staffers Chloe & Clementine

Chloe is the talk show host of Chloe: Queen of the Universe and Heartbeats

Nickname: Poppy. Grams gave it to me when I was little because I had red-orange hair “as soft and wavy as a handful of poppy petals.”

Favorite comfort food: Twizzlers

Person (living or dead) I’d like to have dinner with: Charlie Chaplin. One of the funniest human beings of all time…and someone who did comedy without words. Brilliant.

Plans after high school: Go to college and study business and continue to work part-time at Dos Hermanas Mexican Cantina. I know I definitely don’t want to go to med school like my five older brothers and parents. Lucky for me, my family is finally starting to understand I’m different.

Favorite pair of shoes: Grass green ankle strap wedges, circa 1940

               

 Favorite movie: Haley, the arts and entertainment editor at the radio station, is on this 1939 movie kick, which she calls the “greatest year in film,” so Duncan and I have been watching a lot of oldies. I’d have to say my current favorite is the 1939 classic, Wizard of Oz. I can relate to the message about finding a “home.”

Superhero power: The ability to mend broken hearts. There are too many people hurting in this world.

Greatest fear: Being alone.

The world needs more: laughter

Clementine is the general manager and news director

Nickname: Jester Clem. Chloe came up with this idiotic nickname on one her Queen of the Universe shows. Before she died, my mom called me O My Darlin’.

Favorite comfort food: Beets. When I was younger, I’d spend summers at my grandparents’ farm in Temecula, California, where we would pick beets and can them.

Person (living or dead) I’d like to have dinner with: Edward R. Murrow, one of the greatest broadcasters of all time. His radio broadcasts from London during World War II set the standard for live news reporting for decades to come.

Plans after high school: Go to the University of Missouri at Columbia and study radio broadcasting. I’d like to own my own radio empire one day.

Favorite pair of shoes: Leather loafers from discount shoe store, circa 2010

 Favorite movie: Finding Nemo or Old Yeller. So I like sappy animal movies. What the hell’s wrong with that?

Superhero power: Invisibility. A valuable tool for an investigative journalist.

Greatest fear: School backpack with a Beretta M-9 hand gun tucked in the pencil pocket. Long story and one I won’t talk about.

The world needs more: Justice

****************

To learn more about young adult author Shelley Coriell and Chloe’s high school radio world, visit: www.shelleycoriell.com.

To win fab Welcome, Caller,  This Is Chloe prizes including shoe vouchers and copies of the book visit: A&C Kids UK on Facebook.

Jen's will be reviewing Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe on the blog soon!

Reviewed by Jen: Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind by Andy Robb.

Product details:
Publisher: Stripes Publishing.
Release date: May 1st 2012.
Paperback, 352 pages.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Source: Received from publisher for review.
Reviewed by: Jen

If you haven't worked it out yet, girls don't do this. They don't come to the Hovel. They don't like goblins and dragons. They don't paint miniatures. They don't play role playing games or re-enact fictional battles. And they don't talk to Geeks like me especially if they're pretty. And this girl is pretty. What do you do if you're a fourteen-year-old Geek, and a Beautiful Girl has appeared in the midst of your geeky world? And she seems to like you... For Archie, the natural reaction would be to duck and cover ... run for the hills ... buy a new model elf... Anything but risk stepping into the Real World. But even Geeks have to put their heads above the parapet at some point. With his mum barely able to contain her excitement that her son is about to join the human race, and his step-father, Tony the Tosser, offering crass advice, it's time for Archie to embark on a daring Quest to win the Beautiful Girl's heart and shake off his Geekhood for good...

If I had a dollar for every time Andy Robb’s debut novel Geekhood made me laugh out loud I would be set for life!  While I am not usually a fan of romance this charming book had me captivated by the first chapter.  Maybe because I can relate to what it is like to be a geek.

The hero of our adventure, Archie, has pretty much been able to fly under the radar most of his life.  As a geek his shields and “grunt detectors” are usually working on full power in the rare instances he leaves the sanctity of his “lair,” AKA: his bedroom.  Unfortunately, this all changes when Sarah, the most beautiful Goth Girl Archie has ever seen, enters his domain.  Upon meeting at The Hovel, the local gaming shop, Sarah persuades Archie to teach her the intricacies of The Game.  Archie, having fallen madly in love, agrees.  This causes a multitude of problems from feelings of betrayal by his mates to courting the ire of Jason Humphries, the class bully, who also has fallen for the beautiful Sarah.  As Sarah convinces Archie to become one with his inner -self Archie has to decide if he wants to take the risk of actually living a life outside the safe confines of his bedroom.  Although the price of such a life could turn out to be more than Archie can afford. 

One of the first things I noticed about this book was how quickly the pages flew by.  Geekhood is an incredibly fast read.  As the pages delved into Archie’s world of painting miniatures and Role Playing Games I was afraid the book would become tedious, but it never did.  There is just enough detail to bring you into Archie’s world, but not so much that you become bored.  Archie’s attempts to woo Sarah are incredibly endearing and you will find yourself rooting for him throughout the book.  Although he makes some poor decisions and doesn’t always value the people around him these choices are what helps to move the story forward.  As a reader you can only hope that Archie realizes that things are not always quite the way he sees them. 

Another aspect of the book I loved was Archie’s IM (inner monologue).  As Archie works hard at presenting a façade of what he thinks people want to see and hear his IM is telling it like it is and it is hysterical!  The authors wit and snarkiness make this one of the funniest books I have ever read.  

I would love to tell you whether the geek gets the girl in the end, but you are going to have to find that one out for yourself. The romance is more a case of teenage puppy love, which is something we all have experienced. Geekhood doesn’t have the intense love triangle that is so popular in teen fiction and there is no hot character for readers to lust after, but I guarantee that by the time you finish this book you will be a card carrying member of Team Archie.

Geekhood blog tour: Author Andy Robb on his Geekhood inspirations +++ Exclusive Extract!

 Geekhood by Andy Robb
Publisher: Stripes Publishing
Release date: May 1st 2012
Ages: 12+

If you haven't worked it out yet, girls don't do this. They don't come to the Hovel. They don't like goblins and dragons. They don't paint miniatures. They don't play role playing games or re-enact fictional battles. And they don't talk to Geeks like me especially if they're pretty. And this girl is pretty. What do you do if you're a fourteen-year-old Geek, and a Beautiful Girl has appeared in the midst of your geeky world? And she seems to like you... For Archie, the natural reaction would be to duck and cover ... run for the hills ... buy a new model elf... Anything but risk stepping into the Real World. But even Geeks have to put their heads above the parapet at some point. With his mum barely able to contain her excitement that her son is about to join the human race, and his step-father, Tony the Tosser, offering crass advice, it's time for Archie to embark on a daring Quest to win the Beautiful Girl's heart and shake off his Geekhood for good...

Guest Post: Author Andy Robb on his Geekhood Inspirations:

I’m an author. Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind is my first book, and it was written over the course of a few months, in my spare evenings. In my other life, I’m an actor, which generally means I have to find extra work to keep the wolf (and his buddies) from the door. So in my other other life, I write stuff for the Internet, which does pay the bills. At the end of each day, I would get around to writing the stuff I really wanted.

I’d heard other authors say that characters write themselves – something I’d never really believed. But, as Geekhood started to unfold, I started to see what they mean. I guess it’s a little bit like acting. When you’re doing a theatre show, you sometimes do something differently one night. You’re not changing things because you’re showing-off or being a pain, but because it suddenly makes sense in a way that may not have come to you in rehearsals. These are known as “shadow moves”. These moves may not have anything to do with the script, but they happen because your knowledge of the character deepens with each performance, and you get more comfortable in your character’s shoes.

This is what happened when I was writing Archie, the main character and narrator of the book. I had an idea of what was going to happen before I started bashing at the keyboard but, often, I’d end up writing something almost completely different. I think this is because Archie (and his Internal Monologue) started to really get inside my head and dictated how things turned out. I’ll cheerfully admit that Archie is based on me, but, as the story unravelled, other facets to his character occurred to me. I realised that Archie is a combination of what I was at the age of 14, what I wanted to be and what I could have been.

But there’s the temptation to rewrite history so that things worked out just right for him/me: maybe he could get the girl on page 52 in some super-suave move. As the guy who never got the girl on any page, it would’ve been a great relief to have things turn out right for a change. But whenever I strayed in that direction, the Archie in my head would let me know it wasn’t going to happen.

There’s a scene in the book where Archie invites Sarah, The Most Beautiful Girl in the WorldTM round to his house to play a Role-playing game. (For the uninitiated, RPGs have a dungeon master who writes a story which the player characters follow, making their decisions on the throw of multi-sided die.) I’m ashamed to say this scene is based on a toe-curling event that actually happened. Like a dunderhead, I thought this was the way to my Sarah’s heart, but I wrote the story so that it involved lots of romantic hints along the way. The poor girl kept finding cryptic love notes in locked chests or meeting Trolls who would tell her their heartbreaking stories of unrequited love and of being cursed to live as Trolls for ever. Needless to say, she didn’t fall for it – or me.

It makes me sweat even to write it, now – and not in a good way. I thought it would be good to write this out as part of the story, but it didn’t work – mainly because I kept getting the message that Archie just wouldn’t do it. No, he was going to mess it up his way.

But even if Archie avoids that particular self-conscious attempt at seduction, he still has his (un)fair share of knuckle-chewingly awful moments. There was another time from my life that informed several scenes in Geekhood: the day I first tried to ask a girl out.

I’d been really tying myself in knots over this girl and by the time she met me at the school gates, I was a mess. But I was trying to keep a lid on it: trying to be all upbeat and funny. It must’ve leaked through because, as we were walking up Marpool Hill, she asked me what was wrong. Of course, I told her it was nothing, but she wouldn’t have it and the inquisition carried on all the way up to the top. 

As we neared the top of the hill, my would-be girlfriend said: “I know what it is! You fancy someone, don’t you? Who is it?”

If I were in a movie, I would’ve come up with some disarming quip and she’d have swooned into my arms, suddenly overcome with love for me. But my life wasn’t a movie and something in me decided to Make the Situation Worse. In slow-motion, I raised my hand, pointed it at her and sort of slurred the immortal words: “It’s you!”

And then I fainted.

I woke up, outside Mrs. Reddy’s Sweet Shop, surrounded by people asking me if I was OK. The girl I liked was looking at me with utter disbelief. Once again, something in me decided to Make the Situation Worse: I got up, apologised several times, and ran home, like a sweaty gazelle. May this serve as a warning to all my fellow Geeks.

So, although there are huge parts of Archie that are based on me, he’s broken free of my apron-strings. He’s become a character in his own right, capable of making his own decisions and mistakes (of which he makes many). As he might say: “It’s all in the details.”

Geek Yourself at www.geekhood.co.uk

Follow: @thatandybloke on Twitter

Follow the blog tour: #GeekhoodBook on Twitter

Extract From Geekhood

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Book Review: Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne.

Product details:
Publisher: Headline.
Release date: May 10th 2012.
Hardcover, 336 pages.
Rating: 3½ out of 5.
Ages: 14+/Crossover
Source: Received from publisher for review.

They say I'm evil. The police. The newspapers. The girls from school who shake their heads on the six o’clock news and say they always knew there was something not quite right about me. And everyone believes it. Including you. But you don't know. You don't know who I used to be.

Who I could have been.

Awaiting trial at Archway Young Offenders Institution, Emily Koll is going to tell her side of the story for the first time.

Heart-Shaped Bruise is a compulsive and moving novel about infamy, identity and how far a person might go to seek revenge.

Girl, Interrupted with a body count, Tanya Byrne’s Heart-Shaped Bruise is a beautifully written, spine-tingling tale of love, loss, loyalty and revenge that will keep you turning its pages until the very end.

Gangsters’ daughter Emily Koll is an inmate of Archway Young Offenders Institution where she is awaiting trial for a terrible crime.  We don’t know what her crime is, but we do know that Emily is feared by the other inmates, and that her crime made the front pages of the tabloid newspapers.  Emily’s life wasn’t always headed this way. Not so long ago, she led a life of privilege and had a father who doted on her, indulging her every whim. That life was taken from her in blink of an eye, and then Emily was alone, with all her hopes and dreams lying in tatters.

Emily resolved to get revenge on the girl who testified against her father, the girl who sent him to prison and ruined her life in the process.  We get to know Emily through her diaries, and we learn just how far she went to destroy the girl who she believes ruined her life.

Heart-Shaped Bruise is a darkly compelling read, and while I was drawn to Byrne’s engaging style, one thing kept me from really connecting with this book, and that was the character of Emily.  Emily Koll is a girl few, if any, will warm to, or even understand. She needs help, that’s plain to see, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to sympathise with Emily’s plight, not once.  I just didn’t see any redeeming qualities in her character whatsoever. This was due in part to the presentation of the character of Juliet, the girl Emily sets out to destroy. Juliet has lost everything, but she keeps on living her life. She is the strongest character in this book, while Emily is cold, calculating and vindictive.  Emily doesn’t have any self-realisation. She doesn’t take responsibility for her actions. She doesn’t blame her father for ruining her life. She blames Juliet for it, for all of it.

Emily a girl who is poisonous to everybody around her, apart from her father, who is the one person she could actually blame for her predicament if she were to continue to shun responsibility for her actions.  That’s understandable, it’s something that happens when you deal with the people closest to you – sometimes you will seek to blame anybody  but them no matter what they do – still though, while Emily has been through a lot I couldn’t bring myself to fully understand her actions.  She thinks she’s strong, when she’s really not at all, but neither is she a lost little girl who just needs to be loved

While we are not told of the terrible crime Emily has committed for a large part of the text, it is pretty evident, or at least it was to me, pretty early on in my reading. That doesn’t mean that Emily’s actions are any less hard-hitting or brutal, because Emily’s quest for revenge really knows no bounds.

In the end, Emily was a character I wanted to step away from. I wondered how much of what Emily narrated was the truth, and how much of it was just Emily’s truth, because she is a character that excels in bravado. Heart-Shaped Bruise is a strong debut, gritty in nature, and not for the faint of heart. With major crossover appeal, this one will find an audience in adult and mature YA audiences alike.

Reviewed by Jen: Dead Rules by Randy Russell.

Product details:
Publisher: Quercus Publishing.
Release date: March 29th 2012
Paperback, 352 pages.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 13+
Source: Received from publisher for review.
Reviewed by: Jen

When Jana Webster dies in a tragic accident, she finds herself transferred to 'Dead School' in the afterlife, where students fall into distinct cliques. Risers (good kids who died innocently), Sliders (bad kids, who have one foot tied to earth) and Virgins (there are fewer than Jana would expect). Jana's boyfriend and love of her life - Michael - is still in the land of the living. Michael is Romeo to Jana's Juliet and as the story goes... even death can't keep them apart. Tired of waiting for him to kill himself over his grief of losing her, Jana decides she needs to do it for him. To kill Michael she'll need the help of a dangerous and sexy Slider - Mars Dreamcoate. But Mars has a goal of his own: he wants to save a life to atone for having taken one in a drunk-driving accident. And to complicate matters, he was trying to save Jana when she died and saw what was really going on when her 'accident' happened. Jana decides to do whatever it takes to get Michael back, and nothing - not even Mars' warm touch or the devastating secret he holds about her death - will stop her.

Who knew that being dead would be so complicated?  That there would be so many rules about what you could or couldn’t do?  In Randy Russell’s debut novel Dead Rules Jana Webster, of Webster and Haynes, finds that if she is going to get the eternity she wants she going to have to break every rule ever written about being dead.

Jana and Michael’s double date with Nathan and Sherry didn’t go exactly as Jana had planned.  Instead, Jana ended up dead.  Killed in a freak bowling accident.  Now Jana is stuck in Dead School relegated to spend all of eternity wearing a hideous plaid uniform skirt and separated from her one true love Michael Haynes (of Webster and Haynes).  To make matters worse Dead School bad boy Mars Dreamcote seems to have taken an interest in Jana, unfortunately associating with Mars is against the rules and could get Jana expelled – forever.  Yet, when Jana realizes that Michael has not immediately killed himself in grief over the loss of his one true love Jana decides he needs a little help crossing over to the other side.  And Mars is just the person to help her get him there. 

Dead Rules is not just another paranormal romance with a brooding love triangle.   The story has a little bit of mystery to it as well.  On Jana’s first day in Dead School someone is writing her notes that her death was not an accident, but actually murder.    One of the things I really liked was that the author brings the reader back to earth to follow the actions of Michael, Nathan, and Sherry within each chapter.  Once the events surrounding Jana’s death are clear you can’t help but be on Jana’s side. 

           

Randy Russell also does an excellent job of creating an afterlife that is realistic, and a bit creepy.  He acknowledges that most teens don’t die naturally and creates a variety of compelling back- stories for his minor characters.    These stories create a depth for each of the minor characters that help to form the surreal world that is Dead School.  There is also quite a bit of humor throughout the story, which helps relieve some of the tension in reading about dead teenagers.   

The only problem I have with Dead Rules is the ending.  It left me screaming. “What happens next!?!”  The last lines of the story are very ambiguous and can signal either a solid ending or a possible sequel.  I am hoping for the sequel, as I really want to know what lies in store for Jana and Mars and what happens once they graduate from Dead School?  I can also envision Randy Russell continuing with a series that focuses on some of the other students in Dead School.  The world he has created in Dead Rules is such creepy fun that I truly hope he decides to take us back sometime in the near future!