Monday 31 October 2011

White Cat review

White Cat
Holly Black
June 17th 2010 (UK)
Orion/Gollancz (UK)


Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.
Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.
Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love -- or death -- and your dreams might be more real than your memories.
You know how sometimes when you finish a book, and you have to sit back for a minute and just think about how awesome the book you just read was? Yeah. White Cat. 
I'm not gonna lie, this is the second time that I've tried to read this book, the last time being last September, and both times I found it pretty hard to get into, Back in September I just sort of stopped and read something else, but I really regret that! After getting through the first 50 odd pages, I was really into it, and I was starting to connect a lot more to the story and Cassel.
I think Cassel is one of my favourite characters of the year. Or at least one of the best realised. I could completely believe every turn his mind took, and every reaction he had to what he found out over the course of the book. He wasn't perfect, he wasn't anywhere near, but he was incredibly believable. And, he was exactly what I like in a character because he was his own person, because sometimes with first person the MC is so bland that it doesn't seem that they're even meant to be a character at all.
I also really fell in love with the world Holly created, with the big Mafia influence, and I liked learning about all the little differences between our world and this one, where Workers exist. I thought all the Worker info was really interesting too, and the crime families! I loved the whole plot with the crime families and lies and cons and magic, it was just awesome! And so different.
Lila was a really fascinating character too. I won't spoil anything, but she's been through some shit, and I liked the combination of her manic pixie dream girl side, and her hurt and pain from the past 3 years. Philip and Barron were both great! They weren't essentially good guys, but I don't think anyone is in this world of cons and mobsters is. I loved all the themes of family, and who they would put first out of their real brother or the mafia, and their relationship with Cassel and each other was really interesting...
White Cat is an awesome book about cons, criminals, magic and mobsters, brotherhood and family and a whole other load of awesome. I need to read Red Glove!

Sunday 30 October 2011

In My Mailbox (54)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren :)



For Review:
The Double Shadow by Sally Gardner. I LOVE Sally Gardner's books, so I;m so excited to read this! Thank you Orion/Indigo!
All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin. So not expecting this proof! Doesn't come out until April here! Yay! Thank you Macmillan!
20 Years Lated by E.J Newman. I hadn't heard of this until a couple of days ago when the author offered to send me a copy on Twitter, and it looks great! Yay! Thank you E.J! :D (she signed it too :D)


Then this week I went to meet Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan was there too which was a great excuse for me to FINALLY read her books! They were both so lovely. and I got this chapter sampler of Sarah's next book too :D 





And!! Hunger Games Calendar!! :D

So, what did you get in your mailbox? :)

Friday 28 October 2011

IN Which Romeo and Juliet Are NOT Good Examples

Okay, so it's not that great this week... But hey, I'm new to this whole vlogging thing ;)



Yeah. I think I'll vlog about NaNo next week... What say you? ;)



Wednesday 26 October 2011

Waiting on Wednesday #54

Masque of the Red Death
Bethany Griffin
April 24th 2012


Everything is in ruins. 

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them. 

So what does Araby Worth have to live for? 

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all. 

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does. 

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.


This book looks fantastic! I am a huge Poe fan and Masque of the Red Death was the first Poe story I ever read (and probably one of my favourites). I'm loving all of the Poe-ish YA! :D

What ate you waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine :)

Monday 24 October 2011

The Carrier of The Mark review

The Carrier of The Mark
Leigh Fallon
October 27th 2011 
HarperCollins Childrens Books


Their love was meant to be.

When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRÍs.

But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction.



I was super, SUPER excited to read Carrier of the Mark, and had been since I saw the cover (which is just amazeballs). Sadly, for me, it didn't live entirely up to my high expectations, but it was still good! Just not as amazing as I was hoping...


I think the thing that let me down about it is that it wasn't really anything special. Which sounds really bad now that I'm typing it out, but it's true. I was expecting something new and fresh, something that would stick out in a sea of paranormals, but it was just kind of a bit.. samey? It was just kind of safe, I guess. And that's not to say I didn't like it, 'cause of course I did, but it just kind of was the same old thing I find when reading paranormals.


Saying that, there were many things that I did really like about the Carrier of the Mark. I thought the mythology behind everything, and it all being based around Celtic myths, was all really cool and I really enjoyed learning about it, though there were one or two chapters that were just solid explaining and it kind of dragged on. But it was really interesting! And the setting was great too! I've always wanted to go to Ireland, and I loved reading about it. Plus the DeRis house was really awesome (though again with the whole big family - Cullen thing going on...) 


I also liked Megan as a character, despite the fact she was kind of a fish out of water, she dealt with it really well (seeing as she moves a lot), and she makes friends really easily, and I was glad to see that even after she started going out with Adam, they didn't just disappear, like how the friends usually do. I thought Adam was a little a typical romantic hero, and I wasn't really that taken with him, but I did love the rest of his family! 


Although the story could be a little predictable, there were some parts that were a surprise, and as I said I really enjoyed the mythology, and that Megan was kind of a bad ass at the end. I really hope to see Megan grow into her powers even more, and that she kicks some more ass in the next book! That'd be cool.


The Carrier of the Mark is a book that I enjoyed, even though I didn't love it as much as I wanted to. Perfect for fans of paranormal, though! Plus it's a super quick, fun read. Really looking forward to see what else the series has in store!

Saturday 22 October 2011

In My Mailbox (53)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren :)



So this week I didn't actually get any books, but I did go to two super awesome events! Yay! :D

On Tuesday I went to go meet Becca Fitzpatrick at Foyles and she was amazingly lovely and I met Bella from Cheezyfeet books who I've spoken to on Twitter loads and she was so lovely! As Well as meeting Laura again, and Leanne from District YA! :)


I look EXTRA gimpish in the picture. Sorry about that...


And then today I went to probably the best book event ever. No lie. We met Maureen Johnson, and her talk was hilarious, and the crowd was so awesome and full of nerdfighters (YAY!) and I met Bella again and Cassandra Clare was there AND while we were queueing up to get inside CHARLIE MCDONNELL AND TOM MILSOM stood literally right in front of us. And there were loads of cool nerdfighters and youtube people there that I wish I was cool enough to be like and I loved it. And there was cake. And you see those magnets? Yeah. I won those ;) So yeah. I think I died a little from the awesome in that room. 


Yay! But my hair is SO STUPID. What is it even doing? Lame hair.


So, how was your week? And what did you get in your mailbox? 


Friday 21 October 2011

In Which I Vlog For You. Again.

Well, isn't this whole talking in front of a camera to yourself thing happening a lot around here lately! And by a lot, I mean twice... But yeah! I made another vlog! And it's NOT IMM! So, you know how last week I said how I wanted to start vlogging more? This is that. Tell me what you think in the comments! And give me ideas! Please! ;p



So. Yeah. 

Wednesday 19 October 2011

Waiting on Wednesday #53

Amplified
Tara Kelly
October 25th 2011


When privileged 17-year-old Jasmine gets kicked out of her house, she takes what is left of her savings and flees to Santa Cruz to pursue her dream of becoming a musician. Jasmine finds the ideal room in an oceanfront house, but she needs to convince the three guys living there that she's the perfect roommate and lead guitarist for their band, C-Side. Too bad she has major stage fright and the cute bassist doesn't think a spoiled girl from over the hill can hack it. . . . In this fresh new novel by critically acclaimed author Tara Kelly, Jasmine finds out what happens when her life gets Amplified.


This book sounds awesome! I'm really loving music books, and this looks fab! :D Also, I've heard Tara Kelly is awesome!


What are you waiting for?


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

Monday 17 October 2011

Daughter of Smoke and Bone review

Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Laini Taylor
September 29th 2011
Hodder & Stoughton


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 otherwordly 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?



Daughter and Smoke and Bone is simply amazing. I won't lie, as much as I was excited for this book, I had heard very mixed things about it, and I was a little worried that I would be left a little disappointed, but such was not the case! I was constantly in awe of how beautiful and peculiar Taylor's writing style was, and I just wanted to savour it for as long as I possibly could.


The whole idea of the book is intriguing and everything in it, from the teeth being used for magic, to the Chimera, to the wishes, and the names, to the other worlds and the characters themselves was a little bit weird and odd, but completely magical, and it might just be my inexperience with fantasy, but all of it was wonderful and new to me, and made me realise that I should give fantasy more of a go! *picks up Graceling to try and read again*


Another of the fascinating things about this book (to which there are really no end) were the characters. I didn't really connect with any of them, but this didn't affect my enjoyment of the book at all. I think that they were each so unique and peculiar that without a connection to them, you could still just LIKE them, but as with most books, I did prefer the side characters. I would love to read more about Brimstone, and Zuzanna and Mik and her Karou's human friends. None of the characters were wholly good or wholly bad either. It was packed full of shades of grey, of bad acts done from mistakes and misunderstandings, and a war told from the point of view of either side, and there was good and bad in both of them. There were good Chimera and bad Seraphim and good Seraphim and bad Chimera, as there are of most people. I like it when books are like that, because there's nothing worse than a cheesy, 2 dimensional bad-guy... Everyone has reasons for doing bad things... I'm getting a little off track here.


The romance felt like it was a little fast around the middle, but by the end everything had been explained, and secrets revealed, and a whole new story of Akiva's past love told which explained all the things (pretty much) regarding their relationship. I love Karou's reaction at the end though! I'm not gonna spoil anything, but I think she made the right decision. You know, RIGHT at the end, like, just before the epilogue? Yeah. I was just sitting there like GO YOU KAROU! But that might justa been me.. It was a great ending though! I neeeed to know what happens next! That, and I just want to read more from Laini Taylor... *in love with her writing*


Daughter of Smoke and Bone is amazing from title to the last page, and I just genuinely fell in love with it, and while it may not be everyone's cup of tea, I thought it  was beautiful and magical and I can't wait to read more by Laini! 


*This book was sent to me out of the kindness of the publishers hearts, but my reviews are in no way influenced by that fact. :)

Sunday 16 October 2011

In My Mailbox (52)

In My Mailbox is a totally awesome meme hosted by the totally awesome Kristi from The Story Siren :) 


Only the one book this week...

Review:
Footloose by Ruby Josephs (Thank you Bloomsbury!)
But the lovely Leanne from District YA sent me some super awesome Dearly Departed swag! Which I haven't pictured because it's already on the Door of Awesome (which is slowly but surely becoming the Corner of Awesome. But, you know, if you want to send me awesome things... ;p Just Kidding. But really, ya'll have any swag you wanna get rid of... ;)

On another note, I've been thinking that I want to vlog more, and I was wondering, if I started, like, vlogging about (mostly) bookish things, and posting it, like, every Friday? I think it'd be pretty fun... ;)

What did you get in your mailbox? 

Saturday 15 October 2011

Forgotten review

Forgotten
Cat Patrick
June 7th 2011
Egmont Books


With the intrigue of "Memento" and the romance of "The Time-Traveller's Wife", "Forgotten" is the perfect YA novel.

Each night when 16 year-old London Lane goes to sleep, her whole world disappears. In the morning, all that's left is a note telling her about a day she can't remember. The whole scenario doesn't exactly make high school or dating that hot guy whose name she can't seem to recall any easier. But when London starts experiencing disturbing visions she can't make sense of, she realizes it's time to learn a little more about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future.

Part psychological drama, part romance, and part mystery, this thought-provoking novel will inspire readers to consider the what-if's in their own lives and recognize the power they have to control their destinies.



After hearing so many great things about this book from bloggers I love, and just being stupidly intrigued by the blurb, my expectations for this book were pretty high, and it did not disappoint. I didn't really know what to expect, because the blurbs pretty vague, but what I did get was totally awesome from the other books around.


I don't really know what genre it is, because although it looks like a paranormal, it isn't, though I still don't really know HOW she can remember her future, but anyway, there isn't anything supernatural in the book. Which I was kind of thinking there would be... But the whole situation of London never really being able to remember any of her past was so interesting and unique that I was just really caught up in her story.


I think London was a really interesting character, and surprisingly normal considering she couldn't remember anything... I like the notes she left for herself in the morning, and I thought it was kind of tragic, at then end of the book, where she had to live through the bad stuff that happened to her for the first time every day.  But I like how that didn't make her any weaker a person. I also liked her relationship with Luke. It was pretty unusual, seeing as she couldn't remember him from the future OR the past, so everyday she would have to relearn the fact that she had a super hot boyfriend, and it was kind of fun seeing get all excited about it every time. It happened just enough that it didn't get annoying ;)


The actual plot was really great too. I did not see most of it coming, and it was really fascinating and completely not what I was expecting! It was fast paced and the uniqueness of the book really kept me hooked :)


Forgotten is an awesome book with great characters, a great premise, and an awesome plot. I can't wait to see what Cat Patrick has in store for us next! :D

Thursday 13 October 2011

Sweetly review

Sweetly
Jackson Pearce
August 23rd 2011/October 6th 2011
Little, Brown/ Hodder


Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.

Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.

Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful.



I'm not quite sure why, but I really love these fairytale retellings. There's just something special about them, something that makes them stand out for me in the whole of the paranormal market. I love the heroines, and the monsters, and the boys, and the stories, and I just think that they're good books, ya know? 


I think one of the main things for me, is the standalone nature. I love that each book is a whole story with a beginning, a middle and an end, and it's not just all set up or whatever, which is the main thing that annoys me about series. It takes, like, 3 or so books just to get through 1 story that could have easily been told in just as many books. And Paranormal series kind of just annoy me anyway, because a lot of the time they just drag stuff out. I like things that get to the point, which I am currently failing at. So, yeah. It's kind of refreshing to see that, even though it's kind of technically a series because they're set in the same world.


Another thing I really like are the heroines. Scarlett and Rosie were BA in Sister's Red, and Gretchen certainly followed in that way. She developed loads over the course of the book, going from the girl that's cared of wolves and witches to the girl with the gun that kills them. She doesn't shy away from the guy with the gun, or wait for him to protect her, she asks him to teach her how to use one herself, and they go off and be bad ass together. I loved her drive, and how she changed and grew over the story.


I really like how the romance is never really the main aspect of the book. It kind of irritates me when the whole plot of a book is just forbidden romance, because then it gets all sappy, and they spend all the time kissing (none of which I'm saying are BAD things, just that they're things I need to take a break from occaisionally ;p) and in these books (and loads of other awesome amazing books) there's an actual plot apart from the romance. But the romance was really good too, and I loved Samuel! I thought he was awesome, and he respected Gretchen, and he didn't do that whole 'Oh-You're-So-Adorable *patronisepatronisepatronise* things that LOADS of paranormal boys do! (No joke, it is SO frustrating. I want to hit them a little.) and he was just a pretty nice guy. #TeamNICEGUY


So yeah. Sweetly, in a word, was pretty darn awesome. If you liked Sister's Red, READ THIS NOW. If you like fairytale retellings, and a whole new take on werewolf mythology, and a slow burning story that when it really gets into it, you won't be able to put it down, then ya'll should read this. Soon. ;) 


*note, sorry if this is a bit all over the place. It's late. My brain is all SLEEEEEEEPPPPP NOW PLEASE so yeah. Excuses, excuses ;)

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Waiting on Wednesday #52

Born Wicked
Jessica Spotswood
February 7th 2012


A Great and Terrible Beauty meets Cassandra Clare in this spellbinding fantasy

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word . . . especially after she finds her mother's diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other.



How good does this book sound?! It sounds like it's a little bit historical too so yay! And that cover! So pretty. SO, so, so pretty. And, on the subject of waiting, who saw the Avengers trailer yesterday?! Who died a little bit inside when they realised they had to wait until MAY?! Ya'll saw how awesome it's gonna be!


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine :)

Tuesday 11 October 2011

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wish I Could Read Again For The First Time


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where bloggers make lists about books and other suitably bookish things. This week we're doing books that we wish we could read again for the first time!

1. The Hunger Games. I was, like, in awe when I started reading these for the first time, and I would love to have that again.

2. The Mortal Instruments by Cassie Clare. I LOVE these books, and I am so jealous of all my friends who get to meet Jace for the first time. He was my first ever book crush, I'll have you know ;)

3. Anna and The French Kiss/ Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. I wish I could read these amazing adorable books for the first time again. They are some of my favourite books. They're so bloody good.

4. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. I want to meet Alex for the first time again! 

5. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab. I LOVED this book, and I wish I could relive reading that beautiful writing again and again. 

6. Looking For Alaska by John Green. I just love John Green.

7. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. I all sad because I've read most of her books now, and I'd love to read all of them again for the first time.

8. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.  I am so immensely jealous of anyone who gets to read this for the first time. It's amazing.

9. Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough. Not a famous book, or anything, but it totally deserves to be. I love this book LOADS and would love to read it for the first time again.

10. Divergent by Veronica Roth. I haven't had a chance to put this on a TTT post in ages! ;) 


Monday 10 October 2011

Silence review

Silence
Becca Fitzpatrick
October 4th 2011
Simon & Schuster


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.


You would not believe my excitement when this book FINALLY fell into my hands after, like, a WHOLE BLOODY YEAR of waiting! I'd lovelovelove to say that it was amazing and my favourite book of the series, but it wasn't. Not to say it was bad, and it certainly got loads better as I got along, but some of it was a bit of a disappointment. But the ending was great, and the last half sure left a lot of questions that I'm dying to find out the answers to!


I was already a little hesitant, I must admit, about Silence when I found out that it wasn't going to be the last book. I mean, I'm excited about the next one, but I was so looking forward to finally having a conclusion and a forseeable ending! And I always get really worried when a Fourth thing in a series is announced. From my experience, things that are meant to be trilogies but then get a Fourth thing, usually go a bit down hill, and hopefully this series won't do that because I do love it so. But I was worried that this book would have been unnecessarily drawn out to allow for a fourth book, and it was a little, IMO.


The first half of the book, for me, was a little slow and a bit boring. Nora, having been kidnapped, lost her memory of all the time that the books have been set in, and this frustrated me to no end. First of all, she couldn't remember Patch, and he was only in it THREE TIMES in the first 200 (!) pages, which upset me a little, because Patch is my favourite creepy d-bag (seriously, he creeps me out so much, but I just love him! Talk about unhealthy...) and pretty much all of it was spent trying to fill in the gaps in Nora's memory, which annoyed me because it meant nothing was happening! I'm sorry, but I do not want to spend half a book finding things I already knew. It would have been better, I think, if we hadn't found out who kidnapped Nora in the prologue, because at least then there would have been a mystery or something to engage the reader other than stuff we already knew! *breathes deeply*


Luckily, rest of the book really picked up and saved it's ass. We finally starting getting into the actual plot, and the romance came back it just got more exciting! Another thing is that I think Nora was a lot more likeable in this book. There was none of that annoying, whiny Nora that there was in Crescendo, because of all the Patch-Marcie business, and she was a whole lot better for it. She's really developed over the books, and I feel like she was kind of on top form, like, her in this book and Hush, Hush, were when she was at her best, and I hope she's even more awesome in the next one! If she wusses out on me again, I'll be pissed. Besides, she's in a situation now where she has to be strong and bad ass! Yay! :)


Silence, while not being everything I wanted it to be, it really picked itself up from about the halfway point, and didn't leave me really upset or anything. Plus, I'm begging to figure out how it's gonna end! And fingers crossed the next one WILL be the last ;p 

Sunday 9 October 2011

In My Mailbox (51)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren :)


For review:
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (you might notice I have 2 copies of this... I asked Hodder for a copy before I remebered that Mia was already gonna send me one and now I feel bad about it but still it's DOSAB AND I'M SO EXCITED!!!!)

Bought:
Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick (Yeah, yeah, I have 2 copies of this too... )
Sweetly by Jackson Pearce (read it and it's AWESOME.)
The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern (I've heard amazing things about this even though it's not technically YA or anything... But still, it looks great!)
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgewick

Gifted:
Daughter of Smoke and Bone proof from the amazingly awesomely lovely Mia from Gripping Books. Seriously! She'e so nice :) Thank you Mia! :D


Me and my mum went to Marcus Sedgewick's event in Foyles (one of the best bookshops ever) and he was lovely and we got out books signed and there were some awesome special edition bookplates :) And we met Laura from SisterSpooky: Book Fangirl and she was lovely, and Nina from Orion :D

What did you get in your mailbox? :)

Thursday 6 October 2011

Vampire Academy Graphic Novel review

Vampire Academy: A Graphic Novel
Richelle Mead/Leigh Dragoon/Emma Vieceli
August 23rd 2011
Razorbill


After two years on the run, best friends Rose and Lissa are caught and returned to St. Vladimir's Academy, a private high school for vampires and half-bloods. It's filled with intrigue, danger - and even romance. Enter their dark, fascinating world through a new series of 144-page full-color graphic novels. The entire first Vampire Academy novel has been adapted for book one by Leigh Dragoon and overseen by Richelle Mead, while the beautiful art of acclaimed British illustrator Emma Vieceli brings the story to life.


I got sent this book for review, like, just a few weeks after I'd finished the first VA book, so I was pretty much dying at the chance to get to read the graphic novel, and I was not left disappointed! I haven't really read a lot of graphic novels (well, I do read quite a bit of manga) so it was a nice treat to get to read something slightly different!


I really, really loved the illustration, and I thought all of the characters looked absolutely perfect. It was awesome to get to see Rose and Dimitri and Lissa all (sort of) real, or, well, at least drawn ;p Dimitri's hair was PERFECT. Seriously. (Ya'll must know about me and hair by now... ;p) and I thought Rose and Lissa looked great. The Strigoi looked great too, and Christian.. OMG I really, really love Christian. He's so cute :3


I felt like quite a lot of the book got left out, like, not plot points or anything, but it all felt a bit rushed. I felt like a lot of the emotions were left out, and like there wasn't that much of a connection with the reader, and it felt a bit choppy. It was good adaptation, but if I hadn't read the book beforehand, I might have been a little bit confused, and it felt like there was something missing, if that makes sense. But that being said, it did stick really close to the story, and, to my fairly inexperienced eye, it was a pretty great graphic novel! That's just me being pinnickety about adaptations of books I love ;) 


The VA graphic novel is a great companion to an awesome series (which I seriously need to carry on with! *moves Frostbite WAY up the TBR*) that fans and people new to the series (like myself) will enjoy :D

Wednesday 5 October 2011

Waiting on Wednesday #51

Hemlock
Kathleen Peacock
Release Date TBA (I thing.. GR doesn't have it :S)


Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.



This book sounds awesome! My only problem is, the cover isn't exactly screaming Werewolf Urban Fantasy to me, as gorgeous as it is. It kind of says more 'Historical, girl sitting mopily in a dress 'cause she got kidnapped by faeries when she was a wee kiddy winkle' Kinda thing. But we shall see! ;)


Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

Tuesday 4 October 2011

Naked review

Naked
Kevin Brookes
October 6th 2011
Puffin books


London, 1976: a summer of chaos, punk, love ...and the boy they called Billy the Kid. It was the summer of so many things. Heat and violence, love and hate, heaven and hell. It was the time I met William Bonney - the boy from Belfast known as Billy the Kid. I've kept William's secrets for a long time, but now things have changed and I have to tell the truth. But I can't begin until I've told you about Curtis Ray. Hip, cool, rebellious Curtis Ray. Without Curtis, there wouldn't be a story to tell. It's the story of our band, of life and death ...and everything in between. This characteristically gripping novel from award-winning author Kevin Brooks will rock you to the core.


Okay, guys, I'm kinda a little bit in love with this book. It's the first Kevin Brooks book I've and WOW. It was bloody good. And so up my street. I've always been really interested with the punk scene, and I've always known a lot about it (my mum was a bit of a punk/goth back in the day) so as soon as I heard about this book, I leapt at the chance to read it. And even from the first paragraph, I could tell that me and this book were going to get along.


The story is told by Lili, a woman reminiscing on the summer when she was 17, the summer of 1976, and her voice is so believable, and so realistic, as are all of the characters, really. I'd just finished reading a paranormal before I read this, and the juxtaposition (yeah, I know big words ;p) between this and that was unbelievable. It was really interesting to see the difference between the realism of the two. The whole tone of the book was so different, and sometimes I just love to read something so real and utterly believable.


I really adored the setting of the book too. I know for a fact that most of the people and places (apart from the main characters) in this book were real (still are real...) and I loved how seamlessly he integrated this band and these people into the time and the place, like hearing passing mention of Malcom McLaren and Vivenne Westwood, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, all these punk legends, you know? I loved that, so, so much.


And I really liked the whole IRA plotline too. It was really interesting to hear about Williams tragic past, and the end made me cry. A lot. Yeah, I know I'm a sap and all, but it was sad! It was a tiny bit heartbreaking!  And I loved all of it. I haven't read a book that's made me cry in ages, and the worst thing about it was that these people had become real to me, you know? They were so well written and realistic that I felt like I knew them. They were so three dimensional, and the whole situation was so plausible, and that's why it hurt. I also like all the IRA stuff because I KNOW that it's gonna be a great help to me when I start doing Northern Ireland in history... Yay learning!


Naked was a fabulous book that I hope loads of people will pick up and read, and although it's the not the got the fastest pace, or the most riveting love story (though it was pretty good), everything about it was just right for it. You know, those books? That just WORK. Yeah. Ya'll should read this.

Top Ten Tuesday: Endings That Left Me With My Mouth Hanging Open


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where bloggers make lists about books and other suitably bookish things. This week we're doing books that left us hanging!


1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. I cannot be the only one that thought that ending was PURE EVIL. That last sentance... I was like :O THERE MUST BE MORE! Which there was. After a year of waiting!

2. Delirium by Lauren Oliver. This mush be on, like, everyone's lists, right?! That ending was crazy! Well, not crazy exactly, just a tiny bit devastating, and a lot beautiful.

3. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. Now that was a cliffhanger and a half. And she didn't resolve it until, like, 2 books later! The woman is EVVILL.

4. Hex Hall and Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins. Dude. Seriously. This woman can write evil cliffhangers, and boy does she know it. I am in desperate need of Spell Bound and a conclusion  that doesn't leave me hanging. Not that I don't love the cliffhangers, that is ;p

5. Undead by Kirsty McKay. I don't even know if there's going to be a second book, but there was a slightly evil ending!

... I can only really think of five... I clearly don't read that many books with evil endings! ;p 
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...