Saturday 30 July 2011

In My Mailbox (41)

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


Sorry I didn't do IMM last week! Post has been really slow these past 2 weeks... Or maybe it just feels like it is because it's summer and I have nothing else to do but sit around waiting for books ;) (I joke, but I have already read about 6 in the last week...)



Review:
Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur (Thank you Puffin!)
Shimmer by Alyson Noel (Umm, again another one I can't really read because it's the second in a series, so if anyone wants it that lives in the UK, just say!)
Lottie Biggs is Not Tragic (Thanks Macmillan for these 2!)

RAK:
Ultraviolet by R J Anderson (from the lovely lovely Amy at Turn the Page)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (I know. Classics. Yeah. From the lovely Bex from Armchair by the Sea)
Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut (from the lovely Jenny at Books That Spark)
Thank you for the RAKs! :D

What did you get?

Friday 29 July 2011

Texas Gothic review

Texas Gothic
Rosemary Clement-Moore
July 7th 2011
Random House Children's Books

Amy Goodnight knows that the world isn't as simple as it seems—she grew up surrounded by household spells and benevolent ghosts. But she also understands that "normal" doesn't mix with magic, and she's worked hard to build a wall between the two worlds. Not only to protect any hope of ever having a normal life. 

Ranch-sitting for her aunt in Texas should be exactly that. Good old ordinary, uneventful hard work. Only, Amy and her sister, Phin, aren't alone. There's someone in the house with them—and it's not the living, breathing, amazingly hot cowboy from the ranch next door. 

It's a ghost, and it's more powerful than the Goodnights and all their protective spells combined. It wants something from Amy, and none of her carefully built defenses can hold it back. 

This is the summer when the wall between Amy's worlds is going to come crashing down.



I totally wasn't expect this book to be how it was. I thought it was gonna be some serious creepy ghost story thing, but it was a lot more light hearted than I thought, and a lot less creepy, but it was really great! Despite the fact it did feel a little Scooby-Doo in parts, and it could be a little predictable, it was a really fun romp which I really enjoyed.


Amy is a really relatable character. She's just a (fairly) normal girl who's kind of stuck in this crazy (awesome) family of kitchen witches and psychics when she doesn't really have her own paranormal niche like the rest of her family do, so she acts like the normal one who protects her family from the people who think they're just plain weird and don't like them. That is until the ghost turns up. But really, I really liked Amy. She was snarky but vulnerable and was just really sweet in how she really loved her family despite them being a little weird and how she liked to protect them, even if the people saying bad things about the Goodnight's got to her more than any one.


And I loved Phin! She was so quirky and awesome. I loved her and Amy's relationship, how good it was, and I loved how she was so clever but oblivious. I kept on smiling when people trying to take the piss but she just bamboozled them with her crazy paranormal science knowledge (out of genuinely not knowing the people were being mean and that they just wanted to know stuff) She was just lovely. I love people like her. 


And I liked Ben too. Him and Amy's first meeting just made me laugh. It was so awkward and funny, but not for those sorts of reasons. They hated each other. And their conversations were really good too. They made me wish I could come up with really good comebacks like theirs... But he was really sweet at the end of it. And it wasn't like in most books where at end the boy and the girl are all uber cheesy and send me off cringing. Because it kind of annoys when the snarky awesome funny boy ends up being Mr. Cheeseball. Blegh. ;)


The plot itself could be a little predictable at times, but nothing too bad, and while it did sort of end up being a bit of a movie plot or something, it was kind of taken the piss out of through the book too. Like, it didn't seem like it was taking itself too seriously, which I liked. And it wasn't that bad. Plus I liked the almost side plot of finding out about the real 'Mad Monk' and them finding out his story and finally putting him to rest.


Texas Gothic is a fun, cute book that I really did enjoy. It's an interesting mystery tied in with an awesome ghost story and a little bit of kissing which is always a good thing (unless it leads to a whole load of trouble, but still.. ;p) So worth a read! :D

Thursday 28 July 2011

Vampire Academy review

Vampire Academy
Richelle Mead
August 16th 2007
Razorbill

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . . 
Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.



So, Vampire Academy was way better than I thought it would be, Even though I've been told many a time that it's awesome, I was still kind of under the impression that it was gonna be a cheezy-mopey-corn-fest kinda book... I was an idiot. Because it was nothing of the sort. Like, I'm such a fool for putting off reading them for so long! But I kept on hearing people talking about Dimitri and I was just like I may as well read it and find out what all the fuss is about. I'm now regretting making that decision without having the 2nd book on hold for me to read straight after.


Rose was kick ass. (And I have to mention this quickly, but I don't like the covers. At first, just because I thought they looked a bit stereotypical cheesy paranormal, but now because the model on the covers gives the complete wrong impression of Rose because Rose is half Turkish and has black hair and the model is white and blond-brown haired... So... Yeah.) But seriously, I was not expecting such a snarky reckless main character. It was a nice surprise. And sometimes she was super controlling about Lissa and kept on telling her what to do without really thinking about it much, it was all with good intentions. Though really, bond or no bond, she shouldn't be telling Lissa what to do and Lissa shouldn't always do it!


But Lissa was really sweet. For most of it. But it was good that she wasn't always defenceless and letting Rose control her, even if she kind of went a bit psycho when she got angry, and when she was using compulsion on everyone... But she was lovely most of the time ;)


And Dimitri... He was okay. I don't want to make a judgement and be all like ZOMG DIMITRI when Adrian hasn't even some into it yet, but Dimitri was cool. As gorgeous as he is though, he's coming across a bit broody, and while broody people are fine, there is a line between broody and Edward Cullen. If he crosses that territory, I'm out. ;) But so far, he's pretty awesome. If not for all the serious Guardian stuff that means him and Rose can't get together.


The book kept me on my toes and while some things I could see coming a mile before they happened, and some things I figured out pretty easily, the end of the book took me by surprise. I did not expect the bad guy to be the bad guy, not at all. And while it ended pretty neatly, I can't wait to start the next one! (Once I have enough money to buy it ;p)


Vampire Academy wasn't a book I was expect much from, but left me pleasantly surprised at Rose's snarkiness and the books general badassery. I can't wait to see what else the series has in store! :D

Wednesday 27 July 2011

Waiting on Wednesday #42

Hollow Pike
James Dawson
February 2nd 2012

When Lis London moves to Hollow Pike, she's looking forward to starting afresh in a new town, but when she sees the local forest she realizes that not everything here is new to her. She's seen the wood before - in a recurring nightmare where someone is trying to kill her! Lis tells herself there's nothing to her bad dreams, or to the legends of witchcraft and sinister rituals linked with Hollow Pike. She's settling in, making friends, and even falling in love - but then a girl is found murdered in the forest. Suddenly, Lis doesn't know who to trust anymore...


The cover for this book was only revealed recently and holy moly is it beautiful. Been looking forward to this book for ages now and it sounds awesome!


What are you waiting on?


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

Monday 25 July 2011

The Graveyard Book review

The Graveyard Book
Neil Gaiman
October 20th 2008 (UK)
Bloomsbury 


Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completelynormal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are adventures in the graveyard for a boy - an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in danger from the man Jack - who has already killed Bod's family.

Master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel about life and death, love and growing up, and finding family in the most unlikely places.



I finally read my first Neil Gaiman book!  And it was really really good! I finally get why everyone thinks Neil Gaiman is awesome (though that episode of Doctor Who he wrote kinda already had me convinced... And OMG have you seen the Series 5 part 2 trailer?! It is going to be AMAZING.) The Graveyard book really isn't like a lot of books that I've read, not just because of the story but because of the writing style. It's written in the way that it feels like it's meant to be savoured, you know? Like, it's not a fast paced book, but it was just really nice to read.


The story itself is really heavily influenced by The Jungle Book, only, y'know, in a graveyard, which made it kind of awesome because graveyards are cool places and friendly ghosts are the best. Which another thing I liked about it, it wasn't the ghosts that were the bad guys, it was the live people who wanted him dead. And, this is kind of irrelevant, but for those uber nerds who have ever watched Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged, the Jacks of All Trades kind of reminded me of Marik and all of the Steves... Yeah, I know, I need a life... ;p


I really liked Bod, it was really interesting because the book spans pretty much the first 15 years of his life, so you get to see how he grows up and the general shenanigans he got up to, but my favourite character was Silas, definitely. I don't know why, but he just... was. He acted all aloof about everything all the time, but he loves Bod really (like a father loves his son, obviously.) And I really liked Liza Hempstock too. I liked her more than Scarlett anyway... Not that I didn't like Scarlett. It's just, the end of the last chapter put me off of her a bit...


The Graveyard Book was a very different, intriguing book, which I kind of loved. It wasn't the sort of fast-paced book that I couldn't stop reading, but I really enjoyed reading it nevertheless. Everything about the writing and the story was just really nice to read. If any of that made sense.. ;)  

Friday 22 July 2011

Shadows on the Moon review

Shadows on the Moon
Zoe Marriott
July 7th 2011
Walker Books


"On my fourteenth birthday when the sakura was in full bloom, the men came to kill us. We saw them come, Aimi and me. We were excited, because we did not know how to be frightened. We had never seen soldiers before."

Suzume is a shadow-weaver. She can create mantles of darkness and light, walk unseen in the middle of the day, change her face. She can be anyone she wants to be. Except herself.

Suzume died officially the day the Prince's men accused her father of treason. Now even she is no longer sure of her true identity.
Is she the girl of noble birth living under the tyranny of her mother’s new husband, Lord Terayama? A lowly drudge scraping a living in the ashes of Terayama’s kitchens? Or Yue, the most beautiful courtesan in the Moonlit Lands?

Everyone knows Yue is destined to capture the heart of a prince. Only she knows that she is determined to use his power to destroy Terayama.

And nothing will stop her. Not even love.



Wow. Shadows on the Moon was a pretty amazing book. It may be a retelling of Cinderella, but I've never read anything like it. And I really, really enjoyed it. One of the most inventive retellings I've read for a while.


Before I even get to the rest of book I must fangirl about the setting. The book is set in a fantasy land called The Moonlit Land but it was heavily influenced by Japan and I'm such a sucker for Japanese culture and you can really tell Zoe did her research. It was all really accurate (not that I'm an expert... The most I know about Japanese history if from Rurouni Kenshin, Samurai Deeper Kyo and InuYasha...) But still, I loved reading about it.


Suzume/Rin/Yue was a really intriguing main character. Even though they are all technically the same person, it was amazing how different they all were, and how much her personality changed due to the situation (unless she was with Otieno...). But she was always angry. She was always after revenge (from about Rin onwards...) for her family. And she was dead set on getting that revenge even if it meant leaving Otieno behind. She was both strong and weak, and while sometimes she did get on my nerves with the whole 'I can't do what I want 'cause I have to get revenge' thing, I could completely understand her and why she was doing it.


Otieno was wonderful. Such as great male lead character.While he had his intense moments, he was very laid back (or at least in comparison to all the people from the Moonlit Land who were all rather reserved and uptight) and loud and just sort of did what he want. He always wanted the best for Suzume, and he was the only one who truly knew her, right from the start. He was rather lovely if I say so myself ;) I also adored Akira. She was one of my favourite characters. I loved sisterly relationship that her and Yue developed, and how Akira always looked out for her and helped Yue do what she wanted even if she didn't always think it the best idea.


Zoe's writing was also wonderful. It was simple but layered (did that make sense?) and was easy to follow but described everything perfectly and vivdly. Every emotion was raw and you could feel it through the pages, especially when Suzume was cutting (which, by the way, I loved the involvement of a very contemporary issue in a fantasy novel.) It was really good, and I must check out her other books.


Shadows on the Moon is a beautiful, different retelling of Cinderella that you are not likely to forget for a while. At least I won't. 



Thursday 21 July 2011

Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery review

Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery
Keren David
August 4th 2011
Frances Lincoln Children's Books

Money can't buy you love. But it can buy many other very nice things. Lia's mum is a nag, her sister's a pain and she's getting nowhere in pursuit of the potentially paranormal Raf. Then she wins GBP8 million in the lottery, and suddenly everything is different. But will Lia's fortune create more problems than it solves? Everyone dreams of winning the lottery - but what's it really like? Find out in this hilarious story by Keren David, whose acclaimed debut novel, When I Was Joe, was Highly Commended for the Booktrust Teenage Prize.


From what I've heard about this author, this kind of book isn't really her kind of thing. When I Was Joe and Almost True are about street crime (I think) and not really about 16 year old girls winning £8 million and having a 'Paranormal Boyfriend', but I think she completely did it perfectly. I loved this book! It was funny, but not overly so, clever, had it's fair share of serious and silly, and I read it in less than a day.


Lia was great. While at first, she really did get on my nerves a bit (complaining when you get like £40 a month for pocket money! It's madness! I would die for that kind of pocket money!) but I could understand her fights with her parents and stuff, because I kinda act the same sometimes... ;) And, y'know, then she won the lottery, which is surely a sure fire way to boost the irritatingness. And, I will admit, at first it did. Now, this doesn't mean I didn't like her, but I did maybe want to slap her a little. But. After the book went on for a while, Lia really did start to get better, and we got to see more of her under the bravado. And really, behind the millions of pounds she was just a normal girl who didn't know what to do with any of her new found fortune. (Kind of... She did know what she wanted to do at first but then... Ahh, it'll probably be quicker if you just read the book than sit around listening to me ramble on about it.. ;p)


I loved Raf too! Paranormal Raf Who Wasn't Really Paranormal All The Crazy Twilight-Mad Girls Just Though He Was Because He Was Pale And Reads. But seriously, Raf was lovely, and he wasn't a comedy character as much as I'm making it sound like he was. If anything, he was the Serious Problems aspect of the book. He was really the only one with a whole load of bad things happening, and it was nice to see a vulnerable boy for a change. Seeing the boy falling in love with the girl with the girl not sure. I loved that even near the end of the book she wasn't sure about their relationship, because it's just realistic. And I enjoyed the fact that there was a bit of awkward sex in the book too ;) *whistles innocently* But books that glamorise sex, especially first time sex, kind of annoy me. I mean, I genuinely don't really know a lot about sex (I mean I know a lot about sex but I don't, rightfully (I'm only 14!) have any actual experience so...) But I'm pretty sure sex doesn't always really go exactly to plan and it was the best moment of their life and blah de blah, y'know? 


I also really enjoyed seeing Lia's journey from winning the money, her brief stint with being a bit of a minor celeb (the pie throwing incident being one of the highlights of the book. Man, that woman totally deserved it.) And I liked seeing her relationship with her mum get better. I mean, her mum was a bit of a bitch some of the time. She did the whole guilting you into doing stuff thing that mums are so good at... But it was great to see Lia change and develop. And I really liked the involvement of Islam as well. I can understand Lia and Shazia's relationship because one of my best friends is Muslim and we can sometimes have similar problems, but we're pretty cool about it ;) But it's nice to see Islam put into a book, in a positive way. I haven't really seen that a lot. And it wasn't done in a preachy way or anything! It was just, there.


Lia's Guide is a wonderful book which I really enjoyed reading. It had just the right balance between light and serious, and gave a new insight into money and being rich and what not, and what it's like to have that sort of money thrust upon you at such a young age. Plus, I laughed quite a bit... And Raf and Jack were both quite nice... ;p

Wednesday 20 July 2011

Waiting on Wednesday #41

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

Legend
Marie Lu
November 29th 2011

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.


Not only does this book look awesome, it will be. Hello, a YA retelling of Les freaking Miserables?! Hell yeah! How amazing it this book gonna be! :D


What are you waiting for?

Tuesday 19 July 2011

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Should Be Required Reading for Teens

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 we think should be required reading for teens! :D

1. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. The book is amazing, and I think it's important for teens to understand rape and how it can affect someone better, plus the poem at the beginning of the 10th anniversary edition is just awesome.

2.  Shakespeare. Preferably, the funny ones (because they're my favourite) Yes, I'm a teenager, I like Shakespeare. But I think always doing Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet and all the serious ones can put people off. Plus if we did The Taming of the Shrew we could watch 10 Things I Hate About You and I LOVE that film ;p

3.  Fairy tales. I don't mid which fairy tales, Grimms, Andersen's, whoevers, doesn't matter. But we never read fairy tales in school, especially in high school, and it'd be nice to intersperse all the serious classics with some fairy tales sometimes ;) 

4. Pride & Prejudice. Right, I know this book doesn't have any moral message or is educational or anything,  but we never seem to do the fun books.  And I think we would be more eager to read classics if they were sarcastic rom coms rather than serious melodramatic political stories. Or at least the girls would...

5.  Stolen by Lucy Christopher. I love this book, and I think it'd be a really interesting one to read in class. It'd be interesting to see how other people related to the book and Gemma and Ty's relationship.

6. Edgar Allen Poe. Sorry, I had to, I love Edgar Allen Poe and in the UK we never look at anything of is, not even The Raven, and I think that some of his short stories would be cool to do.

7. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. 'Kay so I might just be putting this in here because I love the heck out of this book and because I'm running out of ideas, but I think it'd be good to link literature and poetry in this way. Plus, it's just a good book and the writing is stunning.

Those are all I can think of this week! (I know, some of them aren't great.. ;p) What did you have?

Monday 18 July 2011

Haunting Violet review

Haunting Violet
Alyxandra Harvey
July 9th 2011 (UK) 
Bloomsbury


Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts. But they believe in her. After spending years participating in her mother's elaborate ruse as a fraudulent medium, Violet is about as skeptical as they come in all matters supernatural. Now that she is being visited by a very persistent ghost, one who suffered a violent death, Violet can no longer ignore her unique ability. She must figure out what this ghost is trying to communicate, and quickly because the killer is still on the loose.

Afraid of ruining her chance to escape her mother's scheming through an advantageous marriage, Violet must keep her ability secret. The only person who can help her is Colin, a friend she's known since childhood, and whom she has grown to love. He understands the true Violet, but helping her on this path means they might never be together. Can Violet find a way to help this ghost without ruining her own chance at a future free of lies?

Haunting Violet was excellent. Seriously, so much better than I thought it would be. Not that I thought it'd be bad, it's just I'd heard quite mixed things about her other books so I was slightly wary, but I needn't have been worried!  I loved it! 

Violet was a simply great heroine, being spunky and clever even though it was generally looked down upon in Victorian society to be either of those things. And even though her mother was kind of a bitch, she still carried on, with the help of a rather lovely Irishman named Colin... ;) But seriously, Violet was awesome, and I could relate to really well despite the different time periods..

Also, the Victorian setting of the novel was really well researched.  I could find few faults in her telling of Victorian high society and the workings of the peerage. It was all very well done, and I got completely lost in the book. 

The mystery was also gripping, and I think the scenes with Rowena were some of my favourite. I was positively itching to know who the murderer was and their motivations. Plus I loved going through the motions with Violet as she was just getting used to her 'gifts' and some bits did make me laugh when she was more accustomed to them, as most of the spirits were just rather friendly people! It was not the dead you had to be worried about in this book, it was the living. You never knew who the true murderer was right until the last few pages, and Alyxandra keeps you on your toes the whole time. As soon as you think you know who it was, a new suspect appears.

The side characters were really great too. I loved Elizabeth and how lovely she was, despite her general fickleness and whatnot. She made me laugh quite a bit, especially in her pursuits for Frederic's attention, and Rowena was one of my favourite characters even though she was dead and mute... Plus I loved Mr. Rochester! So adorable! And Tabitha was good too, if not a bit moody sometimes... I guess it's acceptable though! And Violet's mother was a right cow!  Geez, I wanted to slap her a little...

Haunting Violet was a wonderful, if not slightly creepy, Victorian mystery that will entertain you and keep on tenterhooks to solve the mystery. Definitely one I think you should read! :D

Saturday 16 July 2011

In My Mailbox (40)

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




Yeah, I had an AWESOME book week this week ;D

Review:
Wither by Lauren DeStefano (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU SOSOSO MUCH HARPERCOLLINS I AM SO EXCITED)
Invisible Fiends by Barry Hutchison (Haven't really heard much about this series but I love me some horror and plus the press release was personalised which was so cool ;) Thanks again HarperCollins!)
Forbidden: The Demon Trappers by Jana Oliver (Another one I'm really excited for! I really enjoyed the first book!)
Everlasting by Alyson Noel (I've only read the first Immortals book and I wasn't all that fond of it, so if anyone in the UK wants this, just say, 'cause I'd rather send it to a good home then keep it here unread. And thanks to Macmillan for both of these!)
Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriot. (So excited to read this! It looks amazing! And I've been waiting for it for a while. Thank you so much Walker!)

Won:
The Wood Queen sampler from Karen Mahoney's blog and she was oh so kind enough to sign it for me! Yay! :D Thank you Karen!

Bought:
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (my first Neil Gaiman book so super excited to read it!)
Paper Towns by John Green
Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson (another one I've been really looking forward to reading!)
Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery by Keren David (I was surprised to see this 'cause it's not meant to come out until August, so I just kinda bought it... Keren is an awesome author, and people say it's great!)

What did you get?

Thursday 14 July 2011

Covers, Covers, Covers Galore!

SOOO many wonderful, wonderful covers have been revealed this week, so I just thought I'd take the time to repost a few of them, because I am a cover geek, and that is what I do. First of all, though, I'm on The Pewter Wolf's awesome Meet the Blogger feature this week! So if you want to read my interview with him, then you know, pop over there ;) 


The stunning cover for Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi, which everyone is buzzing about because it was revealed today! I love it! I am so in love with the tagline though... It's awesome.

The cover for A Million Suns! I loveloveloved Across the Universe and I cannot wait for this book! But, I must say, I think I would've preferred it if they'd gone a bit closer the AtU hardback cover than the paperback... Still! It's pretty :D


And finally! I just got news today that the UK cover for Bloodlines has been changed to the US cover! So it's less of a reveal I guess because it's been around for ages... Still not in love with it as a cover, but I'm sure the book will be awesome! But I much prefer the Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) cover!



So there you have it! What do you think about them? :D



Wednesday 13 July 2011

Waiting on Wednesday #40

Everneath
Brodi Ashton
January 3rd 2012


Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever. 

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists. 

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. 

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's... 

Book 1 is scheduled for release in January 2012.



This is SUCH a beautiful cover, like OMG, I love it. And I love Greek mythology. And I love the story of Persephone and Hades. And this sounds awesome.


What are you waiting for? 


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

Tuesday 12 July 2011

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I'd DIE to meet

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 our top ten authors we'd just love to meet!

1. Sarah Dessen. Y'all know I love Sarah Dessen, right? 'Cause if you didn't, I LOVE Sarah Dessen. If she ever came to the UK and I got to meet her, I would just faint. She's amazing!

2. Cassandra Clare. I LOOOOOOVVEEEE The Mortal Instruments. It's one of my favourite series, like, ever. And lucky me! Cassie is coming to the UK to celebrate the release of Clockwork Prince *squeeeeeeee*

3. Jane Austen. I just think we'd get on like a house on fire. Seriously, I love tea, sarcasm and P&P. We'd get along so bloody well! ;D

4.  Diana Wynne Jones. I would've loved to meet her,  but I caught onto er books a bit too late! It's so sad :( She seemed like such a lovely person.

5. J K Rowling. Who doesn't want to meet J FREAKING K ROWLING?! Not only is she amazing, she seems super lovely too, and you could try and squeeze a bit of what she;s writing next will be about!

6.  Stephanie Perkins. Her book? IS AMAZING. Her hair? IS BLUE AND AMAZING. Plus she's a nerdfighter. We could SO nerd out together!

7. John Green! He's so cool and nerdy and OMFG I LOVE HIM. But not in that way. But dude, did you hear he's signing EVERY COPY OF HIS NEXT BOOK? YEAH. 

8. Suzanne Collins. She wrote the Hunger Games. That is all.

9. Maureen Johnson. Because she seems awesome. Plus I just finished The Name of The Star and OMG GUYS YOU NEED THIS BOOK.


Monday 11 July 2011

Earwig & The Witch review

Earwig & The Witch
Diana Wynne Jones
June 9th 2011
HarperCollins Childrens Books


Everyone knows that orphanages are horrible places. But Earwig has a surprising amount of power over everyone else at St Morwald’s Home for Children, and loves it there. So the last thing she wants is to be sent to live with the very strange Bella Yaga…

Earwig was left at St Morwald's as a baby. Unlike the other children, she loves it there, mostly because she has the run of the place and seems to be able to persuade people to do as she wants. Then one day Earwig is chosen to live with a very strange couple: Bella Yaga, her new 'mother', is actually a horrible witch. Earwig will need all her ingenuity (and some help from a talking cat) to survive…

With terrific line drawings that perfectly complement Diana’s witty, magical story, this is sure to appeal to a new generation of fans.



I know this isn't really the age group of books I normally review, but dude, I don't know how anyone could pass up the chance to have Diana Wynne Jones's last book! She's amazing! And plus, this book is just so cute! I know I would've loved it if I was the 'right' age to read it.


It's full of Diana's typical wit and humour and I was smiling for the whole time I read it. I think I've forgotten how charming younger children's books can be! And the illustrations are funny too. I kind of miss looking at pictures.. *sighs and reminisces about being even younger than she already is* ;p But seriously, it is such a sweet book. It's the sort of book that you'd really enjoy reading with your kids, and I think if I was younger when I read this I'd probably grow up to be a DWJ fan which I think is something we need! The memory of DWJ MUST stay alive! She's a legend! ;D


Earwig is a bit of a trouble maker in the book. She's used to getting her own way in St Morwald's until Bella Yaga, the evil witch, and The Mandrake adopt her and take her home as a second pair of hands. This generally leads to a few witchy shenanigans so the Earwig can get her way around the house and learn magic! And while Earwig is a bit of a crafty madam, she's really great! Plus I loved Thomas, the familar. He reminded me of my own lovely cat... :D


Earwig and the Witch is an adorable children's book perfect for parents eager to turn their children into epic DWJ fans, and that will charm most people who read it, as most of her books do :D RIP DWJ! D:


Oh, and guys, I think I'm gonna stop doing star ratings... It's just kinda hard and all books are really good in their own ways and whatnot and it's just very hard to rate them... So yeah. :)

Saturday 9 July 2011

In My Mailbox (39)

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



For review:
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Eldest by Christopher Paolini
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini (What a lovely surprise from Random House! The 3 books have been re-pubbed in a mini paperback form and they're so cute! Thanks!)
Wickedness by Deborah White (Thank you for sending me this Templar!)
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini (Thank you Macmillan! SO excited to read this :D I love the cover! It's really soft...)
Earwig & The Witch by Diana Wynne Jones (Thank you HarperCollins! This is her last book, and it's really aimed at younger children but I read it this morning and it was adorable!)

Won:
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand from the lovely Catlin at The Cait Files :D Thank you!

What did you get in your mailbox?

Friday 8 July 2011

Pretty Bad Things review

Pretty Bad Things
C. J Skuse
March 1st 2010
Chicken House

"Wonder Twins" on the run--and running amok--in Vegas. Road Trip!


Paisley and Beau are boldface names again. Last time, paparazzi called them the "Wonder Twins," two kids found alone but alive in the woods of exotic New Jersey. Three days after their mom's death -- and before their dad's criminal misdeeds.

Flash-forward to now: Their so-called lives? Suck out loud: Hating on their cougarized, Botoxic grandma, they're totally clueless about the location of ex-con Daddy. Till they discover a stash of old letters. That's when they decide to jack the Pontiac and hit the road. Holding up donut shops in Sin City might seem extreme, but if they can just get their pretty bad faces back on TV -- or TMZ -- they might wrap up their whole gaga saga with an Oprah-worthy reunion already!

Pretty Bad Things was a bit of a romp if ever I saw one! Or rather, read one... It follows the story of the Wonder Twins, Paisley and Beau as they try to scout out there homeless dad in Las Vegas, and it was such a ride! Just like C.J's second book, Rockoholic, it was funny, exciting and thoroughly enjoyable.

I really liked the characters, though I can see why Paisley would put some people off. She has a very strong personality, and has quite a filthy mouth, so if swearing is a problem for you, don't read this book. But I enjoyed her strong personality, and I thought she was a bit of a BA. Plus, she wasn't bad or anything, she was just a bit messed up and wanted to find her dad! Beau, on the other hand, was certainly not as tough, he was kinda adorable. And he wasn't a wuss for not wanting to rob anyone! He was just sensible. Plus at the end he was so bad ass.

I also really enjoyed the robberies. Like, not the fact that they were robbing someone, of course, but just how they did it and why. A lot of people said that they didn't think the robberies were realistic enough, but I don't really think they were meant to be all that realistic... I just liked how they weren't doing it for money or anything, just to find their dad, to let him know they love him. But I do think it was an absolutely crazy thing to do and that it was not right to shove a loaded gun in someone's face just to get on the news..

Pretty Bad Things is a great book for older teens that will have people laughing and feeling for the characters, romping about Las Vegas for their dad. Only downside is that Beau hadn't heard the song Everlong before! ;p 4 stars :)
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