The Pewter Wolf

GoodRead - The Snow Child

2012-02-14T07:50:00.000Z

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! And, because of this, I decide to put my review of The Snow Child today (as, as after several date changes, that today is the PERFECT day for this book review)

Am going to admit this: this is outside my comfort-zone. This is an adult novel. Not crime/thriller-type adult novel that I normally read, but an adult novel. A proper adult novel where you take your time to read it and get swept along with the story.

Jack and Mabel have moved to the raw Alaskan wilderness in 1920. The distant between them is slowly growing wider and wider due to a terrible event. Then, one night, it begins to snow. And the mood changes. Mabel surprises herself by throwing a snowball at Jack and, in a moment of tenderness, they build a snow child together. The next day, the snow child vanish and both Jack and Mabel see glimpses of a small child hiding in the forest close to their homestead...

Now, I'm not sure how to write this review on this book as it's a strange book for me to review. I was told from several of my blogger pals (true bloggers, not like me who's faking it!) that I would just "inhale it" and "just fall for her prose". And for people to say that about a debut novel is a big deal for me! HUGE! And I can totally see it! This book takes it's time to reveal the story (like how I imagine a story set in Alaska to be) but there's something more to this book. It's as if the book breathes sometimes. That's the only way I can describe it. The Snow Child breathes...

Like I said before, this book doesn't rush itself so you guys who want fast-pace reads, you might want to avoid this.

And yet, this is a interesting tale for me. I think, on Twitter, I told the author and the UK publisher (thanks Sam from Headline for sending me a copy! She's the lady that told me about this book so I owe her...!) that the Snow Child is quietly beautiful. And I stick with that! The Snow Child isn't a debut that screams, shouts and demands attention: it's more subtle. It creeps into your mind and into your bones and lingers in the mind long after you've finished it. It's quietly beautiful and I am on baited breath for Eowyn Ivey's next book...

PS - I have to show this picture that Caroline from Portrait of a Woman put on her tumblr. When I first saw this, I immediately thought of this book (hence why I'm showing you!)

EDIT 1: after I wrote this review, I discovered that The Snow Child is Waterstones' Book of the Month for February as part of Waterstones 11. This makes me excited! And, after tweeting an image of my local Waterstones, the author herself used my image on her blog! Wanna see it? Here you go!

EDIT 2: I saw this pic (again on Caroline's tumblr!) And I thought it was perfect, again, for The Snow Child! I hope you agree!

SMILE - As It's Valentine's Day Tomorrow...

2012-02-13T07:00:00.001Z

Thanks to Anna Tells All tumblr.

It's the Weekend!!!

2012-02-10T17:26:00.000Z

Best 3 Seconds of Today So Far!!!

Hollow Pike: The Soundtrack

2012-02-09T07:00:00.000Z

I am beyond THRILLED that I am taking part in the blog tour for Hollow Pike by James Dawson. I simply LOVE this book so when Nina from Indigo asked, there was no hesitation!

As part of the tour, James takes over the blog today and chats about the music he listened while he wrote this. All the music will be at the bottom of the post so you guys can listen to it. So, I hand it over to James...

Music is so important to the writing process. As a writer, I use music to evoke a character or create an atmosphere. While writing new teen thriller, Hollow Pike, I used a mix. For the nightmare scenes, I downloaded soundtracks to films like The Shining or Scream. If it was a scene with Lis London and her friends, I plundered Paramore albums or Suede (which I listened to when I was fifteen!).

Once the book was finished, I would hear songs and think ‘that is SO Hollow Pike’. I started to build up a playlist, which you can access here! Here’s a track by track breakdown of how each song is perfect for the story.

1. Bird Engine – ‘Phantom Limb’: If there was a Hollow Pike TV series, this would be the theme tune. ‘I don’t like the look of this at all…’
2. Oh Land – ‘Wolf and I’: This haunting ballad really evokes that state somewhere between sleep and waking, and I think captures Lis’s dreams perfectly.
3. Florrie – ‘She Always Gets What She Wants’: This is the Laura Rigg song. Read the book and you’ll see why!
4. Stuart Warwick – ‘Misplaced Hearts’: More dream territory, but this one also sums up how lonely Lis is when she first arrives in Hollow Pike.
5. Nicola Roberts – ‘Sticks + Stones’: Lis has a hard time at school, but tries to keep her head up. This song really captures the private anguish of bullying.
6. Dragonette – ‘Animale’: Chapter 5 sees a big party for the characters, and this is perfect ‘entrance’ music to strut to!
7. Sleigh Bells – ‘Kids’: Another perfect strutting song. You hear this and you need to slow-motion catwalk. Perfect for Kitty, Delilah and Jack and their ‘battle march’!
8. Cocknbullkid – ‘Adulthood’: ‘Is this it?’ the singer asks of growing up. Lis and her friends have some big problems to tackle. No one ever said it was going to be easy, Lis.
9. Metronomy – ‘She Wants’: This one is about Lis and Danny. There’s a lot of intimacy and desire in this song. I suppose this is Danny’s love song to Lis.
10. Zola Jesus – ‘Night’: And this is Lis’s love song to Danny!
11. Foster The People – ‘Houdini’: A perfect song for the ‘sleepover scene’ with Lis and her friends and a lot of ice-cream!
12. Us Baby Bear Bones – ‘Ghosts’: Lis is haunted by Hollow Pike, and this song really describes her feelings about the town.
13. Teeth of the Sea – ‘Cemetery Magus’: At the end, Lis is in great danger as she finally faces her real life nightmare. This song is the chase song.
14. Suede – ‘Beautiful Ones’. If I had one wish, it’s that Girls Aloud would cover this for the end credits. It’s never going to happen, but there I SAID IT.

A lot of the artists aren’t so well-known, but I hope you enjoy! Stick it on in the background and open Hollow Pike at page 1…

Cemetery MagusCemetery Magus by Teeth of the Sea

GoodRead - The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists

2012-02-07T07:00:00.000Z

A random surprise from Bloomsbury, this was! And I like random surprises! And I decided to read this after getting an email from Ian, head of the Children's publicity. Why, I hear you ask? Well, in his email, he wrote "as you are clearly of a piratical nature" and this had me laughing my head off! How did he know my secret...?! ;P

So, The Pirates! In An Adventure with Scientists (the inspiration for the new Aardman movie and, yes, that is a LONG title) tells the story of the Pirate Captain and his pirate crew as they search the sea for adventure. After raiding a ship, they meet the young Charles Darwin who is in need of help. And the Captain Pirate agrees, leading the pirates back to London where they encounter a diabolical Bishop, grisly murders, vanishing ladies, a Man-panzee... and the joys of ham.

Now, I'm not sure how to review this book without going "This was awesome!" or "There's something about it that reminded me of the Worse Witch by Jill Murphy". So, I won't. It's one of those rare books where I found myself smiling as I read it as it was completely stupid and silly, utterly surreal and yet, wonderful!

Not much else to say. Expect I want to read more about the Pirate Captain. And his luxuriant beard...

SMILE - Do Books Get Sad?

2012-02-06T07:00:00.000Z

Thanks to Oy With The Poodles Already tumblr.

SNOW!!!!

2012-02-05T12:16:00.004Z

IT'S SNOWING WHERE I LIVE!!! (and though am worried about going to work tomorrow, I'm not worried that much!)

Now, I was going to should the pictures of the snow in the real world. But I saw these and I HAVE to show you!

(The first two pictures come from Portrait Of A Woman's tumblr (Picture One & Picture Two) & the third (which is the picture I used for my review of LET IT SNOW [that's on Mountains of Instead] is taken from Jeremy West's tumblr.

NOW OFF TO ENJOY THE SNOW!!!

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time - Movie Review

2012-02-02T09:00:00.004Z

Earlier this week, I reviewed the Japanese classic The Girl Who Leapt Through Time by Yasutaka Tsutsui (haven't read it? Here you go!). And, after watching the trailer and one fan-made music video (using the movie against the song "Must Be Dreaming" by Frou Frou. Both of which are below), I treated myself the movie (so you guys knows, there are apparently several versions. This is the 2006 version, just so you know).

The film is, according to Wikipedia, is a loose sequel to the book as it tackles the same subject matter but there are different characters and the story is slightly different.

So, the movie. 17 year old Makoto gains this ability after an accident in her high school chemistry lab, (and then almost getting killed at a train crossing). After this discovery, she immediately sets about improving her grades and preventing personal mishaps with her and her friends, Chiaki and Kōsuke. Before long however, she realizes that even innocuous changes can have terrible consequences. And consequences she couldn't possible imagine...

This isn't the same as the book. Let's make this clever as I am a book loyalist when it comes to film-based-on-book. This takes the bases of the story and let the story breathes. And this is a good thing for me as I watched the film and go "I like where this film's going".

Also, the film did some things that I felt was missing in the book, like character development and feeling that the characters did have feelings for each other. And in this film, there was character development! There was moments where you went "He likes her!"

While I do think that, if you fancy reading the book then you should, but if you do, then you should watch this film as well. The film is such a good little gem and makes me want to rewatch my Studio Ghibli films (I only own three. Maybe FilmFour should do a season of them all...)

Sarah Adderson & Girltank (aka Catching Suki)

2012-02-01T10:19:00.003Z

Earlier today, I received the following from Sarah Adderson, author of Hunting Lila and Fated. She asked if I could promote this and, yeah, am going to do it now.

*

I was asked by a charity called Girltank that supports young girl change makers across the globe if I might be able to support them in some way and, because kick ass girls are my favourite sort of girl, and because I'm passionate about social change and empowering young women I jumped at the chance.

We came up with the idea of using Catching Suki to help raise awareness of their goal - which is to find 10,000 young women social entrepreneurs, innovators and heroes in 100 days.

So to download your free copy of CATCHING SUKI (a short story from Suki's POV) for FREE (for a limited time only) all you need to do is go here https://www.facebook.com/girltankorg?sk=app_349727475052332

...and sign up to nominate either yourself or someone you know who is making change happen in the world...(could be a school project, could be something they're doing in their community to make life better for other people)...

The director of Girltank says...

'We want to show the world that young women from every region of the planet are making powerful contributions to society and leading social change. We want to tell your stories!

So send us the names of the best examples of young women innovators from Chicago to Hong Kong to Capetown to Buenos Aires. Then spread the word to your networks!

GoodRead - The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

2012-01-31T08:00:00.006Z

I'm not 100% sure how I became aware of this book. I'm not sure if I discovered it first on another blog - Portrait Of A Woman - when she was doing a joint "Japanese YA Novel Week" with another blog (called Death, Books and Tea) and then saw it on sale on Amazon's 12 Days of Kindle at the start of the year. Or, if it was the other way round: Amazon sale then saw it on Portrait of a Woman's blog.

Not sure but I bought it and, after reading the awesome Hollow Pike by James Dawson and not wanting to read another book I had high hopes on (Daylight Saving by Edward Hogan), I decided to read this as I wanted something fast, light and quite different from both Hollow Pike and Daylight Saving. Plus, if you read my New Year's Eve message, I said I wanted to be more brave and expand my reading so this seems perfect (I want to read more translations and I do have one or two in my pile so this was a nice starting point...)

Anyway, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is, actually, two novellas in one volume: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and The Stuff That Nightmares Are Made Of, which was originally published in Japan in 1967 (and was translated into English last year by, according to Wikipedia, David James Karashima). Both of them are written by Yasutaka Tsutsui, who is hugely popular in Japan and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is one of his most popular works. No pressure for me as I usually stay away from classics...

But the two stories are quite different. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is about Kazuko, who faints in her school science lab after smelling a lavender-like scent. When she wakes up, she feels different but thinks about it. Over the crash of three days, there is an earthquake, a fire at one of her friends' house and she and her friend get nearly run over. But at the exact moment of it happen, Kazuko time-leaps 24 hours in the past...

The other story, The Stuff That Nightmares Are Made Of is about Masako who has an irrational fear of Prajna masks and heights, and she decides to find out why she has these fears. At the same time, she helps her little brother, Yoshio, with his night terrors.

Now, these were fast. I started this late on Tuesday night and finished it on Thursday afternoon. And, sometimes, you want a fast read. And I liked the ideas that these two stories tackled - time travel and fear. But I felt that these issues weren't tackled property, or in a way which would have been interesting. Both these stories felt lacking as they could have been very interesting and very engaging novels in their own right. It felt like there could have been more...

Also, there were times I found the language used (either when characters spoke or prose) that I felt was quite tweed and, because of that, threw me out of the story and took a while to get back into it.

But the main problem I had with this was the lack of depth. It felt like you skimmed over the characters, their emotions and the events that could have been explored more. But, I have been told that a movie (trailer below with a fan video) tackled character developement, but with these two stories, they lacked depth and they lacked punch. Not my cup of tea, but glad I read them.

SMILE - Mondays Should Be Scare & Cake Day!

2012-01-30T08:00:00.008Z

Thanks to F**kYeahMiranda tumblr for both GIFs! Here is link one & here is link two.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone Book 2 Title Reveal!

2012-01-27T14:43:00.006Z

After the excitement of Daughter of Smoke and Bone (with it receiving a stupid amount of love from bloggers and readers worldwide [and it going to be turned into a movie]), Laini Taylor has FINALLY revealed the title of the second book within this trilogy on her site.

Also on her site is a tiny teaser (which might not be in the book as "... this book is unedited and unfinished. It is not a book at all. It is a manuscript, a work in progress. Bear all that in mind."). If you want to read it, go to Laini's website.

Now, to reveal the title... Ready? Oh, before I go any further, Laini has asked that, if we use the image below, we must thank the US publisher, Little Brown. So, now that's out of the way, the reveal...!

So, guys, what do you think? I really like it. Another mouth-full, but there's something so cool about it. A beautiful horror of a title (blood is horror, starlight is beautiful [this is my logic talking so bear with...]).

We have to wait till autumn to get our hands on this book and, for now, we will wait with excitement (or till the cover has been reveal...)

GoodRead - Daylight Saving

2012-01-24T08:00:00.002Z

I've been excited about this book since Walker Books did their Bloggers Events (not read that, read it here!) where the people from Walker and the author himself, Edward Hogan, chatted about it and I thought it sounded right up my street. But then I discovered that the setting of the Daylight Saving is held at a Center Parcs type resort and all I could think of was "Am going to Center Parcs in a few months time! That can't be good..."

When Daniel goes to Leisure World Holiday Complex with his dad, his exceptions are low. He doesn't like sport and he's uncomfortable with his body. And let's not get started on his dad's issues. So when Daniel meets Lexi, a mysterious girl, by the lake, things look like they're on the up. She's smart and makes him laugh. But, is it his imagination or does Lexi's wounds look worse every time they meet? And why does Lexi wear a watch that goes backwards?

Now, I feel I have to say this before I go any further. When you hear the words "Thriller Ghost Story", you imagine a fast and scary read involving ghosts, right? Well, Daylight Saving isn't that. If anything, Edward came to this seeing it in a different way and, because of that, it's quite a refreshing read.

I mean, I was expecting something like the above, but instead, I had two stories unfolding side-by-side and each took their gentle time to unfold. No rushing - a bonus! First, you have Daniel and his family problems. And second, you have Daniel and Lexi's friendship unfold (and yes, it is a friendship, not a instant "I'm in love with you" that happening more and more in YA paranormals).

And this story, I think, won't sit well with some YA-paranormal readers. But, when I read this, it didn't feel like a paranormal read. There was something natural about it, and I think that's quite interesting for Edward to do. To make something paranormal quite normal. And this, for me, is one of the reasons I found this book compelling. I just wanted more.

Another thing that's cool is Daniel himself. He's not your typical male lead in a YA paranormal. He's not hot or good-looking or stereotypical. Daniel worries about his family, his weight and he has flaws (nose-picking to cause a nosebleed, for example) but, throughout the course of the book, he grows and becomes a strong character.

Lexi... I liked her but there were times I thought "Huh? A seventeen year old won't know that, would they?" (which threw me out of the story sometimes) but she was an interesting, if sometimes complex, character.

This book isn't perfect, I'm going to admit that (the use of & amount of times the word "said" was used will have English teachers up and down the country tearing their hair out! [and yet, I think I get why Edward did it]), but there was something compelling about it. Something that had me up till half past midnight and go "Ok, I have to stop now! I need to sleep!"

I like this book. There's something understated and quietly-compelling about Daylight Saving. And I say to you, if you're going to read it, go to it with an open mind and it might surprise you.

SMILE - Should This Have Happened?

2012-01-23T08:00:00.007Z

I saw these and laughed. And, after my initial reaction of Eclipse (still not my fave out of the four, FYI!), it seems like other people thought the same...

(Quick thank to Anna Tells All tumblr & F**kYeahMiranda tumblr.)

GoodRead - Hollow Pike

2012-01-19T08:00:00.001Z

I have no idea how I became aware of James Dawson and his debut novel, Hollow Pike. I think we met via Twitter where we randomly chatted about the casting of Peeta and Gale in the upcoming Hunger Games movie. I think we both agree that, while the two male actors were good choices, they really should have the others role. Random trivia (which I am surprised that I actually remember) but after random tweets, I discovered he had a novel in the works and I got excited. Then, at Indigo's launch party, I discovered the cover and, also, that I wasn't the only person excited about this book. Several book bloggers were quite excited about this book. YEAH! And then, in late November, James threw a contest. Nominate a cool book blogger and they will win an ARC of the book. I nominated Emma from Book Angel Booktopia (here's her review of this book). And my nomination won. And then, James turned round and said "Oh, by the way. As an Xmas present, both nominator and nominatee will win a copy!"

So, I got my copy SUPER EARLY! (I feel I have to explain the whole, slightly weird saga as... well... you guys should know that, in my life ATM, this is exciting!)

So, the story of Hollow Pike. Lis London is moving from her home in Wales to Hollow Pike. But that doesn't seem to help her. She keeps having a nightmare that she's going to murder. And when she sees the copse, she realise that this is the place in her nightmares.

But she doesn't believe in nightmares nor the local tales of witchcraft. Until a terrible thing happens that forces herself to think again...

Now... what can I say? I EFFING LOVE THIS BOOK! Not going to swear, but this book is so great! And it's a debut novel and the fact that this has such a strong reaction from me is amazing!

I want to talk about the subject that this book raises: bullying. This book very much shows the effects of bullying. Lis left her home in Wales because of terrible bullying she faced. Only to walk again into bullying, and it's nasty bullying. There were scenes that some people might find shocking (the use of fake emails, for example) but it doesn't surprise me and just reflects the levels some people will go to. But I think James tackled this issue with a good amount of care but was unflinching over it. I found this brave.

And then, James turns the book on its head and throws us a murder mystery. And not just a typical murder mystery, but the idea of witchcraft being involved. And he seems to blend the genres of this book together with the greatest of ease, and it was always interesting to see where he took me next as the twists were always there, lurking in the darkness of Hollow Pike's copse...

I had very high standards for this book. And Hollow Pike met each and every one of them. And excelled them all. Keep an eye on James Dawson. He is going to be huge! I demand his next book AT ONCE!

Dark Days Of January - What Are You So Afraid Of?

2012-01-18T08:00:00.004Z

As part of the Dark Days of January, Sara Grant takes over the blog and chats about fear. And, before we get scared, want to quickly thank Sara for writing this and Nina at Indigo for allowing me to take part in this blog tour. So, take it away, Sara!

What Are You So Afraid Of?
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself". Seriously? He must not have had an active imagination or Sky TV.

I hate being frightened. I don’t watch horror movies and even refuse to watch Dexter – and American TV drama that focuses on a serial killer – after 8 p.m. I don’t think of myself as a scaredy cat, but responding to this question has revealed this chronology of fear...

Needles. When I was a kid, I hated needles. I have a vivid memory of being held down by multiple doctors and nurses to be given a shot before I had my tonsils removed when I was four. When I was old enough, I decided to donate blood to help overcome my fear of needles. I was so terrified that my blood pressure sky rocketed and the volunteers made me wait until I’d calmed down. I was eventually able to give a pint of blood. Needles don’t scare me anymore.

Fire. Not fire in general, but very specifically my house burning down in the middle of the night. When I was probably ten years old, I saw part of a TV show on home safety. The image of a house engulfed in flames stuck with me. My bedroom was on the second floor and I was terrified of a fire starting at night. I kept a fire extinguisher under my bed and – for some strange reason – the bathroom light on. (Yeah, I can’t explain in now but it somehow made me feel better.)

Sharks. Jaws kept me away from the swimming pool the summer it came out. I must admit that to this day I probably never dive into a body of water – from a chlorinated swimming pool to a lake or the ocean without hearing those ominous opening notes from the Jaws soundtrack.

Snakes. I shut my eyes or turn the page if an image of a snake appears. Just the idea of Snakes on a Plane freaks me out. There’s something about their slithering hissing ways that – even if they aren’t the deadly variety – I just can’t bear.

But the only thing I truly fear is losing my family and friends. I think I could survive being hurled into a pit of rattle snakes while set alight before being dunked into shark-infested waters if I knew that my family and friends were safe and waiting for whatever was left of me.

The main character in Dark Parties must face the loss of her beloved grandma. She risks everything to find out what happened to her. Dark Parties tapped into my fear of losing my family and friends. I can’t imagine being faced with the decision Neva must ultimately make: her life, her freedom, or her family and friends?

So what’s your biggest fear?

GoodRead - Night School

2012-01-17T08:00:00.008Z

Late in November last year, I went to the Atom Books Bloggers Event (not read my report? Here you go!) where Atom talk to us about exciting books that was coming out in the next few months. One of which was Night School by C.J. Daugherty, and I had high hopes with this book as it was a thriller and it wasn't paranormal! AT LAST! A non-paranormal read!

Allie's world is falling apart around her. Her older brother has vanished without a trace. She hates school where she's been arrested for graffiti and her parents have had enough. They have sent her to a boarding school, much to Allie's shock.

But Allie finds that she's happy at Cimmeria Academy. She's making friends, doing well in her classes and then there's both Sylvian and Carter...

But Cimmeria Academy has a secret. And it seems everyone is aware of it expect Allie. So, be careful, Allie... Cimmeria Academy could be more dangerous than you first thought...

Before I go any further, I want to state that I read this as if this was a standalone novel, not the first book in a series, which is it (as I forgot). Also, the cover is very pretty, isn't it? It's the same photographer and model that was used for the cover of Entangled by Cat Clarke so I kept compare the two books together (which I shouldn't have as these two books are very different creatures).

It's a slow thriller. It takes its time before stuff happens and, while I like the gradual build-up, I know some of you won't. You want to hit the ground running! If you want that, you might want to avoid this (I seem to be saying that alot with books recently...).

But I think I like this gradualness as you get to know Allie and some of the friends she make at Cimmeria Academy, all the while, you know that something is happening and the feeling of foreboding is always with you.

While I read this from an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) so I could see that there needed to be some polishing, there was a few things I did go "Huh?" over. But I think this is because I saw this as a standalone. If I saw this as the starting book in a series, all the questions that were left unanswered or were hinted at wouldn't have bothered me as much as they did. At least I could go "Oh, that would be answered in book 2" and it won't have bothered me as much. But I didn't so I felt let down (and that's not the author's fault. It's mine as it clearly stated "THIS IS THE FIRST IN A SERIES" on the back of the book!)

While I am very much in the middle on how I saw this book, I am very intrigued over what will happen next to Allie as this is very much a book that laid down all the groundwork so book 2 should be more exciting, more tense and more dark & twisty!

SMILE - What Have You Done Today...?

2012-01-16T08:00:00.003Z

Thanks to MirandaHartFTW tumblr!

SMILE - A Random Saturday Edition

2012-01-14T09:00:00.001Z

This video popped up earlier this week and nearly every blogger I know tweeted it. And so, I am going to show you it now. Enjoy!

SMILE - Optimism Vs Pessimistic

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000Z

Many thanks to the DOODLES' doodles tumblr for this image!

GoodRead - Eleven Minutes

2012-01-12T08:00:00.004Z

I have been meaning to read Fracture for a while and, I promise you, I will read it in a month or two! So, when I saw this (and all you have to do to get a copy is tweet or facebook message FOR FREE!), then I was going to read this as...well... (To get your copy, go to Megan Miranda's Facebook page and go to "Read the Exclusive Tie-In!" tab)

So, we know the vague outline of Fracture. Delaney fell through the ice of an ice-covered lake and woke up 6 days later. She was under the ice for 11 minutes.

What happened in those eleven minutes? What happened in those six days when Delaney is in a coma. That's Decker's story to tell. Because, while it's terrifying to be trapped under the ice and drowning, it's a different form of terrifying watching this happen to your best friend... And it being your fault...

I have to say this but OH MY GOD! The first part of the story, my heart was in my mouth! It was gripping yet horrifying at the same time! And the second part of the short story was on the edge of your seat... it's like being watching one of my fave medical dramas unfold...

As a taster for Fracture, I am VERY excited and it's gone up in my To Read pile! This is a good short for those who are going to read Fracture and those who have read Fracture and want more. And for those who haven't read Fracture but read Eleven Minutes... I sense they will be rushing to get their hands on the novel and to find out what happens next to Delaney (though now, when I do read Fracture, I'm going to have Dana Delany in my head being Delaney... thanks Megan Miranda and Body of Proof!)

GoodRead - Hana

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000Z

As some of you MIGHT be aware if you've been reading my blog since early last year, I tried (and failed) to read the much-hyped and the much-loved Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I found it very hard work, which was a huge let-down as the idea behind the story - that love is a disease that needed to be cured - was such an shocking and interesting idea. And I know I am one of the few in the blogging world that didn't like or click with this book.

So, when I was told that Lauren Oliver had released an eBook short story, based on Lena's best friend, Hana, I had my doubts. I didn't like Delirium so why should I read this short story? But, after thinking it over, I decide to try one last time with this series. This was it: make or break time.

In Delirium, Lena and Hana were best friends. But with months before they take the cure, Lena begins to fall in love and Hana made a decision that tore them apart. In this original short story, we hear from Hana's point of view and we discover why she made that decision...

Now, am going to be honest, I read Delirium till about midway through the book so some of the events that happened, I remembered and I went "Oh! That happened!" so this is very much a story for the fans of the series! If you are reading this to get a taster of the trilogy, you might want to read this after Delirium and before its sequel, Pandemonium.

But the story was interesting. I always like these stories where the point of view has changed so you see what happened from the other side. And with Hana, you do see what happened and why she made the choices she made.

The twist ending. Right, this is about 75% of the eBook (the rest is a taster of Pandemonium so if you're excited about it, it's there!) and it took me several days to go "Oooh!" over it. I got very confused as it wasn't stated. It was, to me, hinted at and I felt I had to read the taster for Pandemonuim to get it.

Now, I am glad I went back into this world and read this as it set my mind at rest with this series. While Lauren Oliver's writing is unique and the idea that love is a disease that must be cured is an interesting idea, I won't be returning to this series. But at least I went back and gave it one more shoot, as sometimes we are very quick to judge books and sometimes, we need time to go past before we can make a real decision.

GoodRead - Treachery

2012-01-10T08:00:00.003Z

As you guys know, I love the Nightshade/Witches War series by Andrea Cremer. I simply love this series! I adore Nightshade, devoured Shadow Days and loved Wolfsbane (even though most people called this a "information dump" book). But I love this series. So, when I discovered (randomly) on Twitter that Andrea had released an ebook Novella about Calla's brother, Ansel, I got very excited.

Now, this novella takes place between the end of Nightshade and when Ansel appears in Wolfsbane. So if you're starting this series or don't want to know about what happens as I do touch on all the books, SPOILERS!

(If you're still here, it's means you want to know what happens. Ok. Here goes...)

Ansel has been held hostage. He and his fellow Nightshades are being tortured. His mother was violently murdered (which kinda destroyed his father). His wolf form as been taken away from him and destroyed in front of his eyes. All because his sister, his pack leader, Calla, ran away. Leaving him and his fellow pack mates to suffer for her crimes. He is losing everything he ever loved. And the only way out is to form an alliance with his tormentors, and repaying Calla in full for her treachery.

But can he really betray his own sister?

Now, this is a good read as I like reading about Ansel and it was interesting to get inside his head and understand what happened to him in those dark days. And it added an extra layer to the story as it revealed the cold ruthlessness that the Keepers went to after this defiance and, on some levels, the brainwashing effects that happened on one character (ok, Ren. He's been, in my eyes, brainwashed to think this is all Calla's fault).

But, this wasn't perfect. I wanted more. Maybe I overhyped this in my head but I expected more. When I heard about this story, I thought we were going to see what happened to Ansel. How he was tortured and see why he did what he did. But we can to Ansel at the very end. And Andrea has never been afraid to show us violence, so I wonder if she was showing us Ansel's fragile mind. How and what happened to him effected him. But we saw that in Wolfsbane, when he was close to self-harming and self-loathing himself.

But still, I expected more. It was nice that it took 100% of my kindle (I have fallen fowl with short stories and they lasted 50 or 60%. The rest is chapters from their upcoming novel [am looking at you, Karin Slaughter]) but it was, according to Amazon, only 34 pages long and it cost £1.49. For that money, I want MORE! I wanted more story, more information! In Shadow Days (which was free), we got more story and more background information whereas with Treachery, it felt like something was lacking...

But, I am going to admit, this has tide me over till Bloodrose comes out next month (as this is a story for fans of the series. If you're reading this before you read Nightshade, DON'T!) And I have heard that the ending to that is surprising. But Treachery... I liked it. But I wanted more, and I think that's why the story fails for me.

NIGHT SCHOOL BLOG TOUR - Location, Location,... Sound

2012-01-09T08:00:00.003Z

A new week, a new blog tour! Today, C.J. Daugherty takes over the blog to chats about how she writes and her playlist to Night School (all the music will be at the bottom of the post so you can have a listen and discover something new...). So, let's go!

Every writer will tell you that they should be able to write anywhere. And every writer will probably tell you that they can’t. Most of us need a bit of quiet and a bit of space to set up our computers and think up a story.

I live in a fairly small house, so finding space to work wasn’t easy.

I did a lot of moseying around my own house and considering spaces. First the spare room – too bedroomy, and needed by guests – then the stairwell, but it’s a STAIRWELL, for god’s sake, and … well.

There’s not much else here, to be honest.

In the end I settled on the dining room. A dining room table makes a rather spacious desk, I must say. With LOTS of chairs for visitors to sit in, should I ever have a visitor while I’m writing. Unlikely, I know. And that brings up another issue…

Writing at home can be a lonely business. When you’re a fiction writer you don’t spend a lot of time working the phones. People don’t come around very often for meetings. Everything’s done by email and post. If you’re a bit of a social type you’ll soon go a bit crazy. Talking to the coffee maker crazy. Scaring the postman by refusing to let him leave until he’s heard a thorough explanation of your feelings about the weather crazy.

Given that I am a social type, I’m extremely lucky about two things. First, that my husband works from home most days, so I can go upstairs and discuss the weather with him (until he gives me that really patient ‘darling-I-have-work-to-do’ look).

And second, that we also have several four-legged housemates.

When I’m working my cat, Maybe, is almost always sitting on her throne – I mean, cushion – beside my computer, occasionally reaching out one delicate claw to remind me that petting is compulsory. And, Fulcrum, my fluffy beast of a dog, accompanies me on the afternoon walks where I work out sticky plot issues along with shoulder kinks. She bounds along and looks for squirrels as I wander through the woods near my house. Which, come to think of it, are a lot like the woods around Cimmeria Academy.

Then there’s music. When my thoughts get a bit stuck, I blast out a few tunes that remind me of the characters and where they are in their lives. And that can help me get going again.

Night School Playlist
These are the songs that always help me get the plot moving again.

Rock and Roll High School, The Ramones
Because I’m Awesome, The Dollyrots
Pot Kettle Black, Tilly and the Wall
Always Looking, Dum Dum Girls
When I’m With You, Best Coast
The Light is You, Said the Whale
New Slang, The Shins
When I Grow Up, First Aid Kit
Such Great Heights, Iron and Wine
Comptine d’un autre été, Yann Tiersen

CITY OF LOST SOULS Cover Reveal

2012-01-07T09:00:00.005Z

On Wednesday, Cassandra Clare (and USA Today) revealed the cover for CITY OF LOST SOULS, the fifth book in the Mortal Instruments series. And here is it:

Now, on screen, it looks prettier than the City of Fallen Angels (remember Clary and her super-photoshopped green eyes?) and, while I still need to read that (soon, ok? SOON [with the kick-start from Mundie Moms - oh, I love those guys!]) this looks like a more natural cover! And for a pretty cover, this is apparently the darkest book so far! May can't come soon enough!

But what do you guys think? Yea to this cover or na?

PS - in case you don't know, USA Today always revealed the prologue of City of Lost Souls. Now, I haven't read it (and I won't till after I read City of Fallen Angels) but if you do, here you go! ENJOY!!!

HarperCollins Signs Chris Columbus For New Book Series

2012-01-06T16:57:00.005Z

Just received a press release from HarperCollins revealing the news the following:

HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS SIGNS DIRECTOR CHRIS COLUMBUS FOR NEW BOOK SERIES

DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER TO PEN MIDDLE-GRADE SERIES WITH BESTSELLING TEEN AUTHOR NED VIZZINI
New York, NY/ London (January 5, 2012)—HarperCollins Publishers announced today that it has preempted rights to a three-book middle-grade series, House of Secrets by iconic Hollywood director and producer Chris Columbus, co-authored by acclaimed young adult novelist Ned Vizzini. This is Columbus’s debut series for young readers with the first book slated for global publication in Spring 2013.

The three-book North American deal was negotiated by Alessandra Balzer, Co-Publisher of the Balzer + Bray imprint at HarperCollins Children’s Books, with Dorian Karchmar at William Morris Endeavor. UK & Commonwealth rights were acquired by Rachel Denwood, Publishing Director from Cathryn Summerhayes at William Morris Endeavour. Rights have been sold in twelve foreign territories so far.

“Master storytellers Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini have created a high-stakes fantasy,” said Balzer. “From the very first page I knew we had to publish this series. It’s an incredibly imaginative adventure with clever plot twists and nonstop action—not to mention a family that readers will immediately fall in love with. House of Secrets has all the hallmarks of a new classic."

Denwood added, “Combining classic adventure with sublime offbeat humor, and with three brilliant siblings at its heart, this has the potential to be the next big series. It's going to be epic.”

“The opportunity to write this novel is a dream come true," said Columbus. "I have lived with the characters of this novel and their world for many years, and was saving them for something very special. Working on House of Secrets with Ned has been a thrill.”

The Pagett kids had it all: loving parents, a big house in San Francisco, all the latest video games... But everything changed when their father lost his job as a result of an inexplicable transgression. Now the family is moving into Kristoff House, a mysterious place built nearly a century earlier by a troubled fantasy writer with a penchant for the occult. Suddenly the siblings find themselves launched on an epic journey into a mash-up world born of Kristoff's dangerous imagination, to retrieve a dark book of untold power, uncover the Pagett family's secret history and save their parents... and maybe even the world.

For over twenty-five years, Chris Columbus has written, directed and produced some of the most successful box-office hits, which have established him as a major force in contemporary Hollywood filmmaking. Columbus directed and produced the first two films in the blockbuster Harry Potter series and produced the third. More recently, Columbus has directed features such as the hit film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, based on the bestselling children’s book series, and will begin producing the sequel Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Sea of Monsters later this year. As a director, Columbus has been at the helm of such films as Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Mrs. Doubtfire, Nine Months, Only the Lonely, and Stepmom. As a producer, Columbus was also behind the highly successful family/adventure/comedy film, Night at the Museum and its sequel Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. And as a writer, he launched his career with the legendary films Gremlins and Goonies. This past summer, Columbus released his latest film, The Help, starring Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Sissy Spacek, Jessica Chastain and Viola Davis though his 1492 Pictures banner.

Ned Vizzini is the author of It’s Kind of a Funny Story (also a major motion picture), Be More Chill, Teen Angst? Naaaah..., and the forthcoming The Other Normals. Ned has spoken at over 200 universities, schools, and libraries around the world about writing and mental health. He has written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, and season 2 of MTV's Teen Wolf. His work has been translated into seven languages. You can visit Ned online at www.nedvizzini.com.

The Pledge UK & US Covers

2012-01-06T08:00:00.001Z

As you guys know, I love Kimberly Derting. I simply love the Body Finder series and I know I have got several people into this series! So, when I discovered that Kimberly had written a dystopian novel, The Pledge, I got very excited, but could find no information on if this book was coming to the UK.

Recently, the UK cover has been revealed (the UK publisher is Allison & Busby, the UK home for the Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine) and I thought I would do a compare of the UK & the US covers!

This is the US cover:

And this is the UK cover:

I love both of them. I have a copy of the US (I didn't know till a few weeks ago that we were going to get this in the UK and am going to read soon!) and I love the gothicness of the US cover. However, I love how the UK cover is white. It feels rare to see a white book cover!

But what do you guys think? Do you prefer the dark US cover or the white UK cover?

New DIVERGENT & INSURGENT UK Covers

2012-01-05T09:00:00.005Z

Yesterday, the lovely Rosi sent out the new UK covers for Divergent and its sequel, Insurgent, by Veronica Roth. And here they are!

Now, I love the original cover of Divergent and I am really like the US cover for Insurgent. But, I get why Harper Collins decide to change the UK covers. These covers look more Hunger Games-like and as most of us bloggers raved that Divergent is the next Hunger Games, it's easy to understand why HarperCollins went down this route.

I do like the new cover of Insurgent with the burning leaves. Though I do think this is a grower of a cover.

But what are your reactions to the new UK covers?

THE BOOK OF BLOOD & SHADOW BLOG TOUR - Playlist

2012-01-04T08:00:00.009Z

I am thrilled and honoured that I am taking part in the Book of Blood and Shadow blog tour as this book is a very smart yet utterly gripping read (if you haven't read my review,click here)!

Today, the author of this book, Robin Wasserman, takes over the blog and chats about the playlist she listened to while writing this book! All the songs are at the bottom of the post so you can have a listen! Now, am handing it over to Robin...

*

I wish I was the kind of person who wrote well to music – not least because I usually write in coffee shops with annoyingly loud songs playing in the background, and it would be convenient if I were the kind of person to be inspired by this rather than annoyed. Unfortunately, music I like tends to drown out the words in my head, while music I hate just drives me nuts unless I can drown it out by a sheer act of will (or my well-padded noise-cancelling headphones).

But that’s not to say music plays no role in my writing life. Some books, like The Book of Blood and Shadow, have such a distinctive atmosphere and feel to them—an atmosphere and feel completely removed from the cheerfully petty concerns of daily life—that listening to the right songs before I start to write can be the perfect way to ease me from the real world into the world of my mind.

Here are some of the songs that I could count on to make me forget my grocery list and my unmade bed—songs that could, each morning before I sat down to the computer, transport me to the world of The Book of Blood and Shadow.

Gravity/Falling Down Again - Alejandro Escovedo
It was the melody paired with the singer’s gravelly voice that first drew me to this song, but it was the lyrics that held me (for reasons that, if you’ve read the book, will seem obvious): “The wheel is spinning / going round and round / No angels hanging from the ceiling can save you / No no St Jude can’t pull you out” and “No use in running from the / shadows of strangers / the odds are they let you down / No words written in the songs can save you / the silence drowns you there’s no way out.” There was something in there that felt familiar to me: The desperation and loss of faith in those lines, paired with what becomes a strangely upbeat melody and the haunting laughter of children. And that title, “Falling Down Again,” which implies that though the fall might be inevitable, so is the rise that follows it. And that’s the story of Nora, the protagonist of The Book of Blood and Shadow: She comes to understand that she will fall, and fall again, but somehow, she will stand.

Breathe Me - Sia
This song was crucial for writing Part II of the book. (You can tell this just from reading the section’s opening lines.) I must have listened to it a hundred times. In many ways, this is a book about grief, and finding a way to go forward in the face of loss—and I’ve never heard a song that so perfectly captured that sense of numb, frozen confusion that follows the death of someone you love. The lyrics are simple, but somehow, right: “I am small, I’m needy / warm me up and breathe me.” What’s interesting is that Sia has actually written a song that’s explicitly about grief (“Healing is Difficult” written after her boyfriend’s death), but that one leaves me cold.

Let Go - Frou Frou
For me, this song has always been about finding the comfort and security you (or at least an uptight control freak like me, as well as my protagonist) need to find in order to completely let yourself go. This is what Nora finds with Max, and longs for so desperately when he disappears. The song is equal parts joy and melancholy and that constantly repeated line, “There’s beauty in the breakdown” is the thing that most terrifies Nora, as well as her renaissance counterpart, Elizabeth. Both girls fear the darkness and power inherent in letting yourself go, in wild emotion, in love, in hate, in desire, in faith…but both girls eventually see the tempting beauty in it as well, and that’s the scariest part of all.

Symphony #25 in G Minor, K 183 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (from the Amadeus soundtrack)
Though most of The Book of Blood and Shadow is set in the present, there is a Renaissance narrative threaded through the book, and the prospect of writing this terrified me, as I’d never written historical fiction before. (I’d barely read historical fiction, since as a general rule, I hate it. In fact, don’t tell anyone, but when I come across novels with “historical letters” in them, I usually just skip those parts and hope I haven’t missed anything.) So on the days I was writing about the Renaissance, I needed something to take me back in time, something that would shake me out of my contemporary mindset, and while Mozart is both geographically and chronologically way off base, I happen to own and love the Amadeus soundtrack, so Mozart it was.

Galileo - the Indigo Girls
Speaking of the Renaissance, while this song doesn’t in any way capture the feel of the book itself, I listened to it a lot anyway, claiming it as a good luck charm. The Book of Blood and Shadow came partly from my desire to write an adventure/mystery novel that incorporated the history of science (since I have two degrees in that and not much to show for it but a lot of books about dead astronomers on my bookshelf). Listening to this song was reassuring at the moments I was sure there was no way I could pull it off. (And there were many.) The Indigo Girls managed to turn Galileo into a hit song—surely, I told myself, I could write Kepler into a book.

Die, Vampire, Die - [title of show] soundtrack
When Galileo didn’t manage to stop me from having a nervous breakdown, I turned to this song — as every writer or artist of any kind should turn to this song when in the throes of creative anxiety. A vampire, in this case, is “any person or thought or feeling that stands between you and your creative expression,” and this song offers instructions for how to bash their heads in, stake them through the heart, and bury them in the ground where they belong. Pro-tip: In truly dire times of self-doubt, I suggest locking the door, turning the volume up to eleven, climbing on top of whatever piece of furniture is most available and least precarious, and belting this out at the top of your lungs. Trust me, it works.

GoodRead - Fated

2012-01-03T09:00:00.001Z

My first review of 2012! And we start with Fated by Sarah Alderson!!!

As some of you guys know, I loved Sarah Alderson's debut novel, Hunting Lila. So, when I was asked if I wanted to read this, Sarah's second novel and the maybe-start of a new series, I jumped at the chance. And I dropped several books in my To-Read pile to read this, so...

Evie Tremain is a seventeen year-old waitress who, one night, finds herself thrown into a war that she didn't know exist. A war between Hunters and Unhumans (aka Demons). As she tries to find her feet in this dangerous world, she discovers a dangerous prophecy that might be talking about her...

Meanwhile, Lucas Gray is an Unhuman. Well, half. He's half human, half Shadow Warrior. Member of the Brotherhood, a group of Unhuman assassins tasked to kill the last true Hunter. How can he get close to the last Hunter, who calls herself Evie Tremain?

Now, this is very different to Hunting Lila. I feel that I should say this now as it is!

But, saying that, this is a fast read with action. I mean, when you have a prologue that starts with "Her name is Evie Tremain. She's seventeen years old. She lives in Riverview, California. Now go and kill her.", you know that it's going to have fast action scenes that will have you racing through the pages.

Also, Sarah throws a good amount of lush in the story. Unlike Lila and Alex love story in Hunting Lila, this is more lush-driven and when they do realise that they're in love, it's very close to the end of the book and we get the pay-off with that kiss...

Now, I did lost my temper with this book. I told Sarah this via twitter (sorry again, Sarah) and this is over something a small character, Tom, says (I ranted it on GoodReads). I don't want to say what it is, but I was shocked over angry that he even asked this question and not gone "Oh, wait! I remember why." I still stand by my statement over this character and why I got angry.

Now, if you remember from the start of the blogpost, I said that Fated was a "the maybe-start of a new series". I said that as this is meant to be a standalone novel, but Sarah has written two books with these characters, but these haven't been picked up by the publishers as of yet. Now, usually, I am very "THIS IS A SERIES! GET THEM NOW!" but Sarah cleverly written Fated so, if Simon Pulse doesn't pick them up, it's all tied up but there is leeway if Simon Pulse picks up books 2 & 3...

But, apart from that (and me losing my temper with Tom), I did like this book. Not as much as Hunting Lila (oh, how I ADORE that book) but it's still a great paranormal read that is filled with action, lush and a hell of a lot of twists. Oh yes... those twists...! Sarah definitely knows how to pull those twists off!

SMILE - Recovering From The New Year Celebrations!

2012-01-02T08:00:00.004Z

Thanks to Fell From Fiction tumblr for these!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

2012-01-01T00:00:00.002Z

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! To celebrate, here is a song that we should do more this year!

New Year's Eve's Message

2011-12-31T12:00:00.003Z

When I decided that I was going to write this blogpost (over a week or so ago), I mentally planned how I was going to write it and what I was going to say. While I still have the essance of it still in my head, I've suddenly have no idea where to start.

Let's start with the most important (and the main reason why I'm writing this). I want to say thank you.

Thank you to you, dear readers, for reading my blog.
Thank you to all the cool bloggers I have met and who have welcomed me into the world of book-blogging with open arms, big smiles and a dirty sense of humour.
Thank you to publishing houses (too many to name but all wonderful) for sending me copies of books that made me go hyper.
Thank you to my friends who had to handle me going randomly insane once in a while.
Thanks to my family (especially my mum and sister - two of the strongest women I have ever known) for being there. I love you all so much!
And thanks to the PIW - I love you. Even though I have forced books upon you (The Hunger Games, The Body Finder and, soon, The Pledge), ruined songs by either YouTube, pulling faces or changing words in songs to food (my fave is "trifle", even though I hate the stuff!) and still get confused when you say "Cod" whether you mean "Call of Duty" or the fish...

Now I have got all my thank yous out of the way, I suppose I'm meant to tell you all what is happening to The Pewter Wolf blog in the coming year. And, truth be told, I have no real idea. I have starts of ideas on what I want the blog to go in 2012 (read more scary novels, read more male authors, read more male leads, read more diversity, read more crime novels, read more on my kindle, read the books I've actually got/bought, the list is endless!), but all seem to come back to one point: be braver in reading. I'm not 100% certain what this means, but I'm going to try and figure it out, and I hope you guys will figure it out with me.

Now, before I go, I wanted to end this blog (my last of 2011) with something inspirational. I was going to use a quote from someone - Aung San Suu Kyi, The Dalai Lama, JK Rowling, even the wisest of people (aka my Mum) - but nothing seems to feel right for this moment. So, am going to write two things and then am going to ruin it. So, here we go:

1. You are extraordinary. Let no one else take that away from you. Because you are.
2. Follow your dreams and your heart will always be happy.

And now, am going to ruin it. LET'S KICK 2012 ASS!!!

GoodRead - Mistress of the Storm

2011-12-29T08:00:00.008Z

This is my last review of 2011. Which a weird thing to type. I fear now that I will have to write my New Year's Eve message (might need tissues while I write it, I fear...)

Anyway, Mistress of the Storm. I came across this book via Just Imagine. Randomly, in July, I walked in and got myself a copy of The Knife of Never Letting Go (and I still haven't read that! 2012! I will try!!!) and I discovered that Melanie Welsh was doing a writing group that Monday. I decided to go and, kindly, was given a copy for free. On the Monday, Melanie chatted about how she wrote Mistress of the Storm and she's lovely. I grabbed a second copy and gave it away in a contest! And I said I would read this on my holiday in Portugal with the Person I'm With (the PIW). But yet... I didn't. Fastforward several months and, after reading Fated by Sarah Alderson (next week, children. Next week...), I finally went "If I don't read this now, I never will!".

When Verity Gallant walks into Wellow's library and discover a man reading a red leather book, crying, she had no idea about the events that would unfold. That the man would give the red leather book and a strange wooden ball. That The Storm would come to dock in the little harbour town. That Verity's Grandmother (who she didn't even know existed!) come to stay. That Verity will slowly discover her family history that her father has been desperate to hide. That Verity will discover the tale of the Mistress of the Storm...

This is a little outside of my "YA" comfort-zone (this is, to me, an book within the "8 to 12 years old" bracket) and there's something nice to read something that isn't so teen-driven.

It was a wonderful read. There was something old-fashioned about it and it's nice to read about a soon-to-be-teenager, Verity, who feels out of place with the world. I think everyone feels like that when you're going through those wonderful "Teen Years".

Am trying to write this review without going into "gushy" zone, which is VERY HARD (been trying to write this on and off for the past few hours!)! I just loved this book. I found it enchanting with tales of witches, smuggling, how children see parents and vica-versa. The only fault I can think of is the term "muttered/mumbled quietly" was used quite a bit, but it's a small detail so I will forgive the author.

I just fell in love with this book. I want the sequel, Heart of Stone, as soon as possible!

GoodRead - Vampire Academy (Audiobook)

2011-12-27T09:00:00.000Z

I have been badgered to read/audiobook this for MONTHS! I think nearly for a whole year now! So, to Laura (aka SisterSpooky), Leanne (aka District YA) & Krystal (helper of Twilight Series Theories, Bookshelf Banter & other wonderful sites), IT'S DONE! I audiobooked it and listened to it TILL THE END! IT'S DONE!

... and breathe.

Right, the story. Rose and Lissa are on the run. They've been running for two years. And soon, it's gonna be over as they are taken back to St Vladimir's Academy, which is a boarding school for moroi (aka good vampires that will drink blood but won't kill the person by draining their blood completely, are alive and can use magic) and Dhampir/Guardians. Away from the evils of the world (mainly Strigoi aka bad vampires that are dead, can't use magic and will completely drain you of blood).

But St Vladimir's Academy is not a safe place. It's filled with forbidden romance and ruthless social scene. But there's something else. Something more terrifying. Someone is leaving dead animals for Lissa to find. And Rose is worried for her best friend. And now only is she worried over this and Lissa's strange friendship with outsider Christian, she's slowly getting feelings for Guardian (and her trainer) Dimitri. And both girls should be careful, cause you never know who might be watching...

Ok, before I go any further, I want to chat briefly about readers of audiobooks. In the past, I think I have mentioned that there are three types of audiobook readers. The first being a voice that you instantly go "You're perfect for this!". The second is a reader that, over the course of the book, you grow to like. And the third is a reader you can't stand. And, for a long time, I was in camp three with this audiobook. I found the way the reader - Stephanie Wolf - read Rose was just wrong. I think after an hour of listening to it the first time, I had to stop or I would have attacked my iPod. But, once I got into the flow of the story, I grew to like the way she read Rose, though there were moments I suddenly went "Oh God!" over a few things.

So, the story itself. How did I feel about it, even though vampires are no longer seen as "in"? It was ok. It was a first novel in the series so, basically, it felt like there was information overload. But once all the information was given to you, it seemed to make sense and you could go with it.

Though, I do have some problems with the main character Rose. There were times I thought she was... well, a cow. She acts on impulse (and to hell with the consequences!), is arrogant and did things that I felt were... well, cruel. I didn't really like Rose in these moments. I suppose these moments had to happen to show that she wasn't perfect, but there was one thing she did that I got angry over her for and thought "Why is Lissa even friends with you?! You're horrible!"

However, by the end of the story, I kinda like her. She's loyal, bold and is courageous.

Maybe I'm being too hard on Rose and the whole story. I might read/listen to the sequel, Frostbite, expect that they change reader (for Frostbite, it's Kristine Hvam) and I kinda hate it when they change readers in the audiobook series. Also, I can't understand why Vampire Academy audiobook is £7.95 and yet Frostbite is £10.95. What weird logic is that?!

This is the first in a series so it has to lay down the fountains for this series, hence my unsureness about it. Maybe Frostbite will put me on if I like it or not. But I feel in the middle-ground. It was ok, but there were a few things that bothered me and, if I do go read/audiobook Frostbite, I hope these things are sorted out...

Taylor Swift is on the Hunger Games soundtrack...?

2011-12-26T09:00:00.000Z

No SMILE blog this week (to give you guys a nice Christmas break), but last week, interesting news reach the world of Twitter.

Taylor Swift revealed on Twitter that she will be release a song entitled "Safe and Sound" with The Civil Wars. And this is the first single from the Hunger Games soundtracks. AND HERE IT IS!

What are your reactions to this piece of news and music? I always a score for The Hunger Games movie but, after listening to it, I quite like it. But am not sure I understand why Liongate is releasing songs for a dystopian movie...

GoodRead - The Night Before Christmas

2011-12-24T12:00:00.000Z

We all should know the story of Twas The Night Before Christmas. But how many of us actually know it and not only the first few lines?

So when I bought this for my sister (it's a surprise! SSSSHHHH!!! [she's 2 years older than me and is far more awesome than I]), I decide to read through it and stare at the illustrations by Eric Puybaret.

They are beautiful. Yep, I said it. One of my fave illustrations (which I can't show you because Google doesn't like me and I don't want to use my iPhone to take a picture) is of Father Christmas in his sleigh, calling on his reindeer to "Now, dash away, dash away, dash away all!". The reindeer are wearing top hats and bowler hats! I got very excited over this and the PIW (Person I'm With...) had to take the book away from me.

This book comes with a CD, that had three tracks from the Grammy winners Peter, Paul and Mary. Just three tracks, I'm afraid. But they are lovely and Christmasy (is that even a word?).

But this is enchanting. I can't believe I haven't read this till in my mid-twenties (yes, I am VERY behind the times!), but this is simply enchanting.

And now, to leave with a "MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL. AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!"

SMILE - Last Minute Christmas Wrapping!!!

2011-12-23T10:00:00.001Z

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

GoodRead - Dark Parties

2011-12-20T08:00:00.009Z

Earlier this year, I went to the launch party of Indigo and four authors were there, chatting about their books. One of which was Sara Grant, whose debut novel, Dark Parties was going to be published in October. And it was a book I wanted to read. It got me very excited. And Indigo had to push it back to late December/early January due to events that were out of their control. Which got me slightly annoyed me. But then I suddenly thought, "Hang on! I can read this before it comes out!" (am writing this the first week of December, FYI!).

So, here we are. With two days before this book comes out and here we go...

Under the Protectosphere, Neva and her friends hold a Dark Party. It's illegal to throw one. In the darkness, they agree to start a small rebellion. Expect, in the dark, someone kisses Neva. Someone who happens to be her best friend's boyfriend. And all the while, Neva has been keeping a list of the Missing - people who vanish and everyone else pretends they never existed. Including Neva's grandmother.

In the quest for truth and freedom, how far will Neva go? And will she ever escape from the dark?

Now, I have to say this from the word go. If you are expecting a dystopian novel like Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games and Vernoica Roth's Divergent, this isn't it. It's more, to me, like Matched by Ally Condie. It's much slower in pace, but there is something completely gripping about this book.

What I loved about this book is Neva and all the other characters know that there's something wrong. They aren't like other characters from dystopian novels where it slowly dawns on them that something's wrong. Neva knows from the word go that's something wrong and something has to be done. She's very pro-active about finding out the truth and trying (not going to say if she got it or not... in the words of River Song, "Spoilers") to get freedom.

Now, I know there will be a few people going "But the dome thing... it's been done before. Under The Dome by Stephen King. The Simpsons' movie." and yes, I saw that too. But this was much more interesting. While in the previous two took place and people had to cope with it, the Protectosphere has be up for years and we saw the effects this had to people as no one could enter or leave. No materials could enter or leave. No new ideas could enter or leave. And because of this, everything is a hand-me-down, history can easily be rewritten and erased (when Neva and her best friend, Sanna discovered the word "globalization", they instantly thought it was a disease) and people are getting sicker and are looking more and more similar. There was one scene that shocked me about this idea of people becoming more and more similar when Neva and Sanna see a statue of one of the founding fathers of the Protectosphere and we were told that he had blue eyes and it was shocking to realise that no one who lives under the Protectosphere has blue or green eyes. That seemed the most shocking thing. And that was in a throw-away comment...!

Now, the whole Neva/Braydon/Sanna love triangle... I don't want to say much but there was one point where I got very angry. So angry, I ranted about it on GoodReads (don't click if you don't want to be spoiled!) then ranted at my other half, the PIW. And it's not the scene you guys are probably thinking... I'm not going to reveal much. Actually, come to think of it, I'm not sure I can say anything at all!

I guess I should say the bad about this. There are times when you might go "Really?" or "That seems a bit two dimensional" and yes, I felt like that, but I fell for this story. I thought it was gripping and I was hooked by it. I want more (even though I tweeted Sara and she said this is a standalone, but the seeds are there so you never know...)!

At the Indigo event, Sara kindly signed my copy. It reads "Make Your Mark". Oh, Sara, this book is your mark! I can't wait to see what you write next...

SMILE - Random Xmas Videos

2011-12-19T08:00:00.003Z

And now, for something from the South Pole!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone MOVIE NEWS

2011-12-15T21:15:00.001Z

Yesterday, news was revealed that the movie rights for Laini Taylor's DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE was snapped up by Universal after a fierce bidding war with Paramount. Twitter went nuts with this news and this morning, Hodder sent the following press release:

NEWS RELEASE
UNIVERSAL PICTURES ACQUIRES CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED
FANTASY NOVEL DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE

Los Angeles, CA, December 14, 2011 — Universal Pictures announced today that it has acquired the worldwide rights to the celebrated fantasy novel Daughter of Smoke and Bone written by Laini Taylor. A highly sought after property in Hollywood, the book was
published this September and is the first in a trilogy. Universal’s Co-Presidents of
Production Peter Cramer and Jeff Kirschenbaum made the announcement.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone was released in over 25 countries to critical acclaim and has been one of the most well-received books of the year. Honours include Amazon.com Top Ten Books of 2011, Publishers Weekly Best Books 2011 and the New York Times Notable Books of 2011.

The novel has also been hailed by UK critics – the Guardian called it, “Remarkable and beautifully written… The opening volume of a truly original trilogy.” And the Sunday Telegraph said, “For once the frenzy over a teen novel is justified. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor is one of those books that blots out reality, so consumed do you become in its fantasy world.”

At the news of the acquisition, Laini Taylor said, “My goal is always to write stories that readers will want to climb inside of and live in, and which – I hope – will allow them to just lose themselves in the page. It is a hugely thrilling prospect to think about Universal and filmmakers translating my world onscreen and giving it a second life in such a grand way. I’m over the moon.”

Jane Putch, Taylor’s manager and producing partner, said, “Taylor is a stunning visual writer, whose superbly developed characters shape a plot filled with intrigue, epic wars, love, betrayal and ‘teeth.’ I can’t wait to see her world on screen!”

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is published in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton. The second book in the trilogy will be published in September 2012.

Taylor is managed by her producing partner, Jane Putch of Eyebait Licensing & Management. Attorney Peter Nelson of Nelson David Wetzstein oversaw the acquisition.

About Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is part of NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.

Walker Books Blogger Event

2011-12-14T08:00:00.007Z

On Saturday, a few bloggers and I gathered outside a pub - The Coach and Horses pub - on a very cold morning and getting quite excited. Because we were invited to a Blogger Event organised by Walker Books as part of their YA section, UNDERCOVER READS! It was lovely to be invited as I haven't been on their radar for long. Plus it was lovely to meet up with all the awesome blogggers again, as they are awesome.

So, treated to tea, finger sandwiches and cakes, we all sat down and got told some exciting books that Walker are publishing under their Undercover range (which is continuing into 2012 as it was so popular and successful in 2011). Jack told us the interesting story on how a cover for upcoming novel, Daylight Saving, and on the idea on how the countdown (see below) came into existence. And, with that, Edward Hogan (author of Daylight Saving and two adult novels, Blackmoor and The Hunger Trace) talked about how he wrote Daylight Saving (by accident and from one scary experience when he was ten and at Centre Parcs in Sherwood Forest [thanks. Am going there in the next few months...])

So, not going to talk about all the books, but here are a few that I think you should keep your eyes and ears open for:

DAYLIGHT SAVING by Edward Hogan - a thriller ghost story set in a Center Parcs-like setting. The cover is below (it's basically the timer with a cool watery effect) and I am very excited about this. I want books that will have me on the edge of my seat, and this sounds perfect! I NEED to read this book!

BODY BLOW by Peter Cocks - the second book in the Eddie Savage series. I am ashamed to say I do have the prequel, Long Reach, in my To Read pile. And this sounds like a gripping tale that will praise Alex Rider fans with its dark grit.

FROSTBITE by Zoe Marriott - If I didn't write briefly about this, I sense Laura from SisterSpooky and Leanne from District YA would get very angry at me. There was shock when I told people that I hadn't read Zoe's first novel, Shadows of the Moon. So much so (from both Walker Books and every blogger), one member of Walker (I think it was Ruth) thrust a copy in my hands and ordered me to read it when I can find the time. But this is dark fantasy that tackles love triangles, war and racial identity. This actually might be something I could read...

It was lovely and exciting to hear of cool books to come and I would like to thank everyone from Walker for inviting me. I would like to thank Edward for coming and chatting about Daylight Saving and thank you to everyone who come as it was such a fun morning!

PS - was I the only one who thought that one of the Walkers' ladies looked like the singer Sia?
PPS - In future, Carly (from Writing In The Tub) and myself are dangerous together. Just dangerous...

GoodRead - Entralled

2011-12-13T08:00:00.000Z

I went to the Harper Collins Bloggers event earlier this year and I didn't get my hands on this. So, was kindly sent a copy (thanks Rosi!) and enjoyed reading these paranormal short stories.

Now, there was only two reasons why I wanted this book: Kimberly Derting and Ally Condie. I know, pretty lame reasons, but I love this authors so I had to read these!

Now, the idea behind this collection of short stories is interested. In the US, these authors were involved in a tour called Smart Chick Kick It where authors organised and toured, talking about their kiss-ass heroines and writing. And, to keep the tour experience alive for people who went (or couldn't go), they decided to write a anthology with the theme of road trips, edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong.

Now, as this is a collection of short stories, the first thing you have to be aware is that not every story is going to appeal to you. It's very much a mixed-bag. You have stories about fairies, vampires, angels, zombies, angels and goodness knows what else! But, I think it's kinda important to, sometimes, read outside your comfort-zone and read authors that you weren't aware of. You might discover little gems in there...

And I did. I read them in order (which you don't have to, but as I was going to review this, I felt I had to) and it is very interesting to see where the writers went with the theme "road trips".

Now, here is a major problem with this collection of shorts. There are sixteen stories in this collection and around nine of them were linked to the series the writers are writing or a follow-up to another short story in another anthology. Not that I'm saying that's a bad thing, but if you are unaware of the series in question, you might have a "Huh?" moments.

But I found several stories I like, so (because this is my blog so I can) here is five randomly-picked stories I thought "whoa!" over (in book order):

1. RED RUN by Kami Garcia - I know of the Beautiful Creatures series for a while, though never read it. So I read this and couldn't help thinking how gothic it was.
2. THINGS ABOUT LOVE by Jackson Pearce - this is linked to her debut, As You Wish but this was nice story where there was a male lead (yeah) and he was gay and it wasn't a big deal (HURRAH!!!). I would date Lawrence in a heartbeat. Just saying...
3. BRIDGE by Jeri Smith-Ready - Now, I have read Shade and I thought it was ok. But this was an interesting thing to add to the series. And as the story was told in verses (like a song), this was one of the fastest shorts I read!
4. SKIN CONTACT by Kimberly Derting - I love Kimberly! I just love her! And this story, an extra to her Body Finder series (again, with a male lead! How rare in YA paranormal!) got me very excited. And it made me want to read the next book in the series or her new book, The Pledge...
5. LEAVING by Ally Condie - I know some of you guys have mixed feelings about Matched, but I liked it. A lot. And this was another story set in a dystopian future. This was one of the only stories I wished was longer!

This is a mixed bag but there are little gems in here. You juts have to look for them...

SMILE - I Never Knew This About Chess...

2011-12-12T08:00:00.003Z

Thanks for Fell From Fiction tumblr!

YA Readers (As Reported By Channel 4 News)

2011-12-09T08:00:00.002Z

On Wednesday, Channel 4 News (produced my ITN) did a small report on YA genre in books, stating where as adult fiction has decreased in UK sales, YA books have increased.

Here is the report in question.

PS - am going to say nothing about the reporter just "putting" Twilight back on the shelf. WRONG PLACE! WRONG FLIPPING PLACE!!!

GoodRead - The Book Of Blood And Shadow

2011-12-08T08:00:00.001Z

Originally, I wasn't going to read this book. When I first heard of this book, it didn't push my buttons. It didn't get me excited. But then the UK publishers, Atom, asked if I would be involved in a blog tour for this book. I said yes, but knew that if I wanted to take part, I would have to read and review the book. I didn't want to agree to something and go "Read this!" if I haven't read it nor liked it. So, that's how I got my hands on a copy.

But isn't that what book reviewers/bloggers do? Read books that are outside they comfort-zone?

Anyway, the story. Nora Kane joins a translation project to unravel a 700 year old book along with other clasicists. So, imagine her outrage when she was given the "girly" task to translate the letters of the author's daughter, Elizabeth Weston. Expect, the more she translates Elizabeth's letters, the more Nora becomes fascinated with her life. And with her busy friend Chris dating Adriane and her budding relationship with Max, Nora has her life under control.

Until Nora finds Chris murdered. Until Nora discovers Adriabe has appeared to have lost her mind. Until Nora discovered Max has vanished into thin air, making him the Police prime suspect in Chris's murder.

But Max couldn't have done it. Could he? Slowly, Nora tries to make sense of what has happened and it seems that the reasons - and the answers - she seek are in Elizabeth Weston's letters...

Now, this book has been described as "The Secret History by Donna Tartt or The Lessons by Naomi Alderman meets The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown". So, already, there's a high standard. So, will it live to the hype that surrounds this book?

Yes, it does. I was surprised on how quickly I fell into this book and this strange world of Latin and universities and then, suddenly, how it switches to murder, Prague, secret societies and the Lumen Dei (you have to read the book to find out what that is). And it's also surprising how smart this book is. There were times I read this that I feared that the book would come across "too smart" and, I think, this only happened once or twice with me, but it was over very little things.

Don't get me wrong. This book is good! But it's flawed too. Some of you guys won't like it as it's slow going. It took over 100 pages (in my copy) for something to happen and it kinda does this all the way through the book until the end where everything falls into place. And there were several occasions that I felt that it went a bit flat. Sometimes it was characters, other times it was dialogue but it always picked itself up within a few paragraphs (I says this as my copy was a draft so this might be changed in the real version).

This is a very smart read, even when it goes into the realms of secret societies. I'm just fascinated on how much research the author, Robin Wasserman, did as (according to her Acknowledgements and Afterword) she talks about Elizabeth Weston, Edward Kelley, Don Giulio & Rabbi Judah Loew Ben Bezalel and the Voynich Manuscript and explains that they were real and briefly explains them to us.

While this book won't be everyone's cup of tea, but this is one smart read to start 2012 and I will be very intrigued over Robin Wasserman write next...

GoodRead - Clockwork Prince

2011-12-06T09:00:00.009Z

Ruth from Walker Books is lovely. She kindly sent me an copy of Clockwork Prince (which was great as I finished Clockwork Angel with Mundie Moms a few weeks earlier). This book, also, was my first book that was embargoed. Which means I couldn't talk about it. Or tweet my reactions over scenes. Or write little notes on Goodreads to refresh my memory over something awesome or "WTF! Cassie Clare, HOW COULD YOU?!". So, even though it sounds very simple, it's bloody hard. But worth it!

The second book in the Infernal Devices trilogy, Clockwork Prince practically starts within days of Clockwork Angel, Tessa Gray is still coming to terms that demons, vampires and her mysterious history. With the future of the the London Institute's leadership under threat, Tessa with Shadowhunters (and parabatai), Will and Jem go to the Yorkshire Institute for information on the history and, hopefully, the location of the Magister and her brother, Nate.

But as the story unfolds, so does Tessa feelings for both Will and Jem. So, she has to make a decision about this love triangle. But love is dangerous, when it's been revealed that one of their own has betrayed them...

Now, I found Clockwork Angel an odd creature. I was stepping into a world I already knew but, for Tessa, it was new and terrifying. So, it took a few chapters to get your head round that and how being in Victorian London is different than modern day New York. But Clockwork Prince, it was wonderful. I slipped into it very quickly and speed through the chapters with some excitement of what will happen next and the clues that will be unearthed. This felt more like a mystery (and I do like a good mystery).

And as for the love triangle. Well... it doesn't get easier. I know reviewers (like SisterSpooky and District YA) who, with every chapter, kept changing Teams. I feel like I am a Team Jem but who knows as Clockwork Princess is out next year so there's still time...

I'm trying not to reveal too much as I don't want to spoil it for anyway, but this book doesn't suffer from "Middle Book Syndrome". It stands up for itself and tells the story strongly and give us character development and plot twists after plot twist that felt me going "What? What?! WHAT?!".

Speaking of plot twists, Cassandra Clare seems to have this down to a fair art now. Just when you seem to have your head round a plot point or a character, Cassandra always pulls the rug from under you and you have to get to grips with this new revelations and they don't stop till the very last sentence (am I not joking here!).

This is probably my favourite book in the Infernal Devices & Mortal Instruments that I have read so far (am going to read City of Fallen Angels with Mundie Moms next Read-A-Long) and I can not wait for, what I think will be, the stunning yet heartbreaking conclusion, Clockwork Princess.

SMILE - Hell Is Beginning to Freeze Over!

2011-12-05T08:00:00.008Z

If this happens when I go to Disneyland next, I will be scared beyond words!

Thanks to Julea On My Mind tumblr!

GoodRead - Reaper

2011-12-01T08:00:00.002Z

AND ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE GAVE ME TO... an eBook about death? Tasteful!

In this special novella, Rachel Vincent writes from Tod's (Nash's older brother) point of view. Now, Tod is a teenager who likes girls, food, sports and tolerate his brother. He has his whole life ahead of him. And with his bean sidhe (aka banshee) heritage, that's gonna last a long time, indeed.

But that was before the car accident happened.

Tod, then, has to make a choice. Life? Death? Or somewhere in the middle?

Now, this is very much a novella for the fans, just like Rachel's other novella, My Soul to Lose. Whereas My Soul To Lose is classed (by GoodReads) as a prequel to the first novel in the Soul Screamers series, My Soul to Take, this is classed as 3.5 in the series (aka between My Soul To Keep and My Soul To Steal) and this is the perfect place to read this. Even though this does go into Tod's past and there is hints of "this is a prequel!" about it, it answers questions that I am sure readers of the Soul Screamers series want to know...

Now, I haven't read this series and my copy of My Soul To Take (book 1 in the series) is waiting patiently in my To Be Read pile and I do plan on reading this and a few other books by Mira Ink (mostly by my Kindle, I hope!), but I do feel like this was interesting. Maybe this will help get me into the series. It's all about timing... we'll see.

Here is a video for the third book in the Soul Screamers series, My Soul to Keep. And I will give you 5 housepoints if you can spot the mistake!

GoodRead - Summons

2011-11-30T09:00:00.001Z

This was free on Kindle. That's the only reason I read this. And I think this came onto my radar as I saw Sarah from Feeling Fictional add it to her To Read pile on Goodreads.

Eliza is sixteen and gets herself into a situation she can't stop (won't go into it now). So, remembering her mother's tales, she calls on the Goblin King to save her...

I don't really want to say more than that as this is very much a prequel to the real book, The Goblin King. And this was a ok read. It did feel like a warm-up to the main story and it lay down the fountains to the book as this is a prequel (in a sense) to a trilogy (The Goblin King, Kiss of the Goblin Prince & For the Love of a Goblin Warrior) although this is a prequel to The Goblin King as it shows how Eliza and the Goblin King, Roan, first met when she was sixteen while The Goblin King is set when Eliza is twenty-five and on the verge of getting married...

There are faults and I have read them on other people's reviews ("The guy on the cover looks NOTHING like Roan", "Why did Eliza react the way she did in that situation? She was in her own house!" or "How did Eliza know that her summons would work?", etc) but this is a fast read. Not sure if I will read The Goblin King but I will keep my eyes peeled, just in case...

GoodRead - Supernaturally

2011-11-29T08:00:00.006Z

I think I made a tiny mistake when I got this. I got this on my kindle a few months ago so I think I got this from the US publisher, HarperTeen, and not the UK publisher, HarperCollins. Sorry about that. But it's so hard to tell when you're buying on the Kindle (unless you are super careful, which I'm not) if you're getting the right version. Oh well, I made a mistake and I only realised it. DON'T HATE ME, HARPERCOLLINS UK!!!

In the second book to the Paranormalcy trilogy, Evie has left the International Paranormal Containment Agency to have a normal life, to wait for the weekends where she can spend them with her shapeshifter boyfriend, Lend, and go to school, have her own locker and try to survive gym.

Expect real life is... well, normal. And boring. So when Raquel appears in her life again and asks if Evie would considering returning to the IPCA as a freelance agent, she's tempted. But as she slowly revisits her former life, she notices that something is wrong... But are the fey really behind it?

I read this very quickly. Within 5 days (though I didn't read it on one of these five days so, technically, I read it within 4). And, because I read this so quickly, I might have missed clues and humour which I know must have been there but I missed. But I still felt the book's flirtiness and hints of humour. It was there! But there weren't as many moments where I snickered compared to when I read Paranormalcy.

I don't want to say this book suffered from Second Book Syndrome, but some people who loved Paranormalcy might think it has. There were moments where you could "Really?" on certain situations. But once you get your head round the situation that Evie finds herself in, it made sense. It did with me as Kiersten White hits the ground running with why Evie considers and accepts the position at IPCA so it made sense to me.

But it was the humour and the mystery that made me enjoy this story. We met a new character, Jack, who injects a huge amount of humour into the story and once the story kicks it up a gear, it felt like the fast read.

While it didn't have the same "wow" factor that Paranormalcy had, this is a nice fast read and I will intrigued to see how Evie and Lend's story ends in Endlessly (and I still don't get you Reth shippers out there... I just don't see it!)

Cat Vs Balloon

2011-11-28T11:00:00.000Z

Need I say more?

Atom Books Bloggers Event

2011-11-25T14:30:00.000Z

On Wendesday just gone, I went to Atom Books HQ for a Book Bloggers event. I have special place in my heart for Atom as, this time last year, they invited to me to my first EVER book bloggers event! And here I was again, a year later!

But, before that, I met up with Laura from SisterSpooky, Leanne from District YA & Clover for Fluttering Butterflies for a quick coffee in Starbucks. It was nice to chat up with Laura and Leanne since I last met them at Cassandra Clare event and it was lovely to finally meet Clover (though I fear Laura, Leanne and I scared her. SORRY!!!)

And then we walked inside and met so many other bloggers! All who are lovely and awesome and the names I know and have forgotten (I am that kinda person! Sorry everyone!) But hello Stacey, Carly, Joanna, Rhys, Bella, Vivienne, Lynsey & Matt and everyone else I forgot!

So, after we mingled, chatted and stole food and drinks, the lovely ladies of Atom (is it wrong I want to call them the A Team?) told us about the exciting new books they have planned for next year! This includes chatting about books such as 172 Hours on The Moon, Under a Never Sky, The Book of Blood And Shadow (which I have read [review coming soon...] and I kept called The Book of Smoke and Bone [thanks Laini Taylor!] and other very exciting books while having authors C.J. Daugherty & Sara Manning chatting about their novels, Night School and ADorkAble.

So, after swooning over books (mine was Night School [though I forgot it was coming out so soon!], Under A Never Sky and, much to my surprise, 172 Hours On The Moon [sounds completely chilling! Perfect as I want scary reads!]), we went out and chatted some more. Randomly chatted to Sara about knitting (most of it went over my head but she's lovely!) and discovered that the term ADorkAble is being used in a US TV show called The New Girl (Sue them, Sara! SUE!!!) and Laura, Leanna and I might have scared C.J. Daugherty about being a debut novelist, the hyper round the book in the USA and how Twitter/GoodReads are wonderful (and she didn't seem scared of us...).

It was a fun yet random book evening where chat turned to Breaking Dawn movie, Laura (without me knowing) asking when the next Tom Clempson book is out (2013), why we saw no news of Andrea Cremer Bloodrose (Because it was time new authors shine) and backing Lynsey as we went "PLEASE buy the UK rights to Hourglass by Myra McEntire!" (They looked at it but heard radio silence. Will double check for us!).

So, I want to thank Atom again for inviting me. You guys rock!

Actually, seeing as Atom were so lovely in invited me, I managed to get some books (with their permission. NEVER STEAL, KIDS!)that I want to give away to you. So, I am doing a random competition where there will be 3 WINNERS, each winning one book each. The books are BREAKING DAWN by Stephenie Meyer, MONSTER HIGH 3: WHERE THERE'S A WOLF, THERE'S A WAY by Lisi Harrison and TRAPPED by Michael Northrop! Will randomly choose who gets what book (via Random.org) as I want this to be truly a surprise for all the winners! If you fancy entering a winning a book, fill in the form below!

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Good luck and thank you, again, to Atom for inviting me! :)

LoveFood - River Cottage

2011-11-25T08:00:00.006Z

Friday's LoveFood comes from a friend of mine, Jess. She's a total foodie - even more than me! She was very kind to take part in this (as I know how busy she is!) and for that, I thank her! If you want to check out her blog (tad outdated, but still... and rumour has it a new blog is on the way...) go to http://fromthetipofmytongue.blogspot.com/. Here, Jess chats about River Cottage and simple vegetarian recipes that she hopes you will like...

So, this is my contribution to Andy's Love Food Blog week. Andy asked me to write an entry as he knows I am a massive food fan! My main obsession is River Cottage and the whole growing your own and eating off your own land kinda thing. For the last five years I have been collecting the books, watching the series and growing my own food and experimenting with my own home grown veg. I even went to the trouble of going to Jimmy's Food Festival last year and queuing as early as I can to run to the River Cottage tent to get my signed book.... yes LOSER, I know! But I just can't get enough of it!

My top three RC books to get inspiration from is the 'River Cottage Everyday', 'River Cottage Veg Everyday' and the 'River Cottage Family Cookbook'. My boyfriend and I even tried to go veggie during the current series of River Cottage Veg Everyday that is on Channel 4 at the moment, it lasted 2 weeks. It is just so difficult to find the time to cook the meals from the recipes out of the book, although some are easy, it just takes much longer than cooking a hunk of meat or fish. As a veterinary nurse, I spend a good 45 hours or more at work and with two puppies of my own, it is just physically impossible to spend that much time in the kitchen in the evenings, if I did I wouldn't have dinner until 9/10pm! Although the good thing that came out of it is that we eat a lot less meat at home and try to make at least 3 veggie meals a week.

So on that note, here are three simple vegetarian recipes (that can be converted into meat feasts) I have created, that have been tried and tested with the approval of others:

Baked Camembert Fondue with crudités (and steak)
Ingredients
 Camembert (must be the ones in the wooden boxes)
 1 whole garlic clove
 Carrots
 Celery
 Broccoli
 and any other vegetables you wish to dip in the fondue
 Steak (optional)
 bread (optional)

Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200c
2. Take the Camembert out of any plastic packaging and if the box has gaps in it put tin foil at the bottom of the box and put the Camembert back in.
3. Use a knife and score in the middle of the Camembert and stick the whole clove of garlic in, then put the lid of the box back on and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese goes all ooey and gooey.
4. Steam any of the vegetables that need it e.g. broccoli. And cut the other vegetables into finger size pieces.
5. (optional) cook the steak to how you like it, slice into thin slices.
6. Serve with any breads etc.

Garden Omelette with goats cheese
This recipe works best in the spring/summer when everything is at its best in the garden. Alternatively use any thing ripe and fresh preferably from a farm shop or green grocers (it tastes much fresher and has more flavour)
Ingredients
 whatever you have in the garden that is ripe
 eggs (2 per person)
 pinch smoked paprika
 30 ml milk or 1 Tbs cream
 soft goats cheese
 salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. Beat the eggs with the milk/cream and smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
2. In a frying pan on low-med heat, gently fry all your veg, until soft
3. put the egg in, and gently heat. Making sure its not too hot otherwise the bottom will burn and the top will be raw.
4. Once the omelette looks like the bottom is solid, crumble some goats cheese on top and place under a hot grill.
5. Serve with any garden flowers (such as pansy's, nasturtium, marigold petals etc.) and a piece of toasted bread or a side salad.

In the omelette I made in the photo. I used garlic, tomatoes, chillies and topped it off with edible pansy's and salad I had in the garden.

LoveFood - Thanksgiving With Emma

2011-11-24T08:00:00.002Z

As part of my LoveFood week, Emma from the awesome Book Angel Booktopia wanted to take part over the "Dream Thanksgiving Dinner". And seeing as today is Thanksgiving in the USa, we both thought today would be perfect!

So, TAKE IT AWAY EMMA!

Having lived in Philadelphia for a year I love the idea of Thanksgiving, just being taking the time to express gratitude for certain things and people that have had an impact on my life, what better way than to have a dinner party with terrific people and wonderful food. Check out my fantasy Dinner Party Guest List at Serendipity Reviews today.

As my guest
list would fill a hall I decided the best way to go with Thanksgiving dinner is
a Thanksgiving Themed Buffet, so we can all stand about, mingle and book chat - YAY.

I am addicted to watching ahref="http://www.foodnetwork.com/">The Food Network and scour the recipe ideas online from there. So that is where I went to look for ideas for the Thanksgiving Buffet. And I will admit that I got completely distracted by all the lovely recipes on there.

Obviously there would be a golden roasted turkey and glistening glazed ham.

Roasted Butter Herb Turkey Roast
Ham with Apple Glaze

And not forgetting the vegetarians:

I haven’t actually come across Tofurkey anywhere else but in the US. I just like the name of it – such a fun word to say Tofurkey, lol. But I am sure if this isn’t up to the discerning tastes of vegetarian guests then they will be wowed by the selection of salad and side dishes. My stomach is growling as I am writing this post and my mouth is drooling.
Goes to search for food.

Remembers why I no longer eat the school dinners. Back to dream about
deliciousness [ : D ]

Salads:

Spinach Salad with Cranberries and Pecans

Macaroni and Mozzarella Salad

Caramelized Butternut Squash

Green Beans with Garlic Chips

Mashed Potato Salad

Lemony Coleslaw

Breads:

Stuffing Bites

Baked Hush Puppies (because I just love the name)

Southern Cornbread

Parkerhouse Rolls

And for the Desserts:

Mini Pecan Pumpkin Pies

Caramel Apple Bars

Pecan Dreams (again cos what a fantastic name for food)

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

And I am sure that the lovely Laura aka SisterSpooky could be persuaded to bring along some of the gorgeous chocolates she makes in her day job.

For the recipes go here

I am hoping to have a little Thanksgiving for my girls this year to show how much I appreciate them. I think they will want the desserts and possibly the bread but not the salad lol.

LoveFood - Kids with Multiple Allergies

2011-11-23T08:00:00.004Z

As part of LoveFood week, the lovely Laura Clempson from Cupcakes for Clara (@cupcakes4clara) talk about food allergies that affect her children and give helpful advice and a recipe that sounds delicious! I want to thank Laura for taking part and telling us her story.

*

I have two kids. They each have three allergies. Dairy, soya, and eggs.

We discovered their allergies when they were each about eight weeks old (they are three, and one now), and it was a tough job to get the doctors to even believe us. It started with colic, then screaming, tummy aches, projectile vomiting, and then nappies full of blood. We knew something wasn’t right, but the doctors kept insisting it was a virus. Numerous tests later, and a couple of nights in hospital, I suggested it could be a dairy allergy. It was agreed that it might be, and as I was breastfeeding the answer was for me to cut all dairy from my diet. And I mean all – even traces. And you know what, within a few days their symptoms disappeared. The soya and egg allergies appeared after that, but once I cut them out we had our happy contented babies back.

So, I (the only one in the family with no allergies) went dairy, soya, egg, and nut free for two years – one year whilst feeding each baby. I struggled to find anything safe to eat at first, but we soon found our way, and it became second nature. We learnt that…

- Oat milk is great in tea, as long as you add a bit of sugar. Rice milk not so much.
- Bananas make the perfect substitute for eggs in cake. As long as you like bananas! If not apple or apricot puree work too.
- Soya is in EVERYTHING. That is a tough one to avoid, especially eating out. Ask places if they use rapeseed oil instead – a lot do.
- You should never believe people when they say food is ‘allergy free’. I once had a friend insist that the meal was dairy free, and when I enquired what was in it she said ‘cheese – but that’s not dairy is it?’
- Going without chocolate is so tough but…

Through trial and error we have come up with a fantastic dairy, soya, and egg free chocolate cake recipe. And the kids LOVE it – I think it makes them feel a bit more normal. Want to hear it?

12 chocolate cupcakes:
200g self-raising flour
200g caster sugar
200g sunflower spread
2 level teaspoons of baking powder
200g fruit puree
2 tablespoons 100% cocoa powder

Mix until nice & fluffy. Divide into 12 cake cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 150ºC. Voila!

We found How To Cook for Food Allergies by Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne super helpful, and is a must for anyone with allergies. Happy baking!

LoveFood - All Things Sweet!

2011-11-22T08:00:00.000Z

Day 2 of this week's LoveFood and here we have Laura aka SisterSpooky (this is her blog! Ta-Dah!). She was so kind and did a YouTube video where she chatted about food and all this sweet!

Thank you Laura! So very kind of you!

LoveFood - The Smile Edition

2011-11-21T08:00:00.003Z

Let's start LoveFood week with something that will, hopefully, make you smile and never look at Masterchef in the same way, EVER AGAIN!

I'VE BEEN QUOTED! faints with shock

2011-11-20T09:00:00.007Z

I discovered in the past few days that I have been quoted! MY WORDS ABOUT BOOKS I HAVE REVIEWED ON THIS VERY BLOG HAVE BEEN USED IN A BOOK AND AN AUTHOR'S WEBSITE!

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! *faints with delight and shock*

And here are the two books in question:

Now, this is HUGE FOR ME! STUPIDLY BIG! I adore both Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson and the first two books in the Tiger's Saga by Colleen Houck (will read the third soon! [Thanks Bella from Cheezy Feet Books for giving me her copy! She knows how I LOVE this series!]) so the fact that Sarah put my reaction on her website and Hodder put my words on the "Praise" page of Tiger's Voyage is a WONDERFUL honour! Just wonderful! I am thrilled and honoured. And I wanted to show you my excitement/shock/disbelief/honoured-ness to you all!

Are Fairy Tales Next Year's Big Thing?

2011-11-19T09:00:00.006Z

I have been thinking this for a while now, but I was wondering if fairy tales will be next year's trend in the world of YA fiction? I know that dystopia novels have become popular this years (thanks to the huge success of The Hunger Games) and I do believe that this will continue over the course of 2012, but I am wondering if retellings of fairy tales will be fighting it out for a place in our bookshelves (as well as in our DVD collections and on our TVs).

Apart from the novels by Jackson Pearce (the hugely successful Sisters Red and Sweetly) and the movies Red Riding Hood (directed by Catherine Hardwicke and starring Amanda Seyfield) and Beastly (from the novel by Alex Flinn and starring Alex Pettyfer & Vanessa Hudgens) which most people feels was less than desired, 2012 seem to be the year that we're getting retold fairy tales more in our faces...

Both Universal Studios and Relativity Media are going head-to-head in their retelling of Snow White. While Relativity Media's Mirror Mirror seems to take a the whimsical and comedic look at the fairy tale, Universal's Snow White And The Huntsman goes down a dark, almost Lord of the Rings (and this movie is rumoured to be a start of a trilogy...) And we are still awaiting news about Disney's live action story of Maleficent, the evil queen from Sleeping Beauty and the mysterious The Order Of The Seven, Disney's reboot of Snow White set in China in the 19th century (no news on whether this film will be live action, animated or CGI)...

Not only is the battle being fought at the cinemas, but TV is also a battleground. Two of the biggest US TV networks are using "fairy tales in the real world" ideas. ABC has Once Upon A Time, a fantasy drama, while NBC has Grimm, a cop show that has characters inspired from the Grimm Fairy Tales. Both of these shows are rumoured to be coming to the UK, but no news on which channel has picked them up [EDIT: Grimm is rumoured to be going to the channel Watch. Once Upon A Time still hasn't been confirmed, though I suspect either Channel 4 or Channel 5.]

Now, do I think this will be the big thing for next year? I'm not sure. I will be intrigued to see if this has staying power. When vampires was the big thing, it lasted for several years as did magic (thank you Harry Potter and Twilight) and while we seem to be in the grip of dystopia, it will be very interesting to see fairy tales spark the imagination for both children and adults...

Books And Their Theme Songs (Volume 9)

2011-11-18T08:00:00.002Z

It's November, which means one thing: another "Books And Their Theme Songs post! And this is the ninth! Am shocked I have the patience with this to have kept going this far. But, I do like doing these blog post as I get excited over the song choices I chose for each book and see if my view of the song has stayed the same or has change.

Enough of the talk. Let's listen to the music!

MIDWINTERBLOOD by Marcus Sedgwick
"Heart On Fire" by Scars On 45

SILENCE by Becca Fitzpatrick
"Beautiful Disaster" by Kelly Clarkson

THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwab
"Cumulus" by Imogen Heap and "What The Water Gave Me" by Florence + The Machine

HOURGLASS by Myra McEntire
"Replaced" by Kate McGill & cover of "Replaced" by Ben Munson (WithLove44)

THE DEAD WAYS by Christopher Edge
"Circle Of Fire" by Kenneth Zink (inspired by Michelle Zink's trilogy)

CLOCKWORK ANGEL by Cassandra Clare
"For You" by Angus and Julia Stone

THORN IN MY SIDE by Karin Slaughter
"You Love Me" and "Don't Be A Girl About It" by Kelly Clarkson

LOVE STRUCK by Melissa Marr
"By Chance" by Sophie Ellis Bextor

Press Release - STRANGE CHEMISTRY

2011-11-17T13:00:00.001Z

Press Release
17th November 2011 ~ For Immediate Release
Angry Robot announces new YA imprint, Strange Chemistry

Angry Robot, the award-winning publisher of SF, F and WTF are pleased to announce their newest venture – a sister imprint, Strange Chemistry, which will publish Young Adult genre fiction.

The imprint will launch in September 2012, with five titles appearing before the end of that year, before settling down to one book each month. Strange Chemistry will follow AR’s strategy of co-publishing its books simultaneously in the US and UK, in both eBook and paperback formats. Subject matter will include fantasy, science fiction, supernatural and horror, and as with Angry Robot the lines between those genres are likely to be very blurry at times.

Running the imprint will be Amanda Rutter, until recently best known as the tireless blogger behind genre review site, Floor-to-Ceiling Books. She takes up her position in Angry Robot’s headquarters in Nottingham on December 12th.

Angry Robot’s managing director Marc Gascoigne said: “The key to any truly successful genre imprint is the personality of its editors. In Amanda we’ve found the perfect mix of editing skills and wild, wild enthusiasm for the subject. Her first signings are already making us jump up and down in excitement. We’re beyond delighted to welcome her to the team.”

Amanda Rutter commented, “Angry Robot have quickly become one of the most exciting and challenging genre publishers around, and I have so much admiration for the types of novels that the guys are bringing to the world of speculative fiction. I’m absolutely thrilled that I have the opportunity to join the team, and create a list full of Young Adult novels that share the same sharpness and passion as those in the AR list.”

:::
More information can be found at strangechemistrybooks.com and
angryrobotbooks.com. You can meet Amanda at floor-to-ceilingbooks.
blogspot.com.

Angry Robot is a new genre publisher, bringing readers the best in new SF, F and
WTF?! All titles are released as paperbacks and in all major eBook formats. Distribution is through Random House (North America) and GBS (UK). Angry Robot is part of the Osprey Group.

(I am so excited about this news. Amanda is a real blogger [while I'm faking] and she has an excellent taste in books and I can't wait for her to reveal the first wave of books she has under her carefully eye of Strange Chemistry. GOOD LUCK AMANDA!)

GoodRead - Love Struck

2011-11-17T08:00:00.005Z

Now, I known of Melissa Marr for a while now. I have been told to read her Wickedly Lovely series. I actually won a copy of Wickedly Lovely &, before that, I bought the old UK hardback copy of Ink Exchange, so the start of this five book series is in my To Read pile. It's just a case of FINDING TIME!!! So, when I was having my Kindle-binge, I rediscovered that this was on my Kindle and, wanting to see if the Wickedly Lovely series was one I should investigate further, I selected this and read.

Love Struck is a one-off short story about Alana, who knows about the mysterious selchies, sea-fey who leave their seal-like pelts behind when they walk on land, passing for humans. But when she meets not only one but two at a beach party, she has no idea how complicated her life is going to be...

Now, this is a different read for me as I have never heard of selchies! I heard of something similar, but this felt like I was discovering something completely new. And the story between Alana and Murrin was slow and sweet. It didn't feel like other paranormal tween stories where the human and the supernatural being fall INSTANTLY in love. They didn't. It took them several weeks for them to find that they have feelings for each other and the events to unfold...

The only thing that bothered me is that the story was only 62%. The rest was the first chapters of Wickedly Lovely and Ink Exchange. I know I'm being picky and, of course, this is a VERY CLEVER marketing tool for people who haven't read (or heard) of Wickedly Lovely (like myself), but surely people who have heard and read Wickedly Lovely would read this. Maybe I wish that the story was a few percent longer...

But this is a nice, fun read and, for 99p, it's a good read! And, one day, I will make time to read Wickedly Lovely...

GoodRead - Skulduggery Pleasant Short Stories

2011-11-16T08:00:00.007Z

In my Kindle reading blitz, I discovered these on my Kindle. These are two short stories that you can get both of these FREE from HarperCollins and Amazon and these short stories take place between the main Skulduggery Pleasant novels.

The Lost Art Of World Domination is the first short story within the Skulduggery Pleasant series that takes place a few months after the first novel where our hero, Skulduggery, is chained to a wall while Scaramouch Van Dreg is planning on world domination...

Gold, Babies And The Brothers Muldoon takes place several months after the second novel, Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing With Fire. In this, Skullduggery's partner, 13 year old Valkyrie Cain has to make a delicate deal with a trio of ugly, hairy goblins for the lives of three babies. But these goblins don't intent to keep their side of the deal...

Now, I have to honest, I did read the first few books within this series but stop between the third or fourth books (The Faceless Ones and Dark Days). The reason why, though I loved the darkness of the series, I began to feel that the humour was being used less and less and that's why I got into the series in the first place. Though I have chatted to Rhys from Thirst4Fiction about this (and he told me that Dark Days has the jokes back while the darkness of the story is still there - his review of Dark Days is here!),
I am still hesitant over returning into this world. So, rediscovering these was a real treat.

In my opinion, both stories show the best qualities of a Skulduggery Pleasant novel. With The Lost Art Of World Domination showed the humour of the series while Gold, Babies And The Brothers Muldoon showed the action. While I read Gold, Babies And The Brothers Muldoon and thought it was ok, I found The Lost Art Of World Domination chuckle-worth. I felt I had rediscovered the Skulduggery Pleasant that I first fell in love with.

Though I still not 100% certain if I will return to the series (I hope so, but it might take some time), I at least will be open to reading more books in this series or return to the first book in the series. I know that there is a short story released for World Book Day 2012 - The End Of The World - in March next year and I hope to read that when it comes out and it will let me rediscover the joys of the skeletal Private Eye...

GoodRead - Thorn In My Side

2011-11-15T08:00:00.005Z

After reading a lot of novels recently, I wanted to do a bit of reading on my Kindle. It's being feeling a bit unloved. So, I decided to put the books that publishers and friends have given me on hold (I WILL GET ROUND TO THEM! I PROMISE!) and attack my Kindle for a few days. The first I read was Thorn In My Side by Karen Slaughter.

This short story tells the story of conjoined twins Kirk and Wayne. One night, Kirk picks up a random girl in a bar, while Wayne has to pretend he's not there. Expect dark deeds happen in the car park that night...

Now, in theory, this should be an interesting story. The idea of what would happen if a brother did a terrible thing while his conjoined twin tried to stop him and whether the law would convict one brother for the sin of another would have made interesting and gripping reading. Instead, out of the 68% that was the story, the second chapter (there was three in total) was the most interesting. It was very much an three act - crime, aftermath, consequence. And for the price of this short story - £1.83 - while Karen's other short story, The Unmarkable Heart was 47p, a tiny part of me thought I kinda got rip-off.

It has faults, but it wasn't awful either. I just feel that, unless you're a true crime or a Karin Slaughter fan, you might want to wait till this becomes free or cheaper than it is now...

(And now for music choices... I read this while I was listening to Kelly Clarkson's new album [which is AMAZING! I need to see her live! Anyone know if she's coming to the UK?] hence my choices! ENJOY!)

The Hunger Games Trailer

2011-11-14T15:22:00.003Z

Earlier today, Good Morning America (a breakfast show on ABC in the USA) revealed the trailer for The Hunger Games... and here it is!

Reactions, ladies & gentlemen?

And This is Why Cows Scare Me...

2011-11-14T08:00:00.000Z

GoodRead - Sarah Millican's Support Group (Audiobook)

2011-11-10T08:00:00.000Z

While my PIW (the Person I'm With - Last time I'm going to tell you this) and I were away for an anniversary to Alton Towers (I know. HOW ROCK AND ROLL OF US!) last month, we listened to this on the way back.

Sarah Millican's Support Group was a BBC Radio 4 series (this was series 1 - no idea if/when series 2 will be released as an audiobook or if BBC Radio 4 has commissioned a third series) where Sarah and two "experts", sexist taxi-driver Terry & snooty counsellor Marion who "did an Open University degree... and got a B" helped with fictional situations (such as dating outside your social class, a young man caught in the middle of his current and first love and a 50 year old grandmother rediscovering life, much to her daughter's horror among other situations) and having audience involvement, which allow Sarah to improvise.

I do love Sarah Millican so I found this stupidly funny. But I do know that she's not everyone's cup of tea in comedy. If you're not sure, YouTube her doing stand-up for the BBC show, Live At The Apollo and see if she appeals to you...

GoodRead - Clockwork Angel

2011-11-08T08:00:00.003Z

I have to admit I had this book since it came out last year. But, due to the fact I was ill then real life and other books got in the way so this kept going down and down in the To Be Read pile.

And then, Mundie Moms turned round to me after a short twitter chat and said "We're starting a Read-A-Long for Clockwork Angel", I decide to try and take part. So, I owe Mundie Moms a big THANK YOU to them for them to help me FINALLY get round to reading Clockwork Angel.

In this, the first book in the prequel trilogy for the Mortal Instruments, Tessa Gray arrives to Victorian London. But instead of her being meeting her brother, Nate. Instead, she is taken and held hostage by the Dark Sisters. When she is rescued by Will, Tessa finds herself slowly entering the world of Shadowhunters and Downworld, where demons, fairies and vampires are common. The deeper Tessa enters this new and dangerous world, Tessa finds herself in the middle of two friends and finding that is she more connected to this new world than she first thought...

Now, this is a strange book to me. I really liked the Mortal Instruments series (well, first three books, seeing as this new trilogy in the Mortal Instruments I haven't started yet!) so entering this world again was always an exciting idea, but going back to Victorian London was interesting. I'm not a great lover of historical fiction so reading this was going to be an odd read for me, but after the first few chapters, it felt like I had re-entering a wonderful world again, and I quite enjoyed this new side of the Shadowhunter world.

I did worry for quite some time about reading this (and I still have this fear with City of Fallen Angels [which is the fourth book in the Mortal Instruments series]) as I thought these books will ruin the magic of the first three books, but I shouldn't have worried.

While Clockwork Angel was a bit slow to start as this was Tessa discovering this world (and we knew it!), it picked up the pace and laid down the fountains for the rest of the trilogy, while explaining little titbits that were hinted in City of Bones, City of Ashes & City of Glass. It was, also, great not to have a "He's your brother!" twist (which caused many a reader to throw City of Bones across the room)! We have a love triangle. A REAL love triangle. And what an interesting triangle - quiet, thoughtful Jem and impulsive, hot-tempered Will. I fear I know where this might be going, but I live in hope! SURPRISE ME!

After all the twists that came out at the end of Clockwork Angel, I am itching to read the sequel, Clockwork Prince!

Is This How Annoying Songs Get Stuck In Your Head?

2011-11-07T10:45:00.000Z

Blame my twitter-pal Sasha (aka FzngWizbee) for this. I have to watch this film one day...!

ENDLESSLY Cover Reveal

2011-11-06T08:00:00.000Z

Late Thursday night/Friday morning, Kiersten White revealed the US cover for the third and final book in the PARANORMALCY trilogy, Endlessly on her blog.

LOOK AT ALL THE PURPLE! Aren't it beautiful? And from how the UK covers of the trilogy look, we will get this in the UK too! Yeah!

But what do you think? Do you like the purple or not?

THE WOOD QUEEN Cover Reveal

2011-11-05T08:00:00.004Z

On Thursday, Karen Mahoney revealed the UK cover for the second book in her Iron Witch trilogy, The Wood Queen (and after the error I made yesterday, I double-checked and this is correct. This was put on the author's blog). And here it is:

So, what do you think? It is breath-taking, in my opinion. And when you put it or compare it to the UK cover of The Iron Witch, it looks stunning. Am quite excited to see it for real next February!

But what do you guys think of this cover???

FATED Cover Reveal

2011-11-04T08:00:00.006Z

Another day, another cover reveal. And this time, it comes from one of my fave authors of this year, Sarah Alderson. I LOVED Hunting Lila and the news that Sarah is writing this new series, Fated, while writing the Hunting Lila series has got me VERY excited.

And earlier this week, Sarah revealed the UK cover for Fated!

Very different from Hunting Lila, but looks dark. But yeah, can't wait to read this.

EDIT! I made a mistake and both the author and UK publisher got in contact with me and gave me the correct info (the covers were the draft and the actual UK cover, not the UK & US. This is what happened when you TRUST GOOGLE & GOODREADS)! So, if you so this earlier today, IGNORE AND TRUST THE ABOVE INFORMATION!!! Sorry for the confusion & thank you Sarah Addison & Catherine from Simon & Schuster for correcting me!

TIMEPIECE Cover Reveal

2011-11-03T08:00:00.002Z

After a leak that happened last week (and the cover wasn't meant to be revealed till March 2012!!!), Myra McEntire has revealed the cover for the second book in her Hourglass series, TIMEPIECE! Now, as Myra explained on her blog (which is here, FYI), this is the cover for the ADVANCE READER COPY so there will still need to be finalized.

So, after waiting to see if it's ok to put online, here is the cover of TIMEPIECE:

What do you guys think? I quite like it. It's on the same vibe as Hourglass but there's something more about it! I love the blue of it!

But what do you guys think of this cover? Reactions?

Cassandra Clare Event

2011-11-02T13:13:00.007Z

Last Wednesday, I randomly (and at the very last minute) went to Foyles in London for a Cassandra Clare book signing. And, luckily, Laura from Sister Spooky (an excited picture of her below!) had a spare ticket so I went to the event with her & Leanne from District YA. There were also, other random bloggers at the event – Lynsey from Narratively Speaking, Sarah from Feeling Fictional, Kirsty from Overflowing Library & Casey from Dark Readers but most of us were fans and getting quite excited (and while we were in line, we had random conversations of Vampire Diaries [which I don't watch!] and other weirdness that I have forgotten!). And then, as we entered the room, we were given a mask (which, if you were lucky to get a colour dot on the inside, you would win a special surprise. I didn't so we move along...)

So, in the room we went and we had the event where Sarah Rees Brennan hosted the event, where she asked questions to Cassandra Clare. It was a mix of questions from the audience and from "the cauldron". Which range from some that the movie ("What scene in the upcoming movie that you are most excited about? "Magnus's party!"), information about The Dark Artifices (I forgot about this! Here is some info), writing (Would you write an adult novel? [someone said, loudly, "An adult Magnus's story would do for me!" - I love that person!] and Cassandra replies "If the right idea comes along"), to asking about South Carolina (don't ask!) to spoilers which I won't share as this does touch on both Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices (and seeing as I haven't read City of Fallen Angels, am NOT going there!).

After that fun (and it was fun so thank you to Cassandra and Sarah for chatting fun-ness!), everyone went into line to get their books signed. And we all had quite a few copies of Cassandra's and Sarah's books (one day, I WILL read Demon Lexicon! I WILL!!!). The line was longer so the lovely people for Foyles offered sweets to us (which was cool as they had the shop name in it!) which made us all happy and hyper again. And then, we got out books signed by Cassie (I had six copies and felt terribly guilty! HER POOR HAND!!!).

It was a fun and random day which ended with several bloggers going to the pub and chatted madly about books and other hyper things. So, I have to thank the people of Foyles, Walker Books, Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Laura & Leanna and everyone else who made the event cool! THANK YOU!

Now, here are the trailers for Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel & Clockwork Prince...

PS - Just remembered. I have a review of Clockwork Angel, the first book in the Infernal Devices trilogy that will be out next Tuesday on this blog (and I owe Mundie Moms a huge THANK YOU!)

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS Cover Reveal

2011-11-02T08:00:00.002Z

Am so slow! Sorry, but I only just saw this a few days ago so... yeah...

Yes! The US cover of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS has been revealed and, as most of you know, the author John Green is signing EVERY BOOK in the first print run (preordered mine. BRING ON JANUARY!)

So, what do you guys think? I know that there's a split in NerdFighteria over this cover and I am not going to help much with my opinion. So, here goes. I am in the middle. I like the colours - the blue is striking and I love how simple it is! But, it's kinda too simple. I think this is because so many people did mock-up (at John Green's request) of what The Fault In Our Stars cover was going to be that this has kinda come out of nowhere. And some of the fan covers were awesome!

Also, for quite some time, I thought this was actually going to be cover and John asked us to create cover designs, just to mess with our heads.

But what do you think of the real cover for Fault in Our Stars? I would really like to know. And DFTBA!

PS - on the VlogBrothers youTube channel, John read the first chapter of The Fault of Our Stars. If, like me, don't want to hear it, DON'T CLICK PLAY! If you do, GO FOR IT!

GoodRead - The Dead Ways

2011-11-01T08:00:00.005Z

I gonna tell you something: I'm not a big fan of zombies. Seriously, zombies kinda freak me out. I don't like zombie films and TV shows, videogames scare me and when people ask why I don't like zombies, my answer is usually "Well, they're dead! There's nothing really exciting about that." So, when Non from Catnip asked if I wanted to read this, I was in two minds for quite some time over it. But after having a on-off chats with the author, Christopher Edge, on Twitter, I decide to attempt to read it.

The UK government have a plan to benefit future generation of pollution and stop congestion on the UK busiest motorways. The Greening of the Roads scheme is the removal of these roads and replaced by fast-speed train. But since the project started, stranger things have begin to happen. Mist and ghostly apparitions appear out of the nowhere and effect only the motorway.

So, when Scott Williams, son of Alex Williams, civil servant to the Department of Transport, is nearly kidnapped and, six months later, discovered his father dead, he knows something is terrible wrong. And when Detective Inspector Jason Dyer is assigned to the case, both slowly discover that there's a conspiracy going on. But what on earth is the Dead Ways? And how is that connected to the Greening of the Roads scheme?

The Dead Ways is a fast read because it is so short compared to other books I read (and I was reading Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare at the same time) as this was under 200 pages long. And it was fast-paced and, seeing as I do like crime thrillers, this suits me to the ground as, most of the story, there was a dark thriller edge to the story so when things did begin to happen, it was a creepy moments in the story (let's not talk about what happened at the Royal Alexandra Hospital's Mortuary as that one scene really creeped me out and I would LOVE to see on TV - Oh yes, I think this would be a brilliant BBC One family show on Saturdays at the Doctor Who & Merlin timeslot!) and they fit the story.

There was one or two things that bothered me about The Dead Ways. The first is that, there were times that I felt that the story lacked substance. And there was times that I put the book down, I had to make myself pick the book up (but as I was reading Clockwork Angel at the same time [part of a Read-A-Long I'm taking part in], this could be the reason).

But The Dead Ways is an interesting supernatural thriller and I will be intrigued on what will happen next in this trilogy. And I might not be able to look at flowers on the side of the roads in the same way again... Thanks, Christopher.

(As I was reading Clockwork Angel at the same time, thinking of what song fitted this book was quite hard. But I heard this after I finished the novel[thanks Michelle Zink!] and it seems to fit the tone. The creepiness of it all! I hope you all enjoy!)

Halloween Kiss, Anyone?

2011-10-31T13:13:00.002Z

Quick thanks to Beth Revis aka Jealous of Jetpack

My Soul To Steal: Animated Cover!

2011-10-29T00:01:00.000+01:00

Mira Ink have revealed an EXCLUSIVE animated cover for the fourth book in the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent, MY SOUL TO STEAL. This make Mira Ink "first YA publishers to create an animated book jacket for one of their titles", and that makes this kinda cool!

And it is! I love it! It's a really cool idea!

Now, also, there is a small competition running on Mira Ink for ten lucky people to win a copy of My Soul To Steal. Now, if you want to win a copy, you have to go to Mira Ink's Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/miraink - and comment on the picture of the My Soul To Steal cover. YOU HAVE TO COMMENT, no liking the picture! After that, Mira Ink will select the winners! Good luck!

The Hunger Games Character Posters!

2011-10-28T18:25:00.005+01:00

Yesterday, Liongate revealed, from several different online locations, character posters for The Hunger Games. It was simple, yet effective posters. And, the lovely people at Hypable, got them all together and here they are...

And here is the only poster, where the character is looking to the right. Well, with the lead being Katniss, THEY HAD TO!!!

I really like them, much to my surprise. I'm still not 100% certain on Lenny Kravitz being Cinna (he's my fave character hence my resistance to him), but I love Rue's poster (it's perfect and heartbreaking) and whenever I look at Effie's poster, I feel the urge to laugh. It's tacky and it's perfect for her! Still not sure about Cato's poster (as I can't remember his character) but I thought we would see President Snow or Foxface. Now, that would be interesting to see...

Also, reported from Hypable, the real name of Foxface will be revealed in the movie! The actress playing Foxface, Jackie Emerson, revealed that the film will reveal her character's name as Suzanne Collins was heavily involved in the script writing process. She even, to my knowledge, wrote the first draft of the movie.

But what are you guys think of the posters and the news of Foxface's real name being revealed?

GoodRead - Sarah Millican: Keep Your Chins Up (Audiobook)

2011-10-27T08:00:00.002+01:00

This was a random purchase as I kept listening to the 30 seconds teaser on iTunes for this and Sarah Millican’s Support Group (which came from this “pilot”, and I use that term loosely) and I found both the teasers funny. Also, I saw her on TV shows and I found myself laughing my head off so I felt I had to purchase this (and after listening to the first hour of Vampire Academy, which has a HORRIBLE READER and I can’t face listening to her, I needed something light!).

Originally aired on BBC Radio 4, Sarah Millican chats about her divorce and, how when this happened, her finding a councillor. Well, two. The first was shocking and the second who Sarah just clicked with. And with, she created a character called Jean, a relationship “...who is so good that most people don't come back after one appointment with her.” During her annual appraisal, Jean discusses her clients, her husband and the importance of pictures from Google of animals wearing clothes...

It’s a short, but quite funny half an hour, though there are moments where you do go “ah. This does feel like a pilot episode” as there are times you do feel out of sync with it. I have listened to the first series of Sarah Millican’s Support Group (am writing the review) and I feel that this is for the die-hard fans. If you’re a casual fan or curious, just go for the series.

Now, to get you through this lack of review (and seeing as this was mention on several occasions), I hope these pics help you smile...

UNTIL I DIE Cover Reveal

2011-10-26T08:00:00.003+01:00

As you guys know, I loved Die For Me. It made me realise how much I REALLY WANT TO GO TO PARIS! I still want to go, and am planning to in the next few years!

Reason for post, Amy Plum, author the Revenants trilogy, has revealed the cover for the second book, Until I Die. And here it is:

Do you guys like it? I really like it. I might like it a tad more than the Die For Me cover, but that had the Eiffel Tower so it has more brownie points. And I am a sucker for red, blue and purple so it's a draw.

Now, this is the UK cover so no news on the US cover as of the moment, but remember, the US publisher changed the cover at the last minute so they had the UK cover. But I am excited to see the cover and I will be waiting (impatiently) for this book (but I have to wait till MAY 2012! So far away!!!)

And we didn't wait long for information. Yesterday, Mundie Moms revealed the Until I Die synopsis. And it makes for intriguing reading...

Kate has chosen to leave the comfort and safety of her human world in order to join Vincent in the dangerous supernatural universe he inhabits. For his part, he has sworn to go against his very nature and resist the repeated deaths that are his fate as a revenant—even though it will bring him immeasurable suffering.

Heady with romance and rife with danger, the second book of the DIE FOR ME trilogy follows Vincent and Kate as they search—separately—for a solution to their plight, pursuing their quest from the glamorous streets of Paris to the city’s squalid underbelly. Although the experiment that Vincent attempts is progressively destroying him, he insists on seeing it through to the end. This prompts Kate to strike out on her own into the dangerous world of the revenants to find another way. But she unwittingly puts everyone she loves at risk when she discovers a family of ancient healers who hold the key to a secret that could help the bardia—the good revenants—overthrow their murderous enemies, the numa, forever.

And while the lovers search for something they have little chance of finding, a new threat arises among the numa. Kate finds herself in the midst of an ancient and deadly war, not as a bystander...but as a target.

GoodRead - Hourglass

2011-10-25T08:00:00.005+01:00

I discovered Myra McEntire via Twitter (again!) and after getting excited over hearing it tackles time-travel (or time-slip), I ordered it from the states (the wonders of Book Depository, as this book hasn't got a UK publisher) and waited till I found time to read it. And before long, I thought "Am reading this now!"

Emerson is seeing people who aren't there. Swooning Southern belles. Soldiers long forgotten. A jazz trio playing on a piano. Unsure what they are, she tries to cope the best she can. All she wants is to be normal. To forget that she was sectioned due to depression (caused by her parents' death) and just cope with life the best she can. So when her brother tries one last time with a consultant, Emerson decides to give it one more try.

She didn't expect her consultant to be Michael from the mysterious Hourglass. He's a year or two older than her, and seems to believe every word she says. And when they touch, sparks seem to fly. Literally.

So, why is this happen? And why does Michael believe her?

Now, this is a very different read for me. I'm not to describe this as a thriller/mystery or a time-slip novel as this fit in both. A thriller/mystery as the story adds questions and twists so you never know where you were going and when you did think you got what was going on, the rug gets pulled from under you. But then, as you have a time-slip, when the twists came, you were thrown as you never saw them coming. Hell, you never knew that the ideas could exist and then, Myra would explain it in such a way, you go "Oh. Okay. That makes sense." and you continue without questioning it.

Now, I would like to chat about the relationship between Emerson and Michael. But I won't. Nor will I touch on Caleb (says nothing), but I do want to write quickly about Emerson. She is kick-ass. Her humour took some getting use to, but she is one kick-ass female lead. In one of my fave scene, she threw Michael over her shoulder - and it was a proper karate move. And she didn't just do that move for the first time. She has been taught (and is a brown belt, if I remember correctly). What I'm trying to say is, even though things are happening to Emerson that are out of her control, she isn't waiting for someone to save her. She's saving herself and others around her.

I found Hourglass an interesting and a quite original debut novel and I'm sure there will be a sequel (there BETTER be! [EDIT: There will be. And it's called TIMEPIECE]), so hopefully, by then, Myra McEntire will have a UK publisher...

*

And now, for book trailer and my song choices. ENJOY!

HarperCollins Book Bloggers Event

2011-10-24T15:17:00.008+01:00

(aka How I Got Tongue-Tied InFront of Maureen Johnson... as you do!)

Am a bit late writing this up so BEAR WITH ME if my notes/memory are wrong!

So, on Saturday, I was invited to the first EVER Harper Collins Book Bloggers Event. It was very touch-and-go with me but, somehow, I made it! I had to leave the Person I'm With (aka the PIW) at Westfield Stratford (yes, I know! He is very understanding and yes, I know I'm a terrible boyfriend!) and rushed to Les Deux Salons around the Convent Garden/Leicester Square area for Afternoon Tea.

Oh yes, it sounded like a posh affair. And when I turned up, I felt very undressed. But it was lovely! There was a dangerous amount of food and tea. Now, as you guys know, I love my food and cups (the PIW coughed "Giant mugs of tea" then) so I was one happy blogger already. So, when you have three authors at this little event - Maureen Johnson, Will Hill and Robin Jarvis - you kinda forget why your there.

After quick introductions (where I got nervous and introduced myself as "I'm Andrew and I'm a book addict. No, wait! Wrong meeting!"), the three authors quickly chatted about their books.

Robin Jarvis chatted about his new trilogy Dancing Jax, which is about a dangerous book written by Austerly Fellows, a mysterious turn-of-the-century occultist, which has recently been discovered in a basement of an empty house. This book is dangerous and soon, children and teenagers are slowly getting caught up in this danger. Robin compared the dangers of Dancing Jax like "pushing drugs onto kids. But it's a book." and describe the dangerous world as "Narnia on crack". Now, this trilogy is a big deal as this is Robin's first novel in a DECADE!!!

Then, we had Will Hill, author of Department 19 and its sequel The Rising. He chatted about how the two books can be read together or separately (which is good as I haven't read Department 19 but The Rising sounds like awesomely scary!). He described both books as "violent and unpleasant", and yet his mum just finished reading The Rising and said "I liked it, though I'm not sure about page 300...". Will continued to talk about how Department 19 can be seen as a "rescue mission" whereas The Rising is "very much a fight for survival."

And then, Maureen Johnson talked about Name of the Star. She introduced herself as "The one with the accent". She explained how the idea of the Shade of London series came about. It came from when she was in London, researching The Last Blue Envelope. She was on a ghost tour and thought "Why aren't I putting dead bodies in my books?" then "Why do people think there's a ghost that opens a door or makes a cold spot? Why not have a ghost with attitude?". With that, she researched London, Jack the Ripper and the sewer system (Still not sure why, Maureen?). With that, she revealed that she kept up the death in the series as within the first chapter of book two, she "killed a character with a hammer". Then, suddenly, she said, "I have the title of book 2 but I haven't told my editor" [who was sitting a seat away from me]. So, quickly whispered in the editor's ear and the editor went "Love it!", Maureen revealed the title to us. The second book in the Shades of London series is...

... THE MADNESS BENEATH!

So, after that, we were offered books, more cake and a chat to quickly to the authors. I was late to the books so I only got some (but I grab a copy of Carrier of the Mark which I have my eye on for quick some time...) and then chatted to the authors briefly. I told Robin Jarvis that after starting one of his books (it was either The Alchymist's Cat, The Raven's Knot or Deathscent), I left it unfinished as it scared me beyond words! He seemed a tiny bit pleased about that.

Then, I tried to talk to Maureen and ask her to sign my copy of Name of the Star. Now, here's the thing. I get nervous easily, so I fake my confidence quite a bit. And seeing as I almost whacked my head on a lamp, it didn't go that well. But Maureen was lovely and must have been shattered seeing as she literally came from a book-signing (I bet the line was full of Nerdfighters! DFTBA!!!!). And I'm not sure why I was nervous around her when I was chatting with her one-to-one as a group of us chatted to her while drinking tea and eating scones about Misfits, John Green, Alex Day & Charlie MacDonald (Nerimon & CharlieIsSoCoolLike for those of you who use YouTube).

After the event, when having a quick drink, chatted quickly to Will Hill over his iPad (I know. How rock and roll) and going "He's random and cool. And where the hell did he get that T-Shirt from? WANT!") and with that, I left to return to the PIW at Westfield and hope he didn't spend too much money.

Now, to HarperCollins, I want to give a quick thank you for inviting me. It was a lovely afternoon!

PS - HarperCollins gave us a mysterious USB stick, which is rumoured to have extra content (video, extracts, etc). Haven't plugged it into my computer yet but will soon...!

You Were Fired?

2011-10-24T08:30:00.000+01:00

Thanks Cats That Talk tumblr for making me smile!

GoodRead - The Near Witch

2011-10-20T08:00:00.004+01:00

I'm not 100% sure how I came across this author. I suspect Twitter. So, because of that, I preordered this (this is rare for me. Recently, I seem to be getting books from the publishers and friends to review. I have been very lucky, me thinks!). So, after a few books that were a bit dark, I fancied something different. So, my hands found this in my Books To Read pile by the side of my bed (let's say nothing about the piles by the foot of my bed, shall we...?)

In the town of Near, some facts hold true. The wind is lonely and if it calls you at night, don't listen to it. The Near Witch is a fairy tale is told to scare children. And no strangers ever come to Near. But one night, Lexi sees a stranger of the moors, and he seems to vanish like smoke. And then, the next night, children start to vanish. The village beginning to think the stranger is to blame, starting a witch hunt.

But Lexi doesn't believe that he's guilty. So, if he isn't, who is taking the children? Is the Near Witch more than a scary fairy tale? Is that even possible?

Now, I read this book quite fast (especially near the end! Oh, that chapter!) for two reasons: first, I discovered that I got a job and I wanted to finish Near Witch before I started (I now don't have it so, that worked out!). The second was I just flew through this story. It is very fairy tale-like but had an edge to it. You sense that not all was well and, due to the time where the story was set, you wanted Lexi to figure it out as the book was set in a early time (not medieval, but I had that in my head) and with nearly every male character going "You can't do that", it was more to prove a point.

Which is why I like Lexi. She knew her own mind and wasn't afraid to go "This isn't right. This is what I must do." She has a strong sense of doing the right thing, even if other people disagree.

There were times I was reminded of another book in which a village is gripped by paranoia and that was Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakely-Cartwright (click here for that review - oh, I watched the film. I prefer the book more. Just saying!) but there were times that it seems better and you sensed that the people of Near wanted an Scape goat and weren't afraid of framing an innocent person. I found that moment quite shocking...

Now, as I read the book so fast, I felt the last few chapters could have been a bit thicker. But that's me. Maybe I should reread those chapters to get my head round it. And yes, this included one really creepy moment when you discover what happen to the missing children...

At the present moment, I believe this book doesn't have a UK publisher (WHY NOT?!), so if you want to read this book, you have to get it imported from the states from Amazon or Book Depository but if you fancy reading a fairy tale-like story with a slight dark edge, this might right up your street.

That Becca Fitzpatrick Event...

2011-10-19T15:28:00.004+01:00

So, yesterday, I went meant to go to a signing up London for Becca Fitzpatrick, author of the Hush, Hush saga. AND GUESS WHAT? The trains were out to "overhead wire damage at Bethnal Green" (thanks for saying that online the times I check, National Rail!)

So, as a sorry, I hope you enjoy this video... :)

GoodRead - Silence

2011-10-18T08:00:00.002+01:00

As you guys know, I like Becca Fitzpatrick. She seems to get the whole Fallen Angel genre. And she seems to write fallen angels better than any other writer out there. So, fans have been excited over the third book in the saga, Silence and the secrets in this...

Following the climax of Crescendo, Nora finds herself on her father's grave. Expect she has been missing for three months and her memory is missing for the past five (aka since the start of Hush, Hush). So, what happened to her? What happened in those three months she was mssing? And if so, where's Patch?

Now, I finished the book Sunday night so am, at the moment, trying to get me head round it and understand it all. So, bear with me.

Silence is still as dark and as twisted as Hush, Hush and Crescendo and that's always a good thing. I wouldn't have liked it if it lose its edge in the dark side. And with this mystery over Nora's memory and why Patch is no longer around is interesting. Plus, the fact we're ahead of Nora on the whole Fallen Angels and Nephilim so seeing Nora figuring it out ALL OVER AGAIN was very interesting.

Now, there's a few things that might bother you guys. On one or two occasions that I did go "Wait! What?". There are so many things that go on that you do have to keep ahead of yourself. Also, there was a few moments where you want to grab Nora and shake her as she does something that you go "NO, YOU STUPID GIRL! DON'T DO IT!!!". One occasion I can think of when Nora returns home from hospital after being found at the graveyard and, within a matter of hours, she goes back to the graveyard without telling anyone where she was going and IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT! NONONONO!!!!

And the ending... let's briefly talk about that. With dates before Silence was released, Becca revealed via Twitter that there will be a fourth book in the Hush, Hush saga and this fourth book will be the final book in the series. Now, that I have read the ending of Silence, I can completely understand why there has to be a fourth book. It was left so open-ended and, at the same time, on a cliffhanger that there was no way fans of the series would have accepted the ending of Silence as it is to be the end of the saga.

Though Silence might not be my fave in the series, it still punches about its waist and give fans of the series more Nora and Patch. Plus, Becca Fitzpatrick is wonderful at writing, so I will be waiting for, what I hope will be, a stunning conclusion...

PS - when I bought both the Waterstones' (with exclusive chapter from Patch's Point of View) and the red WHSmiths at the PIW's (the Person I'm With) dad, and this is what happened...

GUARDKITTY!

Books Make You Become Someone Else

2011-10-17T09:00:00.001+01:00

Love this pic. Want to thank Sasha aka FzngWizbee and her tumblr for showing me this.

WHITE CROW by Marcus Sedgwich MOVIE NEWS! (& quick City Of Bones Movie News)

2011-10-16T13:45:00.003+01:00

Let's chat about Marcus Sedgwick. As you know, I recently reviewed Marcus' latest novel MIDWINTERBLOOD and from that, I discovered that Marcus is adapting his novel, My Swordhand is Singing, into a stage play (was quite excited about that - make it come to London or Essex!). But, randomly, I discovered that the film rights to another novel of his, White Crow, has been snapped up and will begin filming as early as NEXT YEAR!

Hypable exclusively revealed the press release and it makes VERY interesting reading! Here is it in full:

Independent financier and production company Kerry, Kimmel and Pollack (KK&P) has secured the rights and will co-finance and co-produce the novel WHITE CROW, written by Marcus Sedgwick. The film will be produced and/or executive produced by Kami Garcia, NYT bestselling co-author of The Beautiful Creatures Series, Mark Morgan (The Twilight Saga), Michael Pollack (Quattrocento) & Brett Hudson (Cloud 9).

WHITE CROW is a psychological thriller that centers on a 16 year-old girl who moves to a sleepy seaside town with a deadly past, and discovers what’s on the other side of death.

KK&P plans to shoot the film in the fall of 2012 on Isle of Man, located within the British Isles.

The author, Marcus Sedgwick, has been nominated for the Carnegie Medal, the Edgar Allan Poe, and the Guardian Children’s Book Prize.

WHITE CROW marks Kami Garcia’s entrance into the world of film and television production. While some Young Adult and Adult authors are currently producing their own novels, Garcia is not only producing her upcoming solo novel Unbreakable: Book 1 in The Legion Series from Little, Brown (also with Mark Morgan and KK&P), but other film and television properties as well.

Now, as I've only recently read my first Marcus Sedgwick, am very intrigued over this. I am very intrigued that one half of the Beautiful Creatures series, Kami Garcia is either produce and/or executive produce this film. As some of you LOVE the Beautiful Creatures series (I haven't read it!), it will be interesting to see what she does to it...

But I love this news! Can't wait to get my teeth into this...!

Also, random add-on and not connected with Marcus Sedgwick, is the movie vision of Cassnadra Clare's City of Bones. It has been revealed by Hypable & Mundie Moms that Marlene King is writing the screenplay. For those of you who are wondering, she is the showrunner for the Pretty Little Liars TV series! So, hopefully, the film will start getting filmed soon!

Hunger Games ADULT covers!

2011-10-16T12:45:00.003+01:00

I've been away (at Alton Towers with the Person I'm With aka the PIW). And, of course this happens, book news hits Twitter. Scholastic UK revealed that they will be publishing The Hunger Games trilogy with adult covers. Now, I'm not 100% certain why we need adult covers, but Scholastic revealed them on Friday and they do look lovely!

For those eagle-eyed amount you, the birds are the Mockingjays taken from the US covers (and I do like the US covers of Mockingjay. I love the blue) so I might consider getting the adult Mockingjay. But what do you guys think?

The adult covers of the Hunger Games will be out in the UK on 1st December, just in time for Christmas and a good several months before the first movie.

GoodRead - Flesh Which Is Not Flesh

2011-10-13T06:30:00.000+01:00

I'm sure some of you know about Jessica Verday and this story. For those who don't, a quick recap. Jessica wrote this story for a collection of short story, but the story didn't make it. The editor was in two minds over it as the main characters were both young gay men. It's more-complex than that but, after long thought, Jessica pulled the story from the collection. Later, the editor said "These teen anthologies I do are light on the sex and light on the language. I assumed they'd be light on alternative sexuality, as well. Turns out I was wrong! Just after I had the kerfuffle with jessica, I was told that the publishers would have loved the story to appear in the book! Oh dear. My rashness will be the death of me. It's a great story. Hope jessica publishes it online."

And that's what Jessica did, with some of the proceeds going to Living Beyond Tolerance scholarship.

So, the story. Cameron goes to a carnival and, to his shock, meets Wesley, the boy who once broke his heart and left town without so much as a goodbye, performing as a sword swallower’s assistant. But something's wrong. Why did Wesley leave without saying goodbye? Why did he break Cameron's heart the way he did? And who is the strange woman who seems to hold Wesley her prisoner?

Now, I like Jessica Verday's writing style within her "The Hollow" trilogy and this carried through within this short story and the idea of the story was interesting. She also didn't make a big deal about the two characters - Cam and Wesley - being gay. It was just handled the same way she wrote the love story between her main characters, Abbey and Caspian, in her "The Hollow" trilogy. She even stated on her blog that "You don't choose who you fall in love with and you don't choose to be gay" which, to me, makes perfectly true.

And while I sped through the novella (it's 13,000 word novella) within an hour, it is a short story and with that, details weren't really explained. It seemed to skim every now and then, but whether that was how I read the story or how the story was written, I'm not sure.

Another thing that a review on Goodreads is that the book suffers from "Disappearing Parent Syndrome". You see neither of Cam's parents and I get why they were seen nor heard, but surely there was one or two things you would have seen then. Also, the story is very "dated". But that, I mean they are modern reference that, in a few years time, might be out of date. There is mention of Lady Gaga, Kellan Lutz and Google that might get on some people's nerves.

But it was a fast read. And I like it. Not love it, but I like it. It warms me up for the third and final book in "The Hollow" trilogy, The Hidden.

GoodRead - Midwinterblood

2011-10-11T08:00:00.003+01:00

As you guys know, I went to the Indigo Launch Party a few months ago (if you haven't read it, click here). And after trying to find time to read them (I now sense I am going to do a huge Indigo read this November...) and failing as I read The Near Witch & Hourglass (both reviews will come in the next few weeks, FYI), I decide to grab one and read it. So, onto Twitter, I asked which book to read (I gave four or five choices) and MIDWINTERBLOOD came out the winner. I think the reason for that was I had a copy of that as a ringer-binder.

Midwinterblood. Where to start on explain this strange book...? Do you ever get the feeling you've lived a life once before? Or the feeling you've met someone before but never have? With Eric, he has that feeling. It's 2073 and Eric has arrived at Blessed Island where he meets, and falls in love with, Melee. But he has the feeling that they have meet before in a previous life... Through seven parts from seven different times, we see that it might be possible. But why is the past so important? Why is the past effecting Eric and Melee's future?

Now, I have to tell you something. Something that most book bloggers out there will be shocked over. I have never read a Marcus Sedgwick book. I know of him and I've always been intrigued but I always thought of him as Horror. And seeing as I'm not a horror person, I usually stay away...

So, when I got this for Indigo, I got quite excited but held this at a distance. And now I can say am a bit miffed with myself for not reading him sooner. It was dark, creepy, unafraid to be "grown-up" at times and, at several points, a completely mindf***. It was almost like a crime novel. You got the beginning but, as you go through the book (and through time), you began to figure things out. You saw the layers and that was interesting to suddenly go "No way!" and figure out the clues.

This novel was inspired by the painting "Midvinterblod" by Carl Larsson and after finishing the story and then going online to see it, I can see why. I like how Marcus got from this painting to the story and all it's parts (I very much like parts 2, 5 and 6. Not going to tell you what they are called - don't want to spoil it for you!).

But this is a dark, creepy novel with layers. I wish I discovered Marcus Sedgwick sooner...

SPIDER-KITTY!

2011-10-10T10:10:00.000+01:00

Quick thanks to Smash Attack's tumblr!

Meet The Blogger - Girls In The Stack

2011-10-06T07:30:00.003+01:00

Welcome, welcome, welcome! Welcome to the Maybe-FINAL blog post for the Meet The Blogger! That's right, it's done! There is no more... for now...

Now, seeing as this is the last Meet The Blogger (maybe), a quick note to say thank you to EVERYONE who took part in this. This came from a random idea on a Bank Holiday Monday in May. So, to have so many people took part and helped out is wonderful! THANK YOU ALL!!!

This week's final Meet The Bloggers are the lovely ladies from Girls In The Stack! Check out their website at http://girlsinthestacks.com/ or subscrible to their podcast.

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When did you start blogging?
We started about two years ago (2009). And it’s been a FUN two years!

What made you start blogging?
The same reason as other bloggers, to share our love of the written word!! Seriously, we read a couple of books that really blew us away and we felt compelled to talk about them, as well we wanted to find other books to feed our new obsession.

What was the first book you reviewed for your blog and what was your reaction to it?
Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Looking back at that review is pretty scary, but our reaction was pretty clear. One of us loved it while the other thought, meh.

When was the first time you realised you were a Book Blogger?
Our first comment!! We love comments.

When did you start podcasting? And what was the first book you did?
We started podcasting as soon as the site went live, and our first podcast was Graceling by Kristin Cashore. We’re too scared to go back and listen to it, lol.

How much of your time a week do you spend blogging & podcasting?
We spend a lot of time blogging, maybe 15 hours a week or more. As for podcasting, about 1-2 hours per week.

Has your taste in book genres changed since starting the blog and the podcast?
Oh, heavens yes. When we first started it was all about the vampires. Thankfully, we are more diversified now.

What book has got you very excited or made you cry?
We all loved, loved The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen. As for a book that made us cry, If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Foreman.

Have you read any book that you disliked so much, you threw it across the room?
In the physical sense, no.

What advice would you give to anyone who wants to take part or what to set up a book blog?
Have fun, be nice and read what you want to!!

Now, to ask five fun quick-fire questions. What song are you listening to right now?
We’re really down with The Cave by Mumford & Sons and mostly anything on Radio Disney.

MySpace, Facebook or Twitter?
TWITTER!!!

Hardback, paperbacks or eBooks?
All three!!!

Letters, phone, texting or emailing?
Not gonna lie, letters are fun to get in the mail, but in reality emailing is our thing.

Zombies or unicorns?
No vampires or werewolves here. But seeing as this is you guys...haha, can we plea the Fifth?

Daughter of Smoke and Bone LAUNCH PARTY!

2011-10-04T15:41:00.011+01:00

Last night, in a small bar in the city of London, Hodder did a launch party for THE DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor. It was filled with the author (and her amazing pink hair!), people from Hodder and the PR company Hot Cherry, booksellers, bloggers...

... and myself.

Yep. I was there! And it was one interesting and slightly random evening.

As you know, I don't see myself as a blogger (still waiting for the day when someone goes "Hey! You're faking it! GET OUT!" but still... no one notice!) so getting invited to these events and ACTUALLY BEING ABLE TO GO is kind of a big (and surreal) thing for me.

So, after turning up at the location (getting lost while trying to find the place), I bumped into bloggers I have met before (HELLO!!!) and bloggers I haven't met before and only know through Twitter and spying on their blogs (HELLO! Have you survived meeting me?). And after we got our hands on a special cocktail made for the event (it was PINK! And a video of it being made is at the bottom of the blogpost), everyone went and chatted to everyone else. And there was a lot of people at this event that loved the book - basically, people who love books and get excited over books!

And then, we all met the author. Laini Taylor. She's lovely! Really nice and smiley! She was on Woman's Hour that morning (here it is - start around the 25 minutes mark!) and looked like she was enjoying herself at the event to celebrate her book's success so far in the UK! She chatted and signed copies of our books and, while she signed mine, I asked if her hair grew out pink (if you have no idea why I ask that, I suggest you read the book...) and the answer was yes (though don't look too closely to the roots)...

And with that, everyone chatted. We chatted about the book and other books (that was cool. Expect when I said I didn't get and didn't finished Delirium by Lauren Oliver, and one of the people I chatted to was from Hodder and the look of shock on her face... yeah...) and onto random stuff (One chat random went from Harry Potter to Twilight to Hobbits to big feet to... yes, it was THAT random).

And we had food. I have decide that to please book bloggers, you need three things. One: books. Two: drink. Three: food. And the food was something else. It was smoking! Seriously! As you can see from the pic, it was eeire yet cool! With this and mini delights like Chocolate Air, it was a fun evening for food. My random fave was the little meringues that, when popped into your mouth, made you look like a fire-breathing dragon as smoke came out of your nose and mouth!

The most random part of the night was discovering that, in the main room where this launch party was placed, there was a side-room which had (for no reason), a iron bathtub. Don't believe me? See below!

Told you! Anyway, it was a fun night so I have to thank Hodder and Hot Cherry for inviting me and everyone who turned up and made the event a right laugh!

And now, as promised, the video of the Special cocktail made for the event last night...

Oh, By the way! I'm hosting a competition to win a copy of Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Well, last night, I got it signed. So, it's now a chance to win a SIGNED COPY OF DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE! You have till 7pm Friday to enter! Go! GO!

(Also, there are pics of me meeting the author, Laini Taylor. But I don't have them - other bloggers do. Once I see them, I will retweet on Twitter and share on Facebook).