A Trillian Books

Teaser Tuesday - Gates of Rome

2012-02-07T20:29:00.000Z

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others.
* Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Timeriders: Gates of Rome - Alex Scarrow

They walked slowly round the duck pond, Kicking the first dry leaves of the autumn aside. They watched a young couple rollerblading ahead of them. Maddy smiled sadly, envious of the pair of them, both about her age and seemingly without a solitary care in the world.

It's Monday - 5th February 2012

2012-02-06T16:21:00.003Z

Completed last week

With the cold weather we had here over the weekend, I got a good amount of reading done ... because there's not much better than curling up with a good book and a mug of hot coffee when it's snowing outside.

TimeRiders: The Eternal War (Book 4) - Alex Scarrow
The Catastrophic History of You and Me - Jess Rothernberg
Feast of Fools (The Morganville Vampires) - Rachel Caine
Orphans of War - Leah Flemming

Currently Reading

TimeRiders: Gates of Rome (Book 5) - Alex Scarrow
Keeper of the Realms: Crow's Revenge (Book 1) - Marcus Alexander

Up soon

I've got The Left Hand of God to pick up from the library (hopefully tomorrow if I feel like venturing out in the snow). I want to read that so I can make a start on the second book. Also I figured it was about time I had a look at the Dark-Hunter series so I'll hopefully be getting to that soon.

The Left Hand of God - Paul Hoffman
Fantasy Lover - Sherrilyn Kenyon

Reviews

The Catastrophic History of You and Me - Jess Rothenberg

Books Received

In My Mailbox

Posts of Interest

Teaser Tuesday

In My Mailbox - 5th February 2012

2012-02-05T16:50:00.001Z

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

For Review (from publisher unless stated)

OMG! So excited to get this one as I love the Timeriders series! Also, one book in the post means a chance to make a dent on the tbr pile.

TimeRiders: Gates of Rome - Alex Scarrow (Puffin)

For Kindle

These were all freebies on Amazon UK earlier in the week so how could I resist?

Fake Kate - David Wailing

Undercover - Christine Wolfer

Heavenly - Jennifer Laurens

Abigail - Donna Burgess

Review: The Catastrophic History of You and Me - Jess Rothenberg

2012-02-03T20:57:00.000Z

Title: The Catestrophic History of You and Me
Author: Jess Rothenberg
Format: Uncorrected Proof
Pages: 400
Genre: YA
Published (UK): 2nd February 2012 (Razorbill)

Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever.

BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally.

But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after.

With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

Brie is dead and gone. Her boyfriend, Jacob, told her that he didn't love her and literally broke her heart. Now she's in a strange limbo like place, which resembles her favourite restaurant. It's a place for the dead who aren't quite ready to move on. There she meets Patrick - also dead, also clinging on - and he becomes her unofficial guide to the afterlife.

The story follows Brie through the five stages of grief (for her own life). I really liked this concept although found that once she quickly moved through the denial stage, the anger phase took over and this made her a fairly unlikable character. Had we already gotten to really know her before this it may not quite so annoying but as this was the part of the book where we were learning about Brie, I started to think of her as annoying and immature. I find it hard to read a book in which I actually dislike the main character (even though I understood that it was part of the plot that she was acting like this). There was also some smaller things that bugged me, like Brie's thing about 80s music - although this did make sense in the end so it bugs me less now. Also the cheese related nicknames started to wind me up after about the third time.

However, from about half way through the book, I started to get more into it and as Brie realised that she'd basically been acting like a massive bitch, I warmed to her. She wasn't a bad person and yes she was angry at the time, to me it just seemed lame and illogical that she sought revenge on Jacob for her death. Yes, he'd just told her he didn't love her, but he didn't actually kill her. Once she'd gotten past this part, I liked her so much more. It was clear this was going to be the case but I'm glad she did because it meant I enjoyed the second half of the story much more.

There were some surprised through the book, some were more obvious than others, which kept up the pace and made for an interesting read. Given the nature of the story, I expected to have a more emotional response to the story, which I didn't. Maybe this was just me being hard-hearted or just my early unliking of the character, but I was a little disappointed in this.

Overall, The Catastrophic History of You and Me, turned out to be a good read, despite it taking me a while to get into it. I'm sure it's a book that a lot of people will love and I certainly liked it, even if it isn't one of of my favourites.

Teaser Tuesday - Catastrophic History of You and Me

2012-01-31T05:01:00.002Z

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading Anyone can play along! Just do the following: * Grab your current read * Open to a random page * Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page * BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others. * Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Catastrophic History of You and Me - Jess Rothenberg

I kneeled down and told myself to stay calm. Champion diver or not, my head swirled as I pictured myself slipping, falling, and smashing into the San Fransisco Bay at g-force speed, and then straight into the jaws of a great white shark.

Orphans of War - Leah Flemming

He'd ridden it enough times across the battery field as a reward for doing errands and stuff. He liked going up there and watching them scanning the skies for enemy aircraft, oiling their machinery and playing football.

It's Monday - 30th January 2012

2012-01-30T18:05:00.002Z

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event to celebrate what we are reading for the week hosted at Book Journey. Post the books completed last week, the books you're currently reading, and the books to be read this week. Teach Mentor Texts also hosts an It's Monday for blogs that are predominantly kidlit, from picture books to YA.

Please comment or leave a link to let me know what you're reading this week!

Completed last week

My first completed book of the week was Legend by Marie Lu. You can read my full review here but a quick summary would be "awesome". If you're a fan of dyslit (or even if you aren't) this is a must. I think it's already available in the US and it's released this week over here in the UK.
I also read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins which was a reread for me. I'm a bit caught up in the pre-movie hype at the moment so I wanted to read it again before that comes out. So two great Dystopians made a great reading week.

Currently Reading

I'm about a quarter of the way through The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothernberg, I'm still a little undecided about this one. I think it's one of those books that's actually good but not quite my thing. I started Keeper of the Realms: Crow's Revenge by Marcus Alexander last week but temporarily put it aside as I wasn't quite feeling it, although I don't know why. I'm going to give it another shot this week. Orphans of War by Leah Flemming is my 'out of comfort zone' book which I'm trying to do more of this year.

Up soon

I've had Variant by Robinson Wells on my tbr pile since before Christmas and as it's one of my Amazon Vine reads I want to get to it soon so I can get my review up. Also up soon (when it comes in the library) is The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman. I received The Last Four Things by the same author for review this week and I wanted to read The Left Hand of God first.

In My Mailbox - 29th January 2012

2012-01-29T16:57:00.000Z

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

For Review (from publisher unless stated)

The Last Four Things - Paul Hoffman (Penguin)
The Flappers: Vixen - Jillian Larkin (Amazon Vine)
Itch - Simon Mayo (Amazon Vine)
The Glovemaker - Stacia M Brown (Amazon Vine)

From Library

It's a while since I've read any Manga so I decided to grab some from the library when I was dropping some books in there.

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life Volume 1 - Bryan Lee O’Malley
Missile Happy! Volume 1 - Miki Kiritani
Otomen Volume 1 - Aya Kanno
Otomen Volume 2 - Aya Kanno
Vampire Knight Volume 1 - Matsuri Hino

Follow Friday 27th January 2012

2012-01-27T18:43:00.000Z

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee. Just click on the banner above to see the rules and to join in.

This week's question is:
Which book genre do you avoid at all costs and why?

I don't really do romance books and I also tend to avoid chick-lit unless it's something that particularly catches my attention. I wouldn't go as far as saying that I hate these kinds of books, they're just not really my cup of tea. I certainly don't object to elements of romance in the books I do read, I just prefer it to be additional to the action, adventure, fantasy, supernatural (or whatever) rather than the main point of the story.

Legend - Marie Lu

2012-01-26T22:20:00.000Z

Title: Legend
Author: Marie Lu
Series: Legend #1
Format: Uncorrected Proof
Pages: 368
Genre: YA, Dystopian
Published (UK): 2nd Fenruary 2012 (Razorbill)

The United States is gone, along with its flooded coasts. North America's two warring nations, the western Republic and the eastern Colonies, have reached a breaking point. In the midst of this broken continent and dark new world are two teenagers who will go down in history....

Born into the slums of Los Angeles, fifteen-year old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. A mysterious boy with no recorded image or fingerprints. A boy who should no longer exist. A boy who watches over his family until one evening, when the plague patrols mark his family's door with an X--the sign of plague infection. A death sentence for any family too poor to afford the antidote. Desperate, Day has no choice; he must steal it.

Born to an elite family in Los Angeles' wealthy Ruby sector, fifteen-year old June is the Republic's most promising prodigy. A superintelligent girl destined for great things in the country's highest military circles. Obedient, passionate, and committed to her country--until the day her brother Metias is murdered while on patrol during a break-in at the plague hospital.

Only one person could be responsible.

Day.

And now it's June's mission to hunt him down.

The truth they'll uncover will become legend.

Day is thought to be dead by his family, and the government. Instead he lives at large in the slums of Los Angeles, doing whatever he has to to survive ... and causing more than a little chaos along the way. He's the Republic's most wanted criminal, if only because they don't know who he is - there's no records or ID for him and he regularly changes his appearance to throw them off track.

June has had a privileged life. She lives in the rich part of town and thanks to her perfect score in the Trial she graduates from one of the top universities at a younger age than most even start there. Life isn't all great for June though, her parents died when she was young and she's been brought up by her older brother, Metias.

Day and June's destinies meet when Day breaks into the hospital for medicine for his younger brother. Metias is killed and June swears to seek revenge by hunting down Day.

Legend is the first book in what is sure to be a great series. Set in an intriguing world where the USA is divided into the Republic (west) and the Colonies (east), nations at war with each other for so long that the 'United States' as a concept is long forgotten, living on only as rumour. There is so much more I want to know about this story world and as such, I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Duel narration from the two main characters, Day and June, provides clear insight into both of their personalities and with a combination of a hot, rebellious boy and a strong, intelligent girl, what more could a book need?Well, there's conflict, the obligatory 'bad guy', surprise twists, puzzles and an adorable side-kick in the form of Day's 'adopted' sister, Tess.

My only slight 'bad' point is that as the first book of a series set in a complicated world, it's a little heavy on the explanations at times. However, this is to be expected and even appreciated as it gives a clearer understanding of the setting. On occasion though, I was desperate to get back to the action.

A great start to a series that's surely going to be one of the top dystopians of 2012.

Teaser Tuesday - Legend

2012-01-24T21:16:00.000Z

"I will trick you and deceive you, lie, cheat and steal to find you, tempt you out of your hiding place, and chase you until you have nowhere else to run. I make you this promise: your life is mine."

It's Monday - 23rd January 2012

2012-01-23T14:43:00.000Z

Completed

Tempest - Julie Cross
Magic to the Bone - Devon Monk
Saving Daisy - Phil Earle

Currently Reading

Legend - Marie Lu
Keeper of the Realms: Crow's Revenge - Marcus Alexander
Orphans of War - Leah Fleming

Up soon

The Catastrophic History of You and Me - Jess Rothenberg
TimeRiders: The Eternal War - Alex Scarrow

Reviews

Saving Daisy - Phil Earle
Tempest - Julie Cross
Stolen Away - Alyxandra Harvey

Books Received

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox - 22nd January 2012

2012-01-22T18:27:00.001Z

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

For Review (from publisher unless stated)

The Look - Sophia Bennett (Chicken House)
The Catastrophic History of You and Me - Jess Rothenberg (Razorbill)
Legend - Marie Lu (Razorbill)

Review: Saving Daisy - Phil Earle

2012-01-22T01:34:00.000Z

Title: Saving Daisy
Author: Phil Earle
Format: Paperback
Pages: 338
Genre: Young Adult
Published (UK): 5th January 2012 (Puffin)
Previous Books in Series: Being Billy

Losing love, fighting guilt, seeking hope.

Daisy’s mum is gone. Her dad refuses to talk about it and as far as Daisy’s concerned, it’s all her fault…

Saving Daisy is a powerful and moving story that follows the life of Daisy Houghton who first featured in Phil Earle’s critically acclaimed debut, Being Billy.

As Daisy struggles with misplaced guilt over her mother’s death, she turns to extreme and violent measures and soon her life starts spiralling out of control. This leads to tragedy and suddenly Daisy finds herself left all alone. But sometimes the kindness of a stranger can turn things around. A stranger who desperately wants to save Daisy – if she’ll only let herself be saved

Fourteen-year-old Daisy tries to blend in as much as possible so she doesn't draw attention to herself. She blames herself for her mum's death and sometimes she thinks her dad blames her too. Daisy has her own way of dealing with this. She has to release the panic by cutting herself. If that wasn't enough to cope with, another tragedy leaves Daisy orphaned and full of guilt. She needs help and there's one person struggled to do so. But Daisy can't be saved until she's ready.

The main thing I loved about this book and Earle's previous book, Being Billy, is the realism. Not shy of jumping right into very real problems that teens struggle to cope with, the author deals with them brilliantly. The characters are real and gritty, doing things that teens do but probably shouldn't; neither glamourising nor condemning them. Smoking and drinking are easy ways for the teens to deal, or at least block out, their issues. There's no preachiness but a clear 'this is what could happen' message that goes with the characters' actions.

While by no means a fun read, owing to the nature of the story, it's most certainly an interesting and emotional one which is hard to put down once you've started. You really start to care for Daisy at an early point in the book and the pages keep turning as you feel a need to find out what happens to her. A highly recommended read.

Review: Tempest - Julie Cross

2012-01-20T14:26:00.002Z

Title: Tempest
Author: Julie Cross
Series: Tempest
Format: Uncorrected Proof
Pages: 432
Genre: Science Fiction
Published (UK): 5th January 2012 (MacMillan)

The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

Jackson Meyer can travel through time. This is not new to him, he's been jumping into his past for a while and with the help of his science geek friend Adam, he's even gotten to grips with some of the perimeters of his ability. The one thing they've not figured out though is why Jackson can do it.

Nothing changes when Jackson jumps so it's all just a bit of fun ... until the day his girlfriend is shot by some strangers who've showed up at her door. Jackson panics and finds himself in the past but somehow he can't get back to save Holly. Instead he has to try to do what he can from where he's stuck in 2007.

Tempest hits the mark for a great book on every level. Having a male protagonist makes a refreshing change from most YA books which are largely told from the female point of view. That Jackson is such a likeable character just adds to this. He's easy to identify with, realistic and at times adorable! His romance with Holly is so cute, made more special in that we jump into their relationship when they're already completely in love ... and that they fall in love all over again back in 2007.

I loved the time travel element of the story. In some ways it was reminiscent of The Time Traveller's Wife. We get to learn most of what we do about Jackson and his abilities from his jaunts into the past. My only down point of the whole book was that the explanations behind Jackson's ability to time travel were at times vague. However, as this book is the first of a series there's time for this to happen. It's a really interesting concept that's sure to make an exciting series.

Stolen Away - Alyxandra Harvey

2012-01-17T21:52:00.000Z

Title: Stolen Away
Author: Alyxandra Harvey
Format: Paperback
Pages: 277
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Published (UK): 5th January 2012 (Bloomsbury)

For seventeen years, Eloise Hart had no idea the world of Faery even existed. Now she has been abducted and trapped in the Rath of Lord Strahan, King of Faery. Strahan was only meant to rule for seven years, as Faery tradition dictates, and then give up his crown to another. But he won't comply, and now chaos threatens both worlds.

The only one who can break his stranglehold on the Faery court is his wife. . . Eloise's aunt Antonia. Using Eloise to lure Antonia, Strahan captures his wife, desperate to end the only threat to his reign. Now Eloise must become the rescuer. Together with her best friends Jo and Devin, she must forge alliances with other Fae, including a gorgeous protector named Lucas, and Strahan's mysterious son, Eldric—who may or may not betray them

Strahan is coming to the end of his seven year reign. By tradition the faery king must give up his crown but he is refusing to do so. There is only one person who can make him; his wife, Antonia. Strahan takes drastic measures by kidnapping Antonia's human niece, Eloise. With her aunt coming to her rescue, Eloise is freed from the faery court but must in turn, with the help of her friends, rescue Antonia.

As a fan of Alyxandra Harvey's previous books, I had high expectations for this one. For me, however, it fell a little short. Dont' get me wrong, it's an enjoyable enough read and Harvey's writing is amusing and clever as ever, there was just a little something missing. I put it largely down to two things.

Firstly, I didn't feel that I connected with the characters all that much. There was nothing essentially wrong with Eloise and her friends Devon and Jo but compared to say, Lucy or Hunter from the Drake Chronicles series, they just weren't that interesting. Again comparing to the Drake books, the love interests weren't nearly as exciting either.

The second thing that missed slightly was that I felt the story could have had so much more detail. As a relatively short book, there was a lot to pack in and I felt like a lot of the background detail was left out. If this was the first book of a series then it would have been fine, but as I believe it's a stand-alone, then I'd have liked it to be longer and more in depth.

As a quick, fun read, this book is great and it's probably not such a bad thing that I wanted more from it.

Follow Friday 13th January 2012

2012-01-13T19:44:00.001Z

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee. Just click on the banner below to see the rules and to join in.

This week's question is:
Many readers/bloggers are also big music fans. Tell us about a few of your favorite bands/singers that we should listen to in 2012.

I probably have way too many favourites to list them all so I'll give you just a few examples:

Kate Nash

Belle and Sebastian

She and Him - I love Zooey D!

Tilly and the Wall - They have a tap dancer instead of a drummer!

Teaser Tuesday - Tempest

2012-01-10T19:04:00.000Z

Exhaust fumes filled my nostrils, horns honking all around. I opened my eyes and stared at the front bumper of a bright yellow cab.

It's Monday - 9th January 2012

2012-01-09T20:35:00.001Z

Completed last week

Stolen Away - Alyxandra Harvey

Currently Reading

Tempest - Julie Cross
Magic to the Bone - Devon Monk

Up soon

TimeRiders: The Eternal War - Alex Scarrow
Feast of Fools - Rachel Caine

Reviews

The Iron Knight - Julie Kagawa
Cinder - Marissa Meyer

Review: The Iron Knight - Julie Kagawa

2012-01-08T17:33:00.000Z

Title: The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Format: Paperback
Pages: 368
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Published (UK): Mira 6th January 2012
Previous Books in Series: The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Queen

Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.

Unless he can earn a soul.

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Ash has promised Meghan he'll somehow return to her, despite him being unable to live in the Iron realm. He's determined to find away to keep his promise; and to do this he must earn soul and become mortal. If that wasn't enough, Ash is stuck with Puck, who's promised Meghan to keep the Winter Prince safe, along with some other familiar and new faces.

I was really excited to read this book, I really enjoyed the first three books and with Ash being my favourite character of the lot, what more could I want? It's really interesting to read from Ash's point of view and not only does the reader get to know him so much better, we also see a different side of Puck. Ash and Puck have a long history together, both as friends and enemies, so the interaction between them is always interesting to say the least.

There's a bunch of twists and surprises along the way which keeps the story fresh and interesting and although I believe this series was planned as a trilogy, this fourth book certainly doesn't feel like an extra tagged on the end. As expected from Julie Kagawa, the writing is excellent, creating a vivid image of the world as Ash and his rag-tag gang quest their way through it to The End of the World.

Review: Cinder - Marissa Meyer

2012-01-05T20:27:00.000Z

Title: Cinder (Luna Chronicles #1)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Format: Uncorrected Proof
Pages: 384
Genre: Scifi, YA
Published (UK): 5th January 2012 (Puffin)

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

In this thrilling debut young adult novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world that’s enthralling.

Cinder lives in New Beijing, a future city over a hundred years after the Fourth World War. When she was eleven, Cinder received an operation following an accident which left her classed as a cyborg. She lives with her step-mother and step-sisters, earning her keep as a mechanic. Amidst a plague, thought to have originated from Luna, a moon colony, Cinder meets and gets to know Prince Kai, the future Emperor of the Commonwealth. Cinder longs to escape her life, to just be free to do as she pleases, but she is caught up with doing her bit against the plague and the impending war with Luna.

When I first heard of this book I was a bit, "Eh, another retelling" - until I found out more about it. The whole scifi take on the concept made me intrigued to read. The author has developed an exciting future world, using the base of the Cinderella story to come up with an interesting concept for a story.

Cinder was a really likeable character, with just the right balance of gutsy and determined combined with a few flaws to make her realistic. As expected, Prince Kai draws you in right from the moment he appears in the story. Cinder's step-mother is only outshone in nastiness by Queen Levana of Luna, creating a great cast of characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, although, for me, it did have a few things that stopped it from being right up there with the best. One was that I felt like I wanted to know much more about the history and workings of the story world. As Cinder is part of a series, I'm hoping more of that will come in the later books.

As a re-telling of a classic fairy tale, it's probably to be expected that there needs to a be a big twist in the plot to keep the reader engaged and guessing what's going to happen. While there is a twist, I actually figured it out around page 40. Whether it it was really obvious, or whether that was just me, I can't say but I think I would have gotten much more out of the book if I'd been surprised by the reveal.

Still, Cinder is still a really good read and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series - especially as this one ended on a cliffhanger.

Don't forget to check out Marissa Meyers guest post: 10 Things You May Not Know About Cinderella

It's Monday - 2nd January 2012

2012-01-02T18:44:00.001Z

100 Books in a Year Challenge 2012

2012-01-02T12:32:00.003Z

The 100 Books in a Year Challenge is hosted by Book Chick City. It's a pretty self-explanitory challenge, the aim being to read 100 books in a year! I didn't take part in the challenge in 2011 but actually came close to that amount (although a few of mine were non-fiction and wouldn't have counted). Anyway, I'm determined that this year will be the 100 book year.

For more details of the challenge and to sign up, visit this post on Book Chick City

Cinder - Marissa Meyer
Stolen Away - Alyxandra Harvey
Magic to the Bone - Devon Monk
Tempest - Julie Cross
Saving Daisy - Phil Earle
Legend - Marie Lu
The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

British Book Challenge

2012-01-01T12:25:00.001Z

The British Book Challenge is hosted at The Overflowing Library. The BBC is a reading challenge where bloggers sign up to read books by British writers throughout 2012. The books can be in print or out. Old or new titles. They can be from any genre and for any age. If you sign up for the Challenge you will be aiming to read at least 12 books by British Authors (which works out to one a month). For every book you review each month you will get an entry into the draw to win a monthly prize pack. Therefore the more you read the more entries you will rack up.

For more details and to sign up go here.

Books I have read for this challenge:

Saving Daisy - Phil Earle

Guest Post: Marissa Meyer - 10 Things You May Not Know About Cinderella

2011-12-29T20:03:00.002Z

Marissa Meyer is the author of Cinder: Book One of the Lunar Chronicles. Though it may be 1
of 2,000 takes on this popular tale, she thinks readers will still find some things to be surprised
by. Follow her on Twitter (@marissa_meyer) or become a fan at facebook.com/lunarchronicles
and facebook.com/marissameyerauthor.

10 Things You May Not Know About Cinderella

I’ve been an enormous fan of fairy tales and their retellings since I was a child, and between that and the research I completed for Cinder—my debut novel and a futuristic retelling of “Cinderella”—I’ve amassed my share of random trivia tidbits about this popular tale. Here are
some of my favorite factoids:

- Some anthropologists believe that every culture in the world has some version of the “rags to riches” tale.

- According to fairy tale scholars, the oldest recorded story of Cinderella is from 9th-century China. In this tale, called “Yeh-shen,” the heroine’s magical helper is a fish rather than a fairy godmother.

- Speaking of China, although European cultures did have rags-to-riches stories previously, some believe that the foot-that-fits-the-shoe sequence first came to Europe from traders to Asia. The theory is that it began with the tradition of women’s foot-binding that was prevalent in China’s upper classes for hundreds of years.

- The iconic fairy godmother and glass slipper come from the 1697 Charles Perrault version of the story. In the Grimm version, Cinderella’s shoes were instead made of pure gold and were bestowed on her by the spirit of her dead mother, manifested as a white bird.

- Though we typically think of Cinderella losing her shoe on the stairs by accident, in the Grimm tale it was actually a trap laid by the prince. After two nights of watching his dream girl run off and disappear, he decided have pitch smeared on the steps, which led to Cinderella’s shoe getting stuck.

- In some of the earlier and gorier versions of the tale (including Grimm), the two stepsisters cut off their heel and toe, respectively, with a knife in order to squeeze their foot into the slipper. They were found out when two pigeons (friends of Cinderella’s) tattled on them to the prince and he discovered blood pooling out of the shoe.

- Those two pigeons play another gruesome role in the story: on the royal wedding day, they peck out the stepsisters’ eyes as retribution for how they treated Cinderella. This is in direct contrast to the Perrault version of the tale, in which the always gracious Cinderella finds husbands for her sisters instead.

- According to IMDB, Disney’s Cinderella cost nearly $3 million dollars to produce. If the movie hadn’t been a success, it likely would have been the end of the studio.

- On the topic of Disney, Ilene Woods was selected as the voice of Cinderella out of 309 girls— but she didn’t audition. She’d made some song recordings for her friends, who sent them to Disney without telling her.

- Although I’ve been unable to find any statistical evidence of this, Cinderella is believed to be the most frequently retold fairy tale in history. Some estimate that there are over 2,000 versions of the tale in existence, running the gamut from poetry to big Hollywood productions, Broadwaymusicals to cartoons, picture books to romance novels.

I, for one, am perfectly all right with being a part of that statistic.

Dystopian Challenge

2011-12-27T23:47:00.004Z

My second challenge for 2012 is the Dystopian challenge.

This challenge is hosted at Bookish Ardour. Hop on over there for more details.

The categories:

Asocial– Choose 5 books to read
Contagion – Choose 15 books to read
Soldier – Choose 30 books to read
Drone – Choose 50 books to read
Conditioned – Choose 75 books to read
Brainwashed – Choose anywhere between 76-135 books to read
Totalitarian – Choose anywhere between 136-200 books to read

Books I have read for this challenge:

Legend - Marie Lu
The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

YA Historical Fiction Challenge

2011-12-27T23:45:00.001Z

So, I'm in the process of picking out a few reading challenges for 2012 and the first I've picked out is the YA Historical Fiction challenge.

This challenge is hosted at YA Bliss. The rules are as follows:

All Historical Fiction books must be YA or MG
Books don't have to be 2012 releases.
Anyone can join. Please link to a public (web) place I can find you.
You can join at anytime. The challenge runs from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012

Level 1: 5 books
Level 2: 10 books
Level 3: 15 books

Teaser Tuesday 27/12/11

2011-12-27T15:11:00.001Z

She peeled away the spider webs from what had once been the hover's solar generator but was now little more than a plastic shell. A cloud of dust kicked up into her face and she pulled away, coughing.

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

"I am here tonight to warn you that you have yet a chance and hope of escaping my fate. A chance and hope of my procuring, Ebenezer."

Review: Betrayal - Lee Nichols

2011-12-26T20:34:00.002Z

Title: Betrayal (Haunting Emma #2)
Author: Lee Nichols
Format: Paperback
Pages: 288
Genre: YA, Supernatural
Published (UK): 5th September 2011 (Bloomsbury)
Previous Books in Series: Deception

Emma Vaile is the most powerful ghostkeeper in centuries. Which is great for battling the wraith-master Neos and horrible for her social life. Emma knows fellow ghostkeeper Bennett Stern is her soul mate, but when ghostkeepers fall in love, the weaker one loses all power. And until Neos is defeated, Bennett and Emma can't risk it.

When the temptation of being with Emma gets to be too much, Bennett disappears, pursuing a dangerous path to increase his powers. Heartbroken and alone, Emma tries to lose herself in school. But when the Knell, a secret ghostkeeping society, sends two new ghostkeepers to Echo Point—one a snarky teen guy, the other a British scholar—Emma throws herself into training to battle Neos. But as the team grows stronger, so do the ghosts. And worse, one of their own will betray them. One Emma never suspected. . .

Emma is dealing with a whole lot of issues - some more normal than others. She's in love with a boy she can't be with; she doesn't know where her parents are; her friends blame her for Coby's death ... As well as all of this, she's one of the most powerful ghostkeepers there is and so it's down to her to stop Neos, the wraith-master.

This second book continues pretty much right off from where the first one finished. I liked that there was only a small amount of recapping and that the story got going straight away. The characters are developing nicely and I found myself liking Emma's fellow ghostkeeper, Natalie, more in this book. On the downside there was a lack of Bennett, although this was for plot reasons so it's not all bad - I just wanted to see more of him. There's a couple of new characters in the form of two ghostkeepers sent by the Knell to make up a team with Emma and Natalie. Simon's the older, sensible one. The voice of reason although he's actually the weakest of the ghostkeepers in terms of power. Lukas is more the act now think never type and adds another dimension to the group.

Betrayal adds nicely to the overall plot of the series, moving it along at a good pace with plenty of action. It's also gets the right balance of having a good finish but still leaving you wanting to read more. I'm greatly looking forward to the third book.

In My Mailbox - Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-25T16:02:00.001Z

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

For Review (from publisher unless stated)

Saving Daisy - Phil Earle (Puffin)
Keeper of the Realms: Crow’s Revenge - Marcus Alexander (Puffin)
Magic in the Blood - Devon Monk (Berkley UK)

For Kindle

There's some great Kindle offers on at the moment, so how could I not buy a few!

Magic to the Bone - Devon Monk
Morganville Vampires: Bite Club - Rachel Caine
How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog - Chad Orzel

Other stuff

I generally don't get books for Christmas as people never know what I've already got. I did get a couple of recipe books though and also vouchers for future purchases. I also got some awesome none book related gifts ... best of all an XBox 360 and a food mixer!

Hope everyone has a fantastic holiday!

Holiday Friday!

2011-12-23T20:16:00.000Z

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee. Just click on the banner below to see the rules and to join in.

This week's question is:
If you had to spend eternity inside the pages of a book which book would you choose and why?

Most definitely one of the Harry Potter books because it's such an awesome world. Who wouldn't want to live in a world in which you can Apparate, play Quidditch and have a pet owl. I'm not sure I could pick which actually book of the series though ... one with Sirius in, haha.

Teaser Tuesday 20/12/11

2011-12-20T21:05:00.000Z

The irreverent smirk vanished and his eyes became hard as stone. We stared at each other, inches apart, while the wind picked up and howled around us, stirring up a cyclone of leaves and dust.

In My Mailbox - 17/12/11

2011-12-17T17:49:00.001Z

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

For Review (from publisher unless stated)

Variant - Robinson Wells (Amazon Vine)

Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.

He was wrong.

Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.

Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.

Tempest - Julie Cross (Amazon Vine)

The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

It's Monday - 12/12/11

2011-12-12T13:14:00.000Z

Completed last week

Betrayal - Lee Nichols

Currently Reading

The Iron Knight - Julie Kagawa

Up soon

Cinder - Marissa Meyer
Stolen Away - Alyxandra Harvey

In My Mailbox - 10/12/11

2011-12-10T16:17:00.001Z

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

For Review (from publisher unless stated)

Stolen Away - Alyxandra Harvey (Bloomsbury)

For seventeen years, Eloise Hart had no idea the world of Faery even existed. Now she has been abducted and trapped in the Rath of Lord Strahan, King of Faery. Strahan was only meant to rule for seven years, as Faery tradition dictates, and then give up his crown to another. But he won't comply, and now chaos threatens both worlds.

The only one who can break his stranglehold on the Faery court is his wife. . . Eloise's aunt Antonia. Using Eloise to lure Antonia, Strahan captures his wife, desperate to end the only threat to his reign. Now Eloise must become the rescuer. Together with her best friends Jo and Devin, she must forge alliances with other Fae, including a gorgeous protector named Lucas, and Strahan's mysterious son, Eldric-who may or may not betray them.

Cinder - Marissa Meyer (Puffin)

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

It's Monday - 5/12/11

2011-12-05T21:12:00.001Z

Completed last week

Fracture - Megan Miranda
Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian - Rick Riordan

Currently Reading

The Iron Knight - Julie Kagawa
Betrayal - Lee Nichols

Up soon

The Eternal War - Alex Scarrow

Reviews

The Doomsday Code - Alex Scarrow
Fracture - Megan Miranda

Books Received

In My Mailbox

Posts of Interest

Teaser Tuesday

In My Mailbox - 4/12/11

2011-12-04T14:25:00.001Z

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

For Review (from publisher unless stated)

In Darkness - Nick Lake (Bloomsbury)

Bought

The Eternal War - Alex Scarrow

Betrayal - Lee Nichols

Follow Friday 2/12/11

2011-12-02T21:26:00.001Z

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee. Just click on the banner below to see the rules and to join in.

This week's question is:
Question: What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to books? Maybe you don't like love triangles or thin plots? Tell us about it!

Most of my pet peeves are little minor irritations really:
1 - Ridiculous character names. I can deal with one 'unique' name per book, any more really bugs me. Also it needs to fit with the characters personality (well more the parents really as they apparently named them). Sometimes I just long for a character called John or Jane. Obviously fantasy and sci-fi books are allowed a little more freedom with names.

2 - Over description of clothing/appearance. I don't need to know what colour someone's t-shirt is and I really don't care about it either.

3 - So called smart girls who act dumb in front of boys.

4 - Absent parents. I've seen this mentioned on a couple of blogs and it's all too common in YA books.

5 - Lame bad guys. This includes nice vampires and such.

Early Review: Fracture - Megan Miranda

2011-12-01T19:26:00.000Z

Title: Fracture
Author: Megan Miranda
Format: Uncorrected Proof
Pages: 264
Genre: Young Adult
Published (UK): 5th Januray 2012 (Bloomsbury)

By the time Delaney Maxwell was pulled from a Maine lake’s icy waters by her best friend, Decker Phillips, her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead.

But somehow Delaney survived—despite the brain scans that show irreparable damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be fine, but she knows she’s far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can’t control or explain, Delaney now finds herself drawn to the dying, and when she meets Troy Varga, a boy who recently emerged from a coma with the same abilities, she is relieved to share this strange new existence. Unsure if her altered brain is predicting death or causing it, Delaney must figure out if their gift is a miracle, a freak of nature—or something else much more frightening…

Delaney Maxwell should be dead. In fact, she was ... but now she isn't. Making a miraculous recovery after falling into the icy lake, Delaney tries to get back to her normal life. However, not only is everyone around her acting differently towards her, she finds herself being strangely drawn to people who are dying. Then she meets Troy, who's also recovered from a similar experience. With both of them sharing the same ability, Delaney and Troy need to figure out what they're going to do with it.

I thought that Fracture was a really interesting concept; one that I hadn't read anything similar to before. Throughout the book though, I did have some issues with it. While there was nothing wrong with the writing style, I found it hard to identify with Delaney and found myself not particularly caring about her. Her character seemed a little muddled to me. The narrative would say she hangs out with the popular kids and then later in the book she was 'bottom of the social ladder'. She was supposed to be super smart but at times she just seemed dumb. Plus it seemed to be alluded to that she wasn't popular because she was clever which bugged me a little.

Naturally, being a YA book, there was a love triangle (or square actually) but I didn't find myself routing for any of the boys because I just didn't care about any of them enough. There was a couple of adorably cute moments with Delaney and Decker though.

Taken as it is, there's nothing actually wrong with this book, I just feel like it could have been so much more. Delaney doesn't really do anything all that useful with her new ability. Also, I wanted some kind of explanation of how it occurred; more than 'because her brain was damaged' anyway. Maybe I was expecting too much but I felt a little disappointed when I finished reading this book.

Review: The Doomsday Code - Alex Scarrow

2011-11-30T00:30:00.002Z

Title: The Doomsday Code (TimeRiders #3)
Author: Alex Scarrow
Format: Paperback
Pages: 439
Genre: YA, Scifi
Published: 3rd February 2011 (Puffin)

Liam O'Connor should have died at sea in 1912. Maddy Carter should have died on a plane in 2010. Sal Vikram should have died in a fire in 2026.

But all three have been given a second chance - to work for an agency that no one knows exists. Its purpose: to prevent time travel destroying history ...

In 1993 British computer hacker Adam Lewis finds his name in a coded manuscript that is almost one thousand years old. How did Adam's name get in there ... and why?

Confronted by Adam in 2001, the TimeRiders travel back to Sherwood Forest in 1193 to discover the origins of the ancient message. But when a strange hooded man appears interested in the same thing, they begin to wonder what terrible threat this cryptic link from the past holds for the future ...

Liam, Sal and Maddie are continuing on their mission to save history; to keep events as they are supposed to happen and prevent time shifts in the future. A simple movie poster that wasn't there before, and a warning to watch out for 'Pandora', Maddie and Sal visit a computer hacker, Adam Lewis, who has discovered a coded message in an ancient manuscript. With Adam's help, the team is set on their latest adventure. Liam travels back to the time of the Crusades and Richard the Lionheart. There's a hooded man in Sherwood Forest and Liam must help Prince John regain control in his brother's absence.

I absolutely love the TimeRiders series! Combining science fiction and history is always going to be a winner in my geeky heart. To top it off, Alex Scarrow is an awesome writer who is able to bring a story alive so you feel like you're right there with the characters. Now on the third book of the series, there's a danger of becoming repetitive but although each book follows a similar pattern, with the whole of history to go at, there's no danger of these books becoming boring.

A highly recommended series to anyone which would particularly appeal to fans of Dr Who.

Teaser Tuesday 29/11/11

2011-11-29T00:19:00.002Z

Betrayal - Lee Nichols

I shuddered in my peacoat, the November cold penetrating the thin wool, and watched the crowd through the iron gates. Hundreds of mourners stood in a ragged crescent around the grave.

It's Monday - 28/11/11

2011-11-28T13:17:00.000Z

Completed last week

GLOW - Amy Kathleen Ryan

Currently Reading

Fracture - Megan Miranda
Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian - Rick Riordan

Up soon

Betrayal (Haunting Emma) - Lee Nichols
The Iron Knight (The Iron Fey - Book 4) - Julia Kagawa

Reviews

Touch of Power - Maria V Snyder

In My Mailbox - 26/11/11

2011-11-26T17:16:00.000Z

I've not done an In My Mailbox post for a few weeks as I haven't had any new books to show off. Thankfully this has helped with making a smallish dent in the tbr pile.

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

For Review (from publisher unless stated)

The Iron Knight - Julie Kagawa (Amazon Vine)
Shakespeare's Mistress - Karen Harper (Amazon Vine)

Early Review: Touch of Power - Maria V Snyder

2011-11-20T21:51:00.000Z

Title: Touch of Power (Avry of Kazan #1)
Author: Maria V Snyder
Format: ARC
Pages: 400
Genre: Fantasy Adventure
Published: 6th January 2012 (UK) (Mira)

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life...

Touch of Power is a brilliant fantasy adventure story which draws you into an amazing world of magic. Avry lives in a time of plague which has killed off a large amount of the population. As a healer, she should be an essential part of the community but instead, as people believe Healers are the cause of the disease, Avry is having to live in hiding, moving from town to town so she doesn't get found out.

Arrested after healing a small child, Avry lands herself in a cell and is swiftly rescued (or abducted, depending on how it's viewed!) by a group who want her to heal Prince Ryne. The group's leader, Kerrick, is a stern, serious type who Avry pretty much hates, although his character screams out 'love interest' so it's fun to see how that pans out as they bicker and argue their way through most of the story.

I liked all of the characters in the story. Snyder always seems to get a good mix of realism and awesomeness in her characters. Avry is a young woman who's had to survive on her own instinct for a while so there's some level of vulnerability yet toughness in her. The other thing I liked about this book was the age of the chacters. Avry is around twenty with some of the others a bit older. To me this was more truely 'young adult' than 'teen' than most YA books and it added a bit more to the story as the characters were that bit more mature in their feelings and emotions.

The book reminded me a lot of Graceling by Kristin Cashore, which I also loved. It's part medievil type fantasy but there's a more modern twist on it with scientific developments and such. If you enjoy quest tales full of magic, swords, princes and romping across realms then this is the book for you.

It's Monday - 7/11/11

2011-11-07T22:57:00.001Z

Completed last week

TimeRiders: The Doomsday Code - Alex Scarrow
Touch of Power - Maria V Snyder

Currently Reading

GLOW - Amy Kathleen Ryan
Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian - Rick Riordan

Up soon

Claire De Lune - Christine Johnson

Reviews

Bleeding Hearts - Alyxandra Harvey

In My Mailbox - 06/11/11

2011-11-06T19:00:00.001Z

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

For Review (from publisher unless stated)

This is Not Forgiveness - Celia Rees (Bloomsbury)

Everyone says that Caro is bad ...but Jamie can't help himself. He thinks of her night and day and can't believe that she wants to be his girlfriend. Gorgeous, impulsive and unconventional, she is totally different to all the other girls he knows. His sister, Martha, hates her. Jamie doesn't know why, but there's no way he's going to take any notice of her warnings to stay away from Caro. But as Jamie falls deeper and deeper under her spell, he realises there is more to Caro - much more. There are the times when she disappears and doesn't get in touch, the small scars on her wrists, her talk about revolutions and taking action, not to mention the rumours he hears about the other men in her life. And then always in the background there is Rob, Jamie's older brother, back from Afghanistan and traumatised after having his leg smashed to bits there. Jamie wants to help him, but Rob seems to be living in a world of his own and is increasingly difficult to reach. With Caro, the summer should have been perfect ...but that isn't how things work out in real life, and Jamie is going to find out the hard way. This taut psychological drama is the brilliant new novel from acclaimed Celia Rees.

Review: Bleeding Hearts - Alyxandra Harvey

2011-11-02T21:21:00.000Z

Title: Bleeding Hearts (Drake Chronicles #4)
Author: Alyxandra Harvey
Format: Paperback
Pages: 289
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Published: 3rd October 2011 (Bloomsbury - UK)

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

With her mother in rehab, Christabel comes to stay in Violet hill with her cousin Lucy. Coming from the city, Christa is surprised by the rules and restrictions set down by her aunt and uncle regarding curfew and being out after dark. Obviously unaware of the vampire problem, she wonders what can be so dangerous. She soon finds out, getting kidnapped by Hel-blar makes her realise she's not in just some sleepy little town. Fortunately, where there's Hel-blar, there's Drakes and the brother in question this time is Connor. Just like his twin, he's hot but Connor is more the geeky computer nerd than the player Quinn is (or was before he hooked up with Hunter in the previous book).

I'm a big fan of this series and this fourth installment doesn't disappoint. Initially I wasn't sure about the new character (Christabel) mainly because I think I was expecting her to be something else. I don't know why but I was waiting for her to be bitchy or something. I quickly grew to like her though and her developing relationship with Connor is great to read.

I loved that we're starting to find out more and more about the vampire lore of this world, in particular the history of the different groups of vampires. The characters are developing well as the series continues and although Solange was a bit irritating at times, this was completely fitting with what's going on with her. My only down point is that I'd like more of Kieran but that's just because he's my favourite of the boys so far.

A great continuation of a brilliant series. I can't wait for the next one!

Read My Review: SciFi

2011-11-01T00:06:00.005Z

Read My Review is a chance for book bloggers to share new and old reviews, related to a theme. It is hosted here at A Trillian Books.

What to do:

- Find one of your reviews that fits the current theme (you can be as creative as you like when choosing what fits). It can be a new or old review, good or bad.

- Leave the link to your review with Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post."Blog Name (Book Title)"

- Visit some of the other reviews and leave a 'quality' comment (a couple of sentences).

- Let people know about Read My Review. Grab the button, tweet it, Facebook it ... shout about it in the street ... whatever lol.

This new theme is:

SCIFI

The theme stays for a month so you can leave your link any time and don't forget to pop back and check out some more fab reviews. You can also clink the link at the top to see the previous Read My Reviews. Also, if you have any ideas for future themes you'd like to see leave them in a comment.

In My Mailbox 30/10/11

2011-10-30T11:35:00.001Z

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

For Review (from publisher unless stated)

Fracture - Megan Miranda (Bloomsbury)

Bought

I've been meaning to start the Young Bond series (Charlie Higson) so when I saw SilverFin in one of the charity shops I had to get it. Plus I found The Iron Witch (Karen Mahoney) and I got a US version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to add to my HP book stash (I have UK kids and adult versions as well as special editions so now I'm working on a US collection lol)

Other Stuff

I also got a bunch of promotional poster like things from Chicken House publishers for some of the books they have coming out in 2012 which was exciting!

Follow Friday 28/10/11

2011-10-28T19:08:00.001+01:00

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee. Just click on the banner below to see the rules and to join in.

This week's question is:
If you could have dinner with your favorite book character, who would you eat with and what would you serve?

Ok, my favourite book character is Sirius Black so I guess we'd eat things like pumpkin pasties and chocolate frogs lol, Maybe some chicken drumsticks (Goblet of Fire cave scene reference)

Read My Review is a chance for book bloggers to share new and old reviews, related to a theme. It is hosted here at A Trillian Books. Make sure you leave your FANTASY reviews on the current linky and also visit some of the awesome reviews already there.

Teaser Tuesday 25/10/11

2011-10-25T15:30:00.001+01:00

I bit my lip, losing his child seemed extra cruel. This listing of the dead was inevitable whenever survivors become comfortable with each other.

It's Monday 17/10/11

2011-10-17T20:49:00.001+01:00

So, in my last It's Monday post, I stated my intentions to get back to more regular blogging. This plan was scuppered by a complete lack of Internet while I was away on holiday. I was fully prepared with laptop and mobile internet dongle thing but, alas, we didn't even have a phone signal! I did however get some reading done so I made the best of my time.

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event to celebrate what we are reading for the week hosted at Book Journey, Post the books completed last week, the books you're currently reading, and the books to be read this week. Please comment or leave a link to let me know what you're reading this week!

Completed last week

Ashfall - Mike Mullins
Bleeding Hearts - Alyxandra Harvey
Naked - Kevin Brooks

Currently Reading

Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian - Rick Riordan
Touch of Power - Maria V Snyder

Up soon

Glow - Amy Kathleen Ryan
The Iron Knight - Julie Kagawa

Reviews

Naked - Kevin Brooks
Deception - Lee Nichols
The Breakfast Club - Kate Costelloe

In My Mailbox - 16/10/11

2011-10-16T20:49:00.001+01:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

For Review (from publisher unless stated)

Footloose - Rudy Josephs (Bloomsbury)

Bought

I was away from home last week and visited Hay-on-Wye, "Town of Books". With over 30 bookshops, obviously I had to buy ~~some~~ lots There's a mix of new and second hand, the pictures show some of them.

Review: Naked - Kevin Brooks

2011-10-07T21:38:00.001+01:00

Title: Naked
Author: Kevin Brooks
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Genre: YA
Published: 7th July 2011 (Puffin)

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

When I first received this book I was initially excited because I've really enjoyed Kevin Brooks' books before but for some reason I didn't really take in what the book was about. When I picked it up to read and actually properly read what it was about I was both more excited and also apprehensive. I wouldn't say I was a massive punk fan but I do know my Sex Pistols from The Clash so there was a little part of me that was worried that the book wouldn't be a true representation of the punk movement, if only because of it being aimed at teens so I thought it might be somewhat diluted down - because lets face it, the subject matter isn't exactly the most family friendly. I should have had more faith in Brooks though and I'm glad to say that this book fully embraced the era completely.

The story is told in an almost autobiographical tone and it's easy to believe that the narrator, Lili, was a real part of the punk scene. It's set in 1976, right when punk was just taking off and it is very true to the time period. Lili is a brilliant character to read. Essentially, she's in a punk band but doesn't quite fit into the scene. She's there because she likes the music and she's not so keen on the party side of things. The two boys in her life are Curtis Ray (I love the proper rockstar quality to his name!), the band's front man and bad boy, and William Bonney, guitarist with a secret.

There's some amazing descriptive scenes in this book which land you right there with the characters, whether it's with Lili and William in the cemetry or up on stage with the band as a fight takes place in the crowd. The book also takes you through a rollercoster of emotions, from literally laughing out loud to crying.

Brooks quite clearly knows what he's talking about when it comes to the music and the punk scene in general and while I really liked all the added little details, I did wonder at times if it might be a little too much for readers who aren't so knowledgeable about the subject. I'm also pleased to say that the author didn't hold back on the subject matter and characterisation. The book is very much sex, drugs and rock n' roll and although I feel that it is dealt with appropriately (sex is eluded to but not graphic, the drugs aren't glamourised, there's some swearing where necessary but it's not overdone), this book is probably more suited to older teens.

Review: Deception - Lee Nichols

2011-10-06T20:52:00.004+01:00

Title: Deception
Author: Lee Nichols
Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Genre: YA, Supernatural
Published: 5th September 2011 (Bloomsbury)

When Emma Vaile’s parents go missing while away on a mysterious business trip, she’s left all alone in her creepy old house. But her brother’s very cute best friend, Bennett Stern—Emma’s knight in J. Crew armor—arrives unexpectedly to whisk her away to New England. There, Emma settles into his family’s museum-like mansion and enrolls at an old-fashioned private school. She quickly finds friends in the popular legacy crowd at Thatcher and spends her free time crushing on Bennett.

But the eerie visions she’s been hiding from everyone have gotten worse. Emma has memories of Thatcher that she can’t explain—it’s as if she’s returning home to a place she’s never been. Finally, Emma confides in Bennett and learns she is a ghostkeeper, a person who can communicate with ghosts. Bennett brought Emma to Thatcher to protect her, but now he needs her help tracking an other-worldly murderer.

Deception starts out like a lot of books of this genre, with Emma being without parental guidance, moving to a new town and new school before discovering what she really is. Right at the start I did get that "Here we go again" kind of feeling, just because it was so much like a lot of things I'd already read. However, I soon forgot about that because something about this book captivated me much more than a lot of books have. Ghosts haven't been overdone in YA books, at least not that I've read, and this, along with amazing writing and some great characters, drew me in more and more the further I got through the book.

As a protagonist, Emma was likeable, interesting, funny and believable. She has a bit of a quirky edge as well which made her a refreshing change from the usual types of main characters (which usually fall into either all-action herione or angsty emo-girl). She took just the right amount of time to come to terms with being able to see ghosts. She didn't immediately believe it nor did she take so long to figure it out that it got frustrating for the reader. Bennett was one of those characters you'll fall in love with straight away. At times he's distant and he's always a little bit arrogant but that just made me like him more! Emma's new friends are also well developed for secondary characters and I was pleasantly surprised to find that there wasn't an annoying one as I nearly always hate the 'friend' character in most books.

Overall, Deception is an excellent debut book and a great start to what I hope will be a fantastic series.

Sneak Peak: Crossed - Ally Condie

2011-10-06T12:22:00.001+01:00

The Wait is over…

…the hotly anticipated sequel to
international bestseller,

Matched is finally here!

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped leaving a series of clues for her to follow.

Cassia’s quest leads her into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons. On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life and the enthralling promise of rebellion against the controlling Society. But even as Cassia sacrifices everything to reunite with Ky, a surprise visit from Xander may change the game once again.

Narrated from both Cassia's and Ky's points of view, this eagerly awaited sequel to Matched will take them both to the edge of Society, where nothing is as expected and crosses and double crosses make their path more twisted than ever...

Read the opening chapters here!

Released: 24th November 2011 (Razorbill)

Review: The Breakfast Club - Kate Costelloe

2011-10-05T20:50:00.000+01:00

Title: The Breakfast Club
Author: Kate Costelloe
Format: Paperback
Pages: 208
Genre: Middle Grade
Published: 7th July 2011 (Hodder Children's Books)

Billie, Lexie, Ella and Natalie are all 14 years old, living in the fashionable and hip Notting Hill Gate. They're as different to each other as all four of the Sex and City friends, but that's what makes them such good friends. Lexie's the sporty, practical tomboy, Ella's ever-so-slightly ditzy, but creative fashionista, with a heart of gold; Nat's the witty, self-deprecating hopeless romantic and Billie's the resident musician and Lily Allen-in-the- making. Each of them have their own set of issues - whether it's school, parents or boys...and support is there, every week at their weekly breakfast catch up in their favourite cafe. In this first book, Billie' s narrative takes the lead, as she and her mum are at loggerheads over Billie's growing obsession with her music and her curiosity over her dad - who she hasn't seen since she was a baby. On top of that, the girls' favourite cafe has been bought up by property developers and the hunt is on for a new venue!

The Breakfast Club is a fun, cute book that also deals with real issues. It revolves around four fourteen year old girls who, despite they're very different backgrounds, are close friends. Between them they're dealing with various family situations, their favourite cafe - where they meet each Saturday for breakfast - being shut down and more trivial issues such as their collective crush on their drama teacher.

This book is a brilliant start to a new series in which I assume each of the four girls will take turns at narrating, giving a fresh voice to each book as the girls all have their own individual personalities. It would make a great read for younger teens.

Teaser Tuesday 4/10/11

2011-10-04T20:15:00.003+01:00

Even as a trickle of blood began oozing down the side of his face, he kept chopping away at his guitar, hammering out the chords, seemingly oblivious to any pain. Jake, meanwhile, who'd been looking on from thh right-hand side of the stage, was now striding towards the biker, shouting obscenities at him, clearly intent on sorting him out.

It's Monday - 3/10/11

2011-10-03T20:21:00.001+01:00

Completed

Deception (Haunting Emma) - Lee Nichols
The Breakfast Club - Kate Costelloe

Currently Reading

Ashfall - Mike Mullin
Naked - Kevin Brooks

Up Soon

Bleeding Hearts (The Drake Chronicles) - Alyxandra Harvey
The Lady of the Rivers - Philippa Gregory

Read My Review: Fantasy

2011-10-01T00:09:00.003+01:00

Read My Review is a chance for book bloggers to share new and old reviews, related to a theme. It is hosted here at A Trillian Books.

What to do:

- Find one of your reviews that fits the current theme (you can be as creative as you like when choosing what fits). It can be a new or old review, good or bad.

- Leave the link to your review with Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post."Blog Name (Book Title)"

- Visit some of the other reviews and leave a 'quality' comment (a couple of sentences).

- Let people know about Read My Review. Grab the button, tweet it, Facebook it ... shout about it in the street ... whatever lol.

This new theme is:

FANTASY

Follow Friday

2011-09-23T16:02:00.000+01:00

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

This week's question is: Do you have a favorite series that you read over and over again? Tell us a bit about it and why you keep on revisiting it?

Harry Potter is my go-to series. I'm not sure how many times I've actually read the series but it's a lot lol. I've actually just started the series again, having just completed the first book. As to why, I think a lot of it is because it's one of those series' that every time you read you find something you missed and the entire thing is laced with clues to the rest of the books. It's fun to find mentionings of things that crop up later.

Also, the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy series is another that I've read a lot. They never fail to make me laugh. I like that I can pick them up at random, open a page to read and know exactly what's going on.

Read My Review is a chance for book bloggers to share new and old reviews, related to a theme. It is hosted here at A Trillian Books. Make sure you leave your SCHOOL reviews on the current linky and also visit some of the awesome reviews already there.

Booking Through Thursday: In Public

2011-09-22T17:03:00.000+01:00

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme about (mostly) books and reading. This weeks question is:

Do you carry books with you when you’re out and about in the world?
And, do you ever try to hide the covers?

I always used to carry a book around with me. Now I have my kindle so that's nearly always in my bag, even if I'm just running to the shop or something. I don't think I've ever tried to hide a book cover but then if it was something I didn't want to people to see, I probably wouldn't take it out with me. Obviously it's not a consideration with a Kindle.

Teaser Tuesday

2011-09-20T13:35:00.001+01:00

Truth was, now there was no going back, no denying that I was part of this world - a world made of fear and wraiths and lies. I could pretend that I was a normal girl with parties and friends and a date to the school dance. But it wasn't the real me.

It's Monday - 19/9/11

2011-09-19T22:14:00.000+01:00

Completed last week

Undead - Kirsty McKay

Currently Reading

Deception (Haunting Emma) - Lee Nichols
Deviant - Adrian McKinty
A Game of Thrones - George RR Martin

Up soon

Naked - Kevin Brooks
Bleeding Hearts (The Drake Chronicles) - Alyxandra Harvey

Reviews

Undead - Kirsty McKay

Books Received

In My Mailbox

Review: Undead - Kirsty McKay

2011-09-18T21:20:00.002+01:00

Title: Undead
Author: Kirsty McKay
Format: Uncorrected Proof
Pages: 294
Genre: Young Adult, Zombies
Published: 1st September 2011 (Chicken House)

Being new at school bites. But at least it doesn't kill you. Mostly.

Bobby thinks she might well be on the School Trip from Hell. Too bad she's a noob, too bad her classmates don't rate her weirdo accent and too bad that Scotland is having the worst blizzard since the Ice Age. Looks like she's going to be on this school bus for a quite a while; could things get much worse?

Yep. They could.

Inexplicably, her classmates start dying...and then they come back to life again...and what's more, they're very, very hungry.

With nowhere to run and no contact with the outside world, Bobby is thrown together with a raggle-taggle group of survivors at a roadside café. There's indie kid drop-out Smitty, the class beauty queen Alice, dweeby Pete and two near useless adults: a half-conscious bus driver and a volatile petrol station attendant.

The frenemies struggle to stay alive - through explosions, deadly battles and a breakneck chase through the snowbound wilderness. Somehow they have to make it to safety - and get some answers - no matter what the cost.

Can they survive the Undead? And each other?

British-born Bobby has returned to the UK after years of living in America. Thrown into a school skiing trip before she's even started her new school, she's finding it tough to make friends with her new classmates. When the bus stops for a comfort break, she hides out onboard instead of going into the cafe with the rest and doing so saves her from becoming one of the undead. The only other survivors are Smitty, the school rebel; popular girl, Alice and geeky Pete. Together they must work together to try and stay alive.

The start of this book was pretty much as expected for a zombie-survival type story: a reasonably simple set up for four of the teens to miss out on becoming zombified. It's after this that all the fun and action happens. One thing that slightly bugged me at the start was that neither the blurb or the book told me whether Bobby was a girl or boy. The book is written in first person as well so obviously no 'he' or 'she' to help either. Now, bare in mind I was reading an uncorrected proof so this may not be the case in the final version, but it made it really hard to visualise the scenes. To start with I thought I'd just missed it, then I wondered if I wasn't supposed to know. Fortunately before I got too annoyed with it, it became clearer that it was a girl!Bobby.

With that issue settled, I started to like the characters more and more. Of course Alice was a little annoying because she was all "I'm not going outside, I'm staying here where it's safe and warm" and Pete was the same but as this was fitting to their characters it was fine. I didn't like them as people but they were good characters. Smitty was everything I like in a male, potential love interest and bad boy character. He was a little bit risky and crazy but his guts and bravery got them through a lot of the tough stuff. The growing relationship between him and Bobby was cute, totally believable and there banter gave some light relief to a dark situation.

There's plenty of action throughout this book, some great end of chapter cliff-hangers and some unexpected twists, all keeping you turning the pages long after you sould have gone to bed. Also - zombie stories really aren't the best cure for insomnia.

Undead

In My Mailbox - 17/9/11

2011-09-17T21:18:00.000+01:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

For Review (from publisher unless stated)

Glow (Sky Chasers) - Amy Kathleen Ryan (Macmillan)
The Lady of the River - Philippa Gregory (Simon & Schuster)
The Women of the Cousins' War - - Philippa Gregory (Simon & Schuster)
Touch of Power - Maria V Snyder (Amazon Vine)
Doctor Who: Blackout [Audio] - Oli Smith (Amazon Vine)

In My Mailbox

2011-09-10T22:30:00.001+01:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

Just a couple of charity shop bargains for me this week

Cocktails for Three - Sophie Kinsella writing as Madeleine Wickham
The Wedding Girl - Sophie Kinsella writing as Madeleine Wickham

2011-09-09T09:32:00.000+01:00

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books. It's a chance for book bloggers to connect and share the book love. Check out Crazy for Books (click on the button) for more details and to find the links of some awesome blogs.

This week's question is:
Many of us primarily read one genre of books, with others sprinkled in. If authors stopped writing that genre, what genre would you start reading? Or would you give up reading completely if you couldn’t read that genre anymore?

I tend to read mostly YA Fantasy and Sci-fi so I suppose I'd just move to reading more adult Fantasy and Sci-fi, which might be cheating a little. I'd also probably read more historical fiction.

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee. Just click on the banner below to see the rules and to join in.

This week's question is:
Have you ever wanted a villain to win at the end of a story? If so, which one??

A little part of me always wants the bad guy to win lol. Mostly just for the unexpectedness, unpredictable side of things. It would have certainly been an interesting twist on things if Voldemort had triumphed over over Harry in Deathly Hallows.

Review: Beautiful Days - Anna Godbersen

2011-09-07T20:25:00.001+01:00

Title: Beautiful Days
Author: Anna Godbersen
Format: Paperback
Pages: 358
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Published: 1st September 2011 (Razorbill)

For the bright young things of 1929, the beautiful days seem endless, filled with romance and heartbreak, adventure and intrigue, friendship and rivalry.

After a month in New York, Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur are small-town girls no longer. They spend their afternoons with Astrid Donal at the Greys’ lush Long Island estate and their nights in Manhattan’s bustling metropolis. But Letty’s not content to be a mere socialite. She is ready at last to chase her Broadway dreams—no matter the cost.

Cordelia is still reeling from the death of her father at the hands of Thom Hale, the man she thought she loved. Now she is set to honor Darius Grey’s legacy . . . and take her revenge.

Promised to Cordelia’s half brother, Astrid is caught up in a world of dazzling jewels and glittering nights—and the sparkle is blinding. Charlie Grey is a gangster playing a dangerous game; and for Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty, the stakes could be deadly.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe comes the second book in an epic series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age.

Cordelia and Letty have settled nicely into their new lives in New York, spending their days with new friend Astrid, lounging around in the afternoons and partying at night. Soon though, the girls realise they want more. Cordelia is keen to be part of her late father's business, helping her half-brother Charlie in opening a Speakeasy; Letty is pushing to start her on stage career and Astrid just wants a ring on her finger.

I really enjoyed the first book of this series and this one certainly lived up to it. One of the things I like best - apart from it's set in the 1920's and has gangsters, which is awesome enough in it's own right - is that each of the girl characters has their own. Too often in books with groups of friends, they all act exactly the same but in Bright Young Things series each of them is very different. And as such, they have their own individual problems and responses. My favourite of the three is definitely Cordelia; she's a strong young woman, very determined and independent for the era the story is set in.

It wouldn't be a YA book if there wasn't some kind of love interest and fortunately there's plenty. Each of the girls has a guy she likes and the share of problems come with it. Of the boys, I really liked Charlie because he appeals to my bad boy thing. I particularly loved the part where he gets all angry with Astrid because she put herself in danger.

I recommend this book even if you're not usually a fan of historical fiction because while the setting is an important part of the story, it's the characters that make it so good.

It's Monday

2011-09-05T23:03:00.000+01:00

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event to celebrate what we are reading for the week hosted at Book Journey, Post the books completed last week, the books you're currently reading, and the books to be read this week. Please comment or leave a link to let me know what you're reading this week!

Completed last week

I got into Pottermore this week so I've been extremely busy brewing potions and getting house points for Gryffindor. Unfortunately this has made me a little behind on reading.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling (reread)
Beautiful Days - Anna Godberson

Currently Reading

Undead - Kirsty McKay
Game of Thrones - George RR Martin

Up soon

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - JK Rowling

In My Mailbox (63)

2011-09-03T22:50:00.001+01:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

Bought

I managed to pick up four books from Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series at a local car boot sale, only 50p each! Unfortunately, the first book wasn't there so I still need to get that to start the series off but I was happy to get some good bargains.

Heat Stroke - Rachel Caine
Chill Factor - Rachel Caine
Windfall - Rachel Caine
Firestorm - Rachel Caine

FRIDAY!

2011-09-02T13:56:00.000+01:00

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books. It's a chance for book bloggers to connect and share the book love. Check out Crazy for Books (click on the button) for more details and to find the links of some awesome blogs.

This week's question is:
“What are you most looking forward to this fall/autumn season – A particular book release? Halloween? The leaves changing color? Cooler temperatures? A vacation?

I'm off on holiday in October so that's definitely something to look forward to, especially as I'm going near Hay-on-Wye and the Brecon National Park in Wales. A week of hiking and books (if anyone doesn't know, Hay-on-Wye is the home to the Hay Festival of Literature & Arts and although the festival isn't on when I'll be there, the town has over thirty book shops!

Also - new season of Supernatural!

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee. Just click on the banner below to see the rules and to join in.

This week's question is:
If you could change the ending of any book (or series), which book would you choose? Why and to what?

Hmm, tough question. I'm often disappointed by the ends of books, possibly just because I don't want them to end (particularly series' that I've really liked) and sometimes because it doesn't turn out like I hoped. One that particularly springs to mind is that I'd not have the epilogue at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - it was kind of too lame and cheesy for my liking. I also wasn't keen on the ending of Mockingjay with the whole Katniss not really having to choose between Peeta and Gale thing.

Read My Review: School

2011-09-01T00:05:00.003+01:00

Read My Review is a chance for book bloggers to share new and old reviews, related to a theme. It is hosted here at A Trillian Books.

What to do:

- Find one of your reviews that fits the current theme (you can be as creative as you like when choosing what fits). It can be a new or old review, good or bad.

- Leave the link to your review with Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post."Blog Name (Book Title)"

- Visit some of the other reviews and leave a 'quality' comment (a couple of sentences).

- Let people know about Read My Review. Grab the button, tweet it, Facebook it ... shout about it in the street ... whatever lol.

The new theme is:

SCHOOL

THInk books that are set largely in schools, characters starting new schools and so on. The theme stays for a month so you can leave your link any time and don't forget to pop back and check out some more fab reviews. You can also clink the link at the top to see the previous Read My Reviews. Also, if you have any ideas for future themes you'd like to see leave them in a comment.

Teaser Tuesday (37)

2011-08-30T13:10:00.001+01:00

The last time they had stood face-to-face had been the night she had lured him away from his family's party with the idea of killing him. Even now the audacity of this made her feel sick.

Hunger Games Movie Teaser

2011-08-29T22:48:00.000+01:00

I'm still undecided about Peeta and Gale in the movie but Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss looks awesome!

It's Monday (64)

2011-08-29T16:11:00.001+01:00

Completed last week

Dark Inside - Jeyn Roberts
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling (reread)

Currently Reading

Beautiful Days - Anna Godberson
Game of Thrones - George RR Martin

Up soon

Undead - Kirsty McKay
Deception - Lee Nichols

Reviews

Dark Inside - Jeyn Roberts

Books Received

In My Mailbox

Posts of Interest

Friday Finds

In My Mailbox (62)

2011-08-27T23:58:00.001+01:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

For Review (from publisher unless stated)

Bloodlines - Richelle Mead (Razorbill)
Vampire Academy (Graphic Novel) - Leigh Dragoon (Razorbill)
The Queen's Governess - Karen Harper (Amazon Vine)
The Breakfast Club - Kate Costelloe (Amazon Vine)

From Library

Claire de Lune - Christine Johnson
Kisses from Hell - Kirstin Cast, Richelle Mead, Kelly Armstrong, Allyson Noel

Firday Finds

2011-08-26T12:33:00.001+01:00

What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Share your FRIDAY FINDS! Friday Finds is hosted by MizB at Should be Reading

Fixing Delilah - Sarah Ockler

Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.

She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.

Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?

Rich with emotion, Sarah Ockler delivers a powerful story of family, love, and self-discovery.

0.4 - Mike Lancaster

It's a brave new world.

'My name is Kyle Straker. And I don't exist anymore.'

So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded onto old audiotapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax, but perhaps they contain the history of a past world....If what the tapes say is true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie.

And if everything we know is a lie, does that mean that we are, too?

Warm Bodies - Isaac Marion

A zombie who yearns for a better life ends up falling in love—with a human—in this astonishingly original debut novel.

R is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams. He doesn’t enjoy killing people; he enjoys riding escalators and listening to Frank Sinatra. He is a little different from his fellow Dead.

Not just another zombie novel, Warm Bodies is funny, scary, and deeply moving.

Review: Dark Inside - Jeyn Roberts

2011-08-24T22:33:00.000+01:00

Title: Dark Inside
Author: Jeyn Roberts
Format: Paperback
Pages: 360
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Published: 2nd September 2011(Macmillen)

Four teenagers on the same road in a world gone mad. Struggling to survive, clinging on to love and meaning wherever it can be found. THE DARK INSIDE is a stunning, cinematic thriller: 28 DAYS LATER meets THE ROAD.

Since mankind began, civilizations have always fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs…. Now it’s our turn.

Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even worse is happening. An ancient evil has been unleashed, hooking on to weakness, turning the unwary into hunters, killers, crazies.

Mason: His mother is dying after a terrible car accident. As he endures a last vigil at her hospital bed, his school is bombed and razed to the ground. Everyone he knows is killed.

Aries: A school bus, an aftershock and a crash. Pulled out of the wreckage by a mysterious stranger, she’s about to discover a world changed forever.

Clementine: An emergency meeting at the town hall that descends into murderous chaos. Outside the rest of their community encircle with weapons. How can those you trust turn into savage strangers?

Michael: A brutal road rage incident. When the police arrive on the scene they gun down the guilty and turn on the by-standing crowd. Where do you go for justice when even the lawmakers have turned bad?

Dark Inside is a really creepy tale which has many similarities to a zombie story, except the 'monsters' aren't zombies at all. The world suffers from several massive earthquakes, resulting in a large proportion of the population going crazy. They're evil, violent killers and the book follows some of the survivors and how they deal with what is happening around them.

The narration of the book is really effective in making you feel like you're really there with the characters as they hide out and just try to survive, not knowing if any of the 'blaggers' are watching them, waiting to attack. The story switches between various different characters' view points which helps keep the story flowing and gives a wider view on what's happening in different places. The only slight issue I had with this was that to start with I had a little trouble remembering what had happened to who. A small gripe in an otherwise excellent book and certainly not enough to stop me from recommending it.

It's Monday (63)

2011-08-22T09:49:00.000+01:00

Completed last week

The Power of Six - Pittacus Lore

Currently Reading

Dark Inside - Jeyn Roberts
Beautiful Days - Anna Godberson
Game of Thrones - George RR Martin
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling (reread)

Up soon

Undead - Kirsty McKay
Deception - Lee Nichols

Reviews

The Power of Six - Pittacus Lore

Books Received

In My Mailbox

Posts of Interest

Teaser Tuesday
Waiting on Wednesday

Review: The Power of Six - Pittacus Lore

2011-08-21T12:38:00.000+01:00

Title: The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies #2)
Author: Pittacus Lore
Format: Uncorrected Proof
Pages: 332
Genre: Science fiction, YA
Published:

I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us.

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed.

I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.

After battling against the Mogadorians at their school, John (Number Four) and his friend Sam have fled the town of Paradise with a price on their heads - the police believing them to be terrorists. In tow is chimera, Bernie Kosar, and the second Lorian we have met, Six.

Over in Spain, we also pick up the story of Number Seven, also known as Marina. She's currently living in a convent/orphanage, waiting for her legacies to develop and the right time to find the others.

The story switches between John and Marina's points of view and while in one way I liked this (mostly because John is the dullest protagonist ever and it meant we get less of him), it was sometimes confusing at the start of the switch as to who it was. Also Marina became annoying after a while as well. While we mostly got to see what was happening with Six through John's point of view, I think I'd have preferred this part of the story to be hers. Six was the most interesting of the main characters by far and it was a shame that her back story was crammed into a quick recap of her telling it to the others.

A couple of chapters into the book, my thoughts were that this installment was better than the first one. It is, but that's not really enough to make me love it. Towards the end (and I'm talking last twenty or so pages) I still hadn't decided if I liked it or not. I didn't really care what happened to the characters and for me that's an essential part of a book.

I still like the over all concept of the story but for me it was one of those plots where there's lots of action but nothing seems to be actually happening. It also bugged me that the characters made so many silly mistakes - like John insisting on going to see Sarah even though it clearly wasn't a good idea. Then there's a completely pointless and totally forced love triangle thing going on.

All in all, there were parts that I enjoyed and I'll probably read the third book, just to see what happens, it just isn't one I'll be making a special effort to get hold of.

In My Mailbox (61)

2011-08-20T21:26:00.000+01:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

For Review (from publisher unless stated)

Bleeding Hearts - Alyxandra Harvey (Bloomsbury)

The next installment of The Drake Chronicles. I can't wait to read this one!

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

Beautiful Days - Anna Godberson (Razorbill)

I loved the first book of the Bright Young Things series and so I'm really looking forward to this one.

After a month in New York, Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur are small-town girls no longer. They spend their afternoons with Astrid Donal at the Greys’ lush Long Island estate and their nights in Manhattan’s bustling metropolis. But Letty’s not content to be a mere socialite. She is ready at last to chase her Broadway dreams—no matter the cost.

Cordelia is still reeling from the death of her father at the hands of Thom Hale, the man she thought she loved. Now she is set to honor Darius Grey’s legacy . . . and take her revenge.

Promised to Cordelia’s half brother, Astrid is caught up in a world of dazzling jewels and glittering nights—and the sparkle is blinding. Charlie Grey is a gangster playing a dangerous game; and for Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty, the stakes could be deadly.

The History Keepers - Damian Dibben (Doubleday) [Amazon Vine]

This sounds very Dr Who and similar to the TimeRiders series so should be good.

Imagine if you lost your parents - not just in place, but in time. Jake Djones' mum and dad have gone missing and they could be anywhere in the world - at any time in history. Because the Djones family have an astonishing secret, which for years they've managed to keep - even from each other. They belong to the History Keepers: a secret society which travels through the centuries to prevent evil enemies from meddling with History itself. In the quest to find his parents, Jake is whisked from 21st Century London to 19th century France, the headquarters of the mysterious History Keepers, where he discovers the truth about his family's disappearance - and the dastardly Prince Zeldt's plan to destroy the world as we know it...

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-08-17T14:25:00.000+01:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. What are you waiting on this week?

VIII - HM Castor (October 2011)

I love all things Tudor so this one sounds fab.

VIII is the story of Hal: a young, handsome, gifted warrior, who believes he has been chosen to lead his people. But he is plagued by the ghosts of his family's violent past and, once he rises to power, he turns to murder and rapacious cruelty. He is Henry VIII. The Tudors have always captured the popular imagination, but in VIII, Henry is presented fresh for a new generation. H M Castor does for Henry what Hilary Mantel did for Thomas Cromwell - VIII is Wolf Hall for the teen and crossover market. The contemporary, original writing style will have broad appeal and VIII brings the tension of a psychological thriller and the eeriness of a ghost story to historical fiction.

Scored - Lauren McLaughlin (October 2011)

Because I can never have enough Dyslit in my life

Set in the future when teenagers are monitored via camera and their recorded actions and confessions plugged into a computer program that determines their ability to succeed. All kids given a "score" that determines their future potential. This score has the ability to get kids into colleges, grant scholarships, or destroy all hope for the above. Scored's reluctant heroine is Imani, a girl whose high score is brought down when her best friend's score plummets. Where do you draw the line between doing what feels morally right and what can mean your future? Friendship, romance, loyalty, family, human connection and human value: all are questioned in this fresh and compelling dystopian novel set in the scarily forseeable future.

Teaser Tuesday (36)

2011-08-16T22:41:00.000+01:00

Six pushes the gun even harder into his skull and then she pushes it stiffly to the right, spinning the man around. The sight of the floating gun in front of his face makes him go white.

It's Monday (62)

2011-08-15T21:44:00.000+01:00

Completed last week

Chasers - James Phelan

Currently Reading

Power of Six - Pittacus Lore
Game of Thrones - George RR Martin
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling (reread)

Up soon

Dark Inside - Jeyn Roberts

Reviews

Forbidden - Jana Oliver
The Scorch Trials - James Dashner

Books Received

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox (60)

2011-08-13T23:36:00.000+01:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

For Review (from publisher unless stated)

Vicious Little Darlings - Katherine Easer (Bloomsbury)
Dark Inside - Jeyn Roberts (Macmillan)
After Obsession - Carrie Jones and Steven E Wedel (Bloomsbury)
Naked - Kevin Brooks (Penguin)

Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books

2011-08-13T15:59:00.001+01:00

NPR published a list of Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books yesterday and I've seen a few other bloggers highlighting which of those they've read/plan to read and so on so I thought I'd join in.

I've bolded the one's I've read and put those I seriously plan to read (ie I own a copy) in italics

1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien

2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card

4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert

5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin (started)

6. 1984, by George Orwell

7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov

9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman

11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman

12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan

13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell

14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson

15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore

16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov

17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein

18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss (well, I've read the first one...)

19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick

22. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood

23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King

24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke

25. The Stand, by Stephen King

26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson

27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury

28. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut

29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman

30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess

31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein

32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams

33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey

34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein

35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller

36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells

37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne

38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys

39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells

40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny

41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings

42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley

43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson

44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven

45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin

46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien

47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White

48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman

49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke

50. Contact, by Carl Sagan

51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons

52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman

53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson

54. World War Z, by Max Brooks

55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle

56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman

57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett

58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson

59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold

60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett

61. The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind

63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy

64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke

65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson

66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist

67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks (started)

68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard

69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb

70. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger

71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson

72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne

73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore

74. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi

75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson

76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke

77. The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey

78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin

79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury

80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire

81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson

82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde

83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks

84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart

85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson

86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher

87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe

88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn

89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan

90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock

91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury

92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley

93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge

94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov

95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson

96. Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis

98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville

99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony

100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis

TGI Friday

2011-08-12T09:44:00.000+01:00

Well, it's been a crazy and sad week here in England, with the rioting and everything, so it's kind of a relief to get to Friday. While I've not seen any of the trouble first hand, there's been things going on far too close for comfort - having spent at least one night this week listening to the endless police sirens and helicopters. It's probably not all over but, hopefully, we've got passed the worst of it. For any non-Brits reading this ... the majority of us are NOT like what you may have seen on TV this week.

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee. Just click on the banner below to see the rules and to join in.

This week's question is:
How has your reading habits changed since you were a teen? or If you are still a teen what new genres are you in love with currently?

I read way more Young Adult books than I did as a teen which is probably weird. When I was younger I tended to read more normal adult fiction. Now my reader is wider and through receiving books for review, I read a lot more of books I probably wouldn't normally pick up - which is a good thing because I'd have missed out on some awesome books otherwise.

Read My Review is a chance for book bloggers to share new and old reviews, related to a theme. It is hosted here at A Trillian Books. Make sure you leave your FRIENDS reviews on the current linky and also visit some of the awesome reviews already there.

Review: Forbidden - Jana Oliver

2011-08-11T21:01:00.000+01:00

Title: Forbidden (Demon Trappers #2)
Author: Jana Oliver
Format: Paperback
Pages: 416
Genre: Supernatural, Dystopia, Young Adult
Published: 5th August 2011 (MacMillan)

Riley's beginning to think being a demon trapper isn't all it's cracked up to be. Her dad's been stolen by a necromancer, her boyfriend's gone all weird and she's getting warm and fuzzy feelings for someone who's seriously bad news. It's tempting to give it all up and try to be normal, but that's not an option. Because the demons have plans for Riley. And they're not the only ones.

Riley's life has been turned upside down, her dad was killed and now he's been brought back as a Stiff; the trappers were attacked, her boyfriend almost died and now he's acting strangely. A mysterious stranger is acting as her personal body guard and Riley can't help but have feelings for him. And then there's Beck. Riley thinks of him as an annoying, bossy big brother but does he feel the same way about her?

The Demon Trappers is fast becoming one of my favourite book series of the moment. It pretty much has everything I like in a book. An awesome main character who's tough yet vulnerable, an exciting plot, angels, demons ... hot boys. The writing is excellent as well. There's actually nothing I can fault with this book. In fact, Forbidden probably steps up from the first of the series because as a reader, you're already immersed in the story world in this one and while we find out a lot more about the trappers and everything else, there's not the "first of a series explanations of everything" to get through.

I definitely recommend reading the first of the series if you haven't done so.

My review of Forsaken is here.

The Demon Trappers series are titled The Demon Trapper's Daughter and Soul Thief in the US.

Review: The Scorch Trials - James

2011-08-10T21:47:00.001+01:00

Title: The Scorch Trials
Author: James Dashner
Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Genre: Science fiction, Dystopian
Published: 4th August 2011 (Chicken House)

The Maze was only the beginning...

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more Variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety... until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, much of the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated--and with it, order--and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim... and meal.

The Gladers are far from done running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder--does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

The Gladers have escaped The Maze and they've been rescued from the clutches of the people responsible for putting them there ... or have they? Thomas and his friends find themselves in a situation that has them almost wishing they were back in the Glade where life was relatively easy. Given the task of crossing the Scorch, another test, the Gladers are faced with much tougher conditions, battling against the extreme heat and the Cranks.

The Scorch Trials carries on from the action packed first installment of The Maze Runner series. Similarly, it's plot based rather than character based, although we do get to know some of the more main characters a little better in this book. At times the plot itself is confusing but again, like the previous book, this adds to the whole experience. The characters are confused and have no idea what's going on or what to expect next and that comes across in the story extremely well.

An excellent follow up to The Maze Runner which leaves you needing to read the upcoming third book to find out what exactly is going on.

Teaser Tuesday (35)

2011-08-09T14:48:00.000+01:00

Chasers - James Phelan

In horror, I realised that their mouths were closed over the bare flesh of those bodies. They were drinking from them.

It's Monday (61)

2011-08-08T09:36:00.000+01:00

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event to celebrate what we are reading for the week hosted at Book Journey, Post the books completed last week, the books you're currently reading, and the books to be read this week. Please comment or leave a link to let me know what you're reading this week!

I didn't get much reading or blogging done last week, mostly due to having friends staying at my house. I was planning on scheduling some posts but my netbook has decided it doesn't like Blogger at all (it keeps freezing up). However, friends are gone now and I got an awesome new laptop at the weekend as well so normal service should resume from now ... well if I can stop playing Sims 3 lol.

Oh and also I got registered on Pottermore as a Beta Tester (although I haven't actually got on it yet)! My user name is kind of awesome as well ... AccioUnicorn166

Completed last week

I got a bit of reading done but didn't actually complete anything :(

Currently Reading

Chasers - James Phelan
Game of Thrones - George RR Martin
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling (reread)

Up soon

Lottie Biggs is (not) Tragic - Hayley Long
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - JK Rowling (reread)

Books Received

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox (59)

2011-08-06T21:33:00.000+01:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly event exploring the books received this week and is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. What books did you get this week?

For Review (from publisher unless stated)

Shimmer - Alyson Noel (Macmillan)
Deception - Lee Nichols (Bloomsbury)