Review: Requiem By Lauren Oliver

This is the third book in the series, so spoilers are possible...

Battling against a society in which love has been declared a disease, Lena now finds herself at the centre of a fierce revolution. But the Wilds are no longer the haven they once were as the government seeks to stamp out the rebels. And Lena's emotions are in turmoil following the dramatic return of someone she thought was lost forever...  taken from Goodreads

I was quite nervous on reading this book.  I adored Delirium, but wasn't as blown away by Pandemonium so I really wanted to love Requiem but was prepared to not like it as much as I wanted.  I actually ended up feeling a bit of both - weird I know!...

I loved that this story was being told from two very different perspectives - uncured Lena and cured Hana.  The lives of both are completely different as are their views, so alternating chapters of these parallels were so absorbing and fascinating.  I had trouble deciding which life would be the more favourable.  It was easy to tell which life would be easier but which life would really be better that took some major thought.  Given time it was actually an easy choice.  Although I hope we are never put in that kind of situation.

The end - oh I feel somewhat confused.  We did get an end, an end that was very enjoyable.  But it was over extremely quickly, the conclusion didn't take long to happen.  And when it did end, it wasn't exactly thorough.  You don't find out what happens in the long run, which bothers me.  I'm hoping that Lauren has some idea of extending on the story but maybe with different characters.  I'm also torn as to whether the events that took place would really have had that great an effect in the future.  Like I said I'm confused.

Although my reservations I did really enjoy this instalment of Lena's story and found it hard to put down.  I just can't help but want more!!  I am super eager to see what Lauren thinks up next. 

Rating 4 Out Of 5

Published In The UK By Hodder And Stoughton

This Can Be Purchased HERE and From All Good Book Sellers.

Review: Warm Bodies By Isaac Marion

"'R' is a zombie. He has no name, no memories, and no pulse, but he has dreams. He is a little different from his fellow Dead. Amongst the ruins of an abandoned city, R meets a girl. Her name is Julie and she is the opposite of everything he knows - warm and bright and very much alive, she is a blast of colour in a dreary grey landscape. For reasons he can't understand, R chooses to save Julie instead of eating her, and a tense yet strangely tender relationship begins. This has never happened before. It breaks the rules and defies logic, but R is no longer content with life in the grave. He wants to breathe again, he wants to live, and Julie wants to help him. But their grim, rotting world won't be changed without a fight..." taken from goodreads

I've been intrigued by this book for ages, but with the amount of amazing books out there its one that I hadn't gotten round to reading.  When I found out the book was being adapted into a movie, I found it the push I needed to actually read it.

I can't say I've read many zombie themed books, making my reading experience fairly fresh and new.  Obviously I expected dead, flesh eating creatures but other than that I wasn't sure how the book would pan out. 

I loved the idea of this kind of being a Romeo and Juliet reworking in a totally new setting.  R somehow decides he doesn't like his zombie life anymore and wants to live.  With the help of living girl Julie, they try to make it work.  Its a brilliant concept but I have to say I just didn't get how this would come about.  I didn't see that a living person would find any attraction to or understanding of a living dead person, especially knowing and seeing what these people are capable of.  Actually writing that makes me feel somewhat racist against the zombies and I actually feel guilty.  I think that is one of the things that make this book great - it makes you think.  It definitely made me think of a post apocalyptic world and how we would cope.  It made me think of inbuilt prejudice that came quite easily to me, which I do regret.

The more you learn of R and Julie, the more you are drawn to both of their characters and their relationship.  I felt I judged them way to early and although it seemed impossible to me, they actually built an incredible relationship that was not only clever, but kind of beautiful too.

The conclusion was more than I could have hoped for.  I can't say I 100% know how things happened in the way they did, but I can say that I did enjoy it.  I think it would be quite interesting to read a companion story that maybe went into what happened some time after, on a more wide spread scale.

Rating 3 1/2 Out Of 5

Published In The UK By Vintage Books

This Can Be Purchased HERE and from good book sellers

Review - Zom-B By Darren Shan

Zom-B is a radical new series about a zombie apocalypse, told in the first person by one of its victims. The series combines classic Shan action with a fiendishly twisting plot and hard-hitting and thought-provoking moral questions dealing with racism, abuse of power and more. This is challenging material, which will captivate existing Shan fans and bring in many new ones. As Darren says, "It's a big, sprawling, vicious tale...a grisly piece of escapism, and a barbed look at the world in which we live. Each book in the series is short, fast-paced and bloody. A high body-count is guaranteed!" taken from goodreads

I've been meaning to read Darren Shan's work for many years now and with the launch of his new zom-b series I thought it was the perfect time to start.

The cover is just AMAZING!!  If this doesn't catch your eye, nothing ever will.  Its brutal, grotesque and ever so awesome.  Its just genius!!

One of the first things I noticed about this book was its compact size.  I love the idea of these books being released in instalments and so you get it in easily digestible (excuse the pun) lots.  It makes it a great quick read for the likes of me, but also makes it more appealing to the reluctant reader. 

After hearing about Darren's love of horror I was kind of expecting the book to be horror filled from beginning to end, I was in for a surprise.  Yes there is a bit of Zombie action at the start and loads at the end, but the middle really is about building a world for the main characters to exist and see how they adapt to a new world.

Darren actually hits on some huge current issues that I really didn't expect to be in a horror story.  I found myself liking characters and then changing my mind due to their actions, then finding out more about their backgrounds and feeling sorry for them.  I wasn't prepared to feel so much from a 'horror' story, it was a great revelation to me.

The story comes with some amazing twists and turns, that were very unexpected for me.  I do love a surprise!!!

There were a few loose ends which I am very intrigued by and also wondering where the next book will start from as the conclusion definitely left me thinking where next??

I'm so glad to have finally read some of 'The Master of Horrors' work and was not disappointed what so ever.  However I do know, I really wouldn't like to meet any of Darren's characters in a dark alley!!!

Rating 4 Out Of 5

Published By Simon And Schuster

This Can Be Purchased HERE and from all good book sellers

Review - Dance Of Shadows By Yelena Black

"Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .

Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . .

Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Josh, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed . ." taken from Goodreads 

This definitely isn't the typical type of book I go for.  Its contemporary and about dancing, yet this had something that attracted me to it and I'm thrilled I took a chance on it.

The cover is STUNNING.  You know exactly what the book is based around, with the added touches of sinister'ness and possible paranormal happenings.  I can't express enough love it!!

Before starting the book I read a little interview with the author Yelena.  She mentioned a love of all things Bronte And Austen, so yet again it was a major hook for me - I am a fan of all things Bronte and Austen too.  She put an emphasis of Jane Eyre, which is my absolute favourite - this was just getting better and better for me as a reader.

From the beginning you have this building mystery that gets you hooked right in.  I finished the first chapter with an actual Ooooh, excited to see where the story was going to go.

I adored the school setting.  I loved that this was a different type of school to what I'm used to reading about, be it a school for wizards, vampires, secret agents.  This was a refreshing and interesting change.  Yet with the mystery kept me wanting to know more.

I'd heard that ballet was particularly brutal on dancers, both mentally and physically.  This book shows that and then some.  I really don't envy the things that dancers feet have to go through.

This did suffer with something that so much YA suffers from and that is very premature declarations of love.  It is in most teen set books but I still find it very frustrating.

Each page turn had me suspecting all variety of things and yet I didn't guess completely correct so that was a huge bonus.  I was pleased to see the incorporation of elements that I love from other books.  Being cryptic to avoid spoilers is tricky sometimes.

On finishing this instalment of the book I have to say I felt it had more of an Austen feel than the Jane Eyre / Bronte links that were mentioned early on.

I'm really excited by the conclusion of this story and am so eager to see where the next part will go.  I can actually say I have no idea how it will pan out and that is truly thrilling for us readers.

This story will definitely give any wannabe dancers out there pause for thought - the world of dance just got seriously scary!!!

Rating 4 Out Of 5

Published In The UK By Bloomsbury

This Can Be Purchased HERE and from Good Book Sellers

Review - Shadows On The Moon By Zoe Marriott

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

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

Suzume died officially the day the Prince's men accused her father of treason. Now even she is no longer sure of her true identity.

Is she the girl of noble birth living under the tyranny of her mother’s new husband, Lord Terayama? A lowly drudge scraping a living in the ashes of Terayama’s kitchens? Or Yue, the most beautiful courtesan in the Moonlit Lands?

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

And nothing will stop her. Not even love" taken from Goodreads

I've wanted to read a book by the lovely Zoe Marriott for some time now.  I've had Shadows On The Moon, sitting on my shelf since last December and just never found myself getting round to it.  Thanks to the awesome Bluewater YA bookclub we chose Shadows as our book for October - YES I FINALLY GET TO READ IT!!!

The cover is beautiful.  So subtle and delicate, but gives you the setting and atmosphere of the book.  Huge thumbs up!!

I read a interview with Zoe before starting the book and when I read that it was a slight retelling of Cinderella, I did a little inward groan.  I just felt I had read so many fairytale revamps that I didn't see how it could be done differently again.  I am thrilled to say I was completely wrong on all counts.  This was completely new and to be honest it was a very loose adaptation and so felt very fresh.

I'd never read a book with a Japanese setting before either, so yet more new ground for me.  I hold my hands up to be rather uneducated in these matters and found myself rather confused by the names of people and places.  Also objects they used were quite foreign to me.  I have to admit to needing a glossary, I think it would have enhanced my enjoyment of the story somewhat.

The story is rather dark and understandably the character of Suzume suffers greatly through this.  I was really surprised by the way in which she deals with her depression and really didn't expect to find this in a fantasy set book.  I totally applaud Zoe for her handling of it.  Its a subject that doesn't in my opinion get much coverage and any highlighting of it is needed.

Although I had times of not fulling understanding the story due to my ignorance, I was absolutely thrilled with the conclusion.  It was rounded off really neatly and was as happy a end to the story as you could expect, which was a much more realistic way to finish the story. 

Zoe's writing is incredible and pulls you straight in.  I can't wait to read more from her in the future, just hope I'll understand more of the setting next time.

Rating 3 1/2 Out Of 5

Published in The UK By Walker Books

This Can Be Purchased HERE and from all good book sellers

Review - Pantomime By Laura Lam

"R. H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue Penglass—remnants of a mysterious civilisation long gone—are wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It’s a place where anything seems possible, where if you close your eyes you can believe that the magic and knowledge of the vanished Chimaera is still there. It’s a place where anyone can hide.

Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, the daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline, and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Micah Grey, a runaway living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist’s apprentice and soon becomes the circus’s rising star.

But Gene and Micah have balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that could unlock the mysteries of Ellada." taken from Goodreads

I'd been seeing the cover image for this popping up in the blogging world quite a bit and was understandably very drawn to it straight away.  I guess I did a fair bit of judging a book by its cover, as I knew I wanted to read it before I knew anything much about it.  Luckily for me the cover wasn't deceptive!!

The cover is gorgeous.  I love the vintage style image of the girl, with just the touches of colour in the background showing the circus.  I guess I hadn't thought of circus' being places filled with secrets before and the fact that the cover girl seems to be going 'Ssssh' is a fantastic little touch.

The story kicks off with two characters in two seasons (spring & summer) Its two totally different environments that I really couldn't see much to connect them, but that made the reading all the more enjoyable as I was fascinated with both landscapes.  I couldn't decide which one I wanted to read about more.

The alternating chapters / Characters are so well written and flow so well.  It kept the reading exciting.

It takes quite some time to learn what links the characters and to say I was shocked is a huge understatement.  I just didn't see it coming but also didn't expect this type of occurrence in an olde worlde setting (I love trying to be cryptic)  This also goes to prove my extreme naivety once again!!

After the link reveal I have to say that I started to feel hugely conflicted by the actions of individuals in the book.  I could totally understand why they took the actions that they did but it just didn't feel right and by this time I was so involved in the story that I felt somewhat conspiritory in what was happening.  I felt guilty and that's something I've never felt before from reading - its pretty genius!!

The conclusion to the story left my head spinning.  I actually stayed up to the early hours of the morning because I just needed to know what was going to happen.  I was shocked by some of the events and then just questioning what was happening here or what did this mean or why did this happen?  I'm just praying that a book 2 is in the works as I NEED some things filled in pronto!!!

Pantomime is a fascinating, exciting, thought provoking, colourful read that kept me intrigued for hours (especially some really boring hours at the hospital - this book was my Savior then)  Its left me dying to know more about the circus!!!

Rating 4 Out Of 5

Published In The UK By Strange Chemistry

This Can Be Purchased HERE and From good book retailers

Review - The Dark Heroine By Abigail Gibbs

"One moment can change your life forever…

For Violet Lee, a chance encounter on a darkened street draws her into a world beyond her wildest imaginings, a timeless place of vast elegance and immeasurable wealth – of beautiful mansions and lavish parties – where a decadent group of friends live for pleasure alone. A place from which there is no escape… no matter how hard Violet tries.

Yet all the riches in the world can’t mask the darkness that lies beneath the gilded surface, embodied in the charismatic but dangerous Kaspar Varn.

Violet and Kaspar surrender to a passion that transcends their separate worlds – but it’s a passion that comes at a price…" taken from Goodreads

The first I actually saw of this book was in a tweet from DarkReaders, saying they had been sent a copy and were loving it.  A few days later I got an email telling me about the release and wondering if I would like to review it.  After a very brief conversation with Casey over at DR I was advised to say a HELL YES!!

The cover is very cool.  Understated, but effective.  I love the key details like the bite marks.  I think maybe more elegant writing would have been better for the title though.

This has to have one of the most exhilarating starts to a book ever.  Seriously so much happens and not at all pretty I have to say.  I was pulled in straight away and was desperate to know more.  The writing is so incredibly descriptive and vivid that it was so easy to paint the picture of what was happening.  This could be helped slightly by the use of very local locations for me, being used in the book.  I read Rochester and had a little excited dance (I don't get out often obviously)

The story shifts incredibly quickly that kept me on my toes.  In just a few pages I read Creepy stuff, sexy stuff and down right sinister stuff.  It was done in a way that flowed well though, so didn't feel out of place or anything.

I found some of the wording to be very 'Americanised' which I found strange seeing as it was a London / Kent set book.  I can't say I hear people saying words like 'Jerk' or 'News Anchor' very often.

The thing that surprises me so much with this book is the fact that the author was just 15 when she started to write this book.  There are things that happen in this story that I barely know now let alone back in my teens.  Its a real eye opener!

Although Kaspar is the lead male character, I found him particularly annoying and not all that appealing.  His constant nickname for Violet was a HUGE turn off too.  I really wouldn't find it attractive to be called that all the time.  His character does mellow somewhat, but I don't know if the damage had already been done for me as a reader?  I guess I will know more in the next book.

This book takes some really intriguing twists that makes it very absorbing.  Its so addictive that it had me constantly saying just one more chapter.

Rating 4 Out Of 5

Published In The UK By Harper Voyager

This Can Be Purchased HERE and from good book retailers

Review - Poltergeeks By Sean Cummings

"15-year-old Julie Richardson is about to learn that being the daughter of a witch isn't all it's cracked up to be. When she and her best friend, Marcus, witness an elderly lady jettisoned out the front door of her home, it's pretty obvious to Julie there's a supernatural connection.

In fact, there's a whisper of menace behind increasing levels of poltergeist activity all over town. After a large-scale paranormal assault on Julie's high school, her mother falls victim to the spell Endless Night. Now it's a race against time to find out who is responsible or Julie won't just lose her mother's soul, she'll lose her mother's life." taken from goodreads

The first thing that definitely drew me to this book was the cover.  Its just the coolest imagery, to me it has a very comic book look, which blends well with the characters in the book both being into everything geektastic.  It also tells you a whole lot about the story, which is always handy for picking a read suited to you!!

From the get go, you really get that Julie the lead character is a hell of a sassy teen.  The narration is totally contemporary, but then you have a supernatural twist on it.  It really makes it for teens of today, so in that case I'm not sure of the long term reader appeal on this.

I have to say quite often I felt really frustrated with Julie.  Now this could partly be down to me getting older and not being as youthful but I just wanted Julie to listen to the advice her Mum would give her or actually speak to an elder.  I couldn't read a reason for her to be so rebellious and so came my annoyance.  I do also understand that the story wouldn't have gone very far if she hadn't of been a tad naughty, so in that end it was needed.

For me this did feel like a very fictional world - of course it is fictional but when reading I love to be able to think about how things would work if this was real life.  This just didn't have anything that I could see actually being real.  For this it had a kind of Charmed / Sabrina the Teenage witch feel - both shows that I really enjoyed, so it didn't make the book a bad experience, just a different experience.

Something that I really loved about the book was the setting of Calgary in Canada.  I've never actually been there but my best friend moved there when we were teenagers, so it was fun reading of places that she had mentioned to me.  I now want to go to Tim Hortons even more!

There is definite room for expansion on the story.  There are quite a few loose ends that would be great to see built on or sorted once and for all!

A fun, sassy read for teens of today, that like a hint of magic!!

Rating 3 Out Of 5

Published In The UK By Strange Chemistry

This Can Be Purchased HERE and from all good book retailers

Review - The Reckoning By Alma Katsu

"I turned to Luke and reached for him. My blood felt as though it had seized up in my veins.
"Lanny, what is it?" Luke asked.
I clutched his lapel desperately
"It's Adair. He's free."

FOR 200 YEARS SHE'S BEEN HIDING

He gave her immortality.
She tried to destroy him.
Now he is searching for her.
They must not meet.
Or there will be a RECKONING" taken from Goodreads

Last year the only 'adult' fiction I read was The Taker.  I was utterly enthralled by it.  At times it was so brutal that I had to put the book down, but that just made me more eager to pick it up again.  I was so eager to read the sequel, so imagine my excitement when it finally arrived.

The cover although utterly beautiful, I kind of don't get the relevance of it to the book.  I don't even think Lanny is a brunette?  I loved the original tattoo style of the first cover and was hoping to see something in that design again.  I kind of missed the black edged pages too.

My initial reaction to starting this was that I didn't feel as anxious as I did with The Taker.  Generally I am more scared of the unknown, so you would assume that this booking being set in real time as opposed to flash backs would be a hell of a lot more scary.  Somehow I had a completely different reaction to what I expected.

I did love the use of different narrators for this instalment.  I didn't expect some characters to have the thoughts they did, so this gave me a great new insight.

Some of the story was a little repetitive for me.  Especially the thoughts of Adair.  I felt he just kept thinking and saying the same things and by repeating them it didn't change or accomplish anything.

I didn't feel any great connection to any of the characters.  For me they were weak, twisted, unpleasant in some cases all of the above.  I didn't feel I was routing for anyone in particular, but it enabled me to read it in an unemotional way.

All that said the conclusion was brilliant, I am so excited to see where the next book will go.  I actually have no idea what will happen next!

Overall I didn't enjoy this as much as The Taker, but I know understand why its necessary to bridge to the conclusion which I have very HIGH hopes for!!

Rating 3 1/2 Out Of 5

Published In The UK By Century Books

This Can Be Purchased HERE and from Good book retailers

Review - A Monster Calls By Patrick Ness

"The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth." taken from Goodreads

I'd seen this book around for a while and although being intrigued by it, I hadn't taken the plunge and bought a copy.  Well thank god for Bluewater Waterstone's YA bookclub - it was picked as the September read and so I finally HAD to buy & read it.

The cover and all the illustrations inside are just amazing.  Its all so atmospheric and sets the tone for the book so well.  I love that you get to see details of whats happening, but you don't get every tiny detail, so it still gives your imagination time to build on the world.  I understand a new adult version of the book has been released without the pictures, I really feel this will make the story lose some of its impact.  I also think that the pictures in no way make the book child like, so removing them to make it more adult doesn't seem quite right to me.

From the start of this story you know you are in for a heart breaker.  The lead character Conor is going through so much and no matter what happens you feel that things just seem to be getting worse.  Its not long into the book that you meet 'the monster' and Conor's casual attitude about meeting this thing makes it all the more evident how resigned he is to bad stuff happening.

I love that this book offers so much in so many ways to all of its readers, be it young or old.  It really is incredible that a story can be interpreted by different readers in the way it is meant to for them.  I can imagine children being enthralled by the creepy monster, teens relating to Conor, adults picking which senior characters they agree with. 

I thought it was amazing that the meaning behind the story can also be read in the way that you need it, it could be a horror or it could be a psychological tale.  On this front I could almost see factors that related to Pans Labyrinth.  To this day I'm not completely sure what in that film was real or not and this book definitely has some of that going on.

This is a truly clever, insightful & somewhat tragic story that anyone who has suffered a loss in their life could relate too.   It also acts as a great manual for anyone going through a traumatic time, a cautionary tale of the ways to handle it and the ways not to!!

Rating 4 1/2 Out Of 5

Published In The UK By Walker Books

This Can Be Purchased Here And From All Good Book Sellers

Here is what Bluewater Waterstones Bookclub thought of the book

Review - The Gathering Dark By Leigh Bardugo

"The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.

Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?

The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfil her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.

But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?

Glorious. Epic. Irresistible. Romance." taken from Goodreads

I'd been hearing wonderful things about The Gathering Dark for ages and have been eager to read it myself.  Recently I'd lost my passion for reading and hoped this would be just the book to get me back in my groove.  I'm happy to say that this was 100% Successful!!

The cover is stunning.  Everything from the setting, the girl, the scrolls, its all stunning and absolutely fitting to the story.  My only tiny gripe is that the girl seems to be wearing a cape, when really is should be more robe like with sleeves (kefta).  Like I say tiny gripe!!

On starting this I was instantly grabbed by the plot, the characters and the setting.  I instantly wanted to know where the story was going and even found myself plotting out how the story could go (I was completely wrong by the way)

The story turns in a way that lead character Alina ends up meeting new people and going to new places.  I found myself completely relating to Alina and how she felt about new friendships.  Its plain to see that Alina questions why she is being treated different to how she has ever been treated before.  Also she see's the cattiness of girls and wonders what goes on behind her back.  I have totally been in this situation and to be honest I still don't know how to overcome it, so to read of how Alina deals with it was actually helpful!!

Another thing that we deal with in everyday life is the feeling of wanting to be special, to stand out on doing something or having a amazing talent.  I found it quite refreshing to read about a character learning of their special skill and instead of it making them the most popular person, it has a somewhat reverse effect.  I guess for me the story showed that the grass most definitely isn't greener.

Looking back now I see I shouldn't have been shocked but the turn of events of this story had me absolutely shocked.  I was actually pretty saddened that things didn't go quite as I envisaged.  I now see that everything goes as it should and just maybe my judgement should be questioned!!

The conclusion left me incredibly excited and desperate to see what will happen next.  Why is part two not out already??  While I wait for the release I shall be on the hunt for my very own kefta that I can wear, whilst I wait to my next instalment of Alina and the gang

Rating 5 Out Of 5

Published In The UK By Indigo Books

This Can Be Purchased HERE and from good book retailers

Review - SHIFT By Em Bailey

"There were two things everyone knew about Miranda Vaile before she'd even started at our school. The first was that she had no parents - they were dead. And the second was that they were dead because Miranda had killed them."

Olive used to be the school queen-bee. But that was before her breakdown. Now she's the class loner, and can only watch as new girl Miranda latches on to Olive's ex-best friend Katie. Soon Miranda is talking like Katie, dressing like Katie - even going out with Katie's boyfriend.

And then Katie dies. Everyone seems to believe it was a tragic accident, but OIive isn't so sure. What if the wild rumours are true? What if Miranda really is a killer...?" taken from Goodreads

I was instantly intrigued when I first heard about Shift.  Although the idea may have been done in a fashion before, for me it was new and the idea highly appealed to me.

The cover is fantastic and so applicable to the story.  I love how the face created with the different parts kind of fit.  Very clever work there!!

This is a great suspense builder of a read.  Every page you read you find out a little, but never quite enough so that you aren't questioning where is the story going next.

There are constant mentions of an incident which really had me wondering what is it??  It kept me dying for more!!

What I didn't expect from the story was an element of paranormalcy.  It was an inclusion that I greatly appreciated as I am a huge paranormal fan, so I was extremely happy.

About mid way through the book there is a BIG reveal - I was in complete shock by it.  I didn't see it coming at all, but I have to say when I read it, everything pieced together and I saw it quite obviously.

I was seriously creeped out by the character of Miranda.  She is the epitome of the nightmare person for me.  And so when you read characters swarming round her I couldn't help but want to scream NO STAY AWAY!!!

I have to say with the added pieces that I didn't expect this was a very different reading experience to what I was expecting, but that made it all the more enjoyable for me, although I was left with several lingering questions.  I wonder if these will ever be addressed??

This is a hugely addictive, suspenseful read that had me gripped!!

Rating 4 Out Of 5

Published In The UK By Electric Monkey

This Can Be Purchased HERE and from all good book sellers

NB - For Anyone in the South East London area SHIFT is the July Book club read for Waterstones YA Reading Group

Review - The Hunt By Andrew Fukuda

"Against all odds, 17-year-old Gene has survived in a world where humans have been eaten to near extinction by the general population. The only remaining humans, or hepers as they are known, are housed in domes on the savannah and studied at the nearby Heper Institute. Every decade there is a government sponsored hunt. When Gene is selected to be one of the combatants he must learn the art of the hunt but also elude his fellow competitors whose suspicions about his true nature are growing." taken from goodreads

I first heard of this book at the Christmas Simon & Schuster blogger event.  I was instantly intrigued by the look and sound of the plot.  I loved the idea of a vampiric / Hunger Games mixture.  Here's what I thought.

The cover is HOT!!  The guy is stunning, which is an instant pull to the book.  The creepy guys in the background tell you that some scary stuff goes down too.  I'm interested to see what book two's cover will be like.

On starting this I was pretty scared by the creepy reality that our lead character lives in.  He has to hide every thing about his humanness and is completely isolated living alone.  But it is from here that I started to feel my first niggles with the book.  Obviously this is its own book and I really shouldn't be thinking of the vampires that have been written about before, but I couldn't help it.  The way a human is detected in this world just didn't make sense to me.  There are some things that would be impossible to hide and yet our lead character seems to be able to do this.  The big thing for me was that the vampires could only smell blood if a human (Heper) was cut.  I could just not understand this and so made the book some what frustrating for me throughout.

There are however some extremely thrilling turn of events that would be so hard to not be enthralled by.  There are many dramatic and action filled scenes that had me on the edge of my seat.  I felt so much fear for Gene and constantly worried about where his actions would lead.

The story concludes with a cliff hanger as I expected and definitely left me wanting to know where the story will go next.  I will be buying the next instalment for sure - I just need to overcome my vampire baggage!!

Rating 3 Out Of 5

Published In The UK By Simon And Schuster

This Can Be Purchased HERE and from good book retailers

Review - City Of Lost Souls By Cassandra Clare

Spoilers from previous books are possible

"Jace is now a servant of evil, bound for all eternity to Sebastian. Only a small band of Shadowhunters believe he can be saved. To do this they must defy the Clave. And they must act without Clary. For Clary is playing a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace's soul.

Clary is willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?

What price is too high to pay, even for love?" taken from Goodreads

Where do I begin with this wonderful book......

Firstly the Cover, I really like this and think the models on the front really capture the likeness's of Clary and Jace, and if I didn't know of the books would of felt inclined to pick the book up just on the cover alone.

We start off immediately where City of Fallen Angels ended, in this the 5th book of her Mortal Instruments series but saying that all of Cassie Clare's Mortal Instruments book are excellent stand alone books, with cliff hangers if you want to read just one.

 In these books, for anyone that hasn't read the previous books in the Mortal Instruments series, we have Magic, Werewolves, faeries, Warlocks, all set in modern day America, plus various European countries. Also Young love, Mature love, Gay love, and even a bit of incest, but these are just a tiny part of this 539 page book.

I can't tell you anything of the book in any great detail, as I'd be giving you spoilers and literally this is such an action packed book, every couple of pages would bring a spoiler!!! We get to see more of the characters in depth, and find out why some are as they are nowadays. We also see more of Jocelyn in this book and we have some new characters.
Cassie has also written them in a more adult theme, and there were some scenes that made me go Oooohhhh!!!! Maia, Alec and Magnus, will never be quite the same in my eyes.

To me, Clary is my daughter District YA, Jace is her partner and Simon our next door neighbour (although I'd like Simon to be her partner) and I of course am Jocelyn. I read the stories and we become them, I'd love to give you a story that I can liken from my past that would emulate their story, but alas we really never had that much excitement. Mind you having said that when I was 10, we went to live in Australia and en route we stopped in Cairo, we were warned before leaving the ship on no account to go to the Cairo museum as in the last couple of months before we arrived, two people had been taken to the Museum by fake policeman and been murdered. I was sitting in an outdoor cafe with my parents and little brother when a policeman came up and started to speak in very good English, and said he would like to show us around the Cairo Museum!!!! My Dad told him to push off, with that a cab pulled up and the Policeman grabbed my Mums arm and tried to get her into the cab, with the cab driver trying to push my brother and myself into the back on the other side!!!! My Dad did no more than punch the Policeman as hard as he could in the  face, grabbed my little brother and told us too run, run, run. I had my Mums hand and we could of won the Olympics, we ran so fast. We had a number of people running after us, police, cab driver and a number of Egyptian men, but we got to the boat, and they were shouting and screaming at us.... Luckily the boat left a couple of hours later, and these men stayed on the quayside until we left. My Dad would definitely of been Nephilim. But that is the wonderful thing with Cassie, she writes so descriptively and with such enthusiasm that that you do become the characters or at the very least find ways to relate to them.

I'm going to meet Cassie on the 26th May, and really can't wait to tell her what a superb writer she is, I think she would be my perfect dinner companion, and I want to know if in real life she has as much energy as her characters. The only thing that would make her books better is if she brought them out chapter by chapter, so we didn't have to wait another year for the next edition.

In my opinion The Mortal Instrument books are my favourite books of all time, and she deals with various issues in such an enlightened way.

Rating 5 Out Of 5

Published In The UK By Walker Books

This Can Be Purchased HERE and from Good Book Retailers

Review By SUE

Review - Dead Rules By R.S.Russell

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

The first I actually heard of this book, was when I received it in the mail.  From looking at the cover & then reading the blurb I was definitely excited.

The cover is very dramatic.  The girls face and features are so eye catching and almost sinister looking without having anything remotely scary about it.

On starting this I have to admit I was hugely confused.  It was kind of like I was dropped into the middle of a story with no explanations - its like you are expected to already know what has passed.  So from the start I have to say I had trouble connecting to the story.

Then came my next lot of what I can only call confusion came, the characters were so blase about their current situations.  Something seriously HUGE has happened to all of them and especially the main character Jana is essentially just 'oh well nevermind' I just could not grasp this attitude.

But this all blends in eventually and you realise the story is basically a black comedy / drama.  The way some of the kids have to 'live' is very darkly comical - you almost feel guilty for giggling to yourself.

The story really got going for me towards the end, I found I was more intrigued and wanting to know the conclusion of the story.  The end kept in with the black humour theme - you definitely couldn't say it was a happy ending for all.

This was an interesting story that had mirrors to the book series Ghost Girl and to the TV show Dead Like Me - both of which I loved, so there were definitely some parts that I really did enjoy.

Rating 3 Out Of 5

This Is Published In The UK By Quercus

This Can Be Purchased HERE and from good book retailers

Review - Unrest By Michelle Harrison

'Seventeen-year-old Elliott hasn’t slept properly for months. Not since the accident that nearly killed him. Sometimes he half-wakes, paralysed, while shadowy figures move around him. Other times he is the one moving around, while his body lies asleep on the bed. His doctors say sleep paralysis and out of body experiences are harmless - but to Elliott they’re terrifying.

Convinced that his brush with death has attracted the spirit world, Elliott secures a job at a reputedly haunted museum, determined to discover the truth. There, he meets the enigmatic Ophelia. But, as she and Elliott grow closer, Elliott draws new attention from the dead. One night, during an out of body experience, Elliott returns to bed to find his body gone. Something is occupying it, something dead that wants to live again . . . and it wants Ophelia, too . . . '

I first heard that Michelle was going to be releasing a YA set book when I was lucky enough to meet her last year at a bookshop signing.  I'd heard everyone raving about her '13' series - which I own but am still to read (I'm so slow!) but I was still extremely excited and thought what a great way to introduce me to her work - reading in a style I'm more familiar with.  I'm thrilled to say I LOVED it!!!

The cover is absolutely genius!  Its very subtle, but so effective.  It just shows that loads doesn't have to be happening for it to still make an impact.  Bravo to the art team!!!

The book starts with a very creepy chapter that pretty much sums up what you are about to read - this is some unsettling stuff and had me instantly gripped.

As you read you are given snippets of Elliott's life, some of which is very normal then others very paranormal - for me this made the story relate able but then fantastical giving just the right balance to get you into it, and considering the possibilities of what has happened to the character.

I LOVED the place that Elliot ends up working at.  I so wish there really was this museum - I would be there A LOT!!  Past Lives gets a huge thumbs up from me.
Plus the home location of Elliott is actually fairly close to where I live - I had a major geek out over that - I could have passed Elliott in his fictional world!!!

I had times of not necessarily knowing where the story was going, but this just made reading the story even more enjoyable.  It just made me want to read it even more, meaning less time for real life stuff, whoops!!!

I must admit I did guess the twist at the end, but only JUST before it happened, so I spent plenty of time in suspense.  It was super clever and not obvious for me at all - I do love a surprise!!

For me this has to be one of the best UK set YA books I have read in a very long time.  I adore Michelle's writing style and am praying that she has more YA fiction to come in the future!!!

Rating 4 Out Of 5



 Published In The UK By Simon And Schuster

This Can Be Purchased HERE and From Good Book Retailers

Review - The Intern By Dillon Khan

When Jay Merchant lands an internship for the best job in music television, he is given a backstage pass to the biggest gig of his life. The velvet rope to the biggest VIP parties and hottest celebrities has been lifted and now he's got to capture it on camera. But with only six months to turn his intern dream into a real job, does he have what it takes? It's time to face the music..  taken from goodreads

I hadn't actually heard of this book until Puffin the publishers asked if I would be interested in reading a copy.  I did a bit of bookish research and instantly loved the idea of the story and so jumped at getting a copy.

The cover is very cool and funky.  Its perfect fitting for the story and the time in which the story is set.

The story is set in 2000 - this is back when I was 15 turning 16 and so brought back so many memories for me.  This really was a time that I LOVED everything music and TV, so could relate to so much of what the lead character Jay was talking about.
So Jay has left uni and is desperately trying to get a job in the media industry.  He sets his sights on working at THE BEAT.  Jay literally goes all out to secure an internship working there and so the story goes on.  I loved reading of the lengths he goes to.

The internship leads not only to hard work, but some hard play.  Having had a somewhat not so secret longing to be included in the VIP, celebrity circuits I could really enjoy these tales of fun and scandal.  Its all the sorts of stuff that you imagine happening, but can barely dream of witnessing.
I've always had a really keen interest in the media industry, but being kind of shy it would never have worked me.  Reading this, even though not gospel truths on the industry (I must remember its fiction!) has made me feel more dubious and even kind of freaked at the idea of it.  If even half of this stuff really goes on, then I know I wouldn't last long!!

All the chapters titles are song names - this is just awesome.  I recognised the majority of them, but there are definitely a few I need to look up.

I was stunned at some of the details Dillion managed to put in.  This as I mentioned brought up so many memories for me, all I can think is Dillon either has an amazing memory or impeccable researching skills??  This does lead to a slight concern for me in that for some younger readers they aren't going to have a clue what the TV shows or music being spoken about are - I really hope this doesn't limit the possible fan base for the book.  That's probably just me being harsh on readers out there though!!

The touches of having a few real life celebrities mentioned in the story, made it feel a whole lot more real than most stories I read.  It was kind of like reading a reality show - something I had never considered before, but something that works really well.
There were a few questions I was left with, but nothing majorly important!!
This is such an enjoyable fun read.  It really was impossible for me to put down at the end as I couldn't go to sleep without knowing how things were going to end.  I hope to see more from this world in the future.

Rating 3 1/2 Out Of 5

This Is Published In The UK By Puffin

This Can Be Purchased HERE and from all good book retailers

Review - Pandemonium By Lauren Oliver

 As This Is A Sequel Some Spoilers Are Possible

"I’m pushing aside
the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana
and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame." from goodreads

I've been extremely excited for the sequel to Delirium, since devouring it last year.  I'd never considered what a world without love would be like till reading that and it literally had me thinking about it ever since.

The UK cover is beautiful.  It is quite fitting with the location of much of the book.  However I was slightly disappointed that it was so different to the first cover.  I do like to have some sort of theme that runs through and couldn't see it with this.

On starting the book I was astonished to find where I was in the story.  Quite some time has passed and things have evolved vastly, which just made me eager to read on and find out what has happened.

You find out that the book alternates between two times, just after the last book and sometime in the future.  The shifting between the two times made me more and more curious as to how things could change so much, but like I said it makes you want to read faster to try and find out whats, what.

At times I found the descriptions of 'then' to be somewhat over descriptive.  I felt I just wanted to read about the characters and wasn't so excited to read about what was surrounding them.  This possibly is somewhat down to me being impatient and just wanting to know everything already.

I found reading about the struggles of the 'wild' very hard to comprehend.  I even started to question if the life Lena had before was THAT bad.  You realise what they are fighting for is worth it and hopefully in the same position people would fight for the same.

Pandemonium was completely different to Delirium and so not at all what I was expecting.  As I had certain expectations, I didn't find it quite as enjoyable as I thought I would.  That said I was really engrossed with the end and am extremely eager to read the finale and see how it all ends!

Rating 3 Out Of 5

Published in the UK By Hodder And Stoughton

This Can Be Purchased HERE and at all good book retailers

Review - Fateful By Claudia Gray

'A tragic tale about falling in love on the world’s most infamous ill-fated sea voyage as heroine, Tess, discovers darker secrets that lie beneath the doomed crossing… and a hidden brotherhood that threaten to tear her lover from her forever.

The RMS Titanic is the most luxurious ship ever built, but for eighteen-year-old Tess Davies it’s a prison. Travelling as a maid for the family she has served for years, Tess is trapped in their employ amid painful memories and family secrets.

When she meets Alec, a handsome upper class passenger, Tess falls helplessly in love. But Alec has secrets of his own… and soon Tess is entangled in a dangerous game. A sinister brotherhood that will do anything to induct Alec into their mystical order has followed him onboard. And Tess is now their most powerful pawn.

Tess and Alec fight the dark forces threatening to tear them apart, never realising that they will have to face an even greater peril before the journey is over….'' taken from goodreads

I'm the Mum of District YA, otherwise known as Sue, and was very kindly given Fateful to read by my daughter Leanne. The first I saw of this was when she was received the book from the very kind Harper Collins, I immediately grabbed it to be the first to read it. I've always been very interested in the Titanic story, so much so that I went to the O2 last year to see the Titanic exhibition, which was amazing, so when I saw the brilliant cover on the Fateful novel, it really grabbed me to read it.

The cover shows a young blonde woman standing on the deck of a ship, wearing a red silk gown, with a full moon behind her, and just below the moon is an ominous looking Iceberg, which really says it all!!!!

Fateful in my opinion is Downton Abbey meets Supernatural, its an easy read with highs and lows. Claudia Gray writes her book with scenes that are easily understood, you walk the streets, cabins with a real understanding of the area your in.

In my youth I actually travelled to Australia and back to England on a ship, so could really relate to the characters feelings of being in an isolated, small area for a very long stretch of time.  A lot of the feelings I had at the time resurfaced & got me thinking of things that happened, not all of them carefree and happy, but that is a whole other story.

The book starts on April 12th 1912, and revolves around Tess a teenage maid to the impressive Lisle family. Tess has decided to start a new life, hopefully a better life in America with the Lisles, a rather complex family. You see how her hard life working for the Lisles is, and I felt Claudia Gray transported me to that time. Tess works so hard, I really embraced her character and when she meets Mikhail, who wants harm to come to her, its a case of reading the pages quicker to make sure shes okay.
Then there is the beautiful Alec, who you want to be the opposite of Mikhail, poor Tess all alone, you want her to be helped.
We all know the story of the Titanic, and obviously the outcome, but this adds to Fateful, because you know there's only 5 days for this situation to end one way or the other, and and as the days are counting down in the book I found myself willing Tess along.

All along reading the book I kept thinking of Upstairs, Downstairs and also of the 1950's film of Titanic, and was so pleased when I read the Authors notes at the end of the book, found she'd had both of these in mind, whilst writing Fateful. The book has Love, Intrigue, Mystery, Supernatural element and in my opinion was a really good read.

Rating 3 1/2 Out Of 5 

This Is Published In The UK By Harper Collins

This Can Be Purchased HERE and from good book Retailers

Review - Fever By Lauren DeStefano

"Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion. But danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago―surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The Two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine's twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous―and in a world where young woman only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can't seem to elude Rhine's father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion… by any means necessary."  taken from goodreads

Without a doubt one of the books that captivated me the most last year was Wither, the first in the Chemical Garden trilogy.  Its started from just looking at the cover, which has to be my favourite cover in a long time.  Then the story was totally different to anything I had personally read before, it really stuck with me.  So when I knew ARCs were making the rounds for Fever the second part, I was beside myself.  I had countless twitter conversations trying to get myself a copy, that proved very fruitless until the lovely Lauren herself passed on my desperation to a fantastic American blogger, who kindly sent me her copy.  I was extatic and finished my current read as fast as I could, so I could get on to this read.  So that's how I got my copy (shortly after I got my hardback copy that I bought!!)  Now what I thought of it......

Another absolutely stunning cover.  Its not quite a gorgeous as the first, but that would be extremely hard to top.  Still I love all the little features that are highlighted by circles and actually go on to have significant meanings in the book.  It always gives me a buzz to spot the links!!

I was kind of expecting to be eased back into the story of Rhine and Gabriel - Uh uh!!!!  You are thrust straight into new dangers and horrors of this bleak new world.  I found myself feeling extremely creeped out and uneasy.  I have to say I wasn't feeling totally engaged by the new turns the book was taking and still 50 pages in, I was still not totally sold.

As the story evolves, the story shifts but gets no less sinister or freaky.  I was starting to question if the life Rhine left behind was really that bad, its funny what time between books can do to your memory as you do eventually remember Rhine had very good reason for running.

On finishing the book I felt a little disappointed that for me this book just wasn't as amazing as the first one, but this definitely had the second book syndrome in that you need to have this to get to the end, but it doesn't quite do what you want it too.
I'm so eager to read the final part to the series.  Generally on books I never want them to end, but I love the character of Rhine so much that I will kind of be pleased for her that her turmoil and strife will be over one way or another with the final instalment.  That by no means that I don't want to read more of Lauren's work - quite the opposite, I will still be her number one fan pleading her to write more!!

Rating 3 Out Of 5

Published In The UK By Harper Voyager

This Can Be Purchased HERE and from good book retailers