Sunday 31 October 2010

In My Mailbox!

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren Hey guys. This week’s been an awesome week for me book wise. I’m trying to cut down on my book buying with Christmas on its way and I’m pleased and proud to announce that I haven’t bought one single book this week. So why – I bet your wondering- are you doing an In My Mailbox this week? Well that is because I got 7 books - as gifts *squee* My best friend and fellow book blogger Rachel decided to randomly be awesome and buy me the rest of the Rachel Vincent and Blue Bloods books I was after as they had them on the good old 3 for £5 deal on at The Works and then my mum decided to get me an early Christmas present The Christmas Cookie Club. She knows that I’ve had my eye on this one and she also knows that I like to read Christmas books a little while before Christmas to get me in the spirit of things so she bought it for me and let me have it early (I think a big reason is also because she wants to read it herself before Christmas when I’m finished!) So yeah it’s been a really great week for me so without further ado let’s bring out the books! Gifts! Masquerade: A Blue Bloods Novel by Melissa de la Cruz The Van Alen Legacy: A Blue Bloods Novel by Melissa de la Cruz The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman Rogue (Faythe Sanders - Book 2) by Rachel Vincent Pride (Faythe Sanders - Book 3) by Rachel Vincent Prey (Faythe Sanders - Book 4) by Rachel Vincent Shift (Faythe Sanders - Book 5) by Rachel Vincent And if that bundle of awesome wasn’t enough Rachel also sent me a book mark in the package! I LOVE book marks and this one is the perfect one for me I’m using it right now and wanted to show you guys. By the way the little people reading at the bottom? I have dubbed them (from right to left) Jess, Rachel and Ellie. *snickers* because this book mark suits me and my two best friends perfectly ;) So that’s what I got this week. Big thanks to Rachel and my mum for these books. You can check out Rachel’s book blog HERE. Hope your all having a great weekend and a fangtastic Halloween! If you’ve read any of the books I got this week and want to leave me a comment letting me know what you thought please do and make sure you leave me a link to what you got in your mailbox this week. Here’s to another great week of reading ahead!

Friday 29 October 2010

Scary, Spooky and Supernatural – Jess’s top pick’s for Halloween!

Halloween is drawing ever closer and to celebrate I wanted to recommend my top reads to get everyone in that Halloween spirit! I’ve made sure that there’s really something for everyone in these recommendations and am doing a Fear Factor Scale for each book for those who want to be truly terrified and those who get easily spooked! All of these books have been read and loved by me over the years and come highly recommended for Halloween reading!
Fear Factor Screamtastic- Highly scary read, not for the faint of heart! Spookylishious- Creepy but you’ll be able to sleep when you put it down! Tiny Terror – A fun read with supernatural, scary elements, mild Halloween reading!
Misery by Stephen KingThis is the perfect Halloween read for all you book lovers out there. Stephen King is known as the King of horror for good reason. What would you guys do if your favourite author ended a book not the way you wanted it to end? What if the author in question were staying at your home- injured and vulnerable? What if you were a murderer? Find out just how bad things can get with Misery. This one will chill all authors to the bone! Fear Factor = Screamtastic Let the Right One in by John Ajvide LindqvistForget Vampires that sparkle this horror book that’s took the world by storm is all about vampires that are out for blood! If you love traditional blood thirsty vamps this is the book for you! Fear Factor = Screamtastic The Body Finder by Kimberly DertingLove your young adult? This is the perfect book for you this Halloween. Sinister and spooky get inside the mind of a killer and a girl who finds the bodies of those who have been murdered… Fear Factor = Spookylishious Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey NiffeneggerBrilliantly told gothic ghost story. A wonderfully delicious ghost story that’s full of twists and turns this one’s guaranteed to keep you up late turning those pages! Fear Factor = Spookylishious The Poisoned House by Michael Ford- A creepy young adult historical fiction novel about a big old house and ghostly goings on. You won’t want to be home alone when you’re reading this one! Fear Factor = Spookylishious Night World: Bind-up Books 1-3 by L J Smith- If you’re a lover of all things supernatural this is a great book to read this Halloween. Three short stories about vampires, werewolves and witches this is the ideal book to pick up if you’re in the mood for the creatures that go bump in the night. Fear Factor = Tiny Terror The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan- Everybody loves a good zombie book and I’d definitely recommend this one to dystopian fans. Apocalyptic zombie fun because sometimes the scariest reads of all are the ones that really could happen someday. Fear Factor = Tiny Terror And lastly Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead- For those who dream of snuggling up next to a sexy vampire this Halloween I’d recommend Vampire Academy. By far my favourite vampire series this has plenty of action and romance to keep the vampire lovers satisfied this Halloween. Fear Factor = Tiny Terror
So there you have it my recommended Halloween reading! I loved all of these books and have only selected the best of the best. I hope some of you decide to check these out for some spooky reading and whatever you’re doing this Halloween- whether it’s trying to hunt down a hot vampire for the night, or snuggling up with lots of goodies, some films and a book I hope you all have a great time enjoying the most paranormal night of the year!
Happy Halloween! Jessica

Book Bloggers Hop & Follow My Book Blog Friday!

Hello to all my wonderful followers and to hopefully some potential new ones! This Friday I’m participating in The Book Bloggers hop which is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books and Follow my Book Blog Friday that’s hosted over at Parajunkee's View if you wish to take part please stop by there and sign the Mr Linky. This week’s question from the hop is… "What is the one bookish thing you would love to have, no matter the cost?" My answer: This one’s easy! My own HUGE personal library. Think Beauty and the Beast style- wall to ceiling shelves, a ladder to swing on, big comfy armchairs, a huge window with an outstanding view and a window seat. I fell in love with Belle’s library when I was a little girl and it still remains my dream (no matter how unrealistic) to own one like that myself someday *wistful sigh* Well I hope your all enjoying my blog and I hope some of you decide to follow! Feel free to leave me a link to your blog and let me know your answer to this week’s question. It’s great to have you all here :)

Thursday 28 October 2010

The Launch of Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them!

Today I am launching a new feature that will be taking place every Thursday on mine and my good friend Rachel @ In The Library of Ladyviolet’s blogs. This all come about in a rather bizarre (which is the norm for us :P ) conversation on twitter which started off as us discussing what boys from books we would like to lick ( not in a rude way mind just you know on the cheek or something ;) ) and then we got on to the topic of book covers and how there are so many gorgeous ones out there that we would want to express our love for them by licking them! Me and Rachel are both magpies when it comes to book covers and tend to buy a lot of books purely on their gorgeous covers alone. So this is a totally silly, superficial, fun post where we’re going to be selecting one book a week with a gorgeous cover and explain why we love it and therefore why we have insane urges to lick it! So let the craziness begin! Tongues at the ready! :P Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them A new feature co-created and co-hosted by LadyViolet and Jess Hearts Books where we show off a book cover which we find so damn scrumptious that we'd actually be willing to lick it! Every Thursday we each pick a different cover to gush about so check both blogs! My Pick for this Week Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (UK edition) So I’m sure that a lot of you have seen the US cover for this book and I like so many people fell in love at first sight. I was a little fretful that our UK cover wouldn’t be as pretty but when it was released the other week I fell in love all over again and I have to say that I love it even more than the US edition which I didn’t think was possible! My favourite colour is purple so in my opinion the more purple the better and this book definitely delivers on that! What I like about our UK ed is that the purple’s a much darker colour making the girls face and the book stand out more. I love the models eye colour it really draws you to her face and if I was to see this in a book shop it would be one that I buy straight away regardless to what it’s about. Luckily this sounds like a great read so I don’t think anyone will be disappointed if they get lured in by this cover alone. I’m really looking forward to this book and when I get it I’ll definitely be fighting off the urges to lick it! So that’s my cover for this week. Feel free to leave me comments letting me know what you think of this new feature and if you ever get insane lust over a book cover, does a lovely cover influence you buying the book? Let me know and don’t forget to stop by Rachel’s blog HERE to find out what cover she’d like to Lick this week!

Review for Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman

Its A-Level results day for Dante, a bright future at university and then a career as a journalist await him but then his ex-girlfriend Mel turns up on his doorstep holding a baby and his whole world turns upside down. Mel claims that baby Emma is his and asks Dante to mind her while she nips to the shops to get her a few things. Dante’s left reluctantly keeping an eye on Emma so Mel can get what she needs and come back and tell him what the hell’s going on, but when hours pass and Mel still hasn’t shown up Dante’s future suddenly looks less sparkling and more nappy filled… When I first heard about Boys Don’t Cry many months ago now I knew I just had to read it. Teen parenting is a topic that I’ve read a fair few books on but never have I even heard of a book told from the father’s point of view never mind a mother who has abandoned her child leaving the dad holding the baby. I feel like teen dads get a lot of slack from society for “getting the girl pregnant” not wearing protection and for them then running away and not taking responsibility for their child but that’s not always the case. I also feel like there’s a stereotype for teen fathers as being dossers living off benefits not working or supporting their kids without any real thought for how hard that would be for a young man with no qualifications. Not because he doesn’t work hard, but because he’s unable to get a job or study because he has a child to look after, to try and do right by, and sometimes as with Dante’s case a lot of young fathers have to bring up a child alone. The idea for this book is genius and gives readers a chance to experience what it’s like being a teen dad in today’s society- a society that’s quick to judge. Running alongside the main story is the subject of homosexuality and homophobia. In Dante’s younger brother Adam’s alternate chapters he experiences severe homophobic bullying. Both brothers stories join together to create a book about what it truly takes to be a real man hence the title Boys Don’t Cry. I loved both Dante and Adam as characters and related to them a lot despite being a 20 year old girl. I think this is a book both sexes can enjoy and for that reason predict it to be insanely popular. Both boys may be in their teens but they handle their situations with maturity earning them both my utter most respect and making them hugely likable. This was my first book by Malorie Blackman and I’m definitely interested in reading some more of her work. This is the kind of book I would recommend to everybody. Teens, adults, male, female readers will all enjoy this book it really gets you thinking about fatherhood, homophobia, teen parenting and how society behaves towards them. But ultimately? This is a book about family, male relationships, and what it really takes to truly be a man. 4 stars. My Rating 4/5 stars **** Thanks go to Random House for sending me this book to review. Boys Don’t Cry is out NOW and available in all good bookshops.

Monday 25 October 2010

Review for The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Violet Ambrose has been able to sense echoes for as long as she can remember. Whether they take the form of a smell, taste, sound or vision Violet is the only person who can feel them which can be seriously creepy with echoes being a signal for a dead body being around, and not just any dead body, the dead whose lives have been stolen from them. If that wasn’t bad enough Violet can also tell when somebody has killed as the echo leaves the same imprint on the murderer. In the past this has mainly just lead Violet to find dead birds and rodents left by her cat but when young girls bodies start being discovered close to Violets town Violet is drawn to find them. As the murders start getting closer and closer to home Violet knows that she has to do something. She can’t just sit there and let her gift go to waste even if best friend Jay doesn’t like it Violet knows she has no choice and sets off on a mission to take down the killer with or without Jay’s help, even though by doing so not only is she risking everything with Jay she is also risking her life… What I loved most about The Body Finder was the romance. Jay and Violet have been best friends since childhood so you don’t watch a love develop because it’s all already there straight off the bat. There were no ifs and maybes if they’d get together it was inevitable because straight away you’re hit with how badly these two are meant to be together. I had an instant couples crush on them. Violet and Jay are for me one of the sweetest most realistic couples in YA fiction. There was no stupid love triangle it was just Violet and Jay from beginning to end them against the world which I loved. As individual characters I adored both Jay and Violet from the start and now have the hugest book boy crush on Jay. He’s the sweetest guy, and what’s weird about that is that in books I usually only like the bad boys but Jay was just such a sweet heart that I couldn’t help swooning over him. I also loved Violet most heroines tend to annoy me because they make stupid choices or are too whiny and dependant on their guy but Violet was none of those things she was a really great girl who I would love to be friends with and whilst I loved them both individually they positively shone as a couple because they bring out the best in each other. As well as a brilliant romance this book has a seriously incredible plot. The story’s so fast paced constantly leaving you in suspense and is completely original to anything else out there at the moment. Kimberly Derting’s a brilliant writer one minute making you feel safe and warm in Jay and Violets little bubble and the next putting you in the mind of a seriously sadistic killer. The alternate chapters were flawlessly written and I loved being jolted out of my comfort zone when the plot would change direction keeping me on the edge of my seat. It was the perfect book to read this time of year being so close to Halloween. This book for me was completely unputdownable. Packed with suspense I just wanted to keep reading and reading to find out what was going to happen next not just with the killer but also with Jay and Violet. Creepy and intense when you finish this book you’ll be positively dying for the next instalment Desires of the Dead. Highly recommended, 4.5 stars. My Rating 4.5/5 stars ****1/2 Thanks go to Rhiana-Reads for lending me her copy to review.

200 Follower Giveaway Winner!

The winner of an ARC of both Boys don’t cry and Department 19 is…Kirsty Connor! Congratulations Kirsty I will be sending an email to you shortly, you will have 48 hours to reply else another winner will be chosen. Thank you to everyone who’s entered this contest.

Sunday 24 October 2010

In My Mailbox!

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren Hello my fellow book lovers! It’s Sunday so that means it’s in my mailbox time! I’m so excited about a few particular books this week. I got some really good ones, so without further ado let’s bring out the books! Bought Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl Revelations by Melissa De La Cruz Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz Red Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells The Mage in Black by Jaye Wells Given/ For Review Matched by Ally Condie Entice by Carrie Jones So that’s what I got this week. I got the Blue Bloods and Jaye Wells books in a buy 3 for £5 deal or one for £1.99 on at The Works which was great! They only had the first and the third book in the blue bloods series but I’m going to keep stopping by to see if they get in the other books. I was so excited when Amazon UK had Beautiful Darkness in stock a week before its release date I cannot wait to read that book I loved Beautiful Creatures so much, and Hunger just looks awesome I really love the cover for it! If you follow me on twitter you will know that all I’ve tweeted about recently is how badly I wanted Matched so when Luisa from Chicklish offered me up her copy I immediately accepted. It arrived yesterday and I done one of my most enthusiastic happy dances ever to say I was ecstatic is an understatement so excited to read it! Thank you Luisa! And then I got Entice for review from Bloomsbury which looks great I have yet to read the other two books in the series but I’m going to get round to them soon because they look really good and I’ve heard nothing but praise for them. If you’ve read any of the books I got this week and want to leave me a comment letting me know what you thought please do and make sure you leave me a link to what you got in your mailbox this week. Here’s to another great week of reading ahead!

Friday 22 October 2010

Book Bloggers Hop & Follow My Book Blog Friday!

Hello to all my wonderful followers and to hopefully some potential new ones! This Friday I’m participating in The Book Bloggers hop which is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books and Follow my Book Blog Friday that’s hosted over at Parajunkee's View if you wish to take part please stop by there and sign the Mr Linky. This week’s question from the hop is… "Where is your favorite place to read? Curled up on the sofa, in bed, in the garden?" My answer: It really depends. If I’m reading in the day I don’t like to read in bed because sometimes I’ll get so comfortable that I end up putting my book down to take a little nap so that’s not productive when I want to read. So my place of choice in the day is on my armchair by the coffee table with a lamp on, a drink and something to nibble at snuggled up under a blanket. At night however I love reading in bed – when the house is silent with everybody else asleep it’s lovely to be all warm and snug lost in your book. But then in summer I love love love reading outside in the garden. A nice easy summer read along with a cocktail in the sun is my idea of heaven. So I guess to sum up I have a lot of different favourite places to read for different moods not just one set place. Well I hope your all enjoying my blog and I hope some of you decide to follow! I have a giveaway going on at the minute open internationally exclusive to my followers that you might want to check out here. Feel free to leave me a link to your blog and let me know your answer to this week’s question. It’s great to have you all here :)

Thursday 21 October 2010

Booking Through Thursday

Name a book (or books) from a country other than your own that you love. Or aren’t there any? Oh I read so many books from different countries! In fact some of my all-time favourites are translated. One of my favourite books of this year The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is by a Spanish author and No and Me another book I enjoyed recently is translated from the French. On top of that I read many, many books by American authors. I don’t really mind where a books based or if it’s been translated I like books with all types of different settings and read books from other countries regularly.

Review for Sugar and Spice by Lauren Conrad

Sugar and Spice is the last instalment in the L.A Candy series. These books have been my sweet little guilty pleasures this year and although they may not be the best pieces of literature they keep me entertained which for me is the main thing. The L.A Candy series follows a year in the life of a group of young, L.A girls who have launched to fame through a hit reality TV show. These books are semi autobiography, semi fiction based on author Lauren Conrad’s time on MTVs hugely successful reality series The Hills. In Sugar and Spice things pick up where Sweet Little Lies left off. After recently being betrayed by supposed friend and co-star Madison, Jane’s fast learning who she can and can’t trust now that she’s living under the spotlight. Whilst the tabloids are trying to create a rivalry between the girls all Jane wants is to cut her frenemies out and take back control of her life and normality, but normal is hard to achieve when you’re the nations sweetheart and your ex-boyfriend from back home comes creeping out of the works. Add on top of that Jane’s current L.A crush Brandon and life proves to be just as dramatic off screen as it is on. Meanwhile Jane’s best friend Scarlett is having some boy troubles of her own. Her new boyfriend Liam is the guy of her dreams, sweet, kind and down to earth Liam has no interest in appearing on L.A candy – which would be perfect if the bosses of the show didn’t keep trying to set up flirtatious scenes between Scarlett and guys who are willing to appear on the show causing Scarlett’s real reality to come crashing down. As season 2 gets ready to air it looks like the girls have some big decisions to make about their lives on and off set but can both reality and reality TV ever co-exist smoothly alongside each other? What I love about the L.A candy books is that there’s never a dull moment. There’s always plenty of drama and backstabbing to keep you turning those pages and the characters of Jane and Scarlett are really admirable. If you haven’t read these books you may be lead to believe that it’s about blonde, ditzy, wannabes chasing fame in L.A and whilst there are some characters like that in the books the main characters Jane and Scarlett are nothing like that with Jane being a down to earth girl next door type and Scarlett an intelligent, ambitious, natural beauty. These girls are real and very relatable and likeable and it’s so entertaining seeing the girls trying to deal with being big stars in L.A and all the fakes and drama that comes along with it. On top of everything this series gives a very insightful look into reality TV and what really goes on behind the scenes in these shows told by a girl who’s experienced it all first hand. I’ve enjoyed these books a lot, there perfect light hearted escapism on days when I just wanted something fun to read. I thought Sugar and Spice was a great ending to a great series overall but I was a little disappointed by Jane’s love interest outcome especially because I liked a certain guy in particular but other than that I thought it was a perfect ending. Scandalous, dramatic and highly entertaining this is the perfect series to get lost in. The literary equivalent to a hot bubble bath and a glass of wine. Sugar and Spice will be loved by The Hills fans, reality TV show junkies and teenage girls everywhere. 3.5 stars. My Rating 3.5/5 stars ***1/2

Monday 18 October 2010

200 Follower Giveaway!

As some of you may know from my happy tweets on twitter I recently reached over 200 followers! So to celebrate I thought I’d do a giveaway exclusive to my followers to thank you for all being so supportive and wonderful to me. Unlike my last contest this will be open internationally because I have a lot of followers from all over the place so it’s not fair to only include some of you. The books are from the UK though so you may not recognise them so I’ve included a description for you all so you can find out what there about . Read on for more details! Boys Don’t Cry by Malorie Blackman In Boys Don't Cry, bestselling author Malorie Blackman explores the unchartered territory of teenage fatherhood. You’re waiting for the postman--he’s bringing your A level results. University, a career as a journalist--a glittering future lies ahead. But when the doorbell rings it’s your old girlfriend; and she’s carrying a baby. You’re fine to look after it, for an hour or two, while she does some shopping. Then she doesn’t come back and your future suddenly looks very different. Malorie’s dramatic new novel will take you on a journey from tears to laughter and back again. Department 19 by Will Hill In a secret supernatural battle that's been raging for over a century, the stakes have just been raised – and they're not wooden anymore. When Jamie Carpenter's mother is kidnapped by strange creatures, he finds himself dragged into Department 19, the government's most secret agency. Fortunately for Jamie, Department 19 can provide the tools he needs to find his mother, and to kill the vampires who want him dead. But unfortunately for everyone, something much older is stirring, something even Department 19 can't stand up against… Please note that both books are ARC’s not finished copies. Boys don’t cry will be out in the UK October 28th 2010 and Department 19 31 March 2011- Department 19 is so new I don’t even have a finished cover to show you guys yet! Both sound like really brilliant books and one winner will receive both. Contest is open internationally but note that you do have to be a follower of my blog to enter. The winner will be checked up on and if that person is not a follower a new winner will be drawn. Rules
  • Open Internationally
  • Followers of this blog only
  • Contest ends Monday 25th October
  • ONE winner will be chosen by random.org
  • The winner will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to respond. Otherwise, a new winner will be drawn
  • Your details will only be used if you win
Now for your chance to enter please fill in the form, good luck! This Giveaway is now closed and a winner has been announced.

Raised by Wolves WINNER!

The Winner of a Signed copy of Raised by Wolves is…Amanda! Congratulations Amanda! I will be sending an email to you shortly, you will have 48 hours to reply else another winner will be chosen. Thank you to everyone who’s entered this contest. I’ll be hosting my 200 followers giveaway shortly so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for that!

Sunday 17 October 2010

In My Mailbox! Book week of awesome!

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren Hey guys, I have had one of my most favourite weeks for books this week. I got some really great books some I’ve been pining over forever! So excited to read all of these and show you guys so let’s get onto the good stuff! Bought Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales Stork by Wendy Delsol The Twin's Daughter by Lauren Baratz-Logsted Her and Me and You by Lauren Strasnick Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick The Scorch Trials by James Dashner Borrowed/ For Review The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting Department 19 by Will Hill Trash by Andy Mulligan So that’s what I got this week. I’ve only just realised that the books I bought are all hardcovers! I adore the covers for Mostly Good Girls and The Twins Daughter there so pretty! And I’m so excited for Crescendo and The Scorch Trials because I loved Hush Hush and The Maze Runner. I just want to say a big thank you to Rhiana from Rhiana-reads for letting me borrow her copy of The Body Finder very excited to read that one soon especially with Halloween coming up! And a big thank you to harper collins for sending me a SIGNED ARC of Department 19 and to Random House for Trash. If you’ve read any of the books I got this week and want to leave me a comment letting me know what you thought please do and make sure you leave me a link to what you got in your mailbox this week. Here’s to another great week of reading ahead! Psst! In other news I’ve recently reached over 200 followers and so am doing a giveaway exclusive to my followers internationally. One of the prizes will include an ARC of Department 19 which I got a duplicate of this week so if you’re interested in that remember to follow and pop back soon, it should be up over the next couple of days and in the meantime if you’re a UK blogger you can enter my Raised by Wolves giveaway, but hurry as it ends tomorrow! Good luck!

Wednesday 13 October 2010

Review for Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Revolution is the highly anticipated second novel for young adults by Jennifer Donnelly. I read and adored Jennifer’s first novel A Gathering Light when it very first came out at the young age of 14 now 6 years later after a long, painful wait I got the chance to read and review Revolution early much to my delight! At the beginning of Revolution we’re introduced to cool, incredibly talented Andi a teenage girl living in present day New York. Andi goes to a prestigious private school for talented students and Andi’s talent is music. It would seem that Andi has the world at her feet with endless opportunities available to her, it seems like she has it all, and she did but that was before her younger brother Truman died in an accident that Andi believes is her fault. Since Truman’s death Andi’s family has been slowly falling apart with her mother going insane and her father leaving the family for a younger woman who’s pregnant with his child. Drowning in guilt and depression Andi turns to her music to express the thoughts and feelings she cannot say. Andi loses all interest in anything else but her music and risks flunking out of school because of it. Her father - oblivious as to what’s going on in his old life - doesn’t realise anything’s wrong until he gets a call from Andi’s school saying that if she fails her thesis she won’t graduate. With her mother in a mental health unit and her father flying out to France to work on the mystery of the Lost Dauphin Louis-Charles, Andi has no choice but to go with him. It’s in Paris that Andi stumbles upon a lost diary belonging to a girl of her age Alex who worked in the palace looking after Louis-Charles during the French revolution. Captivated by Alex’s story and confessions instead of turning the diary in Andi reads on intrigued by the similarities between herself and Alex, Louis-Charles and her brother Truman, and what follows is a page turning historical mystery merging both girls’ fates together. When I started this book I thought it was good but not brilliant. It took a while for the story to really get going for me. It wasn’t slow exactly but it just took a good chunk of the book for Jennifer Donnelly to set the story up. However when you get further into the story you see that the book needed that set up so if you’re struggling with it I urge you to continue reading because it really is vital to the story and when Andi goes to Paris that’s when the book really starts to get going. It was from that point on that I simply could not put this book down. I think that I expected the historical part of the book to start straight away and the first 50 or so pages read very much like a contemporary young adult novel rather than historical fiction so I think that’s why I didn’t enjoy it as much as the rest of the book. If you expect that from the beginning though then I don’t think you’ll have a problem. I don’t think main character Andi’s the most likeable character out there but she definitely grew on me as I carried on reading. She may not be kind and perfect but she’s real and that’s why I liked her. She loves, she hates, she’s definitely one of the most realistic characters out there for young adults at the moment and I loved her passion for music. Throughout the book you get to read little snippets of Andi’s favourite songs and her own music and they really give a gateway into how Andi’s feeling. Jennifer Donnelly’s characters all have so many layers to them both good and bad. They have depth. Their human, and because of that Revolution felt very real to me like this was really happening which I think is an aspect you really need when re-telling a part of history. As with Jennifer’s first novel A Gathering Light, Revolution is flawlessly written. You can tell that Jennifer’s a born storyteller and a beautiful writer – you so easily get wrapped up in her words. I lost track of time on so many occasions because I was so engrossed in this book. It’s powerful, beautiful, mesmerising and fascinating. I went into this book not knowing that much about the French revolution and I admit that I was a little wary that I wouldn’t enjoy it or understand what was going on but I was so wrong. You don’t have to go into this book knowing all of the facts because it explains everything you need to know along the way without it reading like a history text book - in fact quite the contrary. I was so fascinated by the French revolution Jennifer tells its story so well and I’m going to definitely be looking out for more books on the subject in the future. This book made me feel so many things; the book itself is so many things. It’s love and grief, life and death, good and bad and I became so emotionally attached to it that I lost count of how many times I got teary eyed whilst reading. Sometimes because I was sad sometimes because I was happy sometimes because of the sheer beauty of Jennifer Donnelly’s writing. You definitely get taken on a journey whilst reading Revolution. Jennifer really brings the French revolution to life. Not only did it feel like I could see and smell everything that was going on around me but I could feel what the characters were going through I could feel their pain and their bloodlust their need for revenge and change. This book has everything love, passion, hate and lessons that are just as current now as they were during the revolution. There are so many important things that this book has to say. It will change the way you think and feel without even trying to. Revolution is the kind of book that will be read and loved by everybody because it has so many things to offer but above all Revolution is a story about doing the right thing, the good thing, forgiveness and moving on. It’s about the revolution that we all have inside ourselves over some thing or another. The revolution that’s still going on. After finishing this book yesterday afternoon I’m still thinking about it, it’s still all going through my mind. It’s haunting like the ghost of the revolution itself. Revolution is one of the best books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading and I think it’s my favourite book that I’ve read so far in 2010, it’s definitely been worth the wait for all these years! Start reading this with the highest of expectations and you still won’t be disappointed - not one bit. Highly, highly recommended to everyone. 5 stars. My Rating 5/5 stars ***** Thanks go to Bloomsbury for sending me this book for review. Revolution is out NOW in all good bookshops across the UK and US.

Monday 11 October 2010

Raised by Wolves Giveaway: Win a SIGNED copy of Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes!

I’m here with a very special treat for you all today. My first ever giveaway! I’m very excited to be hosting this for Quercus. Read on for more information... Quercus are offering one lucky person a signed copy of Raised by Wolves. Here’s a little bit about what its about… Synopsis Pack life is about order, but Bryn is about to push all the limits, with hair-raising results. At the age of four, Bryn watched a rabid werewolf brutally murder her parents. Alone in the world, she was rescued and taken in by Callum, the alpha of his pack. But the pack’s been keeping a secret, and when Bryn goes exploring against Callum’s orders, she finds Chase, a newly turned teen Were locked in a cage. Terrifying memories of the attack on her parents come flooding back. Bryn needs answers, and she needs Chase to get them. Suddenly, all allegiances to the pack no longer matter. It’s Bryn and Chase against the werewolf world, whatever the consequences… Rules
  • Open to UK entrants only (publisher’s request)
  • You do not have to be a follower to enter this contest although it would be nice if you were. I’m doing another giveaway when I reach my 200 followers which will be exclusive to my followers so if you’re interested in that get following!
  • Contest ends Monday 18th October
  • ONE winner will be chosen by random.org
  • The winner will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to respond. Otherwise, a new winner will be drawn
  • Your details will only be used if you win and passed on to the publishers so they can send you your book.
For your chance to win just fill in the form and in the mean time you can sample the first audio chapter of Raised by Wolves here! Good luck! This Contest is now Closed and a winner has been announced.

Sunday 10 October 2010

In My Mailbox!

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren I have some news that may shock you all this week…I only got 2 books! :O and wait for it…I only bought one of them! I know right? Am I feeling quiet well? Actually I’m not but that’s beside the point. So yeah 2 books this week. I’m very pleased with what I got though so without further ado let’s bring out the books! The first book I got through the post this week was Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. I’m currently reading this now I’m not very far in due to lots of sleeping with being ill but I’m really enjoying it so far so thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me this to review. Then only yesterday a book that I bought from Amazon arrived YOU by Charles Benoit. I don’t really know too much about this one other than it’s got rave reviews from a lot of bloggers and several authors’ one being Lauren Oliver who I think is just a genius so this one had to be bought- very excited to read it. So that’s what I got this week. If you’ve read You or Revolution and want to let me know what you thought feel free to leave me a comment and don’t forget to leave me a link with what books you got this week! Here’s to another week of great reading ahead!

Saturday 9 October 2010

Revolution Blog Tour!

I started reading the highly anticipated Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly yesterday and so far so good! I think this will definitely be a book to look out for and so on that note I am pleased to announce that next Monday starts the Revolution blog tour amongst some well-loved names in the blogosphere! For more information read on! Wednesday 13th October sees the publication of Jennifer Donnelly's stunning new novel Revolution. To celebrate there will be a week of giveaways, interviews and lots more hosted by the following bloggers: Monday 11th October – The Book Smugglers http://thebooksmugglers.com/ Tuesday 12th October – Once Upon A Bookcase http://onceuponabookcase.blogspot.com/ Wednesday 13th October – Bloggers Heart Books http://bloggers-heart-books.blogspot.com/ Thursday 14th October – Daisy Chain Book Reviews http://daisychainbookreviews.blogspot.com/ Friday 15th October – Chicklish http://www.chicklish.co.uk/ Here’s the official Revolution tour button. If you wish to help promote this tour feel free to add the button to your site! For more information on Jennifer and Revolution check out Jen’s facebook page http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/JenWritesBooks and make sure you stop back at Jess Hearts Books to find out my final thoughts on Revolution in an upcoming review! Stay tuned!

Friday 8 October 2010

Author Interview with Tabitha Suzuma author of FORBIDDEN!

I have a special treat for you all to kick start your weekend. My very first author interview with the lovely Tabitha Suzuma! Tabitha is a UK based author who has wrote 5 young adult novels for Random House publishers. The most recent being Forbidden the highly controversial love story that everybody in the blogosphere is talking about. For any of you who have been hiding out under a rock for the past few months here’s a little bit about Forbidden…
"She is pretty and talented - sweet sixteen and never been kissed. He is seventeen; gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future. And now they have fallen in love. But . . . They are brother and sister.
Sixteen-year-old Maya and seventeen-year-old Lochan have never had the chance to be 'normal' teenagers. Having pulled together for years to take care of their younger siblings while their wayward, drunken mother leaves them to fend alone, they have become much more than brother and sister. And now, they have fallen in love. But this is a love that can never be allowed, a love that will have devastating consequences... How can something so wrong feel so right?"
Interview with Tabitha
1.) How did you come up with the idea for Forbidden? Consensual incest was a subject I had wanted to write about for a number of years. I kept rejecting the idea because I thought there was a good chance the subject matter would never get past the gatekeepers. I was only able to take the plunge once I had built up confidence in my writing ability through my previous four books. I was inspired by the desire to write a tragic love story. It came down to incest by a process of elimination. I wanted the book to be set in contemporary London and I needed the two teens in question to be old enough for their love for each other to be taken seriously. But I quickly realised that (fortunately) in modern-day Britain there are very few - if any - obstacles that could keep a couple in love apart. Cultural and religious difference maybe, but if the couple were determined enough to go against their families' wishes, they could always run away together. I needed something that would be condemned by everyone wherever they went - a relationship that could never be and moreover, was against the law. 2.) Forbidden is an intense read, were any parts hard for you to write? Slowly transforming the sibling relationship into a romantic one was particularly tough. I had to try to make the reader believe that this really could happen. Writing the sexual scenes was also a challenge - I had to make sure that I made them realistic and not just glossed over whilst still somehow keeping them romantic. But the hardest part by far was writing the end. By then, I was so caught up in the characters and the story that it began to feel like I was writing a book about something that had really happened. In order to portray the characters' emotions convincingly, I had to experience them myself, which was really painful and frequently had me in tears. 3.) Did you do any kind of research before or during writing Forbidden? I got in touch with a wonderfully helpful woman at the Metropolitan Police who answered all my endless questions, both about the characters' legal positions and the details of what they go through at the end of the story. I was also very fortunate in that shortly after starting the book I caught two brilliantly-made television documentaries on the subject. I also found a couple of fascinating magazine articles about siblings who'd had consensual incestuous relationships during their teens. 4.) What are your own personal views on incest? I feel that consensual incest isn't as black and white as society at large seems to perceive it and I feel that there are cases and situations where consensual incest could be at least 'understandable'. I abhor the blanket dismissal of anything as 'wrong' without the close examination of individual case studies. I feel as disgusted as the next person at the idea of having any kind of vaguely romantic relationship with either of my brothers ... but what if my circumstances were completely different? What if my brother didn't feel like my brother? In that case who would I be hurting by having a relationship with him if he wanted one too? I think I actually became even more open minded about consensual incest during the writing of the book. I don't think it should be an imprisonable offence. However, I do think that it should be discouraged and that couples who find themselves drawn into an incestuous relationship should seek counselling and should not be allowed to have their own biological children as the risk of genetic defects is so high. 5.) You’re a UK based author, are any of your books available in other countries besides the UK? FORBIDDEN will be coming out in the US in June 2011. It is also being translated into Italian, German and Danish - these editions should be out in the next year or so. 6.) Out of all of your books do you have a personal favourite? FORBIDDEN has to be my favourite. It was by far the most difficult book to write and the most complex and sophisticated of my novels. I feel it is my greatest achievement to date. However, I do also have a soft spot for my very first novel, A NOTE OF MADNESS, about a musical genius suffering from manic depression. I have battled with depression all my life and in A NOTE OF MADNESS I draw heavily on my own experiences of the illness. 7.) Are you working on anything at the moment? If so can you tell us a little bit about it? My new book is called A TIME TO DIE. It's another book for older teens and is also about what some might consider a controversial subject: euthanasia. 8.) Why do you write for teens above all other genres? Strangely enough I never set out to write for teens. In A NOTE OF MADNESS, if you read the prologue, you might be able to tell it was intended initially for an adult audience. But then I found that because I was writing about teens, the book seemed more suitable for a teenage audience. I find myself drawn to writing about teenagers and about what some might call teen issues. Therefore my books fit better in the YA section. However I have had a great number of adults write to me to say how much they have enjoyed my books and I certainly don’t change my style or significantly simplify the vocabulary I use when writing for teens. 9.) If you could give Maya and Lochan one piece of advice what would it be? Don't lose hope. There is a way. 10.) What do you hope readers take away with them after reading Forbidden? That things are not always as black and white as they seem. That everyone is different and it is often too easy to dismiss something as disgusting or wrong. That in some cases, in some situations, something universally perceived as 'wrong' can actually be harmless. And that you don't choose your emotions, you don't choose who you fall in love with. I also hope the book makes people more open-minded and less judgemental and encourages readers to have empathy for others, particularly for those who are different, isolated or troubled and lead difficult lives. 11.) Describe Forbidden in 3 words. Tragic love story.
Thank you for doing this interview for us Tabitha! Can I just say how excited I am for A Time to Die? It sounds right up my street definitely one to look out for and in the mean time I’m very excited to read some of Tabitha’s other books. Forbidden is available to buy in all good bookshops across the UK or online at The Book Depository here. To find out more about Tabitha, Forbidden or any of her other books visit her website and make sure you stop by to read my review of Forbidden on the blog!

Book Bloggers Hop & Follow My Book Blog Friday!

Hello to all my wonderful followers and to hopefully some potential new ones! This Friday I’m participating in The Book Bloggers hop which is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books and Follow my Book Blog Friday that’s hosted over at Parajunkee's View if you wish to take part please stop by there and sign the Mr Linky. This week’s question from the hop is… What's your favorite beverage while reading or blogging, if any? Is it tea, coffee, water, a glass of wine, or something else? My answer: If I’m reading late into the night I definitely need some sort of caffeine! In summer my drug of choice is either a cold red bull or coke, and in the winter I love a big mug of hot chocolate. Me reading with a glass of wine is very funny! I’ve only done that once or twice and I usually end up talking to the book with “Nooos!!!” and “Awwwss” I tend to do that anyway on crucial parts of a story but with a glass of wine it’s pretty much over anything bad or good and if there’s any raunchy scenes I get all giggly like a little girl so whilst it’s a fun experience it’s not one that I repeat often! As for blogging it’s just the same really although I’ve never blogged whilst drinking – I think that could be disastrous! I hope your all enjoying my blog and I hope some of you decide to follow. I have a lot of exciting stuff coming up over the next few weeks. With 2 giveaways! One being exclusive to followers when I reach my 200 mark. Feel free to leave me a link to your blog and let me know your answer to this week’s question. It’s great to have you all here :)

Thursday 7 October 2010

Review for Torment by Lauren Kate

When I first heard the description and saw the cover for the first book in this series Fallen last year it was love at first sight. I read and devoured it earlier this year and have been positively pining for Torment ever since. So when it arrived in the post last week I bumped it up on my To be read pile and read it as soon as I could. Because I adored Fallen so much I had only the highest expectations for Torment, it’s definitely been one of the most highly anticipated books for me this year. The covers for this series are beautiful – quiet literally art they captivate you and draw you in and what’s inside is just as wonderful. After reading Torment I can definitely say that the Fallen series is definitely a favourite for me. I found Torment to be a very different book compared to Fallen. In Torment you get to learn a lot more about the shadows that have haunted Luce her entire life and find that they play a significant part in Luce finding out about her past lives. Torment starts when Luce and Daniel are forced apart when Luce has to attend Shoreline a school for Nephilim - part angel part human offspring who tend to inherit some sort of angel power and characteristics – to keep Luce safe and protected from the immortals that wish to kill her. Without Daniel around to answer Luce’s questions Luce searches for answers of her own by summoning the shadows that allow her to see into her past lives even though to do so can be highly dangerous. Some of the things Luce discovers doesn’t sit well with her and she begins to wonder if Daniel’s version of the past is the truth, or is she really meant to be with someone else? You learn so much more in this book about the world that Lauren Kate’s created Angels, Demons, Nephilim and Luce’s past lives definitely get more attention in Torment. Lauren’s a master at giving you just enough information so that you can understand what’s going on and leaves just enough for you to be kept in suspense making you keep reading and reading to find out some answers. I was just as desperate as Luce to find out the secrets of her past and found myself reading late into the night, time practically flying by because I was so engrossed in this book. The only thing that let me down was Luce and Daniel’s relationship with each other in Torment. Torment definitely isn’t as romantic as Fallen because Daniel and Luce have many ups and downs which resulted in them both getting on my nerves a little bit. However it has to be said that the secondary characters more than make up for that. We get to see all of our old favourite characters from Fallen make a grand return and are even introduced to some awesome new characters like Luce’s new roommate at Shoreline Shelby who was my personal favourite character and Miles a guy who comes drama free something Luce desperately needs during her torment. The secondary characters in the Fallen series are some of my favourite ever and I hope we get to see both old and new feature in future books. Torment definitely has a more suspenseful, layered feel to that of Fallen with less kissing and undying love and more action and answers. I personally loved that side to the story and think that we needed that back seat to the romance so that Luce can make her own mind up about a few things instead of taking Daniel’s word as gospel. I’ve spent the last few days addicted to Torment and would definitely recommend it to fans of Fallen and even to those who didn’t enjoy the first book all that much simply because this book is a lot different to Fallen. I’m hugely excited for the third book in this series Passion which comes out summer 2011. Highly recommended 4.5 stars. My Rating 4.5/5 stars ****1/2 Thanks go to Random House for sending me this book for review

Sunday 3 October 2010

In My Mailbox!

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren Hello my lovelies. Some of you may be pleased to see after last weeks post that I have returned with In My Mailbox! I managed to get a new phone Wednesday so that nipped the picture problem in the bud. As for the IMM jealousy thing after a lot of positive comments from my followers I’ve decided that I’m going to keep doing IMM. It seems to help them all find books and as long as it does I’m going to keep doing it for them as their the ones who read this blog. I’m pretty glad that I’ve decided to stick with it because I’m very excited about what I got in the post this week. So without further ado let’s get to the good stuff and bring out the books! Bought Elixir by Hilary Duff LA Candy - Sugar and Spice by Lauren Conrad Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson Ruined by Paula Morris For Review You Against Me by Jenny Downham Torment by Lauren Kate Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman I’d like to say a big thank you to Random House for my first books for review from them this week. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to read those books – I’m currently reading Torment and I love it so far! I’m also very excited for the books I’ve brought. Lauren Conrad’s books are my guilty pleasure so I’m excited to get her latest and I thought well if I like Laurens books who’s to say I won’t like Hilarys? Which is why I got Elixir – that and the fact that it sounds pretty good! Then of course I just had to get Speak with all the fuss that’s going on around it at the moment and with it being an all time favourite of mine that I needed to replace with a new copy and then I got Ruined which sounds like a creepy YA ghost story which is perfect for some Halloween reading! What did you get in your mail boxes this week? Feel free to leave me any comments on the books I brought and leave links to your own post. Hope your all having a lovely weekend and are getting lots of reading done! :)
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