Jess Hearts Books

In My Mailbox!

2012-03-04T10:45:00.000Z

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

Review Books

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth (ARC)
Fever by Lauren DeStefano
When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle (Read last night and LOVED!)
Dark Parties by Sara Grant (Signed!)
The Look by Sophia Bennett (Also signed! Eep!)

Bought

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
Perception by Kim Harrington

Fantastic week right? I had a voucher for The Book Depository and so had to treat myself to some US titles that I've absolutely been dying to read for ages! I've already read and loved When You Were Mine so you can expect a review on that coming soon! So excited for all of these books as always HUGE thank you’s to all of the lovely publishing people who have sent me these books to review. 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. Here’s to another week of fantastic reading ahead!

February’s Book of the Month!

2012-03-02T09:00:00.001Z

February’s BotM is Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

After reading this book I can certainly see why it’s been receiving so much praise! This book is totally worth its hype and is so much more than just chick-lit. This is the incredibly moving story of a quadriplegic man who wishes to end his life legally in Switzerland and his carer the warm and likeable Lou who is on a race against time to show Will the beauty in life to make him change his mind before it’s too late. This was just such a beautiful, controversial, thought provoking and moving book, I read a lot of fantastic books this month but this one is one that really stands out to me and will be an all-time favourite for years to come. You can check out my full review here.

Books Read in February
8.) A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton (4*)
9.) Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (5*)
10.) Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler (3*)
11.) A Million Suns by Beth Revis (5*)
12.) Someone Else’s Life by Katie Dale (4.5*)
13.) The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis (4*)
14.) Bunheads by Sophie Flack (4*)
15.) Everneath by Brodi Ashton (4*)
16.) Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (4*)
17.) Two Truths and a Lie by Sara Shepard (3*)
Total Books Read = 10

This Month’s Book Awards
Best Plot: A Million Suns by Beth Revis
Best Writing: The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis
Best Cover: Someone Else’s Life by Katie Dale
Best Characters: Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Best Ending: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Best Romance: Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Most un-put-down-able: Someone Else’s Life by Katie Dale
Most Memorable: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Best Moral: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Top 3 Most Recommended Books: Me Before You, A Million Suns, Someone Else’s Life

Books I’m Looking Forward to Being Released in March:
Welcome To Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan
The Look by Sophia Bennet
The Book of Summers by Emylia Hall
Fateful by Claudia Gray
The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting
The Repossession by Sam Hawksmoor
(Links lead to books Goodreads page for more info!)

Have you read any of the books I’ve read this month? What were your thoughts on them? Leave me a comment and let me know and don’t forget to treat yourselves to Me Before You – you won’t regret it! Here’s to another month of fab reading ahead!

It's That Time of Year Again! Happy World Book Day!

2012-03-01T14:44:00.000Z

Happy World Book Day folks! Today is one of my very favourite days of the year for anyone out of the loop World Book Day happens once a year and booky sorts like publishers, authors, librarians, book sellers etc. get together to promote reading (especially in children) as much as possible. All around the world book shops and schools celebrate by hosting fun events for the kids, like going to school dressed as your favourite book character, and readings and games with authors. World Book Day is more famously known though as being the day where children under the age of 18 who are in full time education are entitled to a free World Book Day book and so are given a £1 book token that they can use to get one of the specially selected £1 books for free from their local bookshop.

This year there are some fantastic titles to choose from for all ages. So if your kids come home with a token all you have to do is go to your nearest Waterstone’s, if you live in the UK most across the country are taking part, let them pick a book on the special World Book Day £1 offer, hand over your token at the register and ta da! One book for every child absolutely FREE! Here are the books on offer for this year…

The What the Ladybird Heard Song by Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks (Ages 2+)
Winnie Flies Again by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul (Ages 3+)
Where’s Wally Now? by Martin Handford (Ages 5+)
Magic Molly: The Clever Little Kitten by Holly Webb (Ages 5+)
Roald Dahl's Fantabulous Facts by Roald Dahl (Ages 8+)
How to Train Your Dragon: The Day of the Dreader by Cressida Cowell (Ages 8+)
Big Day Out by Jacqueline Wilson, Illustrated by Nick Sharratt (Ages 8+)
Skulduggery Pleasant: The End of the World by Derek Landy (Ages 9+)

For teen readers or just fans of Young Adult like myself you can also get the fantastic Department 19 by Will Hill and/or The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson for just £1 each!

Or if none of the above tickle you’re fancy you can use your £1 book token to get £1 off any book of YOUR choice. How awesome is that?

Basically I think that World Book day is a fantastic way to spark a lifelong love of reading in young children. When on average one in three children doesn’t even own a book this day gives every young person a chance to own their very own book for FREE. Even as a grown up I still remember how excited I would get about World Book Day as a kid and today I’m a little envious of all the little ones who get to dress up as characters and have authors speaking at schools and get to play games at the library or bookshop and who at the end of a fun filled day get to go home with a brand new book that may be the first in a lifelong love of reading. Today is a day that I’m really passionate about and I hope that whatever you’re doing to celebrate today whether you’re taking the kids to their local library or bookstore or are simply an adult looking forward to reading a good book when you get home from work today I hope you all have a wonderful World Book Day and I encourage you all to take part in the celebrations in any way that you can! For more information on World Book Day visit the website here.

Review for A Million Suns by Beth Revis

2012-02-27T09:00:00.002Z

WARNING
This is the second book in the Across the Universe series. Although this review will contain NO spoilers from A Million Suns by talking about the plot there may be unintentional spoilers from the first book in the series.

A Million Suns by Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: January 10th 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Space, Mystery
Rating: 5/5 stars
Source: Bought

Goodreads Summary:
"Godspeed was once fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos. It’s been three months. In that time, Amy has learned to hide who she is. Elder is trying to be the leader he’s always wanted to be. But as the ship gets more and more out of control, only one thing is certain: They have to get off the ship."

Review
I’ve experienced a lot of disappointment lately regarding sequels to books that I love. I adored Across the Universe, the first book to this series, and couldn’t imagine how Beth Revis was going to top it so to say I began reading A Million Suns cautiously would be an understatement. But not only did it break my streak of disappointing sequels, I also loved it more than the first book something I didn’t think was possible!

Like Across the Universe, A Million Suns launches into the action straight away with the first chapter revealing a huge twist that changes everything. With this twist revealed the book takes off and continues on this breakneck speed journey with never a dull moment. I read it in its entirety in one evening because I couldn’t put it down and when it ended I felt a little like I’d come off a rollercoaster. My heart was thumping, adrenaline was buzzing, and I was in this sort of awe struck daze as to what I’d just been through. Beth Revis’ books have a certain urgency to them and the high stakes and clever twists make them incredibly fast, thrilling, reads.

The book takes off a few months after the events that happen in Across the Universe and life on Godspeed is very different from how we left it. Elder is now leader of the ship and has made some drastic changes, the biggest being no more Phydus, the mind numbing drug, and no more lies especially those regarding the failing mission to Centauri-Earth. Godspeed is in chaos and with the residents minds clear from Phydus they are free to make their own decisions and in anger at being controlled all this time they want the Eldest system out and an election for a new leader in causing an uprising on board the ship. But when Amy and Elder discover a set of clues left behind from Orion that leads to a shocking truth about the ship the people of Godspeed are going to need their leader more than ever before.

This book like Across the Universe is told alternately through both Amy and Elder’s perspective. I especially enjoyed Elder’s chapters the most in this book because it was so interesting watching him try to navigate his way not only as a new leader but a leader of a ship in chaos. Amy’s chapters were also fascinating to read as she finds more pieces to the puzzle that Orion has left for her which reveals a huge hidden secret about Godspeed. Between the two alternating chapters there is never a dull moment if you’re not with Elder trying to control a failing ship then you’re with Amy on a race against time trying to figure out the next clue to the puzzle. What I loved most is how this books main focus is on the ship itself and the people who inhabit it, for one small space ship Godspeed has a lot of big secrets!

The only thing that disappointed me about this book was that whilst I really liked Amy in Across the Universe in this book I found her a little annoying at times but that alone wasn’t enough to take away from my love for this book. Overall A Million Suns was a fantastic sequel with a mind blowing ending. Beth Revis’ books just keep getting better and I can’t wait to read what promises to be an epic conclusion to this series when Shades of Earth comes out next year.

My Most Popular Blog Posts! (And I Want to Know What Are Yours!?)

2012-02-25T09:00:00.005Z

The other day on Twitter me and a few other bloggers where discussing our most popular blog posts and it seemed that everyone had a range of different things. It really led me to thinking about what exactly makes a post popular? How much is down to content and how much is chance, date and time and where it’s linked to? I found it really interesting to hear what other bloggers most popular posts are their reaction to them and why they think that is. So Vicki at Cosy Books and I have decided to do this post to share with you our blogs most popular posts. We’d also love to know what yours are as well if you’re a blogger so please feel free to do your own post or if you don’t have time leave a comment with what yours are. We’re also planning a discussion post about this topic so all input would be hugely appreciated!

My Top Ten Most Popular Posts

1.) My most popular post of all time is My First Year as a Blogger Summed Up! A post which has had 3,019 Pageviews but only 5 comments so you wouldn’t think it comments wise! I think this could be my most popular post for a number of reasons, one it was a very popular meme going round at the time, two it has links going to several other blogs, three it features a lot of books and information about blogs and blogging and could be an ideal post to read if you’re looking to start a new book blog. And fourth it has a picture of the Fuentes brothers I mean who doesn’t want to see that right?
2.) In second place hot on the tails of my number one post is Passion Blog Tour: Lauren Kate’s Favourite Luce and Daniel Moments including a scene from Passion and upcoming and final book Rapture! I think the title for this one pretty much speaks for itself. This series is hugely popular worldwide and on the tour I was lucky enough to give readers a sneaky glimpse of what to expect from not only new book Passion but also Rapture the final book. This was also linked up to a lot of places like the books Facebook page and Lauren Kate’s facebook page. Random House did a fantastic job of promoting it and this post still gets a few page views every week to this day!
3.) Third is a review, yay! And it’s for the last book in possibly my favourite series ever Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead. I was lucky enough to read this book on embargo before the release date so I managed to get my review up pretty speedy and close to the books release. I think that and the fact that again it’s the last book in a hugely popular series really played a part in the success for this one. But because it was never really linked to anywhere I like to think my actual review and love for that book factors in somewhere too!
4.) Next up is my 1st Blogoversary Giveaway. This was an awesome giveaway (if I do say so myself!) giving away a choice from my favourite books. Again the numerous books mentioned I think had something to do with this posts success and also the fact that it was my blogs birthday and all of my lovely readers wanted to pop over and say congrats! And of course who doesn’t like winning books? Especially when it’s international!
5.) Fifth is strangely a random In My Mailbox post. These always do well on my blog and get a lot of views but I really can’t place my finger on what makes this one so special. I’ve had bigger hauls so I guess this is one of those posts where I just got lucky and a lot of people must have been following IMM that week! I think this is one of those posts that just had to do with timing.
6.) In sixth place is one of my personal favourite posts my Scary, Spooky and Supernatural – Jess’s top pick’s for Halloween! I absolutely loved writing this post and this is another one that still gets a lot of views today! This one was never linked up to anywhere but I think it’s just one of those fun posts that people enjoy and again it recommends a lot of books in one post.
7.) Next is another review this time for Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick. Funnily enough when speaking to Vicki one thing that we found is that Angel books seem to be VERY popular as they featured in both of our top posts. This one has never been linked to anywhere and I didn’t receive this one for review or get it early. I think it’s just a popular series and hopefully people like the review!
8.) Keeping with the theme for 8th is ANOTHER angel related post this time with a review for Passion by Lauren Kate. Basically what I said above for this one except I did get this one early for review. Further more proof that people seem to really love books about angels!
9.) In at 9th place is another post that I loved writing it’s one of my Random Rambling posts this one talking about My Top 10 Bookish Peeves and Loves. This one isn’t a meme and so isn’t linked to anywhere. It doesn’t even really feature any books or exclusive information so it seems like people just liked this one in general for the content and writing which is a nice thought. I love writing my Random Rambling posts so it’s nice that one of them has made it into my top ten!
10.) And last of all is a post from when I was a newbie blogger and took part in the Book Bloggers Hop. And I think that the reason for this one’s success is purely because it’s a popular meme and like with the IMM post it must have been a very busy week with lots of people taking part!

So that’s it for my popular posts. Make sure you stop by Cosy Books for Vicki’s most popular posts! Again we would LOVE you to take part in this if you too are a book blogger partly for research on a discussion post but mostly because we are nosy! Even if you’re too busy to take part we would love for you to leave your top 3 posts or any thoughts you have in the comments but if you do decide to do a post feel free to leave a link in the comments we would love to read them.

Breaking News!! J.K Rowling’s New Book Deal

2012-02-23T16:40:00.001Z

Yes. I’m not shitting you my friends. J.K Rowling queen of book land has today announced her plans to write and publish her first novel for adults. Here are all the official, important stuffs that you no doubt want to read…

"Little, Brown has world English rights to the first novel for adults by JK Rowling, the company announced Thursday morning. Little Brown UK publisher David Shelley will serve as Rowling's editor and Michael Pietsch will oversee publication in the US. All other details--title, pub date "and further details about the novel will be announced later in the year." But one important element has been settled: While the world waits for Pottermore and the Harry Potter ebooks, Little, Brown promises they will publish "both in print and ebooks."

Rowling says in the release: "Although I’ve enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series, which has been published so brilliantly by Bloomsbury and my other publishers around the world. The freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry's success has brought me, and with that new territory it seemed a logical progression to have a new publisher. I am delighted to have a second publishing home in Little, Brown, and a publishing team that will be a great partner in this new phase of my writing life." Rowling was represented by Neil Blair at The Blair Partnership."
- Publishers Marketplace

Wow. I kind of gave up hope that this day would come I mean Jo certainly doesn’t need to write another book after the mammoth success that was Harry Potter, but with all of the Harry Potter films now finished with I think this is a really good time for the next chapter in Jo’s writing life. I don’t mind that her new book will have nothing to do with Harry or that world and that it’s going to be different. I don’t think anything will ever compare to Harry Potter it was a masterpiece, a little piece of real life magic, and that stuff surely only comes around once in a lifetime? So I’m reluctant to compare the new novel not only because they will be so different but also because I really do believe that Harry Potter was a rare and beautiful thing. Instead I’m mostly intrigued to read something new from Jo and to see how she’s developed as an author since writing the Harry Potter books and to as an adult now enjoy an adult book by her, hopefully as much as I did the Harry Potter stories when I was a child. How do you guys feel about this news? As soon as I hear any more info on the title, cover, synopsis etc you can rest assured that I will be all over it and keep you updated! Feel free to fan girl/boy me in the comments, let’s get our celebration on! *puts on the sorting hat and jigs around with a butterbeer*

Review for Bunheads by Sophie Flack

2012-02-23T14:39:00.000Z

Bunheads by Sophie Flack
Publisher: Atom
Release Date: 1st March 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Dance, Self-Discovery
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
''In a crowd of beautiful and talented dancers, how can one girl stand out?

As a dancer with the Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward is living her childhood dream. She gets to be up on stage in front of adoring crowds every night. And while she might not be a prima ballerina yet, she's moving up the ranks and surely if she works hard enough she can make it happen. But devoting her whole life to ballet leaves very little time for anything else: friends, family, school have all fallen by the wayside. Hannah doesn't mind, until a chance encounter in a restaurant brings Jacob into her life. He's cute, he plays guitar and he's offering a whole future that Hannah never considered. And now she must choose between her lifelong dream or what could be the love of her life...''

Review
Bunheads was such an indulgent read for me, I’m fascinated by anything to do with dance- despite not being a dancer myself- I love watching movies like Black Swan and Step Up, old childhood books like Ballet Shoes, and TV show dancing competitions. I love everything from the beautiful costumes and dramatic make up to the fairy-tale like sets to the art of dance itself. I’ve been to the theatre to watch ballet a few times and every time I get so caught up in the story that the ballerina’s tell with their feet and reading Bunheads was almost like watching one of those dances, it gave me the exact same feeling of enchantment, magic and excitement.

What I loved most about Bunheads was the behind the scenes feel to it. Author Sophie Flack danced with the New York City ballet for nine years before writing this book so she shares with us first-hand information on exactly what goes on behind closed doors and what goes into this kind of profession. Not only did I love reading about our main character Hannah and her friend’s performances but I also loved reading about a dancer’s life off the stage from the extreme and challenging rehearsals to the gruelling training and physio. I found the simplest things like how they get their shoes to fit them perfectly and all the different moves fascinating. The life of a professional dancer is fiercely competitive and I came away from this book with a newfound respect for dancers and the dedication and passion they have for what they do. Despite the gorgeous dresses and fairy-tale’s that they dance to the job is at times anything but glamorous and I loved this insider’s look on the life of a young dancer trying to stand out from the crowd.

Whilst this books main focus is on the world of ballet dancing it also has themes of romance, friendship, rivalry and self-discovery. Hannah is a really interesting leading lady to read about with her conflicting emotions about ballet and her journey as she tries to decide what she wants from life. I also loved the love interest in this book Jacob and wanted Hannah to be with him pretty much from the moment they met! I also really liked Hannah’s best friend Bea who was such a good friend to Hannah and didn’t let the pressures of trying to get noticed come between their friendship.

Overall I thought that Bunheads was a really unique contemporary read. This book made me feel like a little girl again devouring a magical ballerina story wishing all the while that I too could get all dressed up and dance with princes and feel like a princess every night. Sophie Flack captures the magic and beauty of ballet and transforms it to the page flawlessly. This was a gorgeous debut that has made me see the world of competitive dance in a whole new light!

Review for Someone Else’s Life by Katie Dale

2012-02-20T09:00:00.002Z

Someone Else’s Life by Katie Dale
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: 2nd February 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary, Family Drama, Romance
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"How can you face your future when your past is a lie? When Rosie Kenning's mother, Trudie, dies from Huntingdon's disease, her whole world falls apart. Not only does Rosie desperately miss her mum, but now she has to face the fact that she could have inherited the fatal illness herself. Until she discovers that Trudie wasn't her biological mother at all ...Rosie is stunned. Can this be true? Is she grieving for a mother who wasn't even hers to lose? And if Trudie wasn't her mother, who is? But as Rosie delves into her past to discover who she really is, she is faced with a heart-breaking dilemma - to continue living a lie, or to reveal a truth that will shatter the lives of everyone around her..."

Review
This book was pitched to me as Jodi Picoult for teens and with Jodi being one of my all-time favourite authors I just had to try this YA equivalent. Now that I’ve read Someone Else’s Life I would certainly agree with that statement, debut author Katie Dale writes an honest and moving account on hard hitting topics such as grief, and Huntington’s disease to name a few in this gripping family drama.

What I loved best about this book is that instead of focusing on friendships and relationships this books main focus is on family in all its glorious shapes and sizes. I found that really refreshing for a young adult book and whilst there was a brilliant love interest for our heroine Rosie in the form of Andy the boy that she loved and gave up as just one of the many sacrifices she made in order to become a full time carer to her mum whose recently died from Huntington’s. What I loved most was the focus on family and the lies we keep to protect those we love.

Katie Dale tackles a wide range of controversial topics and I loved the many layers to this book. Right from the start your thrown this massive curve ball in the plot and as you read on the problems just snowball there are so many twists and turns, the plot constantly changing and developing right until the final pages. I was gripped by the many secrets that make up Rosie’s life and found it impossible to put the book down.

Someone Else’s Life reads as part contemporary and part mystery and so offers something new and different to the YA genre. The book is told from Rosie and a mystery person’s perspective, I found Rosie to be a really strong inspirational heroine and right from the beginning I had a huge amount of respect for her for practically giving up her life in order to look after her mum. I also loved reading from the perspective of the mystery character, for the first part of the book, because I had no idea who they were and I loved trying to suss out the mystery behind that, and once they’re revealed because I found their point of view fascinating to read from and they actually ended up being my favourite character and who I connected with most.

I could talk about how much I loved this book and why all day but because its very mystery orientated I’ll leave it there as I don’t want to give away any spoilers! But if you’re looking for a book that makes you feel ALL THE THINGS you should check out Someone Else’s Life, Katie Dale is certainly an author to watch!

In My Mailbox! The Bumper Edition

2012-02-18T21:55:00.000Z

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

Before I start this week's IMM I just want to say I didn't get all of these books this week. This is a bundle from the last few weeks grouping some of my must read books, I got a few more than this but if I was to list them all we'd be here for a very long time! So here are some of my top picks from the last few weeks...

Review Books

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
A Walk in the Park by Jill Mansell
Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate
Never Coming Home by Evonne Wareham (ARC)
Heart-shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne (ARC)
The Angel at No. 33 by Polly Williams

Hollow Pike by James Dawson (ARC)
Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Legend by Marie Lu (ARC)
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake (ARC)
Starters by Lissa Price (ARC)
Slated by Teri Terry (ARC)

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (ARC)
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Heaven by Christoph Marzi
Ticket to Love by Marilyn Kaye
Bunheads by Sophie Flack
The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams

Bought

The House of Silk: The New Sherlock Holmes Novel by Anthony Horowitz
Two Truths and a Lie (Lying Game) by Sara Shepard
This is a Love Story by Jessica Thompson
The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis
Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson

There you have it my HUGE haul of 23 books! As I said at the beginning I received and bought a few others but decided not to show the ones I’ve read simply because they’ve been featured/will be featured on the blog in a review. I’m so looking forward to all of these; I’ve been a very lucky girl! As always HUGE thank you’s to all of the lovely publishing people who have sent me these books to review. 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. Here’s to another week of fantastic reading ahead!

Review for Night School by CJ. Daugherty

2012-02-18T09:00:00.002Z

Night School by CJ. Daugherty
Publisher: Atom
Release Date: 5th January 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"Sometimes school can be murder. . . Allie Sheridan's world is falling apart. She hates her school. Her brother has run away from home. And she's just been arrested. Again. This time her parents have finally had enough. They cut her off from her friends and send her away to a boarding school for problem teenagers. But Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. It allows no computers or phones. Its students are an odd mixture of the gifted, the tough and the privileged. And then there's the secretive Night School, whose activities other students are forbidden even to watch. When Allie is attacked one night the incident sets off a chain of events leading to the violent death of a girl at the summer ball. As the school begins to seem like a very dangerous place, Allie must learn who she can trust. And what's really going on at Cimmeria Academy."

Review
First off I want to say that I had a real love/hate relationship with this book. I say this because the first 200 pages I couldn’t stand and the last 250 pages I loved and absolutely devoured. So I guess I’ll split this review into two parts the first talking about why I didn’t like the book and the second what I loved about it.

Okay so the book begins with our main character Allie being shipped off to boarding school after her third arrest of the year. My main dislike at the start of the book was with Allie, she acts out and hates her life and is basically your stereotypical rebellious teen. Allie really annoyed me at the beginning because of this, she was just so rude and arrogant and at times I wanted to throw the book at the wall she irritated me that much. Allie also makes a lot of bad choices at the beginning of the book the main one in my opinion was getting involved with Sylvain. Sylvain absolutely made my skin crawl he’s just such a slimy sleezeball and I just couldn’t understand what Allie saw in him. So at this point in the book I wasn’t connecting with Allie and I didn’t understand her choices and because of that I very nearly gave up on this book. However I was really enjoying reading about the school and the strange mysterious things that were happening there so curiosity alone made me read on.

Then the summer ball happened and that’s when this book really got interesting. The last half of this book I felt completely different about and it really made up for the first half. Cimmeria Academy is such a fascinating school with a lot of interesting history and hidden rooms, quirky staff and strange rules to boot. The mystery surrounding the school is really unique and I loved how different it was to anything else out there. In the last 250 pages there is so much action, danger and suspense that I couldn’t put this book down. And as for Allie well she really grows as a character and I liked her more as the book went on. I also loved the new relationships she made with Carter and Rachel who are much nicer more likeable characters than the first set of friends she makes at the school.

So although I had my problems with this book at the beginning by the end I ended up really liking it, so if like me you have trouble getting into this one it’s definitely a book I’d recommend sticking with. Overall Night School is a unique and interesting debut and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next with this series.

Review for The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

2012-02-17T09:00:00.001Z

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: September 27th 2011 (US edition) releasing in the UK on March 1st 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery, Romance
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Bought

Summary:
"Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong."

Review
I was so excited to read this book as I’m a huge fan of Young Adult thrillers and with THAT cover, THAT synopsis and the amount of praise from some of my favourite authors (Cassandra Clare and Veronica Roth to name a few!) I had really high expectations for this book.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer grips you straight away with a mysterious letter to the reader from Mara Dyer herself and a thrilling first chapter. During the beginning of this book I was completely swept away in the mystery surrounding who exactly Mara Dyer is and Michelle Hodkin’s beautiful atmospheric writing. However I felt that during the middle of this book the pacing really slowed down as the book started focusing more on the growing relationship between Mara and Noah. Don’t get me wrong I loved the romance to the story, fans of smart ass, dark and dangerous bad boys like me are going to fall hard for Noah Shaw. The best way I can describe Noah is he is what you would get if you mixed together Jace from The Mortal Instruments and St Clair from Anna and the French Kiss. I loved following his and Mara’s deliciously twisted romance but I couldn’t help but feel that the focus switched off the plot and on to them too often which really slowed down the pacing so the middle to me read more like a contemporary romance than a heart pounding thriller.

At the end the book took another U- turn and we were flung back into the darker more suspenseful side of this book which is the side I loved best. Some of the twists I guessed but others took me by surprise and then something HUGE was revealed right at the very end finishing the book on a gigantic cliff hanger that left me dying for the sequel. Seriously Michelle Hodkin I tip my hat to you as the new queen of cliff hangers!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a captivating and twisted love story that is in equal parts as disturbing and dark as it is beautiful and poetic. Whilst this isn’t the best young adult thriller out there I can’t deny that this book has something unique and exquisite to add to the genre and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Review for A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton

2012-02-16T14:29:00.000Z

A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Release Date: 5th January 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Witches
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"Anna Winterson doesn't know she's a witch and would probably mock you for believing in magic, but after moving to the small town of Winter with her father, she learns more than she ever wanted to about power. When Anna meets Seth, she is smitten, but when she enchants him to love her, she unwittingly amplifies a deadly conflict between two witch clans and splits her own heart in two. She wants to love Seth, to let him love her - but if it is her magic that's controlling his passion, then she is as monstrous as the witch clan who are trying to use her amazing powers for their own gain.

When love is tangled up in magic, how can you be sure what's real?"

Review
I haven’t read a lot of books about witches but was really interested to check out A Witch in Winter purely because it’s written by a British author and the story’s set in England which is a bit of a rarity with paranormal young adult fiction. It was really refreshing to read a book set in an old British seaside town but at the same time it wasn’t so British that it wouldn’t do well over seas. I think that Ruth Warburton does a fantastic job of writing a solid British supernatural book that can stand proudly next to the popular US paranormal titles.

The book begins with Anna moving to the seaside town of Winter her and her dad taking residence in the old abandoned Wicker House more notoriously known by the locals as “The Witches House.” Despite the house being seriously creepy nothing is out of the ordinary until Anna finds an old spell book and messing around accidently casts a love spell on her crush Seth Waters. Seth quickly falls head over heels for Anna and dumps his popular girlfriend Caroline which makes life more than a little difficult for Anna at her new school. However Caroline is the least of Anna’s problems what with her discovering that she has magical powers, and not being able to remove her love spell on Seth. Plus there’s the Ealdwiton, a council of the most powerful witches, who are after Anna to use her new found powerful magic for their own purposes. Anna’s magic appears to be hugely powerful and with no training Anna manages to get herself into some serious trouble but with Anna’s growing attraction to Seth and his love that she knows she can’t believe in can Anna undo all that she’s done before she causes any more damage to Seth, her dad, and her new found friends?

What I loved most about this book was Seth and Anna’s romance. I really felt for Anna having to constantly do the noble thing and fight her attraction to Seth so as not to take advantage of him whilst he’s under the influence of her spell. Then of course there’s the mystery as to why the spell can’t be removed is it because Seth’s feelings are real? Or is Anna’s magic just too strong? I loved their complicated relationship and really hoped that Seth’s feelings for Anna were real because they made such a fantastic couple. I really liked them both as characters and had instant respect for Anna for not taking Seth for granted and always trying to do the right thing. With a guy like Seth fawning over her I can tell you she’s a stronger girl than me that’s for sure!

I think that A Witch in Winter was a fantastic start to what promises to be an awesome series. I’m so intrigued as to how strong Anna’s powers actually are and what’s in store for her next. This was a fantastic book that I read in one evening because I couldn’t put it down and I am already looking forward to its sequel A Witch in Love!

Review for Happily Ever After by Harriet Evans

2012-02-14T09:00:00.004Z

Happily Ever After by Harriet Evans
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 19th January 2012
Genre: Chick-lit, Adult Fiction, Woman’s Fiction
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Source: Received for review from the Amazon Vine Programme

Amazon Summary:
"At twenty-two, Eleanor Bee is sure about three things: she wants to move to London and become a literary superstar, she wants to be able to afford to buy a coffee and croissant every morning, and she doesn’t believe in happy endings. She saw what divorce did to her parents, especially her mum: happily ever after’s fine on the last page of a book, but it just doesn’t happen in real life.

Elle moves to London. She gets a job at Bluebird Books, a charmingly old-fashioned publishers. She falls out of pubs, wears too-short skirts, makes lots of mistakes and feels like she’s learning nothing and everything at the same time. And then, out of the blue, she falls in love, and that’s when she realises just how much growing up she has to do…

Ten years on, and Elle’s life has changed in ways she could never have predicted. Because no matter where you go and how much you try to run away, the past has a funny way of catching up with you, and Happily Ever After comes in all shapes and sizes…"

Review
Every now and then I love to read a book about books so Happily Ever After naturally was a real joy for me to read and I’m sure a lot of book lovers who are passionate about reading, especially chick-lit fans, will feel the same. Our heroine Eleanor Bee better known as “Elle” loves to read, particularly romance and woman’s fiction. Her love for books and support for romance against literary snobs- many of which she has to deal with in her job at a publishing house- made me instantly fond of her. Her love for strong heroines, romantic heroes, and the perfect happily ever after really shines through the pages.

The majority of this book focuses on Elle’s career in the world of publishing and so this is ultimately a real career girls kind of book although it does also tackle family problems, and of course relationship drama too. My dream job would be to work in publishing like Elle so I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her experiences in the behind the scenes book industry, from editing manuscripts to hosting fabulous parties for authors. I found it really refreshing to read a book about a young woman who loves her job and puts her career first before anything else.

Whilst I loved Elle and the bookish aspect of this book I have to say that I was a bit let down by the romance. Because Elle’s very much a career girl the book focuses mainly on her antics in the work place leaving the romance to be quite weak and barely touched upon. I felt that Elle and her love interest didn’t spend enough time together to properly fall in love and so things felt a bit forced and fake with that side of things and is my one complaint about this book.

Happily Ever After is a real book lover’s book with a smart headstrong heroine. If you love your career girl chick-lit stories and dream about rubbing shoulders with your favourite authors and reading books for a living this is the perfect book to live your fantasies through. But if you’re looking for an epic romance I’d maybe give this one a miss.

Review for The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

2012-02-13T09:00:00.002Z

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg
Publisher: Puffin
Release Date: 2nd February 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Afterlife
Rating: 5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Goodreads Summary:
"Brie's life ends at sixteen: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart - "literally." But now that she's in heaven, Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend knows a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost - and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul who's been D&G (dead and gone) much longer than she and who just might hold the key to her forever after. With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on but how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?"

Review
I’m a big fan of what I’ve come to think of as “Afterlife” books. With what exactly happens after death being the world’s biggest mystery I think that it gives authors artistic licence to really put some imagination into their take on life after death. I found Jess Rothenberg’s version of an afterlife fascinating and thought that it was a brilliant idea for the deceased to have to go through the five stages of grief- Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Sadness and Acceptance- just the same as those they left behind have to in order to move on.

What makes this book stand apart from others in the “Afterlife” genre is that our main character Brie literally dies from a broken heart when her first love Jacob tells her that he doesn’t love her. There’s a real mystery behind the book as to why Jacob broke up with Brie when their relationship seemed so perfect. I loved watching Brie visit her old life and go from seeking revenge on Jacob to slowly coming to understand and accept the reasons why their relationship didn’t work out all whilst struggling with her growing attraction to her new friend and guide to all things afterlife Patrick. Patrick himself is another big mystery to the book, I was so curious to know why he had been in this “in-between” place for so long and what was keeping him from moving on to the other side. The Catastrophic History of You and Me is a book that explores love in all its glorious and devastating forms and is ultimately a unique and quirky romance.

As well as the romance aspect to this book, Brie is also trying to navigate her way and learn the rules of the afterlife as well as trying to tie up loose ends and act as guardian angel to her best friends and family. What really impressed me with this book was Rothenberg’s ability to write a story that is in equal parts as funny and life affirming as it is heart breaking and sad. I loved Brie’s voice and could completely relate to her and the mistakes she makes with love.

I would whole heartedly (cheesy pun totally intended) recommend this book to anyone who’s ever had their heart broken. The Catastrophic History of You and Me is a love story like no other, with a hilarious heroine, and the ultimate disaster romance this is a story of life, death, love and all the glorious things in between at its best.

Review for Kiss Date Love Hate by Luisa Plaja

2012-02-11T09:00:00.002Z

Kiss Date Love Hate by Luisa Plaja
Publisher: Corgi (Random House Childrens)
Release Date: 2nd February 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Chick-lit
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Goodreads Summary:
"What if you could change your friends' lives and loves through the settings of a computer game...?

Lex Murphy's group of friends have all dated, hated, ignored and lusted after each other for the last few years. If only there was a way of matching people perfectly to avoid all the unrequited love, dumping and drama! Then Lex's friend George is given a mysterious Sims-like game by his software-testing dad which involves building character profiles in the categories of Life, Looks and Love. Lex and George populate the game with avatars for all their mates, making a few 'wishful thinking' adjustments to the settings - and find that the next day these tinkerings have come true! But how long can this new calm, loved-up atmosphere continue?"

Review
Many girls wish that they could magically get their ex-boyfriend to like them again, or even for something as simple as bigger boobs and longer hair. If given the chance I’m sure that we’d all change something about ourselves or our lives so when our heroine Lex and her best friend George play a mysterious online Sims like game starring not only themselves but also their group of friends who can blame them for tinkering around with the online settings? Giving themselves a better image and adding a few wishful thinking improvements regarding who likes who in the group. But when what’s happening in the game starts also unexplainably happening in real life too Lex and George feel like they’ve won the jackpot. They have ultimate control over their friend’s looks, love lives and even personalities and can change things for the better right at their fingertips. But sometimes what we think we want isn’t always what we need which is something that Luisa Plaja explores to extremes in this weirdly wonderful story.

Kiss Date Love Hate is a contemporary romance with a cute modern twist that makes it stand apart from others in the genre. This book has everything you want in a chick-lit read, a funny likeable heroine, an adorable nerdy best friend, a swoon worthy bad boy, and an original fun filled plot that young adult readers will enjoy.

What surprised me most about this book was how seamlessly Luisa Plaja delivers a cute and funny story that also has themes on the importance of being yourself. I read this book in a day when I was sick and the likeable characters, and heart-warming plot made that day so much better than it should have been.

This is the perfect feel good read about accepting yourself the way you are and how the people who matter will accept you too, warts and all. I loved this tale of finding love where you least expect it and would definitely recommend it to anyone who appreciates warm, funny, contemporary romance for teens.

Review for Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

2012-02-10T09:00:00.001Z

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Publisher: Penguin
Release Date: 5th January 2012
Genre: Adult Fiction, Chick-lit, Romance
Rating: 5/5 stars
Source: Bought

Amazon Summary:
"Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time."

Review
As soon as I heard about this book I was desperate to read it. The whole prospect of a book about a quadriplegic man wanting to go to Dignitas in Switzerland- a clinic that legally allows a patient to take their own life- I thought was such a brave and controversial topic for Moyes to tackle. My mum, like our heroine Lou, is a carer and I was fascinated to get a glimpse of what she has to deal with on an everyday bases through the eyes of Lou. There are so many books out there that cover a number of serious illnesses like cancer, mental health, STI’s and so forth but this is the first book I’ve come across about what it’s like to live with such a sever disability and the effort it takes just to live out day to day life.

Me Before You is a real eye opener of a book. Prior to reading it I’d never given much thought as to how dramatically different life is for someone as severely disabled as Will. I’d never for instance thought of the embarrassment of having somebody have to feed and clean and dress you. How whilst a shop may say it’s wheelchair friendly simply because it has a ramp to access the shop sometimes that’s really as far as it goes regarding the width of aisles or how high up the products are. I’d never thought about how you can never do anything spontaneously as everything has to be planned in advance to fit your needs, and how people can be so damn patronizing despite your mind being perfectly sound. Jojo Moyes does a brilliant, thoroughly researched job in showing the many ways that life for someone like Will is different to ours and so much of a struggle that you can totally understand and even support his right to choose to end his life.

That being said Me Before You isn’t a depressing read. Of course with the subject matter in parts it’s terribly sad and peoples treatment of Will made me ever so angry, but Moyes counterbalances the plot with a lot of black humor from Will and those who care for him regarding his disability, his bickering with Lou in particular being a real highlight of the book. For a lot of the story I didn’t even see Will as a quadriplegic but just this charming, brilliant man with a wicked sense of humor. Whilst being utterly fascinated by the medical side of things I also loved the lighter side to this book, like Lou and Will’s growing relationship, and Lou’s attempts to try and get Will to change his mind about going to Dignitas with her plans for humorous and sometimes disastrous “life changing” trips and outings that never seem to go to plan.

I absolutely adored this book and can see why it’s been selected for so many book clubs most famously perhaps Richard and Judy’s as it really gives you a lot of food for thought and plenty to discuss. This book is definitely one of those life affirming type of reads that is guaranteed to touch the hearts of all who read it. A brilliant book that will make your heart ache in the best possible way.

An Apology

2012-02-09T10:25:00.000Z

Dear faithful blog readers,

Some of you may have noticed that I’ve been MIA for the last few weeks without warning and I apologise for that. Basically my personal life kind of took over everything, first with getting sick, then with it being my birthday, then with going on a mini break, then with getting into a reading slump, into then caring for my dad who has a leg injury. So that’s what’s been keeping me from the blog these past few weeks but I’m hoping things will continue to settle down now so I can get back into blogging, I’ve really missed it!

To get things back on track I’m going to first be concentrating on catching up with all of the reviews for the books I’ve been reading. I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed a single book that I’ve read this year! I’ve been reading some great and not so great books so I’m looking forward to telling you guys all about that and recommending some new 2012 titles! So yeah this is going to be a strictly review zone until I’m up to date, which I’ve got to admit I’m excited about as writing reviews are pretty much my favourite thing to do on the blog! I may also do some sneaky In My Mailboxes if things go well as with going to Oxford- home land of bookish awesome, my birthday, and weeks worth of book hauls missed I have a lot to show you guys although sadly I might not be able to show them all as I really have had SO many make a new home with me these last few weeks.

So can you guys forgive me? I’m sorry I’ve been a sucky blogger and forgot to be awesome. But I’m here now, if you’ll have me. Watch this space for the first of an abundance of reviews going up tomorrow; it will be happening, promise.

Happy reading till next time,

Jess x

Review for Divergent by Veronica Roth

2012-01-09T09:00:00.001Z

I’d like to give a special mention to Cait and Lyndsey for the push I needed to finally pick this book up!

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 3rd May 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Rating: 5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Goodreads Summary:
"In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her."

Review
It took me such a long time to get round to reading Divergent. I have no idea why considering dystopians are my favourite type of book to read. Maybe because I was worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype or because I was waiting for a time when I wasn’t busy and could give it my full attention, or maybe I was just saving it for when I wanted to read a really good book, I don’t know. I think they all had a little something to do with it. But as I am surely the last person on earth to read it this review is to simply concur with all of the wonderful things said about this book, because this is a book that deserves it’s hype.

Divergent is the type of dystopian that I love best. It’s fast paced, I mean REALLY fast paced, not giving you a moment to even catch your breath and gather your thoughts. Considering it’s such a big book there is never a moment where the story drags on or the pacing drops. It was consistently exciting and action packed in a way that’s similar to dystopians like The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner. But at the same time it’s not a copycat and has a completely new story to anything else out there. Despite this book being just shy of 500 pages I devoured it in less than two days which is pretty speedy for me and a book of this size.

Our protagonist Tris is probably the most badass heroine I’ve ever encountered. Seriously, this girl is tough as nails, and I loved following her journey. Then there is Four, Tris’s instructor and love interest. I loved Four right from the start, he’s this really strong, tough guy with a heart of gold. I loved Four and Tris’s relationship as unlike in so many young adult books they were partners and equals who supported each other but didn’t need the other to babysit them. I loved how naturally their relationship developed and how despite the romance it didn’t take away from or slow down the action element of the story.

The plot is so well imagined and executed. If I’m nit picking the only thing that let this book down for me was that I figured out many of the twists before they happened. I would have liked to have been kept on my toes a little more regarding that but overall it didn’t take away from my love for this book.

Divergent is the best dystopian I’ve read in a long time and is perfect for readers who love their stories dangerous and their heroine’s bad ass. This was a mind blowing debut and a fantastic start to what promises to be a hugely popular series. I can barely wait for book two!

In My Mailbox!

2012-01-08T11:12:00.000Z

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

Review Books

Advent by James Treadwell
Touch of Power by Maria V Snyder
Supernaturally by Kiersten White
The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman
Slide by Jill Hathaway
Desert Angel by Charlie Price

Bought

The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
Smoulder by Brenna Yovanoff

Gifts!

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien and illustrated by Alan Lee ( HUGE thank you's to Ellie at Musings of a Bookshop Girl for this gorgeous early birthday present!)
Heist Society by Ally Carter ( Big thank you's also to my bestie Rachel at In the Library of LadyViolet for this Christmas present! I've wanted to read this one for ages!)

So that's what I got over the past week and the week's in which I was taking my holiday blogging break! As always big thank you's to everybody who sent me books I'm so excited to read 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. Here’s to another week of fantastic reading ahead!

So how did I do with my 2011 challenges?

2012-01-05T09:00:00.002Z

In 2011 I participated in The Story Siren’s Debut Author Challenge, The Bookette’s British Book’s Challenge (now hosted over at The Overflowing Library) and set myself the goal of reading at least 75 books on goodreads so let’s see how I done…

Debut Author Challenge

Goal: To read 12 2011 debut’s
Read
1.) Entangled by Cat Clarke
2.) Across the Universe by Beth Revis
3.) Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
4.) The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
5.) Chocker by Elizabeth Woods
6.) Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin
7.) Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
8.) Amy and Rogers Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
9.) Clarity by Kim Harrington
10.) Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon
11.) Flawless by Lara Chapman
12.) Wither by Lauren DeStefano
13.) Swim the Fly by Don Calame
14.) Forgotten by Cat Patrick
15.) Die for Me by Amy Plum
16.) Birthmarked by Caragh M. O’Brien
17.) Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
18.) Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
19.) Soul Beach by Kate Harrison
20.) Frost by Marianna Baer
21.) Saving June by Hannah Harrington
22.) Fury by Elizabeth Miles
23.) Divergent by Veronica Roth
24.) Sean Griswold’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt
25.) Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

25 debuts! Not too shabby! I’m so glad I took part in this challenge as it really pushed me to try out some new authors I may not have tried and by doing so I’ve discovered lots of new favourite authors who I can’t wait to read more from.

British Books Challenge

Goal: To read 12 British books in 2011
Read
1.) Entangled by Cat Clarke
2.) The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
3.) The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan
4.) To The Moon and Back by Jill Mansell
5.) Rockoholic by C.J Skuse
6.) A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
7.) It Happened One Summer by Polly Williams
8.) Stolen by Lucy Christopher
9.) The Truth About You by Melissa Hill
10.) Jessie Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton
11.) Lucy in the Sky by Paige Toon
12.) Katy Carter Wants a Hero by Ruth Saberton
13.) Bad Sisters by Rebecca Chance
14.) Velvet by Mary Hooper
15.) One Day by David Nicholls
16.) Soul Beach by Kate Harrison
17.) Angel Fire by L.A Weatherly
18.) An Autumn Crush by Milly Johnson
19.) There is No Dog by Meg Rosoff
20.) Last Chirstmas by Julia Williams
21.) One Minute to Midnight by Amy Silver
22.) The Night Before Christmas by Scarlett Bailey

So my planned 12 turned into 22! Taking part in this challenge was another great experience. I love me some American authors and the majority of books I read do tend to come from the US so it was really nice to read some books by authors with home grown British talent and some of these made it into my favourites of the year!

75 Book Challenge

Goal: To read 75 books
Read: 82 (see the full list here!)

Yay! I’m quite a slow reader as I really like to take things in so was really chuffed to not only reach 75 but also to surpass it!

Overall I’m really proud of myself for not only meeting but surpassing all of my challenges this year. So what’s next for 2012? Well nothing actually… That’s right I’ve taken part in some sort of challenge for the past 3 years now and so I’ve decided to take a break from them this year and just read what I want to read.

Even though I managed to meet my challenges I’m quite a rebel and don’t like being told what to do so I’m doing a little self-experiment this year to see if I actually do better without the pressure of any challenges. Even though the last year’s been great and I’ve loved taking part I’m excited to be doing my own thing this year without feeling like I should be reading something else.

So that’s all from me challenge wise this year. Best of luck to those of you who are taking part in challenges in 2012 and well done to those who completed theirs last year!

Divergent gets a make-over! And INSURGENT UK cover reveal!

2012-01-04T09:00:00.002Z

Some of you may know the Divergent and Insurgent cover’s as this…

and this...

However here in the UK the publishers are giving this series a make-over with completely new covers and here they are!

Divergent

Insurgent

I think the new covers are absolutely gorgeous and will definitely appeal to UK YA fans, but for me personally there’s just something so striking and unique about the US and original UK covers that really made them stand out to me. I do however LOVE the burning leaves on Insurgent and I’m a sucker for a purple cover!

What do you guys think of the cover change and which set do you prefer? Insurgent is out in the UK on the 1st May of this year and I for one can’t wait!

December's Book of the Month, 2011's Book of the Year and Yearly Round Up!

2012-01-03T14:57:00.000Z

Hi guys! I’m back from my holiday blogging break now and in that time managed to read SO many good books to finish the year off in style. I caught up on some of those must reads for 2011 and so choosing my December book of the month has been very difficult! First of all I’d like to give an honourable mention to Clockwork Prince, Divergent, and Starcrossed they were all amazing books and if read on separate months could of stood as book of the month’s themselves. But there was one book in particular that I read during my break that just surpassed all of the above. In fact it’s got to be at the top of my very favourite books of the year but we’ll get on to that later…without further ado I announce that…

December’s BotM is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern!

The Night Circus was such a magic, whimsical story that reads very much like an adult fairytale. I defy anyone to read the first couple of pages of this book and NOT carry on with it. This was such an amazing book and was the perfect magical read.

Now moving on to my absolute favourite book of 2011! I read so many amazing books with plenty of 5 star ratings this year but this book for me is like nothing else out there. It’s romantic, heart stopping, tragic and just an all-round wonderfully imagined, fantastically written book with a stunning cover to boot. I’ve raved about this book to pretty much anyone who’ll listen and have already persuaded so many people to give it a go but in case you missed out on any of my raving’s then know that 2011’s book of the year comes with the highest of recommendations from me.

2011’s Book of the Year is Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor!

In case you missed my review for this book and want to find out more you can check out my thoughts here!

Here’s my list of each book of the month in order of awesomeness!

1.) Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (August)
2.) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (December)
3.) One Day by David Nicholls and Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (tied in September)
4.) Where She Went by Gayle Forman (March)
5.) A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (May)
6.) Wonder by R.J Palacio (November)
7.) Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal (January)
8.) We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han (April)
9.) Angel Fire by L.A Weatherly (October)
10.) Ultraviolet by R.J Anderson (July)
11.) Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (February)
12.) The Truth About You by Melissa Hill (June)

Awards
Best Plot: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Best Writing: The Night Circus
Best Cover: The Night Circus
Best Characters: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Best Ending: A Monster Calls
Best Romance: One Day
Most un-put-down-able: Ultraviolet
Most Memorable: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Best Moral: Wonder

If you missed out on any of the books mentioned in this post in 2011 I would whole heartedly recommend you checking them out in 2012! This past year’s reading has been fantastic and I’m looking forward to seeing what books 2012 brings my way!

What were some of your favourite books of 2011? I would love some recommendations!

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight Blog Tour! Character Interview with Oliver!

2012-01-02T09:00:00.032Z

To kick things off for 2012 I’m very excited to be bringing to you today the first stop in The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight Blog Tour! I was lucky enough to be able to read this 2012 debut early last year and I absolutely loved it here’s a little bit about what it’s all about…

Synopsis

"Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Imagine if she hadn't forgotten the book. Or if there hadn't been traffic on the expressway. Or if she hadn't fumbled the coins for the toll. What if she'd run just that little bit faster and caught the flight she was supposed to be on. Would it have been something else - the weather over the Atlantic or a fault with the plane?

Hadley isn't sure if she believes in destiny or fate but, on what is potentially the worst day of each of their lives, it's the quirks of timing and chance events that mean Hadley meets Oliver...

Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it."

Character Interview with Oliver!

1.) What made you approach Hadley at that first meeting in the airport?
She just looked so flustered and out of sorts, and I was feeling a bit like that myself. Her bag had spilled all over the floor, and the woman sitting next to her was giving her a hard time, and besides all that, she was cute too. I couldn’t resist coming to her rescue.

2.) When you first met Hadley you quickly learnt that she has a lot of fears besides claustrophobia. What are your biggest fears?
Well, there are the usual things. Snakes. Certain kinds of bugs – especially the ones with those little pinchers. I don’t love the ocean either, to be honest. And I used to be afraid of the dark when I was younger. But I guess the biggest one is just saying how I feel. I’m working on that though. And Hadley – she helps.

3.) You and Hadley are both fans of Dickens what are some of your other favourite books?
There’s nothing like Dickens, it’s true. And I’ve managed to fall in love with his books despite a lifetime of being called Oliver Twist. I also love The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye. And anything by Hemingway. (I’m sure I’d never have been teased if my name was Nick Adams).

4.) Do you always make a habit of kissing people you've just met?
Why, yes. Yes, I do.

No, I’m only joking. I’m not nearly charming enough for that sort of thing. But with Hadley, it felt different. I couldn’t help myself.

5.) How about stealing on a first date?
That was definitely a first. But can you blame me? I needed a little bit of Dutch courage to help with that last phobia of mine…

6.) Okay so tell us what are you *really* studying?
If I told you that I’m studying the feeding habits of a rare species of Amazonian tree frog, would you believe me?

7.) Do you believe in fate after the way you and Hadley met?
You could chalk it up to fate, or you could chalk it up to the fact that Hadley was somehow disorganized enough to miss her flight by four minutes. But whether it was something as big as destiny or as small as timing, I feel very lucky that she ended up in my path. Girls like Hadley don’t come along very often.

8.) How about love at first sight?
I do now.

9.) What's next for you and Hadley?
We’re taking it twenty-four hours at a time.

For my US Counterpart head on over to http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/ today where they will be running an interview with Hadley!

Next stop tomorrow is with http://www.wondrousreads.com/ for the UK post and http://www.thestorysiren.com/ for the US post. For the names and dates of everyone else on the tour check out the tour button here!

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E.Smith is published by Headline on 5th January 2012. Check out the trailers here and here and for my thoughts you can check out my review here. Big thank you’s to the publishers and Jen for putting this wonderful tour together!

Holiday Blogging Break!

2011-12-19T09:00:00.001Z

Just a quick announcement to let you guys know that I will be taking a break from blogging as of today for Christmas and New Year. I'm going to use this time to relax and enjoy the festivities as well as cramming in as many Christmas books and those 2011 must reads before the years over. I'll be returning in early January and will be setting things up on the blog for 2012 with 2011 summaries, reviews for 2012 books and even the first book tour of the year! January will be a month with a lot of conclusions from 2011 and setting up for the year ahead. It's also my birthday month and I know I'm going away late January so please bare with me if posts are a bit all over the place.

February will see things getting back to normal around here and the return of some of my features like Readers Choice and the re-launch of Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them with the new name Covers So Lovely They're Lickable! As co-creator and my best friend Rachel over at In the Library of LadyViolet has kindly handed the reins over to me solely so I'm bringing it back as I know how many of you used to enjoy those.

So this is goodbye for now my lovelies, I hope you all have a wonderful and book filled Christmas and New Year if you celebrate and for those who don't heck everyday should be wonderful and book filled so same goes to you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and I'll see you all in 2012 for book news, reviews and plenty of bookish awesome.

Jess x

In My Mailbox!

2011-12-18T11:31:00.000Z

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

Review Books

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Torn by Cat Clarke
Fracture by Megan Miranda
Night School by C.J Daugherty
Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey

Gift/ Bought

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (early Christmas present from my lovely friend Ellie over at Musings of a Bookshop Girl)
The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness (I got all three of these for only £7.99 at The Works! I absolutely loved A Monster Calls so can't wait to check out more of Patrick's books!)

This is my last IMM for 2011 and I think it’s been a pretty good one! As always big thank you’s to everybody who sent me books. For more information on any of the books featured just click on the title and the link will take you to it's goodreads page. 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. Here’s to another week of fantastic reading ahead!

Review for Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

2011-12-16T09:00:00.001Z

WARNING
This is the second book in The Infernal Devices series. Although this review will contain NO spoilers from Clockwork Prince by talking about the plot there may be unintentional spoilers from the first book in the series.

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Walker
Release Date: 6th December 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Paranormal Romance
Rating: 5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"Love and lies can corrupt even the purest heart... In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, while her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will - the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers to who she is and what she was born to do? As their search for the truth leads the three friends into peril, Tessa's heart is increasingly torn, especially when one of their own betrays them."

Review
I feel that The Infernal Devices trilogy really shows off how far Cassandra Clare has come as a writer since her debut City of Bones. Don’t get me wrong I’m a huge fan of The Mortal Instruments series but I feel that The Infernal Devices is so much stronger in characters, plot, and writing. I’m a sucker for well written historical fiction at the best of times but historical fiction with shadowhunters and all the paranormal creatures you can think of? Yes please!

I had a feeling after reading Clockwork Angel that I could possibly come to love this series even more than The Mortal Instruments and Clockwork Prince definitely tipped me over the edge. This has to be the most romantic of all of Cassandra Clare’s books to date, the majority of the book focusing on the complex relationships our leading lady Tessa has with shadowhunter parabatai brothers Jem and Will. Some huge plot twists get revealed about the boys in Clockwork Prince which literally changes everything for Tessa. Both Jem and Will have been through so much and in this book you get to see the extent of that and get to know the boys so much better. There are some very hot and steamy moments and I, like Tessa, spent much of the book totally convinced I loved kind hearted, silver fox, Jem only to look into Will Herondale’s blue/violet eyes and be undecided all over again. I love both boys so much and I almost don’t want Tessa to have to choose either of them, not if it will end up hurting the other one. Basically Cassie Clare has created the most intense love triangle I’ve ever read. I love it and I don’t even usually like love triangles.

What I love best about The Infernal Devices are the characters. I think Tessa is such a strong, smart and likeable heroine who I connect with way more than I ever have with Clary. Then there are my lovely- I mean bad-ass *cough* shadowhunter boys Will and Jem. But not only that the secondary characters stand out too and are so well developed.

Clockwork Prince takes a step back from the Mortmain storyline and instead focuses on lots of sub plots that are all essential to the overall story. Each character has something going on with them and the book flicks back and forth between storylines so there is constantly something exciting going down. Clockwork Prince doesn’t suffer from the dreaded middle book syndrome at all and instead reveals plenty of secrets and twists whilst creating new questions setting things up for an explosive final book.

Clockwork Prince blends together romance and none stop action seamlessly, Cassie Clare showing other Young Adult authors how paranormal romance is done. As for the book itself I really liked this exclusive collector’s edition as it includes a letter that Will writes in Clockwork Angel and a short story ‘Burning Bright’ which goes into Jem’s feelings during Clockwork Angel when he first meets Tessa. I was really excited to read Will’s letter but surprisingly found myself enjoying Jem’s short story more although both were fantastic and added a little something extra that fans will really appreciate. I think this book is my favourite out of all of Cassandra’s books so far and I absolutely cannot wait for Clockwork Princess, the final book in this series, for what promises to be a heart stopping finale.

Review for The Night Before Christmas by Scarlett Bailey

2011-12-15T09:00:00.001Z

The Night Before Christmas by Scarlett Bailey
Publisher: Ebury Press
Release Date: 27th October 2011
Genre: Chick-lit, Adult Fiction, Christmas, Winter
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"All Lydia's ever wanted is a perfect Christmas...

So when her oldest friends invite her to spend the holidays with them, it seems like a dream come true. She's been promised log fires, roasted chestnuts, her own weight in mince pies - all in a setting that looks like something out of a Christmas card.

But her winter wonderland is ruined when she finds herself snowed in with her current boyfriend, her old flame and a hunky stranger. Well, three (wise) men is traditional at this time of year..."

Review
The Night Before Christmas is a book, that for me, had both its highs and lows overall making it an average read. This is less of a Christmas story and more of a chick-lit novel with a Christmas backdrop. What I mean by that is that despite this book being set during those few days leading up to Christmas it just didn’t really feel festive to me and didn’t have an underlining Christmas moral which I think is key if you’re going to write a book about Christmas. Instead the book definitely reads like your usual chick-lit story focusing more on relationships and everyday situations than Christmas. Basically I guess what I’m trying to say is that Bailey could of taken advantage of the Christmas theme more than she chose to.

First off I’ll get my dislikes out of the way. Lydia and her friends aren’t exactly the most likeable characters I’ve come across. Lydia spends much of the book running from her current boyfriend, to her ex-boyfriend (not to mention who is also her best friends new man) to a hunky stranger. Her careless regard towards other people’s feelings and who she might be hurting in the process really grated on my nerves and to be honest I found her a bit selfish. Then there’s Joanna- who is currently girlfriend to Lydia’s ex- who’s really superficial and makes her own fair share of hurtful mistakes. Then there’s Alex possibly the world’s most unpleasant heavily pregnant woman ever. And Katy who to be frank is a bit of a doormat but probably the most genuine of her friends. There wasn’t really a female character that I could really get behind and connect with. If anything I felt rather sorry for their poor chaps for being snowed in with them!

Another thing that irked me was the poor editing that went into this book. The Night Before Christmas is littered with spelling mistakes and missed out words that left sentences that made little to no sense. I know that mistakes happen and being a book blogger who reads uncorrected proof copies this isn’t something that usually fazes me but for a finished copy this was just plain embarrassing, worse even, than any proof I’ve ever read. Although this is of course no reflection on Scarlett Bailey or the story itself at the end of the day if the presentations half arsed it makes the book seem sloppy and just cringey in general to read.

Those problems aside I did like this book. Scarlett Bailey writes a hilarious account of a perfect Christmas gone wrong, something I think that most people can relate to! Her writing style is fresh, modern and funny with some truly laugh out loud moments.

I also really liked the men in this story particularly the lovely Will. Bailey writes romance and complex relationships with honesty and humour and I loved reading about Lydia’s past and steamy encounters with the men she’s snowed in with. Trying to figure out which man she was going to end up with being the real highlight of the book.

All in all despite some issues I had with The Night Before Christmas I still enjoyed it for the most part and think that it would make a nice, fun, girly read for Christmas but maybe not so much if you’re looking for a book with a little more substance and festive cheer.

I'm Guest Posting!

2011-12-14T12:58:00.000Z

Hi lovelies! Today's post is over at one of my very favourite blogs www.onemorepage.co.uk the lovely Amanda is hosting Countdown to Christmas a really fun blogging version of an advent calender with a festive post every day from the 1st to the 24th December! Packed with Christmas book reviews, author Christmas themed interviews and giveaway's you really ought to stop by I've been following the posts and they really put you in a festive mood!

Amanda's been kind enough to have me on her blog today with a review for a heart-warming christmassy read Last Christmas by Julia Williams you can check out my review here. And make sure you check out all of the other Countdown to Christmas posts if you haven't already and follow for a new post every day!

Review for One Minute to Midnight by Amy Silver

2011-12-05T09:00:00.005Z

One Minute to Midnight by Amy Silver
Publisher: Arrow
Release Date: 24th November 2011
Genre: Chick-lit, Adult Fiction, New Year, Winter
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"Nicole Blake's New Year Resolutions, 1990:

1. Start keeping a journal;

2. Lose half a stone;

3. Kiss Julian Symonds

If there are two things Nicole can guarantee about New Years Eve it's that there are always fireworks and Julian Symonds is always there.

Since she was thirteen, no New Year has been complete without Jules. Through school, university and beyond, as friends come and go, Nic and Jules are at the centre of every party.

Until one year everything changes...

Now, as another New Year approaches, Nicole has ghosts to lay and bridges to build - with her husband Dom, with her best friend Alex, and with Aidan, the man who broke her heart.

Life is about to change again for Nicole, and once the fireworks are over and the dust has settled, this time she is determined it will be for the better."

Review
At this time of year you only have to walk into a bookshop to see the abundance of Christmas books that are released during the build up to Christmas and so what first struck me about One Minute to Midnight is that this is a book about New Year. New Year is a time that tends to be overshadowed by the excitement for Christmas something that’s also apparent in the book industry. And so reading a book about New Year and the new beginning’s that come along with it was a very welcome breath of fresh air.

First things first I have to say don’t be fooled by this book’s beautiful- but undeniably girly- cover. This isn’t your typical chick-lit read. One Minute to Midnight is a realistic, hard-hitting, tug on your heartstrings novel that covers topics such as domestic violence, grief and death and is about a group of less than perfect friends and their complex relationships with one another.

Our leading lady is Nicole and straight away I found her fascinating to read about. She’s smart, feisty and is a woman with a past. There are a lot of skeletons in Nic’s closet and secrets that not only is she keeping from her husband Dom but us readers too. The book alternates from the present build up to New Year to the New Year’s Eve’s of Nicole’s past beginning in 1990 when Nicole is thirteen and spends her first New Year’s Eve with Julian Symonds unbeknownst to them starting a tradition and friendship that will see them through many New Years to come. With the book being told on the same day each year One Minute to Midnight had a certain One Day feel about it which I loved especially as it gives you the feeling that you really know these characters that you’ve watched them grow up.

I found the characters in this book to be so well developed. Every one of them felt so real and even the secondary characters stood out. They’ve all made mistakes, some that have hurt each other, but no matter what they done I couldn’t not like any of them because Amy Silver has this way of making you understand her characters and their actions. Their mistakes, regrets and secrets are slowly revealed as the book goes on. Ultimately this is a book about the characters finding new beginnings, forgiveness and redemption themes that tie in perfectly with New Year.

Amy Silver writes like a dream and has the ability to make you both laugh and cry. The prose is so organic with some truly heart felt moments particularly between Nicole and her father, and her husband Dom. One Minute to Midnight is definitely a book that touches your heart and I can certainly see myself pulling this off the shelf for re-reads in the future. One Minute to Midnight is such a wonderful book that is so much more than just chick-lit. Definitely add this to your Winter reading piles this year, this is my first of Amy Silver’s novels and it definitely won’t be my last!

In My Mailbox!

2011-12-04T11:41:00.000Z

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

Review Books

Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale
Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Happily Ever After by Harriet Evans (ARC)
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (ARC)
The Flappers: Vixen by Jillian Larkin (ARC)
Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough
A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton

Bought

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
The Secret of Happy Ever After by Lucy Dillon
Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris
It Started With A Kiss by Miranda Dickinson

Harry Potter Box Set of AWESOME!

So I had a pretty awesome week! In review books and book bargains the 3 Christmas books I got for only £10! I'm so excited about all of these and can't wait to get round to them big thank you's to all the lovely people who have sent me books. PLUS BEHOLD! HARRY POTTER COMPLETE BOX SET!!!! I've always resisted buying the box sets as I have been waiting for the whole movie collection to come out and here it finally is! I have the limited edition collection with both DVD and Blu-Ray, hours of special features and this awesome collectors photo album. Isn't it pretty? Definitely made the wait worth while, I'm such a Harry Potter nerd! For more information on any of the books featured just click on the title and the link will take you to it's goodreads page. 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. Here’s to another week of fantastic reading ahead :-)

Book of the Month! Featuring Christmas, Summer Road-Trip’s and Dystopian’s…

2011-12-03T09:00:00.004Z

Welcome to November's book of the month and monthly round up! This is a feature to sum up for you my reading and recommendations for the past month and to share with you the exciting things that have been going on on the blog and books I’m looking forward to in the following month.

November's BotM is Wonder by R.J Palacio

I was lucky enough to be able to read an early proof copy of this, sadly most of you are going to have to wait until 1st March to get your hands on it but I would certainly write the date in your diary! I predict that this book is going to be HUGE. There is already an early buzz for it gathering in the blogosphere. This is the story of wonderful Auggie Pullman an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face. This is a book written through the eyes of a young boy with a facial disfigurement and also from the perspective of those who know and love him. I was completely touched by this book, for more information check out my review here.

Best Plot: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
Best Writing: Wonder by R.J Palacio
Best Cover: One Minute to Midnight by Amy Silver
Best Characters: Wonder by R.J Palacio
Best Ending: Last Christmas by Julia Williams
Best Romance: Saving June by Hannah Harrington
Most un-put-down-able: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
Most Memorable: Wonder by R.J Palacio
Best Moral: Wonder by R.J Palacio

Books read this month
69.) Wonder by R.J Palacio (5*)
70.) Crossed by Ally Condie (2.5*)
71.) Last Christmas by Julia Williams (4*)
72.) The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (4.5*)
73.) Saving June by Hannah Harrington (4*)
74.) One Minute to Midnight by Amy Silver (4.5*)

Top 3 Most Recommended Books: Wonder, The Pledge and One Minute to Midnight

Bookish Highlights of the month
I was really happy to bring back In My Mailbox this month, and also to be able to share with you the first official The Hunger Games trailer which I thought looked amazing. The Lauren Kate cover reveals were also very exciting and I was excited to make a start on my Christmas book to-be-read pile as I do love a good Christmassy read!

Bookish Lows of the month
Reading Crossed was a bit of a disappointment to be honest and reviewing it was pretty tough. I also didn’t read as many books as I would have liked *damn you crazy Christmas build up!!*

Book’s I’m looking forward to in December
A couple of the books I was most excited for this December I already got for review like Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (I’m currently reading it now SO good!) and Torn by Cat Clarke (eep! Can’t wait!) Other than that I can’t say there are any I’m super excited for, by the looks of things everyone’s waiting for January to unleash all the awesome. There are some AMAZING sounding books coming out in January, lucky for me it’s my birthday month so I won’t be too broke after buying all of these books! (All links lead to the books goodreads page for more information)

So there you have it my November reading summed up for you guys I can hardly believe it's December already! Have you read any of the books I’ve read this month? What were your thoughts on them? Leave me a comment and let me know and don’t forget to treat yourselves to Wonder when it comes out – You won’t regret it! Here’s to another month of fab reading ahead and hopefully getting in some of those must reads before the year is out!

Review for Saving June by Hannah Harrington

2011-12-02T13:41:00.000Z

Saving June by Hannah Harrington
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: May 1st 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Grief, Suicide, Music, Summer, Road-trip
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Netgalley

Goodreads Summary:
" ‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again."

Review
Saving June has some of the most honest and fleshed out teen characters that I’ve come across in a long time. Harper’s voice is like my own was at that age and the way Harper and her friends interact mimicked my own friendships as well. Each character in this book is going through a growing pains of some sort. Harper, Jake and Laney have all been dished their fair share of pain and like all teenagers are trying to find a way to make their peace with the world despite everything it’s thrown at them.

This book explores so many different themes religion, suicide, sex, politics and music to name a few. Harrington isn’t afraid to tackle the big stuff and not only that but to put opinions out there through the eyes of angry teens who are demanding answers to why crappy things happen and are taking no prisoners. Saving June documents not only a physical journey as the three friends road-trip to California but also a mental one as Harper, Jake and Laney come to terms with both the beauty and hurt in this world and discover what it means to truly be alive.

Reading this book really felt like you were in Harper’s head that she was this real living person actually going through and experiencing all of these things. Hannah Harrington’s prose is so organic and heart felt and Harper’s observations on the world around her reads so true and honest that it’s impossible to read this book without it touching you in some way.

Music plays a big part in this story and Jake’s love for it and how he’s certain there’s a song for every situation makes him this really passionate guy who I totally swooned over. Jake’s kind of intense and damaged and the way that he feels about music is so contagious that you want to go and listen to a song he’s mentioned just because he likes it, you want to hear what he hears. A nice touch to the actual book itself is that all the playlists are at the back of the book and I’m totally going to download each song and re-live this book all over again through the music.

Saving June is in its simplest form a book about a girl who sets out to save her sister and instead ends up saving herself. If you’re a fan of books about summer road trips, intense and complex relationships, music or heck just life in general you’re going to love this book. This is one of the most honest accounts of one girl’s journey I’ve ever read and so lastly I would like to thank Hannah Harrington for taking me along for the ride.

Cover Reveals for Lauren Kate’s Rapture and Fallen in Love PLUS Sneak Peak!

2011-11-28T09:00:00.002Z

I do love a good cover reveal and I think we can all agree that Lauren Kate’s in particular are always very exciting in deed! The cover’s for all of her books are absolutely stunning and so it gives me great pleasure to be bringing to you today the cover reveal for not only Rapture- the thrilling final instalment of the Fallen series- but also Lauren’s upcoming Fallen in Love a book made up of four romantic short stories featuring the characters from the Fallen series. The stories include Love Where You Least Expect It: The Valentine of Shelby and Miles , Love Lessons: The Valentine of Roland; Burning Love: The Valentine of Arriane; and Endless Love: The Valentine of Daniel and Lucinda. I’m not usually a fan of short stories but think this one will be fab as we already know and love all of the characters! Plus this will be coming out just in time for Valentine’s Day so I think this will be perfect for some romantic reading! Exciting stuff right? So without further ado check out the covers!

Rapture by Lauren Kate

Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate

Pretty right? I think they can both stand proudly next to the rest of the Fallen series and The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove! If that wasn’t enough excitement you can also read a SNEAK PEAK of Fallen in Love RIGHT HERE, right now. I’m so excited for both of these books and can hardly wait first for the 2nd February for Fallen in Love and then for 12th June for the much anticipated Rapture!

What do you think of these new covers? And if you read the sneak peak of Fallen in Love let me know what you think in the comments!

Review for Crossed by Ally Condie

2011-11-24T13:55:00.000Z

Crossed by Ally Condie
Publisher: Puffin
Release Date: 24th November 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"Rules are different outside the Society.

Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky-taken by the Society to his certain death-only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons. On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life and the enthralling promise of rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices everything to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again.

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

Review
I was a huge fan of Matched when it came out last year and have been pining for Crossed ever since. I went into this book with high expectations, the back of the book talks about a rebellion rising and the picture of Cassia breaking out of the bubble made me think things were going to EXPLODE in this sequel but sadly I was left disappointed.

I started this book really confused. It’s been a long time since I read Matched, as I’m sure it has been for a lot of people, and I couldn’t really remember the ending. With a lot of books this isn’t really an issue as authors are usually pretty good at re-capping past events. Yeah that didn’t happen with this one, and so I spent the first hundred pages kind of confused. Luckily as I read on I managed to figure stuff out on my own and snippets came back to me but if your memory of Matched is a bit fuzzy like mine was I would really recommend re-reading Matched before starting Crossed.

Crossed is told from both Cassia and Ky’s perspective which I think had both its pro’s and con’s. In Matched I really liked both Ky and Xander but if I had to pick one I’d probably of gone with Xander. This book really gives us a chance to get to know Ky better and I was really touched by the parts where we see Cassia through his eyes. However I didn’t think that Ally Condie did a good job at making Cassia and Ky’s voices distinctive from one another. Despite stating their names at the beginning of each chapter their voices were so similar that I had to constantly flick back to see whose perspective I was supposed to be reading from because there was no distinction between them other than a name stated at the beginning of each chapter.

There were some things I did like about this book. I really liked the introduction of some new and interesting characters particularly Eli and Indie. I also liked getting to know Ky better and watching Cassia develop from Society Cassia in to Rebel Cassia. I can’t take away from the fact that Ally Condie is an extremely talented writer who writes some incredibly moving and beautiful scenes but unfortunately a dual narrative clearly isn’t her strong point and I really hope she tells the last book from just Cassia’s perspective.

When I got to the end of the book the first thing that came to mind was- is that it? This whole book is basically Cassia wondering around some canyons. There’s no answers, no action and the book ends right where Matched left off and leaves us none the wiser regarding anything really.

Crossed for me was a really pointless book. Absolutely nothing happened plot wise. This is a book entirely based on character development. I hate to say this but I was bored and when I finished reading I felt like this book was a huge waste of my time mostly because I didn’t learn anything different that I didn’t already know from having read Matched. This is a bit of a circle book where the author takes us on this great long journey just to end up back where we started. I was disappointed with this one but as there’s only one book left in the series I will still be checking it out and hope that Ally Condie will finally give us some answers.

Review for Wonder by R.J Palacio

2011-11-21T09:00:00.002Z

Wonder by R.J Palacio
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: 1st March 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Children’s, Middle-grade, Adult, Fiction, Contemporary
Rating: 5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Summary:
"Wonder is the funny, sweet and incredibly moving story of Auggie Pullman. Born with a terrible facial abnormality, this shy, bright ten-year-old has been home-schooled by his parents for his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the stares and cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, Auggie is being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. The thing is, Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all? Through the voices of Auggie, his big sister Via, and his new friends Jack and Summer, "Wonder" follows Auggie's journey through his first year at Beecher Prep. Frank, powerful, warm and often heart-breaking, "Wonder" is a book you'll read in one sitting, pass on to others, and remember long after the final page."

Review
I’d only read a few pages of Wonder when I realised that it was going to be one of *those* books, one of those rare and wonderful books that can make you both laugh and cry on the same page, that you read with a lump in your throat and a smile on your face, that as soon as you finish reading you eagerly pass on to somebody else just so you have someone to discuss it with. Yes Wonder is one of *those* books.

What I love about Wonder is how simple it is. This is a book about a ten-year-old boy whose face is deformed. And that’s it. There’s no huge complex plot, no far away land, magic, or fantasy creatures. This book doesn’t need any of that stuff to hook the reader, August’s voice is enough.

Auggie believes that he is just an ordinary ten-year-old kid but that’s the one thing I’d have to disagree with him on. But Auggie’s face isn’t what makes him different it’s his huge, brave, heart and big personality. Auggie is the kind of character who touches your heart and who you fiercely want to protect and want the best for. He’s such a special little guy who I think we could all learn a thing or two from.

Wonder is full of fleshed out and vibrant characters and although the majority of the book is told from August’s perspective the book is also told from several other characters point of view. Each protagonist has a unique outlook on Auggie and tells their story and how having August in their life has affected them in both good and bad ways. Before reading this book I’d never given much thought on what it would be like to know someone like August and the bullying a friend might go through for hanging out with him, or how a sibling might constantly come second to a little brother who has much greater needs than a normal child. This book is a real eye opener not only to what it might be like to be in Auggie’s shoes but also for what it’s like for those who know and love him.

R.J Palacio is such a talented writer. Not only has she created such warm and likeable characters but she writes with such honesty as well. Whilst this book is definitely sad in parts Auggie is such an inspiring, happy go lucky, funny kid and at times he’s simply a ten-year-old boy observing the world around him. Yes this book made me cry but it also made me laugh out loud too.

Wonder is a book for everybody young or old. It’s an important and special book to be shared and discussed by both adults and children. This book makes you want to be a kinder person and I can’t help but feel that if everyone were to read it the world would be a nicer place. This is one of the best books I’ve read all year and I would whole heartedly recommend it to absolutely anybody.

In My Mailbox!

2011-11-20T11:52:00.000Z

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

Bought

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
I actually started this one last night and I'm nearly finished! I'm absolutely loving this!

For Review

To Be a Cat by Matt Haig (ARC)
I think this is for a slightly younger audience than what I usually read but it sounds fun none the less!
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
I squeed when I got this in the mail! Lovely shiny finished copy can't wait to get to this one soon!
Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan (ARC)
This is from an Aussie author (Yay! For Aussie authors!) and is about selkies - that is, seals that come up out of the sea and transform into humans. But I believe it's had a name change to The Brides of Rollrock Island. Sounds good!
This is Not Forgiveness by Celia Rees (ARC)
I love the sound of this one. It sounds real and gritty and completely different to anything Celia has written before.

Bookmarks!

I love bookmarks and am somewhat of a collector of them so when I saw these bad boys I just had to snatch them up! I love The Vampire Diaries TV show and totally trust these guys to guard my book whilst I'm not reading it!

Netgalley
Netgalley has been my BFF this week for sure. I got accepted for so many awesome books I can't wait to start on so many of these eep! My Kindle is groaning with awesome!

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber
Fracture by Megan Miranda (OMG!)
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi (OMG!)
Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
Incarnate by Jodi Meadows (OMG!)
Everneath by Brodi Ashton (OMG!)
Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig
Crave by Melissa Darnell (OMG!)
Saving June by Hannah Harrington (OOOMMMMGGG!!!)
Touch of Power by Maria V Snyder (OOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMGGGGGGG!!!!!!)
Me@You.com by KE Payne

This week has been fantastic for books and I'm looking forward to getting round to so many of these. For more information on any of the books featured just click on the title and the link will take you to the books Goodreads page. I have some pre-order's I'm waiting on so next IMM should be pretty awesome too! 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. Here’s to another week of fantastic reading ahead :-)

Bookish News! The First Official Hunger Games Trailer and Upcoming Dystopian Releases

2011-11-19T09:00:00.003Z

So here I was earlier this week casually y’know just chilling on Twitter when BAM. IT Happened. Tweets galore “Have you seen The Hunger Games trailer yet?” “Have YOU seen The Hunger Games trailer yet?” “HAVE YOU SEEN THE HUNGER GAMES TRAILER YET??!!” “Why no I haven’t!” So off I went on search on the interwebs. I found it, I clicked play, I clicked play again, repeat, repeat, repeat. I scrutinized, I observed, and after a good half hour of watching and much scrutiny I went straight back on Twitter and said “HAVE YOU SEEN THE HUNGER GAMES TRAILER YET??!!” I declared my love for it, told everyone I could to watch it, and let a little sparkle of hope dance around my heart that this was going to be one of those movies that actually lives up to the book. Then I went and re-read it.

For those who haven’t seen it yet I have thoughtfully provided it bellow for your viewing pleasure. And if you have seen it tell me what do you think?

You are most welcome!

Keeping with the dystopian theme I also have some awesome news courtesy of the lovely Lauren at Random House Children’s Books UK. Random House are bringing out some fantastic dystopian reads in 2012 and 2013 and I’m really happy to be able to share with you a sneak peak on what they’re about.

The first book coming our way is Starters by Lissa Price, an American screenwriter, publishing in April 2012, Starters is an action-packed thriller set in a world where eternal youthfulness can be had – at a price. One girl has the ability to bring it all tumbling down . . .

Hot on its tail in July 2012 will be Struck by Jenifer Bosworth which is set in a post- apocalyptic Los Angeles. After the city is devastated by an earthquake, Mia Price finds herself in the middle of a power struggle between two fanatical cults; one that wants to save the world and another that wants to destroy it.

Then for the first of our 2013 releases we have Sangu Mandanna’s debut The Lost Girl which centres around Eva, a feisty teen girl who technically has no true identity of her own. Eva is forced to abandon everything she's ever known and loved, finding herself torn between two worlds.

And finally, children’s librarian Emma Pass, releases ACID in early 2013. This action-packed novel introduces us to Jenna Strong, a truly kick-ass heroine who is serving time in an all-male prison for the murder of her parents. Set one hundred years in the future in a Big Brother style society; Britain is now under the control of ACID – a terrifying all-seeing police force.

Ruth Knowles, Commissioning Editor comments, ‘Dystopian fiction is a much-talked about genre, particularly with the release of The Hunger Games movie next spring. We have acquired some fantastic futuristic thrillers that we know will appeal to this audience, and are confident that RHCB will have some of the most exciting novels in the genre. The worlds within them are very different from each other, but all completely hook you in from the first page and do not let go.’

They all sound awesome right? I have to say my personal favourites that I’m most excited for are Starters and ACID they just sound so brilliant! But as a huge fan of dystopian books I’m sure I’m going to love all of them!

All together I’d say that we’re in for a fantastic dystopian filled year next year whether dooms day comes or not…

Review for October’s Readers Choice The Taker by Alma Katsu

2011-11-18T09:00:00.002Z

The Taker by Alma Katsu
Publisher: Century
Release Date: 14th April 2011
Genre: Adult, Paranormal Romance, Historical Fiction
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"TRUE LOVE CAN LAST AN ETERNITY...

Have you ever loved someone so much that you'd do anything for them?

When Dr Luke Findley turns up to his hospital shift in the small town of St Andrews, Maine, he's expecting just another evening of minor injuries and domestic disputes. But instead, Lanore McIlvrae walks into his life - and changes it forever. For Lanny is a woman with a past...

Lanny McIlvrae is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. Hers is a story of love and betrayal that defies time and transcends mortality - and cannot end until Lanny's demons are finally put to rest. Her two hundred years on this earth have seen her seduced by both decadence and brutality - but through it all she has stayed true to the one true love of her life. Until now.

An unforgettable novel about the power of unrequited love to elevate and sustain, but also to blind and ultimately destroy, The Taker is an immortal love story on an epic scale..."

Review
The Taker is an extraordinary and original immortal love story. What makes it stand out from others in its genre is that this is a story of unrequited love, which I thought was brilliant as I’m sure everyone knows from experience that unfortunately romantic feelings are not always returned and there isn’t always a happily ever after as a lot of paranormal romance suggests.

What first attracted me to The Taker was the books beautiful design. The gothic cover and black edged pages gives this book a compelling and dark feel that matched what’s inside perfectly. The book starts with Dr Luke Findley turning up for the night shift at the hospital where he works which brings him to meet Lanny a young and unusual woman brought in for examination after confessing to a murder. During Luke’s examination of Lanny he discovers that her injuries heal at rapid speed, that she’s been alive for 200 years and she needs Luke’s help. And so Lanny’s story begins and it’s one of danger, love, violence and dark magic that explain how she came to be standing before Luke today. Her story begins in 1809 and the book alternates between present and past making it part Supernatural Romance and part Historical Fiction.

The Taker is such a well written book that it’s impossible not to become totally immersed in it after only a few short pages. There are so many mysteries and the writing’s so dark and compelling making it a highly addictive read. Lanny’s is a story like no other and her journey and love for one man that transcends time is so fascinating to read.

This book has a recurring theme of unrequited love throughout but it’s also a story about the darker side of love and those darkest of human emotions that come along with it like jealousy and obsession and the drastic actions such feelings can lead someone to take. Lanny’s story is not a happy one. She goes through some terrible and horrific things and is by no means a perfect heroine. But there is something vulnerable and good about her despite everything and for that reason I really felt for her and wanted her to find some happiness and relief.

The only thing that I didn’t enjoy about this book is that some parts are quite brutal. The book features scenes of sexual violence, rape and paedophilia. I don’t think of myself as faint hearted but reading some parts of this book made me feel very uncomfortable so much so that at times I had to skim ahead just to get the jist of what had happened and move on. I understand completely why Katsu had to include these things into her story so we could understand exactly what these characters had been through and how the past had made them who they are today but I personally found some scenes a bit much.

Overall The Taker is a remarkable gothic romance like no other and I can hardly believe that this is Katsu’s debut. Terrifying and absorbing The Taker is a thrilling gothic romp that’s not for the faint of heart and not to be missed by those who can handle it!

November’s Readers Choice

2011-11-17T12:33:00.000Z

Readers Choice is my brand new feature where readers of the blog can vote for which book off my To-Be-Read pile they would like to see me read and review the following month. For more details check out my introduction post here.

November’s Readers Choice is Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

"How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart."

This month’s Readers Choice is coming to you a bit late as last week I was unexpectedly busy and didn’t have time to blog at all. My review for The Taker will be up soon though and I am finally bringing to you this month’s winner! I can’t believe how close November’s vote was, Starcrossed literally won with only one extra vote with Divergent hot on its tail! Then The Sky is Everywhere came in at a very close third! It looks like all of you are huge fans of November’s nominees so I really will have to get to some of them soon!

As mentioned in last month’s post this is my last Readers Choice of the year. With it being Christmas next month and my birthday in January I’m taking a little break from this feature but rest assured that it definitely will be returning in February because I really enjoy doing it! I’m basically going to be getting the blog ready for the year ahead so I’m taking a break from some of my regular features to be able to fit in some Christmas and end of year things! So there is no vote this time round that will return in Feb but as usual I will read and review Starcrossed this month and who knows hopefully you may see some reviews of some of the other nominees before the new vote comes along! From some of the comments you guys left you’ve definitely made me want to check out a few of these ASAP!

So that’s all from me, keep your eyes peeled for reviews for both The Taker and Starcrossed coming soon and I will be back with some new exciting titles for you to choose from in the New Year :).

Review for Frost by Marianna Baer

2011-11-07T09:00:00.002Z

Frost by Marianna Baer
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Release Date: September 13th 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Bought

Goodreads Summary:
"Leena Thomas’s senior year at boarding school begins with a shock: Frost House, her cozy dorm of close friends, has been assigned an unexpected roommate: confrontational, eccentric Celeste Lazar. But while Leena’s anxiety about a threat to her sanctuary proves valid, it becomes less and less clear whether the threat lies with her new roommate, within Leena’s own mind, or within the very nature of Frost House itself. Mysterious happenings in the dorm, an intense triangle between Leena, Celeste, and Celeste’s brother, and the reawakening of childhood fears, all push Leena to take increasingly desperate measures to feel safe. Frost is the story of a haunting. As to whether the demons are supernatural or psychological...well, which answer would let you sleep at night?"

Review
What appealed to me most about Frost is how it’s quoted on the back of the book as being a “twenty-first-century spin on the usual gothic ghost story.” It’s true that a lot of ghost stories are told from a historical time period and so I was looking forward to reading something new and unique with Frost.

Frost begins with a group of friends retuning to boarding school for senior year all psyched to have bagged Frost House as their dorm, a cosy Victorian house secluded from the rest of the school. Leena falls in love with the big old house straight away and has high hopes for senior year and turning the house into a home. But things immediately start to take a turn for the worst when the friends are assigned an unexpected roommate- intense and eccentric Celeste Lazar. Soon enough strange and disturbing things start happening in Frost House. A series of malicious and sick events reveal that something or someone wants Celeste out and Leena to stay forever. But what’s behind these strange events? Is it a haunting? An increasingly disturbed mind? Or something else entirely? Those are the questions that race through the readers mind whilst reading this book.

What I loved most about Frost was how original the haunting itself was. Instead of the usual threats and scares Leena is made to feel strangely safe in Frost House whilst everything else in her life falls apart. The house reminded me of a possessive boyfriend alienating everyone and everything Leena loves until it’s just her and the house left. In some ways I found that even scarier than your typical haunting with Leena lulled into a false sense of security whilst what’s happening in the house destroys her friendships and her sanity. That being said Celeste- Leena’s damaged roommate- witnesses a very different kind of haunting with pictures thrown off walls and mysterious burns and bruises appearing on her body. The two opposite hauntings made for some very scary reading and added to the overall mystery of what was really going on in that house.

The only thing that I didn’t enjoy about the book was the romance. David- Leena’s love interest- is very much a suspect during this book, that along with his strange relationship with his sister Celeste, meant that I just couldn’t trust or like him. However I didn’t pick this book up for an epic romance I picked it up to be scared so that didn’t bother me too much. I also give props to Marianna Baer for indulging us in some sexy times! Marianna doesn’t shy away from some hot and heavy moments something I always respect when it comes to Young Adult books.

Frost is the kind of book that does exactly what it says on the tin. You go into this expecting an intense and creepy thriller and that’s exactly what you get. Frost kept me up late at night racing through its pages trying to get some answers. And it finished in a way that tied everything up but also leaves you to interpret what you think happened in that house too. Overall Marianna Baer has created a fantastic contemporary debut thriller and I’m looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

The Return of In My Mailbox!

2011-11-06T11:24:00.000Z

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

Those of you who follow the blog will know that I’ve taken an IMM hiatus over the past few months whilst I was having computer problems. But now that I have a new laptop and it’s a new month I’m so excited to be bringing back to you In My Mailbox which you can now expect again regularly. I was going to do a huge catch up post with all of the book I received when I was away ( I got some really awesome ones) but it would literally be a monster post, pages and pages. And so instead I thought I’d just start a fresh with the books I got this week. You can also expect some possible IMM Vlogs in the future I just need to sort out the technicalities! But for now I bring to you this week’s books!

Tempest by Julie Cross (ARC copy out 5th January 2012 in UK)
This one sounds so good! It sounds a bit like a Time Traveller’s Wife for teens and the finished cover is gorgeous if you haven’t seen it yet click on the title and the link will take you to the books goodreads page where you’ll be able to see for yourself!
Crossed by Ally Condie
This one’s out in a couple of weeks and I feel so lucky to have a finished copy already! I loved Matched so I’m looking forward to seeing the story continue in Crossed.
Wonder by R.J Palacio (ARC copy out March 2012 in UK)
I think this proofs cover is really funky and to be honest I like it better than the finished copy! I actually finished this one last night and WOW. There are no words. This one is about a brave and wonderful boy named August who has a deformed face. Review for this amazing book will be coming soon!
Last Christmas by Julia Williams
Yay for Christmas books! I love chick-lit Christmas stories and this one sounds fab. The lovely Amanda at One More Page actually sent me this one for review as I will be taking part in her exciting Count Down to Christmas.

I didn’t buy any books this week so all books featured where sent to me for reviewing purposes. For more information on any of the books featured just click on the title and the link will take you to the books goodreads page. Big thank you’s to all the lovely people who sent me books this week. 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. Here’s to another week of fantastic reading ahead :-)

Book of the Month! Featuring Scares, God and Autumn…

2011-11-04T15:44:00.000Z

Welcome to October's book of the month and monthly round up! This is a feature to sum up for you my reading and recommendations for the past month and to share with you the exciting things that have been going on on the blog and books I’m looking forward to in the following month.

October's BotM is...Angel Fire by L.A Weatherly!

This month’s favourite read was so easy to choose. Angel Fire was a stunning sequel that I absolutely loved. I’m not usually a big fan of huge books I can find them a bit intimidating as I can get bored pretty quickly of the same story but despite Angel Fire coming in at over 700 pages I couldn’t get enough! This book has fab characters and a swoonworthy male lead definitely a series to check out if you haven’t already. You can find my review for the first book Angel here and Angel Fire its sequel here.

Best Plot: Angel Fire by L.A Weatherly
Best Writing: The Taker by Alma Katsu
Best Cover: Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
Best Characters: Angel Fire by L.A Weatherly
Best Ending: Angel Fire by L.A Weatherly
Best Romance: Angel Fire by L.A Weatherly
Most un-put-down-able: Frost by Marianna Baer
Most Memorable: The Taker by Alma Katsu
Best Moral: An Autumn Crush by Milly Johnson

Books read this month
63.) Angel Fire by L.A Weatherly (5*)
64.) An Autumn Crush by Milly Johnson (4*)
65.) There is No Dog by Meg Rosoff (2.5*)
66.) Sweetly by Jackson Pearce (4.5*)
67.) Frost by Marianna Baer (4*)
68.) The Taker by Alma Katsu (4*)

Top 3 Most Recommended Books: Angel Fire, Sweetly, An Autumn Crush

Bookish Highlights of the month
I got my winning streak back on this month and won 3 fab giveaways for 3 signed books including Angel Fire, Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick and Who's Afraid of Mr Wolfe? by Hazel Osmond. I also hosted a fab giveaway myself for my favourite book of the year so far Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I also had L.A Weatherly herself stop by the blog for the Angel Fire blog tour which was amazing and I done a really fun Halloween reading recommendations post which I really enjoyed putting together.

Bookish Lows of the month
None :) Oh except I would have liked to of read a few more books I could have read more than just 6!

Book’s I’m looking forward to in November
November is the month for dystopian and Christmas releases and there are so many that I’m excited for. Dystopian wise- Crossed by Ally Condie, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi and The Pledge by Kimberly Derting. Christmas book wise- Any Dream Will Do by Maria Duffy, The Secret of Happy Ever After by Lucy Dillon and It Started With A Kiss by Miranda Dickinson. I’m also really looking forward to The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler as I’m sure is everybody! ( All links lead to the books goodreads page)

So there you have it my October reading summed up for you guys. Have you read any of the books I’ve read this month? What were your thoughts on them? Leave me a comment and let me know and don’t forget to treat yourselves to Angel Fire – You won’t regret it! Here’s to another month of fab reading ahead and finally making a start on my Christmas To-Be-Read pile!

Review for Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

2011-10-31T09:00:00.002Z

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Release Date: 6th October 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Fairy-tale Re-telling, Paranormal Romance
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"As a child, Gretchen's twin sister was taken by a witch-like monster in the woods. Ever since, Gretchen and her brother, Ansel, have felt the long branches of the witch's forest threatening to make them disappear, too. When their stepmother casts Gretchen and Ansel out as teens, they stumble upon a sleepy Southern town and are invited to stay with Sophia Kelly at her sweet shop. Sophia moulds candied magic: coveted treats that inspire confidence, bravery, and passion. Life seems idyllic and Gretchen and Ansel finally start to forget their haunted past - until Gretchen meets handsome local outcast Samuel, who gives Gretchen a reason to fear Sophia: girls have been vanishing at Sophia's annual chocolate festival, taken by the insatiable 'witch' of Gretchen's nightmares. Can Gretchen save herself, the girls of Live Oak, and Sophia? Of one thing, Gretchen is certain: a monster is coming, and it will never go away hungry."

Review
I’ve been pining for Sweetly ever since I first heard about it, what with THAT cover and THAT synopsis, that the story of Hansel and Gretel has to be one of my favourite fairy tales, and that Jackson Pearce and the first book in this series Sisters Red are made of awesome. With Halloween approaching I thought “A story about witches and candy? This has got to be the most perfect Halloween read!” and now that I’ve finished this book I’m happy to say I was right!

What I love most about Jackson’s books is that she strips fairy tales of their princesses, princes and happily ever afters and gives us a dark, gritty, fairy tale the way they were told in the good old days. And even though she stays true to the originals roots and the story’s morals she also makes them completely her own and brings something fresh and modern to the table so that every time I pick up one of her books it’s like I’ve never heard the story before. Think you know the Hansel and Gretel story? Think again.

Although the book is about brother and sister Ansel and Gretchen, Sweetly is told strictly from Gretchen’s point of view and I immediately connected with her as our heroine. Twelve years before the main story starts Gretchen loses her twin sister in the forest surrounding their home to a witch. Not only is she traumatized after being in such a situation but she and Ansel are also silently blamed by their mother and father for losing their sister. Gretchen hides behind books and other people’s stories to escape from her own life and the guilt she feels at being the surviving sister. I loved Gretchen so much and found her to be such an inspiring heroine as throughout the book she grows stronger and becomes so much more than that scared little girl we meet at the beginning. Gretchen’s a fantastic role model when it comes to facing your fears and I loved following her journey.

Sweetly is only a companion novel to Sisters Red but regardless I thought the stories tied together very nicely developing the world further for a possible sequel or second companion novel. Above all I was most impressed with Sweetly’s plot and the many twists and turns that Jackson throws at us. I loved the mystery surrounding Sophia and I felt so many things towards her whilst reading, sometimes I loved her, sometimes I hated her, something I felt sorry for her and sometimes I was even scared of her- that’s a lot of feelings for just one character! The mystery of the missing girls and the strange compulsion of the chocolatier made for a deliciously creepy read that suited my Halloween mood perfectly.

I was completely surprised by this books ending. I was gripped to this book from the start but the last half of the book I absolutely raced through I was so desperate for answers to the many mysteries and they didn’t disappoint! The only thing that made this book less than perfect for me - if I’m being picky - was the romance. I would have liked just a little more chemistry between Gretchen and Samuel but that aside I really can’t fault it. Sweetly is a delicious treat and probably the best fairy tale re-telling that I’ve read. Highly recommended.

Review for There is No Dog by Meg Rosoff

2011-10-28T09:00:00.002+01:00

There is No Dog by Meg Rosoff
Publisher: Puffin
Release Date: 4th August 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Religion, Comedy
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Source: Received as part of UK Book Tours

Amazon Summary:
"In the beginning there was Bob.
And Bob created the heavens and the earth
and the beasts of the field
and the creatures of the sea,
and twenty-five million other species
including lots and lots of gorgeous girls.
And all of this, he created in just six days.
Six days!
Congratulations, Bob!
No wonder Earth is such a mess.

Imagine that God is a typical teenage boy. He is lazy, careless, self-obsessed, sex-mad - and about to meet Lucy, the most beautiful girl on earth.

Unfortunately, whenever Bob falls in love, disaster follows.

Let us pray that Bob does not fall in love with Lucy."

Review
I originally wanted to read this book for my British Books Challenge with Meg Rosoff being an award winning British writer. Despite a lot of critical acclaim from the press I know a lot of people who either love or hate her books so with There is No Dog being my first book by Rosoff I was interested to see which category I would fall under and now that I’ve finished reading it I have to say I’m split firmly down the middle.

There is no doubt about the genius behind this book even from the synopsis – god turning out to be a teenage boy, of course! Brilliant! Now it all makes sense! And throughout the book Rosoff continues to explore the meaning of life through the eyes of several characters. The last of an extinct creature who knows he is soon going to die. A goddess who has the gift of immortality and how that brings her to lead an “invincible” lifestyle of excessive drinking and gambling. And, most interestingly of all for me, a vicar who throughout this book witnesses first hand a less than perfect God and has to personally deal with the fall out of Bob’s actions. The genius and thought put into this book were incredibly well thought out and thought provoking. I enjoyed that even though this book is essentially a story about religion at no point did it ever feel preachy so props have to go to Meg for that.

Now on to my dislikes. From the back of the book I expected this to be a rather humorous account through the eyes of a teenage god and whilst in some parts that was the case I couldn’t help wanting more from that side of the story. I wanted more about the thought process that went into Bob creating the world and more funny mishaps as Bob try’s to date a human girl. Unfortunately because there were so many other characters these things were only touched upon which I found disappointing. I also found Bob’s character to be quite patronizing and very stereotypical of a teenage boy with Bob only caring about himself and his latest conquest with no real thought process to back it up.

Overall I have very mixed feelings over There is No Dog. Some parts of this story were down right bizarre and for that reason I’m not sure if it will be everybody’s cup of tea. I can certainly see what Meg Rosoff was trying to achieve with this book but don’t think it was executed as well as it could have been. For me this book is a bit of a risk taker, I think most people will either love it or hate it. This book wasn’t really for me but I did enjoy it to some extent and for that reason don’t regret giving this book, something completely out of my comfort zone, a go.

Angel Fire Blog Tour! Hot, Young Things; Casting the Characters for Angel Fire

2011-10-26T13:52:00.000+01:00

It gives me great pleasure to be welcoming to the blog today L.A Weatherly author of the fabulous Angel trilogy! Now if you’re a fan of the books then you’ve probably got some ideas about who would be your perfect actors and actresses to play the characters if this series was ever adapted to the big screen. So when I was offered to take part in this tour and to do a post about who Lee’s dream cast would be I couldn’t resist! So without further ado I bring to you Hot Young Things and welcome the author herself to talk about her fantasy dream team…

L.A. Weatherly’s Fantasy Film Picks for Angel Fire

Alex

Some of you already know of my love for Sean Faris as a potential Alex! But if Sean isn’t available, how about Asher Book (Fame)? Alex faces many challenges in Angel Fire – from being a leader to dealing with Willow’s growing relationship with Seb – and Asher has just the right look of gorgeous edginess to really encompass all of that. Like Sean, he’d have to wear contacts for Alex’s blue-grey eyes. I can live with that.

Willow

My pick for Willow is still Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia!, Red Riding Hood). In Angel Fire, Willow has to deal not only with her confusing feelings towards Seb, but also with the suspicions of an entire team. Amanda’s slightly offbeat beauty is perfect for Willow, and I think she’d do a brilliant job of portraying the depth of everything Willow goes through.

Seb

My Twitter followers will know that I’ve been talking about New Boy a lot – well, here he is. Eighteen-year old Sebastián Carrera is a Mexican of Italian descent, with lightly-curling brown hair, hazel eyes, and a stubbled jaw. He’s also half-angel…and has been searching for Willow his entire life. Gorgeous Mexican actor Diego Boneta (90210, Pretty Little Liars) will fit Seb to a ‘T’, once we steal his razor. Sigh. Between Alex and Seb, I think Willow’s a very lucky girl!

Kara

Kara Mendez is an exotically beautiful Angel Killer with nerves of steel, whom Alex knew back at the camp in New Mexico. Kara’s half-black and half-Mexican, with high cheekbones and extremely short hair...and, now that Alex is older, her feelings for him might not just be friendship anymore. The beautiful Kerry Washington (The Last King of Scotland) would be ideal – we’ll just have to get her to cut her hair!

Thanks Lee! *fans self* Wow that’s a whole lot of hot for one post don’t ya think? I think all of these actors and actresses would be PERFECT for our favourite characters but my personal favourite pick would have to be for Willow, I think Amanda has the perfect look and would be fantastic! And Seb -wow new boy is hot! *regains composure* Okayyyy so for more on my thoughts on this series you can check out my review for Angel here and Angel Fire here. And make sure you stop by Excellent Reads on Monday 31st October for the final stop on the Angel Fire blog tour which will host a Q&A with L.A Weatherly.

What do you think of Lee’s picks? Who are your fantasy cast? I’d love to know!

Review for Angel Fire by L.A Weatherly

2011-10-24T09:00:00.002+01:00

Angel Fire by L.A Weatherly
Publisher: Usborne
Release Date: 1st October 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Angels
Rating: 5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"Only Willow has the power to defeat the malevolent Church of Angels, and they will stop at nothing to destroy her. Willow isn't alone, though. She has Alex by her side a trained Angel Killer and her one true love. But nothing can change the fact that Willow's a half-angel, and when Alex joins forces with a group of AKs, she's treated with mistrust and suspicion. She's never felt more alone...until she meets Seb. He's been searching for Willow his whole life because Seb is a half-angel too."

Review
Last year I fell in love with Alex, Willow, their romance, and Angel as a whole. Since then I’ve been pinning away for Angel Fire this second book in the series. Angel set the standard pretty high and I was expecting Angel Fire to live up to that but what I didn’t expect was to be blown away even more than I was with Angel and I totally was.

L.A Weatherly takes everything fans loved about Angel and develops it more with this book. Straight away you’re thrown back into the action right where Angel left off and are quickly immersed back into this amazing world. Angel Fire is very much an evolvement of Angel with the books roots being the same but with Weatherly adding more plot, more twists and obstacles for Alex and Willow to overcome, and some brand new characters to get to know and love. And this leads me very nicely on to talk about Seb. Oh god where to start with Seb? Seb is both a new character and obstacle that threatens Alex and Willows relationship. Considering how much I love Alex straight off the bat knowing Seb’s going to come between one of my favourite couples should make me hate him right? And as much as I thought I would I couldn’t, in fact I loved him. Seb makes this plot so much more fascinating and developed with him being another half angel and I loved what that meant for Willow and learning more about her abilities. On top of Seb being a beautiful half angel, he’s also a hot, fiery Mexican bad boy who has a tragic past and is the sensitive, bookish type. Seb is my kind of guy and I think his character brought so much more to the story and took it to another level.

One thing that really stood out to me was L.A Weatherly’s ability to make you feel compassion for all of the characters. Despite a lot of arguments between Seb, Alex and Willow I could always see things from every characters point of view making it impossible for me to dislike any of them or take sides. With love triangle’s I’m usually really quick to decide which team I’m on and who I like and dislike but with this triangle I love all three of them so much that I just wanted them all to be happy. Although ultimately I’m still firmly team Alex and Willow I would still like to see Seb find love and happiness and therefore think that Lee should write me into the last book!

The plot is another aspect of the book that’s more developed with the after effects of the arrival of the second wave of angels and the introduction of The Twelve- the angel’s council. Despite this book being huge coming in at 709 pages I never got bored or felt like anything was dragging on longer than needs be. There was so much action, romance and suspense and I loved every single page. The climax to this book is huge and despite just spending over 700 pages in this world I wish that the next and final book to the trilogy Angel Fever was out now. Things literally exploded in this book and I’m so curious to see where L.A Weatherly takes us next with that ending. Overall Angel Fire is an un-miss-able sequel that I loved even more than its predecessor.

I’m taking part in the UK Angel Fire blog tour! Stop by the blog on Wednesday 26th October for an exclusive post with L.A Weatherly where she will be selecting her dream fantasy cast for an Angel Fire movie!

Scary, Spooky and Supernatural – Jess’s top pick’s for Halloween! (YA Edition)

2011-10-21T09:00:00.004+01:00

Last year I done a post like this and it was really well received, in fact it’s one of the most viewed posts on my blog! So seems as everyone seemed to enjoy it so much I decided to do another post this year recommending those perfect Halloween reads but this time as a Young Adult edition. Because of this the books aren’t going to be as scary as say a Stephen King book like I picked last year but being a mainly Young Adult book blog I really wanted to focus on that genre this time especially because there are so many fantastic reads to choose from that fit the Halloween period perfectly! Like last year I’m bringing back the Fear Factor scale to help you find the book that has the right level of terror for you! All of these Halloween picks have been read by me and come highly recommended, only the best of the best for my readers!

Fear Factor

S-cream your pants scary! – Is someone behind me? What’s that noise? Sleeping with the lights on scary.

Terror-ific! – Oooh okay this is some scary stuff I…oh wait is that candy? mediocre scares.

Spook-tastic! - Oh man I wish my Halloween had as much spooky fun as this! Mild Halloween reading for those easily scared.

The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan
This is probably the scariest YA book that I’ve read. The Long Weekend is the story of two friends who get kidnapped and taken to a huge house far out in the middle of nowhere. What makes this so scary is the reality that these things happen in real life. An edge of your seat thriller.
Fear Factor = S-cream your pants scary!

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
Don’t be fooled by this book’s pretty, girly, cover! This is the ultimate girly Halloween read centered around a group of the meanest girls. But are they capable of murder? This one had me looking over my shoulder!
Fear Factor = S-cream your pants scary!

Soul Beach by Kate Harrison
Another one not to be judged by its cover! This one’s about a social website for the dead that seems to have our main character Alice strangely addicted after receiving an email to visit there to talk to her recently murdered sister. With parts told from the killer’s point of view this is an original and chilling thriller.
Fear Factor = S-cream your pants scary!

Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
Blood Magic is such an eerie gothic read that’s jam packed with creepy atmospheric scenes. This is a totally original paranormal romance full of dark magic and murder. I loved this book and think it would make a fantastic Halloween read for paranormal lovers!
Fear Factor = S-cream your pants scary!

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
This dystopian book is such a thrill ride of a read and up there as one of my favourite dystopians. This has lots of death and scares in this frightenly believable future perfect for fans of The Hunger Games.
Fear Factor = Terror-ific!

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
This is the perfect paranormal read for Halloween as its chock full of several different paranormal creatures. These kids aren’t your typical supernatural’s though, genetically engineered and super powerful their creator’s feel like they’ve made a mistake a mistake that can only be resolved by death…
Fear Factor = Terror-ific!

Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon
This is a completely original, gothic, supernatural read with a whole new take on a brand new supernatural creature. This book is set in a gothic boarding school that studies the dead language of Latin amongst other strange things. A captivating gothic love story.
Fear Factor = Terror-ific!

Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey
Haunting Violet is the perfect historical ghost story. Violet’s never believed in ghosts after spending her life working for her fraudulent medium mother but with a murder mystery going on, and the murdered girl in question haunting her Violet will have to start believing in ghosts because they believe in her.
Fear Factor = Terror-ific!

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
This book is definitely a more fun Halloween read what with loveable and girly heroine Evie. Don’t be fooled by Evie’s girly exterior and pink Taser though this girl can seriously kick some ass and has to as it’s her job to keep the paranormal creatures in line and protect humans but with her unique powers which category fits Evie? Human or supernatural?
Fear Factor = Spook-tastic!

Velvet by Mary Hooper
Velvet is a gorgeous historical ghost story set in the Victorian/Edwardian period when spiritualism was at its peak. This is a fascinating read that takes an in depth look into the medium and spiritual craze, are the ghostly encounters Velvet is witnessing fake? Or the real deal?
Fear Factor = Spook-tastic!

To find out more about any of these books click on the title and the link will take you to the books page on goodreads for a synopsis, reviews, and more information.

So there you have it my recommended Halloween reading! 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!

Review for An Autumn Crush by Milly Johnson

2011-10-20T13:27:00.000+01:00

An Autumn Crush by Milly Johnson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: 29th September 2011
Genre: Chick-lit, Romance, Seasonal Reads, Autumn, Adult Fiction.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Bought

Amazon Summary:
"After a bruising divorce, headstrong Juliet Miller invests in a flat and advertises for a flatmate, little believing that in her mid-thirties she'll find anyone suitable. But along comes self-employed copywriter Floz, raw from her own relationship split, and the two woman hit it off. When Juliet's twin brother Guy meets Floz, he is overcome with a massive crush. But being a shy, gentle giant, he communicates so clumsily with her as to give her the opposite impression. Guy's best friend Steve has always had a secret, unrequited crush on Juliet. After a night of too much wine, Steve and Juliet end up in bed, after moaning about the lack of sex in their lives. Convinced that Juliet doesn't feel the same way, Steve agrees to a 'just-sex' relationship, until they can both hook their dream partners. Just when Guy has finally plucked up the courage to tell Floz how he feels, he finds she has rekindled an old romance. Floz has never had much love in her life and is obviously thirsty for affection. She loves the whole Miller family, from Juliet and Guy's warm, loving parents, to their ancient one-eyed black cat. But can Guy turn Floz's affection for his family into something more - into love for him? Then Juliet makes a series of discoveries which will turn the lives of all four friends upside-down and turns that Autumn into a season where love can be harvested."

Review
An Autumn Crush is a complete breath of fresh air in the chick-lit genre. My bookshelves are groaning with summer reads, and cosy Christmas stories yet An Autumn Crush is my first book that celebrates the beauty of the season. I think autumn is by far our most beautiful season with the warm, golden tones of the leaves, the dazzling fireworks and sparklers and there’s that woody, cinnamoney smell in the air. Some days are beautiful with the last sunshine of summer and some crisp and fresh with the promise of winter. I absolutely love this time of year and enjoyed snuggling down as the early nights drew in with this book that really captures the beauty of the season.

An Autumn Crush is such a lovely read and completely heart-warming. The story centers around loveable divorcee Juliet, her gentle giant of a twin brother Guy, Steve- Guy’s best friend, and latest addition to the group Floz Juliet’s new flatmate. As you can imagine the foursome get thrown together quite a lot! But even though Juliet and Steve, and Guy and Floz are perfect for each other- something any reader can see from the start!- the boy’s huge crushes on the girls lead to many a mishap and clumsy misunderstandings making them less than desirable to Floz and Juliet! I really loved all four of our main characters but Steve and Guy really stood out to me which was a nice change for a chick-lit novel. They were both total sweethearts and I became so endeared towards them as they tried and failed to impress the girls. Each character in this book has had a really tough time of it each with a less than perfect past and so I really wanted the best for them and for them to find a bit of happiness- especially with each other!

As well as the fun and vibrant foursome there are some really fantastic secondary characters in particular Juliet and Guy’s parents and Juliet’s gay best friend Coco. The book also tackles some difficult themes such as alcoholism and mental illness but that is also counterbalanced with some very funny and heart-warming moments and doesn’t take away from this books ultimately uplifting feel.

An Autumn Crush is my favourite book that I’ve read by Milly Johnson so far. Although this book is ultimately a romance it also has strong themes of parenting, family and friendship too. The book is written like a dream with some gorgeous Autumnal imagery. An Autumn Crush was an absolute joy to read and the perfect book to celebrate the season with.

Review for Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

2011-10-17T09:00:00.002+01:00

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton
Release Date: September 29th 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Books Made of Awesome
Rating: 5/5 stars
Source: Bought

Goodreads Summary:
"Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door."

Review
Stephanie Perkins. Wow. This lady and her books blow my mind. Stephanie Perkins doesn’t just write a book, she creates actual magic. Seriously it’s like she has a check list of all the things that would make THE perfect book throws them all in a pot, adds her secret Stephanie sparkle and ta da! Result the kind of books girls could only ever dream about- until now.

Last year I was blown away by Stephanie’s debut Anna and the French Kiss. I thought never could there be a more perfect contemporary read and then along came Lola in her combat boots and Marie Antoinette dress. Guys I LOVED it, and I heart it so much harder than Anna. I knew I was going to love this book but no way did I expect it to surpass my affections for Anna and the smart arse but oh so sexy St Clair but it totally did you wanna know why? Two words, Cricket Bell.

So let me just talk to you guys about Cricket. I love him. I love him so much that every time I walk past this book on my bookshelf I have to pick it up and hug it. You can all keep your Etienne St Clair because Cricket is MINE. Seriously I know I’m totally fan girling right now but Cricket is SUCH a good guy. The nicest guy you’ll ever read about. You know in all of those books where the hot sexy guy gets the girl and the sweet best friend who’s loved her forever goes home with his tail between his legs? Well this book is about the nice guy, the kind of guy your parents would want you to date, coming first for once and doing it for the good guys! *Fist pumps for the good guys.* I loved that about this book and I don’t just want my own Cricket I want Cricket, period.

Lola and the Boy Next Door has the sweetest love story. It’s the story of two best friends falling in love. It’s about the guy you grew up with who knows everything about you good and bad and wants to take you out anyway. It’s about that guy who sees you dancing around your room in your PJ’s with no make-up on and flat hair and loves that version of you best. Lola and Crickets story has this innocence and pureness to it that I loved so much more than Anna and St Clair’s story and whilst this book features them as secondary characters after a while I was like “Anna who? Go back to Lola and Cricket I want more of them!”

I loved Lola and I loved Cricket, I loved the writing, the plot, basically everything about this book. Every page was perfect and I couldn’t get enough. I actually read the last few chapters with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat and when I read the last sentence (the most perfect and romantic sentence in history!) I just burst into tears and cried over it and thought about it forever. But I wasn’t crying because I was sad. This book made me so happy that I cried great big happy tears. I mean can I get any clearer than that about how much I loved this book? Lola and the Boy Next Door is a special, special story and whilst I’m excited for the next and last companion novel to Anna and Lola, Isla and the Happily Ever After I kind of just want it to be called Lola, Cricket and the Happily Ever After and to read book after book about them forever. Stephanie Perkins please would you fuel my addiction? But in the meantime whilst I’m waiting for my bookish fantasies to come true I’ll be re-reading Lola and the Boy Next Door over and over and will be raving about it like a fan girl to everyone I meet. This book has brought out my crazy book nerd you have been warned.

Review for Soul Beach by Kate Harrison

2011-10-14T09:00:00.002+01:00

Soul Beach by Kate Harrison
Publisher: Indigo
Release Date: 1st September 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Goodreads Summary:
"When Alice Forster receives an email from her dead sister she assumes it must be a sick practical joke. Then an invitation arrives to the virtual world of Soul Beach, an idyllic online paradise of sun, sea and sand where Alice can finally talk to her sister again - and discover a new world of friendships, secrets and maybe even love . . . . But why is Soul Beach only inhabited by the young, the beautiful and the dead? Who really murdered Megan Forster? And could Alice be next?"

Review
As soon as I heard about Soul Beach I just knew it would be a book that I was going to love. This year I’ve quickly become a big fan of the young adult thriller trend and Soul Beach is up there as one of my favourites from this genre.

The book is told from sixteen year old Alice’s point of view but every so often between chapters there are a few paragraphs told from the killer’s perspective. The book actually starts off with the murderer narrating which I thought was fantastic as it jumps straight into the mystery. Right from the very first chapter you’re spooked and I was sucked into this book right away.

Soul Beach has several mysteries to it. What is Soul Beach? Who created it? Is Megan really dead? And if so who killed her and why? Will Alice be next? The book is chock full of suspense and I had no idea where this book was going or what was really going on. Soul Beach has an addictive, unique plot and I was so caught up in the story that I could hardly put it down. I couldn’t even bare to go online whilst I was reading this I was that creeped out by the seemingly perfect “paradise” of the dead online beach that at times seemed to have Alice strangely addicted.

This is the kind of book where I don’t want to go into anything too much as its important with books like this not to give too much away but I will say that I loved the end of this book. I felt that Kate Harrison gives you just enough to feel like the book has a proper ending but in a way that still leaves things open for the next two books in the trilogy. It’s also one of those clever endings that resolves some of your original questions but also opens up lots of new possibilities and leaves you with new ones in their place.

Overall I thought that Soul Beach was a unique and welcome addition to the young adult thriller genre. I didn’t want this book to end and when it did I started immediately pining for book two. If you’re looking for an original, modern day, teen thriller that will make you see social networking in a whole new light then Soul Beach is a must read!

October's Readers Choice and November Vote!

2011-10-12T15:57:00.001+01:00

October's Readers Choice is The Taker by Alma Katsu

"True love can last an eternity...but immortality comes at a price...

On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae—Lanny—walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her . . . despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated.

Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley."

The Taker was a firm favourite in last month’s vote and stormed ahead as your winner. I think this sounds like a fantastic read for the Halloween period and something very different and unusual as well! I’m really looking forward to tucking into this gothic tale and will have it read and reviewed for you soon! As always thank you to everybody who voted if your choice didn’t win this time check out this month’s nominees and have your say for next month!

November will sadly be my last Readers Choice for this year with the month after being Christmas and New Year and the month after that my birthday month I’m taking a little break with this feature but it will be making its return in February! I really love doing Readers Choice but will be taking a more relaxed approach to blogging during December and January to be able to have some well-earned chill time with my family. Keeping that in mind my theme for Novembers Readers Choice is Book’s I’ve Been Dying to Read but Just Haven’t Got Around to Yet. This month’s nominees are all books that I’m so desperate to read and with the end of the year creeping up on us I can’t believe I still haven’t gotten around to them! So what do you think? Which book do I HAVE to have read by the end of this year? This month is full of popular choices so I think it will be a close one! Voting’s open to anyone and everyone whether you’re a follower or not and you can vote once for any reason you like whether you’re interested in the book and want me to review it, loved it and want me to check it out, or simply think it sounds like the best of the bunch! All votes are very much appreciated so thank you to everyone who takes the time to fill out the form!

Novembers Readers Choice Nominees: Book’s I’ve Been Dying to Read but Just Haven’t Got Around to Yet!

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

Rosebush by Michele Jaffe
Instead of celebrating Memorial Day weekend on the Jersey Shore, Jane is in the hospital surrounded by teddy bears, trying to piece together what happened last night. One minute she was at a party, wearing fairy wings and cuddling with her boyfriend. The next, she was lying near-dead in a rosebush after a hit-and-run.

Everyone believes it was an accident, despite the phone threats Jane swears were real. But the truth is a thorny thing. As Jane's boyfriend, friends, and admirers come to visit, more memories surface-not just from the party, but from deeper in her past . . . including the night her best friend Bonnie died.

With nearly everyone in her life a suspect now, Jane must unravel the mystery before her killer attacks again. Along the way, she's forced to examine the consequences of her life choices in this compulsively readable thriller

The Demon Trappers: Forsaken by Jana Oliver
Riley has always wanted to be a Demon Trapper like her father, and she's already following in his footsteps as one of the best. But it's tough being the only girl in an all-guy world, especially when three of those guys start making her life more complicated: Simon, the angelic apprentice who has heaven on his side; Beck, the tough trapper who thinks he's God's gift, and Ori, the strikingly sexy stranger who keeps turning up to save her ass.

One thing’s for sure – if she doesn’t keep her wits about her there’ll be hell to pay...

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life - and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This vote is now closed check out the results here!

Winner of Daughter of Smoke and Bone Announcement!

2011-10-12T13:53:00.000+01:00

and the winner is as selected by Random.Org...

The Library Owl

Congratulations to the winner! I hope you love this book as much as I did. I'll be sending an email to you shortly to confirm your win please reply within the week so I can get your book sent out to you.

Big thank you's to everybody who entered!

Happy reading till next time!

Review for September’s Readers Choice Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

2011-10-10T09:00:00.003+01:00

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore
Publisher: Corgi (Random House)
Release Date: 7th July 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Paranormal, Ghosts, Witches, Romance
Rating: 2/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"Amy Goodnight's family are far from normal. She comes from a long line of witches, and grew up surrounded by benevolent spirits and kitchen spells. All fairly harmless, but Amy can't wait to get to college and escape the "family business".

But things take a darker turn when she and her sister Phin spend the summer looking after Aunt Hyacinth's ranch. Amy is visited by a midnight spectre who is clearly trying to send her a message. It seems that the discovery of an old grave on a neighbour's land has been the catalyst for an apparent ghost uprising.

Aided by local friends and Ben, the handsome cowboy who just can't take his eyes off Amy, the sisters investigate. And they soon find that there's something strange and dangerous going on, deep in the heart of Texas..."

Review
So it actually took me a while to get into Texas Gothic. It felt like it took a good hundred odd pages for me to really settle into the story and throughout that time I felt like giving up on this book several times. Looking back now that I’ve finished I kind of wish that I hadn’t bothered.

The thing is I just didn’t like the actual story itself. It reads a little bit like a Scooby Doo mystery and I’ve never been a fan of Scooby Doo. From the back of the book I expected a lot of cool paranormal goings on with the main character and her family being witches but to be honest they were kind of boring witches. I felt that the paranormal aspect of the book was barely there instead it was definitely more of a mystery which would have been fine except I found that side of it a bit dull as well and sussed out all the plot twists and who the bad guys were from the beginning. So the twists didn’t come as a surprise to me making the plot just feel really amateur and underdeveloped. Basically and I know this sounds harsh but the book just wasn’t all that interesting to me.

That being said I will give props where props are due. There were things I did enjoy about this book. Texas Gothic has a really hot and sexy romance between our heroine Amy and Ben the smokin’ local cowboy. The dialog between them sizzled and gave the Texas desert a run for its money in heat! I also really liked the characters especially Amy. She got on my nerves at the beginning with her so desperately wanting to be normal I found that to be a little unbelievable and irritating I mean who wouldn’t want to be a witch and be able to do super awesome spells? But as she rediscovered her Goodnight roots and started to develop an unwanted attraction to Ben I bonded with her more. Amy and Ben make a fiery, quick witted duo who I really wanted to see get together.

Overall Texas Gothic wasn’t really for me but that was mainly down to the issues I had with the plot because plots really what makes a good book for me. If you’re a plot kinda person yourself you may want to give this one a miss but if your all about the hot and sexy romance by all means give this one a go as Amy and Ben have chemistry to boot!

Book of the Month! Featuring Dead Sisters, 15th July and The Boy Next Door…

2011-10-07T09:00:00.003+01:00

Hi guys, welcome to September's book of the month and monthly round up! This is a feature to sum up for you my reading and recommendations for the past month and to share with you the exciting things that have been going on on the blog and books I’m looking forward to in the following month.

September's Book of the Month is...One Day by David Nicholls...AND Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Okay so this month I’m totally cheating and having TWO books of the month. If I’ve had a good book month then yes its usually hard for me to pick just one book that I would absolutely recommend above all others for you guys to check out but this month it was IMPOSSIBLE seriously I loved these two books so hard and if they’d been read on separate months they would both totally be deserving of Book of the Month so this month I’m cheating and having two. But seriously two amazing love stories that are so much more than love stories. I like the fact that one’s YA and one’s adult so depending on what you follow the blog for ( I know some people are here strictly for chick-lit and others YA) there’s something for hopefully all of you :-) Reviews coming soon!

Best Plot: Soul Beach by Kate Harrison
Best Writing: One Day by David Nicholls
Best Cover: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Best Characters: One Day by David Nicholls
Best Ending: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Best Romance: One Day by David Nicholls
Most un-put-down-able: The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
Most Memorable: One Day by David Nicholls
Best Moral: One Day by David Nicholls

Books read this month
56.) Velvet by Mary Hooper (4*)
57.) The Lying Game by Sara Shepard (3.5*)
58.) Never Have I Ever by Sara Shepard (3.5*)
59.) One Day by David Nicholls (5*)
60.) Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement- Moore (2*)
61.) Soul Beach by Kate Harrison (4.5*)
62.) Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (5*)

Top 3 Most Recommended Books: One Day, Lola and the Boy Next Door and Soul Beach

Bookish Highlights of the month
Lots of excitement this month! I got a lot of amazing new books and a new laptop for blogging but the best thing to happen this month has to be being quoted in a book for the first time for those who missed the post it was a quote in Angel Fire by L.A Weatherly you can find the post with me squealing here.

Bookish Lows of the month
Being ill for half of the month. Literally. I kept getting colds one after the other which really affected my blogging but I’m all better now so hopefully that’s it for a while!

Book’s I’m looking forward to in October
There’s quite a few I’m excited for this month but my number 1 has to be The Death Cure by James Dashner which is the last book in The Maze Runner series can’t wait! Between by Jessica Warman I’ve been hearing some great things from my blogger friends about that one, Past Perfect by Leila Sales, Sweetly by Jackson Pearce, Beautiful Chaos and Destined the latest books in the Beautiful Creatures and House of Night series although I have to get up to date with both series first!

So there you have it my September reading summed up for you guys. Have you read any of the books I’ve read this month? What were your thoughts on them? Leave me a comment and let me know and don’t forget to treat yourselves to One Day and Lola and the Boy Next Door! – You won’t regret it! Here’s to another month of fab reading ahead especially with the spooky and supernatural books for Halloween!

UK Giveaway for Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor!

2011-10-06T14:12:00.001+01:00

If you’re a regular follower of the blog or my twitter than you’ve probably recently seen me raving about my love for Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone. This book is by far my favourite of the year so far and so I’m excited to be bringing to you today the chance to win your own shiny finished copy courtesy of the publishers! This book has already been receiving phenomenal praise from, well, everyone really! But in case you’ve been living under a rock here’s what it’s all about or for my opinion you can check out my review here.

Amazon Synopsis
Errand requiring immediate attention. Come.

The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things.

When Brimstone called, she always came.

In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

Rules
Open to UK residents only.
End date: Wednesday 12th October 2011
One entry per person.
You do NOT have to follow my blog to enter.
Winner will be contacted by email and will have 1 week to reply else another winner will be selected.

This giveaway is now CLOSED and the winner has been announced here

Review for Wither by Lauren DeStefano

2011-09-23T09:00:00.003+01:00

Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Publisher: HarperCollins (UK)
Release Date: 4th August 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Sci-Fi
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Source: Bought

Amazon Summary:
"What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb – males only live to age twenty-five and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden’s genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape – to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden’s eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she trusts, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left."

Review
Dystopian books are possibly my favourite type of books to read. There’s something so compelling about these dark and dangerous futures that could so easily become this world’s reality and the terror of that makes these kinds of books highly readable to me. In Wither Lauren DeStefano has created a harrowing world where thanks to scientists tinkering with the idea of a “perfect human” through genetic engineering the next generation’s life span is cut short with men dying at age twenty five and women aged twenty. Because of this the world is desperate to repopulate and so girls as young as thirteen are bought by wealthy men and forced to become their brides. The girls that are not chosen are either killed or sold into prostitution. The world is in panic and marriages have become baby farms with everyone desperately trying to reproduce. This world is shocking, scary and controversial making for an unputdownable read that really made me think.

Our main character is sixteen year old Rhine, with only four years left to live Rhine along with two other girls nineteen year old Jenna and thirteen year old Cecily are bought by Linden and kept prisoner in his father’s mansion. Each wife has very different opinions on being a bride. Despite their life of luxury and privilege Rhine craves to be back home with her twin brother, with one year of life left Jenna despite hating Linden resigns herself to dying in this place, and youngest bride Cecily couldn’t be happier with the arrangement! She worships their handsome husband and immediately takes to a life of luxury hoping to reproduce. The strongest aspect of this book as well as the world itself was the characters they were each so well developed and I absolutely loved Rhine and Jenna who were two very strong female leads.

Wither is a slower paced dystopian, instead of a lot of action and gore it was beautifully told the world and goings on in the mansion scary enough. I loved the way Lauren DeStefano told this story and was so caught up in this claustrophobic, fragile world. I was completely enthralled by Wither and was desperate to see if Rhine got the freedom she so desperately wants. Wither isn’t the kind of book that you hurry through in an action packed frenzy but is the kind of book that you take your time over absorbing and thinking about this terrifying way of life and the fate of the characters. If you’re looking for a controversial, beautifully written book then Wither is the way to go.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Death Cure

2011-09-21T15:56:00.000+01:00

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that bloggers are eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Death Cure by James Dashner (Maze Runner #3)
Publication Date: October 11th 2011
From Goodreads
Thomas knows that Wicked can't be trusted, but they say the time for lies is over, that they've collected all they can from the Trials and now must rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission. It's up to the Gladers to complete the blueprint for the cure to the Flare with a final voluntary test.

What Wicked doesn't know is that something's happened that no Trial or Variable could have foreseen. Thomas has remembered far more than they think. And he knows that he can't believe a word of what Wicked says.

The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine.
Will anyone survive the Death Cure?

I’m a BIG fan of dystopian books and The Maze Runner series is up there with the best of the best. I’d even go as far as to say it’s as good as The Hunger Games if not better. This series is just so incredible and I can not wait for this final book to the trilogy! The synopsis makes it sound like it could be the best one yet and October 11th although not far away can’t come fast enough! If you haven’t checked out this series yet you cray cray, DO!

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Book Thoughts: The Lying Game and Never Have I Ever

2011-09-19T09:00:00.002+01:00

Book Thoughts
Definition: Where Jess groups together a couple of mini reviews on books she’s bought and recently read.

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

Amazon Summary:
"Sutton Mercer had a life anyone would kill for – and someone did. But thanks to a view from the afterlife and Emma Paxton, her long-lost twin sister, Sutton has a chance to solve her own murder. Emma slips into Sutton’s old life to piece together her disappearance. But can Emma keep up the charade long enough to discover what really happened to Sutton…or will she become the next victim?

Let the lying games begin."

The first book in this series I had a real love/hate relationship with. The plot kind of reminded me of one of those cheesy teen slasher movies and at the beginning I really questioned how believable it all was and if I was going to continue reading. The thing that I’ve found with this series is that it’s so bad it’s good and there’s something very very addictive about it.

It really took me a while to get into this story and the way that it’s written as it jumps from Emma to Sutton’s perspective at times without any warning or indication that the protagonist has changed and with Emma pretending to be Sutton it can get a little confusing.

I also didn’t really like any of the characters with the exception of Emma. The group of girls the story centres around are the bitchy, mean girl kind making them not very likeable but despite this books faults I absolutely flew through it and ordered and read the second one immediately.

There’s something so addictive about this Mean Girls meets The Lovely Bones meets Sorority Row book and it’s admittedly a fun, fast paced, thrill of a read. All in all there are better young adult thrillers out there at the minute but there’s something very addictive and compelling about this series and that alone may be strong enough to carry me through to the end. 3.5 Stars

Never Have I Ever by Sara Shepard

Amazon Summary:
"MY PERFECT LIFE WAS A LIE.

NOW I’D DO ANYTHING TO UNCOVER THE TRUTH.

Not long ago, I had everything a girl could wish for: amazing friends, an adorable boyfriend, a loving family. But none of them know that I’m gone – that I’m dead. To solve my murder, my long-lost twin sister, Emma, has taken my place. She sleeps in my room, wears my clothes, and calls my parents Mom and Dad. And my killer is watching her every move.

I remember little from my life, just flashes and flickers, so all I can do is follow along as Emma tries to solve the mystery of my disappearance. But the deeper she digs, the more suspects she uncovers. It turns out my friends and I played a lot of games – games that ruined people’s lives. Anyone could want revenge . . . anyone could want me – and now Emma – dead."

This book follows its predecessor on in much the same style with Emma still pretending to be Sutton to unravel the mystery surrounding her twin’s death. Never Have I Ever unearths some new clues and therefore some new suspects and I enjoyed this sequel a little more if only because I was used to the characters and writing style and knew what to expect.

Never Have I Ever picks up literally where The Lying Game left off with no time having passed at all so that the reader is automatically swept back into the action. Sara Shepard takes us in a new direction in this second novel and more is discovered about Sutton and her mysterious death.

This book has all the same thrills and twists as The Lying Game but with a brand new set of clues and suspects. Basically if you loved The Lying Game you’re going to love this one too. All of the faults I found with the first book are still present but so are the things I loved about it too. The Lying Game series is fast turning into my favourite guilty pleasure that maybe I shouldn’t like but I do anyway and I’m already getting impatient for my next fix, flaws and all. 3.5 Stars

Random Ramblings 4: How To Read More

2011-09-16T09:00:00.002+01:00

Being the big reader in my family and group of friends I always get asked how I find the time to read so many books. I used to think I read a lot until I found the book blogging community and discovered people who read literally hundreds of books a year. I myself have yet to reach that big 100 books in a year but constantly try to work towards it. Regardless I suppose compared to most people I do read a lot and so I’ve been doing some research on tips on how to read more also with some of my own tips that I give to family and friends. Most book lovers are always trying to read more and more books and find the time to read so I decided to share with you my top tips on how to squeeze more reading into your day to day life.

1.) I think the main problem is the majority of people see reading as a treat something to do for an hour before bedtime but try to look at reading as a lifestyle choice. Readings not just for bed and you’d be surprised with how much you can get read when you choose to read at any spare moment whether that’s on lunch breaks, on the bus or train going to work, waiting for appointments. There are so many small opportunities where you could catch a couple of pages during the day instead of staring into space or playing on your phone. Use them, after all every little counts.

2.) This goes hand in hand with the first tip but carry a book with you everywhere you’d be surprised when you find a quick 5 minutes to read.

3.) Use your TV’s catch up system. Most TV’s have some kind of catch up or recording system these days where you can watch your shows at a time to suit you. Not only is being able to watch them whenever great but you can also skip the commercials. Did you know that the average 1 hour show will have 15 to 20 minutes of advertising? If you watch a one hour TV show every day and skip the adverts then over a week you’ll have gained a spare 1 hour and 45 minutes that can be used for reading.

4.) Cut down the amount of TV you watch. It’s common knowledge that the average person spends too much time watching TV. Whittle it down to those shows you really don’t want to miss as opposed to those you just watch to pass the time and use that time for reading.

5.) Use Audio books and E-readers. Most people don’t read because they don’t have time to but with audio books you really don’t have an excuse you can listen to them whilst doing house work, driving, even whilst showering or taking a bath. On the Kindle there’s also the text to speech option so if you have to stop reading to get some chores done switch to speech and you can carry on with your book whilst being productive.

6.) Set yourself a goal of how much you want to read per day whether that’s in pages or chapters and stick to it (unless you get so absorbed in what you’re reading that you end up reading more!)

7.) Give up on books that you’re not enjoying. The fact that you’re not enjoying the book means that you’re less likely to pick it up slowing down your reading. Give yourself up to 50 pages and if you’re still not enjoying it don’t be afraid to say it’s not right for you and give up. Or sometimes a book is simply just not what you’re looking to read right now but maybe something you would enjoy at a later date if that’s the case mark where you’ve left off, pick up something new and come back to it.

8.) Keep a pile of books that you really want to read on your bedside table or somewhere in sight seeing all those fantastic books that are waiting for you to read them will encourage you to hurry up and finish what your reading. Keeping a wish list is also a good idea.

9.) Set a reading goal of how many books you want to read this year. As you go along and write down each book you read there’s something very satisfying about looking back on all the books you’ve read so far.

10.) Enthusiasm is contagious. Join a local book club, goodreads, librarything or follow book bloggers and youtubers. Let the people who love books rub off on you and it’s also great for recommendations.

11.) Train yourself to read like a speed readers taking in a few words at a time rather than reading word for word like you’re taught as a child. It’s been proven that you actually take in just as much by taking in a whole sentence as you do when you read word for word. Start by taking in two words then three then four. Let your eyes zoom out like a camera and take in bigger portions of writing.

12.) On days off find the time to read in the morning. This is a no brainer but when you read in the morning you’re more awake and alert than you are in the evening and therefore can read faster.

13.) Find a place in your house that you can be comfortable and read distraction free.

14.) Join swap websites, libraries, invest in an e-reader or get a membership reward card from your local bookshop. A lot of people find books too expensive but these are all great ways to save some money so that you can buy and therefore read more books.

I hope you’ve found these tips helpful. How do you make time to read? If you have any tips or suggestions I’ve left out feel free to share them in the comments!

I got quoted in a book!!!

2011-09-15T14:32:00.001+01:00

So today I was all set out to do a Random Ramblings post but then received this beaut in the mail...

Only to open it and find this...

Wow. I freakin got quoted in a book guys! And not just any book Angel, the first book in this series, was one of my favourite reads last year it was even, ironically enough, my book of the month for September 2010. So to be quoted in a sequel that I’m so so excited for is just amazing to me. This is the first time that the blogs been quoted in a book. I’ve been quoted on websites and press releases before heck I was even quoted in Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins but that was before my blogging days and so was only noted as an “Amazon Reviewer” so to have my first official quote in a book is amazing to me and probably the most exciting thing to have happened to me in blogging so far.

I’m being completely honest in telling you guys that receiving praise for my reviews is by far my favourite thing about blogging. I get the biggest thrill from it. Sure I’d be lying if I said that receiving ARC copies and getting invited to exciting events wasn’t awesome but nothing for me is more rewarding than getting a comment, email or tweet from somebody whether that be a reader, the author or publishers saying I really enjoyed reading your review. And getting quoted in a book I feel is the biggest complement.

I set up this blog mainly to keep all of my reviews in one place, as mentioned I used to post reviews on Amazon for years before I started Jess Hearts Books and that was with no rewards, no free books, nothing. I just did it because I loved writing about the books I’d read. That hasn’t changed. I’m sitting here typing this buzzing away at what feels like hard work paid off. I’m sure to some people it’s not that big a deal but for me this is the biggest blogging reward by far. I put a lot of time into my reviews my family can vouch for the fact that I can often spend hours working on one review editing and changing words and phrases around I’m very hard on myself in that I try to make my reviews as thoughtful and honest as I possibly can and I take in peoples comments and study bloggers whose reviews I admire to constantly try and better the way I write so this really does feel like I’m reaping the rewards.

This is a bit mushy but I really want to thank you guys, whoever may be reading this but especially those who comment regularly and give me input on my reviews as that always means the most to me. I wouldn’t get the opportunities I get if nobody wanted to read what I wrote and it still actually blows my mind that people care enough about what I have to say to follow and comment on this blog.

As for a brief update I nearly have enough money saved for the laptop I want! Yay! At the moment I only have one day in the week to write posts, and reply to comments etc as I’m borrowing a laptop but I should have a new laptop by the end of October by the latest and that will see the return of In My Mailbox something I’ve really missed doing but just can’t do at the moment as it’s a Sunday meme and I only get to do my posts on either Wednesdays or Thursdays in the week. I’m so excited to share with you my new books again but in the meantime rest assured that it is making a return and I’m still regularly receiving fantastic and exciting new books like todays for example ;-)

This post has gotten really long when I really only wanted to say a quick thank you and share with you guys something that means so much to me so I’m going to finish up. I can’t wait for things to start getting back to normal around here and I can’t wait to get stuck into Angel Fire! Once again big thank yous and if you ever leave a comment on my reviews whether its constructive criticism or simply a great review comment known that it means everything to me and makes all of this *gestures around the blog* worthwhile.

Review for Velvet by Mary Hooper

2011-09-12T09:00:00.003+01:00

Velvet by Mary Hooper
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: 5th September 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Ghost Story, Mediums
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"Velvet is a laundress in a Victorian steam laundry. With both her mother and father dead, she is an orphan and has to rely upon her own wits to make a living. The laundry is scalding, back-breaking work and Velvet is desperate to create a better life for herself. Then Velvet is noticed by Madame Savoya, a famed medium, who asks Velvet to come to work for her. Velvet is dazzled at first by the young yet beautifully dressed and bejewelled Madame. But soon Velvet realises that Madame Savoya is not all that she says she is, and Velvet's very life is in danger..."

Review
I have a huge interest in stories about mediums and spirits especially those set in the Victorian/Edwardian period when spiritualism was at its peak. So reading Velvet a fictional yet realistic account on mediumship during that time was fascinating to me. Mary Hooper mixes fiction with fact and spins a realistic and creepy portrayal on what it might have been like working for a respected and popular medium during that time.

Velvet is my first book by Mary Hooper and I can certainly see why she is such a popular author! Mary has the rare ability to submerge the reader entirely in the past and learn something about life during that time without it ever feeling like a history lesson. Mary makes her characters and situations relatable to the reader and whilst the plot is rich with history it above all is a good story that will captivate any reader whether your particularly interested in history or not.

The main thing I loved about Velvet was the fascinating and at times creepy plot. The story is rich with suspense and intrigue and I, like our main character Velvet, was swept up in trying to find out if the mediums, particularly Madame Savoya, were what they seemed.

Despite all the sinister goings on Velvet still manages to find time for romance something I think all female readers will appreciate and Velvet’s boy troubles make this heroine from another time relatable to modern teens. I really liked the characters of Charlie and Lizzie Velvet’s friends and couldn’t help but feel sympathy towards Velvet after everything she’s had to go through, she’s really a character you want the best for.

The only thing that let this book down for me was that I felt the ending was a bit abrupt. Once the big climax was unleashed everything else sort of trailed off and I would have liked a bit more closure regarding some things.

Overall I found Velvet to be a highly engrossing read that I couldn’t wait to escape into each night. If you’re looking for a realistic ghost story or simply a good historical read I would highly recommend this book and will definitely be looking to read more by Mary Hooper.

Septembers Readers Choice and October Vote!

2011-09-08T09:00:00.002+01:00

"Amy Goodnight's family are far from normal. She comes from a long line of witches, and grew up surrounded by benevolent spirits and kitchen spells. All fairly harmless, but Amy can't wait to get to college and escape the "family business".

But things take a darker turn when she and her sister Phin spend the summer looking after Aunt Hyacinth's ranch. Amy is visited by a midnight spectre who is clearly trying to send her a message. It seems that the discovery of an old grave on a neighbour's land has been the catalyst for an apparent ghost uprising.

Aided by local friends and Ben, the handsome cowboy who just can't take his eyes off Amy, the sisters investigate. And they soon find that there's something strange and dangerous going on, deep in the heart of Texas..."

Big thank yous to everyone who voted last month being a new feature it’s much appreciated! Texas Gothic came in first with The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks a close second! I can’t wait to delve into Texas Gothic and get it reviewed for you guys soon!

Now onto October’s vote! With October being the month of celebration for all things spooky and supernatural with Halloween I’ve decided to go for that theme for Octobers vote. Voting’s open to anyone and everyone whether you’re a follower or not and you can vote once for any reason you like whether you’re interested in the book and want me to review it, loved it and want me to check it out, or simply think it sounds like the best of the bunch! All votes are appreciated so please take the time to fill out the form :)

Octobers Readers Choice Nominees (Spooky and Supernatural Themed!)

Deception by Lee Nichols
When Emma Vaile's parents leave on mysterious business trip, it gives her the perfect excuse to be a rebellious teen. Throw some parties, get a tattoo (or maybe just a piercing), and enjoy the first few weeks of her junior year. Then her best friend stops talking to her, the cops crash her party, and Emma finds herself in the hands of a new guardian—her college-age "knight in J.Crew armor," Bennett Stern—and on a plane to his museum-like mansion in New England.

After enrolling at Thatcher Academy, Emma settles in by making friends with the popular legacy crowd. But she can't shake the strange visions that are haunting her. She has memories of Thatcher she can't explain, as if she's returning home to a place she's never been. Emma doesn't trust anyone anymore—except maybe Bennett. But he's about to reveal a ghostly secret to Emma. One that will explain the visions . . . and make Emma fear for her life.

The Taker by Alma Katsu
True love can last an eternity . . . but immortality comes at a price. . . .

On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae—Lanny—walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her . . . despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated.

Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley.

Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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. Now fifteen, Bryn's been as a human among werewolves, adhering to pack rule. Little fazes her. 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.

The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan
There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.

Annah's world stopped that day, and she's been waiting for Elias to come home ever since. Somehow, without him, her life doesn't feel much different than the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Until she meets Catcher, and everything feels alive again.

But Catcher has his own secrets. Dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah has longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah: can she continue to live in a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
The undead can really screw up your senior year ...

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction

This vote is now closed check out the results here!

Waiting on Wednesday: Fateful

2011-09-07T14:06:00.000+01:00

Fateful by Claudia Gray
Publication Date: 29th March 2012
From Amazon UK
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…

This Wednesday I’m waiting on this gorgeous sounding historical fiction/ paranormal romance. Lucky for my friends across the pond this book is hitting the shelves in the US later this month but for us Brits we’ve still got a bit of a wait with it not coming out until March next year. I think it will be well worth the wait though because I LOVE our stunning UK cover so much more than the US one. An epic paranormal love story set on the doomed ship that was the Titanic? Erm yes please!

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Review for The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

2011-09-05T09:00:00.002+01:00

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher: Headline
Release Date: 5th January 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Adult, Contemporary, Chick-lit, Romance
Rating: 5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
" Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Imagine if she hadn't forgotten the book. Or if there hadn't been traffic on the expressway. Or if she hadn't fumbled the coins for the toll. What if she'd run just that little bit faster and caught the flight she was supposed to be on. Would it have been something else - the weather over the Atlantic or a fault with the plane?

Hadley isn't sure if she believes in destiny or fate but, on what is potentially the worst day of each of their lives, it's the quirks of timing and chance events that mean Hadley meets Oliver...

Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it. "

Review
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is the kind of book that sets the butterflies off in your stomach and makes you feel warm from head to toe. It’s romantic, funny, sharp, and ultimately uplifting. Set over a 24 hour period in a day of the life of our heroine Hadley except little does Hadley know that today is no ordinary day because in such a short amount of time her life is about to change forever.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is a love story and not just Hadley and Oliver’s. This book gets to the heart of human relationships and gives an honest portrayal on the lives and loves of many different characters in this book not all of them necessarily the romantic kind. Hadley and Oliver’s whirlwind romance which is triggered by a series of mishaps and chance on a flight from New York to London shows how when we meet the right person at the right time it has the ability to change everything and turn what should be one of the worst days of our lives into one of the best all because of that one person who opens your eyes and makes you see things differently.

Despite this book being narrated by a teenage girl I believe it’s being pitched as a crossover novel and I can certainly see why! This book has the ability to charm any reader of any age reminding us of the innocence and recklessness of young love and that invincible feeling that comes along with it. Jennifer E. Smith captures what it’s like to be young and in love in its truest form and I read this book with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face I was that swept up in Hadley and Oliver’s story.

Hadley is the perfect leading lady. She’s naive, vulnerable and very easy to relate to. And then there’s Oliver who will charm the socks off any red blooded female who reads this book, he’s witty, thoughtful and the perfect romantic hero. Both characters are so easy to like and I was rooting for them both as a couple and with their own separate affairs.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is the best contemporary romance I’ve read all year and is the ultimate feel good read. I defy anyone not to fall in love with it. A book that will touch even the most reluctant romantics and will 100% make you believe in love at first sight.

Review for Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

2011-09-02T09:00:00.002+01:00

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razor Bill
Release Date: 25th August 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Vampires
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"Sydney protects vampire secrets - and human lives.

Sydney belongs to a secret group who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the world of humans and vampires.

But when Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, she fears she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. What unfolds is far worse. The sister of Moroi queen Lissa Dragomir is in mortal danger, and goes into hiding. Now Sydney must act as her protector.

The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one . . ."

Review
Bloodlines is the first book in a new spin off series to Vampire Academy. Bloodlines follows on one month after the events in Last Sacrifice and mixes the old with the new making it readable whether you’ve read Vampire Academy or not. This book follows Sydney an alchemist whose job it is to protect humans from the secret vampire world. Sydney is still in trouble with her people after her part in helping Rose Hathaway and is sent on a new mission to redeem herself by keeping vampire Princess Jill hidden in the human world. Sydney, Jill and two familiar faces to Vampire Academy fans Adrian and Eddie must protect Jill at all costs but with humans sporting magical tattoos similar to those of the alchemists and Moroi (the good vampires) murdered in unusual circumstances the stakes are higher than ever.

I’m a HUGE fan of the Vampire Academy series and couldn’t wait for this spin off. I was a little worried that this book wouldn’t live up to my love for VA but I’m happy to say that it did! Richelle Mead’s writing is as fast paced and snappy as ever and Bloodlines has a good mix of the old to keep fans satisfied and the new to make it fresh and exciting so that it’s not just a copycat of its predecessor. Events from Last Sacrifice follow on in a natural, smooth way but Sydney and Co also unearth a lot of new problems and a whole new exciting plot Richelle Mead evolving this amazing world even further, delving more into the alchemist side of things but still keeping the plot intermingled with the Moroi (good vampires), Strigoi (bad vampires) and Dhampirs (half human, half vampire).

Fans of Vampire Academy are probably eager to know if there will be any appearances or talk of our old favourite characters, Rose, Dimitri, and Lissa and I’m happy to report that there is plenty of mention of them and even a special appearance from Rose early on in the book. It was really interesting to see Rose from Sydney’s point of view as Rose was our protagonist in Vampire Academy and I have to say that the last sentence of Bloodlines had me wiggling in my seat with excitement for book two- I won’t say anymore than that but if you’ve read the book you’ll know what I mean ;-)

That being said however nice that it was to catch up with old friends Bloodlines is very much about Sydney, Jill, Adrian and Eddie and I found myself not missing the old cast as much as I thought I would because I was so wrapped up in their story. Richelle Mead has also hinted at some potentially very interesting and exciting future love interests and I’m very excited to see where she goes with that.

Overall Bloodlines was a fantastic first novel to a brand new series that will enthral Vampire Academy fans and entice new readers. Richelle has set up an absorbing new plot that runs smoothly alongside past events, and characters old and new who are as strong and hugely likeable as the first cast. Bloodlines is a must read for anyone and I can’t wait to see where Richelle Mead takes us next.

Book of the Month! Featuring Spin Offs, Murder, and Love at 40,000 feet

2011-09-01T14:25:00.000+01:00

Hi guys, welcome to August's book of the month and monthly round up! This is a feature to sum up for you my reading and recommendations for the past month and to share with you the exciting things that have been going on on the blog and books I’m looking forward to in the following month.

August's Book of the Month is...Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is not only my favourite book read in August but by far the best book I’ve read all year. I adored this breathtaking magical love story and can’t wait for it to come out later this month so you guys can finally see what all the fuss is about! To find out more about Daughter of Smoke and Bone and why I loved it so much stop by my review here. I predict that it’s going to be HUGE!

Best Plot: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Best Writing: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Best Cover: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Best Characters: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Best Ending: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Best Romance: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Most un-put-down-able: Bad Sisters by Rebecca Chance
Most Memorable: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Best Moral: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Books read this month
50.) Outside the Ordinary World by Dori Ostermiller (4*)
51.) Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur (4*)
52.) Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (5*)
53.) Bad Sisters by Rebecca Chance (4*)
54.) Bloodlines by Richelle Mead (4.5*)
55.) The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith (5*)

Top 3 Most Recommended Books: Daughter of Smoke and Bone, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and Bloodlines

Bookish Highlights of the month
The most exciting thing for me had to be starting my new feature Readers Choice and discovering my favourite book of the year so far! The package I got from the lovely publishers at Headline for Statistical Probability was also lovely as it included some cute goodies (one being a very yummy heart shaped lolly!)

Bookish Lows of the month
writing my review for Forever I love that series so writing a bad review for the last book was hard.

Book’s I’m looking forward to in September
All my Christmas’s have come at once for September there are so many fantastic new books out that I’m looking forward to and this list could go on and on but here are a few of my must reads!

Fury by Elizabeth Miles
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver
As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott
Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs
Heist Society by Ally Carter
An Autumn Crush by Milly Johnson
The First Wife by Emily Barr

Yep, see what I mean?

So there you have it my August reading summed up for you guys. Have you read any of the books I’ve read this month? What were your thoughts on them? Leave me a comment and let me know and don’t forget to treat yourselves to Daughter of Smoke and Bone later this month! – You won’t regret it!

Review for Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

2011-08-29T09:00:00.001+01:00

Synopsis
"The murder of her parents has left Silla damaged and lost, and Silla's insistence that her father is not to blame only alienates her further from her friends and family. When a mysterious spell book arrives, Silla hopes it will lead to some answers about her parents' killer. In her first attempt at magic, in an old graveyard near her home, Nick, the new boy in town spies on her; he recognizes the magic that Silla is performing as the same magic his mother performed with him, before she went mad.

Before long, Silla and Nick connect, though Nick is unwilling to share his history with blood magic with Silla. When Silla's friends start showing signs of possession, Silla, Nick and Silla's brother, Reese, must contend with a deadly, immortal woman who will stop at nothing to take the book of spells from them."

Blood Magic is the kind of book that grabs your attention from the start and refuses to let go until the end. Despite Blood Magic being Tessa Gratton’s debut novel it certainly doesn’t read that way! Tessa already has established a strong, confident, voice that captures teen angst perfectly and woves around it a dark and delicious tale that will leave readers on the edge of their seat, Gratton’s writing is so deliciously creepy, gothic and suspenseful that the setting for the story becomes a character in itself, the magic, blood and murder hanging thick and heavy in the air.

Blood Magic is a fresh and original book with all of the blood, death and despair of the ever popular vampire genre without the cliché vampires. Instead Gratton spins a tale steeped in dark and dangerous magic and her use of blood, rituals and spells makes for some fascinating reading.

The book is told alternately between our main characters Silla and Nick. I really loved both of their personalities and found their growing attraction to be very believable. Silla is damaged and traumatized since finding her parents murdered and Nick is fiery, rebellious and angry after being brought up by his insane blood witch mother who would use him in her twisted spells. Both characters are realistic, broken and less than perfect and their romance is hot and passionate- just the way I like it!

Throughout the book there are mysterious passages from an old unfound journal belonging to a disturbed and powerful young witch called Josephine. At the start it isn’t really clear how her story connects with Silla’s but as you delve deeper into the book the more their lives become intertwined and I was really shocked and wonderfully thrilled by the conclusion.

Blood Magic has all the romance and darkness of a paranormal love story and all the intrigue and mystery of a thriller. This book is chilling, incredibly well written and unlike anything else out there. I really enjoyed it and was very impressed that this was a debut novel. I hope Tessa Gratton writes more books about Silla and Nick in the future and if you haven’t checked out Blood Magic yet I would highly recommend that you do!
My Rating 4.5/5 stars

Synopsis taken from Amazon

Thanks go to Random House for sending me this book for review

Review for Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

2011-08-26T09:00:00.001+01:00

This is the last book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. Although this review will contain NO spoilers from Forever by talking about the plot there may be unintentional spoilers from earlier books in the series.

Synopsis
"In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. In Linger, they fought to be together. Now, in Forever, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in."

First of all I think I’m just going to put it out there that I was disappointed with this book. I’m a HUGE fan of this series and Forever was one of my most highly anticipated books of this year but sadly this final conclusion to one of my favourite series left me cold.

Everything started off well. I was quickly drawn back into this story thanks to Maggie’s ever beautiful writing and was once again caught up in Sam and Grace’s story. The start of the book was exciting and I couldn’t wait to see where Maggie took us.

Then half way through the book I got bored. The romance that I love so much in this series is very lackluster in Forever. Now I know that Sam and Grace had bigger problems to deal with but throughout the rest of this series despite all the crazy going on at these books heart was always Sam and Grace and this amazing love story that had the ability to make me laugh and cry. This book despite being the final goodbye to a world I love didn’t have me shedding any tears- guys I didn’t even get misty eyed. Compared to both Shiver and Linger where I would sob great big my heart is broken tears my lack of emotion towards Forever felt very strange to me and I think was largely because of the lack of feeling put into this book.

I felt that Maggie could easily have cut out 100 to 150 pages of this book as nothing significant really happens in the middle making the book drag on. Then at the end of the book Maggie does a complete U turn and everything ends so abruptly with so many things left up in the air. I’m someone who needs a good conclusion especially at the end of a series that I have loved and invested in so I can feel content and ready to let the characters go. I didn’t feel that Forever’s ending gave me proper closure as so much was left up in the air leaving the reader to interpret what they want out of it. I hate when books do that and to be honest felt cheated from the proper ending Sam and Grace deserved.

That being said overall Forever was a decent read the high point being Maggie’s beautiful writing. I mostly enjoyed the book up until the end and even then it’s not that I didn’t like the ending per se I was just frustrated mostly with the lack of it. If you don’t mind a bit of interpretation at the end of your books then you’re bound to have no problems with Forever but for me personally I wanted and expected more and hate that I have to leave this series with so many what ifs on my mind. Needless to say this book wasn’t great for me and will be looked up on my bookshelf as the ending that wasn’t, I’ll cherish and re-read Shiver and Linger for years to come and will pass over Forever with regret and sadness for what could have been.
My Rating 3/5 stars

Synopsis taken from Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday: Fury

2011-08-24T13:43:00.001+01:00

Fury by Elizabeth Miles
Publication Date: 1st September 2011
From Amazon UK
In book one of the Fury trilogy, Em Winters and Chase Singer discover that a little guilt isn't the only consequence of doing wrong. After Em hooks up with her best friend's boyfriend and Chase's secret harassment of a social outcast spirals out of control, three mysterious Furies-paranormal creatures that often assume the form of beautiful women-come to town to make sure that Em and Chase get what they deserve. Not everyone will survive-and those who do will discover there are worse punishments than death. But when Em befriends outcast Drea and learns more about who and what the Furies really are, she becomes resolved above all to take them down and stop their plans. Little does Em know that, by confronting the Furies, she could become inextricably bound to them for life.

This Wednesday I am waiting on yet another Greek Mythology book. I love the Greek Mythology trend in YA at the moment and am hugely excited because Fury merges together Contemporary YA and Greek Myth which are two genres I absolutely love. I’ve heard some mixed early reviews from my blogger friends who were lucky enough to receive it early but because it ticks all of my boxes I’m more than willing to give this one a try! With it out in just over a week here in the UK I haven’t got long to wait but regardless I’m counting down the days!

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Bookish News! Featuring Pandemonium Giveaway, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Velvet and Tesco’s Book Blog...

2011-08-19T09:00:00.001+01:00

What better way to start the weekend than by telling you guys about some exciting book news! All info was emailed to me from reliable sources so big thank you’s to the publishers who email me giving me juicy info to share with my readers!

So first up is something I myself am hugely excited about. With Delirium by Lauren Oliver now out in paperback the lovely people at Hodder are celebrating by running a competition exclusive to the UK where you can win one of the first five UK proofs of Lauren’s upcoming novel, Pandemonium, the follow on from Delirium. Exciting much!? Anyone can enter as long as you live in the UK for more info follow the link to enter here.

Also from Hodder we have the final cover reveal for the highly anticipated Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I love this cover almost as much as I loved the book itself and can’t wait for it to be released into the wild on September 29th. Here is also the new stunning UK trailer, for more information on Daughter of Smoke and Bone check out my review here.

Click on image to enlarge

For more September news Mary Hooper is releasing her new book Velvet a creepy sounding historical fiction from this much loved author. She’s planning on making some public appearances in September to promote the new book. Here are the details below. If you’re around the area you really should stop by!

6pm, Tuesday 20th September
Just Imagine Story Centre, 64-68 New London Road, Chelmsford, CM2 0PD
Tel 01245 267748
Tickets: £5
info@justimaginestorycentre.co.uk
http://www.justimaginestorycentre.co.uk/content/writing-children-group-mary-hooper

2pm, Sunday 25th September
Guildhall, High Street, Bath BA1 4BX
Tel: 01225 463 362
Tickets: £5
bathboxoffice@bathfestivals.org.uk
http://www.bathkidslitfest.org.uk/celiareesandmaryhooper.aspx

And for my last piece of gossip Tesco have launched a fabulous book blog! I tend to get a lot of my books from Tesco thanks to their amazing offers and Tesco Books are sure to offer up some really exciting posts with sneak previews, author interviews, giveaways and competitions. I and some fellow UK book bloggers are also set to participate in some posts so keep your eyes peeled for those! Click on this link to take you to the blog and you can follow them on twitter @TescoBooks

That’s all from me for now, have a fabulous weekend!

Jess x

Review for Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

2011-08-17T14:28:00.000+01:00

Synopsis
"Errand requiring immediate attention. Come.

The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things.

When Brimstone called, she always came.

In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought."

Critical acclaim for Daughter of Smoke and Bone has been building steadily over the past few months in anticipation for its release and I am pleased to say that I concur with all of the early high praise. Due to all the hype I had pretty high expectations for this book before starting it but even still I wasn’t prepared for how awesome this book truly is and how fiercely I would love it.

This review is going to be one of those terribly hard ones to write simply because the books too good to put into words. You can’t explain how amazing it is it’s something people have to experience for themselves. To put it simply this book blew my mind.

Laini Taylor is a remarkable storyteller and has created a rich and absorbing new world that’s completely different to anything else out there. Daughter of Smoke and Bone has a little bit of everything and therefore something to offer any reader, of any age, gender and preference in genre. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a story of war and magic, beasts with hearts of gold and sadistic blood thirsty angels but at the centre of it all is an epic love story that has the power to change everything. Daughter of Smoke and Bone isn’t the kind of book that I would recommend to just fans of young adult fiction but to anybody, anyone who can appreciate a good story.

Our main character Karou is a strong and quirky heroine who enthrals those around her with her art and stories about demons and beast like creatures. Her friends just presume she has a vivid imagination but despite her teasing smile Karou has never told her friends a lie. The stories she tells are her life, her life bought up by monsters in a place called Elsewhere running strange and dangerous errands for her guardian and father figure Brimstone who grants wishes in exchange for teeth. Karou knows little about her past and the world where Brimstone is from but now the portals to Elsewhere are closing. Cut off from the only family she’s ever known Karou must at last unlock the secrets of her past in order to understand her fate.

Karou is such a kooky, interesting character who I found so easy to like. Like the world of Elsewhere there are many secrets and layers to Karou. For instance she has blue hair that grows out of her head that colour, tattoos that she’s had for as long as she can remember and bullet scars on her stomach. Why I hear you ask? That’s something you’re going to have to read and find out for yourself but it’s almost as if you unlock Karou as you read on and discover more about Elsewhere and I loved how the intrigue and mystery not only focused on the plot but on Karou also.

Laini Taylor’s writing is exquisite. Her descriptions of a dark and wintery Prague engross and captivate the reader from the start. Laini’s a genius at atmospheric writing and creates a gothic and haunting backdrop for her story of monsters and demons.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a magical and engrossing book that is still going through my mind days later. Laini Taylor has created something different and exciting and I predict that it’s going to be HUGE. It certainly deserves to be. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is easily the best book I’ve read all year and I’m sure it will remain a favourite for years to come.
My Rating 5/5 stars

Synopsis taken from Amazon

Thanks go to Hodder for sending me this book to review

Review for Outside the Ordinary World by Dori Ostermiller

2011-08-15T09:00:00.001+01:00

Synopsis
"A wife. A husband. A lover. A chance to leave her ordinary life? There had been no rain for weeks; the air crackled, the brushfires burned, her childhood ended. The summer of 1970 – a whisper from her mother’s lips told a secret that would destroy her family – a burden too heavy for a young girl to carry. Sylvia Sandon swore then and there she would never become her mother. Now Sylvia is walking the same illicit path towards temptation – into an affair she feels powerless to resist. The man she married, the father of her children, lies next to her in bed. The breathing that once lulled her to sleep now grating on her nerves. Sylvia has a chance to leave this ordinary life. Behind her are the ravaged remains of her childhood, in front the bittersweet safety of family life…or the exquisite torment of infidelity. One woman. Two paths. A forbidden moment of happiness or a lifetime of quiet regret."

Dori Ostermiller’s debut novel Outside the Ordinary World has already been received with high critical acclaim in the US, that, along with the beautiful cover and intriguing family drama described in the synopsis had me very excited to read this one and straight from the beginning I could see what all the fuss was about. Dori’s writing grips you from the start, the beautiful imagery wrapping itself around you like a blanket. Despite Outside the Ordinary World being a debut it’s clear that Ostermiller is already a fine storyteller.

The book is told in alternate chapters flitting from present to past. Both time periods are told from our main character Sylvia’s perspective in 1970 as a child and 2004 as an adult. The alternate chapters each tell their own separate story of adultery. In the summer of 1970 Sylvia is a witness and accomplice in her own mother’s affair, carrying the burden of a secret that could destroy her family. And in present day 2004 Sylvia has grown into a troubled adult haunted by her mother’s mistakes and her own guilt for her part in them, now Sylvia is heading down the same illicit path of destruction despite swearing that she would never make her mother’s mistakes. The alternate chapters are essential to understanding Sylvia as a person and why she makes the choices she does and whilst both Sylvia and her mother’s stories mirror one another both women have very different reasons behind their adultery. Outside the Ordinary World explores the different reasons why somebody might be tempted into the arms of another and the what ifs and maybe the grass really is greener that comes along with stepping out of your day to day life.

Outside the Ordinary World is a very honest, moving account on secrets, family, marriage and the ultimate question can one ever truly escape their past? Many of the characters –especially Sylvia- are very raw and not always the easiest characters to like. But in a strange way I could respect that and thought that it fleshed them out and made them even more believable. Although I didn’t necessarily agree with Sylvia’s actions I could understand her reasoning behind them and ultimately I believe that that’s what Ostermiller wanted to get across in the first place, she wasn’t trying to excuse adultery but explain it.

This book gives the reader plenty of food for thought and delves into the torment and destruction of infidelity holding nothing back. If you’ve ever wondered how someone could so easily risk everything Outside the Ordinary World is a book that will take you through the motions. A stunning debut that I would recommend to anybody who’s ever wondered, what if?
My Rating 4/5 stars

Thanks go to Mira for sending me this book to review

Introducing my new feature: Readers Choice- Where YOU take charge

2011-08-12T09:00:00.002+01:00

Hello fellow readers!

Today I’m extremely excited to finally be bringing to you a new feature I’ve been mulling over for some time now Readers Choice. So here’s the deal I wanted to think of a way to interact with you guys more, if your here I take it you’re a book lover and I know a lot of my followers are also fellow book bloggers. Having a book blog is mainly all about recommending to your readers books that you’ve enjoyed. If you follow my blog I take it we have very similar tastes and so once a month I want to turn the tables and have YOU guys recommend a book to ME. On the second week of every month I will do a post similar to this one with a list of 6 books from my to be read pile, sporting a little something from each genre I’m interested in. The books in question will all be books I haven’t picked up yet for whatever reason but want to. I’ll post the title, author, cover and synopsis and you my lovely readers can vote and on the second week of the following month I will announce the winner and read and review it for you. Voting will be open to absolutely anybody whether you’re a follower or not I’d love your input. You can also vote for any reason you want whether that’s because you’ve read and loved the book, are interested in the sound of the book and would like me to review it for you, or even if you simply think it sounds like a good book and I should give it a go.

I really love this idea of interacting with you guys more, reading books I might not have picked up next, finding out my readers opinions on books and most importantly giving you guys the chance to have your input on Jess Hearts Books and reviewing one book a month that your personally interested in. Obviously for this feature to take off its going to need a LOT of reader interaction so if you like this idea I would REALLY appreciate you taking the time to vote and have your say :-)

I think I’ve covered everything and I’m sure you’ll get the general idea more and more as the months go on. If you want to make a request for future Readers Choice Nominees that option will be available in the form and if it sounds like something I’d enjoy and I haven’t read it yet then you never know it may just appear in a vote!

So I’m going to stop rambling and put up the vote for Septembers Readers Choice. Fill out the form bellow to vote and the winning book will be announced, read and reviewed next month with a fresh batch of books to vote for, so without further ado it's over to you! :D

Septembers Readers Choice Nominees

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Amy Goodnight's family are far from normal. She comes from a long line of witches, and grew up surrounded by benevolent spirits and kitchen spells. All fairly harmless, but Amy can't wait to get to college and escape the "family business".

But things take a darker turn when she and her sister Phin spend the summer looking after Aunt Hyacinth's ranch. Amy is visited by a midnight spectre who is clearly trying to send her a message. It seems that the discovery of an old grave on a neighbour's land has been the catalyst for an apparent ghost uprising.

Aided by local friends and Ben, the handsome cowboy who just can't take his eyes off Amy, the sisters investigate. And they soon find that there's something strange and dangerous going on, deep in the heart of Texas...

The Single Girl's To-Do List by Lindsey Kelk

Rachel Summers loves a to-do list:

• Boyfriend
• Flat
• Great job

NOT on the list:

• Being dumped

Best friends Emelie and Matthew ride to her rescue with an entirely new kind of list – The Single Girl’s To-Do List. Rachel doesn’t know it, but it will take her on all kinds of wild adventures – and get her in some romantic pickles too. And then it won't be a case of what but who she decides to tick off…

• Mr. bendy yoga instructor
• Mr. teenage sweetheart
• Mr. persistent ex
• Mr. deeply unsuitable

The Single Girl’s To-Do List gives Rachel the perfect heartbreak cure – and proves love is out there if you’re willing to take a chance.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14:
Debate Club.
Her father’s “bunny rabbit.”
A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15:
A knockout figure.
A sharp tongue.
A chip on her shoulder.
And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.

Frankie Laundau-Banks.
No longer the kind of girl to take “no” for an answer.
Especially when “no” means she’s excluded from her boyfriend’s all-male secret society.
Not when her ex boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places.
Not when she knows she’s smarter than any of them.
When she knows Matthew’s lying to her.
And when there are so many, many pranks to be done.

Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16:
Possibly a criminal mastermind.

This is the story of how she got that way.

Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home, continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark, and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kona, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an other-worldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her - and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance.

The Woman He Loved Before by Dorothy Koomson

Libby has a good life with a gorgeous husband and a home by the sea. But over time she is becoming more unsure if Jack has ever loved her - and if he is over the death of Eve, his first wife. When fate intervenes in their relationship, Libby decides to find out all she can about the man she hastily married and the seemingly perfect Eve. But in doing so she unearths devastating secrets. Frightened by what she finds and the damage it could cause, Libby starts to worry that she too will end up like the first woman Jack loved ...

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing it's taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost.

The Keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

This vote is now closed check out the results here!

Review for Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

2011-08-10T13:20:00.000+01:00

Synopsis
"Before I used it, the key had infinite possibilities.

Eleven-year-old Elise feels stuck. Her school locker-buddy squashes her lunch and laughs at her, every day. She doesn't want to go to school - and her best friend Franklin just makes things worse.

Now I was ready for something to be different. Anything, really.

One day Elise discovers an incredible secret. A secret that might just help her unlock her past, and take a chance on the future.

I decided that tomorrow I would see what that key opened up. It had my name on it, after all . . ."

Despite Eight Keys being aimed at the tween audience I was really eager to give it a read due to all the critical acclaim for LaFleur’s debut novel Love, Aubrey and I was surprised by how much as an adult I enjoyed it.

Suzanne LaFleur captures what it’s like to be an eleven year old girl perfectly. Right from the start I was back there with Elise understanding what she was going through and feeling. Eight Keys is a charming coming of age story about family, friendship, and crossing that difficult and unsteady road from childhood into the teen years. LaFleur expertly captures the growing pains of leaving childhood games behind and muddling through your first year at a new grown up school. Mixed in with insecurities, bullying issues and a lovely secret legacy left behind by her late father and Elise has a lot to contend with and a lot to learn! This story is narrated with charm, honesty and innocence making it hugely relatable and endearing to a young reader.

Suzanne has a magicial and moving way of telling a story and is a hidden gem amongst her genre. If you’re starting out at high school at the end of this summer or are a parent of or know somebody who is I would whole heartedly recommend this gorgeous story on growing up. I only wish that Suzanne LaFleur was writing books when I was younger!

Overall Eight Keys was a sweet and tender read that has the rare ability to capture the hearts of everyone even this slightly older than aimed for reader!
My Rating 4/5 stars

Thanks go to Puffin for sending me this book to review

Synopsis taken from Amazon