Review for Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

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

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

I’m here with a very special treat for you all today. My first ever giveaway! I’m very excited to be hosting this for Quercus. Read on for more information... Quercus are offering one lucky person a signed copy of Raised by Wolves. Here’s a little bit about what its about… Synopsis Pack life is about order, but Bryn is about to push all the limits, with hair-raising results. At the age of four, Bryn watched a rabid werewolf brutally murder her parents. Alone in the world, she was rescued and taken in by Callum, the alpha of his pack. But the pack’s been keeping a secret, and when Bryn goes exploring against Callum’s orders, she finds Chase, a newly turned teen Were locked in a cage. Terrifying memories of the attack on her parents come flooding back. Bryn needs answers, and she needs Chase to get them. Suddenly, all allegiances to the pack no longer matter. It’s Bryn and Chase against the werewolf world, whatever the consequences… Rules

• Open to UK entrants only (publisher’s request)
• You do not have to be a follower to enter this contest although it would be nice if you were. I’m doing another giveaway when I reach my 200 followers which will be exclusive to my followers so if you’re interested in that get following!
• Contest ends Monday 18th October
• ONE winner will be chosen by random.org
• The winner will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to respond. Otherwise, a new winner will be drawn
• Your details will only be used if you win and passed on to the publishers so they can send you your book.

For your chance to win just fill in the form and in the mean time you can sample the first audio chapter of Raised by Wolves here! Good luck! This Contest is now Closed and a winner has been announced.

In My Mailbox!

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

Revolution Blog Tour!

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

Author Interview with Tabitha Suzuma author of FORBIDDEN!

I have a special treat for you all to kick start your weekend. My very first author interview with the lovely Tabitha Suzuma! Tabitha is a UK based author who has wrote 5 young adult novels for Random House publishers. The most recent being Forbidden the highly controversial love story that everybody in the blogosphere is talking about. For any of you who have been hiding out under a rock for the past few months here’s a little bit about Forbidden…

"She is pretty and talented - sweet sixteen and never been kissed. He is seventeen; gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future. And now they have fallen in love. But . . . They are brother and sister.

Sixteen-year-old Maya and seventeen-year-old Lochan have never had the chance to be 'normal' teenagers. Having pulled together for years to take care of their younger siblings while their wayward, drunken mother leaves them to fend alone, they have become much more than brother and sister. And now, they have fallen in love. But this is a love that can never be allowed, a love that will have devastating consequences... How can something so wrong feel so right?"

Interview with Tabitha

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

Thank you for doing this interview for us Tabitha! Can I just say how excited I am for A Time to Die? It sounds right up my street definitely one to look out for and in the mean time I’m very excited to read some of Tabitha’s other books. Forbidden is available to buy in all good bookshops across the UK or online at The Book Depository here. To find out more about Tabitha, Forbidden or any of her other books visit her website and make sure you stop by to read my review of Forbidden on the blog!