Funny Fridays: I Need Help...

March 29, 2013, 12:30 am

≫ Next: Funny Fridays: The Dark Side To Book Blogging

≪ Previous: Teaser Tuesday (#40)

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I was thinking the other day and I realised something.  Something that made me go:

What was this revelation that made me suddenly believe the very thing people have been telling me for years?

Well.  I shall begin with a little story, shall I?  Yes.

...

I was searching the web for some book-nerd-ish quotes (y'know the sort: "Life's Short.  Read Fast.") and I came across this one that made me smile 'cause it's just so, so true and so, so me:

"I hate having my heart broken by fictional characters."

This got me thinking though.  There's another saying I love which is, ironically, about love:

"Love is giving someone the ability to destroy you, but trusting them not to."

Or, a similar take of this spoken by one of my fictional loves Jace Wayland:

Ergo, for these characters to break my heart, I've got to love them - like really, really love them...  Haven't I?  It's only logical.  I mean, the signs are all there.

And before you can ask "What signs?" here is my list of symptoms:

• I can't stop thinking about 'my' characters
• I can't sleep and when I do...
• I dream about them
• I'm constantly wondering what they're doing (which makes zero sense, because hello, they're fictional!)
• My heart races and my hands get clammy when they walk in (to a scene... in a book...)
• I sigh and laugh at awkward times because I'm thinking about things they've said
• I want to do stupid things to get their attention, like find a Stele and draw runs everywhere to see if I'm one of them.  Or go to West Virginia and put myself in a stupid and slightly dangerous situation so he can stop time and save me, maybe even heal me so I can be joined to him...  Or join St Vlads so I can become a Guardian and either be trained by him or get trained so I can guard him (yeah, two loves in that world.  Sigh...)

And there's more...  Loads more...  Symptoms.  Those four are my main loves.  

So yeah.  I'm in love with fictional characters.  They are totally ruining me for the real world. 'Cause no one's as perfect as my fictional loves.

Okay, now feel free to roll your eyes and go:

and

and

Because the answer is:

But you know what?

I love my weirdness and I plan to embrace it and let everyone know how freaking crazy I am because:

Well.  Except my love for...

Daemon Black (Obsidian)

 

Jace Wayland (TMI)

Adrian Ivashkov (Vampire Academy/Bloodlines).  

Even though Chace isn't the official Adrian (yet, fingers crossed!) he's so gorgeous he needs two pictures.  Plus, I love Adrian SO MUCH!!

 

Dimitri Belikov (Vampire Academy)

Crazy weird girl out.  

But let me know who you're in love with in the comments! :)

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Funny Fridays: The Dark Side To Book Blogging

April 5, 2013, 7:52 am

≫ Next: Charmed: Season Nine, Volume One by Paul Ruditis

≪ Previous: Funny Fridays: I Need Help...

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I'm going to tell you the story of a girl.  Her name was Megan and she loved books more than anything.  She never went anywhere without one and loved escaping into her own worlds and those created by supernatural and mystical beings called 'Authors'.  One day, she decided to set up a book blog, so she could share her love with other book lovers.  She called her blog The Book Addicted Girl and soon found many bookish friends who she could be obsessed with.  She met authors and publishers and was sent books to read.  It was like a dream come true...

But there's a dark side to book blogging.  Poor Megan fell into this dark side, unable to resist the lure when the Book Gods said... 

And soon Megan was hooked.  She started

and

and was stalking authors on line, going: 

Now she was even more crazy and obsessive than ever before.  She'd count the days until the next book in her fave series was released, and at first she'd be excited like:

and then it went darker... First this:

until she went:

and

and 

To authors she'd go

'cause

?!?!

and after much crying she'd beg: 

Because these cliffhangers?  Well, they made her brain scream:

And she grieved horrid plot twists and cliffhangers and screamed:

and

before finally just breaking down and...

Some even made her want to do this with the book:

She'd loved fictional characters until she went

She'd look at these characters, these guys, who loved girls in books, girls who wrote in first person, and say:

But she pretended to be normal and she'd be like: 

and inside was saying

Then she got over it - being normal, I mean.  She embraced it, looked at people and said:

The dark side of blogging that involves fangirling, screaming, stalking, crying, laughing, going crazy and making fanart?  Yeah, she still hasn't shaken that...

Now this girl is, obviously, me.  And every single word of this is: 

So fellow book bloggers...

I hope you love it as much as I do, even if it drives you 

I'm stopping now...  I'm sorry for all these random posts.  The thing is,

and I know that this whole post is just screaming

But...

It's fun and it's true.  And besides.  If you think I'm crazy and are denying all of this, well:

So there.  

Crazy person out and have a good Funny Friday! :D

Charmed: Season Nine, Volume One by Paul Ruditis

April 6, 2013, 12:30 am

≫ Next: In My Mailbox (#63)

≪ Previous: Funny Fridays: The Dark Side To Book Blogging

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Series: Charmed Graphic Novels, Book One

Publisher: Zenescope

Format: Paperback

Published: 15^th February 2011

Created and Based on the Series By: Constance M. Burge

Number of Pages: 144

Book: Bought

Genre: Graphic Novel, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Action, Fantasy, TV Series Tie-In, Supernatural, YA, YA-Adult Crossover

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains:Swearing, Violence, Alcohol References

No Drug References

Author's Blog: Paul Ruditis

Hear now the words of the witches…

A centuries old spell unlocked the power of the Charmed Ones, three sister witches born to protect the Innocent.  Through success and tragedy, love and loss, the descendants of Melinda Warren battled the forces of evil for eight years before winning their happily ever after.  But that was only the start of their story…

It’s been a year and a half since Piper, Phoebe and Paige were victorious in their ultimate battle against evil.  They’re put their past behind them and settled into their relatively quiet lives with their families.  But the death of the first Innocent that the Charmed Ones ever saved has reawakened an ancient evil more powerful than the sisters have ever faced.  Now with a brand new threat emerging, the Charmed Ones must prepare for the fight of their lives.

                                                                   Review:

One and a half years have passed since the Charmed Ones defeated the Ultimate Power, and their lives have been demon free ever since.  They’ve settled down, had kids and started living again – living a quiet, normal life.

Little do they know, the worse is yet to come…

Since I was too young to watch Charmed when it originally came out, I haven’t been a decade-or-whatever-long fan.  But even though I only discovered the show a few years ago, I love it just as much.  I mean, dude!  Witches, sisters, kickbutt ladies?  What’s notto love?!  Hell, there’s too much to love!  The world, the witchyness, the sisters, the witty banter, the hilarious one-liners, the action, the magic…  And I could go on.  (One of my more random ‘love it’ points being that the guy who plays Daryl in The Walking Dead played Paige’s boyfriend for a few episodes!)  So when I saw that there was a graphic novel… well.  I just jumped on it like it was pixie dust. 

And it didn’t let me down. 

I will admit that this amazing series obviously loses something in translation.  I mean, no one can capture the quirkiness of the actresses’ acting in a graphic novel: Phoebe’s hilarious baby-kinda-talk, Paige’s little shrug-smirk, Piper’s crazy wide-eyed and jerky reactions to bad news.  So, yes, the graphic novel obviously isn’t as good as the TV series.  But it is pretty darn close.  And if it’s all I’m gonna get, hell yeah I’m gonna take it!

There are some inconsistencies, like Wyatt and Chris’ ages – they are way older than just a year and a half from the end of the TV show.  Also, the characters…  The girls I was ok with – they did still look like themselves, more or less, and they dressed like I think they would have.  But the guys…  I swear to God, I was getting Leo, Henry and Coop mixed up every time they came in.  I ended up having to rely solely upon what they were wearing to tell them apart! 

But really, I can’t complain much.  I loved the plot and the writing and even the drawings – the action scenes were drawn really well, I thought.  And more than that – the book was fun.  It was just a fun escape – a quick, easy, good read that made me feel all sentimental and happy and smiley.  I just enjoyed it.  A lot.  Especially the first bit of the book – the pages from the Book of Shadows.  OMG, that was so cool, and the drawings were sogorgeous!  I really, really loved that bit!

Charmed was a fun read – quick and fun to read.  It was action from the word go and an absolute must-read for all Charmedfans.  If you’re anything like me, I know you all must hate letting these girls go – they’re awesome, kickbutt and totally make me want to punch the air and go: GIRL POWER!  And c’mon: who doesn’t wanna read about characters and plots that make you feel like that?!

Afternote: And how gorgeous is that cover!  I absolutely love it – so gorgeous and witchy and Charmedy!  Yay!

Off topic.  Does every woman in graphic novels have huge boobs?  Marvel, DC, Charmed, the other comic covers from the back…  Like seriously.  What’s up with that?

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Charmed TV Series & Book Series

Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV Series, Book Series& Graphic Novel Series

Vampire Academy& Vampire Academy Graphic Novels by Richelle Mead

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2013 (Hosted by Book ChickCity)

Happy Reading

Megan

In My Mailbox (#63)

April 7, 2013, 12:30 am

≫ Next: Sherlock: The Casebook by Guy Adams

≪ Previous: Charmed: Season Nine, Volume One by Paul Ruditis

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In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren. It's a perfect way to see who's reading and review what. Awesome! 

Ok, so I've been totally terrible at doing IMM.  Oops.  But for this IMM.... Well.  I had something really really really REALLY special.  Actually, TWO really special things...

The first:

A NEW ROOM!!  With...  Floating Bookshelves, a wall of book postcards and a gorgeous bookcase with pretty lights!  And, like, a bed and chest of drawers and whatever.  These are all that count though. ;)

 

Second, though, was the most exciting...  My family just got a new puppy, who is the most gorgeous, cutest thing ever!! :D  

Her name is Dot (or Dottie) and she's ten weeks old on Monday and she's a Goldendoodle.  And already we love her to pieces and already she knows it!  ;)

Oh, and I got books too.  Some very, very EXCITING books!!  I'll go onto that, now...  Sorry for the distraction! ;)

For Review:

The Lost Boy (Patrik Hedström, Book Seven) by Camilla Lackberg (Goodreads | Amazon)

Every Family Has Secrets.

Every Murder Has A Motive.

Squee!  This book looks awesome.  I do love my crime drama!! :D

A Month With April-May by Edyth Bulbring (Goodreads | Amazon)

Funny book - and I'm quoted in it!  Yay! :D  Check out my review: here! 

Raining Fire by Alan Gibbons (Goodreads | Amazon)

Just Pull The Trigger...

Love Gibbons, can't wait to read this! :D

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith (Goodreads | Amazon)

So freaking excited about this one!  Thanks Sammee (I Want To Read That)!!! :D
Cold Killing (D.I. Sean Corrigan, Book One) by Luke Delaney (Goodreads | Amazon)

No Motive.

No Mercy.

No Remorse.

Such a flipping good book!  Reading it at the moment: amazing!  And check out the awesome stuff I got about it a little further down...The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks (Goodreads | Amazon)

I Thought He Was Blind.  That's How He Got Me.

Oh.  My.  Freaking.  God.  This was... I still don't have the words.  I'm working on it, honest.  The review... it's just so hard to right because I just can't find the blinking words...  Amazing. I'll go with that for now.

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch (Goodreads | Amazon)

Loving this one so far!  Amazing!  And it's got the thumbs up from Jenny Downham: how can you not read a book that the amazing Jenny Downham likes?!

The Last Wild by Piers Torday (Goodreads | Amazon)

This is a brilliant book - so quirky and unique and original.  Love it.Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys (Goodreads | Amazon)

I absolutely adored Sepetys' last book and am so excited to read this one!! Yay! :D
The Indigo Spell (Bloodline, Book Three) by Richelle Mead (Goodreads | Amazon)

OMG, best one yet!!!  So so so so so so SO GOOD!!  And OMG, I freaking NEED The Fiery Heart, cause Adrian has chapters!!  SQUEEE!! :D

The Maleficent Seven (Skulduggery Pleasant, Book 7.5) by Derek Landy (Goodreads | Amazon)

Tanith Low In The Maleficent Seven...

And She's The Bad Guy

Yay yay yay yay yay!!!  I LOVE Skulduggery Pleasant and I am SO EXCITED about this book!  I'm rereading the whole series - and loving it!! :D :D

Noble Conflict by Malorie Blackman (Goodreads | Amazon)

No Bullets, No Knives, No Questions

SQUEEE!!!  I LOVE Malorie Blackman and I'm so freaking excited about reading this!!  *happy dance round the house*

Talk about it at #nobleconflict :D

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes (Goodreads | Amazon)

The Girl Who Wouldn't Die

Hunting A Killer Who Shouldn't Exist

OMG, this one is just so flipping good!  Like Time Traveller's Wife/Doctor Who meets Criminal Minds!!  OMG, so good so far!! :D

The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter, Book One) by Megan Shepard (Goodreads | Amazon)

The Madness Is In Her Blood

Squee, this one is so good!  Loving it so far!  Love the creepy Victorian vibes!

Heroic by Phil Earle (Goodreads | Amazon)

Sometimes The FIERCEST BATTLES Are Fought At HOME

Love Phil Earle, super excited about reading this one!! :D

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore (Goodreads | Amazon)

You Can't Escape Your Inner Witch...

I've been wanting to read this for ages and ages and am super excited about reading it now! :D

The Claws of Evil (The Battles of Ben Kingdom, Book One) by Andrew Beasley (Goodreads | Amazon)

Loving the look of this - looks like loads of fun! :D

Swag:

Cold Killing by Luke Delaney Swag (Goodreads | Amazon)

There's been a murder.

Detective Sean Corrigan is first on call.

Are you brave enough to join him?

Enter the crime scene now:

WWW.COLDKILLING.COM

Now, the website behind this book may be the coolest freaking thing in the history of ever.  I mean, a site yo can go to... to help solve a crime?!  And it's all related to a kickass book?!  Where can I go to get this?!?!?  It's just so AWESOME!!!

Heroic by Phil Earle Postcard - Signed! (Goodreads | Amazon)

Noble Conflict by Malorie Blackman Postcard (Goodreads | Amazon)

Bought:

Charmed: Season Nine, Volume One (Charmed, Book One) by Paul Ruditis (Goodreads | Amazon)

I LOVED this book!  It's so... Charmedy!!  I can't wait to get my hands on Volume Two!  Review up soon! :)

Supernaturally (Paranormalcy, Book Two) by Kiersten White (Goodreads | Amazon)

Having recently read Sister Assassin (check out my review: here), I felt like a Kiersten White marathon.  Ergo: Supernaturally.  Yay! :D

Witches of the East (The Beauchamp Family, Book One) by Melissa de la Cruz (Goodreads | Amazon)

Squee!  Love anything witchy, especially when it's witchy plus de la Cruz!  Yay! :D

Sherlock: The Casebook by Guy Adams (Goodreads | Amazon)

This book?  Awesomeness in a book form.  Awesomeness incarnate.  Awesomeness with awesomesauce and a side of awesome.  And yeah.  That good!!  Review soon! :)

Touch of Power (Avry of Kazan, Book One) by Maria V. Snyder (Goodreads | Amazon)

The World Lies In Tatters

Her Touch Is The Only Salvation

Squee!!  Super excited about reading this - everything Snyder writes is freaking awesome! :D

Angel (Maximum Ride, Book Seven) by James Patterson (Goodreads | Amazon)

Trust No One...

Not Even An Angel

Even though I haven't read Fang, I had to buy this - three for two deal: it's a killer every time.  Can't wait to get all caught up!! :D

Ok, so that's my IMM.  Sorry for rambling!  

Happy reading everyone! :D

Sherlock: The Casebook by Guy Adams

April 8, 2013, 11:12 am

≫ Next: Ferryman by Claire McFall

≪ Previous: In My Mailbox (#63)

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Publisher: BBC Books

Format: Hardback

Published: 25^th October 2012

Number of Pages: 160

Book: Bought

Genre: TV-Movie-Tie-In, Mystery, Crime, Murder Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Non-Fiction, Adult

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains:Violence, Murder, Mindblowing Deductive Skills, Some Alcohol/Drug References

Author's Site: Guy Adams

“I’m a consulting detective.  The only one in the world.  I invented the job.”

Don’t buy this book.  The author has transformed what should have been a series of lectures into a gross and tasteless entertainment.

The science of deduction is a branch of human achievement requiring serious analysis and yet here I find it lavishly illustrated, disfigured with humour and infested with gossip.  Apparently, this kind of sensationalism is required to engage the interest of the reading public, but it is  rather like working an office romance into a paper on quantum physics.  Only an idiot would be impressed.  Help yourself.

“We solve crimes.  I blog about it, and he forgets his pants.”

This books is my humble attempt to shine a light on the work of the best and wisest I have ever

known.  He has, I think it is safe to say, elevated the science of deduction into an art form.

Having been at his side during some of his most remarkable cases, it has fallen to me to bring his achievements to the attention of the wider public.   He is, quite simply, the Mozart of criminal investigation.

I would say more, but I am flattered and delighted to say that Sherlock Holmes himself has agreed to write a piece for the cover.

                                                                   Review:

"You're keeping A SCRAPBOOK.

Only old ladies and pre-pubescent girls keep scrapbooks, John."

"It's not a scrapbook, Sherlock.  I'm collecting papers relevant to the cases.  It helps me remember the details.  And it was locked away in my desk drawer."

"The lock on your desk drawer was insulting me with its pretences at security.  

IT'S A SCRAPBOOK..."

Holy Crab, this book was awesome!!  I absolutely love the original Sherlock Holmes books; adore the Sherlock Holmes movies (y’know, the new ones, with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law) and totally freaking LOVE BBC’s Sherlock.  So how, how, how was I meant to just leave Sherlock: The Casebook on the shelves in Waterstones?!  I just wasn’t.  That’s how. 

To a total Holmes addict such as me (I’ve got a post of Hounds of the Baskervilles on my wall – it’s the whole book, written in a way that shows a picture!  It’s awesome!), this book was perfection.  It may have focused on the TV series (my fave Sherlock adaptation ever, btw), but there was loads of non-Sherlock info in here too.  Like did you know that Arthur Conan Doyle absolutely hated writing the Sherlock Holmes books?  All he wanted was to write this big 'serious' novel, and all everyone wanted was for him to write about Holmes and Watson!  Ha!  That one made me laugh no end.  And the non-Sherlock info didn’t end there, and got more fascinating as you got in.  I loved learning about how Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss came up with the show idea, and all the characters and everything.  Oh, I just loved it all!  But to find the other stuff out, you’re just gonna have to read this…

But onto the Sherlock stuff now!  I adore the show.  Obviously.  And my God, this Sherlock stuff was just awesome!  It was laid out like a scrapbook, showing detailed info on all of the cases Sherlock and John have done.  It's written by John and was utterly fascinating.  And then there were the post-its Sherlock had stuck all over the place, offering snide comments and random remarks.  And then there was the banter between the two of them, which is so true to the show and had me cracking up.  Oh, I just loved it!  I loved it so, so much.  It was just so much fun and, despite what Sherlock may say, was utterly fascinating.  

I will admit now that this whole review has been the ramblings of a crazy fan girl.  But that's only because I am a crazy fan girl.  I am totally, 100% Sherlocked.  Sherlock Holmes is just so legendary.  It's the first crime novel I ever read and fell totally in love with.  Holmes is the reason I love shows like CSI and Criminal Minds and The Mentalist.  I just love how he's so, so smart that he's not really human.  He's amazing, incredible, beyond description.  His mind... oh, how I'd love to be in his mind, at least for a little while.   Though afterwards, I would probably be quite pleased to be back inside my own "vacant" little mind.

So yes: whatever kind of Sherlock Holmes fan you are, this book is definitely for you.  If you love Sherlock, read this to get even more into the show, to find out things you didn't know before.  If you aren't, read this and I promise you that you are going to be 100% Sherlocked too.  And if, like me, you're going crazy waiting for the next series - why is Autumn so flipping far away?! - then this is the perfect gift to tide you over 'til then.  It's a fun read that you can gobble up in one sitting (like me) or dip in and out of.  

Sherlock Rules! :D

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Sherlock TV Series

Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2013 (Hosted by Book ChickCity)

Happy Reading

Megan

Ferryman by Claire McFall

April 18, 2013, 5:44 am

≫ Next: Angel by L.A. Weatherly

≪ Previous: Sherlock: The Casebook by Guy Adams

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Publisher: Templar

Format: ARC

Published: 1^st March 2013

Number of Pages: 380

Book: For Review*

Genre: Paranormal, Magic, Urban Fantasy, Mythical, Fantasy, Action-Adventure, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains:Death

No Alcohol, Drug References

Author's Blog: Claire McFall

“I exist because you need me.”

When Dylan emerges from the wreckage of a train crash onto a bleak Scottish hillside, she meets a strange boy who seems to be waiting for her.

But Tristan is no ordinary teenage bot, and the journey across the desolate, wraith-infested wasteland is no ordinary journey.

Life, death, love – which will Dylan choose?

                                                                   Review:

"I wasn't on the train…  I was..." Tristan's voice trembled and died.  How to say it?  "I was waiting for you…  You weren't the only one to walk away from the crash, Dylan."  His voice had dropped to a whisper, as if he could lessen the blow by turning down the volume.  "You were the only one not to."

Dylan is on the train, on her way to meet the father she's never known.  She's terrified this man will not want to know her or have a new family or be a criminal or something.

She will never find out though.

Why?  Well, because her train crashes in the middle of a tunnel.

She emerges, alone and confused, from the wreckage onto an alien landscape - a deserted hillside in Scotland.

Alone but for one boy - a boy who is sitting, waiting for her.

At first she's overjoyed to see another survivor.  But as it turns out, she didn't survive at all: Tristan is her Ferryman, her guide across the wastelands of the afterlife, and to the After.

And her protector, her guardian against the wraiths - demons who want to steal her soul and make her one of them...

As they journey deeper into the wasteland, can Tristan keep Dylan safe?

Can he figure out why she - of all the souls he has guided - is so different, why she makes him feel the way he feels?

And what will Dylan choose:

Life.  Death.  Or Love?

From the moment I laid eyes on Ferryman, I was desperate to read it.  First, look how shiny and pretty this cover is!  Second, c'mon, how awesome is this premise?  How can you say no to a journey filled with wraiths, ghosts, demons and a hot guide?  You just can't.  Ergo: much excitement for me.  And Ferryman so didn't let me down!  It was amazing -gorgeous, epic, addictive.  I just totally raced through the book, utterly hooked.  Which, obviously, is a very good thing!

The characters... Well, admittedly, there were really only two characters - main ones anyways.  And I loved those characters.  They were real.  They were human.  (Well, y’know, metaphorically speaking for Tristan.)  These two made me laugh - I really, really liked Dylan; she was a great character - strong, caring, brave, determined.  I really admired how composed and calm she was when confronted with everything.  Her compassion and heart was obvious.

As for Tristan...  Well, sue me, but I have a bit of a soft spot for the tortured bad boy types.  Tristan was complex, tortured, smart, funny and protective.  So strong and protective...  I find guys with a protective streak irresistible.  Tristan was no different.  I liked him.  Like, a lot. 

I also loved hearing Tristan's stories of all his souls - two in particular tugged my heart strings... I liked learning about them - it added a whole new level to the story.  

And I loved the relationship between Tristan and Dylan.  How they started off all distant and moody and distrustful.  And I loved watching them grow together.  It was so sweet and real and touching.  It made me smile.

Ohmigod, the writing was just so beautiful.  Lyrical, gorgeous and so descriptive.  I could see everything in my head.  I loved how we got to read from both Dylan and Tristan's perspectives - it was so cool and I do so love split POVs.  I especially loved Tristan's perspective - it was funny at times.  However, the way it could hop between the two in a single paragraph at times could be a wee bit confusing.

And double ohmigod - this world: oh!  I loved it.  It was freaking amazing.  The best path to death kinda thing ever.  I just loved learning all about it - about souls, wraiths, Ferrymen.  I loved the wasteland - how it was created and controlled.  It was awesome!  And the After - oh how amazing McFall's mind is!  I absolutely adored every single freaking thing about her world building.

The plot was awesome too.  It wasn't action from the word go.  Instead, we got to meet Dylan, get to know her, her hopes and fears.  Just get to know her before she died - which obviously made it all the more horrible and tragic for us.  And then we met Tristan and see the world, felt the suspense, and it got so, so much more actiony!

A beautiful story set in a stunning and horrible place.  A story of love, loss, death, life and everything in between, Ferryman is a book that will have you hooked from the very first page, hooked to every word and storming through the book, 100% addicted.  You know how it is; some books are just so good they have magic.  Now, I know I say that a lot, but Ferryman really was enchanting, with such a unique take on death and the afterlife.  It had amazing characters, a stunning world, beautiful writing and an utterly hooking plot.  And it's such a beautiful story, but one that will tug the heartstrings too.  I dare you to read this and not be moved by that ending.  

 I mean, talk about a hell of a debut novel!  If this is Claire's first book, just gimme gimme gimme her next one ASAP!  I mean, I honestly can't think of a single thing I didn't like about Ferryman - and believe me, I'm trying! It was just too beautiful and mind-blowing and incredible.

So if you haven't gotten by now, I loved Ferryman to pieces and I simply can't wait for more by Claire.  A stunning, stunning debut that left me absolutely breathless.  Stunning.    

So we're back to whoa! and OMG this debut was amazing and kickass!  It you're into fantasy, atmospheric, awesome world books, I can't recommend this enough.  Hell, even if that thing isn't for you, I still recommend it.

And yeah.  That good.

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Fallen by Lauren Kate

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

2012 Debut Author Challenge (Hosted by The Story Siren)

British Books Challenge 2012 (Hosted by The Overflowing Library)

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Templar in exchange for an honest review

Angel by L.A. Weatherly

April 20, 2013, 12:30 am

≫ Next: Angel Fire by L.A. Weatherly

≪ Previous: Ferryman by Claire McFall

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Series: Angel, Book One

Publisher: Usborne

Format: Paperback

Published: 1^st October 2010

Number of Pages: 506

Book: Bought

Genre:Urban Fantasy, Dark Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Magic, Thriller, Suspense, Action-Adventure, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains:Swearing, Violence, Alcohol References

No Drug References

Author's Site: L.A. Weatherly

Willow knows she’s different from other girls.  And not just because she loves tinkering around with cars.  Willow has a gift.  She can look into people’s futures, know their dreams, their hopes and their regrets, just by touching them.  She has no idea where she gets this power from…

But Alex does.  Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows Willow’s secret and is on a mission to stop her.  The dark forces within Willow make her dangerous – and irresistible.  In spite of himself, Alex finds he is falling in love with his sworn enemy.

Utterly intoxicating and deeply compelling, Angel is an epic tale of love, destiny and sacrifice.

                                                                   Review:

"I work for the CIA,"   [Alex] grimaced.  "Or worked, probably.  My job was to hunt down and destroy angels.  I was told that you're one.  And instead you're..."  He trailed off, eyebrows lowering.  "Like nothing I've ever seen before…”

Alex's whole life has been about hunting, ever since his mother died.  She was killed, actually.  By angels.  Yep, you heard right: angels killed his mother and now he's an AK (Angel Killer).  

Because angels aren't like they are in the bible.  They aren't pure and they aren't good and they aren't loving.  They are monsters, plain and simple.  In fact, the only good kind of angel is a dead angel. 

Which is why Alex is so confused when he's sent to kill Willow.

Willow's life is almost as... unique as Alex's: not only is she obsessed with all things car related, not only is her mother trapped in her own world and completely withdrawn, Willow is psychic.  She has a gift - can see people's thoughts, futures and feelings whenever she touches their hand.  

This is how she first sees an angel.  She knows they are wrong, evil, bad; knows the truth, just like Alex.  Well, at least she thought she did...

So when he turns up to kill her and learns what she really is, starts to fall for her, Alex is torn.  He is literally falling for the enemy, whether she knows what she is or not...

And all the while, the angel invasion is about to explode - big time...

It's taken me forever to get to Angel.  I really don't know why: it's so up my alley!  I mean angels and hunters and crazy psycho angel freaks who try to kill you.  How could a girl resist?  And yet I did.  For so, so long.  And God am I ticked off at myself for that!  Angel was such a brilliant book - fast-paced, addictive, exciting and so bleeping awesome!  I just zoomed through it, gobbling it all up as fast as I possibly could.  Oh, how I loved it!  Gimme Angel Fire - like, stat! 

Alex.  Oh how I love him!  Cute hunters are always a favourite of mine, thanks to Supernatural and the Winchester brothers.  The hot guys in Buffy's Scooby Gang don't hurt either!  But I'm talking about Alex now.  Alex was so, so sweet - hard as nails, kickass, but so sweet and caring too.  I absolutely loved him to pieces!

I loved Willow too, obviously.  Not as much, of course, but I did love her!  Willow was a brilliant heroine: strong, tough but caring and warm and loving.  She was also really, really quirky and odd - "Queen Weird" indeed!  And I loved her uniqueness - I do love lead girls who don't conform!

And the relationship between Alex and Willow?  Oh, I loved it!  The way it was so tense and chemistry-fuelled to begin with, as they kept each other at arms-length.  And then the way they grew closer: so, so cute and sweet!  And so real too - so believable.  And they were just so perfect together: they completed each other, totally corny as that sounds.  Plus their banter was hilarious!  At times though... well, it was so sickly it felt like I was drinking Coke with added sugar through strawberry laces and liquorice.  Don't get me wrong, I love them together.  It's just... a little less sickliness?  A little less cheese?  Maybe please?

The other characters?  Just as freaking amazing!  I mean, even the bad guys - even the angels - were totally real.  I mean, I hated their guts, but they were all real.  

I loved loved loved the writing!  How we had so many amazing different POVs: Willow's in first person, and then Alex and even some angels' in third.  The way it jumped could confuse people to begin with and throw them off, but I absolutely loved it to pieces.  I mean, I'm a huge huge fan of split perspectives, so this book was like my dream come true.  I loved that I could get into everyone's heads.  Alex was the one I was especially intrigued by, though.  Not cause I love him or anything, of course... 

The plot?  So cool!  It was so fast and suspenseful and exciting!  There was action non-stop - well, apart from the desert thing, where much of afore-mentioned sickliness occurred.  Also, some of the things I saw coming.  But none the less, this book and this plot was totally addictive - I was racing towards the end, desperate to know what would happen.  The ending, while pretty explosive, wasn't the huge face down I think I was expecting.  But it still left me desperate for more and that's all you really want isn't it?

Besides, OMG, the angel stuff in this book were so freaking kickass!  So very very different!  I mean, the idea of angels being bad, feeding and poisoning humans?  Of their world dying so they came here?  Of a band of assassins known as Angel Killers?  Of all the aura chakra things?  Just ohmifreakinggod!!  So totally awesome it's untrue!  One of the coolest angel myth stuff out there!  I mean, check this extract out…!

"When an angel feeds off someone, the effect is toxic," he said.  "One of the things that happens is that the person perceives the angel as wonderful and kind.  Another is that it damages them in some way - causes some sort of disease, or mental illness.  MS, cancer, whatever.  The more the person's energy is drained, the more severe it usually is." pg197

Squee!

So yes.  Angel wasn't perfect.  But it was amazing.  It was totally addictive and great fun and awesome.  And man I loved it.  And I am absolutely freaking desperate for Angel Fire.  As in, if I don’t get it, like, yesterday I’m gonna go crazy! 

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Fated by Sarah Anderson

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Fallen Angels by Katherine Pine

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Happy Reading

Megan

Angel Fire by L.A. Weatherly

April 22, 2013, 12:30 am

≫ Next: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

≪ Previous: Angel by L.A. Weatherly

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Series: Angel, Book Two

Publisher: Usborne

Format: Paperback

Published: 1^st October 2011

Number of Pages: 720

Book: Bought

Genre:Urban Fantasy, Dark Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Magic, Thriller, Suspense, Action-Adventure, YA

Recommended Age: 13+

Contains:Violence, Death, Swearing, Alcohol, Smoking and Sexual References

No Drug References

Author's Site: L.A. Weatherly

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 Willow will always be 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.

Completely irresistible, Angel Fireis a stunning story of loyalty, conflict and love.  

                                                                   Review:

Willow is half-human, half-angel.  She’s not meant to exist.  Only she does.  And now that the angels know about her… now that there are even more of them than ever before…  Well, they are not happy about Willow’s existence – not happy at all.

But she has Alex, the boy she loves by her side.  As an Angel Killer, he's the best person to keep her safe as the Church of Angels ruthlessly hunt for her. 

And it's only going to get worse.  Among the second wave of angels were The Twelve: the oldest, most powerful angels around – the originalangels.  And they will stop at nothingto kill her. 

So Willow and Alex head for Mexico, looking to start up a new band of Angel Killers.  It's there they find and join forces with the few surviving AKs... and it's there he two start to drift apart.  The AKs don't trust her, and Willow is struggling with her inner angel.  

And then she meets Seb.  He has been looking for Willow his whole life, desperate to find her and only her, desperate not to be alone anymore. 

Because Seb is a half-angel too.  And he believes that he and Willow belong together. 

Will the band survive long enough to kill The Twelve?  And If they do, will they all make it our alive - and with their hearts fully intact...?

I finished Angel and instantly bought Angel Fire.  The second it landed on my doorstep, I leaped on it like it was a book made of chocolate.  And I was just instantly hooked, two-hundred-and-fifty pages through before I even knew it.  It was so, so addictive.  I can't even really put my finger on why it was so hooking, but it was.  I gobbled it up in one go: it was so much fun!  And yes, there were niggles, but it really had more good points than bad ones.  And even the bad ones, somehow, didn’t bother me overly.

Like the love triangle.  Love triangles are like my biggest pet peeve in the world.  They always seem so needless, a way of adding suspense and plot when normally it isn't needed.  And then there's the whole teams thing, and I often end up being on the other side than my friends.  I remember years ago, my best friend and I arguing over Twilight Teams.  I, being firmly Team Edward, argued strongly about his merits, while she argued Jacob’s.  After many arguments, the only thing I conceded to was that in the movies, Jacob has his top off more and has lots of muscles.  I think she gave in to the fact that Edward would never hit on a girl who was with someone else.  Which leads to my other hatred: I hate the idea of someone getting hurt, even if they are just fictional.  And someone always gets hurt.  Always always always.  Angel Fire... no different.  Hurt.  God, too much hurt...  *sigh*

Now, those of you who've read my Angel review will know that I adore Alex.  God, he's just so... yum.  So Alex.  I just love him – his strength and determination and sweetness...  Just everything about him.  And how hard everything was on him just broke my heart.  I wanted to give him a big hug; I just love him so much. 

But nonetheless, I also really, really loved Seb.  He'd had such a hard life and he was so... Seb.  I admired the way he handled the situation, how sweet and funny he was.  His cheeky fictional tales killed me!  He was just really sweet and a brilliant character and I loved him too, though I’m still Team Alex…

Willow, I felt, came into her won in this one.  She was kinda more kickbutt and harder.  More willing to do the hard things that needed doing.  She was also sweet as ever and always there for Alex. I felt so bad, the way those others were treating her.  I was just like, ‘Hey! She's better than any of you gits!’  Cause it's true.  She is.  She’s such a sweet and great female lead.

But all the other characters...  Well, not a fan.  I absolutely hated all the other AKs because they were just so horrid to Willow, even though she'd done nothing wrong, ever.  It was like: ‘Oh, you were born like this so we hate you even though that's not who you really are.’  Kara in particular rubbed me up the wrong way.  As for the main baddie Raziel... well.  I hated him.  He was terrifying.  Dangerous.  Oddly pettyfor an ancient supernatural being...  *shudder*

But the relationship between Willow and Alex in this one... I preferred it, issues aside.  It was more real, more believable.  Slightly less sickly.  I just love the two of them – they just belong together, are so freaking cute together... Sigh.  The cuteness could kill me, though it was a lot better in this one... 

As for Willow and Seb.  Well, I hate love triangles and insta love but it all seemed to work in Angel Fire. I really liked the bond between the two of them: it was sweet, touching.  And you could get why the just click connected when you remember they are the only two of their kind ever (that we know off...).  And yes, I hated the triangle because I knew one of them would get hurt but in an odd way I can't imagine it being different.  As for how it turned out...  Well.  You're just gonna have to read and find out. 

Weatherly's writing is too awesome.  I love split perspectives and we had so many again in this!  First person Willow and then third person from Alex, Seb and Raziel, the angel we don't like at all. It was fascinating, reading from all their POVs: I loved it.  And Weatherly's writing is gorgeous too, though the split thing trumps that. 

The plot... well, it was slightly slower, often with loads of conflicted moments that were more of a psychological nature rather than a suspense one.  But when the action kicks off, when all the suspense starts, when everything got going... I dare you to put it down.  If you can, you have more willpower than I do, that's for sure.  As for that ending... Oh.  My.  Freaking.  God.  When is Angel Fever out?  Cause I need it so freaking bad it's untrue. 

But again may I just say how I love this world.  Angels that are bad, harmful, evil... I haven't come across anything so original since the zombies in the Revenant series or the vampires in VA.  It's just so freaking awesome!  Squee and yay to Weatherly's world!  I could literally happy dance for how refreshing and different and awesome it is!

So yes, Angel Fire had its setbacks just like Angel did.  But it also had believable and wonderful character growth, an awesome and exciting plot, gorgeous and addictive writing, and the coolest angel world ever known to man.  Plus, it’s fun.  So, so, so much fun.  And, really, that’s all you want in a paranormal isn’t it?  Besides, that suspense, that excitement, those characters.  Oh, I could just gobble it all up.  Hey, I did!  I read this seven hundred page bad boy in a matter of sittings.  And I so recommend it to everyone.  All paranormal lovers everywhere.  Just get past the niggles and enjoy.  Cause it's awesome!  Now when's Angel Fever out?  Gimme gimme gimme! 

Man.  I so badly have angel burn… 

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Shadows by Paula Weston

Immortal City by Scott Speer

Fallen by Lauren Kate

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Revenants by Amy Plum

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Happy Reading

Megan

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The Help by Kathryn Stockett

April 24, 2013, 12:30 am

≫ Next: The Book Addicted Gossip Girl (#2)

≪ Previous: Angel Fire by L.A. Weatherly

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Publisher: Penguin

Format: Paperback

Published: 13^th May 2010

Number of Pages: 464

Book: Borrowed

Genre:Realistic-Fiction, Historical, Chick-Lit, Drama, Contemporary, Real-To-Life Fiction, Humour, Adult

Recommended Age: 13+

Contains:Swearing, Violence, Sexual Assault References and Domestic Abuse References

No Alcohol, Drug References

Author's Site: Kathryn Stockett

Enter a vanished world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962.  Where black maids raise white children, but aren’t trusted not to steal the silver…

There’s Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son’s tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and white Miss Skeeter, home from college, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared.

Skeeter, Sibileen and Minny.  No one would believe they’d be friends: fewer still would tolerate it.  But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend and rely upon one another.  Each is in search of a truth.  And together they have an extraordinary story to tell…

                                                                   Review:
In Mississippi, 1963, those with black skin are treated like second class citizens, left to raise white people's children, but not trusted with valuables. 

Both Aibileen and Minny are black maids.  Aibileen is struggling to deal with her son's death and Minny is trying to cope with her new (secret) work, her sassy mouth and the "Terrible Awful Thing" she has done...

Miss Skeeter, a white, rich college graduate, only wants to be a writer and hates how society treats women – both black and white – and is desperate for news of her childhood maid Constantine, the woman who raised and loved her. 

The three women are worlds apart, but Skeeter's search for something worth writing about brings them together, binding them as she writes stories from "the help's" perspective – the truthful, honest perspective – and break down the walls society had put up to separate them... 

My mum and aunt read this ages ago and have been going on at me to read it. A break in my schedule gave me the chance to finally read it.  Oh, how I wish I'd read it sooner.  It’s such a powerful book, so emotional and moving and funny.  It's the kind of book that comes along once in a generation, the kind of book everyone everywhere should read.  It's amazing.  So amazing that ‘amazing’ doesn’t even begin to do it justice.

The three main women were… amazing.  Beyond amazing…  Aibileen: she was so loving of her "special babies" and so protective of Baby Girl.  She was a little cynical, but really did love the kids she took care of, and hated how they ended up like their parents and that there was nothing she could do to stop it.  And I just loved her so much. 

And Minny was brilliant and so funny.  I love her spirit, her sass.  She was really feisty and fierce and loved to cook.  And, man, did she kill me sometimes.  She was really protective of her employers – only she got to badmouth them!  Yeah, Minny was just a total legend.

Miss Skeeter was just brilliant – again, I loved her spirit and sass.  She was so clever and cared about what the maids had to say when no one else did.  I loved her for that. 

Miss Hilly, however, was a total female-dog.  She was also pretty much the stereotypical '60s white woman from Mississippi.  She was a good, loving mother, helped charities, had lots of friends.  And she treated the help like scum, wanted them to be totally separate from white people, thought they carried diseases and stuff.  She was also manipulative and vindictive.  Ergo: Hilly is a total female-dog. 

Some characters you hate from the get go: namely Miss Hilly.  Others you love so, so much at the beginning and love more each time.  I loved Celia Foote (she was so sweet and lonely and such a good person) and Mister Johnny (he was so sweet and just the best, kindest person).  Miss Skeeter's daddy was also the kindest man – and very Atkinson-like.  I guess Miss Hilly wasn't all bad, but I hated the way she treated the maids – hatedit.  But that's what I love about Stockett's characters - they were all so complex and three dimensional - all different shades of grey.  

The complexity of the relationships between the employees and the maids really struck me, especially the one between Aibileen and Mae Mobley (Baby Girl) and Miss Elizabeth.  Aibileen loved Mae Mobley so much, and yet had to stand by and say nothing as Elizabeth hit the child or ignored her and pushed her away.  My heart actually broke every time the three-year-old "Mae Mo bad?" and Aibileen told her "You kind, you smart, you important.".  And when Baby Girl said "Aibee, you're my real mama," oh!  All enough to break a girl's heart, isn't it?  So is the love Skeeter has for her maid, Constantine, the woman who raised her and was always there for her – until she suddenly vanished.  You could tell how much Skeeter loved Constantine and desperate she was to find her.  And as time went on, she was so worried Constantine didn’t know how much she meant to Skeeter or if she didn't know how much Skeeter was grateful for everything she'd done…  Heart-breaking…

I adored Stockett's writing, how we got to read from Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter's POV – and how each sounded different and unique.  And all so alive – I could hear everyone's voices in my head, practically hear them all breathing.  And it was all just so powerful.  It made me laugh my head off and choked me up numerous times.  I was shocked and horrified by all the laws that separated white and "coloured" people – it made me sick.  

Even though The Help was funny and really made me laugh, the humour didn't take away 

from the whole grave situation.  This was southern America in the '60s and African-American people were treated so, so badly.  Like the blurb said, white people give their babies to black maids, but didn't trust them with their valuable belongings.  It honestly just made me sick. 

This book was funny and heart-breaking, and every shade of emotion between the two.  It was a roller coaster of a ride, with me practically holding my breath all through the story, rushing to the finale so I could know everything, feeling totally connected to each character, breathless as I watched each event unfold.  The Help was just such an amazing book.  Its deep without drowning you, funny without making light of the situation, horrible but not without beauty.  I honestly cannot find the words to do this book justice.  I don't think such words truly exist.  All I can say is that everyone just HAS to read this book.  I don't care if you’re rich or poor, male or female, young or old, or what colour your skin is.  We're all the same inside and that's what this book is all about: touching you so deep and strong on your heart that the marks it's left there never leave.  And that is what makes this story beyond words.  It's what makes it beautiful. 

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Happy Reading

Megan

The Book Addicted Gossip Girl (#2)

April 24, 2013, 8:38 am

≫ Next: The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks

≪ Previous: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

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Ok, I have a whole load of bookish stuff and news to ramble about now, that you all probably know anyway, but oh well!

The first piece of news, well, it is a book that comes with all of this buzz...

THE BUZZ

'This book is stunning. And you must read it.'

‘…go pre-order this book now. You'll thank me in May when it releases. Trust me.’

'This book... wow... this book.'

'If alien-invasion reads are the new boom this year, then I vote The 5th Wave as it's leader!'

'I’ll be hand-selling THE 5th WAVE to my students…but I won’t give away my ARC. It’s all mine!'

'Basically, I'm DYING for the second book and the first isn't out yet.'

Oh yes.  This book isn't even out yet and already it's got people goin' insane.  I'm going insane.  This book is...

I am excited about The 5th Wave - I don't know about you!  And if you aren't psyched yet, maybe this will help: The Trailer and a Sample...

The Fifth Wave EXTRACT by Mist Bookaholic

Next on the agenda, Wait For You by the absolutely amazing Jennifer L. Armentrout, author of my very favourite series (Lux) is being published tomorrow!  Now, if you haven't got your hands on a copy of this yet YOU MUST!!!  It is AMAZING!!  I cannot recommend it enough!!  Check out this blurb, cover and recommendations...

Travelling thousands of miles from home to start her college career is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape an event that changed her life forever. All she needs to do is keep her head down and get on with putting the past behind her – and the one thing she certainly doesn’t need is the attention of campus heart-throb Cameron Hamilton.

Cam is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness. Avery knows she needs to stay away from him, but he’s everywhere; dogging her with his charm, his easy banter, and that dimple that's just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him isn’t an option, but neither is ignoring the simmering tension between them.

Cam makes it his mission to break through her defences, but when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls, she realises it’s only a matter of time before he discovers her secrets. Someone from her past is refusing to let her go. And when the devastating truth comes out, will Cam stick around to help her, or will it all be too much for them both to bear?

‘A wonderful cast of characters that will make you laugh, swoon, and cry. Cam stole my heart.’

Cora Carmack, NYTimes and USA Today bestselling Author of Losing It

‘For the love of all that is Cameron without a shirt on! Wait for You will have you laughing out loud, fanning yourself and anxiously waiting to know what will happen next.’

Molly McAdams, NYTimes and USA Today bestselling Author of From Ashes and Taking Chances

And I'm sure you guys have heard this by now, but Bloomsbury have released the amazing cover of the sequel to Throne of Glass.  I absolutely loved ToG (check out my review: here) and I am totally 100% in love with the cover of Crown of Midnight!  It is beautiful!  

 Oh, I am so in love with it!  And check out the blurb:

Eighteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien is bold, daring and beautiful – the perfect seductress and the greatest assassin her world has ever known. But though she won the King’s contest and became his champion, Celaena has been granted neither her liberty nor the freedom to follow her heart. The slavery of the suffocating salt mines of Endovier that scarred her past is nothing compared to a life bound to her darkest enemy, a king whose rule is so dark and evil it is near impossible to defy. Celaena faces a choice that is tearing her heart to pieces: kill in cold blood for a man she hates, or risk sentencing those she loves to death. Celaena must decide what she will fight for: survival, love or the future of a kingdom. Because an assassin cannot have it all . . . And trying to may just destroy her.

Love or loathe Celaena, she will slice open your heart with her dagger and leave you bleeding long after the last page of the highly anticipated sequel in what is undeniably THE hottest new fantasy series.

Ok, I think that's all for now...  Oh, stop by here on the 28th - I'm taking part in the blog tour of the amazing Heroic by Phil Earle.  I love the book and you guys should all check the tour out!

Well, until next time, The Book Addicted Gossip Girl, out! ;)

The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks

April 26, 2013, 12:30 am

≫ Next: Heroic Blog Tour: Phil Earle Quick Fire Round

≪ Previous: The Book Addicted Gossip Girl (#2)

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Publisher: Penguin

Format: ARC

Published: 7^th March 2013

Number of Pages: 272

Book: For Review*

Genre:Psychological Suspense, Thriller Suspense, Contemporary, Realistic-Fiction, Science-Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Horror, YA

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains:Swearing, Violence, Death, Alcohol, Drug and Smoking References, Plus Horrible Mind Games

Author's Blog: Kevin Brooks

I can’t believe I fell for it.

It was still dark when I woke up this morning.  As soon as my eyes opened I knew where I was.

A low-ceilinged rectangular building made entirely of whitewashed concrete.  There are six little rooms along the main corridor.

There are no windows.  No doors. 

The lift is the only way in or out. 

What’s he going to do to me? 

What am I going to do?

If I’m right, the lift will come down in five minutes.

It did.

Only this time it wasn’t empty…

                                                                   Review:

“I thought he was blind.  That's how he got me.  I still can't believe I fell for it.  I keep playing it over in my mind, hoping I'll do something different, but it always turns out the same...”

“A thousand questions have streamed through my head.

Where am I?  Where's the blind man?  Who is he?  What does he want?  What's he going to do to me?  What am I going to do?

I don't know…”

Linus was living on the streets, living rough.  But that doesn't mean he was rough.  When he saw the blind guy struggling, he went and helped.

Linus didn't see it coming.  

One minute, he's helping this blind man.  The next, there's a cloth of chloroform over his mouth.

And the next... he's here.  Wherever here is.  It's underground (he thinks), has no windows, no doors out, no ways out.  It's inescapable.  

And he can't figure out what this man wants.  Why the hell he's doing this to Linus.  The best theory he has is that the guy found out who Linus' dad is and kidnapped him for ransom.

That theory?  Yeah, it goes out the window (or it would if there were one) when the others start showing up...

Some books... some books are just impossible to put into words.  Impossible to find the words for them. The Bunker Diarywas exactly that book.  It is literally everyone's worst nightmare put to paper.  Someone, you don't know who, snatches you and leaves you in a windowless, doorless building.  You don't know where, you don't know why and you don't know what he's going to do to you...  Reading The Bunker Diary was utterly terrifying, horrible and awful.  It was also utterly amazing.  Stunning.  It's one of those books you start reading and instantly find yourself hooked.  You will read it in one go, heart-pounding, terrified, in awe, hooked.  In fact I’m not even sure I can say much without giving it all away.  But it was stunning.  Incredible.  Horrible.  Amazing.  You will read it and be one-hundred-per-cent hooked, start to finish.  And Oh.  My.  God.  Just… God…  I have no words…

The characters in this book, well, they all felt really, really real.  Some I liked.  Some I hated.  All were totally and utterly real to me.  Just off the page.  I may not have known much about any of their pasts or whatever but I felt them all...  

I really liked Linus.  He was a strong character: brave – definitely a hell of a lot braver than I would've been in his place.  He was so together – so strong and calm.   I loved how we slowly learned this, slowly got to know him.  The way it happened slowly – like we were gaining his trust.  And even then, he held things back.  After all: who knows who'd be reading this diary?

Jenny was really sweet.  Out of all of them, she was the one who deserved it least – she was so young, so sweet, so innocent.  So brave.  And I loved the relationship between her and Linus – it was really sweet.  Like brother and sister.  And unlike all the other relationships in this book, it was pure.  Y'know?  Not bitter or anything.  They kept one another going.

I really loved Russell.  I HATED Bird.  Like actual, physical hate.  He was so annoying and horrible and just ugh!  I wasn’t a fan of Anja either.  Fred was ok...

And I thought the group dynamics were totally believable.  I mean, they didn't all get along.  You throw a whole load of various people in together, they aren't gonna get along like a house on fire.  I mean, have you seen I'm A Celebrity?  So there was bickering – and quite a lot of it.  It was, in a totally sick way, intriguing to watch these so very different personalities interact under the intense pressure.  Horrible, yes, but interesting.  Especially the enemy started screwing with them.  Playing games.  Messing with their heads.  Could you hold out – keep fighting, stay together – with a psychopath pulling at your strings?  Can Linus and the others?  Read and find out, my friends...

As for Him, "The Man Upstairs.  Mister Crazy.  The Man With No Name," he was terrifying.  Horrible.  Despicable.  I mean, who does that?!  Seriously.  What kinda person do you have to be?  Off topic, I found it really interesting that Linus referred to him as "Him".  Why?  Because generally when we use a capital for 'Him' we're talking about God...  *I start to ponder again*

The writing was, quite frankly, stunning.  I was hooked from the word go.  I could hear Linus' voice in my head, I felt what he did, felt the anger and fear and desperation.  I was tugged in, held there, never let go, not once.  Not even left go when I'd read the last word and put the book down.  Some of Brooks' words.... they just stayed.  Right there in my head, lingering.

Oh, and I loved the voice changed depending on what Linus was going through.  That was pure genius on Brooks' part.

This plot.  My God!  Talk about terrifying.  It was suspenseful, to say the least.  What made the whole story even worse was that nothing really happened.  It's not like a serial killer book, where the bad guy whips out a knife and kills a whole bunch of people.  No, this book was about the fear.  The fear of what could happen.  What new psychological torture the beep is gonna wreak on you.  And I never knew what would happen next - never knew what the next sick trick would be.  Just never knew.  The plot: god, I never saw anything coming ever.  And that ending.... Oh.  My.  Freaking.  God.  I just... God.  Whoa.  Man.  Horrible.  And so different from usual YA endings too…

But what made this book stunning was the horrifying reality it had.  People go missing all the time.  Kidnapped.  Taken.  Tortured.  Killed.  Children.  Teenagers.  Adults.  Rich.  Poor.  No one's safe.  That is why it is so very terrifying – and why The Bunker Diary really, truly packed one hell of a punch.  It's stunning.  Hard hitting.  Unputdownable.

This book... Just, God.  I can't, can't even... Just can't.  Can't stop thinking about it.  Can't get it out of my head.  Can't get over it, not when my hearts still racing like this.  Can't find the words.  Can't do it justice.  Can't.  Just, can't...  

Sorry, I'm not being very eloquent here...  It's just, some books, you can't find the words - not when it's spinning around in your head, taking over your thoughts.  You just can't seem to find the words.  So all I’ll say is: Yes, The Bunker Diary is terrifying and horrible and shocking and has left me speechless and possibly a little mentally scarred, but you... you just have to read it.  It is incredible.  In a horrible way, it is utterly and irrevocably incredible.  I can't recommend it enough really.

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Entangled by Cat Clarke

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Saving Daisy by Phil Earle

Kill All Enemies by Melvin Burgess

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

YA Contemporary Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Reading Angel & Katie's Book Blog)

British Books Challenge 2012 (Hosted by The Overflowing Library)

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Penguin in exchange for an honest review

Heroic Blog Tour: Phil Earle Quick Fire Round

April 28, 2013, 12:30 am

≫ Next: Gods and Warriors by Michelle Paver

≪ Previous: The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks

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I am insanely excited to have the amazing Phil Earle here today.  I absolutely love Phil's books - I don't know if you've read them, but they are insanely, addictively, ridiculously good.  But we are here for just one of his awesome books today and that is Heroic.  Heroic is absolutely amazing and I can't wait for you all to read it!!  I hope you enjoy the Quick Fire!

Hi Phil!  Thank you so much for coming today – I’m a huge fan! :)

Hiya, thanks for inviting me…

Describe Heroic in one sentence.

It’s S.E. Hinton’s ‘The Outsiders’ meets the film ‘The Hurt Locker’.

Which of the characters you’ve created is your favourite?

In HEROIC, it’s Wiggy, a fast-talking, chain-smoking wide boy. He was inspired by a very good pal of mine.

Book or film?

Film, though I’ll probably get shot down for saying it. Once a reluctant reader, always a reluctant reader…

Real life worlds or fictional ones?

Real life, definitely. There’s amazing drama in everyday lives…

Sad books or funny ones?

Can I have both? Or a mixture of? Good writers can do both with ease.

Pen&paper or computer?

Computer, always. Laptop, on the X68 bus.

Your fave book of 2012?

‘The Fault in Our Stars’, predictable I know, sorry!

2013 book you’re most looking forward to?

I think I’ve already read it, ‘Every Day’ by David Levithan. It’s an absolute corker.

Favourite all-time book?

Depends what day of the week you ask me…today it’s probably ‘Skellig’, tomorrow ‘The Book Thief’, the next day…I’m sure you get the drift.

Thank you so much again, Phil!

Pleasure, hope you enjoy HEROIC…

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Previous Stop On The Heroic Blog Tour: I Want To Read That

Next Stop On The Heroic Blog Tour: Fluttering Butterflies

I did enjoy it, Phil, don't worry!  And I know everyone else will too!   

Find out more about Phil and his books on his site: Phil Earle or follow him on Twitter: @philearle.  :)

Oh, and check out the trailer.  It rocks!

Gods and Warriors by Michelle Paver

April 29, 2013, 12:30 am

≫ Next: Really Super Quick Post!

≪ Previous: Heroic Blog Tour: Phil Earle Quick Fire Round

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Series: Gods and Warriors, Book One

Publisher: Puffin

Format: ARC

Published: 28^th August 2012

Number of Pages: 304

Book: For Review*

Genre: Fantasy, Mythical, Historical, Action-Adventure, Magic, Mystery, YA, YA-Child Crossover, MiddleGrade

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains:Violence, Death, Gory Stuff

No Alcohol, Drug References

Author's Site: Michelle Paver

Hylas couldn’t take it in.  Last night he and Issi had made camp in a cave below the western peak.  Now his sister was missing, his dog was dead, and he was running for his life.

Hylas is scratching an existence with his goats in the mountains when he’s attacked by mysterious warriors – nightmares of black rawhide armour and bronze spears, their faces smeared with ash.

The black warriors want Hylas dead.  He doesn’t know why.  He must escape and find his sister.

So he begins his quest across land and sea.  His only friends are Pirra, the rebellious daughter of the High Priestess, and a dolphin called Spirit.  The black warriors are relentless.  Why are they hunting Hylas… and how will he survive?

Gods and Warriors is a breathtaking adventure series set in the Greek Bronze Age: a time of chieftains, chariots and ancient magic – when the lowliest goatherd could rise to become a hero.

                                                                   Review:

“But why we're the black warriors after Outsides?  It didn't make sense.  Nobody cares

about Outsiders; they're the lowest of the low…”

Hylas is an Outsider, a boy without kin, ancestors or a clan.  A nobody, the lowest of the low.  No one cares about him, no one other than his sister Issi and his dog Scram.

And then the Crow warriors attack.  They are killing Outsiders, and Hylas has no idea why.

He doesn't know where his sister is or if she is even alive.  Scram is dead.

On the run and fearing for his life, Hylas fled the only home he's known - he must carry out his quest alone.  Until he finds Pirra – the daughter of the High Priestess, who grew up in the House of the Goddess and has just seen the outside world for the first time, having fled the arranged marriage she is meant to be forced into – as well as a dolphin named Spirit.

But even with their help, can Hylas escape the Crow Warriors?  Can he find his sister?  And will he ever know why the Crows are after him?

And what is the importance of the plain bronze dagger a dying man pressed into his hand...?

I love Michelle's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series.  It's so new and awesome and cool.  Gods and Warriors– well, it just exceeded even my highest expectations.  I raced through the story at warp speed, gobbling it all up.  I felt like I was there with Hylas and Pirra and Spirit, going on all their adventures with them, seeing the island and Blue Deep with Spirit.  I loved every second of the book and can't wait for the sequel: I also can't wait to pass this onto my brothers – they love Michelle just as much as me and are desperate to get their hands on Gods and Warriors!

Hylas was an outsider – and really kind of amoral.  I found finding out what he didn't know intriguing – he didn't know what a bath was, for example, and had never seen a horse up close.  And even though he had this rule to not help people who couldn't help you, he was still caring and a generally good person, albeit a bit selfish.  As for Pirra, I totally got her obsession with freedom.  She was totally useless at living rough, but she was strong and tough and determined.  She kind of hated her mother, but in her toughest moment, Pirra thought of her.  It's little oddities like that that made Pirra – and in fact, all of the characters – come to life.  And I lovedSpirit, the dolphin.  He was so clever and protective and I loved seeing the world through his eyes – he saw everything so differently and it was so intriguing and amazing.  I just loved him to pieces. 

Plus, the relationship between Hylas and Pirra killed me.  They were such unlikely friends, so mismatched.  That just made me crack up – how they scoffed at everything the other didn't know...  Until they had to ask what something meant!  But they were totally on the same level and were a brilliant team, even though they really were the oddest pair!

There weren't really that many big characters in the book.  Sure, we had the leads but there weren't that many others.  Somehow, Michelle made me fall head over heels or into an instant burning hate for these few characters.  She's amazing...  But I also really liked Userref, Pirra's slave and surrogate big brother.  I really didn't like Pirra's mother, though, 'cause she was heartless!  But Telamon was a great character too – he was noble and honourable: a warrior.

I love Michelle's writing to absolute pieces - it's so marvellously descriptive and paints a picture in my head.  And I absolutely loved the time I spent in Spirit the dolphin's head – I loved being a dolphin!  He thought hair was seaweed – that one really made me giggle!  Now, I'm not squeamish or anything, but the scenes where Hylas was eating raw fish or turtle eyeballs or drinking blood – just YUCK.  It doesn't help I'm a vegetarian, I think.  But kids will love the gory stuff – they do love Horrible Histories after all!  Actually, I love HH too...  So funny!

Back on topic: the plotline was even better.  It had me hooked from the very first sentence.  The action started on the very first page and didn't let up.  It was nonstop and totally addictive – I loved every second and was constantly guessing: I had no idea where it was all going whatsoever!

And the setting? Oh, so epic!  I loved learning about all the rituals and rites and beliefs.  They were all so different and intriguing to me.  I could so see how much work Michelle had put into it - it was all so amazing!  Their belief system knocked my socks right off!  I loved learning all about all the gods, all the mythologies and rituals.  And I loved all the spirit-y stuff.  Oh, I just loved the entire setting full stop.  Loved the whole book full stop…

A story that had me hooked every single moment and racing towards the end, Gods and Warriors us a book both children and their parents will love – whether it's being read aloud or in your head, you're always be hearing: just one more chapter...  This is the perfect book for all reluctant readers and reading addicts alike – whether you're ten or a little older... I know I'll be anxiously and excitedly waiting for the next in the series – what can I say?  I'm hooked!

Star Rating:
4¼ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver

Wolf Blood by N.M. Browne

Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olypmus by Rick Riodan

The History Keepers by Damian Dibben

Wereworld by Curtis Jobling 

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

British Books Challenge 2012 (Hosted by The Overflowing Library)

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Penguin in exchange for an honest review

Really Super Quick Post!

May 7, 2013, 6:00 am

≫ Next: The Bone Dragon Blog Tour: Too Mature For YA?

≪ Previous: Gods and Warriors by Michelle Paver

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Hi guys!  I'm sorry I've been absent lately - I'm revising for a whole bunch of exams (wish me luck!) and so have barely had time to pick up a book, let alone blog/review (*breaks down crying*).  But, it will be over soon(ish) and then I'll be back to annoy you! :D
Before I go, I wanted to say that I'm planning on hosting a Fortnight/Month of Guests again this year - probably in July or August?  If you want to take part, drop me a comment or email (thebookaddictedgirl@yahoo.co.uk) - when I'm free I'll get back to you!  Also, I was wondering if you'd like me to do an Author Fortnight again this year - and if you do, what authors!  I'm not promising anything, but let me know who you'd like me to bug...!
For those of you who are new to my blog, check out the Month of Guests 2012 and Fortnight of Guests 2011.  They're always loads of fun and we get some awesome people to take part!  :D
Anyway, hope you're all well - and good luck to any of you who have exams!  
Happy reading! :)

The Bone Dragon Blog Tour: Too Mature For YA?

May 20, 2013, 10:04 am

≫ Next: Chasing The Dark by Sam Hepburn Guest Post - Getting The Bad Guys Right In A Crime Thriller

≪ Previous: Really Super Quick Post!

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It is a huge pleasure  to have the amazing Alexia Casale here today.  Her debut novel The Bone Dragon came out earlier this month and it is amazing.  I honestly can't recommend it to you all enough.  It is just... whoa.  Ok, I'll stop fan-girling now (best save that for the review!) and let you enjoy Alexia's awesome guest post instead.  But don't forget to pick up a copy of The Bone Dragon - you won't regret it!!

There are regular furores over what is appropriate in children’s and YA literature. Is it OK to talk about sex? How about actually having sex scenes? What’s the score on swearing and violence? Are there themes that are off limits? These are important questions, but I’ve never understood the view that there are (or should be) clear-cut answers.

Jacqueline Wilson has come in for more than her fair share of disapproval, but her critiques seem to have become fewer – or at least quieter – over the last few years… or perhaps they’ve just not been given as much ‘air time’ in the media. I suspect this is partly due to the comparatively recent explosion of YA as a literary category and partly to the fact that understandings about what children, and particularly young adults, can and should read have also undergone enormous change and development. The debate is now becoming more nuanced, but also far trickier.

I believe it is important for all children to be able to find characters whose lives are not unlike theirs. It is peculiarly alienating for there to be ‘no one like me’ in any book out there, as Tanya Byrne recently argued. As a teenager, it’s easy to feel your problems are unique: that no one understands, that you’re odd and isolated. That there’s something wrong with you. Seeing yourself reflected from the pages of a book can be incredibly affirming.

Even if you know other people in similar situations in real life, it can be hard to empathise: sometimes the differences between you seem so much bigger than the similarities. The intimacy of the relationships we have with characters in our minds – especially when we see through their eyes – has the power to dispel a surprising amount of this loneliness. Children in difficult circumstances arguably need the company of fictional characters like them even more than children living the comfortable, generally happy lives that some parents seem to think Children’s/YA books should focus on.

For me, the question comes down to whether we should shy away from writing about abuse, abandonment, parental alcoholism or the care system because it exposes children to traumas they would other remain innocent of. This presupposes that children don’t learn about these things anyway: surely a fictional murder of a child – or a fictional story of abuse, as in The Bone Dragon– is less horrifying than a real one discussed on the news? For many, fiction may be a way of understanding people who’ve had terrible experiences without the heart-wrenching knowledge that the person in the story is real: that everything in the story has actually happened. Knowing you’re reading fiction offers the possibility for emotional distance, as well as a degree of comfort. It’s probably the safest and most cushioned ‘way in’ to these issues that’s available. Surely that makes it the ideal way for children and young adults to learn about these things and think them through.

Children who have been exposed to these issues also need the emotional distance that fiction offers: it affords a way to re-evaluate what such experiences mean in their own lives. Through fiction we can live alternate lives and that is hugely important for young people in difficult circumstances: it’s often the only safe way to explore the consequences of the options they see before them, many of which are risky and frightening. Fiction can offer insights into both how certain choices may make things worse and how others might make things better. If stories look at the detail of how things change for the better, that can be a powerful guide for young people looking to mend problems in their own lives. So one of the things I wanted to do in The Bone Dragon was show how some people deal with certain aspects of PTSD, without ever spelling out that this is one of the things Evie is dealing with.

While The Bone Dragon does touch on some very dark themes, there’s nothing on the page that is graphic or violent: all the most harrowing elements need to be ‘read into’ the book. It’s all between the lines, but it’s there all the same and I think that is important, especially for this age group. 

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I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did!  And I totally agreed too - we all see far worse things on TV every.single.day, so why do people freak out so much?!  

Anyway, before I start ranting,I want to thank Alexia so much for writing this for us!  

And I also want to steer you all towards...

The Bone Dragon Blog

Alexia'sTwitter

Alexia'sFacebookPage

Now, read and enjoy and have a great rest-of-Monday everyone! :D

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Chasing The Dark by Sam Hepburn Guest Post - Getting The Bad Guys Right In A Crime Thriller

June 10, 2013, 6:47 am

≫ Next: In My Mailbox (#63)

≪ Previous: The Bone Dragon Blog Tour: Too Mature For YA?

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I don't know about you guys but I love love love crime thrillers.  And I love love love all the new crime thrillers in YA.  Therefore I am over the moon to welcome Sam Hepburn to my blog today to talk about her new and awesome YA crime thriller Chasing the Dark.  Enjoy the brilliant post - and awesome book trailer!  :)

Writing the bad guys (or girls) is great because they are so active. They are the ones committing the crimes, causing mayhem and driving the plot. However, to me the evil genius who lurks in a luxury mountain-top bunker, stroking furry animals, shrieking mwahahaha and getting his minions to carry out his evil plans for world domination are far less scary than the creepy villains who slip unnoticed into the warp and weft of ordinary life, brush past their victim in the dairy aisle of the local supermarket and take an up- close-and-personal role in making the hero’s life miserable. That’s because this sort of villain is so much more credible.  To increase that credibility the bad guy must have a proper motive for his actions. Just being evil isn’t good enough. It’s not going to hold the reader’s attention for very long or make for a very complex character, which is why the writer must spend as much time getting inside the head of the baddie  as she (or he) spends thinking about the hero.  Just as we care about the protagonist because we believe that his actions are rational and good so we love to hate a villain we understand, and who appeals  to that little streak of dastardliness inside us all.  Therefore, there must be a logic to the villain’s malevolent actions and the reader must understand why he is so convinced that those actions are justified. The villain must also be portrayed as a worthy opponent, capable and intelligent enough to outwit or destroy the hero. The cleverer, more devious and inventive he is, the more he forces the hero to up his game and the more interesting the plot becomes. That tension and sense of uncertainty is what keeps the reader turning the pages, desperate  to find out if the hero really does have what it takes to win through. And that’s why my villains all have the tiniest hint of my worst traits lurking inside them!

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Thank you so much, Sam!  Check Sam's site out: here.  And don't forget to check out the book - see it on Goodreads!!  :)

In My Mailbox (#63)

June 11, 2013, 12:30 am

≫ Next: Top Ten Tuesday (#1)

≪ Previous: Chasing The Dark by Sam Hepburn Guest Post - Getting The Bad Guys Right In A Crime Thriller

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In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren. It's a perfect way to see who's reading and review what. Awesome! 

Hello, lovely followers!  I am back, you lucky things you.  Ok, just kidding.  Not about being back - I am SO back - but about you being lucky.  I know I'm not amazing enough for that! ;)

Anyways, after endless weeks of revision, I-lose-count of how much exams and one very particular, stressful, kinda terrifying and nerves racking experience of an exam, I am done. I am free.  I can now do fun stuff, like read, blog and talk/pester you guys instead of teachers or exam officers or... Um, who else do you only talk to in exam situations?  I mean, you're not meant to talk in them...  Um...  Never mind...

Anyways, I just wanna say 'hi!' and I hope for those of you who have had exams that they went well and for these of you waiting to sit them, good luck!  Though you won't need it.  If you're following my blog, you're obviously extremely clever. 

Sorry sorry.  Couldn't resist.  Examfreefulness has gone to my head.  Is making me cocky.  I am so sorry...

A bit more on topic, irony's a bicca (kinda obscure Buffy reference there: Willow spells out "B-I-T-C-H" and Giles says there's no need for spelling games and so Xander has to ask "What's a bicca?"  Bless his little cotton socks.)  I'm revising for a whole bunch of exams and so what does fate decide to do?  Send me a whole load of awesome books (both brought and for review) and then tease the hell outta me.  It's been like: "Look at us, with ours pretty shiny covers and our new, book-smelling pages and our unspoiled spines and our yummy yummy insides.  We are going to sit here and taunt you but you can't have us.  Oh no.  You have to revise, Meg.  So no touchy.  We aren't your preciouses..."

Oh. My. God.  Could I be any more of a nerd?

Um, apparently.  That was a Chandler Bing reference.  

I make myself sad.

Um...  Wait a sec.  Where was I?

Oh, yeah, I have been gone far far too long!  But I'm back!  And I have gotten some awesome books lately!  I even have a giveaway all lined up for you, you lucky things!  

But that's enough rambling.  It's so lovely to be back and I hope you're all well!

Oh, and keep an eye out for Fortnight of Guests - email me if you wanna sign up!  It's always fun and I'd love to get some new people involved!! :D

And sorry for this being on a Tuesday - it took me longer than expected to put together!  This is like over a month's worth of books... So...  Yeah...

The Oathbreaker's Shadow Launch:

The Oathbreaker's Shadow (The Knots Sequence, Book One) by Amy McCulloch - x2 - Both Signed (Goodreads | Amazon)

Warrior.  Traitor.  Savior.

The Oathbreaker's Shadow Postcards - x3 - One Signed
Bookshop Bag

Beautiful The Oathbreaker's Shadow Map

The Oathbreaker's Shadow Cupcakes - Yummy and Eaten

It was a really fun launch and so great to meet Amy.  And, of course, the cupcakes were super yummy! ;)

Oh, and keep a look out - I'll be giving away one of my copies...

For Review: 

Cold Killing (D.I. Sean Corrigan, Book One) by Luke Delaney (Goodreads | Amazon)

No Motive.

No Mercy.

No Remorse.

Love this book!  How can you say no to crime thrillers?!

The Elite (The Selection, Book Two) by Kiera Cass (Goodreads | Amazon)

In The Fight For Love, Only One Can Win
Squee!  Can't wait to get stuck into this one!

Imposter (Slide, Book Two) by Jill Hathaway (Goodreads | Amazon)

Be Afraid Of Your Shadow
LOVED Slide!  Am SO excited to read this!!! :D
Bit sad it doesn't match my copy of Slide though. :(

Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike (Goodreads | Amazon)

Being Dead Is Just The Beginning...
Hehe, this one looks fun.  Love the cover.

Delirium (Parallon Trilogy, Book Two) by Dee Shulman (Goodreads | Amazon)

Two Worlds.  Two Millennia.  One Love.
Squee!!  Loved Fever, loving this! :D

The Reluctant Assassin (W.A.R.P., Book One) by Eoin Colfer (Goodreads | Amazon)
Huge Eoin Colfer fan!  Can't read the book though - my blinking brothers stole it!!

Hostage (Bodyguard, Book One) by Chris Bradford (Goodreads | Amazon)
Squee!! Super excited about this one!!  Perfect for Cherub and Alex Rider fans - AKA, me!   Written by the guy who wrote Young Samurai - very excited! :D :D 

The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co, Book One) by Jonathan Stroud (Goodreads | Amazon)
Hauntings Are Our Buisness...
WARNING:
TYPE TWO APPARITION CONTAINED HERE
SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!  I LOVED the Bartimaeus series and am SO excited for this one!! :D
Chasing the Dark by Sam Hepburn (Goodreads | Amazon)
Deadly Secrets... 
With Come To Light
The Bone Dragon by Alexia Casale (Goodreads | Amazon)
Moonlit Walks, Dragon Dreams and Burning Secrets...
Loved this - sooo good.  Amazing.  Breaktaking.  Wow.  Review soon!
Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm (The Grisha, Books 1&2) by Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone: Goodreads | Amazon; Siege and Storm: Goodreads | Amazon)
LOVED Shadow and Bone.  SO excited about Siege and Storm!!!  And the cover - oh!  I am in love!!
Half Lives by Sara Grant (Goodreads | Amazon)
Seperated By Time.
Linked By A Deadly Secret.
Loving this one - sooo good!! :D
The 5th Wave (The Fifth Wave, Book One) by Rick Yancey (Goodreads | Amazon)
They Are Coming For Us.
All of Us.
One of my favourite books so far this year.  One of the best alien books ever.  I love it!!  When's the next one?  I need it soooo bad!
Stung (Stung, Book One) by Bethany Wiggins (Goodreads | Amazon)
The Hunger Games With A Wicked Sting
A Deadly Cure For A World In Crisis...
Loving this!  Gotta love the dystopians! :D
Transcendance (Transcendance, Book One) by C.J. Omololu (Goodreads | Amazon)
Super excited about this one!! :D  And I am a  little (a lot) in love with this cover!!

Gloss by Marilyn Kaye  (Goodreads | Amazon)

A Long Hot Summer In The City That Never Sleeps

Not my normal type of book but I'm really, really looking forward to it!

The School for Good and Evil (The School for Good and Evil, Book One) by Soman Chainani (Goodreads | Amazon)

One Bad Girl

One Princess

Two Best Friends

LOVED this book - my fave fairytale twist since Once Upon A Time and Grimm!! :D

Unbreakable (Unravelling, Book Two) by Elizabeth Norris (Goodreads | Amazon)

5 Days To Catch A Killer

5 Days To Find The Boy She Loves

But What If They're The Same Person...?

Yay yay yay yay!!!  I can't wait to read this!!  I LOVED Unravelling!! :D :D

The Bell Between Worlds (The Mirror Chronicles, Book One) by Ian Johnstone (Goodreads | Amazon)

Quiet Please I'm Reading The Mirror Chronicles

So excited about this!!  It looks soooo good!! :D

Interworld (Interworld, Book One) by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves (Goodreads | Amazon)

Joey Harker Isn't A Hero - But He Still Has To Save The World...

The Silver Dream (Interworld, Book Two) by Neil Gaiman and Michael and Mallory Reaves (Goodreads | Amazon)

Joey Harker Is Kepping His Friends Close - And His Enemies Closer...

Can't wait to read these books!!  They look awesome!! :D

Drummer Girl by Bridget Tyler (Goodreads | Amazon)

Fame.  Love.  Friends.  Pick Any Two.

SQUEEE!!! I've been excited about this for soooo long!!  I'm so excited to read it!! :D :D

All the Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry (Goodreads | Amazon)
This looks amazing.  I can't wait to read it.

The Testing (The Testing, Book One) by Joelle Charbonneau (Goodreads | Amazon)

Your Time Is Almost Up...

This one looks really good too. :D

Tall Tales from Pitch End by Nigel McDowell (Goodreads | Amazon)

Yay - this looks awesome!

Vortex (Insignia, Book Two) by S.J. Kincaid (Goodreads | Amazon)

Beyond The Impossible

Yay yay yay yay!!!  I can't WAIT to read this!! *happy dance*

Nowhere (Book One) by Jon Robinson (Goodreads | Amazon)

No Memory.  No Clues.  No Truth.

This looks sooooo good!  Heard so many good things too! 

Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan (Goodreads | Amazon)

Super excited about this one! :D

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill (Goodreads | Amazon)

Kill The Past To Save Your Future

I am so freaking excited about this one!!! It looks AMAZING!!!! :D

The Dance of the Red Death (Masque of the Red Death, Book Two) by Bethany Griffin (Goodreads | Amazon)

Everything Is In Ruins

Oooh, can't wait to read this!!  Loved Masque of the Red Death! :D

The Killing Street (Street Duty, Case Two) by Chris Ould (Amazon)

Yay!! Loved Book One of this series - so excited!! :D

The Moon and More Sarah Dessen (Goodreads | Amazon)

Really excited about this! :D

Dusk by Eve Edwards (Goodreads | Amazon)

A Love Worth Fighting For

Yay!  Looks awesome!  Love her other books!

Swag Stuff:

 Chasing the Dark Postcard (Goodreads | Amazon)

 Nowhere Postcard (Goodreads | Amazon)

Bought:

Kingdom of the Wicked (Skulduggery Pleasant, Book Seven) (Goodreads | Amazon)

The Dead Famous Bestseller

One of my favourite series ever.  Love it!

Undone by Cat Clarke (Goodreads | Amazon)

How Far Would You Fall For The Truth?

Love Cat Clarke.  Can't wait to read!

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices, Book Two) by Cassandra Clare (Goodreads | Amazon)

Haven't started this one yet, but can't wait! :D :D

Monument 14 (Monument 14, Book One) by Emmy Laybourne (Goodreads | Amazon)

LOVE LUST WAR RAGE...

What Does It Take To Survive?

Ooooh, this looks sooo good.  Can't wait!! :D

How To Fall by Jane Casey (Goodreads | Amazon)

Sometimes The Truth Hurts.  Sometimes it Kills...

This looks brilliant!  Yay! :D

Forbidden (The Demon Trappers, Book Two) by Jana Oliver (Goodreads | Amazon)

Riley Blackthorne.

Kicking Hell's Ass One Demon At A Time...
Love this series! :D

Charmed Season 9, Volume 2 (Charmed, Book Two) by Paul Ruditis (Goodreads | Amazon)
Loved this -even better than the first volume! :D

Angel Fire (Angel Trilogy, Book Two) by L.A. Weatherly (Goodreads | Amazon)
Great book - super excited for the conclusion!

HHhH by Lauren Binet (Goodreads | Amazon)
This one looked really cool.
An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears (Goodreads | Amazon)
LUST
BETRAYAL
SECRETS
MURDER
This one tickled my fancy for some reason.  Looks good.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Goodreads | Amazon)
Pretty sure this is on my English reading list.  If not, brilliant book anyways. :)
May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes (Goodreads | Amazon)
Winner of Women's Prize for Fiction 2013!  I interviewed A.M. with the Spinebreakers after the award - keep an eye out on the Spinebreakers site for the interview!! :D
Trust Me by Malorie Blackman (Goodreads | Amazon)
You're In Love.  You Want To Be With Him Forever.
How Far Would You Go?
I had to buy this - y'know, to celebrate Malorie being crowned Children's Laureate.  


Man, I need to do these more often.  I've spent like three days doing this.  My head hurts..

Anyways, I'm back, so expect more posts!  Lots more posts!  And keep an eye out for Fortnight of Guests!  :D

Have a great week - and happy reading!!  

Top Ten Tuesday (#1)

June 18, 2013, 9:34 am

≫ Next: Waiting on Wednesday (#39)

≪ Previous: In My Mailbox (#63)

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Hello, lovely followers!  I've decided to join in with all the fun of Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the awesome The Broke and the Bookish.  It just looks like so much fun!  :D

Top Ten Books On My Summer 2013 TBR List

Been Waiting Forever For:

Origin (Lux, Book Four) by Jennifer L Armentrout 

This is my favourite series ever and I am freaking desperate for Origin!!  And it doesn't come out until the end of August!  *breaks down crying and curls up on sofa*

And there isn't even a cover!!!!!!!!  *continues crying*

The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines, Book Four) by Richelle Mead

Another fave series - I need Fiery Heart sooooo bad!

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, Book Two) by Sarah J. Maas

Been waiting ages for this - can't wait to read it!! :D

Wait For You (Wait For You, Book One) by J. Lynn

Another book by the brilliant Jennifer Armentrout - that woman is a freaking machine!!  Love her! :D

Long Overdue Reads:

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, Book One) by Cassandra Clare

Love The Mortal Instruments series - can't wait to finally read the prequel! :D

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Book One) by Laini Taylor

Had this one for ages - I have to finally read it! 

Divergent (Divergent, Book One) by Veronica Ross

Again, so overdue....  I feel like a crappy blogger! 

Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry, Book One) by Simone Elkeles

I'm sorry, Sammee!!  I promise I'll read this over the summer!!

Feel Summery:

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Just so summery.  Love Sarah Dessen - perfect summer read!

Drummer Girl by Bridget Tyler

Don't know why this feels summery.  I guess it just isn't summer without a good murder.

Man, that sounds wrong...

Anyway, those are the books I want to read this summer!  

Look forward to loads of reviews coming up - I have a huge pile that just need a final polishing...

And also news on Fortnight of Guests...  It's coming people.  I'm pulling the line up together.  We already have a load of awesome bloggers signed up.  Authors I'm just about to start working on.  Leave a comment if you wanna take part or want to recommend an author! :D

Happy reading! x

Waiting on Wednesday (#39)

June 19, 2013, 6:20 am

≫ Next: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

≪ Previous: Top Ten Tuesday (#1)

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, and it's a weekly meme all about the books that are coming out soon that we really can't wait to read.

Ooh, it's been ages since I've done a WOW.  I have sooo many books I'm waiting for...  The main one is currently coverless, so I'll wait 'til it's been given a cover to include it.  In case you're wondering, the book is Originfrom the brilliant Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.  Man, I love that series...  

But anyways.  This is what I'm waiting for this week...

The Shadow Hunters' Codex

By: Cassandra Clarea and Joshua Lewis

Published: 29th October 2013

Published By: Walker Books

Found: On Goodreads' YA Novels of 2013 Listopia

Synopsis From Goodreads:

The Clave is pleased to announce the newest edition of the Nephilim’s oldest and most famous training manual: the Shadowhunter’s Codex. Since the thirteenth century, the Codex has been the young Shadowhunter’s best friend. When you’re being swarmed by demons it can be easy to forget the finer points of obscure demon languages or the fastest way to stop an attack of Raum demons. With the Codex by your side, you never have to worry. 

Now in its twenty-seventh edition, the Codex covers it all: the history and the laws of our world; how to identify, interact with, and if necessary, kill that world’s many colorful denizens; which end of the stele is the end you write with. No more will your attempt to fight off rogue vampires and warlocks be slowed by the need to answer endless questions from your new recruits: What is a Pyxis? Why don’t we use guns? If I can’t see a warlock’s mark, is there a polite way to ask him where it is? Where do we get all our holy water? Geography, History, Magic, and Zoology textbook all rolled into one, the Codex is here to help new Shadowhunters navigate the beautiful, often brutal world that we inhabit. 

Do not let it be said that the Clave is outdated or, as the younger Shadowhunters say, “uncool”: this new edition of the Codex will be available not only in the usual magically-sealed demonskin binding, but also in a smart, modern edition using all of today’s most exciting printing techniques, including such new features as a sturdy clothbound cover, a protective dust jacket, and information about title, author, publisher, and so on conveniently available right on the cover. You’ll be pleased to know that it fits neatly into most satchels, and unlike previous editions, it rarely sets off alarm wards. 

The old woodcuts and engravings have been replaced as well: instead, you’ll find lavish modern illustrations by some of the brightest luminaries of the fantastic. Creatures, weapons, people, and places have been carefully and accurately rendered by the likes of Rebecca Guay, Charles Vess, Jim Nelson, Theo Black, Elisabeth Alba, and Cassandra Jean. Chapters are beautifully introduced by the drawings of Michael Kaluta, and along with our condensation of the classic 2,450-page tome, A History of the Nephilim, you will find a selection of the best of the lovely illustrations of that volume by John Dollar. 

This edition of the Codex will be available in Institute libraries and what mundanes sometimes call “book stores” in [OCTOBER], 2013.

Whoa, that's a long synopsis.  But yay!  I can never get enough of this world and am super excited to read this!  *sigh*  If only I were a Shadowhunter rather than a Mundane... ;)

Well, that's what I'm waiting for this week!  What book are you obsessively waiting for? :D

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

June 20, 2013, 12:30 am

≫ Next: 1984 by George Orwell

≪ Previous: Waiting on Wednesday (#39)

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Publisher: Penguin

Format: Paperback

Published: 3^rd January 2013

Number of Pages: 336

Book: For Review*

Genre:Contemporary, Realistic-Fiction, Coming-Of-Age, Romance, YA, YA-Adult Crossover

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains:Swearing, Violence (Albeit Fictional - As In Video Games), Alcohol and Sexual References

No Drug References

Author's Blog: John Green

WARNING: This Is The Rambling Review Of A Fan-Girl.  I Apologise In Advance…

#1 New York Times Bestseller

Despite the tumour-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis.  But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw,

The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

                                                                   Review:

“As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.” 

Hazel is dying of cancer.  Sure, the medication – or, as Hazel prefers to call it, the chemical poison – that has been pumped into her body has bought her some time, but she's going to die anyway.

To add more crap to her already craptastic life, Hazel's mom thinks she's depressed and sends her off to Support Group for kids with cancer.

Hazel isn't best pleased.

Until she walks in to find a gorgeous guy with brilliant blue eyes staring at her.  His name is Augustus Waters.  Things start to look up.

And then her life is changed forever, as she is swept up in Augustus and led to seek out the dreams she'd never thought would be possible.

Her fate is rewritten.

But can it be escaped?

I am so behind on reading The Fault In Our Stars it's almost untrue.  Everyone else seems to have read it millennia ago and then there's me, the idiot, who left it so, so long, missing out on so, so much without even knowing.  My stupidity and slowness is enough to make me cry sometimes.  Because I really am both, for waiting so frexing long to read TFIOS, which is, quite frankly, a modern classic.  Or at least, it should be.  There was a debate of Spinebreakers about whether or not John Green was a legend.  I was firmly in the Hell Yeah side of the argument, as I'm sure anyone who has read any of his books will be.  Because only a legend can have me fall totally and instantly in love with characters, make me laugh one moment and cry the next, make me feel unable to put the book down.  So yeah.  John Green is a total legend.  Don't believe me?  Read the rest of this review.  And then read his books yourself, if you haven't already.

Hazel was someone I loved instantly.  She had the most amazing personality: Quirky, funny, but not overly sunny, y'know?  She, to quote herself, "devoted quite a bit of [her] abundant free time to thinking about death".  She just really made me laugh.   She was also so caring and loving, so real, like someone you could meet in the streets, which made her story even more emotional and stronger and harder, yet at the same time, easier to read.  She was just perfect, really: the perfect, imperfect character for the story. And I loved her.

And Augustus Waters: I am totally in love with him.  I fell for him instantly.  He was amazing.  Wonderful.  Perfect.  So sweet and funny and bonkers.  He always had something to say that would make me smile or laugh.  I, like Hazel, "have an Augustus Waters fetish."

The relationship between Hazel and Augustus – oh it was so perfect!  So utterly believable and real and adorable and so, so perfect.  All I wanted was for there to be some miracle so they could be together forever and ever.

The characters – God!  Green just writes the most amazing characters.  They are all so real and unique and so not conventional.  I loved that – how everyone was their own person.  I loved that.  Some of my favourite characters, other than Augustus and Hazel, were Isaac – he was brilliant – and Hazel's parents – I adored them: they were so loving and amazing and my heart broke for them.  And then there was Peter Van Houten, who was a complete "douchepants" but killed me anyway.

The writing was just stunning.  Hazel and her voice just instantly got inside my head and my heart.  Some had me laughing and some had me on the verge of drowning in emotions and tears.  All stuck inside my mind.  John Green, well, he just has this insane talent for dialogue, for totally believable and natural voices.  And it has so many quotes that just still in my mind, so many I just had to write down so I could read them over and over.

Now, the plot could be called pretty simple overall - there are no Stormtroopers or a guy killing someone every other word.  It's all very much rooted firmly in reality.  And that the devastating knowledge that what these kids are going through is happening to so, so many people everywhere is what makes TFIOS so hard-hitting  and potent and emotional.  And then The Event (as I shall call it)...  Oh.  My.  Freaking.  GOD.  I mean, break my heart more please!

And the emotions... Just, my God.  It was like drowning in feelings, this could.  I could be laughing one minute and have all my heartstrings tugged the next, eyes welling up with tears.  Sometimes, I was laughing through my tears, something that doesn't happen often.  And, by the end, my heart ached and I was physically exhausted.  And I loved it.

I found I could really relate to Hazel.  I haven't had cancer or anything life-threatening, but I do have an illness and I got the whole illness and dealing and the "Professional Sick Person" side of the book.  And Hazel also sounded much older than she was at times, something I also do.  The whole maturity that comes with having to cope with being not only sick but different.  So I really found parts of this book touched me in ways I'm not sure everyone would get, like parts of it were meant for me.  

There are no words to describe this book, no words that can do it justice.  Sometimes it's just that way: you read a book and what you feel is just so strong you simply cannot find the ways to express it.  You just can't find the words that would even begin to describe your insane emotions towards it.  All you can say, in the end, is that you loved it.  You loved it so, so, so much it physically hurt.  You loved it so much you put aside other amazing books to gobble it up in one go, you turned away food and water and NCISto finish it.  You read it all in one go and were left breathless, without words.  And you can't recommend it enough.  You honestly cannot recommend it enough, even if you rambled on for a million years.  You just look at everyone you meet and you want to say 'Hey, random stranger, have you read TFIOS?  No?!  OMG, read it!  Like, now.  Right, right now.  As in, go to that Waterstones and just buy it.  Ok?'  That is what TFIOS has made me wanna do.  Who knows, next time I'm in town, I might just do it: accost people in the bookshop and force the book on them.  In the meantime, I'm going to do it slightly less aggressively and weirdly to you: If you haven't read this yet, I am begging you - actually begging you - to read it.  Even if you hate contemps or think reading about cancer is too depressing or whatever, please, just read The Fault In Our Stars.  Sure, it's sad and real and it will make your heart ache in ways you didn't think a book could, but it's also beautiful and funny and witty and stunningly brilliant.  John Green: you are so a legend and you deserve a place in some kind of Bookish Wall of Fame.  Hey, that’s an idea...  Maybe I should get started on that...

But I digress.  And I ramble.  And my point is:

The Fault In Our Stars is breath-taking and a book everyone, everywhere should read.

TFIOS will suck you in, have you hooked and will take you on a rollercoaster ride.  IT will make you laugh and cry and will break your heart.  And you will love every second.

Star Rating:
4¾ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

 All of John's Brilliant Other Books!

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

If I Stay by Gayle Foreman

Anthem For Jackson Dawes by Celia Bryce

Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Penguin in exchange for an honest review