IMM: In My Mailbox [3]

In My Mailbox is an epic feautre run by The Story Siren and my links go to Amazon UK but other book sellers are out there too!

First off I want to say a big WAY HEY to the fact that I have 25 followers on my blog! A follower for each year of my life in fact. That's quite exciting!  So thanks everybody. :-)

On to the books for this week. 

Bought

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater love love LOVE the new covers and it also pleases me that my purchase pleases Scholastic UK.  Everybody is a winner!

Borrowed

The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes and The Sandman: The Doll's House by Neil Gainman

Yep, I love me some graphic novels and they had the whole set at my local Library (YAY! LIBRARIES FTW!) and I took out the 1st couple.  On a similiar note: Am I the only one that is more than a bit creeped out by the scary scanner achine for checking out books that doesn't even need the book open to scan and recognise the book.

Happy Reading

XOXO 

Review: Entangled by Cat Clarke

So I was super lucky to win a copy of this book via twitter from the lovely Cat Clarke herself.  She ran a contest to get tweets with the book title hash tagged in it and trying to be unusual or just catch her interest.  I happened to be making fudge for work and was literally entangled in golden syrup (it's very sticky stuff) and so tweeted away.  It seems Cat likes her fudge and I won and she was kind enough to sign it for me too!  Cat is so very awesome (plus she loves some of my favourite bands and we've had a few tweets back and forth about said musical tastes).

On to the book: This is Cat's debut novel and so I knew very little about it except the cover looked so pretty and the blurb on the back was so very cool.

'The same questions whirl round and round in my head:
What does he want from me?
How could I have let this happen?
AM I GOING TO DIE?'

17-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got there.

As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see?

Grabbed my attention straight off the bat!  Reading Entangled was like leaving the real world and diving into the teenage life of someone that is suffering so much that she sometimes can't see the woods through the trees.  Grace is so bold and strong a character but also so broken and battered by life that she acts out and almost can't control the things she says and does.  It's a breathe taking look at the life of Grace and how she finds a friend, Sal, and has romance, Nat, along with a great deal of drinking and "fun" but with the ever ongoing mystery of being kidnapped by a boy called Ethan.  She's trapped in a white room and forced (only out of boredom because there is nothing else to do) to note down her life til that point and how she came to meet Ethan in the hopes of working out why she is there and how to escape her kidnapper.

It had me gasping and tearing up hearing her struggle with herself and the life she's created for herself of acting out with drinking, boys and self harm.  It's not a book for the faint heart and deals with some big issues that just don't get covered by many YA books but I have no doubt affect teen lives daily both directly and indirectly.  I felt Grace's pain and joy and it shocked me how much I related to her.

Cat Clarke doesn't hold back when describing the world Grace lives in and it's all from Grace's point of view so all the little questions and mysteries that lead up to the turning point in the book had me guessing too.  I almost didn't want to figure out what was going on because I feared I'd ruin it even for myself.  It's a hard hitting look at one girl's life after tragedy and her coping and trying to find happiness the best way she can but doesn't often succeed.  

Entangled is a gripping read that made me re think my own teenage years with a new perspective and realise that like Grace, Nat and Sal's stories; not everything is what it seems and sometimes an end isn't an ending.

Rating: 7.5/10 

Published by Quercus Publishing and available here and all bookshops now

 

SHHHH! It's the new Becca Fitzpatrick book title!

I can handle wait for the 3rd book in Becca's Fallen Archangel series.  These books are a delight and the last book Crescendo finished on such a cliff hanger that I nearly threw the book across my room in rage because it ended where it ended.

Of course I love my books and would never do that because that would damage it. Heaven forbid!

So the big reveal for the 3rd book title happened this evening over on Fallen Archangel site and Becca's twitter feed and it is SILENCE

ooooooo

It's drama filled, has mystery and intrigue.  What will be silenced? Who will be? Is it the end of something or a secret to be revealed or even hidden.

Who knows!?!

I can't wait!

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

I originally got interested in this book because of the wonderful book trailer that was buzzing around the blogs and was hooked from the mystery and how the twist already pulled me in from just 50 seconds.  A good starting point for any book; hook the readers before they've even received the book. NICE WORK!

If I'm going to be totally honest Cassia was hard to relate to at first because she's so straight laced and stuck in the system that when you read her story I just found myself thinking 'Wake up and stop being all accepting about everything'.  Seriously, it was so hard not to question how she, and everyone for that matter hadn't questioned any of the rules and ideas in the Society ever.  If reading dystopian novels has taught us anything it's that human beings are curious by nature and as my mum taught me curiosity killed the cat (or at least got it into trouble for sneaking a look at Christmas presents).  It's hard to connect with Cassia when you, as a reader, are so the opposite to her.  We have choice to an extent, freedom to voice opinions (yay for blogs!) and be who we want to be even if that means making mistakes from time to time.  Cassia isn't that different from the teen girl of today; she's just been raised in a world that is the opposite to our own and so has to fight against her own beliefs as to what she should do and feel as well as the Society's laws.

The story of Matched is one of love but I found it more interesting as a story about growing up.  Cassia has to grow up and see the world for all it's flaws and graces and decide what to do with the knowledge.  Should she fight and risk it all or stay safe in her content life and protect her loved ones?  These decisions are all triggered by her relationships and love for family, friends and her Matches but really Matched is about consequences and actions. 

Xander and Ky are both lovingly made opposites from the same mould.  Both are great characters and both are perfect for different reasons for Cassia: noble, handsome, thoughtful and have the potential to do great things.  Both appeal to Cassia (and me adding to my ever growing list of fictional character husbands) and provide Cassia with a reason to be happy and to want to change even if this doesn't always give them both the outcome they want.  It's the outcome that they all need after the final events in Matched.  One of my favourite aspects of the book was the use of poetry and colour.  In a world where the love of language and variety is lost, there is such blissful happiness to be found in one shade of green and line of poetry.  The tenderness that words were given in this book really spoke to me and made me learn to love Cassia because really she just doesn't know better but soon starts to wonder due to the power of words. 

The contrast between the old and new world and the ideals of the past (which I kinda guess is the present for us) make you feel grateful that we have choices but also makes you wonder if some sacrifices are worth the losses and the gains.  We shall have to wait and see in Crossed for the repercussions of the ending of Matched and Cassia's choices.

Rating: 6.5/10

Published by Razorbill and is available here and at all good bookshops now

IMM: In My Mailbox [2]

In My Mailbox is an epic feautre run by The Story Siren and my links go to Amazon UK but other book sellers are out there too!

So I've seem to have been very lucky this week and I won a few contests for books.  Finally the BookGods have decided that my debit card deserved a well earnt break. lol.  But I had to buy a few bargins too so here's what this week's brought.  In my defense per the book buying I got another tattoo done this week and it turned out cheaper than I'd planned so I had the extra money saved so what better way to use it!

Bought

The Demon Trappers: Forsaken by Jana Oliver [I'd seen this on a a few blogs recently and it sparked my interest]

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff [I'd heard about this one non stop and think it's deffo one that will find a home on my bookshelf!]

Won

Entangled by Cat Clarke Signed [Won via Cat Clarke's twitter! Huge thanks to Cat for this and signing it too.  It's my next read!]

Department 19 by Will Hill [Won via the awesome Sarwat Chadda on his twitter.  This one is out in the UK til the end of March but the book trailer looks AMAZING and the cover is very cool.  Check out the trailer and more info right HERE]

Also inside my copy of Department 19 was a lovely signed Devils Kiss postcard

Happy Reading

XOXO

Review: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

I should start off by saying that most of this review is from my very vivid memory because I finished the book at 1am last night and have immediately lent it out to my cousin because I just know she'll love it and then another friend has plans to steal it away and read so I can't even enjoy looking at it on my bookshelf for a while!  I shall just have to save a spot for it instead.

Nightshade is one of those books that I picked up and couldn't even begin to comprehend just how much I was going to end up loving it.  It's up there with Vampire Academy for me because of it's addictive mix of romance and danger.  The story centres around Calla and her pack, The Nightshades, Ren and his pack, The Banes and a human boy by the name of Shay.  The desire sucks you in from the seductive front cover right til the nail biting final page.

Calla, Ren and the pack members are Guardians meaning they can shift from wolf to human form at anytime and guard The Keepers against The Searchers and protect The Keepers magical locations and traditions.  The 2 packs set to join with 'the Union' of Calla and Ren that has been planned and arranged by the Keepers.  Calla is compelled towards Ren and they have uncontrollable physical attractions towards each other and things only get more complicated when Shay enters the scene and Calla is drawn to him too! Imagine your regular teen drama with the added element of super human strength and basic animal instincts at max volume.  Delightful isn't it?!  She's fighting her attraction to both Shay and Ren before time runs out and trying to work out who Shay is and how he's involved in a world he knows nothing about.  With the Union hanging over them as a deadline, tensions rise and more answers only lead to more questions.

GRIPPING! EXCITING! LUSTFUL!

These are but a few words to describe Nightshade.  The love triangle is so fraught with desire, heartache and tension that I had to keep giving myself mini breaks while reading it to calm my heart rate down.  I adore Shay.  He loves comics, several of my personal favourites, and he's a mix of the geek boy you fall for in books with the action hero you fall for in books (I'm also noticing a pattern here that I tend to fall in love with most guys in YA books.  What can I say; I'm a sucker for those YA fictional lads!).  Ren is still appealing too as you gradually see cracks in his strong exterior with his small but important attempts to be better than his father.  Some could see Calla as using them both, but you honestly see her struggle and your heart goes out to her.  The other characters and their relationships are also adorable too and each are so different compared to the Ren/Calla/Shay mix.  I loved the contrast of the loved up newbie couples, the real love couples and then the struggling-to-even-understand-what-it-is relationships that Calla is involved in.  The supporting cast of the packs make an excellent mix to bounce to and fro with as they develop and have wonderful little comedy moments and some real heart wrenchers too.

The mystery of the Keepers and Searchers History as well as the Guardians involvement is wrapped up in twists and turns.  As each bit unravels you sometimes wonder for the characters sake if it's better to stay in ignorant bliss or risk their lives for the knowledge that could change their paths.  The ending made me not just want to read Wolfsbane but demand that it come out sooner.  I can't be left hanging on that long; it's not fair!

Rating: 9/10
Published by Atom Books and available here and at all good book shops now

Review: Fire by Kristin Cashore

Having read Graceling I was eager to see what would behold me in this book seeing as it isn't a sequel as such but more a prequel in the same universe.  Finishing Graceling make me just want more from those characters but I continued on to Fire thinking that perhaps it would be a good carry over until the 3rd book was released.  I didn't really know what to expect from Fire except for some likely action, romance and a strong female lead.  I got all these things and more.  This book was like an episode of Mad Men (I love Mad Men btw, you MUST watch it) with all the drama and high tension and secrecy that loomed over the lives of Fire and the Dells as the Kingdom is on the edge of war.

The book starts in the world of Gracelings but this is just a starting point to show us into the new world of the Dells and the divided Kingdoms where we meet Fire.   She is the flame haired 'monster' that stuns all that see her because of the monster genes he kind possess making her beauty something that enraptures those that look upon her to the point that they practically worship her or want to destroy her.  At first I wasn't overly keen on Fire because she just seemed like a pretty girl that didn't appreciate Archer, who is clearly in love with her, and what she could do but as the story develops and she goes to aid King Nash and the Royal Family at Court you understand how her beauty is nothing but a set back for her.  She had a hard life and though she has power over others its a burden because of her father's use of the same power that destroyed many lives and ruined the previous king to his death.

I loved how the practical nature of life is never forgotten such as travelling halfway across the kingdom taking weeks and this actually being acknowledged and the need to rest, eat and the luxury of having a bath.  I adored Clara's outspoken nature and as one of the King Nash's siblings she is a breathe of fresh air and alike Fire but in a totally different way.  She has knowledge and a cunning nature as her power where as Fire literally had the ability to control minds and has to decide to use it for good even if it meant doing harmful actions to produce 'good results'.  Brigan was a bit hard to understand to start but I grew to love because of the wall he builds up against Fire's mind it also blocks out the reader too.  So that was frustrating for me as it was for Fire but he soon opens up and Fire soon learns to read him without falling back on her gift/curse.

Fire is a well woven story that has so many on running layers to it.  From the past to the present, the mystery over the 'foggy' attackers, facing enemies in war and within, Fire's own battles against her father's history and herself and yet I, as a reader, never felt lost.  You kind of just had to go with the flow and when one story line dropped you off, you jumped on the next one waiting for you and the characters guided you along.  I liked the hints at characters and the world that exists in Graceling which in the context of time is in the future and makes me wonder what Bitterblue the next book holds and if characters from both books will be united. 

It's hard to go into alot of detail about the characters and the story because basically I'd have to spoil alot things to explain is all be I'll just say it had me gripped, gasping, shocked and hooked just as much as I was with Graceling

Rating: 8.5/10
Published by Orion Books and available here and all good bookshops

IMM: In My Mailbox [1]

In My Mailbox is an epic feautre run by The Story Siren and my links go to Amazon UK but other book sellers are out there too!


So I've decided to run this on a two week basis at the moment and some weeks it may be very busy and some it might be only one book but I shall see what happens and what people think etc.

This IMM is bigger than normal because I had some belated Christmas gifts, I went 'a bit crazy' on Amazon and The Book Deposity post Christmas and I also went out to book shops so I'm having some post book buying withdrawls currently.

 

Bought

Matched by Ally Condie 

[I've been hearing SO many good things about this and as soon as I saw the book trailer I was gagging to buy it]

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore 

[I'm a big fan of sci-fi stuff so this looks good.  I found this copy in a Charity Shop so a bargin to good to miss]

You Against Me by Jenny Downham

[I read her first book Before I Die and though it isn't my usual type of read it actually moved me to tears so after reading Jenny @ Wondrous Reads positive write up for this book I went out and bought it]

NightShade by Andrea Cremer

[EVERYONE is talking about this book and the cover is so wonderful! I've just started reading it]

Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder

[I love Maria's books and said so when I meet her at a signing for the 1st in this trilogy so I highly recommend you read all her stuff.  Very Excited for this book as it's the last in the this trilogy]

Succubus Nights by Richelle Mead

[I adore her Vampire Academy series and was egged on by my friend Krystal @ Bookshelf Banter to read her adult series and this is book 2]

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

[I'd seen this book when it was out in Hardback and thought it looked good and after reading Andrew @ Pewterwolf talk about it I went and treated myself to the Paperback.]

The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar

[I know nothing about this book except that it was in a second hand book shop, the blurb looked good and the cover was orange so I bought it]

Gifts

Entice by Carrie Jones

[A late Xmas gift from my Aunt, Uncle and cousins.  3rd in the series and very keen to read as the ending to the 2nd one was a major cliffhanger]

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Millar

[Another late xmas gift from the family.  I'd had this recommended to be me by my friend Krystal as well but it wasn't out in the UK at the time so I'm glad I have it now]

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

[Gift from Jenny @ Wondrous Reads. THANK U JENNY]

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

[technically a regift because I got it for my cousin, Becky, for Christmas because I'd remembered someone had told me it was good and I thought she'd like it; turns out it was Becky who'd told me it was good so I just kept it and bought her something else instead.

HAPPY READING

XOXO

Review: I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

So I had heard of this book a long time ago and just never picked it up and to be honest when the movie version starring Will Smith came out it put me off picking it up straight away because of all the hype surrounding the book because of the movie.  Things like that tend to put me off reading a book straight away unless I've had a personal recommendation from friends, family or other bloggers.  Which in this case I did.  Jenny from Wondrous Reads said to me before that it is one of her all time top 5 books ever and with a high recommendation like that how could I say no!

I also fancied reading a vampire book that had a different edge to it from what now seems to be the normal vampire current trends (vampires = the bad evilness or vampires = or shiny love interest).  Set in the late 1970s but written in 1954 the book has been critiqued heavily since it's publication and I don't think I'm able to make 'well rounded' comment on that point in this review because a) deconstruction of texts and analysis is not what I try and make my reviews about (I did that for many years at university and college so I've done more than my fair share!) and b) I don't feel knowledgeable enough on the subject area to tackle it.

So this review is just a review of the book as a horror genre novel and a vampire story but there are many places on the Internet that I'm sure you could read up on the historical context of the book and looking at it as a comparative text etc.

Right; on to the fun stuff: VAMPIRES RAWR!

So the book is set in a sort of post epic virus attack that we gradually learn about from Robert Neville, the main character and our eyes in this new world, as he learns about why and how this virus struck, why he has survived against it all and if there is a cure.  This involves learning the basics of what a virus even is and then learning how this one functions before how to cure it, if it can be cured at all.

What I did really like about this story is even though it was in essence a vampire story we rarely hear about vampires in the traditional sense.  The dead and living dead as Robert describes them have vampire traits but not all of the legends seem to be true as he finds out from trial and error and he doesn't even refer to them as Vampires to begin with.  They are more like a looming horror outside his world and he survives day by day until he soon comes to the decision to do something about it rather than just surviving.

Considering that this book is essentially a one man story with few supporting characters it makes the sensation of isolation even more believable.  We only ever really hear Robert's "voice" unless it's a memory or general shouting from the living dead and even toward the end of the book when another character enters his world it's still very much his story.  He fights with himself and against the man he was and is now as well as his inner voice that tells him how foolish his actions are and this only adds to the isolation and claustrofobic nature of the story. 

The book is genuinely scary and touching at the same time and I loved the added details here and there like Robert describing his day to day chores and how he feels as he drinks away the world some nights and listens to classical music.  A great story with a twist at the end that leaves you with a sense of closure to his story but also left me feeling hollow at the same time but in a good way.  It's a hollow feeling because it's the ending that he needed even if I wanted another solution.  I was left happy and sad at the same time.  It is very much a story about conflict from the battle physically against enemies, mental battles with the mind and the past and the conflict of the old and new.


Rating: 8/10

Published by Orion Books and available here and all good bookshops

Review: Torment by Lauren Kate

Torment is the 2nd in this series of Fallen Angels and Love through the Ages by Lauren Kate so be warned that there are likely to be some spoilers for Fallen below.  I have to say that these books have the most beautiful cover art.  They are honesty a delight for the eyes and initially that is why I picked up the 1st book Fallen.  If I'm honest when I finished Fallen I really enjoyed it but felt I wasn't really gripped until the last third of the book when all the pieces started to come together and fall into place.  Like Luce, I felt lost with so many puzzle pieces and conflicting information and didn't know what to make of it all.  It was an interesting idea for a love story and the characters were good but I was a bit hesitant to dive straight into Torment in case it was a slow build up like Fallen was.

Torment however kicked  things off straight away and kept me glued to the pages so much that I read it in only a few days.  Though we'd learnt much about Luce and Daniel and how they are connected in Fallen there are still so many unanswered questions for Luce and as Daniel leaves her at a new school to work on some mystery task she is left to work things out for herself.  We see the world in a new light after the big reveals at the end of Fallen and Luce has to understand not just her place in it but the history of it all and how her life will be from now on and ultimately her relationship with Daniel.  It's never trouble free and the further Luce digs and discovers the more danger looms for her and her new and old friends.

New characters like Shelby and Miles really add a new dynamic to the story as it unfolds.  Luce has an idea of what is going on but her new classmates really show her more about the world of Angels and Demons and also new things about herself even if they don't always realise it.  I really felt the constant internal battle Luce has with herself and with the little knowledge that she has about Daniel and her past.  She doesn't know who she can really trust and is even unsure if she can trust what she does learns after being lied to so much at Sword & Cross, the reform school she was sent to in Fallen, met Daniel and learnt the truth.  She becomes her 'real' self as she is forced to exist without Daniel in constant close contact and discovers more about who she is and who she wants to be.  This leads to some ultimate decisions in the end that leads us tumbling into the 3rd book Passion which comes out Summer 2011.

It was only today that the cover art for Passion has been released and I really must say that it is just as stunning as the previous books.  More colour and maybe even a hint at the balance of good and evil that looms over the story with the orange hue in the clouds and deep blue of the sky. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Published by Doubleday part of Random House UK and available here and all good bookshops

Look out for Passion coming out in the UK June 2011

Maggie Stiefvater Delights!

So tomorrow (6th Jan) is the official release of the newly covered version of Lament here in the UK and oh my, they look so wonderful I could eat them with a spoon!  However I'll resist doing so because there would be a high risk of papercuts I fear!  Instead I shall forward you onwards to the Scholastic UK twitter and homepage for a day full of goodies and treats to celebrate Lament coming out.  It's also the official day that the cover of Forever the 3rd installment in the Wolves of Mercy Falls books is being released.

However it seems Amazon UK has jumped ahead already and it's been added to the product page for Forever today.   Since then Maggie has tweeted us a copy of it too so I think all the excitement for Lament has kicked off already! I love the silver colouring and almost mirror shimmer effect it has and the rain and rose graphics sort of reminds me of Beauty and the Beast.  I want it now!

The 'Kiss Me, Kill Me' series

Just a short note to recommend a series that starts from the 10th of this month over on Sarwat Chadda's Blog called the Kiss Me, Kill Me series and it features some amazing authors from the world of YA books including many of my personal favourites.

You can find out more here as well as a full list of the authors involved

While i'm on the subject I'd really recommend Sarwat Chadda's books 'Devil's Kiss' and 'Dark Goddess' because they are excellent reads with a wonderful mythology and historical background starting out London in 'Devil's Kiss' and then moving to Russia in 'Dark Goddess'.  Plus the UK covers are so pretty to look at!

Review: Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Beauitful Darkness is the second book in the Caster Chronicles series  and continues to story of Ethan and Lena who are in a constant struggle with the curse that lingers over Lena as a Caster and Ethan her Mortal Boyfriend.  This story however leads us further into the pasts of the Caster world and Lena's ancestors to discover more about how the curse has rippled through time and her family. It also reminds us that for Lena a curse is always a curse and it can come and appear at any time and in any shape and form it decides.  What I love about this series is the attention to detail when it comes to the location and the history that the story is so rich in.  I've only ever visited two States in America, New York and Florida, and yet I feel like I've been to every location mentioned in the books.  The pulsing heat and the smells of lemons and Amma's baking haunts the pages and I always have a craving for pie when I've put down these books, either that or fried chicken.  

I also loved the ever evolving stories that come from the past and hang onto the present for these young characters. The history of the Caster world and the Mortal world plays heavily on their lives from the history of the Civil War in Gatlin to the tales of love and battle in Lena's Light and Dark sided family.  It really is a book for the senses to become caught up in and I have no doubt that you'll be easily swept away with the story.  Having it told from a male point of view is another aspects I really enjoyed because it's unusal to hear a romance so lovingly told from a male voice and still feel that strong connection to both characters.  Your heart breaks for both of the them for many reasons as they fight for their hearts and against what seems like an impossible foe: Fate.  Even the other characters in the book like Link, Ethan's best friend, or Marian, the librarian, shine just as brightly as Ethan and Lena do in the story.  It makes me wonder if they have their own stories to be heard in future books.  I know I'd love to hear more of the wit and wisdoms of one Link Lincoln.  You have to reach the end of the book to find out if your heart and their's will be able to mend itself.  

Rating: 9/10

Published by Penguin Books UK and can be bought here and all good book stores

IMM: In My Mailbox

This idea comes from The Story Siren and it's basically a way to share with readers and fellow bloggers all the wonderful things that your mailbox has brought you and it's always a great way to remind myself that I REALLY need to invest in more bookshelves

I know some bloggers are lucky enough that their Mailbox is always overflowing but seeing as I'm a fairly new book blogger (though i've been blogging for many years on my personal blog) I don't have that delight quite yet so my aim for the new year is to do one IMM post a month in the hopes that eventually I can "upgrade" to doing it bi-monthly or even weekly.  I'll start at the end of this month but I wanted to introduce it now because it's one of my favourite features on other blogs to gush over pretty books, shiny covers and have a general geeky gush fest.

So IMM is new for 2011 and hopefully more to come and possibly more followers too :-) A Fangirl can dream!