Tuesday, 12 October 2010

Teaser Tuesday (4)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and here's how you play..


Grab your current read and open to a random page. Share a couple of “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser.

Finding Sky by Joss Stirling


 
 
'Your mad ! There's nothing you can do to make me tell the police such a lie, even if you threaten me.'
-page 196-

Sunday, 10 October 2010

Book Review: Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Title: Infinite Days
Author: Rebecca Maizel
Release Date (England): 3rd Septmeber 2010
Publisher (English): Macmillian Children's Books
Price (UK pounds): £9.99
Genre: YA
Series: 1st in the Lenah Beaudonte Novels
No. Pages: 400

Blurb:
For 500 years Lenah Beaudonte has been a vampire. 500 years of seduction, blood and destruction. But she is sickened by her dark powers – and longs to feel the sun on her skin, grass under her bare feet, and share the breath of a human kiss. She wants to be mortal again. But is she really capable of being human, after her long years of darkness? Waking up as a sixteen-year-old girl brings Lenah many things – the life she has missed, taste, touch, love. But a vampire soul is not easily shed. And her coven – the four vampires she led in decadence and thrilling destruction – want their queen back . . .
 
I had seen quite a few people do reviews on this book, but had never read any as the title never really drew me in. But I saw it in my local bookshop and the cover automatically made me need this book. It has the most beautiful cover i have ever seen, especially without the dust cover on (the dustcover is one the picture on the book, above)
 
I began to read this book before going to sleep I only planned to read about 20 pages but ended up reading over 100, and could of stayed up and read it all night if I didnt need to be up early the next morning.
Straight from the start I was hooked, and knew this book was going to be one of my favourites.
I am literally unable to use words to sum up how utterly amazing this book is, all I can say is: GO BUY IT NOW!!!!!

Maizel has this un-natural ability to make all characters loveable, including ones you are supposed to dislike.
Also her book is very different from vampire books I've read before. It's not one of these girl falls for irrestable vampire, but can almost be said its the oppisite.

Please go and buy this piece of amazment, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did

I give this book...

Saturday, 9 October 2010

In My Mailbox (6)

In my Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren so if you are intrested in taking part make a post telling people what the books you recently bought are and post it on The Story Siren's blogs.
I didnt actually intend on buying any books this week, but went down into town to by my mums presents and ended up coming back with 4 books...

Vampires: From Dracula to Twilight: A Complete Guide to Vampire Mythology by Charalotte Montague

There's something about vampires. In all their deadly, blood-sucking incarnations, they fascinate us. From Count Dracula to Edward Cullen, for centuries we have been enthralled  by the mysterious ledgends that surronded these dangerous creatures, and vampires have rarely been more popular than they are today. Pale-skinned, dark-cloaked, garlic-hating... the folklore is crawling with memorable myths. But how much do we really know about the history if vampire folklore? And is there any truth in it?

Fallen by Lauren Kate (Fallen #1)

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.





Torment by Lauren Kate (Fallen #2)

How many lives do you need to live before you find someone worth dying for? In the aftermath of what happened at Sword & Cross, Luce has been hidden away by her cursed angelic boyfriend, Daniel, in a new school filled with Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans. Daniel promises she will be safe here, protected from those who would kill her. At the school Luce discovers what the Shadows that have followed her all her life mean - and how to manipulate them to see into her other lives. Yet the more Luce learns about herself, the more she realizes that the past is her only key to unlocking her future...and that Daniel hasn't told her everything. What if his version of the past isn't actually the way things happened...what if Luce was really meant to be with someone else?

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Lenah Beaudonte is, in many ways, your average teen: the new girl at Wickham Boarding School, she struggles to fit in enough to survive and stand out enough to catch the eye of the golden-boy lacrosse captain. But Lenah also just happens to be a recovering five-hundred-year-old vampire queen. After centuries of terrorizing Europe, Lenah is able to realize the dream all vampires have -- to be human again. After performing a dangerous ritual to restore her humanity, Lenah entered a century-long hibernation, leaving behind the wicked coven she ruled over and the eternal love who has helped grant her deep-seated wish.
Until, that is, Lenah draws her first natural breath in centuries at Wickham and rediscovers a human life that bears little resemblance to the one she had known. As if suddenly becoming a teenager weren’t stressful enough, each passing hour brings Lenah closer to the moment when her abandoned coven will open the crypt where she should be sleeping and find her gone. As her borrowed days slip by, Lenah resolves to live her newfound life as fully as she can. But, to do so, she must answer ominous questions: Can an ex-vampire survive in an alien time and place? What can Lenah do to protect her new friends from the bloodthirsty menace about to descend upon them? And how is she ever going to pass her biology midterm.

Finding Sky by Joss Stirling

When Sky catches a glimpse of Zed for the first time, lounging against his motorbike at school, she is drawn to him just like every other girl in Wickenridge. But Zed sees something special in her that the other girls don't have. Zed tells her they are both Savants - people with special powers like telepathy and the ability to see into the future. Not only that, she is a Savant too, and his soulfinder - meant to be together.
When a soulfinder speaks telepathically to her partner, it's like all the lights coming on in a building. You lit me up like Vegas. But for Sky it's just not that easy - she's a mystery to herself, haunted by nightmares from her past before she was adopted, and riddled with doubt and insecurity. Just when Sky is slowly coming round to the idea of being with Zed she is kidnapped by a family of criminal Savants. In a chilling twist, Sky and Zed's relationship is put to the ultimate test and the fate of those she loves lie in Sky's hands. Will Sky have the strength to embrace her power and be brave enough to control her own destiny, or will the dark demons of her past prevent her from realising her true potential?

Dark Heart Forver by Lee Monroe

Jane Jonas is nearing her 16th birthday and troubled by unsettling recurring dreams where the same mysterious boy her age comes to her, telling Jane that they are each other's destiny. Her mother is increasingly anxious about Jane's disruptive sleepwalking episodes, but for Jane her dream world and reality are about to collide ...When she develops a friendship with an enigmatic stranger in town, the blond, uber-cool Evan, it's exciting, it's new, and Jane wants him more than she's ever wanted anybody - until her mystery dream boy gets in the way. Now Jane is caught between two worlds: one familiar, but tinged with romance and excitement; the other dark and dangerous, where angels, werewolves, and an irresistible stranger are trying to seduce her ...

Book Review: Vampires: From Dracula to Twilight - The Complete Guide to Vampire Mythology by Charalotte Montague

Title: Vampires: From Dracula to Twilight - The Complete Guide to Vampire Mythology

Author: Charalotte Montague
Release Date (England): 4th March 2010
Publisher (English): Sphere
Price (UK pounds): £16.99
Genre: Non-fiction
Series: None
No. Pages: 192

Vampires: From Dracula to Twilight - The Complete Guide to Vampire Mythology is a great Ology book based on the myths and ledengs of vampires. Full of many facts that I never knew before it was definately worth the money and the read.

I had seen this book in my local bookshop but unfortunately didnt have enough money at the time, and months later i had finally got round to buying it and starting reading it straight away.
This book tells you everything you could wish to know about vampires from The Rise of the Vampire Myth to how they changed from Pesant to Nobleman, about the Myths and Ledgends to the Vampire Devotees, and my favourite part Vampires of the Imagenation.

The Rise of the Vampire Myth
This pat of the book tells you about the myths that were created to make vampires come to life in the mind. Of how the people of the time would decide whether someone was a vampire and how they would destroy them.
This part was filled of many unknown for me factual pieces.

Peasent to Nobleman
This part of the book tells the reader how vampires changed from this lowly creature who hid away in forests and woods to this nobleman living in big houses, irrestable charm, and all the ladies.

Myths and Ledgends
For me this was the boring part of the book, I dont know why but the only things that was intresting me to read this part was the bits i already know.
But it does tells you more Myths and Ledgends that just didnt intrest me, but may you.

Vampire Devotees
This was the shocking make you cringe at the horror part of the book.
Full with stories of serial killers whose way of murderer could be described as almost vampire like. It was very intresting to read but a bit gorry, but still great.

Vampires of the Imagenation
This part of the book is dedicated to Vampires of the books, screen and music, and tells us how books such as Bram Stoker's Dracula and Stephenie Meyers Twilight changed the literature world forver.
It includes information of books and films from: Twilight to The Vampire Chronicles, from True Blood to Buffy.
Also including lists of the some of the best films, books, tv shows and songs dedicated to Vampires.

The only really down part about the book is some of the images. Im a bit of a scary cat and some pictures are hardly for the faint hearted, leaving me to cover them up with a glove just so i could read that page.
But all in all the book is a good book, definately recommended for anyone intrested in Ology books, are just someone whose intrested in how vampires came to life.

I give this book...

Friday, 8 October 2010

WOOOOH!!! Completed 2010 Book Challenge Goal

So this year I attempted to read 65 books which today, the 8th October 2010 I have completed....
So heres the list of books:
(Books which i have reviewed are marked as reviewed. Click Here for list of reviews)

  1. Evil Star by Anthony Horowitz
  2. The Lake of Souls by Darren Shan
  3. Lord of the Shadows by Darren Shan
  4. Sons of Destiny by Darren Shan
  5. Night Rise by Anthony Horowitz
  6. Hunger by Michael Grant
  7. Luxe by Anna Godbersen
  8. Rumors by Anna Godbersen
  9. Betrayed by PC and Kristen Casr
  10. Stolen by Lucy Christopher
  11. Chosen by PC and Kristen Cast
  12. Untamed by PC and Kristen Cast
  13. Beautiful Creatured by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia
  14. Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
  15. Girl, Missing by Sophie Mckenzie
  16. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher [Review]
  17. The Intiation by LJ Smith
  18. Percy Jackson and the Lightening Theif by Rich Riordan
  19. Secret Vampire by LJ Smith
  20. Daughters of Darkness by LJ Smith
  21. Hunted by PC and Kristen Cast
  22. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
  23. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitz-patrick
  24. Of Mice and Men by John Stienbeck
  25. Fallen by Lauren Kate
  26. Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
  27. Groosham Grange by Anthony Horowitz
  28. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
  29. The Return to Groosham Grange by Anthony Horowitz
  30. The Rapture by Liz Jensen
  31. Marley and Me by John Grogan [Review]
  32. Dead Girls Dance by Rachel Caine
  33. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
  34. Enchantress by LJ Smith
  35. The Strange Power by LJ Smith
  36. The Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
  37. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
  38. Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
  39. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
  40. Twilight: Directors Notebook by Catherine Hardwicke
  41. Poison Study by Maria V Snyder [Review}
  42. The Possessed by LJ Smith
  43. The Passion by LJ Smith
  44. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire [Review]
  45. Linger by Maggie Stievfater [Review]
  46. Jessica's Guide To Dating On The Darkside by Beth Fantaskey
  47. Bitten and Smitten by Michelle Rowen
  48. Twilight Graphic Novel V.1
  49. Sister's Red by Jackson Pearce
  50. Envy by Anna Godbersen
  51. Fanged and Fabulous by Michelle Rowen
  52. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins [Review]
  53. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
  54. Dreamland By Sarah Dessen [Review]
  55. Splendor by Anna Godbersen
  56. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins [Review]
  57. MockingJay by Suzanne Collins[Review]
  58. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
  59. I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
  60. Beastly by Alex Flinn [Review]
  61. By Midnight by Mia James
  62. Lady and the Vamp by Michelle Rowen
  63. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice [Review]
  64. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
  65. Vampire: The Complete Guide to Vampire Mythology by Charalotte Montague

 

Tuesday, 5 October 2010

Winter Books


We all have certain books for certain times of the year.
For me summer is for the short and the girly, and winter the long and the supernatural.
I enjoy nothing more than reading a good old long book whilst curled up in my bed or on my chair in my dressing gown while with my big fat chunky book attached to my hands.
But what im mostly looking forward to this year is my re-reads. During the run up to Christmas (Christmas=YAY) I am almost bookless, well i was last year. So ive made my list of boos to re-read, but firstly am planning to attempt to get as many un-read books done first.

Heres my list of re-reads:
  • Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer (a series I plan to read every year)
  • The Host by Stephenie Meyer
  • By Midnight by Mia JAmes
  • Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
  • Shiver + Linger by Maggie Stievater (Shiver for me is THE winter read)
  • Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Just because there amazing!!!)
  • Sister's Red by Jackson Pearce
So thats my list and prefernces, feel free to share yours, in the comment section below.

Teaser Tuesday (3)

Teaser Tuesday is weekly meme hosted by Mizb at Should be Reading


* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding


 
 
'On other nights get plop, wearing unstylish pinnies, inti bug black holes after their husbands have rung to say they're working late again, with sound if creaking leatherware and sexy Singletons tittering in the background.
Met sharon, Jude and Tom after work.'
-page 244-

Sunday, 3 October 2010

To Be Read Pile!


So im currently kind of stuck on what book to read next, so can you help. Heres my list of books to read, also which I plan to read by the new year:

  • Tempted by PC and Kristen Cast
  • Divine By Mistake by PC Cast
  • Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine
  • City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
  • Blue Bloods y Melissa DeLa Cruz
  • Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
  • Magic Study by Maria V Snyder
  • Lord Loss by Darren Shan
  • Storm Glass by Maria V Snyder
  • Eragon by Christopher Paolini
  • The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
  • Songs of a Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult
  • The Pact by Jodi Picoult
  • Kinsella Sisters by Kate Thompson
  • Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Also here is the list of books I plan to re-read by the new year:
  • Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
  • Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
  • Living Dead In Dallas by Charalaine Harris
  • Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
  • Shiver by Maggie Stievater
  • Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Quite a list of books to read in 3months, and many more will be added once i add to my book collection.
So please help by giving me an idea of what book to read next.

In My Mailbox (5)

A small In My Mail Box this week....
Re-bought the Bridget Jones Series by Helen Fielding.
Also check out my list of reviews:

Friday, 1 October 2010

My Questions On Contests???

Ive seen many contests hosted by many bloggers, and I have decided that i infact want to do a contest, but i currently only have 14 followers and want to know the perfect time to start doing contests.
I already have some books to give away and would do it now but I know I would have many entired.
So can someone please tell me how many followers after would you decide to do contests?
Thank you

Wednesday, 29 September 2010

Book Review: Beastly by Alex Flinn

Title: Beastly

Author: Alex Flinn
Release Date (England): 12th December 2008
Publisher (English): Harper Teen
Price (UK pounds): £6.99
Genre: YA
Series: None
No. Pages: 336

I am a beast.
A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog, but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.
You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever – ruined – unless I can break the spell.
Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly.

Beastly is based of the classic story of Beauty and the Beast a tale we have all grown up with and loved, especially me. I love Beauty and the Beast and its my all time favourite Disney film, so this made me very cautious over buying Beastly.
I first heard about Beastly once I found out it was being made into a film and only recently got round to buying it and Im glad i did. I was first worried that it wouldnt be good and could of possible ruined Beauty and the Beast for me, but luckily it didnt.

Alex Flinn brought this classic story into the modern era perfectly, basing the characters on what I could only describe as the perfect roles for the character. The Beast called Kyle is that popular boy who we all loathe because of his good looks, popularity and money, but we all hate because of his arrogant and jerk ways, the Beauty: Lindy, is a quiet 'geeky' loner girl who is basically not known at all by anyone in her school. Throughout the book we witness the almost complete change of Kyle from this selfish egoistic guy, to someone caring and the complete oppisite to who he is at the beginning of the book.

My favorite thing about the story is the use of the roses. If you dont know the main object in Beauty and the Beast is a rose, used as a time keeper, which it also is in Beastly, but it also has a more significant role within the story. Its what brings Lindy and Kyle together.

MY second favourite thing about the book is before every part of the book theres a chat room, for supernatural creatures who walk the earth. We are partially shown there world and story and I reallly hope Alex Flinn would use this in her other book (i dont know if she has or not as ive only read  this) and maybe create a whole modern day fairy tale series based on the characters in the chat room.

This book is great and quick read, perfect for summer/spring time. If you love your fairy tales and classics im almost certain you wil be obsessed with this wonder book.
I give this book a...


Tuesday, 28 September 2010

Book Review: Interview With A Vampire by Anne Rice

Title: Interview With A Vampire

Author: Anne Rice
Release Date (England): 8th December 1994
Publisher (English): Sphere
Price (UK pounds): £7.99
Genre: Adult- Horror
Series: 1st book in the Vampire Chonicles
No. Pages: 352

Synopsis from Waterstones

In a darkened room a young man sits telling the macabre and eerie story of his life - the story of a vampire, gifted with eternal life, cursed with an exquisite craving for human blood. Anne Rice's compulsively readable novel is arguably the most celebrated work of vampire fiction since Bram Stoker's Dracula was published in 1897. As the Washington Post said on its first publication, it is a 'thrilling, strikingly original work of the imagination ...sometimes horrible, sometimes beautiful, always unforgettable'.


I can say that I am currently 100 pages excatly from the end of this book, and felt as though I couldn't carry on reading it without doing this review. I know I really shouldnt do this as I've not finished experencing the book but it just seems right to do this now.

I have currently been reading this 352 page book for a few months now, constantly on and off, and I hate to say this as it is one of the top vampire books, but i dont like it. Anne Rice's writing is great and the idea of the book sounds fantastic but i expected better, for me theres just soemthing about it that i dont like, and i cant figure out what it is.
Maybe its because i have read the book in one but keep stopping and starting or maybe its something else but i feel like i cant carry on reading this book.

Im not saying this is a rubbish book, because its not and i know people who have enjoyed it greatly, but i just didnt like it

I give this book...

Teaser Tuesday (2)

Teaser Tuesday is weekly meme hosted by Mizb at Should be Reading

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Interview With A Vampire by Anne Rice






'God did not live in this church; these statues gave an image to nothingness. I was the supernatureal in this cathedral'
-158-159

Tuesday, 7 September 2010

Teaser Tuesday (1)

Teaser Tuesday is weekly meme hosted by Mizb at Should be Reading

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
 
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
 



'Again,  Galen slipped up the stairs before the princesses without making a sound. When rose checked to see if he was sleeping, he was snoring peacefully, inhaling the scent of her perfume as she leaned over the back of the sofa.'

Sunday, 5 September 2010

Book Review: MockingJay by Suzanne Collins

Title: MockingJay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Release Date (England): 25th August 2010
Publisher (English): Scholastic
Price (UK pounds): £6.99
Genre: YA- Adventure
Series: 3rd book in the Hunger Games Trilogy
No. Pages: 448

MockingJay is the final book in the Hunger Games Trilogy.
I thought that it would be difficult for Suzanne Collins, to create another book which lives up to the excellence of which Hunger Games and Catching Fire are, but once again she created a mind-blowing book to end the trilogy.

Whilst I sat here trying to write this review I tried and I tried to write about what happens in this book without spoiling anything. This is something I have found impossible, and all I can say is go and get the book right NOW!
It is absolutely amazing, beyond what words can describe, this could possibly of beaten all other books and somehow managed to force its way onto my top 5 favourite books.

Once again Suzanne Collin’s has been able to carry on creating amazing places, items and clothing which all help make this book incredible and unique.
It deserves a whole book genre of its own.

Suzanne Collins hasn’t just made a book, she has infact made a phenomenal land, creating her version of the future, what this world could be in ? years time, leaving the whole of the series to linger in your mind for days, months even years ahead.
I will never forget this series.
I will never forget the message it creates.
I will never stop thinking about it.

I give this book a...


Saturday, 4 September 2010

In My Mailbox (4)

In my Mailbox is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren.

Some of these books are from weeks before but i have not yet shown, so some ive read.

Fanged and Fabulous by Michelle Rowen
Book 2 in the Immortalilty Bites
If you ask Sarah Dearly, there are perks to being a vampire. Namely the ability to stay thin forever and her handsome, 600-year-old boyfriend, Thierry de Bennicoeur. But lately Thierry's been reverting to his moody normal self. And there's that little matter of Sarah's being made enemy no. 1 of the Vampire Hunters. Turns out, when she killed several hunters to save herself and her new brethren (who are harmless, really!) she became the target of every two-bit vampire hunter in the world. And Sarah's not good at things like hand-to-hand combat. Enter Quinn, the vampire hunter-turned hunted, who has declared his love for her on more than one occasion. Soon Sarah finds herself the focal point of a love triangle once again. But it's hard to choose between your brooding, handsome lover and the man whose training sessions get your blood, uh, boiling. That is if Sarah can stay alive long enough to make a decision.


Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Book 2 in the Hunger Games Trilogy

After winning the brutal Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen returns to her district, hoping for a peaceful future. But Katniss starts to hear rumours of a deadly rebellion against the Capitol. A rebellion that she and Peeta have helped to create. As Katniss and Peeta are forced to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. Unless Katniss and Peeta can convince the world that they are still lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

Check out my review here!
 
 
 
 
 
MockingJay by Suzanne Collins
Book 3 in the Hunger Games Trilogy
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge...This thrilling final instalment of this ground-breaking trilogy promises to be one of the most talked-about books of the year.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Pact by Jodi Picoult
For eighteen years the Hartes and the Golds have lived next door to each other, sharing everything from Chinese food to chicken pox to carpool duty. Parents and children alike are best friends - so it's no surprise that in high school Chris and Emily's friendship blossoms into something more. They've been soul mates since they were born. When the midnight calls come in from the hospital, no one is prepared for the appalling truth: Emily is dead at seventeen from a gunshot wound to the head as part of an apparent suicide pact. The gun holds a single unspent bullet that Chris tells police he intended for himself, but a local detective has doubts. And the Hartes and Golds, in a single terrifying moment, must face every parent's worst fear: do we ever really know our children at all?


By Midnight by Mia James
Book 1 in the Ravenwood Mysteries

April Dunne is not impressed. She's had to move from Edinburgh to Highgate, London, with her parents. She's left her friends - and her entire life - behind. She has to start at a new school and, worst of all, now she's stuck in a creepy old dump of a house which doesn't even have proper mobile phone reception. Ravenwood, her new school, is a prestigious academy for gifted (financially or academically) students - and the only place her parents could find her a place, in the middle of term, in the middle of London, on incredibly short notice. So she's stuck with the super-rich, and the super-smart ...and trying to fit in is when the rest of the students seem to be more glamorous, smarter, or more talented than she is, is more than tough. It's intimidating and isolating, even when she finds a friend in the conspiracy-theorist Caro Jackson - and perhaps finds something more than friendship in the gorgeous, mysterious Gabriel Swift. But there's more going on at Ravenwood than meets the eye. Practical jokes on new students are normal, but when Gabriel saves her from ...something ...in the Highgate Cemetery, and then she discovers that a murder took place, just yards away from where she had been standing, April has to wonder if something more sinister is going on. ..and whether or not she's going to live through it .


Princess at the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

A tale of twelve princesses doomed to dance until dawn.

Galen is a young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all - true love - to conquer their foes in the dark halls below. But malevolent forces are working against them above ground as well, and as cruel as the King Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is mere irritation compared to the evil that awaits Galen and Rose in the brighter world above.


Beastly by Alex Flinn

I am a beast. A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog, but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever – ruined – unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly.


I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
Girl meets boy.
Girl loses boy.
Girl gets boy back...
...sort of.
Ava can't see him or touch him, unless she's dreaming. She can't hear his voice, except for the faint whispers in her mind. Most would think she's crazy, but she knows he's here.
Jackson. The boy Ava thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. He's back from the dead, as proof that love truly knows no bounds.





Inheritance Cycle Boxset by Christopher Paolini
The Complete Series:

Eragon
Eldest
Brisingr

Thursday, 2 September 2010

Book Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Release Date (England): 7th September 2009
Publisher (English): Scholastic
Price (UK pounds): £6.99
Genre: YA- Adventure
Series: 2nd book in the Hunger Games Trilogy
No. Pages: 480

Catching Fire is the sequel to Suzanne Collin’s bestseller Hunger Games, which completely mesmerized teenage book lovers, beyond belief, with its incredible writing and unique story line.

After her victory at the Hunger Games, Katniss returns home to live in the Victor’s Village, but she misses her old life, where she could live in her old home and hunt with Gabe, her best friend who is know forced to work in the mine’s 6 days a week.


But just before the Victors Tour, Katniss receives a visit from the President of Panem, after he believes Katniss has caused the Districts to start a rebellion. Now Katniss needs to convince the president that she did not mean to start a rebel, keep up her love with Peeta, and take part in the annual 75th Hunger Games tournament which this year includes constants who were once victors.

When reading hunger games I couldn’t find myself able to put it down, I literally had to force myself, with its addicting storyline, there was never a good place to take a break. Its almost as gripping as Hunger Games, with its unexpected twists, I could never of guessed what was going to happen next.

Part way through the book I began to wonder how Suzanne Collins can up with these individual and unique ideas, things which I have NEVER came across before in a book. If its amazing story was not enough, the garment designs, which Katniss’s designer creates for her, are so much of a fantasy on its own.

I give praise to Suzanne Collins, for making such a book, which kept teenagers gripped, without the use of complete supernatural creatures.

I am really looking forward to the next instalment Mocking Jay which recently was released just days ago. But could it really live up to the difficult task of being on the same level of success and amazement as Hunger Games and Catching Fire.

TEAM GALE!!!!!

I give this book

Wednesday, 1 September 2010

Book Review: Marley and Me by John Grogan

Title: Marley and Me
Author: John Grogan
Release Date (England): 26th July 2007
Publisher (English): Hodder and Stoughton
Price (UK pounds): £7.99
Genre: Adult- Animal/pets
Series: None
No. Pages: 384

Marley and me is the story of the narrator John Grogan and his troublesome Labrador Marley.
This book follows Marley from birth to death through all his mischief and adventures, along with his companion and owner John. It was also made into a film in 2008 staring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Anniston.

Marley and Me has been described as a definite tearjerker but will also make us all laugh.

This is a wonderful and great book, also a very simple book, with no complications, nothing to get your head around. Also for me it was nice to change from all these vampires and other supernatural creatures, to reading about the love of a man and his dog, a normal book for once.

The book really shows that a mans best friend really is his dog, and how much man and dog really do care for each other, a dog is just like another member of the family, which brought John, his wife, and children all closer together through the happiness of laughter created by Marley.
Also I think the fact that the book if true adds to the effect. The love and friendship wasn’t just something, someone randomly though of one day, this was real, an experience the author had lived himself.

Throughout the whole of this book I was nearly in tears from laughter, as was my mum when she read it. It’s a definite read for everyone, especially the whole family. But Marley and me is not just a novel, Marley also stars in four cartoon books for children, which John Grogan made himself.

I give this book



Due to the fact it is a good book, but not the best ive ever read.

Tuesday, 31 August 2010

Book Review: Marked by PC and Kristen Cast

Title: Marked

Author: PC and Kristen Cast
Release Date (England): May 2007
Publisher (English): ATOM
Price (UK pounds): £6.99
Genre: YA- Fantasy
Series: House of Night- Book 1
No. Pages: 368

(Synopsis According to Waterstones one of my local bookstores)
When sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird gets Marked as a fledgling vampire she must join the House of Night school where she will train to become an adult vampire. That is, if she makes it through the Change. But Zoe is no ordinary fledgling. She has been chosen as special by the Goddess Nyx and discovers her amazing new power to conjure the elements: earth, air, fire, water and spirit. When Zoey discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite group, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look within herself to embrace her destiny - with a little help from her new vampire friends.

I started Marked over a year and a half ago, this was one of the first books I read during the beginning of my book craze, I didn’t know what to expect, it was the cover which drew me to it, aswell as the blurb.
Before reading it myself I lent it to a friend, who did really like it so I started it myself.
But I did not enjoy it, like many beginning of the series books it wasn’t that good, it was to factual in a way and was introducing everything.
Within the first 75 pages I gave up, and went back to it July time, where the book began to get a bit better. So I didn’t really enjoy the book.

The worst point in the book had to be, once Zoey is at the House of Night School one of the first things she witnesses is Aphrodite giving oral sex to Erik, which honestly doesn’t phase me reading about, its just the fact this is kind of the first things about the school even for the reader, and not a nice way to introduce it.
Also there is alot of rituals, when the same words are being said, and even within the first ritual i was bored, but after the second and the third i was once again ready to give up reading the books.

I guess I will say that I also like the characters, there not the best I have came across, but still good well developed characters. My favourite, for the majority of the series would have to be Stevie Rae, I couldn’t exactly say what I liked most about her but I just liked her, basically everything about her is likable.
Also you have your common cliché characters, but in a good way as I don’t think you could have a story set in a school without your two main cliché’s. The cliché’s would have to be popular rich and fake Aphrodite and her boyfriend, popular, described as drop dead gorgeous Eric.

I guess it is good to have another Harry Potter boarding school type book, and I can promise that the series does get better.

I give this book

Sunday, 29 August 2010

Book Review: My Sister's Kepper by Jodi Picoult

Author: Jodi Picoult
Release Date: May 2004
Publisher: Hodder
Price (UK Pound): £7.99
Genre: Adult
Series: None
No. Pages: 432

My sister keeper is probably Jodi Picoults most successful book, which recently was turned into film which is an emotional, passionate, sad and heart wrenching story, which follows the Fitzgerald’s story, a family who love each other very much, but divide when it comes to the boundaries of family sacrifice.

The middle child Kate was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of 2. Five years later Kate’s body explodes with runaway cancer cells, she desperately needs a bone marrow transplant. Her mother Sara is determined to keep her daughter alive and persuaded her husband to let them make a genetically engineered daughter, Anna.

The story is mainly based around Anna who at 13 knows that her soul purpose in life and the only reason for her birth was to save her older sister, but now she’s expected to give up a kidney, and her mother is so intent of saving Kate she doesn’t see it as a big deal. But now Anna has had enough and hires a lawyer, to help her sue her parents over the rights of her body.

I bought this book just as the film was being released, and I had promised myself before I watch the film I will read the book. Which I did.

The book really lived up to my expectations, and better.

Jodi Picoult really did a good job at presenting the dilemma, and related to her own experiences with her son Jake who, who fortunately was not in a life-threatening situation.

The book shows how far a mother would go in an attempt to save a child, even if it means hurting the people around her, but sometimes a mother, doctor or others know what’s best, they just do what they can to save the patient in question.

Whilst reading this book I couldn’t help but hate the mother, Sara who thought it was ok to bring another child into the world, to save another, who thought that putting one of her daughters life at risk was ok as long as the other was saved. But then again wouldn’t most mothers do whatever they could if it means saving there child, even if it was just for a few more days. And the moment Anna came up to her mum and told her she no longer wanted to be forced, but wanted to choose if she was going to go through any more medical practises to save her older sister, I just wanted to strangle her.

Then there’s Anna, the girl who the story revolves around, obviously knowing her only meaning in life was to save her sister. Who more than likely thinks that her mother doesn’t love her as much as Kate, and makes the heart rendering decision to sue her parents, just so she has the chance to live a normal life, where she isn’t in hospitals with wires sticking out of her arm every other day, but instead wants to go to school, have friends and have a future, that’s not just putting her life at risk in an attempt to save another.

Brian the father, who is stuck between the tension of his wife, and daughter. Not being able to pick a side because he knows each are right in there own way, and refuses to choose.

Jesse, the older brother, who was unfortunately not a match to Kate. Jesse, was always left out in the family, with his mother and father being obsessed with the health of one daughter, and taking care of the other. Jesse was never properly cared for once his sister was diagnosed with cancer, so he started to rebel and getting slightly into trouble in a way of getting attention for once.

And then there’s Kate, the girl who everyone is obsessed with every time something slightly bad happens. Who just wants everything to end, to get rid of the tension in the house, and let her mum finally live on with her life.

My Sister’s Keeper is a very amazing book, which I recommend to everyone.
I give this book:

In My Mailbox (3)

Late Birthday Gift:
Dreamland By Sarah Dessen
Ever since she started going out with Rogerson Biscoe. Caitlin seems to have fallen into a semi-concious dreamland where nothing is quite real. Rogerson is different from anyone Catlin has ever known. He's magnetic. He's compelling. He's dangerous. Being with him makes Caitlin forget about eveything else- her missing sister, her withdrawn mother, her lackluster life. But what happens when Rogerson becomes a lager promblem than with out him?






Bought:
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
They say to live everyday as its your last- but you never actually think it’s going to be. You always think you’ll have more time.


That’s what I thought. But I was wrong.
The thing is, you don’t get to know when it happens.

You don’t remember to tell your family that you love them or- in my case- remember to say good bye to them at all.

What if, like me, you could live the last day over again? Could you make it perfect? If your whole life flashed before your eyes, would you have any regrets? Are there things you’d wanted to change?

Book Review: Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

Title: Dreamland

Author: Sarah Dessen
Release Date: May 2004?
Publisher: Speak
Price (US Dollars): RRP $8.99
Genre: YA
Series: None
No. Pages: 250

On Caitlin's 16th Birthday her sister ran away, to Newyork to be with her boyfriend. Her parents were devistated and obviously effected by the runaway of their oldest daughter.
When Caitlin joins the school cheerleading club, her mum finally feels like she has a reason to live again and see's caitlin as the daughter she had basically lost.
But Caitlin falls in love with Rogerson Biscoe and being with him makes Caitlin forget all of her worries, intil he becomes her biggest worry, after that first hit, she realises Rogerson is not as amazing as she first thought he was.
 
For some reason I am fasinated by books about abuse, which was why i bought this book. With it not being avaliable in England I had to wait for ages to get it, and during that wait I began to guess what it would be like. And what I had guessed was nothing like the book, this then caused the book to be a big disappointment to me.
 
This was the fourth Sarah Dessen book I have read, so I will honestly say I expected better, i'm not saying the book was bad because it wasn't nor am i saying that the writing quality was bad. But the length of the book, only 250 pages was not enough to fit the story into, in my personal opnion, especially seeing what the book was about. Abusive relationships, runaway sibling and a family slightly falling apart, the story could of been developed much more, seeing as these are important issues that effect many teenagers, and with Sarah Dessen being a very popular author for many teenage girls it would help get the effects out much easier.

I liked the character, yes i say this in every review but i mean it everytime. Caitlin feels as though she must live up to her sisters many achievemnets so far in life, but still be different.
Rogerson was/is abused by his father which shows why he abuses Caitlin, this is something that happens in many relationships when one of the people have been abused.
Caitlin's mother, is the typical soccer type mum, getting intrested in all the goings on at school and expecting her children to join on the clubs, to make her feel as though she does have a meaning to be on this world. She is very cliche, but the good kind.

I would still say this book was good, and would recommed it, if you can find it. A good short, summer read especially for all the girls out there, but maybe not the best Sarah Dessen book to start with.

I give this book a: