In My Mailbox (#18)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi, The Story Siren, you probably already know that but if you don't, go here and find out more!! 

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As you all loved Terry last week, he's here again, but not for long... I'm taking him to work with me tomorrow so he can sit on my desk! :D 

For review:

Undead - Kirsty Mckay 

The Butterfly Heart - Paula Leyden 

thank you to Chicken House for sending me a GORGEOUS finished copy of Undead... I've already read and reviewed it on my blog here but then gave my ARC to a friend so I'm glad I got a finished copy! :D 

Also thank you to Paula Leyden for sending me a copy of her amazing sounding book, The Butterfly Heart, I read about this one on Viv's blog, Serendipity Reviews, and it sounds just incredable! 

Gifted:

Elsewhere - Gabrielle Zevin

Wintercraft: Blackwatch - Jenna Burtenshaw

Thank you to my LOVELY blogger friends, Cait (The Cait Files) and Emma (Book Angel Booktopia) for sending me these!! Elsewhere sounds beautiful and I've been told by lots of people that I need to read it and the Wintercraft series also sounds great... the author is from my hometown and I love to support anyone "local" (I've since moved away!) so I cant wait to read this series and hopefully love it and promote it to everyone! 

So what did you get in your mailbox?

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Also, today is the final day to enter to win a book to the value of a fiver on my blog! Go here! The winner will be announced on Tuesday! 

On my Wishlist (#10)

On MY Wishlist is a weekly meme brought to you by Book Chick City, its a chance for you to drool over all those books from the past, present or future which you cant wait to get your hands on! 

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This week Is a rushed post, Im sorry, I usually write a bit about why I want to read these but I forgot to schedule my posts and I need to run so here goes...

Dead Rules - Randy Russell
Jun 2011 (HarperTeen US)

Goodreads Summary: 

Till death

Jana Webster and Michael Haynes were in love. They were destined to be together forever.
Do
But Jana's destiny was fatally flawed. And now she's in Dead School, where Mars Dreamcote lurks in the back of the classroom, with his beguiling blue eyes, mysterious smile, and irresistibly warm touch.
Us
Michael and Jana were incomplete without each other. There was no room for Mars in Jana's life—or death—story. Jana was sure Michael would rush to her side soon.

Part

But things aren't going according to Jana's plan. So Jana decides to do whatever it takes to make her dreams come true—no matter what rules she has to break.

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My Not-So-Still Life - Liz Gallagher Wendy Lamb Books (May 2011 US)

Goodreads Summary:

Vanessa is wise beyond her years. She's never really fit in at school, where all the kids act and dress the same. She's an artist who expresses her talent in the wacky colours she dyes her hair, her make-up and clothes. She's working on her biggest art project, and counting the days until she's grown up and can really start living. That adult world seems closer when Vanessa gets her dream job at the art supply store, Palette, where she worships the couple who runs it, Oscar and Maye. And she's drawn to a mysterious guy named James, who leads her into new, sometimes risky situations. Is she ready for this world, or not?

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Dark Parties - Sara Grant
Oct 2011 (Indigo UK)

Goodreads Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Neva has been trapped since birth. She was born and raised under the Protectosphere, in an isolated nation ruled by fear, lies, and xenophobia. A shield "protects" them from the outside world, but also locks the citizens inside. But there's nothing left on the outside, ever since the world collapsed from violent warfare. Or so the government says...

Neva and her best friend Sanna believe the government is lying and stage a "dark party" to recruit members for their underground rebellion. But as Neva begins to uncover the truth, she realizes she must question everything she's ever known, including the people she loves the most

Kissing Kate - Lauren Myracle

***This review is a repost of my February 20th review. I have reposted for Portrait of a Woman's Lesbian In Teen Novels week.***

For more information on the Lesbian teen novels week head over here.

It was just a kiss.

Kate and Lissa were best friends. Then one night last summer at a drunken, Kate leaned in to kiss Lissa, and Liss kissed her back. Now Kate is pretending Lissa doesn't exist. confused and alone, Lissa's left questioning everything she thought she knew about herself, and about life. But with the help of a new friend, Lissa is beginning to realize that sometimes falling in love with the wrong person is the only way to find your footing. 

Lissa’s got a lot going on. Her best friend, Kate, kissed her at a party and she didn’t pull away. They were both a part of it, they kissed each other, Lissa isn’t to blame. So why had they been avoiding each other for the past couple of weeks?

Kate was drunk when it happened, Lissa wasn’t. She wanted it to happen and was gutted when they were distracted by the guys. Does this mean she’s gay? Does this mean she and Kate can’t be friends anymore? Does this mean she’s a freak?

There a lot going around Lissa’s head throughout Kissing Kate. She was always a bit of a loner until she met Kate in seventh grade. Once she and Kate became friends they were inseparable, that is until the incident. Lissa finds herself with no-one to talk to, stuck with her own thoughts, until she reluctantly becomes friends with the “weird” girl of their year, Ariel, although of course her real name is Kimberley, that’s not weird at all!

I love this story. Lissa is obviously going through so much, there are questions she just can’t answer and she’s been stuck for too long thinking about things depending on what other people will think. Kissing Kate meant that she’d pulled herself away from “normality” but what is normal anyway!? I liked that you noticed the chance in Lissa so well, she was stuck in a mindset that so many teenagers are. Worrying too much about what other people would think and not doing what they want to do. The book called out to me and I totally related because I went through so many of the same thoughts and feelings when I was a teen!

When I read about this book I thought that Kate would be a more major character than she was. I thought that it would be all about Lissa and Kate and them skirting around what happened, purposely not talking about it. I was wrong, it was about Lissa and what happened to her when she kissed Kate, and what she had turned into by being friends with Kate. I loved that Lissa’s sister, Beth, was there to mirror the person that Lissa had become. Beth is turning into the girl who sees the material in everything; she says she wants a gold necklace because that’s what everyone else has but of course she actually wants a completely different necklace, which is the one she chooses in the end. I love that Beth overcame the pressure to care, but of course it’s easier at ten when all these things are new.

The characters really did make this book, they were so alive and you could picture them so well. It wasn’t just Lissa who was trying to figure her own stuff out, a lot of the characters were facing questions about who what they wanted, and it made them feel so real. Even though lesbianism is a major theme within the story, it wasn’t all about that to me. It was about questions and finding out who you are, whether those questions are about sexuality, careers, college choices, everything you face every day in your life. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, especially teens who oh so often finding themselves over thinking things! 

Kissing Kate was published in 2007 by Puffin Books. My copy was kindly sent to me by Clover at Fluttering butterflies. 

Goodreads | Amazon

The Bermudez Triangle - Maureen Johnson - Guest Review

“Look at us, we are the three

Nina, Mel and there’s Avery

Shout it loud, shout it louder,

Shout it out, Triangle Power!”

Nina, Mel and Avery form the Bermudez Triangle. Best friends since childhood they picked up the name during one of Nina’s birthday parties when another girl was jealous of their closeness. Spending all time together no matter what their relationship is tested when Nina goes off to precollege the summer before their senior year. Everything changes that summer and when Nina gets back she realises that maybe the triangle can some distorted shape once in a while, especially when it transpires that Avery and Mel are now more than just friends.

Read my Review of this amazing book here at Portrait of a Woman as a part of her Lesbian Teen Novels week! 

Sweet – Julie Burchill

“When I got out of jail with a heroin habit and a fat arse, I really thought that things could only get better. Then I found out that my husband, Mark, the minger, had only run off and taken the baby with him! Not to mention my iPod. I mean, I can have another baby – but it took me two years to put my proper soundtrack together.”

**this is the companion book to Sugar Rush; whilst this review is spoiler free for this book I cannot guarantee that the previous book will remain so!**

Maria Sweet, better known as Sugar, is 17, just out of prison to find that not only has her husband ran off with their baby, but the best friend that she is obviously in love with and can’t keep off her mind is gone too. And not only that; she also has no ipod to drown the sound of the mundane Brighton backdrop to her life! But let’s face it, Sugar has never been one to embrace the boredom of everyday life and chaos seems to follow her around even after shes sworn to be little miss sensible...

***

Sweet is the second in the two part series of Sugar Rush. The main character has gone from the wonderfully naive and doormat-like Kim to the hard ass Sugar. I can’t say that I loved Sweet as much as I loved Sugar Rush but it was still pretty good.

Pretty much the whole of Sweet is an internal monologue by Sugar. There’s very little dialogue and the narration is all from the point of view of sugar... which is a little, erm, interesting at times! I really think that if you didn’t like Sugar, you would honestly hate this book and it you are offended at all by anything to do with swearing, sex or plain vulgarness then don’t bother reading this one at all!

The story is interesting but I think a little predictable. Sugar Rush is well known for being about lesbian characters but throughout the entirety of this book the lesbian aspect of Sugar is overshadowed by the fact that shes not a lesbian... she’s bi-sexual, and even then you get the hint that it’s just because she’s a selfish cow that wants anyone and anything rather than her actually being attracted to people. She really is a handful and to be honest, it’s my love of the first book that got me through this one!  

Thats not to say it’s not good. I find Sugar’s character intriguing and the book is very action packed so you never get bored. It is like you are Kim from the first book and you are being dragged around whilst Sugar goes off on crazy expeditions! Its hilariously funny and though in some places I was completely appalled, (I mean come on the opening paragraph she’s complaing more about losing her Ipod than her daughter!) its still a half decent read!

There was one major thing wrong with this book and that’s the inconsistencies between the first and second. This one was written after the first was made into a tv series and quite possibly after even the second of that tv series was filemed too... this meant that Kim’s mum in the first book ran off with “dale the decorator” which didn’t happen in the first book but happened in the TV show. Sugar also makes references to other things that happen in the TV show but not in the book and whilst I have watched the shows, I cant remember them as clearly as the first book which I only read a couple of days ago, so it threw me completely. That was the one and only downfall of the book as Sugars character didn’t disgust me too greatly.

Sweet really is an interesting read and to be honest, it shows a lot about how love can affect your life, whether it’s same sex or not. There’s not too much focus on the fact that Sugar is in love with a woman, apart from the blatantly obvious points where Sugar calls herself a “dyke” or refers to Kim as a “lezza.” I did enjoy this book but I don’t think I could re-visit in again and again like its predecessor.

Sweet was published in 2007 by Pan Mcmillan, it is the second in a two part series by Julie Burchill which I believe are her only ventures into YA literature. My copy was purchased when the book came out. I re-read the book as a part of Portrait Of a Woman's Lesbian Teen Novels Week.

Goodreads | Amazon

Discussion: Why I think LGBT characters are important in YA

This week’s discussion post was brought about by Caroline’s theme week over at her blog Portrait of a Woman. The Lesbian Teen Novels week means a lot to me because I’ve always been interested in the subject. I like to see how different authors get different perspectives across and what is included.

I think LGBT themes within young adult literature are important for anyone regardless of their sexuality, sex or even age. In a world where gay marriage has just been accepted in one of the most popular and well known cities and is hopefully going to be the norm for many gay people everywhere soon I think characters that are gay should be a very prominent feature within YA.

LGBT characters in books have always been important for me, I grew up in a small village and went to school in a small town, I met very few outwardly gay people when I was younger but I don’t think I was ever naive about different people. I pride myself in this as honestly, you would have been stared at for being black in the village I grew up in... Thank feck I got outta there! I think that what aided me in knowing the goings-on of life outside my little cagoule was mostly books and TV. I can remember reading Pretty Things by Sarra Manning and though it probably wasn’t my first encounter of a gay character; Daisy will always stick in my mind for being ballsy and awesome. I think that reading about these characters made me realise that there was nothing uncommon or, more importantly, wrong about being gay and this is why, I believe, there should be more young adult books that feature gay characters.

 

Teen years are confusing times for everyone. I remember being confused about who I was, who I found attractive, what was happening to my body and everything. And trust me... from a girl that went from a size 8 girly girl to a size 14 goth over the course of one summer, no-one can tell me that life wasn’t confusing! I remember that just by holding my *girl* friends hand at a party once I was accused of being gay and whilst the girl in question dropped my hand instantly I stood there and went “and your problem with that is?!” I was so in touch with myself by this point that I wasn’t prepared to stand for people treating me or anyone else as a weirdo for being different.

I since lost touch with most the people I went to school with. I found that at 16 when they stayed in the little town most of them had grown up in and I wandered off to the not-much-bigger-but-certainly-more-diverse town nearby for college that they didn’t want to know most the time.  I never forget their reaction at that party though and often wonder why I reacted the way I did and I think it does boils down to the fact I read more than any of my friends and the stuff I read was more diverse in its characters.

I often feel like the LGBT characters I meet in YA novels are a very good resemblance of the type of people that you can meet in real life. I think that the thoughts explored when a character is discovering their sexuality and the experiences that they go through mirror what happens in real life beautifully. I read The Bermudez Triangle recently and when the friend of the two girls who had become a couple thought “does this make me gay!?” Which on the one hand seems a bit naive but on the other a perfectly plausible thought; think about what you would do at 16, finding out that your two best friends are gay!?

In a lot of LGBT themed books I have noticed that not only are the thoughts of the characters who are gay explored but the thoughts of those they meet and are close to show up too. I find that there are different reactions experienced and find that the emotions of the characters that experience those reactions are shown very well. I think this can really help someone know how to react when a friend confides in them every if they aren’t gay themselves. I would never go “OMG what are you even talking about you, big ugly dyke!” if a friend told me they were gay, for one I’m not that type of girl but also, I have read about what those sorted of reactions can do to people, and seen them first hand too.  

Although LGBT themed books aren’t real life I don’t think I have found a non-realistic experience in any I have read, though to be honest, I’ve known people who were actually chucked out of their homes after coming out to their parents so you really can’t say there’s a typical reaction to finding out someone is gay and from what I’ve gathered a non-typical feeling when you start to realise that you are!

I do think that sometimes the portrayal of a gay character can come across wrong though. I am forever finding out that “alternative” female characters are lesbians or “girly” male characters are gay and I think sometimes that puts the wrong impression out there. There can be perfectly “normal” girls who are lesbian and butch guys who are gay you know!

I love that some YA authors explore sexuality really well but I do think that books involving LGBT characters are scarce and they should be featured more. I often friend myself wanting secondary characters to be gay and it not be made a big thing of... like Dumbledore haha. If I was to wish one thing for YA lit I would wish that it would feature more gay characters and less stereotypical ones at that!

I hope I haven't bored you by blabbing on about this for so long! I don’t pretend to be an expert on anything, I have probably read a limited amount of LGBT themed books compared to other people so please join in. Have you read about any LGBT characters and thought it was unrealistic and terribly portrayed? Do you think that this topic should be explored more or less in YA? 

Sugar Rush – Julie Burchill

“She grabbed the fags and walked on ahead. I looked around for someone else to walk home with; I was just crossing the road to give Chloe Feinstein the pleasure of my company, when Saint yelled out, ‘Oi, white trash! Lewis! Get your sad ass over here!’”

Kimmys life is being turned upside down; her mums left, her best friend since childhood turned into a bitch and her dads had to pull her out of Preston High - the all girls private school – and place her into to Ravendene Comp. The girls are all knwon slags and her life was pretty crappy before this but hopefully with the notorious Maria Sweet, or more likely known as Sugar, on her side she’ll make it through her time at school smoothly and normally... or not.

***

I re-read Sugar Rush as a Part of Portrait of a Woman’s Lesbian in YA Lit week. It was a perfect excuse for a re-read as I’ve been meaning to for ages! I first read Sugar Rush in 2005; I was 16, in my first year of college and to be honest, thinking a lot of things over myself. I loved it back then because it’s brilliantly realistic view of life and reading it again six years (has it really been that long!?) later I was not disappointed

Kims life is pretty crap and in many ways Kim reminded me of a younger me... but much younger than when I read this first time round! I think I was like Kim at 11 or 12. I was so eager to please and be friends with the popular girls that it didn’t matter what I wanted. Kim did annoy me a bit but I think she’d resorted to being younger and earned for attention and love from her best friends due to her mother being an utter loser and abandoning her.

The LGBT themes in this book are what drew me to it in the first place. I’ve always been a very liberal type of girl and a very, shall we say flexible girl. I don’t like to label anyone, especially not myself but back when I was 16 I was pretty confused about what exactly I wanted out of life and how to be myself. This book helped me realise that you really do have to be yourself and not wrap yourself up in what everyone elses view is of life. You have to be who you want to be and life the live you want to and of course that might sound like a terrible cliché but this book spins if in such a brilliant way you can ignore it a bit!

Sugar Rush isn’t for the prude or the narrow minded, I would honestly say that had my nana seen what I was reading she probably would have taken it off me. Thankfully my parents are pretty laid back and even though I believe my mum had seen some of the TV version of Sugar Rush she was fine with me reading it. Theres a lot of sex and swearing and drug use, and total bitchiness! It is a 15 year old girls life and I love it for that.

When it comes to what I love and hate about this book is a bit strange as both of them are Kim. I hate that she is a like a puppy, just begging for love and attention and doing anything to please. I think this can be excused a bit due to the fact her mums just upped and left and she’s confused to hell about her sexuality and what fancying her best friend means! I think the whole thing comes across really well and she acts pretty much how a naive love struck teen girl does in when they don’t realise the other person is stringing them along. The thing I loved though was just how normal Kim, Sugar and Saint all were. They were girls I went to school with, girls you saw down the street and they were “mainstream.” So many times I see teen lesbians in books and movies portrayed as “alternative” that it was refreshing!

Overall I love Sugar Rush and if you can get over the fact that Kim is a bit of a pain in the arse who needs a back bone then its definitely an awesome read! I seriously recommend it!

Sugar Rush was published in 2004 by Pan Macmillan. It was Julie Burchill’s first YA novel and was followed up with Sweet. My copy was purchased way back and it’s seriously creased and messy from being read too much!

Goodreads | Amazon

In My Mailbox (#17)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi, The Story Siren, you probably already know that but if you don't, go here and find out more!! 

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This weeks IMM is brought to you from the lovely Terry Pterodactyl - you haven't seen him before because usually he sits on the dashboard of my car, I rescued him just for you! :D

Tour/ Loan:

Bumped - Megan McCafferty 

Hunting Lila - Sarah Anderson

A huge thank you to both UK Book Tours and Jade from Inkscratchers! I cannot wait to read these two books and I will be getting them read as soon as possible!! 

For Review:

The Considine Curse - Gareth P Jones

Aftershock, HIVE series #7 - Mark Walden

Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me these two great sounding books! Unfortunately I haven't read the first six in the HIVE series but I have been infromed that they kinda go on a three book story loop and number 6 finished a loop so this one should start another so I might be OK reading it! The Considine Curse sounds AWESOME though and the cover reminded me a little of Coraline by Neil Gaiman.

What did you get in your mailbox this week? 

On My Wishlist (#9)

On My Wishlist is a wonderful weekly meme from Book Chick City in which we drool over the books on our wishlist that we may not get to buy for a while!

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First off this week is an old favourite that I want to re-read but I unfortunately got rid of my own copy when I moved out of my house! :( also... I SOOOO dressed like the girl on the cover when I was 14! cept my tights were pink and black! 

Gingerbread - Rachel Cohn

April 2003 (Bloomsbury)

Goodreads Summary:

After getting tossed from her posh boarding school, wild, willful, and coffee addicted Cyd Charisse returns to San Francisco to live with her parents. But there's no way Cyd can survive in her parents' pristine house. Lucky for Cyd she's got Gingerbread, her childhood rag doll and confidante, and her new surfer boyfriend.

When Cyd's rebelliousness gets out of hand, her parents ship her off to New York City to spend the summer with "Frank real-dad," her biological father. Trading in her parents for New York City grunge and getting to know her bio-dad and step-sibs is what Cyd has been waiting for her whole life. But summer in the city is not what Cyd expects — and she's far from the daughter or sister that anyone could have imagined.

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Next is a book I saw reviewed on someone's blog a while ago and loved the sound of! (I think it was the lovely Karen at The Slowest Bookworm!) So I added it to the wishlist straight away! Its also free at the minute on the kindle and I'll love it if it's still that price when I get mine! 

Scary Mary - SA Hunter

August 2006

Goodreads Summary:

Mary just wants to be left alone, but the cheerleaders, jocks, guidance counselors, and ghosts won't stop harrassing her. When a new boy starts school, he surprises Mary by befriending her. That's a rare thing for the school freak, but her unusual abilities put a rift in their budding friendship when Mary has to tell Cy that his home is haunted and not by Casper, the friendly ghost.

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And finally a book that is actually sitting in my Amazon basket, that's how much I want it but I'm on a ban!! *sad face*

Ghostgirl - Tonya Hurley

September 2009 (Headline)

Goodreads Summary: 

Now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

And if I should die before I awake,

I pray the popular attend my wake.

Charlotte Usher feels practically invisible at school, and then one day she really is invisible. Even worse: she's dead. And all because she choked on a gummy bear. But being dead doesn't stop Charlotte from wanting to be popular; it just makes her more creative about achieving her goal.

If you thought high school was a matter of life or death, wait till you see just how true that is. In this satirical, yet heartfelt novel, Hurley explores the invisibility we all feel at some times and the lengths we'll go to be seen

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – Ransom Riggs

“I had just come to expect that my life would be ordinary when extraordinary things began to happen. The first of these came as a terrible shock and, like anything that changes you forever, split my life into halves: Before and After.”

Jacob Portman is a quiet, normal 15 year old boy. Working at the local shop and hanging around with his mate Ricky the only strange things that happen to him is when his Granddad, Abe, starts dreaming up that the monsters are after them. Jacob was brought up with Abe telling tales of children in the home where he went after he fled Poland in the late 1930’s. These children were very peculiar, some could levitate and others could lift boulders bigger than themselves over their heads. When Jacob got to an age where he stopped believing the stories Abe didn’t push him, he just let it go. Then Abe dies, after telling Jacob that the monsters had found him. Jacob finds Abe in the woods behind his house and while everyone else is convinced that wild dogs killed Abe, Jacob knows what he saw... And so begins the need to find the home in which Abe was brought up... but will Jacob find anything peculiar when he gets there?

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So I was a little worried about starting this book before I went to bed one night... I thought it would really really scary and really freaky... but to be honest, it was only the latter. There were a few scary bits especially towards the end but seriously, don’t be too put off by thinking its scary!

A good story gets me in the mood to really want to read and not put down a book and man Miss Peregrine’s did not disappoint on the story front! I literally spent hours just reading and nothing else because I needed to know what was going to happen and those last 50 or so pages? You would need enough time to read in one sitting trust me! I loved the writing style and the way you felt like you were there. Riggs honestly made me imagine every nook and cranny of the island that Jacob visits, down to vivid images of the people who lived there! And he made me want to find this island and visit it myself! Its awesome and one Jacob finds the house it gets even more so!

The images throughout the book really added to the story too. You’d be sat there thinking “well i can kinda see what he means” then youd see the photo of who he was talking about and it would be exactly what you thought! To be honest, some of the photos freaked me out more than the story did, especially Miss Peregrines herself! There was just something weird about her! But the mix of images and story really helped create an amazing sense of atmosphere.

The characters within the story are just incredible too. I thought I knew all of the children Jacob talked about before he even got to the island, I believed in them fully even if Jacob didn’t and wow, I loved each and every one of them from the start! I wish I was peculiar! As for Jacob he was ok but he gets much better, you can kinda tell in the beginning of the book that he wants more from life than what hes got but hes too worried about getting more! But by the time he gets to the island I really felt something for him, i could relate to him in a way and I loved joining him on the adventure!

The only problem I had with Miss Peregrine’s is that there’s one part of the story (I can’t say what as it will be a spoiler!) that’s a little confusing. I found myself having to read over little bits to ensure that I was reading it from the right place and stuff like that, it didn’t detach me as such it just wasn’t as clear as I would have liked!

This was only one bit thought and everything else was incredible! I wish I had the same way for words as Rigsg does because he is incredible. I think if he spun me a line about anything in the way he wrote this book I’d believe the most impossible of things! I really recommend this book because I loved it and even though its damn freaky at times, its worth getting freaked out!

Miss Pergrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is published by Quirk Books and available widely in the US and via the internet in the UK. It is Ransom Riggs’ first novel and I really hope there are more to come! My copy was received in exchange for an honest review from the publisher.

Goodreads | Amazon

As You Wish – Jackson Pearce

“All I’ve learnt in today’s Shakespeare class is: Sometimes you have to fall in love with the wrong person just so you can find the right person. A more useful lesson would’ve been: Sometimes the right person doesn’t love you back. Or sometimes the right person is gay.”

Viola feels invisible. Ever since her childhood friend and young sweetheart broke up with her and came out of the closet she has felt broken, not belonging and invisible. She wishes that she could belong, could be seen, and then a jinn turns up. The jinn will grant her three wishes and he has his own feelings to consider, the longer she takes wishing the longer the Jinn is contained on earth and Jinn’s don’t like earth, not at all.

When Viola spends days thinking about what to wish for, she and Jinn encounter experiences they didn’t believe were possible. When her first wish is granted they both realise that sometimes one wish is more than you need, even when you think you could do with all the wishes in the world.

***

Awww... As You Wish was a true romance and just what I needed to curl up with on the sofa on a Friday night! It was amusing, well written and sometimes just damn “awww” in places.

I enjoyed reading this story it was very cute and the plot flowed really well. I did think it was a bit clichéd in places and the ending was a bit obvious but it was a true love story and the ending of those quite often are! I knew from the start what was going to happen but because there were a few twists and turns and strange outcomes along the way it didn’t disappoint.

The characters were interesting... though I didn’t engage too much with Viola; I actually engaged more with Jinn and Lawrence and sometimes found Viola’s character a little annoying. I guess she could get away with a lot of it though as she had not long since been rejected by her best friend and long term boyfriend as he was gay... that has to be a slap in the face! But she was going about getting over it the complete wrong way. I don’t think it was even the getting over it that she was upset about and I think she had to become happy with herself before she felt normal. I’ve been in that situation so I can kinda forgive her but sometimes she did seem a little selfish! I was glad that she did actually get to that happy place and it didn’t really involve a boy... not too much anyway! I don’t want to spoil it for you!  

I think this book prides itself in having very good secondary characters. Lawrence was awesome and I loved him so much! It was so sweet that he wanted Viola to be happy and he actually put her happiness before his! He was amazing and if I could have a gay best friend it would totally be him!

As well as Lawrence there was Ollie, although you don’t actually see much of her in the book I really liked the way she was present and the role that her character played, especially towards the end of the book. I loved her character so much and I was really pleased about the out comings of her little storyline.

If you want a cute, happy, quick read to fill your time then I really recommend As You Wish. It’s a great debut of a fantastic author but I think I ruined it by reading it after Jackson Pearce’s second book, Sisters Red. I really think As You Wish would be a great book for younger readers and would happily recommend to younger teens in the YA age range.

As You Wish was Jackson Pearce’s first YA book. It was published in the UK by HarperCollins in September 2010. My copy was acquired from my local library.

Goodreads | Amazon

Tales of Terror from the Tunnels Mouth

“It was the first railway journey I had ever made alone. My stepmother had come to the station to see me off and proceeded to embarrass me with unwanted hugs and kisses and the nursery voice she always adopted for such displays of affection”

Robert is waiting at the station when his stepmother has a terrible premonition. She foresees a tunnels mouth and a kiss, an awful kiss. Robert thinks she is being ridiculous and gets on the train without a second thought. Then on the train he falls asleep, when he awakes the train is at a standstill just at the mouth of a tunnel and Roberts fellow passengers are all asleep too, except for a woman in white who starts telling Robert some stories to bide their time until the train starts moving again.

*** 

I love the first two Tales of Terror series and The Tunnels Mouth was just as brilliant as the previous two!

Robert is much like our main characters in the two previous books but there was something different about him. He was too sure of himself and he could tell there was something wrong from the very beginning even if he didn’t admit that to himself. I really liked him and I was hoping that he didn’t turn out like the two children in the second book!

As usual, I loved the stories woven into the book. I loved that I could envisage the characters and the creatures so well. Priestley’s writing really is amazingly descriptive and visual and I could honestly read it over and over. It’s the type of writing that I think I would love to hear a live reading of and I think if I ever try an audiobook I must see if these books are available! I can picture myself in front of the fire on a winter’s night reading these books!

The Tunnels Mouth comes with great stories and powerful reminders that not all is what it seems. I love the revelation of the story and that we get a little extra on top of the main story with this book. Roberts’s stepmother is an interesting character and I am glad that in my edition we got to see a little extra!

My favourite story of all had to be Gerald. It’s the story of a girl, a puppet show and a boy who suddenly seemed to lose himself. Gerald is the boy and he can no longer talk, he walks around with his mother slavering and not really doing much else, he is pretty much no longer a person, no soul and no speech. He scares Emma no end when he tries to grab at her in the street and she’s terrified he’s coming to get her. This is made worse when she has a nightmare about him coming from her and something is in her room when she wakes. I won’t go further into the story but it was fascinating and terrifying and I will never look at puppets or little kids who love puppet shows the same way again!

The only issue I had with this book was that it wasn’t the same edition as the previous two in the series and because of this is didn’t have the awesome illustrations that you see in those. If you want to check these out I really recommend the illustrated versions because they really add to the story. I thought this version was just a different cover, which by the way I do really like, but it would appear not... both versions are published by Bloomsbury but I believe there was a change in the covers for all three as a part of the re-release of the series this year.

I love the old'y feel to these books, its obvious all the stories are set in a time before mobiles and modern technology and I think it adds to the scary factor. Even if younger readers don't get some of the references to older things I think it might add to the story as its more of the unknown. I like the shift back in time slightly in these books and it makes me think of all the things that people don't do as much any more which they should, like read made up stories around fires! 

Now that I’m at the end of this series I can’t wait to see what Chris Priestley has in store for me next! I honestly think I am addicted to his terrifying tales and I’m totally keeping them to scare my kids with in the future! I really recommend this for anyone who has kids around 8-11 who love to be scared! especially boys as many of the stories are focussed around boys. 

Tales of Terror from the Tunnels Mouth is the third and final full length instalment of the Tales of Terror series. My copy was published by Bloomsbury in March 2011 and was received in exchange of an honest review.

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Dream Bookish Destinations (#4) - Seven Stories

Welcome to Dream Bookish Destinations. This is a feature in which I lust over Bookish Destinations across the world.

What is it?  Seven Stories

Where is it? Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle, 

History: Seven Stories was opened in 2005 after the Centre For Children's Books (as it was known then) contacted the previous owners of the building, a printing union and asked them to think about selling the building to accommodate a children's centre which could showcase a national collection of authors manuscripts and illustrations for children. 

The Centre is run by a registered charity and has a wide range of exhibitions and events on throughout the year. Currently there is an exhibition called "There's Nuffin Like a Puffin" which celebrates the 70 year anniversary of Puffin books and the "Daydreams and Diaries" event, launching in October, will be the first ever exhibition dedicated to Jacqueline Wilson, which is awesome because we all know she deserves the recognition she gets! 

Why I want to go there: It sounds like an amazing place to visit. The building got a £4.5 million refurbishment just before it opened in 2055 and it was fully designed to run as an exciting place for children and teens to come to explore literature! The white part of the building, that you can see above is inspired by the shape of an open book apparently and I can kinda see where they are coming from with that! Also when you walk in there are eight award pieces of art etched into the walls of award-winning illustrators. 

I love Newcastle as a city and I am gutted I didn't know this place existed until after I moved away. I must get myself back over there soon to visit the centre as it sounds like so much fun! I might have to get over there for the Jacqueline Wilson exhibition actually.. as she's on of my heroes! 

PS. I will be guest posting over at Heaven, Hell and Purgatory this week discussing my 3 top summer dream bookish destinations as a part of their Summer Lovin' month! 

DNF: Spellbound - Cara Lynn Shultz

"What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?

Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Connor, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else."

***

I loved the sound of this book when I read the summary on NetGalley. I thought the premise of the story was really good and wanted it so badly so I was so happy when I got accepted for the galley... I started reading it about a month ago and only got to page 102. That is bad bad going for me, I would usually have a book of this size (300 odd pages) read in no time but it just wasnt entertaining me. I couldnt get into the characters or the story or anything and not much happened until page 97!! 

I think the story is probably really good but maybe not for me right now, my ereader is actually my phone and its driving me crazy so that might have something to do with the lack of even wanting to use it to read this book. This will hopefully be solved next month when I buy a kindle but I think if I'm going to read Spellbound again I will be borrowing a hard copy from someone.

I've heard a lot of people say that this book is slow going for the first half then gets loads better but I'm afraid for me if I'm not entertained in the first 100 pages and I feel like the rest of the book is going to be a chore then I'm going to give up! I try not to but I just couldn't carry it on! 
I do think this is one you have to try before you make your mind up with. I would recommend it to anyone because as I say I think the time I was trying to read it didn't help much with my dislike of it. I am going to try it again but only once I've got a proper ereader or if I can get it in paperback. 

In My Mailbox (#16)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi, The Story Siren, you probably already know that but if you don't, go here and find out more!!  

***

Yay books! This week I got some awesome books thanks to three lovely people! 

For Review: 

Wither - Lauren Destefano 

Wood Angel - Erin Bow 

Numbers 2: The Chaos - Rachel Ward

I managed to bag myself a copy of Wither from Harper Collins thanks to the lovely Tiffany and also Tina from Chicken House sent me Wood Angel and Numbers 2. I've heard such great things about all of these, especially Wither, which isn't even coming out over here until January next year! 

Gifted: 

Teachers Tales of Terror - Chris Priestley 

This is a world book day book so its tiny and it actually flips for a short story from the Mortal Engines series which is pretty cool, I really want to read that series! A huge thank you goes to Vickie from ComaCalm's Corner as she was offered this one in a swap on RISI and knowing that I love the series she swapped her book for this and sent me it! :D 

SO Just a little but lovely mailbox from me this week. What did you get in your mailbox?