Forbidden – Tabitha Suzuma

"I gaze at the small, crisp, burned-out black husks scattered across the chipped white paint of the windowsills. It is hard to believe that they were ever alive. I wonder what it would be like to be shut up in this airless glass box, slowly baked for two long months by the relentless sun, able to see the outdoors - the wind shaking the green trees right there in front on you - hurling yourself again and again at the invisible wall that seals you off from everything that is real and alive and necessary until eventually you succumb: scorched, exhausted, overwhelmed by the impossibility of the task. "

16 and 17 year old Maya and Lochan are the eldest of five siblings. With an alcoholic for a mother and a father who disappeared when Lochan, the eldest, was 12, the day to day running of the household is left to them. 13 year old Kit is a typical annoying teenager, Tiffin is a cheeky eight year old and Willa is an adorable five year old. They are happy but all understand that if anyone found out about their position they wouldn’t be allowed to live the way they do. But with Maya and Lochan acting as Mum and Dad for the family, feelings start developing and they find themselves in a situation that isn’t just wrong… it’s possibly jail sentencing.

***

So, you know Forbidden is about an incestuous relationship before you actually read if because of the synopsis. Its about a brother and sister who fall for each other. That might put people off, as it did me before I started hearing great things about it, but now I’ve read it I honestly think everyone should read this book.

The story is a brilliant contemporary tale of struggle and first love. Theres more about the two individual struggles with their lives and looking after their family than there is about the relationship that develops and you get to actually witness that developing. You get a brilliant insight to their lives, both at school and at home, separate and together and their feelings. I couldn’t get enough of the story because it’s a real rollercoaster of emotions and keeps you gripped right from the very start.

The characters were amazing. Maya and Lochan are obviously the main ones, its told in first person, split perspective, with the chapters alternating between the two of them. I loved the way it was told and you really got into the two mind spaces. I would have liked toi know a bit more about Maya if Im honest because we got a lot from Lochan about his school work and ambitions but not so much from Maya.

The other characters were just as incredible. You cant help but fall for Mayas cuteness, chuckle at Tiffin’s cheekiness and want to slap Kit for his bloody teenage-ness! They are all really well developed characters and you can really see how much Maya and Lochan love them. The other, smaller characters are also quite interesting; Mayas best friend is quite amusing and Lochans English teacher really intrigued me, I want to know more about her!

Then we get to the kids’ mum. Wow… I honestly think that she could battle with Professor Umbridge for the character who makes my skin crawl the most! I hated her, with a passion. She was selfish, nasty and a drunk; three of the worst qualities you can find in a person. I would never say this lightly but if that character was run over I wouldn’t have felt an inch of sadness for her!! Every time she made an appearance I wanted to throw the book at the wall.. but that’s all part of Suzuma’s style. There has to be some brilliant writing in plce to make a reader hate someone that much.

Forbidden really was an emotional rollercoaster and not one for the fainthearted. It has sadness, confusion, love and happiness running the entire way through and I would honestly recommend it to everyone! I loved the story and it really does punch you in the gut when you read it. You literally spend the entire book hoping that Lochan and Maya find a way to be together and I spent most of it thinking “I know its illegal but they aren’t hurting anyone!!”

Forbidden was released in 2011 by Definitions, A Random House imprint. My copy was kindly given to be as a birthday present from the lovely Laura at Scattered Figments. 


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The Name of the Star – Maureen Johnson

“Durward Street, East London, August 31 4.17am

THE EYES OF LONDON WERE WATCHING CLAIRE JENKINS. She didn’t notice them, of course. No one paid attention to the cameras. It was an accepted fact that London has one of the most extensive CCTV systems in the world. The conservative estimate was that there were a million cameras around the city, but the actual number was probably much higher and growing all the time.”

Louisiana’s Rory Deveaux moves to England for her parents to take a sabbatical in Bristol. Choosing her school wisely she enrols in posh boarding school, Wexford so that she can experience more from life. What she doesn’t expect is someone carrying out copy cat style murders of Jack the Ripper on the day she lands. “Rippermania” takes over London and while everyone is trying to figure out who the killer is, Rory finds herself face to face with him. There’s just one problem; her friend Jazza was with her when Rory saw him... and she didn’t see a thing.

***

When the back of this book tells you that its an “edge of your seat” thriller... It ain’t kidding. I gobbled up The Name of the Star in a matter of hours and I don’t think I stopped to think about anything else the whole time.  Johnson creates an amazing atmosphere throughout the entire book and has an excellent twist on ways of dealing with ghosts.

The plot that flows through this book is amazing. Rory is new to town when the killings start happening. The perspective is mostly first person, taken from Rory but we do get the odd chapter which is written in a third person from another character’s perspective. These chapters fit in with the story brilliantly and really add depth. I especially loved Veronica Atkins’ chapter which really set the ghost story aspect up. There was mystery, suspense and some ‘romance’ all thrown into this book and I really did love every minute of it. I know that Johnson’s stuff is mainly contemporary fiction so I was unsure when I heard this was paranormal but I think her take on paranormal was really well done and there was a good balance of it in the book.

The characters were interesting. I liked Rory, she was fun and easy going. I did think for someone so laid back she seemed a bit too uptight about being an American in England but other than that she was ok, not too shy but not to in your face. Saying that I didnt love her, I think she could have had a bit more to her but she was a decent main character. I loved Jazza, she was exactly the kinda friend you need around and I loved the way she was goody-goody but always set out to piss off Charlotte. Jerome was also a pretty cool character. I loved how his journalistic attributes really came out and how shy he was about Rory.

Then we get onto those with “the sight” I loved the idea of a police department to deal with ghosts. It is an awesome idea! Callum was a proper boy-ish boy, he reminded me of my brother a bit. He was sporty and you could kinda tell, but you didnt get to find out that much about him. Stephen was an intellectual, but still pretty young, this didnt mesh with me and I kinda saw him in my head as a Keanu Reeves character, kinda in his 30s with a permanent long face but this wasnt right as he was meant to be around Rory's age.  He was a bit of a misery but I got to like him a lot. Then Boo... well upon finishing the book I cant help but like her... but at first she seriously pissed me off. I would have gone mental with someone following me around like she did to Rory. I swear I would have punched her if I was Rory, or Jazza. I didn’t like her until we found out why she was doing what she was doing... then she got better, but I never really loved her either.

The characters were definitely good for the story but none of them really jumped out that much... I also really didnt get the whole thing between Rory and Jerome.. one minute they’d be talking, next they’d be making out and that just seemed to happen, like without warning or anything... there was no romantic air between them. I kinda thought their making out was added as an after thought and not really entwined into the story properly which annoyed me a little but maybe more will come of it in the next book as I do believe this is a series.

Overall I really recommend The Name of the Star because its a great story. The character grow on you and the writing, for the most part, is brilliant... obviously, its Maureen Johnson! If you are looking for a great paranormal romance then this stoy isn’t for you but if youre just looking for the paranormal? Read this!

The Name of the Star is published by HarperCollins children’s book and will be available to buy in stores and online from Thursday 29^th September. My copy was kindly sent to me by publishers in return for an honest review.  

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Mister Creecher – Chris Priestley

“Billy pulled his clammy coat collar tightly to his throat. It was damp with the fog and felt like the tongue of a dead animal lolling against his neck. His thin body shivered and trembled. He was fifteen but looked eight.”

Billy stumbles across the body of a giant on a bookstore steps late into the night. Living as a thief and not knowing much else; the boy is about to search the body for goods when an associate comes along and threatens him. Whilst this is going on the Giant comes to live and saves Billy from his attackers. Upon recovery of his fever Billy learns that the giant is in fact a hideous creature created by a Victor Frankenstein and offer to help the creature out of pure fear.  What follows is a bond unknown to the two characters as they search to discover what Frankenstein is going to do next…

***

When I saw the blurb of this book I knew I had to get my hands on it! I have read the entire Tales of Terror series and loved them so I was excited to read what else Priestley has to offer us… I have to say that while it was completely different to any of the Tales of Terror, it was absolutely fantastic!

The story is of a 15 year old boy who stumbles across Frankenstein’s monster, ie Mister Creecher. It’s not exactly a retelling of Frankenstein but more an added extra to the original story, especially aided with the appearance of the original texts’ author, which amused me greatly! The help that Mister Creecher enlists from Billy means that Billy has to track down and follow Frankenstien… this takes the pair across London and beyond and the the story follows the time they spend together brilliantly.

At first I couldn’t actually remember what happened in Frankenstein, I know I’m bad but it was like two years ago when I read it, so I didn’t know if the story was the same as the original or not… I now believe that the original has Frankenstein travel England believing he is being followed by the creature and this is what Priestley has used for his story. The references to the original story are all right, which I loved because it honestly felt this was a companion to the original.

The story was really brought to life through the characters. Billy reminded me of those characters you meet in the classics like Oliver Twist and Great Expectations. I thought he was an incredibly strong character considering what he had been through and during their journey I saw him growinto a young man right before my eyes. I would have loved for everything to go right for him and get his own fortune somehow, even though he was just an urchin boy really. Billy chracters end surprised me greatly but as the book is mainly about him I cant really go into detail with that… all I will say is that I loved how it all fitted together.

I remember feeling a bit sorry for the creature in Shelley’s Frankenstein when I read it and I loved how Priestley has obviously picked that up and gone with it for Mister Creecher… You really get to know the creature as  a person rather than a thing and learn to treat the two characters like theyre brothers. Priestley took the intellect and everything that Shelley created and made it more humane and I loved every part of that!

Having read a few others of Preistley’s books I had assumed this one was in the same 9-12 age range. I even suggested to the 11 yr old that he might like to read it… but my one downside was that the writing did seem a little too complex for this age range… maybe I got it wrong and its more teen aimed but I think the 11yr old would probably give it a go and discard after a few chapters as its above his usual reading level. I loved the writing style and will continue to read Priestley’s work because I think the way he brings a story to life is fantastic but I do think this ones for a slightly older audience.

I would recommend this book to any reluctant classics readers… I think it really adds something to the story of Frankenstein and if I hadn’t read the original story before this one I would be very intrigued to go read it… hell I’m also intrigued to go read another classic because of this book, which I won’t go into right now. (Unless you’ve read the book, in which case please feel free to tweet me and ask which one, but I have a feeling you’ll know!)

All in all Mister Creecher was a fun tale of Frankenstein from a different point of view with added bits. I enjoyed the story and the characters very much. The bond that is created between the two main characters really comes alive and I can’t help but see them as best friends, almost like brothers in fact. I think it is a brilliant addition to Frankenstein which picks up a point from the original story, brings that to life and drops it off at another point for the overall story to carry on!

Mister Creecher will be published on 3^rd October by Bloomsbury. My copy was kindly sent by the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

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Top Five Zombie Locations by Kirsty McKay

(Or where not to go on holiday if you want to avoid becoming UNDEAD)

Seems you can’t go anywhere these days without being attacked by zombies. Whether it’s a flashmob, a mass stumble, or a movie being made – or perhaps you’re simply enjoying a quiet browse in your local bookstore – the flesh-guzzlers are everywhere.

When I started to write my book Undead, I decided to set it in Scotland. This was because I wanted a UK location, but somewhere remote where things could get a little crazy without anyone else finding out about it. (I should say, I also wanted somewhere that has snow, and castles. Scotland does both very well.)

All this got me thinking: where in the world has also been afflicted with zoms? If you believe Max Brooks, then

pretty much everywhere since the dawn of time. But ‘totally-making-stuff-up’ aside, what’s the truth of the matter?

1          Haiti

Poor bloody Haiti. If it wasn’t enough dealing with extreme poverty, earthquakes, and Wyclef Jean, the place is positively overflowing with zombies.

But these zombies aren’t yer flesh-eating, brain-chomping crew. They’re not dead. They’re barely UNDEAD. They’re basically slaves. Some witch doctor-type slips them a Mickey Finn of ground up pufferfish and they do a Juliet and go all fake-ly dead for a bit. Then the doc digs them up and gives them MORE drugs so that they zombie-out and do their master’s bidding forevah. It’s scary, and kind of depressing. So have a gander at this:

On the bright side, apparently, you can un-zombie someone by giving them some salt. Yep. If you meet an UNDEAD, try that and tell me how it works out for you.

2          Ireland

Ireland has so much to recommend it: the beautiful countryside, the numerous pubs, the friendly people. In fact, I wanted to go on honeymoon there! (And then I won a trip to the Maldives, so it was like, hmm…Guinness or Paradise? Guess which I smugly chose? Lucky, lucky, lucky.)

Anyway, it might drizzle a lot in Ireland, but the people are lovely, with their easy humour and lilting accents and propensity to turn into the walking dead. Oh yes, they’ve been hiding it well, but some things can’t stay hidden forever:

http://news.discovery.com/history/zombie-skeletons-ireland-grave-110916.html

There might well be something other than a pot of gold waiting at the end of the rainbow. You have been warned.

3          Pennsylvania, USA

Why? George. A. Romero, that’s why.

You know, Night of the Living Dead, etc. Practically all of those movies are set in Pennsylvania! How come? Does George know something that we don’t? Is it because of – oh, say that it is – the ‘vania’ in its name? Transylvania is for the vamps, so Pennsylvania must be for the zombies! You know it makes sense, in a kind of nine-year-old’s-logic type of way, which is what I favour. Look, I live in the US and I know for sure I’m not going down there. The Amish and The Office I can hack, but not the UNDEAD. At the very least, I’d check out this website before going:

http://www.pazrt.com/

Nice to know the people of Pennsylvania are in safe hands. But you want more evidence? Zombie ants!

http://news.discovery.com/animals/zombie-ants-daytime-110517.html

OK, they’re not technically in Pennsylvania, but did you see where ‘evolutionary biologist David Hughes’ hangs his hat? Penn-syl-frickin’-vania, that’s where! What’s his interest? Is he researching zombification in order to solve problems closer to home? You bet he is!

Come to think of it, if Pennsylvania is infected, the whole of America is probably doomed. So don’t go there. Or if you have to, or if you live there already, check this out from the Center of Disease Control:

http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies.htm

4          Uh-oh, actually Scotland

I swear when I wrote UNDEAD I had no idea they had a zombie problem already. Well, apart from visits from Brad Pitt and his seventy-six children.

Mind you, it’s good to know that if you do absolutely have to go to Scotland, you can freely defend yourself against the ghouls:

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1021007--jury-clears-canadian-teen-of-killing-scottish-man-he-believed-was-zombie?bn=1

Claim insanity, get off Scot-free! Can(ada) you believe it? See what I did there? Thangyouverrmush.

5          Norway

My book UNDEAD went through a few title changes before we nailed it by choosing something completely bloody obvious. (But brilliantly so, dear Chicken House.) During this time of uncertainty, my local hipster indie cinema was showing a film called DEAD SNOW. Dang, I thought. That would have been a great title for my book - there are dead people, and snow!

Turns out, the folks in the film are not only zombies, they’re Nazi zombies. What, Norwegians? You felt like you needed to up the stakes?

Ein, zwei, die, indeed.

More interestingly, zombies show up in the old Norse legends. A draugr is a kind of reanimated fallen warrior that rises from the grave. They do all the usual zombie stuff, but they have added extras like being able to drive humans insane, change the weather and enter people’s dreams! So the DEAD SNOW people really didn’t need the whole Nazi thing, they could have totally gone for the daugrs and had zombies with a little Freddy thrown in!

Yeah, well. Somebody made the movie already:

I don’t speak any Scandinavian languages, and my German is sehr, sehr sketchy, but I can understand enough not to want to go there anytime soon. Fjords or no fjords. And don’t get me started on trolls.

So all in all, better just to stay at home with a great book. And I know of just the one! Or, if you live in one of the infected places, take a long trip (er, not a school trip – they don’t always end up so well) to somewhere zombie-free. Like the moon.

Thank you for reading, and thank you Raimy for hosting me, it’s been a blast. Now hurry off to your local bookstore and snap up a copy of UNDEAD for more tips on how to survive, should you happen to find yourself in one of the places above. Once you’ve done that, check out my Facebookpage, Twitter and website for more about zombies, UNDEAD and me – and come and see me present FRIGHT NIGHT with authors such as Charlie Higson, Darren Shan and William Hussey at Bath Kid’s Literary Festival on Friday September 30^th. I think Bath’s pretty safe, but I can’t make any promises.

Ghostgirl – Tonya Hurley

“Charlotte Usher headed purposefully across the parking lot to the front doors of Hawthroen High, repeating her positive mantra – ‘this year is different. This is my year.’ Instead of being forever etched in her classmates’ high school memories as the girl who just took us space, the seat filler, the one who sucked up precious air that could be put to better use, she was going to start off this year on the other foot, a foot with the hottest, most uncomfortable shoes that money could buy.”

Charlotte was going to bag the school hottie, make the cheerleading squad and become one of the popular girls. Then she went and died. In the afterlife she carries on at school, at Hawthorne High, but instead of her normal class shes studies “Dead Ed” with her teacher Mr Brain… incidently she can see his brain. She has to come to terms with her life and tie up loose ends, but how is she going to do that when she cant come to terms with her death?

***

When I first saw Ghostgirl I thought I would love it, it sounded just like my kinda thing, hilariously funny, afterlife, slightly gothic looking? Hello! Totally me! But then I read it…. I kinda wish I’d not bothered and stuck with believing I’d love it!

Let’s try and start with the positives. Ghostgirl is hilarious. It would make a FANTASTIC teen “chick-flick,” the characters really jumped out of the pages at me as the types you see in that type of movie. It would be like a mix between Freaky Friday and Mean Girls I reckon… and obviously the younger, non-drugged fuelled Lindsay Lohan would be brilliant for the part of Charlotte… I did find myself enjoying the story but even that’s not without its flaws.

The story was great, it was entwined with funny events that mixed everything up a bit… but I have to say it was pretty predictable. I knew the ending before I was halfway through the book and I think to be honest the book didn’t have to be as long as it was… I did enjoy it but as I say, it was very predictable and not much different from teen movies and TV shows… I liked the little kinda twist between Damen and Charlotte and stuff but it was just far too obviously to love.

The characters were great, most of them. The dead kids? They were brilliant, and I totally understood why they were the way they were. Even Damen I had a bit of a soft spot for. Petula and the two Wendys were generic high school princesses and Scarlet was the typical “freak” but in general they were decent enough characters. All bar Charlotte…. I couldn’t stand her, she was selfish, ignorant, whiney and to be honest, downright stalkerish! I preferred her a lot more dead than alive but it took a lot for me to like her dead! She redeems herself slightly but I honestly don’t know if I can carry on with this series unless she’s a completely changed character in the next one!

Im sorry that this review focusses on all the negative… in all honesty I did enjoy reading Ghostgirl but its kind of that enjoyment that goes along with watching Legally Blonde, Mean Girls and Freaky Friday… you know they aren’t the best stories ever, and you know they are a bit rubbish, but theres something there that you like about them and that’s what makes you carry on with them! I really do think that Ghostgirl would be a brilliant movie and that someone should commission it because it would sit proudly on the shelves next to these modern day classic teen movies and I would watch it!

I think I also have to add that quite possibly one of the things that made me carry on the book was the awesome music references in it. Each chapter page featured a quote from a famous person or lryics from a band, and I NEVER thought I’d see Radiohead lyrics in a YA book! The music refererences carried on throughout the story too and I loved those. I also really enjoyed the “Narrator” boxes at the beginning of the chapters too. They reminded me of a voiceover in a movie and I think they drew me into the story more than anything else!

All in all I think I might recommend Ghostgirl to someone who wanted a fluff read… nothing too serious and nothing too great, just something to pass the time with. I MIGHT re-visit the series one day but I don’t know… I think I kinda see the series as a guilty secret that I want to take part in but don’t really know why!! (A bit like my love for all Lindsay Lohan movies… pre drug fuelled rampages!)

Ghostgirl was Tonya Hurley’s first YA novel and is the first in the series. It was published in 2008 by Headline and my copy was purchased using amazon marketplace.

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In My Mailbox (#26) - The "I Went To London; squeeeee" edition

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!!

Im sorry the pictures pretty lame this week and there's no dinosaur (I tried but it got cut off, you can just seem it at the top right hand side..) anyway, I didn't have much time so this was the best I could do!! 

I went to London this week.. I honestly think I was very reserved! I bought two books when I ventured into Foyles and most of the rest are from the event I went too, tell me I did well!?

Bought:

Pink - Lili Wilkinson

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd - Edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci

Candypop - Lauren Laverne

Ok, so Pink has been on my wishlist for ages. I've really wanted it and although I did really want the US hardback version I decided to just go for it and pick up the UK paperback instead! Then I saw Geektastic and Carly from Writing from the Tub told me that the first story is about a trekky  and an Jedi that find themselves in bed together... I was sold instantly! 

Then Candy Pop. I love Lauren Laverne, she fills my weekday mornings at work with lots of giggles so I've had my eye on this book for a while but to be honest, I didn't want to spend lots of good money on it. So when I saw it in a charity shop for £1 on Saturday I thought "Why not?" 

For Review:

In Darkness - Nick Lake

This Is Not Forgiveness - Celia Rees

Fracture - Megan Miranda

The Weight of Water - Sarah Crossan

Velvet - Mary Hooper

The Fever and the Flame: "At the Sign of the Sugared Plum" & "Petals in the Ashes" - Mary Hooper

So, these are all with HUGE thanks to Bloomsbury. The event I went to was to meet Mary Hooper, who was awesome by the way, and the wonderful Emma at Bloomsbury gave us a goodie bag (see pic!) with all these books and a few extra little bits inside! I was amazed at some of these because, well In Darkness, Fracture nd The Weight of Water dont come out til January and This Is Not Forgiveness doesnt come out til Feb! Thats like.... way in advance! I dont think I've had anything that far in advance before and they sound AMAZING! I also love the proof copies of all of them. Especially This is not Forgiveness (black with lots of writing) and In Darkness (Black with big white writing) I'd buy books with covers just like that!! They are gorgeous! 

Then Mary kindly signed our copies of Velvet and The Fever and The Flame, she also signed my copy of Newes From the Dead, so I have lovely signed editions of these books now! It was an awesome event and May was so nice, all the stuff she shared with us was really interesting and I'm hoping to write something up about the whole London experience soon! 

***

So that's my Mailbox this week, what was in yours?

On My Wishlist (#16)

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! 

***

This weeks Wishlist are all recently added books to my wishlist. The first book this week is the sequel to a book I read towards the beggining of the year (or possibly the end of last!) The previous book was called How I Paid for College 

Attack of the Theater People - Mark Acito

April 2008 (Boradway Books) [US]

Goodreads: 

In this hilarious sequel Attack of the Theater People, Edward Zanni and his merry crew of high school musical-comedy miscreants move to the magical wonderland that is Manhattan.

It is 1986, and aspiring actor Edward Zanni has been kicked out of drama school for being “too jazz hands for Juilliard.” Mortified, Edward heads out into the urban jungle of eighties New York City and finally lands a job as a “party motivator” who gets thirteen-year-olds to dance at bar mitzvahs and charms businesspeople as a “stealth guest” at corporate events. When he accidentally gets caught up in insider trading with a handsome stockbroker named Chad, only the help of his crew from How I Paid for College can rescue him from a stretch in Club Fed.

Laced with the inspired zaniness of classic American musical comedy,Attack of the Theater People matches the big hair of the eighties with an even bigger heart.

***

This next one is another that I only added recently. Despite the fact Ive been seeing it everywhere I kinda disregarded it as it looks like chick-lit adult stuff from the cover (sorry but it does) its not until I actually read the summary and a review that I realised it sounds really good! I have to say I much prefer the US cover though! 

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E Smith

January 2012 (Headline) 

Goodreads: 

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18B. Hadley's in 18A. Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it

***

And finalley, one Ive been seeing around a lot, as well as seeing a lot by the author in general! 

Jenny Pox (The Paranormals, Book 1) - JL Bryan

July 2010 (self published Kindle edition) 

Goodreads:

Jenny has a secret. Her touch spreads a supernatural plague. 

She devotes her life to avoiding contact with people, until her senior year of high school, when she meets the one boy she can touch, and she falls in love. But there's a problem--he's under the spell of his devious girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all. Now Jenny must learn to use the deadly "Jenny pox" she's fought her entire life to hide, or be destroyed by Ashleigh's ruthless plans. Not recommended for readers under sixteen due to mature content. 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone – Laini Taylor

“Walking to school over the snow-muffled cobbles, Karou had no sinister premonitions about the day. It seemed like just another Monday, innocent but for its essential Mondayness, not to mention it’s Januaryness. It was cold, and it was dark – in the dead of winter the sun didn’t rise until eight – but it was also lovely. The falling snow and the early hour conspired to paint Prague ghostly, like a tintype photograph, all silver and haze.”

Karou is a student at the Art Lyceum of Bohemia in Prague. By day she spends her time drawing, having fun with her friend Zuzana, aside from her strange drawings and her blue hair which she insisted, with a wry smile, is real, there is nothing extraordinary about her. But in reality she was brought up in a world different to the one in which she studies. With no family on earth her guardian lives in a subterranean chamber, in a place he calls Elsewhere. Drawn upon to run errands for her Guardian, Karou finds herself visiting the lowest of the low, but one visit ends nastily and she doesn’t realise that this one visit may be the start of something new for Elsewhere.

***

Daughter of Smoke and Bone may possibly be one of the best fantasy stories I have ever come across. The story sucks you in from the very beginning and keeps you begging for more, right up until the last page.

I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this book. I know that other people had said it was brilliant and I had seen the trailer but I didn’t expect the story to be what it was. I don’t generally read a lot of fantasy so at the beginning I was kind of sceptical about how much I would enjoy the book but once I got into it I knew that it would be amazing. Brilliant characters are mixed with beautiful writing and an excellent plot which shows just how big an imagination Taylor has. I visited different worlds with this book and I could feel them, not just see them, through the writing.

The plot is incredible, at first I had a lot of questions, like how come Karou is on her own and who was Brimstone and everything is revealed really well. This book didn’t have that whole set up thing going on that you find a bit in the first of a series. I was quite happy with where it ended and although I have to find out what happens next I was quite content with the story within this book.

The book is split up in part which was really cool. The perspective switches a lot from Karou to Akira and even sometimes Zuzana. I really liked the way it was told, you were an outsider looking in on everything and it made it possible to see more. Sometimes when the perspective switched you got the same events from the different perspective and it was done really well. I enjoyed that a lot

I really liked the characters within this book and for once my favourite character was the main character! I knew I would love her as soon as I found out her hair was blue but other than that she was amazingly strong, very selfish (except in her want for answers from Brimstone but that’s kind of understandable!) and very pretty but didn’t suffer from any real typical teenage angst stuff.. I love that she went one after everything and she was so strong the whole way through the book, even at points when most people would want to curl up and forget live exists!

Akira was a magnificent character. Of course at first I had a lot of questions about him, his character just seeped with intrigue and I needed to get to know him. As you do get to know him a lot of things are revealed about the story and I love how entwined everything was.

The secondary characters of this book were also amazing, I had never come across a character as realistic and forgiving as Zuzana and Brimstone, Issa and the others? Wow, what a crowd to grow up around! The fantasy and everything surrounding those characters made me want to meet them!

I found myself inside the story in Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I was wondering around the streets of Prague, I was in the Poison Kitchens and I was visiting grave diggers in Marrakesh. It was amazing. Taylor has a way with words rarely seen, they came alive and I felt the emotions, the air, and the love that was inside this book.

There is a serious love story that runs through this book and does come to be a mix of fantasy and fairy tale which is just magical. I loved every turn in this book and so much of it came as a surprise so I hope that I don’t give too much away but I do have to say this is a must read book. I couldn’t put it down and at 420 pages it’s a long one but it is worth it!!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is due for release on 29^th September from Hodder. My copy was obtained through the UK Book Tours site.

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A Tangle of Magicks – Stephanie Burgis

“My brother Charles was a hopeless gamester, a ridiculous over-sleeper, and the one sibling too lazy to take part in any family arguments, no matter how exasperating our sisters might have been (and usually were).

But he had one shining virtue as an older brother: he was infinitely persuadable.”

Kat is a guardian. A quality passed through blood from her witch mother, she is one of a secret order who ensures that society is safe from the cusps of magic. When her oldest sister’s wedding is gate-crashed by her second sisters’ loved ones’ mother and the gossip starts of the families witchcraft Kat’s stepmoma packs them off to Bath.  With the idea to find Angeline a eligible bachelor Kat’s stepmoma does not realise that she has taken her two stepdaughters into a highly magical, and dangerous, place. Kat finds herself wrapped up in magic she has never seen before and may have to defy the highest person in the Oder of Guardians to make Bath safe again.

***

Kat Stephenson is one feisty 12 year old! & I love it! I can’t believe it has taken me this long to delve into this series!

A Tangle of Magicks sees us return to the life of Kat Stephenson. Although I didn’t actually read the previous book in the series, A Most Improper Magick, I still loved this book and I would seriously recommend it. Kat made a perfect companion on a lonesome Friday night for me and I can see people everywhere loving her!

The story saw Kats oldest sister’s wedding trashed and the family name butchered even further than it already was. Kat’s other sister, Angeline, wants to get her own way somehow and seems to want to ruin the family even more. Kat needs to stop her but it’s hard when she is expelled from practising any form of power that comes from being a guardian. Kats life is difficult to say the least and it made for a brilliant story. There are twists and turns everywhere but not so much that it’s confusing; don’t worry! The story actually takes place over just a number of days which would usually feel a bit rushed for me but in this story it worked so well. There was so much going on that I think it wouldn’t have worked as well if it wasn’t within that short a time period! I loved the urgency of everything!

The characters we meet in this book are brilliant. I had read a lot of Austin and other regency based stories through my uni studies and I could vividly see Lady Fotherington, the Wingates and Mr Gregson in their full regency splendour. Maria Wingate had to be one of the most annoying characters ever… though still not as annoying as Lydia Bennet! The better characters were by far Kets family, her papa totally redeemed himself, Angeline was pretty awesome and Charles, well lets just say I liked him for all his helplessness.

Kat was an amazing feisty, go-getting character and I think she really made the story. She had a tendancy to find herself if bad situations whilst trying to help matters and obviously then making them worse but you can forgive her for that! The one niggle I did have with her though, as the youngest of four siblings in the regency period she really didn’t come across as 12. I kept thinking of her as older and she really didn’t fit in with your typical female character from that period.. though that made her better of course!

I really got sucked into A Tangle of Magicks and I cant believe I haven’t read this series before. I am totally going out to find the first book so that I can find out what happened before this one, but that’s because I loved it so much. I think this second book worked really well on its own so don’t be afraid to pick this one up before its predecessor.

A Tangle of Magicks was released in August 2011 by Templar. It is the second in the “Unladylike Adventures of Kat Stephenson” series. My copy was sent as a gift from the lovely Viv at Serendipity Reviews.

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Elsewhere – Gabrielle Zevin

“’The end came quickly, and there wasn’t any pain’ Sometimes, the father whispers it to the mother. Sometimes the mother to the father. From the top of the stairs, Lucy hears it all and says nothing.

For Lizzie’s sake, Lucy wants to believe that the end was quick and painless; a quick end is a good end. But she cant help wondering, How do they know?”

Fifteen year old Lizzie is hit by a car. That’s the last thing she can remember before waking up on a boat, traveling to Elsewhere. What Lizzie doesn’t realise at first is that shes dead, and Elsewhere isn’t like earth. All the inhabitants get younger, rather than older and you meet people you never thought you would meet before. Lizzie is greated from the boat by her maternal Grandmother, who died before she was born. But this Elsewhere isn’t like home and Lizzie finds death hard to adjust too.

***

I had been recommended this book so many times before and I just kinda kept forgetting about it. I knew it was meant to be good and it sounded ok but something just didn’t make it jump out to me. That was until now… now I don’t think I will ever forget about this book again. Its beautiful, fantastical and very, very, thought provoking.

I didn’t think Id think about death as much as I did whilst reading Elsewhere. I found the concept fascinating and I could help but carry on reading to find out what happened to Lizzie. Although it was written in third person I felt a real connection to Lizzie and her situation. I kept thinking how I would deal with it if it had happened to me and there are certain things I think I would have done the same as Lizzie but many I would not.

I loved the idea that in Elsewhere time goes backwards so you get younger. That is something that had me mystified for hours. Also that you can teach yourself how to speak canine… though it annoyed me slightly that no other animal languages were mentioned (obviously I would like to know if you could learn Dinosaur hehe) maybe the author just really likes dogs… It through me off slightly with the first chapter too but I thought it was very unique and I liked that little twist on things.

The characters you meet in Elsewhere are really, really amazing. I think they really made the book. The concept was great but it needed the right characters to pull it off. I think Lizzie was a brilliant character, she was so brilliant in fact that she had some serious flaws and Zevin did well to create a very relatable main character. Lizzie (sorry, I know shes called Liz and Elizabeth as well as Lizzie but I have to call her by that as that is what she was to me!) struggled with her new surrounding and her death  just didn’t compute for ages. I can understand exactly what Lizzie went through and I found her story fascinating.

The other characters were brilliant. I loved how Betty tried to work everything out through the use of a book, because she didn’t know any other way. Also how Lizzies counsellor, Aldous, blamed allergies to emotional situations when he cried was hilarious. I loved how Lizzie met Curtis and how she handled it so much better than I would have! Then Thandi, Owen, Jen and Susie; all bloody awesome, and considering two of them are dogs, that’s quite an achievement!

Although I loved Elsewhere I will have to admit that the writing was a little off for me. It didn’t flow in places as well as I would have liked it and I fear that it was a little too simplistic in places… like it was intended for a younger audience almost. However, if the plot and characters weren’t as amazing as they were thing would have been more of an issue. As it was the story took the focus away from the writing for me and I still loved it!

Elsewhere is a coming to terms story with a difference. It is all about redeption and hope and making you think more about the stuff you don’t think about a lot, without pondering too much on it. Its definitely one that sticks with you and I loved it. If you haven’t read it yet, please do because it is brilliant.

Elsewhere was published in 2005 by Bloomsbury. My copy was sent as a gift for me from the wonderful Cait from The Cait Files, Thanks!!!

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100 popular YA titles

I've beeing seing this list around the blogosphere for a little while now... Its the “Top 100 Most Popular YA Books.” I cant quite find out who started the list off but I dont think its a properly researched list, just a list of popular titles... anyway I'm sure you guys have probably seen it floating around and I thought I'd share which books I have read from it! 

The Books Ive read are bolded. If they are starred(*) they are on my TBR 

 1. Alex Finn – Beastly
2. Alice Sebold – The Lovely Bones
3. Ally Carter – Gallagher Girls (1, 2, 3, 4)
4. Ally Condie – Matched
5. Alyson Noel – The Immortals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
6. Anastasia Hopcus – Shadow Hills
7. Angie Sage – Septimus Heap (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6*)
8. Ann Brashares – The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (1, 2, 3, 4)
9. Anna Godbersen – Luxe (1, 2, 3, 4)
10. Anthony Horowitz – Alex Rider (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
11. Aprilynne Pike – Wings (1, 2, 3)
12. Becca Fitzpatrick – Hush, Hush (1, 2)
13. Brandon Mull – Fablehaven (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
14. Brian Selznick – The Invention of Hugo Cabret
15. Cassandra Clare – The Mortal Instruments (1, 2, 3, 4)
16. Carrie Jones – Need (1, 2, 3)
17. Carrie Ryan – The Forest of Hands and Teeth (1, 2, 3)
18. Christopher Paolini – Inheritance (1, 2, 3, 4) ** (I own the first two)
19. Cinda Williams Chima – The Heir Chronicles (1, 2, 3)
20. Colleen Houck – Tigers Saga (1, 2)
21. Cornelia Funke – Inkheart (1, 2, 3) * I own the first one
22. Ellen Hopkins – Impulse
23. Eoin Colfer – Artemis Fowl (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
24. Faraaz Kazi – Truly, Madly, Deeply
25. Frank Beddor – The Looking Glass Wars (1, 2, 3) *** I have all of these on my tbr, don't tell my sister I havent read them yet!
26. Gabrielle Zevin – Elsewhere
27. Gail Carson Levine – Fairest
28. Holly Black – Tithe (1, 2, 3)
29. J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
30. James Dashner – The Maze Runner (1, 2)
31. James Patterson – Maximum Ride (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) * I have the first one on my tbr
32. Jay Asher – Thirteen Reasons Why *
33. Jeanne DuPrau – Books of Ember (1, 2, 3, 4)
34. Jeff Kinney – Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
35. John Boyne – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
36. John Green – An Abundance of Katherines
37. John Green – Looking for Alaska 
38. John Green – Paper Towns
39. Jonathan Stroud – Bartimaeus (1, 2, 3, 4) * I have the first one
40. Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl – Caster Chronicles (1, 2)
41. Kelley Armstrong – Darkest Powers (1, 2, 3)
42. Kristin Cashore – The Seven Kingdoms (1, 2)
43. Lauren Kate – Fallen (1, 2, 3)
44. Lemony Snicket – Series of Unfortunate Events (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) *** I have the first three on my tbr
45. Libba Bray – Gemma Doyle (1, 2, 3)
46. Lisa McMann – Dream Catcher (1, 2, 3)
47. Louise Rennison – Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
48. M.T. Anderson – Feed
49. Maggie Stiefvater – The Wolves of Mercy Falls (1, 2, 3)
50. Margaret Peterson Haddix – Shadow Children (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
51. Maria V. Snyder – Study (1, 2, 3)
52. Markus Zusak – The Book Thief *
53. Markus Zusak – I Am the Messenger
54. Mark Haddon – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
55. Mary Ting – Crossroads
56. Maureen Johnson – Little Blue Envelope (1, 2)
57. Meg Cabot – All-American Girl (1, 2)
58. Meg Cabot – The Mediator (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
59. Meg Cabot – The Princess Diaries (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
60. Meg Rosoff – How I Live Now *
61. Megan McCafferty – Jessica Darling (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
62. Megan Whalen Turner – The Queen’s Thief (1, 2, 3, 4)
 63. Melina Marchetta – On the Jellicoe Road
64. Melissa de la Cruz – Blue Bloods (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
65. Melissa Marr – Wicked Lovely (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
66. Michael Grant – Gone (1, 2, 3, 4)
67. Nancy Farmer – The House of the Scorpion
68. Neal Shusterman – Unwind
69. Neil Gaiman – Coraline
70. Neil Gaiman – Stardust
71. Neil Gaiman – The Graveyard Book
72. P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast – House of Night (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 )
73. Philip Pullman – His Dark Materials (1, 2, 3)
74. Rachel Caine – The Morganville Vampires (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
75. Rachel Cohn & David Levithan – Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist
76. Richelle Mead – Vampire Academy (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
77. Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) 
78. Rom LcO’Feer – Somewhere Carnal Over 40 Winks
79. S.L. Naeole – Grace (1, 2, 3, 4)
80. Sabrina Bryan & Julia DeVillers – Princess of Gossip
81. Sarah Dessen – Along for the Ride
82. Sarah Dessen – Lock and Key
83. Sarah Dessen – The Truth about Forever
84. Sara Shepard – Pretty Little Liars (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
85. Scott Westerfeld – Leviathan (1, 2)
86. Scott Westerfeld – Uglies (1, 2, 3)
87. Shannon Hale – Books of a Thousand Days
88. Shannon Hale – Princess Academy
89. Shannon Hale – The Books of Bayern (1, 2, 3, 4)
90. Sherman Alexie & Ellen Forney – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
91. Simone Elkeles – Perfect Chemistry (1, 2, 3)
92. Stephanie Meyer – The Host
93. Stephanie Meyer – Twilight Saga (1, 2, 3, 4) * I also own the third but wont be reading it... 
94. Sue Monk Kidd – The Secret Life of Bees
95. Susan Beth Pfeffer – Last Survivors (1, 2, 3)
96. Suzanne Collins – Hunger Games (1, 2, 3)
97. Suzanne Collins – Underland Chronicles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
98. Terry Pratchett – Tiffany Aching (1, 2, 3, 4)
99. Tonya Hurley – Ghost Girl (1, 2, 3)
100. Wendelin Van Draanen – Flipped

That's actually a little low.... I thought Id have read, or at least own, more than this but I haven't even heard of some one them! What about you?