Dream Bookish Destinations (#10): Chetham's Library

Welcome to Dream Bookish Destinations. This is a feature in which I lust over (semi) Bookish Destinations across the world. I try to do these as often as possible but I fail a lot, sorry! 

What is it?  Chetham's Library

Where is it? Long Millgate, Manchester

History: This Library was founded in 1653 and is the longest surviving library in Britain. The buildings itself is even older having been built in 1452 as a school for priests. The library was established under the will of a Humprey Chetham as a part of the Chetham's School to provide the education of "the sons of honest, industrious and painful parents" The library was for the use by the scholars.

The books and journals etc which sit on the shelves of Chetham's are judged as being of high importance, Chethams holds the oldest history of Manchester and printed books include first editions of Milton's Paradise Lost and, my kind of book, Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language.  

Why I want to go there: Just look at the picture above. It looks amazing and really atmospheric. Also can you imagine what that room smeels like, what the books smell like (yes I know I'm a freak!) I love the smell of really old books, there's just something about them! Also that book mentioned above, Johnsons' Dictionary? Ive been dreaming of looking at a first edition of that book since I studied the History of English Language in university! I would love to see that in real life! 

Cinder – Marissa Meyer

“The screw through Cinder’s ankle had rusted, the engraved cross marks worn to a mangled circle. Her knuckles ached from forcing the screwdriver into the joint as she struggled to loosen the screw one gritting twist after another.”

Humans and cyborgs live together in the crowded city streets of new Beijing. A deadly plague is making its way around the population and while all this is going on the Lunar people are looking down on Earth, plotting.

Cinder is the lowest of the low, she is a cyborg and that means she is way down in the pecking order and whats worse is her legal guardian hates her. Since her stepfather died it’s just been her, her stepmother and her two sisters. When her nicest sister comes down with the plague and Cinder is blamed her stepmother, Adri, forces her to be a test subject to help find a cure. This puts her in prime position for the handsome Prince Kai to meet her though and when he does it kicks up all kinds of problems for Cinder, especially when tensions heighten between the Prince and the Lunar Queen. Cinder has to delve into the past to find out how she can help stop a war.

***

I was told Cinder was amazing. I was told I would love it. But the idea of a futuristic sci-fi retelling of Cinderella sounded a bit too far-fetched for me. However when I started seeing all the amazing reviews I knew I had to give it a go and oh boy, I’m so bloody glad I did!!

Cinder grabbed me from the very start, it helped that we are introduced to the beautiful Prince Kai straight away but nevermind! I loved the idea of a cyborg Cinderella and was intrigued about who it would work. Meyer makes this story her own right from the start though by putting the focus on the cyborg part of Cinder rather than the orphan with a wicked stepmother side of her. We are aware that Cinder works as a mechanic and keeps the family afloat but both her sisters aren’t bad and that helps. Then there’s the other aspects of the story, the inter-galactic war and the plague, these elements added something that I loved, they made the story jump out at me and I stopped even thinking about the original Cinderella story!

The flow of this book is just amazing; the way it picks up storylines and stores them away at the back of your mind to be brought up again at a later point is brilliant and never got confusing. I loved the way the story played out and how we were greeted with extra little bits of info here and there. There was one issue I had with this book though and that is that I realised what was going on really early on, it was blatantly obvious and while it didn’t really hurt my feelings towards the book as I was reading it I think it could have been handled a little better.

The characters in this book just really jumped out at you. They felt so real and so present. The Luna Queen was terrifyingly beautiful and Prince Kai, well wow! He was beautiful! Cinder herself was such an interesting character, I never once got bored following her through this journey. I think my favourite characters have to be the doctor and Iko though, I loved the doctor’s depth and his personality, he was such a cool old man and I wanted to hang around with him just to take in his knowledge of the world! He’s awesome! Then Iko, she was everything Id want an android to be, I loved that people thought she had a faulty personality chip because she was so out-there for an android but that’s how I’d want my android to be if I had one! I love it when a books characters come across as so real that you actually shudder when they appear and Cinders Stepmother Adri was one of these characters, I couldn’t believe the way she treated Cinder and how hideous she was, I actually nearly threw my kindle across the room at once point!

I really loved Cinder a lot more than i thought I would, I loved that it was a whole new story even though it’s based on Cinderella, I loved the futuristic elements and even the idea that there are Lunar people on the Moon. The sci-fi bits never got too much for me, even though I don’t ‘do’ sci-fi. I guess there is one more complaint I have for Cinder though, thinking about it, I need more!!!

Cinder was released on January 5^th in the UK by Puffin. it is the first in the Lunar Chronicles series. My copy was obtained through Netgalley, thank you to Netgalley and McMillan in the US for allowing me access to the galley.

Goodreads | Amazon

In My Mailbox (#41)

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!! 

SO on Friday I had like, 3 ebooks to show you. then an explosion of books happened, mainly due to me meeting up with Keris, Steffi coming to stay and my friend Laura enforcing books onto me! I have such a wide range of books this week that its crazy and also, I got Christmas presents so that's what all the dinosaur stuff is! 

Borrowed from Steffi:

Kill all Enemies - Melvin Burgess

All the presents dotted around are from Steffi too as we didnt get to see each other over Christmas. I gots some dinosaur stuff!! :D 

Borrowed from Laura:

The Wind Singer - William Nicholson

Witch and Wizard - James Patterson

I let Laura borrow Divergent and she loved it, of course! When she gave me it back she told me I definitely had to give these two series' a go so obviously, I took her up on the over of more books, let me shelves cry! 

Borrowed from Keris: 

Every Other Day - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Future of Us - Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Pure - Julianna Baggott

Eternal Rider - Larissa Ione

Dante Valentine - Lilith Saintcrow

Other Words for Love - Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

I swear Keris is a book angel in disguise, we met up for Nandos on Friday night and she handed me a big bag of books! Yay!! A couple I've read so I haven't included them here as Steffi is having those ones, then a couple of these Steffi wants so I'll have to pass on to her! lol I have wanted to read Pure and Other Words for Love forever so I cant wait for those ones!! 

For Review Ebooks:

Someone Else's Life - Katie Dale

Ravenstoke - Augusta Blythe

Winterborne - Augusta Blythe

These look awesome and when I get requests for books like these I almost squeal! I actually did when Katie Dale emailed me! YAY!! Ive wanted Some Else's Life for absolutely ages and I cant wait to read it. Katie's also going to be on my blog in a week or so too so watch out for that! 

Anyway. Thats my mailbox, what did you get? Also while your here, check our yesterdays post. Its my blogoversary giveaway and there are two prizes to be won!! 

Holy Dino! Readaraptor is 1!!

Wow, can you believe it?! I cant! A year ago this weekend I started up Readaraptor. I was blogging on Tumblr and got annoyed with it, its not the place for long rambling reviews like mine, so I started this little blog up with blogger. Im so glad I did because I found so many awesome people just through this blog and I love each and every one of you! I was hoping that I would get to 200 followers before my blogoversary but I dont think I did (Im writing this on Wednesday, sorry if I have!)
Anyway. I'll quit rambling. Im so happy that I got here and people are still reading my blog and who many friends Ive made from blogging but what Im even happier about is the books Ive read since starting out. I've exceeded all expectations Ive had of myself, reading stuff I never thought I would and reading more than I ever thought I would!!

As a huge thank you to all my followers I have a giveaway today. There will be two winners, one will received a finished hardback copy of In Darkness by Nick Lake and the other winner will win a book up to the value of £10 from either The Book Depository or Amazon. The second prize will be open to international followers. The winner will be announced on the 25th of February so the giveaway is open for 4 weeks. You have to be a follower to enter.

Earthling – Mark Fearing

Its Bud’s first day at Abraham Lincoln Elementary school, or it would be, had he not missed his bus and ended up going in a completely different direction. The direction is the least of his worries though when he realises that his bus has actually taken him out of Earth’s atmosphere, is full of aliens and he’s on his way to a school of a completely different kind –Cosmos Academy.

Cosmos Academy is the best in the galaxy and they don’t take kindly to strangers, the headmaster is under constant paranoia that the terrible Earthlings are going to attack. In fact the Galaxy fears Earth and its people. So when Bud tells Gort that he’s from Earth, Gort does the best he can to cover for him. Can Bud play Zeroball? Can he fit in at his new school? And what’s more, can he get back to earth?

***

I knew that this fun little graphic novel would be right up my street when I was offered it for review. First day nerves hit every kid when they start a new school and ending up on a whole other planet must be tough, but this hilarious and sweet graphic novel hits the nail on the head when dealing with beating bullies, making friends and fitting in – I mean, if Bud can do it with aliens, anyone can do it on Earth right!

I loved the idea of this book, it’s a relatable underlying storyline but with funny elements and sci-fi inclusion. I know that the storyline will grip any 8-12 year old boy and some of the girls too, I would have loved this one in my last year of primary school!! With being older now it’s all a bit different reading this kind of thing but I would definitely say that a kid would really love it. Bud makes a friend on the school bus who sticks by him throughout and that’s one of the sweetest things. Gort knows that Bud would be expelled – into deep space – if his species is discovered, so Gort helps him out.

I loved the characters too, Bud was a bit of a know-it-all and was pretty smart and I loved the addition of Zeroball because that really made Gort and Bud’s characters come out. They were smart, geeky kids who hated sports, and it just made it funnier that Bud’s disguise was that of a species who love sports. Some of the teacher from the academy had great personalities too and I loved that there were goodies and baddies!

This book is a graphic novel and really easy to read, I’d say it would be great for nine or ten year old boys because I know how difficult it is to get them reading. Earthling was quick and easy and the pictures helped bring life to the story. I have to admit that I was a little confused about who was who in the Academy but I think that’s because my ARC copy was black and white whereas the finished copy will be in colour.

I really would recommend this graphic novel to all kids in the 8-12 range, especially if they have a thing for aliens and space. Bud and the friends he makes have to fight the baddies and get Bud back to earth without his identity being uncovered and it makes for a great adventure. If you kids like comics and great illustrations they will probably love this one too, it was a great read and I’ll be passing it on to my stepson to see what he thinks of it too!

Earthling is Mark Fearing’s first graphic novel and it is due for release on Feb 2^nd by Chronicle Books. Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

 Goodreads | Amazon

Forget You – Jennifer Echols

“Every strong swimmer as a story about nearly drowning. This is mine:

Late one June afternoon I was driving home from my summer job at my dad’s water park, Slide with Clyde, when my phone rang and Brandon’s name flashed on the screen. He never I never answered my phone while driving. And everybody working at Slide with Clyde today had heard that my dad had gotten Ashley, the twenty-four-year-old human resources manager, pregnant.”

Three months after it comes out that Zoey’s father has knocked up his 23 year old employee, Zoey and her mother have moved out, into a small apartment, where Zoey gets home one day to find her mother unconscious from overdosing on sleeping pills. Zoey has to move in with her father but god-forbid she actually needs parenting in any way shape or form. She is to keep quiet and out of the way. Even when she crashes her car and can’t remember anything of the past 12 hours. With her sexy footballer boyfriend Brandon acting distant and bad-boy Doug acting like something special has gone on between them, Zoey has lost all control - can she work out what happened that night and regain her control?

***

I have been meaning to read this one for a while and something kept putting me off but I decided that it was about time to read it and see what it was all about. I was intrigued when I read the back of the book and I wanted to know more about Zoey’s amnesia and what had gone on with the two boys!

I sometimes struggle with the whole love triangle thing and this one clearly is a book with a love triangle. It is the base of the whole book really, with the exception of the amnesia thing, so I was a bit worried about how much I would love this book. As with many cases of the love triangle plot line there was one member of the threesome that I hated and couldn’t stand, I couldn’t understand why Brandon was even in the triangle and wanted to shake Zoey to make her snap out from his spell. The car crash and memory loss really is what made me want to read this book though and that’s what made me enjoy it the most. There was so much intrigue about the car crash and the events surrounding it that I couldn’t put the book down!!

To be totally honest with you I was so happy that the plot was so good and kept me going through this book, the way everything was revealed meant that the story never got boring and there was no dull moments. However if it wasn’t for the plot and it was down to the characters I probably would have thrown this book across the room, seriously! There was ONE character I liked in this entire book, one singular character which wasn’t even the mc! It was bad-boy Doug! I swear every other character annoyed me so much, I couldn’t believe the selfishness of Zoey’s father and Ashley was just sickly sweet, Zoey was naïve and obviously blind stupid, her twin best friends Lila and Keke were just airheads and Brandon… ergh don’t even get me started on that douche! Doug was the one character who made me want to read this book, who made me want to cuddle him and who made me want him! I felt so sorry for him for the way he was treated and how Zoey was so horrible to him. I wanted to shake her!!

Anyway, enough of my little rant, so I didn’t like the characters, who cares. I loved the storyline and the book had me gripped. The writing was pretty damn good, it had reality, the characters said the right things, things a normal 17 year old would say and what’s more is they did the things that a 17 year old would do as well! Things were very much work, school and sex and that didn’t bother me a single bit because that’s what everything is at 17! I also loved its truthfulness about sex because in all honesty, its not all sunshine, rainbows and bunnies, sometimes it doesn't happen like it does in the movies, and it isnt as special as you'd always thought it would be! This book really did have strong links to reality but I really hope that there isn’t someone on the earth as stupid as Zoey when it comes to men, ergh.

Forget You was released in 2010 by Simon Pulse US. It is yet to get a UK publisher. My copy was borrowed from my good friend Steffi.

Goodreads | Amazon

Stolen Away – Alyxandra Harvey

“’I hate this town’ Jo complained. ‘There isn’t a single hot guy anywhere.’

‘Hey,’ Devin protested mildly, out of habit. We weren’t really listening; we’d heard Jo give this same speech about a hundred times, and frankly, my mint chocolate chip ice cream was more interesting.”

During the heat wave, in October, Eloise is approached by a handsome, mysterious guy wearing old fashioned clothing, demanding she follows him. When she doesn’t and he walks away she puts it down to a one off but then when she gets home to find the same guy on her balcony she starts to freak out, but Lucas isn’t there to scare her, he’s there to protect her. He offers her protection from a Faery King who is determined to defeat his wife and Eloise’s aunt, Antonia, and keep hold of his reign for longer. Eloise doesn’t know anything of the Fae world, let alone the fact her aunt is in fact a Faery Queen but she knows she is in trouble when she is kidnapped and held prisoner in Lord Strahan's Roth. Can she save herself, and her Aunt?

***

This one is going to be a quick review, because while I enjoyed Stolen Away, I don’t actually have much to say! It is one I wasn’t sure about because I don’t get on with Fae books and I have been known to stop reading half way through but this one was pretty damn gripping.

The plot was interesting. I was left presently surprised the whole way through because I needed to know what was going on, if the bad guy was going to be defeated and if everyone was going to be saved. I liked the plot but I thought it was quite rushed so lost a little bit of tension.

The characters were great and whilst I could clearly see them in my mind and I liked them, again they didn’t grab me. I liked Jo and Eloise’s styles, I liked them as people but neither of them really stood out. I also thought that the split narrative was a bit lost because of the lack of distinction between the two characters, I had to keep double checking who’s chapter it was meant to be. I loved Eloise’s mum though, she was brilliant. Also Lucas and Eldritch were really great characters too. I think I preferred Eldritch and couldn’t help but hear his voice as Irish… don’t ask me why. I loved how much depth his character had and how he fit snuggly into the plot.

The writing is what grabbed me and made me not want to give up. As I mentioned I don’t really do Fae books so it needed something to keep me going and Harvey’s writing did just that. I was swept away into the land of faery and I could really see everything so clearly due to the pictures Harvey painted with her words.

To sum up, I enjoyed Stolen Away more than other Fae books. I wanted to give it a go because I read and loved one of Harvey’s other titles, Haunting Violet, and thought it was brilliant. I loved the imagery that came out in the book. It was a quick and easy read and I really recommend it to anyone who enjoys their fantasy and definitely people who enjoy their faery stories.

Stolen Away is the latest of YA novel from author Alyxandra Harvey. It was published by Bloomsbury on January 5^th. My copy was sent to me via UK Book Tours

Goodreads | Amazon

Book News: Trailers and Covers and websites and things!

There has been a lot of book news lately that I keep forgetting to post up so I'm going to put a few things up on here today! First up is the wonderful trailer for Girl Meets Boy, edited by Kelly Milner Halls, which comes out in March from Chronicle Books, I cant wait to get started on this one as it sounds awesome and the trailer makes me even more intrigued than the blurb has done!




Goodreads summary: "What do guys and girls really think? Twelve of the most dynamic and engaging YA authors writing today team up for this one-of-a-kind collection of "he said/she said" stories-he tells it from the guy's point of view, she tells it from the girl's. These are stories of love and heartbreak. There's the good-looking jock who falls for a dangerous girl, and the flipside, the toxic girl who never learned to be loved; the basketball star and the artistic (and shorter) boy she never knew she wanted; the gay boy looking for love online and the girl who could help make it happen. Each story in this unforgettable collection teaches us that relationships are complicated-because there are two sides to every story."
***
Next up I have the cover for Louise Rennison's new book A Midsummer Tight's Dream. I haven't actually read this series but I was a huge fan of the Georgia Nicholson series and I can image this one is just as good, I would love to be a teen again and be reading these! 

Goodreads Summary: "It’s the hotly anticipated sequel to the winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, WITHERING TIGHTS – laugh your tights off as Tallulah Casey and her bonkers mates return for a new term at Dother Hall performing arts college. Boys, snogging and bad acting guaranteed! 

Yaroooo! Tallulah’s triumphant Heathcliff in ‘Wuthering Heights’ the comedy musical was enough to secure her place at Dother Hall performing arts college for another term. She can’t wait to see her pals again, Charlie and the boys from Woolf Academy and maybe even bad boy Cain… 

When an international visitor comes to stay could the bright lights of Broadway be calling? And for who? Find out in the next Misadventures of Tallulah Casey"

***
Exciting news through from Harpercollins this week as one of the characters from Barry Hutchinson's next book, The 13th Horsemen, have set up his own blog! You can follow him over at http://www.the13thhorseman.com/. This one sounds great, I've heard so many good things about Barry and his books! 

Goodreads Summary: "Drake Finn has just met the Horsemen of the Apocalypse but is that really the end of the world? Pratchett meets Python in this dark comic fantasy with plenty of action, perfect for 11+ boys Drake is surprised to find three horsemen of the apocalypse playing snakes and ladders in his garden shed. He's even more surprised when they insist that he is one of them. They're missing a Horseman, having gone through several Deaths and they think that Drake is the boy for the job. At first he's reluctant to usher in Armageddon but does being in charge of Armageddon have to spell the end of the world? An apocalyptic blend of riotous comedy, heart-stopping action and a richly imagined fantasy adventure"

***

Finally, I am part of a few blog tours in the next few weeks, keep your eyes open for tours for Celia's Rees' This is not Forgiveness, Antonia Michaelis' The Storyteller and Don Calame's Beat the Band!! 

Sara Grant blog tour: Dark Parties the Movie?

Today I have the wonderful Sara Grant on the blog talking about her dream casting for the Dark Parties movie. I personally would love to see this cast up there on the big screen!! 

***

I love the Oscars. I stay up all night to watch them live. I have an ongoing text discussion with my friend in the states about everything from fashions to predictions to acceptance speeches. And for some bizarre reason, award programs generally choke me up. There’s something about watching someone achieve their dreams and be honoured by their peers that makes me a bit emotional. And I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been practicing my Oscar acceptance speech since the age of...hmmmm....maybe ten. “I’d like to thank the Academy...”

So the idea of a Dark Parties movie would be whatever is beyond a dream come true. (Having Orion publish my debut novel is a dream come true so a movie deal would be stratospheric.)

It might be difficult to give someone else creative control of my story. When I watch a movie based on a book I’ve read, it’s never exactly what I expect – now imagine if it was the movie of a book that I’ve lived and breathed for five years. I suppose I’d have to think of a Dark Parties movie as completely separate from the book. I’m willing to give it a try. I am all about collaboration (and a red carpet walk!).

Even if some Hollywood big wig had the money and drive, it might not be easy to make Dark Parties into a movie. Dark Parties is set in a society that has closed itself off under an electrified dome for hundreds of years. Its citizens are growing to look more and more alike. They don’t look identical but have a family resemblance. Neva, my main character, explains it like this: “I see myself around every corner — every minute — like living in a maze of mirrors.” For that reason, I didn’t really picture the actors who might play the leading roles – until now.

My first casting call would be to Kevin Spacey. I’d offer him the role of Neva’s dad. I would like to say it’s solely based on the fact that he’s an award-winning actor and has the capacity to play the subtleties in Dr George Adams, but the truth is he’s my favorite actor and I would love to have the chance to sit down and talk to him artist to artist. Okay, it’s more like actor to near-stalker fan.

I’d give my leading lady to Emma Watson. She has the edgy, strength that Neva needs. And after all the testosterone of the Harry Potter series, Emma needs a kick a** leading role.

For Braydon, we’d have to travel a few years back to a time when Jonathan Rhys Meyers had long hair. Then he’d be the perfect Braydon with a mysterious, bold, sexy vibe.

I love a little bit o’ the Glee. I think Cory Allan Monteith could play a convincing Ethan. He’s the boy next door but I think he could add the creepy edge that Ethan needs later in the story. (But he’d have to agree not to break out in song.)

I found Sanna the hardest to cast. I want someone who could exude Sanna’s enthusiasm and heart. She’s got to be loveable but able to play some really tough and emotional scenes. I finally selected Abigail Breslin. The primary reason is because I LOVED her in Little Miss Sunshine. But she’d be about the right age and is a stunning actress. (And she already knows everything about the Oscar experience.)

So Hollywood, whaddya say? Anyone out there want to make my Oscar wishes come true?

***

Thanks for this Sara, I would love to see Dark Parties up there on the big screen and love your choices! Emma Watson would make an awesome Neva and wow, Abigail Breslin as Sanna! She's growing up to be an awesome actress, I want this to come true!! 

Sara's debut Dark Parties is out now in all good bookstores/websites, you can read my review of it here. Don't miss the next stop on the tour at Carly's Writing from the Tub, on Wednesday. 

In My Mailbox (#40)

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!!

I got some awesome sounding books this week, I'm realy exctied for them all!! Especially the two I got for review because Ive been wanting to read some more contemporary fiction to coincide with Ashley's Just Contemporary challenge. 

For Review: 

The Look - Sophia Bennett

Girl Meets Boy - edited by Kelly Milner Halls

A huge thank you to Chicken House Books and Abrams & Chronicle for these two books, they both sound awesome and will be coming out in March this year. You cant see it from the picture but the look has those cool coloured pages so the book has a bright pink boarder to it and it came in the most awesome envelope I've ever seen! 

Bought: 

A Witch in Winter - Ruth Warburton

This one was only 4 pounds in Tesco and it was a struggle to work out whether to buy this or The Future of Us, FoU has had really mixed reviews whereas this one I've only seen brilliant reviews for so I decided on this, it also helped that my awesome fellow Northern blogger Cait from The Cait Files is quoted on the back cover of it! Yay Cait! 

Wonder – RJ Palacio: Early Review

"I know I’m not an ordinary ten-year-old kid. I mean, sure, I do ordinary things. I eat ice cream. I ride my bike. I play ball. I have an Xbox. Stuff like that makes me ordinary. I guess. And I feel Ordinary. Inside. But I know ordinary kids don’t make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. I know ordinary kids don’t get stared at wherever they go.”

August was born with a severe facial deformity, in and out of hospital for most of his life he’s never been to normal school, he’s been home-schooled, until now… He is ten and about to start fifth grade at the local Beecher Prep School. August sees himself as just a normal kid, but other kids don’t, can he fit in at school even though his face will stand out? Can he make friends and avoid bullying? Can he stay strong?

***

I knew as soon as I knew what Wonder was about I needed to read it as soon as possible! I could imagine what kind of story it was and to be honest I wasn’t wrong, but that’s good! Wonder is a strong story, with very happy, uplifting bits and very sad, cry-y bits. I did shed a tear more than once and I’m fairly sure a lot of people would!

The story follows August’s fifth grade year at Beecher Prep, but it’s not a linear narrative, we get background bits about August and its split into seven parts, with August having three, bigger, main parts. The other parts are ‘written by’ other characters in the book including August’s sister Via and his two friends Jack and Summer. I was really impressed with the inclusion of other perspectives because it showed how August’s deformity affected the people around him. The story really was an emotional rollercoaster but it’s a great one and I couldn’t get enough of it.

The characters are so strong in Wonder, they jumped out at me from the page and had so much personality it was hard to forget they were fictional! August is obviously my favourite, he was so strong and brave, and he’d been through more in his short life than many people have to go through in their full lifetimes yet still smiled and plodded along. You really get into his mind and get his feelings, it’s magical. They thing I loved the most about him was his strength and ability to know that he is actually a normal kid; he’s just got a different face from everyone else!

The other characters we meet are just as strong, brave and real as August is. Via is 15 and loves her little brother more than anything in the world and I understood her. She was only human and I can’t blame her for any of her actions in the book, life is hard and she knows exactly how hard it can be. Via and Augusts parents were also amazing characters. I would have loved a little more about the parents but it’s a children’s book so it might not have fit in too well. I still got enough to love and understand them though. The secondary characters are brilliant. The kids from August’s school show their true colours and prove certain things about humanity, and its flaws. Summer was the bravest of them all and she is exactly the kind of friend everyone needs. Via’s best friend Miranda was quite a big character in the book too and I’m so glad one of the “parts” was in her voice as it explained a lot about Miranda, Via and people as a whole. I think my favourite part from a character other than August though had to be Justin’s, his part started just after he met August for the very first time and it was very important. I was really impressed by it and I loved the stylistic aspects of his part too! (Change in text style for those who don’t know what that means…)

Due to the first person narration in the book you really do feel what each of the “voices” feel. I often felt Augusts feelings so strongly that my own mirrored them. I wanted to curl up into a ball the way he wanted to, I felt my face flush when his did and I cried when he cried. It’s the writing that made this possible and not once did I feel that it let the book down. I was so impressed with the changes between parts too as each of the voices had their own kind of style going on.

Wonder has its own special place in the bottom of my heart and it’s going to stay there forever. I cannot believe how amazingly beautiful this story is and I really want to see it on every school library, in every language, in every country across the whole world because it should be required reading for all children between 10 and 16! I urge you to go out and read this book; it’s a beautiful emotional rollercoaster that everyone should journey through.

Wonder is RJ Palacio’s debut novel; it is due for release in March 2012 through The Bodley Head, a Random House Children’s Books imprint. My copy was obtained through UK Book Tours, thank you!

Goodreads | Amazon

The Storyteller – Antonia Michaelis

“Blood.

There is blood everywhere. On his hands, on her hands, on his shirt, on his face, on the tiles, on the small round carpet. The carpet used to be blue; it will never be blue again.”

Lurking mysteriously by the bike racks, with his black woollen hat and the plugs of an old Walkman in his ears, she notices him and she is intrigued. Anna shouldn’t be intrigued by Tannatek, Gitta tells her so, but she can’t help it, there’s just something about him. When Tannatek becomes Abel and she gets to know more about him it turns out he is more than just the school drug dealer. Abel is caring for his six year old sister, Micha, since their mother has disappeared, and Anna becomes a character in the story Abel is weaving to his sister. A story which features a little orphan queen with a diamond heart is trying to reach a mainland, away from a scary black ship with horrible people on it, a story that mirrors reality.

But when reality starts to mirror the story, and people are found dead, Anna starts to worry, what is going on and will she be the next in the story to go? Has Abel got something to do with the murders or is it just a coincidence?

***

  

When I saw the synopsis of The Storyteller I was so intrigued, I knew I had to read it and I had to emerge myself entirely. So when I sat down to read it I planned on not being able to put it back down. It’s a good job I planned this because let’s face it, if I’d have picked it up with only a few minutes spare I would have been running late. The Storyteller grabs you and doesn’t want to let go until the very end.

Anna lives in her own little bubble, she has her friends and she is oblivious to a lot of life that goes on around her. She doesn’t even understand why Abel’s nickname at school is “The Polish Peddler” until her best friend tells her. She decides she needs to see more perspective and that I believe is where Abel comes in. I didn’t much like Anna in the first 100 pages or so, I thought she was too naïve and too wrapped up in her own little world to even be able to understand Abel’s but she grew on me a lot and was a much more stronger character than I thought she was going to be.

Abel’s life is messed up, his mum was a waste of space when she was around and now she’s disappeared, life is just crazy. He balances school with looking after Micha and working nights as well as drug pushing. He does it all because he loves Micha and wants her to have a better life than he has. His true talent lies in story weaving though and his words are beautiful and magical. I loved every second that Abel was on the page, he seemed real and 3D and raw, oh so raw. He loved Micha and to be totally honest, I did too, there is not a person on the planet who could not love that little girl!

One of the things that made The Storyteller an amazing book for me was the writing. I’d always heard of translations coming across wrong or being badly written because they can never capture the right feel as the original but The Storyteller was amazing in English and I kept forgetting that it was even translated. The writing was so beautiful for me that I ended up reading the book really slowly because I had to take in every little detail, I needed to.

The other aspect I loved was the story inside the story. The tale that Abel tells to Micha about the little orphan queen was beautiful and added an element of fantasy to the overall story. It felt like a true fairy-tale and one that I would love the have thought of myself. I loved the boats name in the story too and the way they had to leave the boat behind was so symbolic.

The Storyteller has so many great elements, it’s full of amazing characters, beautiful writing and an amazing storyline, however it’s not the easiest of books. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone under 16 unless they were mature for their age and understanding of the world. The Storyteller features harsh realities, murder and sexual encounters which are really not something that you would want to encounter yourself. It is also a little hard to get into but the second half of the book far outweighed the first so I would keep with it if you start to struggle in any way!

Do not let these negatives get to you though and if you love your love stories and aren’t scared to face the realities of less fortunate lives then The Storyteller is for you. It truly is an amazing yet sad, sad tale. The ending totally crushed me, I mean I saw it coming but in a way that I knew what was going to happen but it was still just incredible and I think in my head I didn’t want to believe where the story was going.

The Storyteller is due for release by Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams, on February 1^st 2012. My copy was sent for review from the publishers, this has had no reflect on my review but please note that any quotes have been taken from an ARC copy and may differ from final edition. 

Goodreads | Amazon

Hollow Pike – James Dawson

“Lis knew she was dreaming, although this brought little comfort as the blood ran over her face. It rushed up her nostrils and caught in the back of her throat. The metallic taste chocked her, panic creeping in.”

Lis London has packed up her life and moved to Hollow Pike, believing she’s safer there than in her hometown where she was being viciously bullied. Living with her sister at the edge of Pike Copse she settles in nicely, until the nightmares start again. Nightmares she has been having for a month get stronger, more vivid and scarier. She dreams of someone trying to kill her, someone chasing her through the copse then grabbing her, and then she wakes up. But they are just nightmares right? She’s not scared of the local legends of witchcraft, until one night someone is in her house, and the nightmares keep getting worse.

***

The Hollow Pike blurb sounded just like a thrilling point horror type read that would give me all the satisfaction of experiencing the things of nightmares without actually being in the action myself. I knew I would enjoy every action packed minute of it before I opened the book, and thankfully when I got to open it, I found my prophecy of the book to be true.

The story was fascinating, Lis found herself in a new place and at first, it was great, but then bad things start happening, her nightmares get worse and although she gets in with the in-crowd not everything seems right. When lis falls out of sync with the in-crowd she finds herself in an even bigger predicament. Her paranoia gets worse, but wouldn’t yours if you heard stange noises and saw strange shapes?

The plot thickens right from the word go with Hollow Pike and by the end of the book I was wading through one of the best storylines Ive read. It captured me and I couldn’t get out of the deep water but that’s fine, because I really didn’t want to!! There were so many twists and turns in this book that it was like you were running through the copse and kept having to avoid the trees.

The characters are brilliantly put across in Hollow Pike and although I did want more background to all of them they were still great characters. I loved that I could see them all in my head; even though Kitty looked exactly like a girl I went to school with in my head and that freaked me out a bit! I could see the popular girls all looking like identical twins and Dee looking like a beautiful red haired temptress! I know she’s not a temptress as such but seriously, she was absolutely stunning in my eyes, all mysterious and witch-y looking. It was easy to see why Dee, Kitty and Jack were talked about so much for being weird to be honest, but I loved all three of them! Sarah, Lis’ sister, was also an amazing character and their relationship reminded me of me and my sister. Even though there’s not as huge an age gap we also moved in together when I was young and she had the same sister/mother crossover role in my life.

Lis was an interesting character. I liked her but I didn’t actually get as much out of her than the others, I could relate to her but I needed to know more, there was so much of her there but we only get to see the surface. I want to know what happened in Wales, what happened to her father… As I say, I can kind of relate to her but I need to see more of her. I need more Mr Dawson!!!

As you can gather, I really enjoyed this book, if you liked point horror and goosebumps then you will love it too, it was kind of like Blair Witch Project meets The Craft and with a bit of Mean Girls thrown in. I loved the action and the speed of the book, it was a brilliant read. Just don’t read late at night when youre in your house alone… trust me!

Hollow Pike is the debut novel from James Dawson, it is due for release on February 2^nd from Indigo. Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads | Amazon

Cover news: Emma Hearts LA - Keris Stainton

Ok so many of you may have seen this on Sophie's blog So Many Books, So Little Time, on Saturday but I just wanted to post it in case anyone missed it! The cover has now been revealed for Keris Stainton's next book, Emma <3's LA, which is due for release on June 7th...

Isn't it gorgeous? I cant wait for it sit next to my shiney copy of Jessie <3's LA because they are going to look great together. I also cant wait to read its contents, which I know are still being worked on (get a move on Keris *wink*) but they sound like they're going to be awesome! I think my favourite bit of the cover is the fact that Keris' name is up there like the Hollywood sign, I mean how cool would it be to have your name up on Hollywood hill?!?! 

Also, the cover is now up on Amazon and the book is available for pre-order.... what are you waiting for?! 

Anyway, you can tell I love this cover, what do you think!? 

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick – Joe Schreiber: Early Review

“’You shoot me’ I said.

I was lying on my stomach, wondering if I was going to pass out from the pain. Twenty feet away she stood with the machine pistol in one hand and the sawed-off shotgun in the other, wiping the blood out of her eyes”

Perry was just your average guy, on the debate team, in a band, working part time in his dads office for his letter of recognition for Columbia. Gobi was the foreign exchange student, staying with Perry’s family, keeping herself to herself, not saying much and having strange fits every now and then. The two of them didn’t really talk, Perry tried but Gobi just shut him out. Then Perry’s mum makes him take Gobi to the prom. They say your prom night is one you’ll remember forever… when you share it with a trained assassin, they are right!

***

Can I just start out by saying that I read this book for the title alone; as soon as I read that title I knew I had to get my mitts on the book itself and I knew it would be brilliant. I wasn’t wrong, Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick chucks you into the action at the deep end and keeps you jumping throughout.

The plot of the book is simple yet brilliant. Perry’s family takes Gobi in as a foreign exchange student, shes quiet and very ordinary looking yet she turns out to be a female assassin, and that’s when the fun starts! She has five hits to do on prom night, I wont give too much away but her five hits mean that we get to see a lot of new York, a lot of bad guys and a lot of fast driving! The background to Gobi and how she became the assassin we see and love in this book unravels slowly but really well and I loved every minute of it.

My one downside of this book is that the beginning is a little too slow. The Prologue put us right at th end of the story and the first chapter took us right to the beginning, but that difference in Perrys voice, in his attitude and the slow pace after the action packed prologue made me wonder when the fun stuff was going to start. I had to wait 40 pages or so until the fun started and that 40 pages dragged for me… after that though, brilliant!

I have to say that the writing really impressed me after that 40 pages though. It felt like I was reading the story from a movie and it was playing out in my head as I was reading and when we started getting more of Gobi and her personality I was amazed, I know I shouldn’t be shocked when a male author manages to get a female character so right but I was with Joe Schreiber and Gobi!

The characters really made this story for me. Perry at first was a sap, walked over by his father and the point of all the piss taking from his friends. Gobi didnt really have a personality at the beginning of the book because of how quiet she was. Both characters developed amazingly well during the course of this one night and I loved them for it. I had visions of me having to throw the book across the room if Perry didn’t grow some balls but he kinda did so I’m so happy! Perry’s little sister was awesome too; even though we didn’t get to see much of her I really liked her. There aren’t many characters in this book, not big ones anyway but I can pick out all the individual little ones and have something to say about them, their personalities really came through even though they were only on a few pages.

As you can see I really enjoyed this book, there was just the right mixture of humour, action and emotion in it all and that ending? Well wow! It’s pretty spectacular! I really want to see Au Revoir, on the big screen because I think it’ll work brilliantly! If you like really great writing, humour, action and kick ass female leads then this book is definitely for you!

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick is Joe Schreiber’s first venture into stand-alone fiction after many books based in the Star Wars and Supernatural worlds. It is published through Egmont’s Electric Monkey imprint in March. My copy was obtained through UK Book Tours, thanks Emma!

Goodreads | Amazon

In My Mailbox (#39)

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!!

A pretty decent book week this week and I've actually already read one of them already! (It was amazing!! review coming next week!) 

For Review: 

Hollow Pike - James Dawson

Blade 1: Enemies - Tim Bowler

Ive already read and love Hollow Pike and I cant wait to read Blade, been meaning to read Tim Bowlers stuff for a while now! Thanky ou to Indigo and Oxford University Press for these! 

Gifted: 

Kiss, Date, Love, Hate - Luisa Plaja

This was actually gifted to me by the wonderful Luisa Plaja herself. It comes out early next month (feb 2nd) and I cant wait to get it read!! Thank you Luisa!! 

UK Book Tours: 

Hidden - Miriam Halahmy
This one was sent to me through UK Book Tours, Im not sure if its my thing as such but I wanted to give it a go since I saw some really good reviews. 

Book Trailer: Hollow Pike- James Dawson

Im currently reading the ever amazing yet scary book Hollow Pike by James Dawson. It is brilliant so far and I wanted to share the trailer with you guys before I post my review next week.

***

Goodreads Summary: Something wicked this way comes... She thought she'd be safe in the country, but you can't escape your own nightmares, and Lis London dreams repeatedly that someone is trying to kill her. Lis thinks she's being paranoid - after all who would want to murder her? She doesn't believe in the local legends of witchcraft. She doesn't believe that anything bad will really happen to her. You never do, do you? Not until you're alone in the woods, after dark - and a twig snaps... Hollow Pike - where witchcraft never sleeps.

Isn't that amazing? So mood setting and horror movie-esque! The book comes out on Thursday 2nd February and is published by Indigo. 

India Dark Blog Tour - Kirsty Murray's Destinations In India

 Today I have the wonderful Kirsty Murray talking about the setting for her book India Dark and what kind of research she did, places she visited and what she saw...

***

Before I came across the true story on which India Dark is based I knew very little about India and had never been there. Although I’m a fifth generation Australian, I grew up as a total USA/Europhile. With the exception of Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Jungle Book’ and ‘Kim’, I read nothing much about India until Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children in the 1980s.

I could never have written India Dark without spending time in India. I was lucky enough to score an Asialink Literature residency at the University of Madras in South India in 2007.

In total, I spent just over four months on the Subcontinent, three of them based in Chennai (which was called Madras in the colonial era). Without that experience, I wouldn’t have been able to wrap my brain around what my characters went through. I wouldn’t have found the vocabulary to describe the heat, the colour, the scents and sights, the turmoil and richness of India.

From 2005, I started to travel around southeast Asia too, taking notes and trying to envision my characters in those settings. I chose the destinations that are featured in the novel by retracing the route that the original theatre troupe followed. I travelled by train as much as possible. In a couple of instances, it was unclear exactly where the original troupe had visited so I made a few educated guesses as to what their itinerary might have been, based on where other Australian and British magicians and musicians had performed in the early 20th century.

India in 1910 was a very different place to modern India. Madras had less than half a million people back then and now there are more than 8,000,000 living there and I suspect it’s a lot more vibrant now than it was in colonial times. But beneath the layers, the old India is still there too. A lot of the fantastic architecture has survived in tact, including the High Court of Madras. I spent days wandering around the courts, just taking in the atmosphere and trying to imagine what it would be like to be 13 years old and waiting to hear the outcome of a trial on which your future depended.

A lot of people describe India as confronting but I like to think of it more as all-encompassing. Despite the changes of a century, I think it must have felt a little like that for the children who travelled there in 1910. For a few months, India was their home and it seeped into their skins. Every place we visit leaves its mark on us, even if we take nothing away from it but memories. 

***

Thank you Kirsty, its fascinating how much a place can change and grow in 100 years but the High Court sounds fantastic, I love architecture and I would wander wide eyed around that I think! I definitely have to agree that every place we visit leaves its mark, and every place we visit has its own special story too, India Dark is such a brilliant story which really captures India in the 1900s. Thank you for your blog post and a fantastic book!!