Geekhood: Close encounters of the Girl Kind - Andy Robb

“There are better ways to wake up. One would be to be nudged into consciousness after a night of Abandoned Passion with Katy Ford. (But, short of selling my soul on eBay, any form of Abandoned Passion will have to remain on a solo flight.)”

Archie is a geek; he spends his life holed away in his room painting miniature witches and gargoyles. He is a level 5 Mage capable of summoning the dead, but thats only in the world of role-playing games. in real life he’s a fourteen year old boy with problems, his mothers a know-it-all, his fathers dropping a bombshell, his stepfathers a Tosser and he’s got a ogre style school bully after him. On top of all of this theres suddenly A GIRL who has found her way into the geek world and Archie is on a quest to win her heart. 

***

I knew as soon as I saw the title of this book that it would be my kinda thing, team it up with a great cover, a very funny sounding plot and an author who never fails to make me laugh on twitter and it  really was a must read! 

I’m so glad I found it Waterstones 2 months before its publication date because it means that I was introduced to the brilliant yet misunderstood - and sometimes misunderstanding - Archie even sooner! Reading about Archie over the course of just a few short weeks of his life was like... well... like wanting to hit your head off the wall repeatedly - in a good way, if there is a good way! Archie’s actions were hilarious and quite often I found my head shaking in disbelief and my shoulders rolling in giggles because of the things he was up to. His life in these short weeks goes from bad to worse and just when you think they are about to get better if goes bad again. 

I loved the insight we get into Archie and his feelings as a 14 year old boy. These boy types don’t really let their feelings come out a lot, especially when they’re of the geek variety. Archie was going through a lot of crap but dealing with it in the wrong ways entirely and that makes for a great read, especially looking back at it now because its all 14 year old drama really. However saying that we do get to see Archie grow a lot as a character within the pages of Geekhood, even if that beard won’t grow and at the end of the book I had high hopes for him!

I loved the character we meet and the strong bond that Archie and his friends have through their hobby. It was really interesting to get an insight into the world of role-playing and Dungeons and Dragons because I’ve always built up assumptions about it that I don’t think are true now! I have a new found respect for the game purely cos of this book! 

Saying that though, one of the only downsides I had with Geekhood was that at the beginning of the book the description regarding the game and Archie’s painting of the miniatures and how you have to carry out the paintwork etc were a bit too heavy. I think anyone reading the book with no interest or prior knowledge of the game might glaze over at these points... but they did give you an idea about just how into the game and painting Archie was. 

I’m not sure what I thought of Sarah, of all the characters i actually related to her the most but I didn’t because she was a bit of a bitch. I don’t think she realised what effect she had on people, but she also might have and played up to that a bit. I think she could have handled things better and that would have made her a more likable character but I think you have to not like her because you’re on Archie’s side. I also have to add that I really loved Tony’s character and didn’t think he was a tosser at all. I think he could learn a few things form listening more and taking Archie’s feelings into consideration but I loved him by the end and liked where the relationship between the two characters went. 

I really did love Geekhood and would recommend it to so many people! I loved the Next catalogue mentions and the way the character grew. I loved Archie’s mum and her very “English” ways of dealing with things and I loved how it showed how messed up change can make you. The writing style was really good and I enjoyed the snippets of Archie’s conscious that flowed out onto the page. I am really going to have to beg Andy Robb for more writing because I love his style and I hope he delivers so that I can gush some more!

Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind will be officially published on June 4th but has been available from some retailers slightly earlier. Published by Stripes Publishing, my copy was purchased myself. 

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Saving June - Hannah Harrington

“According the the puppy-of-the-month calendar hanging next to the phone in the kitchen, my sister June died on a Thursday, exactly nine days before her high school graduation. May’s breed is the golden retriever - pictured is a whole litter of the, nestled side by side in a red wagon amid a blooming spring garden.”

Harpers sister had just killed herself, Harper was the one who found her body. And now harpers recently divorced parents are considering splitting the ashes into two urns and sharing them. Harper’s not impressed by this idea but she’s also having difficulty understanding why her pretty, perfect, popular sister did it. June was always the sensible one and it feels like Harpers family is breaking apart bit by bit. But the ashes thing, thats not happening. June always dreamed of california, moving away from Michigan and starting a new life. So Harper steals the ashes and embarks on a road trip, one that will change her views on her sister and herself forever. 

***

I was told by a bunch of people that I would love this book. I’m a huge music nerd and this book features music a lot. But that’s not all its about, its about growing and learning and loving who you are and the people around you. Its about taking notice of the little things you never did before and its about opening your eyes to whats around you. 

Saving June was emotional. I think I’ve heard people say they started crying within the first chapter. I wasn’t quite that bad but I did have a lump in my throat. The last few chapters though, they broke me and I couldn’t see the pages for crying so much! I honestly think that if you don’t cry at this book you should get your tear glands checked out! 

The plots amazing, Harper’s parents are being annoying selfish and yes I know their first daughter has just died but seriously, they have another, one who’s only 16 and has just lost her sister. They don’t seem to care though and when you throw Aunt Helen into the mix I’m nit surprised Harper wanted to leave. Harper has a great friend who vows to go along for the ride but when Laney’s car goes kaput they are left with no possible transport, until mysterious Jake offers them a lift. Now I probably wouldn’t have embarked on a road trip with a strange boy I didn’t know but its obvious that Jake knew June, even if Harper had no idea why and he’s pretty cut up about her death. Harper reckons he can help her understand a few things about June’s life before she committed suicide and that’s why she agrees to go with him... that and grief probably. The three of them go off on the trip and the places they end up at and the things they discuss on the way really make a great read. I was hooked as soon as they set off. 

The characters are really interesting. The three main characters all had their own stuff to deal with and it made for great reading. I loved Harper and thought that she could be strong if she learnt how to handle her grief better, she was a mess but I think June dying and the road trip made her a little less tangled up with anger because she opened her eyes to a few things. I liked how much she grew in the book and really understood why everything was such a mess. I also loved Laney and how much of an amazing friend she was to Harper, no matter what you could tell the two of them had each other and couldn’t be without one another. The there was Jake, wow Jake, with his wavy dark hair, his sexy tanned skin and his bad boy rocker look going on, ahhh... anyway. Jake is my kinda guy, obsessed with music, a secret past that he doesn’t like talking about and a strange relationship with June that we can’t quite figure out. He was a really smart guy and I loved how passionate he was about his music and how loyal he was to his friends. There were other characters interspersed on the way, Dottie from the dinner was lovely and Carmen couldn’t be nicer but Gwen, ergh she was awful, even if it was slightly explained as to why. Aunt Helen had to be the worst character of them all though, I couldn’t stand her and her in your face opinions on religion. I don’t mind people who are religious but I’m not and I hate being preached to and Aunt Helen was a preacher and a pain in the ass too! 

I loved the part music played in helping Harper control her grief and even letting it flow through her. Music has that effect on me as well so that felt so real and raw and I loved Jakes lectures on music too. There are playlists in the back of the book but loads more music is discussed within it and I will be checking out a few of the bands I hadn’t heard of! 

I really would recommend Saving June, its an amazing coming-of-age style book which really shows how people can come to terms with losing someone and finding out that maybe that person wasn’t al they thought they were. Its a tearful book about sisters as well and if like me you have an older sister (or any sister for that matter) who might find yourself wanting to go visit them and give them a hug! 

Saving June will be published on June 1st by MiraInk. My copy was sent in exchange for an honest review from the publisher. 

Goodreads | Amazon

The Vampire Hunters - Pete Johnson

“Hi.

I’m Marcus, and if you’re reading this now, then I’m in massive trouble. 

This is a top-secret blog, which if it got into the wrong hands could cause terrible damage. And by the wrong hands, I mean every single human being. Yes, even you.”

After the bombshell landed on Marcus’ 13h birthday that he was a half-vampire everything changed. Marcus went through the first phase of transition from human to half-vampire and things hardly went smoothly. Now he’s over that though most things can go back to normal. Except they can’t. Marcus’ friend Tallulah had to have her memory wiped of an incident involving Marcus and a full blown Vampire, but not everything went away and now she has dreams featuring them both, and is more obsessed with vampires than ever. Setting up an internet page dedicated to the creatures Tallulah is more obsessed than ever and outs herself and Marucs in more danger than she can ever know. 

***

I really enjoyed The Vampire Blog so I picked this one up very soon after it. In a way I wish I’d left it a little longer because all the references to the first book were too obvious to me, however I think that helped the book become more of a standalone and there wouldn’t be a problem picking it up without having read the first. 

The story was again witty and funny and exciting just like the first book. Marcus made a great narrator again and despite going through what he did in book one and having more thrown at him in The Vampire Hunters, he still kept his head held up and cracked a few jokes. Things really didn’t go well for him in this book and they made for hilarious yet cringeworthy experiences to read about and I think many kids in the age range will relate to Marcus’ story well. I loved that there was more going on than just the vampire hunting bit, with Gracie and Joel and Marcus’ adventures into the dating world. They all helped the book feel real, with just a hint of paranormal. 

The characters really are brilliantly thought through but I must admit Tallulah was a bit of a nightmare in this book. She is very independent and very opinionated and a lot of people could find that annoying. She was hard to get along with but warmed up a bit towards the end... I just think she’s a bit too obsessed with vampires than whats good for her. I really liked Gracie and loved that Marcus was there to help her, I loved the relationship the two of them built up and I really hope Gracie’s in the third book too. I liked the way she was going through what Marcus was but it was different because she was female. It showed that the author had thought through all the different changes of becoming a half vampire and stuff. It was great to read about! 

The twist was a bit too obvious for me but I still enjoyed learning about the vampires and what they were after. It was a bit predictable but it is aimed at a younger audience who may not pick it up as much as I did... But even if they did it was still fun watching it all unfold. It was really intriguing and I think many kids would be hooked on this series of books, I said it for the first but I’ll say it again; The Vampire Hunters can easily be enjoyed by girls and boys alike from any age 9 or up. 

The Vampire Hunters is the second in the The Vampire series by Pete Johnson. It was published in June 2011 by Corgi Yearling, a Random House imprint. My copy was sent in exchange for an honest review. 

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Letterbox Love (#5)

Hey! Welcome to Letterbox Love, this is a UK meme, hosted by the lovely Lynsey at Narratively Speaking and inspired by The Story Sirens In My Mailbox, where we highlight the books we got in the post and beyond!!

For Review:


Dark Inside - Jeyn Roberts 
What's up With Jody Barton? - Hayley Long 
The Masque of The Red Death - Bethany Griffin 
Soul Beach - Kate Harrison
Soul Fire - Kate Harrison

I got so many review books this week that I had forgotten would even be on their way! I LOVE Hayley Longs Lottie Biggs series so I'm really excited to read this new book of hers and The Masque of the Red Death? EEEE, what more could I want than a new YA story inspired by Edgar Allen Poe!! I have to say thank you to both Macmillan and Indigo for these, you guys are amazing!

Bought:

Stitch Head - Guy Bass 

I was out yesterday and on the way home I saw a sign for Kirkham, this won't mean much to any of you but basically last year I went to an event in Preston where Jennifer Donnelly did a talk and signed books.

That event was hosted by Silverdell Books in Kirkham but I'd never had chance to get to the bookshop/cafe (they have homemade ice creams which Emma from Bloomsbury insisted that I had to go and try!) So I did a quick turn off and visited the shop, its quite small but they are independent so its always good to buy for independent bookstores and when I saw that they had Stitch Head I knew I had to buy it. I'd seen a review of it on Wondrous Reads' blog last year and it sounds so good!

So yeah, if you're ever in Lancashire, near Preston or Lytham St Annes/Blackpool I recommend a quick jaunt up to Silverdell Books in Kirkham!

So thats my mailbox this week! I hope you're all enjoying the lovely whether and got some fab books! 

Isn’t it strange what the mind sees? - a very personal ramble on looks

When I got chatting to Laura AKA SisterSpooky and author Zoe Marriott on twitter a few days ago we were talking about looks. It came about because Zoe’s publishers are trying to get a book trailer done for her new book, Frostfire, but were having trouble finding an actor to play the main character. She isn’t white or emancipated and they were proving to be difficult traits in a teen actor. 

That conversation sparked an amazing blog post from the wonderful Laura which you may have seen yesterday, if not you can read it here. When I read Laura’s post I also wanted to share my thoughts about books and a bit about self image and how my mind sees things, I hope you don't mind! 

First of all. I am not a twig. I’m almost 13 stone, I am 5 foot 8ish and a size 14/16 (oddly enough the shorts Im wearing whilst writing this post are actually a size 18 and not even that changes my mind about what you’re about to read!). And I LIKE *gasp* what I see when I look in the mirror, but its taken me a long time to get there, I’m not gunna lie. 

Now before you all go comparing me to the oh so lovely *ahem* Samantha Brick, I don’t think I’m perfect, ask me on a bad day and I can list a whole array of things wrong with my body (in fact as me any day and I’ll always say my nose) but I don’t actually mind being the size and way I am, I could do with being a little lighter but its not like my weight is being projected from a neon sign over my head is it? So yes, I like what I see when I look in the mirror and I’m not ashamed to admit to that... or am I?

I quite often find myself looking in the mirror and thinking, not saying aloud but thinking, “I look good today” and do you know what I feel EVERY TIME I think that? Guilt. I actually feel guilty and ashamed of just thinking those words, so much so that I don’t think I’ve ever said them out loud or if I have there was never anyone around to hear them. Also notice I said good, not beautiful, or amazing, or anything like that, just good or mildly pretty on very good days. It’s like because I don’t conform to exactly what we’re conditioned to think of as beautiful - thin wispy type girls who look ‘stunning’ in bikinis - I think I shouldn’t be happy with my body. And I’ve recently started to think that that is just plain crazy. 

However another thing I noticed because of my feeling guilty about liking my body and that conversation with Laura and Zoe is about books. Obviously with books you get to make up your own image of the main character. Often we are given a small description in some way of how a character looks, this is usually the colour of their hair or their skin tone and whether they are curvy or not etc. However I have realised that no matter what the description of the main character, as soon as they become a love interest to another character they instantly become small and wispy and ‘beautiful’ this is helped by the fact SO MANY YA main characters are described as small, especially when it comes to them being hugged or kissed by the love interest. 

Its kinda bugging me a bit because I know there are other types of girl out there. I don’t see them all as the same girl, just variations of similar girls, they’ll have different hair or different eye colours. Some are taller than others, but always they never wear more than a size 10 - 12 at a push - and have clear complexions unless specifically stated otherwise. (I want to point out though; I don't see every character as white even when they're not.)

Pansy Parkinson from
the Harry potter Movies 

I think it’s really sad on my own behalf that I cant look in a mirror and not feel guilty for liking what I see, but its even sadder that the characters from my favourite books automatically conform to what would be mainstream-ly ‘beautiful because I’ve obviously been subject to so much media and social conditioning that my head sees a love interest as a small wispy girl. (Something that film adaptations aren’t really helping, I mean seriously even Pansy Parkinson wasn't ugly and in the books she was described as having a face like a pug!) And I’m willing to bet my last penny (seriously, I’m down to that, its payday soon though!) that I’m not the only one who sees the same. 

So, now that I’ve rambled on I’ve come to the conclusion to say sod it. I look DAMN FINE today and I don’t care what anyone else thinks. I am also going to try my damned hardest not to automatically see characters in the way I know I have been seeing them and try and pick out different things about them, maybe Tori from Divergent/Insurgent isn’t as tall and skinny as I saw her and hopefully when I read Frostfire by Zoe I’ll see the same girl Zoe saw and not a thinner, emancipated version of her! It’s not that skinny, ‘traditionally’ pretty girls are bad or anything but I’m fairly sure other girls can still be beautiful too! 

Dying to Know You - Aidan Chambers

“‘Could I talk to you?’

‘Why?’

‘You’re a writer?’

‘And?’ 

‘I need your help’

‘You see the sign on the door?’

‘Yes’

‘What does it say?’

‘No visitors without appointment.’”

Karl is quiet, shy but stubborn. He is in love with cleaver, gorgeous Fiorella and she wants him to prove it. She has asked him to write the answers for a series of questions. However Karl is dyslexic, he has trouble structuring sentences and spelling out his feelings, but he hasn’t told her; worried that she will not love him if she thinks he’s stupid. So Karl enlists the help of a local author, a local author who Fiorella adores and admires. The author is 75 and doesn’t understand how he can really help, but agrees anyway and a friendship builds between the old man and the young guy, a friendship which will help them both in their own ways. 

Aidan Chambers is a very interesting author. He has a very unique way of drawing you in and keeping your interest piqued. I am basing this on both Dying to Know You and his collection of short stories; The Kissing Game which are both very different but very similar at the same time. 

I have never read any YA like Dying to Know you. For a start I was very surprised when I realised it was actually told form the authors point of view; the name of whom we are never told. Secondly it was told is such a strange way, all very realistic and in real time kind of, but not at the the same time. Chambers has a very unique story telling style and its hard to explain sometimes. I loved it because it grabs you and doesn’t let go but it also doesn’t give away a lot at once. 

Dying to Know You is told in such a way that the reader is only told little bits about characters at a time. You have to piece every little thing together and work it all out bit by bit. I loved this and it kept me wanting to know more. But at the same time you are not told everything and you are left to guess some things about the characters, their backgrounds and their personalities. They are all deep characters, even down to Karl’s mum and Fiorella’s friend. I loved learning more about each character but I also loved how our narrator loved it too. 

The characters were, as i say, deep. They had strong backgrounds, strong personalities and a strong like-ability, or at least most of them did. I really didn’t like Fiorella, she seemed pretentious yet annoyingly childish. I loved that we learn so much about the author yet never know his name and I wonder if Aidan Chambers actually wrote himself into the character at all. I loved Karl and thought he was so sweet and so lovely but needed to gather more of an idea about himself. Karl’s mum was awesome too, she cared so much but struggled with the inevitable loneliness that can occur once your child is growing up and you are an only parent. I thought that she and Karl could learn so much from each other and found myself hoping they would. 

I loved the growing up aspect of this book, its all about finding yourself, love and friendship. Its about being true to yourself and gathering your own identity. Its got a brilliant, and kinda subtle message to put across and I was really impressed by it. 

I have to say that whilst I loved the way this book was written I doubt it would be to everybody's taste. It’s written with short sentences and lots of stops and state, including letters and emails and phone conversations within the text. I thought it was done really well but may be off-putting to others.  I really enjoyed it though and it has made me want to read more from Chambers. 

Dying to Know You was published in hardback on Aprils 29th by Bodley Head, a Random House imprint. My copy was sent to me in exchange for an honest review by the publisher. 

Goodreads | Amazon

The Summer I Turned Pretty - Jenny Han

“We’d been driving for about seven thousand years. Or at least that’s how it felt. My brother, Steven, drove slower than our Granna. I sat next to him in the passenger seat with my feet up on the dashboard. Meanwhile, my mother was passed out in the backseat. Even when she slept, she look alert, like at any second she could wake up and direct traffic.”

Belly’s summers are always the same, they are always spent at the summer house, Beck’s summer house. With her mum, her brother, Beck - her mum’s best friend - and becks two boys, Jeremiah and Conrad. Years ago her father came too, and sometimes Beck’s husband, but usually it was just the six of them. This summer will be different though, Belly is determined to make it different, she’s not a kid anymore and the lifelong crush she’s had on Conrad may not be so bad, now that he seems to have noticed her. However this is the summer she’s turned pretty, and Conrad is not the only one to have noticed her. 

***

Hmm. I wasn’t so sure about this book, I was interested but when I read that it was a full on love triangle book I was put off. I don’t like love triangles. However I was convinced by the lovely lady at Penguin that I should give it a go. So I have, and I wasn’t severely disappointed, but I can’t say I was blown away by it either. 

Let’s not start with the negatives; The least I can do is try and sell this book for what it is and what it does best. The Summer I Turned Pretty is a fantastic story, its a brilliant coming-of-age style summer romance and for those out there looking for that, it’s a prefect book. Theres love, laughter, crushes and pain in the ass brothers. There’s a strong realistic feeling to this book, I can see a lot of what happens happening to someone for their summer, especially in America where I believe its not uncommon for people to have a holiday home to escape to for their crazily long summers (we only get 6 weeks in the UK but I believe its a lot longer in the US) Anyway, I’m diverging. What I mean to say is that the story is not unbelievable. Its lovely and real and Belly could easily be someone you got to school with and Conrad could easily be that boy you swoon over in Math class. It’s a great summer tale and I would recommend it to someone looking for something like that. 

There are strong elements of something more serious going on and to be perfectly honest, I know right from the start what the twist in the story was... however I like the way it was handled and how the characters actions made sense because of it. I really liked one or two of the characters, Susannah and Belly’s mum were amazing characters, even if Belly couldn’t see it about her mum. I really liked Jeremiah and Cam was really sweet too. Even Steven was nice in an annoying big brother way. 

However Belly and Conrad... not so much. Belly was way worse for me than Conrad was because at least he had a reason to be moody and annoyingly distant. However I kinda wish more of the flashbacks were about him being nicer, he was nice but it didn't seem like that much of a shift in his personality from then to now. Belly though, she was annoying and bratty and spoilt and ergh. She was jealous of everyone who went near the boys (except Steven) and I thought she was really harsh on Cam. 

The final thing that I’m going to go into is something which bugged me cos of my personality. I’m very equal rights driven, try and tell me that a woman belongs in the kitchen and I will blow up in your face, try to use the word gay in a derogative way and I will scald you for it. I also don’t like it when characters in books are so obviously conforming to stereotypes and things like that. So all those mentions about the boys going off fishing and leaving Belly with the mums? That wound me up. Them leaving her out of things and being mean to her cause she was the only girl? Not good. Also the title and the concept that Belly had to turn physically “pretty” for the boys to notice her... uhuh, big no from me. I especially didn’t like it because of how equal-rights driven Belly’s mum was, it didn’t make sense. I honestly don’t think they would have left Belly out as much as they appeared to, I grew up around boys. I was the only girl in my friendship group the whole way through primary school and they ALWAYS found a way to include me in everything and the boys would have found a way of including Belly, I’m positive they would have, or her mum would have made them! 

Anyway. Sorry about the negatives. It’s a shame really because I did want to love this book and I do think it was a really nice quick and easy read. If the sexism and steretyping wasn’t so prominent for me then I think I would have adored it, even with the love triangle... or was it more of a square - as it included Cam. I would recommend it to some people but only to people I know won’t pick up on the aspects I didn’t like as much as I did. 

The Summer I turned Pretty was published in June 2010 by Penguin. My copy was sent in exchange for an honest review from the publisher. 

Goodreads | Amazon

A Witch in Winter - Ruth Warburton

“The first thing that hit me was the smell - damp and bitter. It was the smell of a place long shut up, of mice, bird-droppings, and rot.

‘Welcome to Wicker House,’ Dad said, and flicked a switch. Nothing happened, and groaned.

‘Probably been disconnected. I’ll go and investigate. Here, have this.’ He pushed the torch at me. ‘ I’ll get another one from the car.’

Anna is used to living a privileged life. Her last school in London had 40 girls in lower sixth. Now she’s been forced to move to Winter following her dad’s redundancy. The school there is huge and mixed sex. Its a change all right, but Anna can deal with it to help her dad out of his depression, can’t she? Things are going well until Anna and her new friends decide to try one of the spells from the book her dad finds trapped in the bread oven. The next time Anna sees Seth his world has turned upside down and he tells her he loves her - but how does she know if his feelings are real or just magic? And thats not all; Anna is in more danger than she thought in the sleepy town of Winter.

***

I was recommended this one by the lovely friend Cait, who even has a quote on the back cover! I thought it would be good but what I wasn’t prepared for was it to be absolutely amazing! 

The story may sound like a love story but it’s so much more and it keeps you engaged the entire way through. Towards the end - I wont say what happens don’t worry - the pace picks up so much that I just had to keep reading, I had to find out what happened next! As I say, it’s not just a love story, theres aspects of Anna finding out who she is, snippets of where she’s come from and she finds out that nothings very simple. There’s politics - not boring ones though - between the witch clans and there’s love and friendship, and how much family can mean to someone. It’s quite a deep story in places and I have to say, I’m glad its a series (and that I’ve got the second sat waiting for me!) because there are a lot of unanswered questions. There’s something going on about Anna’s mum that her dad’s keeping to himself and I thought it was a little selfish of him but I guess he doesn’t know about Anna’s abilities so he’s not to know why she needs to know. There’s also something very intriguing about Seth and his Granddad, I’m not sure what it is, it’s just mentioned a couple of times, but I NEED to know... it’s niggling away at me!! 

The characters in this book are really awesome. I love witches and I love the idea of practicing witchcraft, so I knew that I’d enjoy this book, but the witches we meet are so awesome and so lovely that I loved them even more than I thought I would. But there were also other witches who weren’t so nice. I mean seriously, I don’t want to spoil anything but THAT one guy... I hated him as much as I hated Umbridge from Harry Potter!! He made my skin crawl! Emmaline and her family were incredible though. I kinda guessed straight away that she was a witch but I didn't mind that and you are told soon after that anyway so don’t worry, I don’t think that’s a spoiler. I also have to say that if I have children and I have two girls, I’m so stealing Emmaline, its a beautiful name!

Anna herself was a really good character, she slipped up a few times but all in all she was selfless, (with the exception of the spell thing but she didn’t know that it would work!) and I felt so sorry for her, having to learn what she was all alone. I wished she could talk to her dad more than she could but I can see why she couldn’t. Anna’s dad was really cool too, I felt sorry for him because he knew that Anna didn’t want to be there but he had no other choice. He was depressed but still cared about his daughter through and through and I loved him for that. 

Then we have Seth, ooohhhh Seth. At first I was a bit meh about you. I thought you were going to turn out to be a bit of a prick but boy, oh boy, you turned out so nice and sexy and wow! I loved you towards the end, you brave, caring, adorable guy, you! haha

I loved every second of A Witch In Winter. It’s only not a five star book for me because I think it leaves a little too much out, but I think I should probably forgive it for that as it is the first in the series... However it’s a series I know I’m going to love and I can’t wait to carry on. I have to agree with Cait and recommended this book to everyone! Its amazing! 

A Witch in Winter was published in January 2012 by Hodder Children’s books. The second in the Winter trilogy will be available in July. My copy was purchased. 

Goodreads | Amazon

The Vampire Blog – Pete Johnson

"Saturday 30 September – 7:15pm

Three things you never want to hear your parents say:

‘Let’s talk about the facts of life.’

‘We’re going to start dancing now.’

‘Soon, a white fang will appear in your mouth.’

My parents have just told me the last one. Then they went on to tell me…. Well, you just wait.”

Marcus has just found out he’s a half-vampire, just like his parents – though he only just found out they are too. He doesn’t know how to handle it and like everything else in life he tries to make a joke out of it. Until weird things start happening to him. His breath grows foul he starts craving blood and worst of all Vampires exist - and there’s one after him. Vampires love the taste of half-vampires “in season” which is what Marcus is whilst he’s changing from a human to a half vampire. Can Marcus keep away from the vamp and get over his terror of become half a monster.

***

The Vampire Blog was a quick and easy read for me, it was funny and so engaging that I couldn’t put it down and I can see why it would be so appealing to fans of its age range.

Its aimed at the 9-12 kind of range so it’s a little younger than my comfort zone but I happen to be a huge fan of books in this age range that are typically aimed at boys – I think this grew from my love of Darren Shan’s Cirque de Freak series and The Vampire Blog was the start of a series just like that – but hilariously funny and not quite as scary!

Marcus’ reaction to being told he was a half vampire was quite possibly the best reaction ever; it was much like I’d expect my stepson – who is 12 so not far from Marcus’ age – to react if Id told him the same. I love that he just assumed his parents were freaks and they were trying to pull his leg. But I also loved his reactions throughout the book and the way his thoughts change on the subject.

Marcus was a great character and did what I think a lot of boys do when they cant handle whats going on – he turned to humour and sarcasm. I loved how real and down to earth his character was but I found him a little infuriating at times – but that’s probably because hes a 13 year old boy! Marcus’ parents were brilliant and I really felt for them – they were trying to help him and he just ept throwing it back in their faces, poor guys! I think it’d be awesome having half-vamp parents! Haha Cousin Karl was awful and I hated his pretentiousness, he was so big-headed and I couldn’t stand him – much like Marcus! Then Marcus’ friends, Joel and Tullulah were awesome, Joel was really funny and Tullulah, although a bit strange at first, turned out to be one of the coolest people ever, even if she was a little weird still.

The one thing that got me a little about this book was the way it was told. It’s all told from Marcus’ perspective as if he’s writing it down after the events occurred but telling us when they occurred. I enjoyed that but also found it off putting when Marcus speaks directly to the reader, calling them “blog” it adds some personality but it put me off a little, I’m far too picky sometimes!

All in all though, this book was really funny, adventurous and a little scary in placesbut Marcus’ attitude lightens the mood. I really cant wait to carry on the series and think that everyone who has children of the age range should read this book, even the girls – there’s nothing wrong with liking vampires and funny stories you know!

The Vampire Blog was published in May 2010 by Corgi Yearling. My copy was sent in exchange for an honest review from the publisher.

Goodreads | Amazon

Blog Tour: Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe: Heartbeats: How to Show Someone You Care

 Welcome, bloggers, this is Chloe, host of the radio talk show, Heartbeats, where love is always on the air. You can normally find me at 88.8 The Edge, a high school radio station broadcasting from the campus of the Del Rey School in Tierra del Rey, California. But this week I’m touring the blogosphere in celebration of the release of my YA contemp book, WELCOME, CALLER, THIS IS CHLOE. Glad you stopped by!

Today I want to talk about a subject near and dear to my heart: how to show others you care. Everyone knows about flowers, balloons, and chocolates, but they’re not for everybody. Good ol’ Clementine, the KDRS news director, would probably love to receive a handful of beets tied with a bright red ribbon. Duncan, the chief engineer at KDRS and my boyfriend, gave me the sweetest gift ever: a refurbished pencil sharpener. KDRS's music director, Taysom, once made a mix of his girlfriend's favorite songs and snuck it into her car, so when she turned on the CD player, all of "their songs" started to play. I know. Awwww!

The key to making gifts special is to think about what best fits your special person. I'm sure many of you book lovers would to have your special someone give you one of your favorite books signed by the author or maybe a gift certificate to your favorite bookstore. 

Sometimes the most meaningful gifts don't even have to be things. When Duncan gets busy working his two jobs, he forces himself to set aside a few hours each week where we can just take a walk on the beach and collect shells. The gift of his time is precious.

Now it's your turn. What are some fun and creative ways to show someone you care? Or what special gift would you love to receive from that someone special in your life? 

One commenter will receive a WELCOME, CALLER, THIS IS CHLOE swag pack, which includes a pen, bookmark, bottle cap necklace, and mouse pad. Good luck!

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Thanks for this Chloe, I loved your book and my readers can read my review here! The competition to win the swag pack will be open until Sunday 27th May. Please remember to include your email address in the comments so I can gather the information to pass on to Amulet! 

To learn more about young adult author Shelley Coriell and Chloe’s high school radio world, visit www.shelleycoriell.com.

Letterbox Love

Hey! Welcome to Letterbox Love, this is a new weekly meme for the UK, hosted by the lovely Lynsey at Narratively Speaking, where we highlight the books we got in the post and beyond!!

For Review:

Unison 3.0 - Andy Marino

Thank you Catnip Books for seining this one, it sounds really interesting and dystopian-esque! 

Bought: 

Adorkable - Sarra Manning 

Out of Sight, Out of Time - Ally Carter (with free notebook!) 

Adorkable!!!! EEEEE! Ive been waiting for this one since I found out about it last year! I can't wait to read it but I have so many review books that it will have to wait a little while unfortunately. Out of Sight was bought purely because it was cheep in Tesco, I have the 3rd and 4th books but haven't read them yet and wanted this one to be waiting for me too so I get through the series quicker! 

And thats all from me this week! What did you lovely people get through your letterboxes? 

Bookish and Bloggish news #8

Hi guys and welcome to the long weekend! There has been some very exciting things happening in the book world recently so I thought I'd share a few with you!

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Burn Mark - Laura Powell trailer 

How amazing is this?! I cannot wait to start reading this book and this trailer just got me even more excited!

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HF2 festival

As you all will probably know the Hay Festival run from June 2nd to June 10th. This year the Hay Festival includes extra special events as part of the festival called HF2. 

This programme of events is specially designed for teens and young adults. It features talks and workshops from a number of authors including Will Osborne, Celia Rees, Melvin Burgess and Julianna Baggott. Along with many other writing workshops and activities it looks to be a great festival. You can check out more here.

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Thats all from me this week, sorry this is rushed and probably looks terrible but I forgot to finish it off!! I hope you all have an awesome weekend!!  

Dreams – Daniela Sacerdoti

“You’d never think it would happen to you.

You’d never think that one day you’d stand in a graveyard, rain tapping on a sea of black umbrellas, watching your parents being lowered into the earth, never to come back.

It’s happening to me.”

Sarah Midnight has dreams, dreams she writes down so her parents can search for the demons from them. The demons which are roaming the Earth having slipped through from the place they were banished to years before we can even remember. But one day her parents are found dead, Sarah has been sheltered from the full extent of the Midnight legacy but she knows that she can’t let anyone discover who her family were and she can’t leave the family home. When her Aunt Juliet tries to get her to move out Sarah grasps at anything she can to stay. Then Harry turns up, he’s a Midnight too, a cousin she didn’t know she had, and he’s there to help her understand what’s going on and why there are demons after her.  But he can’t share everything with her and sometimes she feels like she’s stuck in the web of secrets her parents spun her.

***

Wow. I’d heard good things about Daniela Sacerdoti’s writing but I hadn’t imagined it beng this good! Dreams was incredibly climatic with amazing writing and intriguing characters, a combination that had me begging for each turn of the page!

The plot for Dreams was really interesting. I’ve only really read one ‘demon’ book before (Forsaken by Jana Oliver) but it was different to this. This was very well set out with families and their heirs having powers and the ancestry of those powers going back hundreds of years. It was really interesting that you got more than just Sarahs story too, with snippets of other hers and the war that was going on around the world of the secret families.

Dreams did nothing for my trust issues though… I find it hard to trust people – and especially characters in books! – I think they are all hiding something or are up to something and even the good guys in this book seemed to be hiding something (this isn’t a spoiler, most of the ‘secrets’ are revealed to the reader early on!). I didn’t trust any of them and only trusted Sarah because she was the narrator, which sounds stupid come to think of it! However I did really enjoy reading the characters. Sean was probably my favourite character followed by Elodie and Niall. Sarah was a nice enough character but I didn’t warm to her that much, however I don’t think that’s her fault as I didn’t like how little she knew – which is really down to her parents!

Saying that though I loved the relationship that was built up between Sean and Sarah, it was a nice progression but I do think she trusted him too quickly, letting someone who claims what he does into your house an hour from first speaking to them and letting them stay there with you alone probably isn’t a good idea! I was willing for a turn of events that allowed Sean and Sarah to act on what they felt for each other but it was difficult and I can’t wait to see where the next book goes with their relationship.

Some of the things that happened in the book were incredible but I needed more of an explanation for them. I want to know how the ‘war’ between Humans and Demons started, which we catch a glimpse of in this book but I have a feeling there is more. I also want to know how Sean can do that thing he does *cryptic* and who Leaf is. Leaf is an interesting character but there’s something not right about him, he kinda makes my skin crawl and I can’t see why Sarah would let him so willingly into her life… but then again, I love Sean and she does the same for him I guess.

Dreams is a fantastic YA paranormal with a lot of movement to become one of the best paranormal series I’ve read. I wait with baited breath for the second book.

Dreams is the first book in the Sarah Midnight Trilogy, it was published on May 17^th by Black and White Publishing. Thank you to the publisher for sending a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads | Amazon

Heart Shaped Bruise - Tanya Byrne

“Last year, the psychiatric unit of Archway Young Offenders Institution was closed. A notebook was found in one of the rooms. It’s contents are as follows...”

Emily Koll is in Archway Young Offenders Psychiatric unit. She knows why she’s there but she doesn’t want to talk about it, no matter how much Doctor Gilyard does. What starts out as a task for Emily, set by Doctor G, evolves and becomes an explanation, a notebook left for the next person who finds themselves in the situation Emily is in, but not that exact situation, no, hopefully not. 

***

Wow. What a story. Heart Shaped Bruise, grabs you right from the start, it grabs you and holds you until you do have a bruise. But you’re dying to know what happens next so much that you don’t notice it, until its gone and you can fell it still ebbing away at you. This is a story that is going to stay with me for a long, long time and will definitely be getting read again. It is a story that makes me wish I wrote fiction. 

Emily is such a wonderfully strange narrator. You know from the get go that she’s in a psychiatric unit, but not why she’s there... you get little bits of information that filter through and you have to piece things together, but from the very start you know that her being there is something to do with Juliet. The story was obviously written from Emily’s point of view, but it was in no way linear. You go from conversations with Doctor G to memories of Emily at college, with Juliet, with Sid, as a child, at the boarding school she went to before the incident that lead to the whole thing, and back to things going on with other patients in the unit. This leads to the reader piecing bits together bit by bit and having to remember little things that happened before, its amazing this way of storytelling, I really enjoy it because you really get into the narrators head and although Emily’s head probably isn’t the best place to be it’s a very interesting one. 

I loved Emily. I thought she was tortured and a little insane maybe but I loved her because I could understand her. I knew that her reasoning for everything was justified in her own head. She was broken and wanted to break Juliet. I could tell that and I could understand it, I don’t believe it was the right thing to do obviously but I could see why she did it all. Sid was an incredible character. I could see him as if he was stood right in front of me. there was more depth to him than you actually get in the book I think and I would love for a story just about him, about why he was with Juliet and what he thought of Emily at different moments of their lives and what happened to him after. I want to know him and care for him. Juliet on the other hand was a bit bland and boring for me. I didn’t see why Sid was with her and I didn’t really like her that much as a character. I think this might have been slightly to do with the way the story was told though.. as Emily was only interested in her for one reason, and also because any character would be pale in comparison to Emily. 

The setting for Heart Shaped Bruise set a lot of the story in motion. I could see the unit and through a lot of the story I could picture Emily sat in the TV room, her bedroom and yes, the bath, writing in the notebook. I could picture the moments she wrote about clearly too, her pacing around Doctor G’s office or hanging around with Sid. I felt like I was accompanying her through the entire story and she was guiding me, and it felt nice, even though it probably shouldn’t have, given that she was crazy and all! 

Im finding it really hard to put into words how much I loved this story. It’s not a nice story, its far from it, but it’s an incredibly gripping one that will stay with you. I particularly loved the ending and how things worked out, though I guess you won’t know unless you go out there and get this incredible book! 

Heart Shaped Bruise was published on May 10th by Headline. My copy was purchased from Amazon.

Goodreads | Amazon