Exciting upcoming books to look out for

As you may be aware, I've been going through a bit of a blogging and reading slump lately.  Things have been a bit sparse around these parts lately but I'd like to say a very big thank you to Carrie and Kulsuma in particular for being such wonderful guest reviewers! Thank you both for your wonderful time and effort in reviewing books for this blog and to you my readers for having the patience to stick with me.

While I've been away on my mini-holiday from the blog, I have come across some really excellent books.  Books that are so good, I can't wait to tell you about them even though they won't be published for awhile. Both books below made me excited to read again when I no longer felt the pull.  They made my heart beat faster, they kept me up until early in the morning eagerly turning the pages and they made me cry.  I really hope you'll look out for them when they are published and are as excited to read them as I was.

First up, is Unravelling by Elizabeth Norris. This book isn't published until the 7th of June by Harper Collins, but I just couldn't resist the description and that they're calling this book '24 meets The X-Files' which were two of my favourite TV programmes (though personally I think it's more Fringe-like!). The start actually also reminded me of Roswell as well, which is no bad thing.

When I picked up Unravelling, I was at the lowest point of my reading slump and I was desperate to read something addictive and exciting and this book was absolutely perfect for me.  I love finding that book that makes me excited about reading, a book that makes me remember why I love reading and a book that makes me feel all kinds of emotions.

And this book is incredible.  I wasn't quite sure where it was going when I first started and I knew almost nothing about the book before I started it.  And I actually really loved just going with the story and letting it take me along on this weird ride. I was immediately swept away into the characters and the story.  It starts with Janelle, a regular teenage girl, getting hit by a car and dying. Luckily, stoner boy, Ben is on hand to somehow bring Janelle back to life and that's just the start of this strange story.  Because what Ben does for Janelle seems somehow connected to Janelle's father case involving radiation burns and a mysterious countdown. 

I love the countdown and the sense of urgency that comes with it.  I love the relationships in this book, from Janelle and her father and a close family friend.  I loved the beginnings of a relationship between Janelle and Ben, but also her dealings with Ben's two friends. But my favourite character in the entire story, aside from the awesome Janelle herself, is Janelle's best friend Alex. Alex who is always there for Janelle absolutely without question and with perfect trust in her. 

This book made me feel breathless from emotion, from the twists and turns in the story, with the amount of feeling and heart that is put into this story and these characters. It's amazing and I highly recommend it!

And also, Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. I was lucky enough to receive an early review copy of this book and I must admit, I was intrigued about the idea of reading a book about dragons.  I've never been the biggest reader of high fantasy, so haven't come across very many dragons in my YA travels, but I definitely need to read more after reading and loving Seraphina.  I read Seraphina and at once I wanted to read as quickly as I possibly could, but I also wanted to slow down my reading in order to savour each and every page.

Again, I didn't know very much about Seraphina before I started.  It was the dragons that attracted me, but what gripped me right from the start is the lovely writing style of Rachel Hartman and her incredible world-building.  I absolutely adore this world she has created, I could close my eyes and picture these characters and the place they lived in.  I think there was some incredible detail, especially about Serapina and in particular the garden she tends within her head.

I love how much is going on within this book, from court politics to a murder investigation, the beginnings of a romantic relationship, the tensions and prejudices between the humans and dragons, and also one girl's struggles with who she is and where she fits into this fantasy world.  I was incredibly surprised by this book, by how emotionally invested I became in Seraphina's life and the people in her life.  And while I thought her relationship with Captain Kiggs was quite sweet, I found Orma to be the character that I wanted to see more of.  I loved this complexity and the strength of Seraphina and Orma together.

This book made me feel all kinds of things.  I loved taking this journey alongside Seraphina and I can't wait to read more and also for other people to read this book so that I can have someone else to discuss it with. Very highly recommended, it was be published by Random House in July.