REVIEW: Dreamland by Robert L. Anderson

I really enjoyed Dreamland by Robert L. Anderson. It was interesting and different and it went places that I didn't expect. I didn't know all that much about the book before I picked it up and I kind of liked that too.

Dreamland is the story of Dea Donahue, this teenage girl who lives with her mother and has this unusual gift of being able to enter other people's dreams.  Her mother tells Dea there are three rules to dream walking. 1) Don't interfere with the dreams. 2) Don't be seen. 3) Don't walk the same person's dream more than once.

But then a new boy, Connor, shows up and their friendship is something that Dea has never had before and so she starts breaking the dream rules and now the separation between reality and the dream world is starting to deteriorate.

Honestly, Dreamland was such an exciting book to read. At first it felt very similar to the trilogy of books by Lisa McMann (Wake, Fade and Gone) which I loved and was a basis for me picking up this book to read but I loved the way Robert L. Anderson took this story in an entirely different direction.  Dea was a great character and I loved being inside her idea and exploring both the relationship with her mother and also seeing what Connor's friendship means to her.

And everything that happens in these dream worlds was fun too.  My mind did wander on some of the really descriptive elements of the dreams but overall I found it very fascinating unravelling the mysteries this book throws at the reader: how and why can Dea walk dreams? What has happened to Dea's mother? What is stored in Connor's memories and dreams of his childhood?

I loved how all the different strands of this story come together and as I mention, a lot of was unexpected. I think it takes a lot for me to be surprised by a book but Dreamland definitely surprised me.  Such a fun and unusual concept for a book and I highly recommend it!

REVIEW: Reawakened by Colleen Houck

I am a big fan of Colleen Houck's Tiger's Curse series of books which delved into some Hindu and Chinese mythology. I thought it was an interesting story about brothers and this love story between a girl and a tiger shape-shifter. With than in mind, I was very excited to learn that Colleen Houck would be starting a new series of books that begins with Reawakened based around Egyptian mythology.  Unfortunately, I wasn't as taken with this story, these characters or the relationships that were introduced in Reawakened.

This story begins with Lily at a museum in New York City in which she is drawing in a closed section of the museum and comes across Amon, a mummy and the descendent of an Egyptian god who is reawakened after 1,000 years in order (with his two brothers) to perform a ceremony that will hold off the god of chaos and save the world. In a nutshell.

To begin with, I didn't feel like I ever connected with the main character, privileged American girl, Lilliana Young. Her voice was grating and whingey in the beginning and I never really saw any development to her character and I couldn't particularly describe any defining character traits of hers.  She does talk frequently about her image and clothing and her in relation to guys and I found it all a little frustrating. Several times she is rejected by the main love interest and asks herself 'maybe I'm just not pretty enough?' One of my biggest problems with Reawakened is how often Lily sees herself as a weak, unimportant girl compared to hot, powerful demi-god, Amon. And I wanted to scream.

I also thought the pacing was off.  There were many times throughout this story in which there is a moment before something really dangerous or thrilling in which Lily (and the reader) is subjected to an info-dump and the characters all have this lengthy conversation about mythology and a history lesson on Egyptian gods or some aspect of Amon's personal history. And throughout I was thinking 'there are zombies/monsters trying to eat you right now, is this really the right time to give us this load of information?!' I just could not believe that Lily or anyone would calmly take part in such dull conversations in such a time of peril. It just didn't seem realistic.

What also didn't seem particularly realistic was the romance.  I didn't really believe in Lily and Amon and I wasn't rooting for them either.  There just wasn't any chemistry between them, for me.  I think the problem was that Lily didn't have enough of a personality and Amon wasn't far too nice and it was as if the idea of Amon was trying too hard to be the ideal guy/perfection.  Perfection is utterly boring.  And while Lily was intent on telling us of his good looks and hard abs (during another life-threatening situation!) I just wasn't feeling it.  I want more than a pretty face.

I think after reading the Tiger's Curse series, I was thinking that perhaps even if everything else was disappointing at least there would be an interesting dynamic between Amon and his two brothers?  Unfortunately there wasn't enough of the three of them together to make any kind of impact.  This book is the first in the series, so I'm guessing that will be explored more in future books.

This review is a lot more negative than I intended.  I rated this book three stars because despite my many frustrations with the book, I did finish it and there were certain aspects of the book that I found interesting. I was just very disappointed on the whole and I wanted so much more from it.  I wanted the mythology to be more seamlessly interwoven into the narrative. I wanted Lily to be a stronger presence in the story. I wanted the love story to take a backseat to other relationships, in particular the relationship between brothers.  I probably won't be continuing this series.

REVIEW: The Young Elites by Marie Lu

The Young Elites by Marie Lu was exactly my kind of book. In fact, if I'd know how wonderfully dark this book and the main character would be, I think I would have picked this book up far sooner.

It's so rare, I think, to read of a character like Adelina.  And it would probably be easy for her to be turned into a different kind of character if she wasn't written just right. But I think Marie Lu did an amazing job of having her do questionable things but still remain as sympathetic as she is. There wasn't a single page or chapter where I wasn't rooting for her or hoping the best for her. And I think that's where the skill lies in Marie Lu.

The Young Elites is the first book in a trilogy set in a fantasy land in which an illness spread many years ago and some of the survivors were left with markings and these marked survivors are branded malfettos and treated like second-class citizens. But amongst the malfettos are a small group of people who possess gifts or powers that further separate them from the majority.  They are called the Young Elites.

Adelina is a malfetto, her hair is silver and she is left with a scar where one of her eyes used to be. And since childhood, her father has beaten her and treated her horrifically in the hopes that Adelina's gifts would show themselves. Things begin to change when Adelina leaves home and is taken in by a band of young elites whose aim is to overthrow the corrupt government and put the outcast malfetto prince back on the throne. Adelina spends a great deal of time in this book mistrustful of her surroundings and this unusual band of superpowered teenagers. But also mistrustful of herself and the things she is capable of.

And I loved every second of this book.

I did. I loved it. I loved Adelina and her internal struggles, especially her uncertainty of where she fits into the world. I loved her bond with her little sister and her conflicted feelings for Enzo, the malfetto prince. I loved her friendship with Raffaele.  And everything about the ways in which Adelina is trained and getting a clearer picture of what she can do. There is just so much about this book that made my heart sing.

But I think it was really just the magnetic pull of Adelina as a character that made me fall so hard for this book.  There's something deeply dark about this book. But it's also sexy and painful and just felt really truthful.  The pain that Adelina feels as she has faced such hardship and rejection in her life makes for a complex character in which darkness competes with her goodness.

I'm absolutely gasping to read the sequel to this book.  I finished The Young Elites and I wanted nothing more than to flip this book back to the front and read it all over again just to be back in this world and with these characters.

REVIEW: Truckers by Terry Pratchett #TerryPratchettBlogTour

Truckers by Terry Pratchett is the first book in the Bromeliad trilogy aimed at children focusing on nomes. It was first published in 1989 and has recently been repackaged into this brightly coloured edition with lovely cover and accompanying illustrations by Mark Beech.

I had a lot of fun with Truckers. I knew very little about the book before I began - only that it is a children's book and that it is not Discworld-related. And this book was a very fun surprise and there was much to find interesting and amusing, especially coming to this book as an adult reader. There is so much humour and thoughtfulness in Terry Pratchett's writing and in his stories.

Trucker is the story of nomes, these little creatures only 4 inches tall that live in places that humans do only without the humans knowing. Truckers follows Masklin and his small band of other nomes who have been living Outside and have left to explore, carrying along an important artifact called The Thing. They stumble across this huge colony of nomes living in a department store and at first there are some clashes between the two sets of nomes but they eventually band together after learning that there is very little time before the store closes down for good.

I can't say that Truckers has the biggest amount of plot ever. And while there are this core group of nomes that become influential in organising the knowledge and materials required for this mass exodus from the store, they aren't that well-developed, aside from perhaps Masklin. Perhaps that changes throughout the the two other books in the trilogy though? I'm not sure. I mention this, but it also didn't particularly make that much of a difference to my enjoyment of the novel!

What it does do though is have is a wonderful mix of humour with very clever and interesting ideas. I'm sure some children might read this story and enjoy it for what it is: a funny, adventurous story of a collection of nomes working together towards a common goal. But there is also this other layer to the story in which Terry Pratchett explores topics such as gender and leadership and belief systems and language in really thoughtful and interesting ways.

These subtle explorations of really big ideas is the real draw to this story for me.  I've read other books in which Terry Pratchett points out some of the confusing (and therefore hilarious) elements to the English language and in Truckers he again pulls this off beautifully. There was a scene towards the end involving the highway code and road signs that actually made me howl with laughter.

And there's also a bit about gender and outdated ideas about women and education and it was lovely to see Grimma's transformation as she begins to read and plays a large part in moving the nomes towards their ultimate goals.  Other scenes bring up the importance of faith and also challenging long-held belief systems and there are other characters who champion knowledge and literacy and it all just made me happy. That there is such an intelligent and thought-provoking book.  For children.

Truckers by Terry Pratchett was a really fun and worthwhile read. It was clever and funny and I do very highly recommend it!

MiraInk event and Interview with Maria V. Snyder

This past week I had the great pleasure of attending an event with MiraInk to celebrate the publication of Shadow Study and attending a blogger event with Maria V. Snyder.  It was absolutely wonderful, not only to meet Maria, but also other incredible new-to-me book bloggers and the lovely staff at MiraInk.  There was great conversation, food, wine, and goody bags!

And! I was able interview Maria V Snyder and we had a great chat about her new book, favourite characters, fangirling over authors, addictions and book bloggers! Check it out. And here is the information about Shadow Study...

Once, only her own life hung in the balance…

When Yelena was a poison taster, her life was simpler. She survived to become a vital part of the balance of power between rival countries Ixia and Sitia.

Now she uses her magic to keep the peace in both lands—and protect her relationship with Valek.
Suddenly, though, dissent is rising. And Valek’s job—and his life—are in danger.
As Yelena tries to uncover her enemies, she faces a new challenge: her magic is blocked.And now she must find a way to keep not only herself but all that she holds dear alive.

Some events photos...

A huge thank you to Maria, Cara and everyone at MiraInk for hosting such a wonderful event!



Meteorologist turned novelist, Maria's been writing fantasy and science fiction since she was bored at work and needed something creative to do. A dozen novels and numerous short stories later, Maria's learned a thing or three about writing. She’s been on the New York Times bestseller list, won a half-dozen awards, and has earned her MA degree in Writing from Seton Hill University where she's been happily sharing her knowledge with the current crop of MFA students. She also enjoys creating new worlds where horses and swords rule, 'cause let's face it, they're cool, although she's been known to trap her poor characters in a giant metal cube and let them figure out how to get out. Readers are welcome to check out her website for book excerpts, free short stories, maps, blog, and her schedule at http://www.MariaVSnyder.com

REVIEW: Deception by CJ Redwine

Deception by CJ Redwine is the second book in the Courier Daughter's trilogy. The first book, Defiance, was a book that I absolutely LOVED when I read it maybe two years ago? And I was always going to be excited to carry on the trilogy. ...It's just taken me a little longer than I expected to do so.

Despite the length of time between reading the first book in the trilogy and the sequel, I didn't find that I'd forgotten that much when I started reading Deception.  I felt like CJ Redwine did a great job of creating a memorable world, memorable characters and definitely a memorable scenario that we find ourselves reading about.  And right from the first page of Deception, I found it very easy to fall back into this world. And it felt exciting and emotional right from the start.

This book will contain spoilers for the first book in the trilogy, Defiance, but will not contain any spoilers for Deception. If you haven't yet read Defiance but are interested in reading this trilogy at some point, I suggest that you stop reading now.

Deception takes place right after the ending of Defiance. Rachel and Logan are in the battered remains of Baalboden and it's up to Logan to organise everyone and shift all of the survivors of Baalboden out into the Wasteland and kept safely away from the Commander's army that is chasing them down.  He has a plan to ally himself with one of the other city-states but must face new challenges, the pressures of leadership as well as a mole within his straggling band of survivors.

At the same time, Rachel is really dealing with the grief over her father and Oliver and also her conflicted feelings over killing a man. These losses weigh heavily on her and at the same time she feels so much rage against the Commander and wants him to pay for what he's done and what he's taken from her and everyone around her.

Most of this book is like a road trip story as Rachel and Logan and the others are trying to get from one place to another but with Cursed Ones ready to pop up and destroy everything in sight, an army chasing them from one side, a tracker picking people off from another, dissension in the ranks as well as some hot tempers.

What I really loved about this second book in the trilogy is that we see more development of all the main characters, the action is moved along without that much unnecessary drama and we get a bunch more information about the world, the Commander, our main characters and the Cursed Ones.  I especially love the elements of technology and of fighting and the ways in which the community of Baalboden change their opinions of both gender and outsiders.

Willow and Quinn, the two Tree People that we meet in the first book play a huge part in Deception.  Quinn faces a lot of criticism and name-calling from some of the Baalbodens and I loved the way in which she went out about winning them over. And I loved the way in which Quinn's relationship with Rachel unfolded and hearing more about his upbringing and why he has the no weapon policy.  I found it all very interesting and I wanted more. This entire book is filled with fascinating people and relationships and I read this whole book wanting more of everything!

At the heart of this book, though, is Rachel and Logan.  And I thought they were both adorable in this book.  Obviously dealing with a lot, but they end up dealing with things together. I love how they both let each other stand on their own and they fight all of the co-dependency issues that most couples in YA succumb to.

I absolutely loved this book and this trilogy so far! If you haven't yet discovered this trilogy I really highly recommend them.

REVIEW: The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski is the sequel to The Winner's Curse which I read last year and loved! There's something incredibly emotional and heart-breaking in the relationship between Arin and Kestrel and I am absolutely desperate to know more and I live in hope that these two star-crossed lovers can find a way to bridge their differences.

The Winner's Crime is the second book in the Winner's trilogy and this review will spoil some of the events of the first book in the trilogy, The Winner's Curse, though will not spoil anything in The Winner's Crime. If you have an interest in reading this trilogy but have not yet started it, I would suggest you stop reading now.

The Winner's Crime follows on pretty quickly after the events of The Winner's Curse. Kestrel has struck a bargain and traded her life for one of balls and celebrations as she is now engaged to the Crown Prince of Valoria and feels very isolated and restricted in things she can say and do.  She combats giving away military advice that destroys the East with spying for Herran and Kestrel really walks a dangerous line in this book.

There's also Arin, who is now the governor of Herran and he's under so much pressure to keep his country's freedom and has no idea of the sacrifices Kestrel has made in his honour. Instead he feel bitter and angry about the games he feel that Kestrel is playing.

What I love so much about this trilogy so far is that it has been very surprising in how vicious it is.  There are so many twists and turns in the story line. Nobody is safe, anybody could die and most do. I love that Kestrel and Arin are both characters who are good people who do bad things for supposedly the right reasons. I love that that line is crossed on so many different instances. I also love that there are so many complicated relationships. Parents and siblings, friendships, and, of course, this undeniably scorching hot relationship between Kestrel and Arin.  Theirs is a relationship that has so many obstacles for them to overcome.

I love Kestrel and Arin incredibly but I also loved the new characters that are introduced in this book and how the story has expanded to included the East and new allies and weaponry and world-building. This book is a real page-turner. It's exciting and addictive and I thought it had a real subtle build-up of angst and heart-break.  I finished this book absolutely desperate for the next installment of this story!

REVIEW: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi is the second book in the trilogy which started with Under the Never Sky.  That book introduced us to this world and these characters.  I remember absolutely loving Under the Never Sky when I read it several years ago. It felt addictive and emotional and incredibly exciting.

Unfortunately for me, that same level of emotion and excitement wasn't quite there when I was reading this sequel.  I could see that there were lots of several very tense scenes, lots of people being reunited and being separated but I couldn't quite bring myself to feel very much about these comings and goings. And I can't quite put my finger on if it's the writing style that let me down or if it's just the huge gap in time between reading the first book in the series and this book?

The following review will have minor spoilers for the first book in the series, Under the Never Sky, but will not contain any spoilers for Through the Ever Night. If you have not yet read Under the Never Sky and would like to, I would suggest not reading any further!

Through the Ever Night takes place directly after the ending of Under the Never Sky and Perry and Aria are reunited after the explosive events of Under the Never Sky.  Perry is now the Blood Lord of The Tides and Aria is being blackmailed by Hess to find the location of the Still Blue with Talon, Perry's nephew, being used as leverage. Perry and Aria are determined to stay together and work with each other to find the Still Blue in order to save Talon but also to save The Tides.

But what neither of them realise is how much things have changed. Especially for Perry who now have hundreds of people depending on him to lead them into safety. Because things aren't great for them right now. They're facing starvation and uncertainty with the Aether throwing down storms that threaten their very existence. And while Perry might have thought the hard work was done when he became Blood Lord, it's actually a lot more complicated as he must earn the respect of those he's leading. And none of them are all that keen to accept Aria as one of them.

What I found interesting about this book is that the challenges that are placed upon Perry and Aria help each of them to see that it might be better to be with other people - other people who share their special gift, or other people who would be more acceptable to their families and communities. These things, I thought, helped them both to see that love is hard and that it's going to be difficult but that they what's important is the choosing to be with someone during the good times and the bad.

A lot happens during Through the Ever Night.  There are lots of new twists and alliances made and I thought it was an interesting second book in this trilogy. I'm hoping to read the third book very soon as I'd love to know how this story will end and I hope the best for these very intriguing characters!

Blog Tour: A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab - Victoria's Favourite Literary Travellers

I am super excited today to be taking part in the blog tour for A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab. VE Schwab is just one of those authors that I hear incredible things about. And I love the idea of A Darker Shade of Magic and I love Victoria's guest post today. I hope you do as well! 

Here is the product description for A Darker Shade of Magic and some links if you'd like to know more about VE Schwab or A Darker Shade of Magic:

Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit. 

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London - but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her 'proper adventure'.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive — trickier than they hoped.

VE Schwab ... V on Twitter ... V on Facebook ... V on Tumblr ... V on Pinterest ... V on YouTube

Victoria's favourite Literary Travellers 

Travel is a theme in all of my books, whether across physical space or the thresholds between life and death, insider and outsider, human and monstrous. So it’s not surprise I’m such a fan of literary travellers. Here are a few of my favorite:

--Harry August, who travels the course of his own lifetime over and over in The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North.

--Ursula Todd, who also travels her life, but in a very, very different way, with the goal of assassinating Hitler, in Life after Life by Kate Atkinson.

--The Alien posing as Professor Andrew Martin, who’s come a very long way to understand humanity in The Humans by Matt Haig.  

--Ronan Lynch, the edgy, but wonderful member of the Raven Boys, with the ability to move between the real world and his dreams, and blur the space between, in The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater.

A Darker Shade of Magic will be published by Titan Books on 27th February.

Blog Tour: Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

I'm really happy today to be taking part in the blog tour for fab UKYA debut book The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury.  I absolutely adore this book, I think Mel is LOVELY and I'm really excited for people to read this book and fall in love with the world, the characters and the story like I did!  

The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury is AVAILABLE NOW! It was published the 5th February by Scholastic and I really do recommend that you find yourself a copy of this magical book. If you'd like to know more about The Sin Eater's Daughter or about Melinda Salisbury, please do visit the following links. For now, I'm going to hand you over the Mel to tell you more about fairy tales... 

Melinda Salisbury ... Mel on Twitter ... Mel on Tumblr 

Fairy Tales and The Sin Eater's Daughter

by Melinda Salisbury

Fairy stories have always been a favourite of mine. I suppose they've always been a favourite of everyone’s, whether we realise it or not. They’re such an intrinsic part of human nature, it’s fascinating that virtually every culture in the world has their own fairy tales and mythologies. Though it’s impossible to prove it, every culture on the planet will at some point have passed down legends and tales, father to son, mother to daughter; around campfires, in bedrooms, in sickrooms, in playgrounds. Stories to entertain, to enlighten, stories to warn and teach. They are woven into the fabric of society in a way that makes them inseparable from who we are and what we've become. I grew up centuries after the English witch trials, yet I remember (incredibly cruelly) labelling the older woman who lived alone at the end of my street a “witch”. Where did that idea come from? Where else but fairy tales?

I remember assuming goodness and beauty were one and the same, again, a concept born visible in most fairy tales – virtuous girls shone with beauty, brave young men were always handsome. A less conventional outside usually (but not always) indicates a fundamental flaw within – sometimes it can be overcome (Beauty and the Beast) sometimes not (Rumpelstiltskin). The lessons in these stories, guiding and shaping national identities.

Here in Europe we grew up with versions of Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Anderson, and The Grimm Brothers' stories in one way or another – whether the purest written form or the Disney modernisations. They’re more than stories, they’re our history too.

What’s more interesting to me is the way the stories are surprisingly similar outside of Europe and America, despite the geographical, technical and cultural distances between them. Does anything better illustrate how fundamental the fears and hopes of humans are? All cultures have tales that warn of the dangers of disobeying parents, of too-proud princes being taught lessons of humility, of sly creatures luring young women to their doom with false promises and pretty words.

Personally, I favour the older, darker fairy tales. The versions where people are forced to dance in red-hot, cast-iron shoes, where queens are wicked and cruel, where there are many trials to survive before the end, which isn't always happy. I think this is pretty evident in The Sin Eater’s Daughter – both in Twylla’s world and the fairy tales that exist in it, particularly The Sleeping Prince. I knew I wanted my world to have those tales woven into its fabric – half forgotten and dismissed, lying dormant and waiting. I wanted to give Twylla that feeling of being alone in the woods, not able to see the path ahead, or turn back.

For me, the story wouldn't have been complete without its own folklore, because it’s too big a part of cultural identity to ignore. When I was building the world of The Sin Eater’s Daughter, I created a geographical landscape, a theological landscape, and its own mythology, because it was needed to bring the world to life. All worlds and cultures have these stories, it’s how people explain the world around them, especially with an absence of science and technology to do so. Heck, even with technology and science explaining the world to us, we, as humans, still can’t help that prickling of fear we get when we feel eyes on us in the woods, or when we see something out of the corner of our eye that shouldn't be there. We can tell ourselves the rational explanation, but the feelings… They come from something far older, far more ingrained.

All the knowledge in the world can’t undo centuries of fairy tales, of witches and princesses and dragons, quests and pacts and battles. And I love that.

Blogger tea with Zoë Marriott

Very recently, the lovely Annalie from Walker Books invited me and some other amazing bloggers to have tea with Zoë Marriott and it was absolutely the best time ever...

I'm laughing because of how long it took to get a decent shot of us both! 

There was cake and sandwiches, awesome conversation, a sneaky peek at an excerpt of Frail Mortal Heart, a cover reveal, books being signed and probably (for me) most excitedly, I was able to interview Zoë for the Bookish Brits.  It was wonderful.  It was my first time interviewing someone in person, but I'm quite happy with the ways things turned out. I didn't, in fact, edit a single bit of the footage so that's another first! Here's that interview, do let me know what you think, it was a pretty nerve-wracking experience for me.




I do love Zoë Marriott's books so much.  On our name labels at the blogger tea, it did ask what our favourite of her books is. It was a tough decision, because while I ADORE the Name of the Blade series and know that the trilogy will become a favourite once Frail Mortal Heart is published, my favourite (for now) is still Shadows on the Moon.

Andrew, Cicely, Daphne and Caroline

During the tea, Zoë was absolutely great at answering loads of questions about her research into Japanese mythology and some exciting ideas for future projects amongst other things.  There was also quite a lot of discussion about diversity. It made me really happy that diversity and how important it is to be included in books was at the forefront of so many conversations.  At the same time, Annalie (her editor) and her cover designer were on hand to provide some great insights into how both of their roles shaped the finished books.  I thought it was all completely fascinating and I loved that I was able to share in this whole thing with everyone.  Including some of my favourite bloggers!

Kirsty, Laura and Vivienne

What a fantastic day it was.  I went home with a sackful of signed, dedicated books, the first chapter of Frail Mortal Heart and a big smile on my face. Thank you again to Zoë Marriott, Annalie Grainger and everyone at Walker Books for being super stars.  Here, for you all, is the cover for Frail Mortal Heart which will be published July 2015!

REVIEW: The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

When I first heard about this new series by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, I was both really intrigued and excited. I was really curious to see what a combination of ideas from these two impressive authors would be like and also how different it would be to their previous stories and to the other well-known middle grade fantasy series it has been compared to (Harry Potter).

Despite my excitement and as with any book I have high expectations for, I was also a little bit nervous to start this book. And while I did find the beginning to be a little bit slow-going as the characters and this new world is being introduced, I also quickly came to enjoy it.  I very much enjoyed the friendship between the three central characters, I loved the introduction of some magical creatures and also discovering some twists and surprises at the end.

The main character of this story is Callum Hunt who has just celebrated his 12th birthday.  Because his is a magical family, he has been invited to take a test at the Magisterium that will determine if he has the magical ability to attend their magic school and apprentice with a powerful mage at the school.  But Callum is not like other prospective students with the school. He has been raised by his single father who hates magic and is determined for Callum to fail his magic tests and to avoid magic at all costs.

But that is not to be for Callum Hunt who has been picked as one of three apprentices by the most powerful mage at the Magisterium.  Together with new friends, Aaron and Tamara, they explore the school, manage deathly-dull tasks set by their mage and get into a fair bit of trouble.  I love that Call is so reluctant at first to join in and has such misgivings about everyone around him but slowly he grows to love magic and makes some solid connections with the other students.

I think that a lot of people have already spotted that there are similarities here to the Harry Potter series: a trio of magical students who enter magic school who are training towards defeating an evil wizard.  There's even a 'chosen one' and a Malfoy-esque arch-nemesis.  But if you get past all of that, and not let that distract you, this story is one that is worth reading.  It is fun and exciting and has a diverse set of characters and some twists that you probably won't see coming. I do recommend it!

REVIEW: Darkness Hidden by Zoe Marriott

Oh wow, how much did I love Darkness Hidden by Zoe Marriott?! Darkness Hidden is the second book in urban fantasy Name of the Blade trilogy which follows on shortly after the events of the first book in the series.  If you can't quite recall what happened during The Night Itself, do not fear: the publisher, Walker Books, have kindly included a page and a half summary of what happens and who the main characters in the trilogy are in order to refresh your memory. I really do hope that other publishers pick up on this and start including their own summaries in their sequels! It's amazing.

I sometimes fear the second book in the series.  I'm usually afraid that it isn't going to live up to the first book, that it feels like filler ... and if I had any of those worries about this book then I forgot them pretty quickly.  Because what Zoe Marriott does so well with this series is that there are really amazing characters, real emotion and heart within the relationships and she brings up some really exciting and thrilling action scenes.  There was also more world-building here and lots more knowledge about what Mio, Jack and Shinobu are dealing with but this extra knowledge never feels rushed or too heavy to take in.  I thought there was excellent pacing throughout and I really was on the edge of my seat reading this book.

*I will be writing some minor spoilers to The Night Itself ahead. If you haven't yet read that book, please look away now.*

As I said, Darkness Hidden follows on immediately after The Night Itself.  Mio, our main character, together with her best friend, Jack, and Shinobu, this mysterious boy who has been freed from Mio's ancestral sword, have defeated the Nekomata and have rescued Jack's sister in the process.  But things are not going well for this group of young people. They've stopped one monster from terrorising London but more are on the way and this time, they're releasing a deadly plague across London.  The foxes are of no help, somebody close to Mio falls ill and Jack's sister is acting incredibly strangely.

This story is one of nail-biting suspense.  There were so many surprises and twists in the story-line. It was difficult watching Mio struggle so much in this book as she really felt a bit helpless and frustrated with not knowing the right thing to do or how to move forward against the demons who are after her katana.  She's also struggling with her feelings about the katana having its own will and forcing it upon Mio, and also the strength of feeling Mio has for Shinobu.  I really loved witnessing the tension between Mio and Shinobu build up as they both face what the feel for each other.

In the product description, it is hinted that Mio has to make a sacrifice in this book and I was reading Darkness Hidden I had my suspicions of who might not make it through to the end of the book and as things went along, just about everybody was a possibility.  The ending, however, broke my hearts in ways I couldn't possibly imagine and I really cannot wait to read more in the trilogy!

REVIEW: Shadowplay by Laura Lam

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, Pantomime. I thought it had amazing characters and a wonderful fantasy setting and I was always going to be excited to read the sequel. However, I did put off reading Shadowplay by Laura Lam for a very long time because I was slightly worried that my expectations might be slightly too high for any book to live up to.

Now that I've finally read this book I can happily say that I absolutely loved it. Everything that I loved about Pantomime is apparent in Shadowplay apart from the back and forth with the timeline.  Fabulous characters, mystery, a magical setting, a wonderful fantasy world, and great relationships. 

Shadowplay takes place immediately after the explosive events of Pantomime and Micah and Drystan, the white clown, find themselves with a desperate need for refuge. For this, they throw themselves at the mercy of Drystan's old magician friend, Jasper Maske, and soon they become more invested in Jasper's life and troubles and get more involved in magic and illusion. 

Because it has been a while since I read this book I will leave you with this brief list: Things I love about Shadowplay:

I really loved the circus setting in Pantomime. (Every one did, right?) But I also really loved all of the detail and training and history involved in turning Drystan, Micah, and new character, Cyan, into illusionists in Shadowplay.  I really did enjoy every single detail of this journey that were all on.  I loved the bit of mystery surrounding Jasper Maske and his mirrors and everything he was working on. My heart really went out to him when learning of his past and the reason he can no longer perform magic in front of an audience and because of my emotional connection to him, I really wanted things to work out in his favour.

I also absolutely loved Ellada as the fantasy setting of both books.  There is a bit of mystery surrounding this shady man who appears to be following Micah and Drystan and I found it really interesting to see them wandering about collecting clues. Also, there is a great deal of information regarding Penglass in this book which was very satisfying.

I've been pretty outspoken about my love for Micah Grey as a character and I really stand by that.  I think he's a great and well-developed character and he really grows into himself in this book.  Part of that is because of him learning new skills as an illusionist, part of that is down to the amazing relationships he has in his life.  I am very fond of his relationship with his brother that we are able to see briefly in this book and his budding friendship with Cyan was quite nice to see as well. And part of his growth in confidence is down to the information (sometimes misleading and vague!) that he gets regarding how and why he is so very special.  I can't wait to read more about this aspect of Micah's story.

And finally, we have the slow burn romantic relationship between Micah and Drystan.  This has to be a slow burn, as Micah is still grieving for Aenea, but even during Pantomime I was rooting for Micah and Drystan.  It seems to take them both a pretty long time to be okay with their relationship progressing but it felt very natural when it did happen. I want them to have a happily ever after!

All in all, Shadowplay was everything I wanted it to be. Fascinating and mysterious and magical.  I do need more Micah Grey in my life.

REVIEW: Huntress by Malinda Lo

I've had a copy of Huntress by Malinda Lo on my TBR pile for such a long time.  I can't think now why I waited so long before tackling this wonderful novel?  Huntress is set in the same world as Ash but many centuries before it and is filled with great characters, an exciting adventure and a world filled with the detail and influences of Chinese traditions.  I found it very easy to relate with these characters and with this interesting fantasy world. 

Huntress is the story of a band of travellers who are on a quest to visit the mythical Fairy Queen who might have answers to why the crops are failing, why the seasons have stopped changing and why strange things are happening and why dangerous creatures have started appearing in their lands.

On this journey are Taisin, who is studying to become a Sage. She is inexperienced in dealing with the otherworldly but is also someone who holds great promise and skill who is able to see visions of what the future holds. With her is Kaede, the daughter of the King's chancellor and who is somebody who has no skill in becoming a sage but who is competent in other things. She goes on this journey in order to escape her father's expectations of her and the prospective marriage for political gain.  With them is the Prince and three guards. 

I really loved the adventure that this band of people go through during the course of the novel. Things don't run very smoothly but it is the way in which these events shape the characters and how they react to them that made everything much more interesting.  I really enjoyed reading the way in which Taisin was trying to gather more information and evidences about the weird occurrences on their trip and also the way in which Kaede began learning to protect herself and the others from the guards. Their goal of meeting the fey queen and solving the issues that have affected the world they live in was always the number one priority for Taisin, Kaede, and the others and the feelings that crop up between the two girls becomes and secondary story line.  I liked that about this book. That this lovely, slowly built-up romance appears in the book but that character development and the main plot always continue as the main focus. 

Having said that, Kaede and Taisin's relationship is utterly sweet and I was really rooting for them throughout. A lot of barriers to their relationship are brought up initially - rules of becoming a Sage and also the pressures of making political alliances - but I really was hoping for the best for them both! 

Huntress was a wonderful and adventurous fantasy novel filled with the great characters and relationships. I found it quite easy to believe in the world-building and the situations and problems they had to face. I will continue to look forward to reading anything else by Malinda Lo...

New YA Fantasy series by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare!

Random House Children’s Publishers UK (RHCP) are excited to announce the acquisition of a powerful new YA fantasy series from global bestsellers, Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. 




To see Holly and Cassie talking about the series, please watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4iJIHbiW88

About Magisterium Book 1: The Iron Trial

Callum Hunt has grown up knowing three rules by heart. Never trust a magician. Never pass a test a magician gives you. And never let a magician take you to the Magisterium. Callum is about to break all the rules. And when he does, his life will change in ways he can’t possibly imagine. The Magisterium series is a five-book series of fantasy novels, one book for each year of Callum’s life as he struggles between the forces of good and evil, and discovers his true destiny.

Information about the authors

HOLLY BLACK:

Holly Black is the bestselling author of contemporary fantasy novels for teens and children, including Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale and the #1 New York Times bestselling Spiderwick series. She has been a finalist for the Mythopoeic Award and the Eisner Award, and the recipient of the Andre Norton Award. Holly lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Theo, in a house with a secret library. Her website is www.blackholly.com

CASSANDRA CLARE:

Cassandra Clare is the author of the #1 New York Times, USA TODAY, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly bestselling Mortal Instruments series, The Infernal Devices trilogy, and The Bane Chronicles. Her books have more than 30 million copies in print worldwide and have been translated into more than thirty-five languages. Cassandra lives in western Massachusetts. Visit her at CassandraClare.com. Learn more about the world of the Shadowhunters at Shadowhunters.com

Pretty exciting news, no?

REVIEW: Shadowlark by Meagan Spooner (Skylark, #2)

I'd forgotten how much I love this series! Shadowlark by Meagan Spooner is the second book in the Skylark fantasy dystopian series and I love how surprising it's been.  I've really taken to these characters, their relationships with each other and definitely the world-building around them.  If you haven't yet read Skylark, you might not want to read further as there will be spoilers for Skylark ahead but not for Shadowlark! 

It had been awhile since I'd read Skylark, so while some things remained fresh in my mind (mostly this wonderful and tension-filled relationship between Lark and Oren!), when I first started Shadowlark, I was a little bit hazy about certain details and in particular over the character of Tansy.  Some helpful (but not at all over-the-top or info-dumping) recapping early on really helped and I very quickly found my feet with this fun and strong second book in a series. Shadowlark begins not long after the end of Skylark with Lark and Tansy and Nix out in the wild searching for Lark's brother, Basil, after some information that Lark had received at the Iron Wood. They might have just escaped trouble in the Iron Wood but they've just walked into yet more as they find themselves imprisoned in an underground city that is run by a tyrant called Prometheus.

The thing that I think I love the most about this book, aside from the surprising twists and turns, is how much the characters deal with their own darkness.  Both Lark and Oren as well as a newer character we are introduced to in this book really struggle with who they are, their own abilities and the things they have done.  Because this story is told from the perspective of Lark we can feel more clearly how guilty she feels and how much her magical stealing ability weighs heavily on her. It very closely mirrors Oren's guilt with the terrible acts he has committed when he is an Empty One. 

And it is for this very reason, the fact that both Lark and Oren struggle so much with their own morality, that makes their relationship so fascinating to witness. I love that the attraction is so palpable between them and yet their own revulsion for themselves keeps them apart. And while, for me, Lark and Oren's relationship is a huge draw for me to continue reading this series, I also really love learning more about magic and the other world-building aspects of this story. There was a lot in Shadowlark about magic control and the extent of Renewables magic and I found it all to be very interesting.

I love this series for it's amazing and complex characters. Characters that do terrible things at times and yet are still good people. Lark, Oren, and especially Nix are very memorable characters that make me feel very strongly about them. I can't wait to see where this story will lead to next...

REVIEW: FrostFire by Zoe Marriott

Last year I went on holiday and took with me Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott and it was incredible, one of my favourite books of the year.  And now Zoe has done it again.  This year on holiday, I took with me FrostFire and ended up crying several times into my hotel pillow late at night.  I remember once not wanting to leave to go sightseeing because I had just 50 pages left.

I was slightly worried about taking FrostFire with me, as it is a sort of sequel to Daughter of the Flame, which I own and haven't yet read.  But they appear to be more companion novels, because while some of the events that occur in Daughter of the Flame will be slightly spoilt after reading FrostFire, it won't have ruined it entirely for me.  And I'm still desperate to read those last few books from Zoe Marriott's backlist.  Zoe Marriott really knows how to create an amazing world filled with characters and situations that I care about deeply.  Her writing is quite gorgeous and moving and I will always be excited to read more of her stories.

And right from the prologue of FrostFire, and I was hooked. What is this story about a girl possessed by a wolf demon?  I wanted to know more instantly.  And things aren't looking great for our main character, Frost, as this demon inside her comes out in a rage at the sight of her own blood. This rage that overtakes Frost has led to some terrible things.  Frost has been put through some terrible things, her mother seems to barely tolerate her existence, there is no love or comfort in Frost's life - only beatings from her mother, the taunts of other people, always the risk of imprisonment and death if her curse is ever found out.  But on a mission to find help against the wolf inside her, Frost stumbles on a Hill Guard whose job it is to fight against rebel warriors.  Frost is persuaded to join and there she meets two very different men - Luca, a golden boy with a great sense honour and justice, and the troubled Arian, his best friend. 

FrostFire really has everything - there's lots of action and kick-ass axe-wielding which made me cheer.  There's a wonderfully sweet romance, but also some great friendship building between a cast of characters that have very similar stories of abandonment and heavy guilt. I love that Arian and Frost in particular are very broken and have been through such difficult things.  There is a great deal of suffering in this novel, but still, they are all able to find a place to belong and the love of those around them give them the confidence to be more.

This is true for Frost more than anyone.  I love her transformation from the beginning of the novel to the end.  Her confidence in herself and her abilities grows and grows as she finds love and acceptance from this band of hill guards.  With the strength of that behind her, Frost is really a character to behold.  And this book is one to be savoured.  I really recommend it!

REVIEW: Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck

I am so in love with this series! I did my happy dance when Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck arrived as the previous two books, Tiger's Curse and Tiger's Quest, were so wonderful and I had such high hopes for this third book in the series that I was absolutely desperate to find out where the story would go. And Tiger's Voyage is just as exciting and addictive and heart-breaking! This series just gets better and better.

And Tiger's Voyage really has so many wonderful things going for it. I feel like India is the perfect setting as it is filled with great history and culture and the these books' exploration of different religious stories and fantasy creatures is amazing. I love how Tiger's Voyage focuses mostly on the underwater and we come face-to-face with dragons! Dragons, my heart sings!

As always, Kelsey and the two tiger princes, together with loyal Mr. Kadam must unravel the clues given by the goddess Durga in order to break this curse on Ren and Kishan put in place hundreds of years ago. The three of them begin training to dive underwater and, Kelsey in particular, steel themselves for the many hardships they will face. But of course, it's the many romantic problems that causes Kelsey the most concern. With Ren's memory of her and their relationship completely gone, she must decide if it will be better in the long term for her to wait for his memory to return or to move on and begin something with Kishan.

In the previous book, I really went back and forth about which tiger I'd like to see Kelsey end up with, but I didn't have that problem in Tiger's Voyage. For me, there's a clear winner, but I still found it interesting watching Kelsey making up her mind. There was lots of conflict and drama here, not only between the two brothers but also a third guy (!) It can be painful watching Ren and Kishan be jealous over each other, and I felt a lot of sympathy for both brothers as Kelsey does not seem to be the more self-aware character and found it really difficult to realise what it is that she wants. There's still more books to come, so I'm still hoping desperately for a happy ending for all three major characters.

What I love most about these books is the mixture of so many different things - from the romance, to the action sequences, the fantasy elements, the history and folklore that everything is drawn for, but most especially the detail of these books which really make everything stand out so brilliantly.

A fab book, one that I highly recommend!

REVIEW: The Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delaney

Oh, what a great book! I absolutely loved The Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delaney - it's exciting and quite creepy and fast-paced and now that I've finished this book I'm utterly excited for the rest of the books in the series!

I was lucky enough last year to win the (at the time) entire series of books in the Wardstone Chronicles from another blogger but there's something about an entire series of books on a shelf that intimidates me. It was only when I was in the planning stages of this British month and realised all of the books I'd read at the time were contemporary/realistic that gave me the shove I needed to start this series. And I'm so glad that I did. It's aimed at a younger audience than my normal YA reads, but even so, Joseph Delaney really doesn't shy away from death or gruesome scenes. Our main character, 12 year old Tom Ward, faces some scary things in The Spook's Apprentice. I loved that about this book.

Tom Ward is the seventh son of the seventh son, and having no inheritance, he must leave his family farm and find an apprenticeship elsewhere. After using up all of the family's other connections already, the only option available to poor Tom is that of the Spook's Apprentice. The Spook is a pretty well-avoided person in most communities, but serves a valuable role. The Spook is the first line of defense when it comes to boggarts and witches and other evil creatures that could cause chaos and disruption. And so, with the added expectations of his magical mother, off Tom goes on a trial run with the Spook. And does he get into some trouble! The poor boy, even after being warned off of girls, soon meets Alice, and is convinced into doing her family's dirty work and makes huge, life-threatening mistake after another.

Tom makes mistake after terrible mistake and bad things do happen. But this book really shows off the strength and courage that Tom needs to move forward and learn from the bad decisions of the past and work towards better things. It's really fascinating to learn alongside Tom the different magic and lore of witches and boggarts and learning Latin and spells. It also shows the loneliness and the isolation that this job would incur, but it also shows the benefits to the people in the villages and communities. I'm particularly interested in learning more about Alice, a girl who straddles the divide between good and evil and also more about the secrets and mysteries of Tom's mother.

It's been a long time since I've been THIS excited about a series, especially a fantasy series aimed at a middle grade audience. But I'm absolutely hooked! Bring on the next book.