Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
First published by Simon Pulse in 2010 (this edition from Simon Pulse in 2011)



Book #1 in the Shade series





Description (from Goodreads):

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

My thoughts:

I had been seeing quite a few things about this book around many blogs, probably because of the upcoming release (then) of the second book in the series, Shift. I thought the premise sounded interesting and different, so I decided to buy a copy for myself.

I ended up really enjoying this book! The main character's name is Aura and she has the ability to see ghosts, along with everyone else who was born after the Shift, an event that happened in the year she was born. That means that quite a few people her age can't see ghosts, including her boyfriend, Logan. And then, suddenly, while at a party for his 17th birthday, Logan dies. In the meantime, we are also introduced to Zachary, who enrolls at Aura's school because his father just got transferred from Scotland to Baltimore in the US.

Aura is a lovely character, though she also came off as rather naive at times. After Logan's death, she seems to be a little lost and unsure and that feeling seems to get better when Logan reappears as a ghost. Aura also lives with her aunt, as she never knew her father and her mother died when she was young. 

We don't really learn much about the Shift in this book. But we do get some really intriguing bits of information which led me to wonder what on earth happened to cause the Shift and what it really entails. As Shift is part of a series, I suppose we will get more information about it one of the next books, hopefully Shift (which I haven't read any reviews of on purpose).

I can't write this review without saying something about the two male characters vying for Aura's attention; Logan and Zachary. I don't like the expressions that other people seem to like, eg 'Team Logan' and 'Team Zachary', so I'm not going to use them. But I can honestly say I am completely on Zachary's side. He is so lovely and charming and nice. Not to mention Scottish! As for Logan, I can honestly say I disliked him from the beginning. Well, maybe not dislike, but I didn't really warm to him. I could even sympathise when he died, because of the completely and utterly stupid thing he did that led to his death. As the book progressed, I found I liked him even less, though I will admit that he was a bit endearing at times. All you Logan fans, please don't shoot me!

One other thing I really liked about this book was the fact that the author did not make Zachary's parts of the dialogue too Scottish. By that I mean that she refrained from writing 'oot', 'guid', 'dae'. Instead, she used actual words the Scots use to describe something, instead of the equivalent word in English. Sometimes, I find the use of local dialect forms, where the author writes the word just as it's pronounced, to be a bit tiring, so I appreciated the lack of it in this book.

All in all, Shade was a lovely, rather quick read and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series, Shift. Though I'll probably wait until it's out in hardback.

(I think this is one of the worst reviews I have ever written....)

Rating: 8/10

Author:

Jeri Smith-Ready is an award winning author of science fiction and fantasy books. She holds a Master's Degree in Environmental Policy and lives in Maryland with her husband and their cats and dog. Other than her Shade series, she has also written books for two other series, which are known as WVMP Radio and Aspect of Crow.

Wicked Game (WVMP Radio #1)   |   Eyes of Crow (Aspect of Crow #1)

You can find out more about Jeri by looking at her website HERE.

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011, 1st In A Series Challenge

In The Bag by Jim Carrington

In The Bag by Jim Carrington
First published by Bloomsbury in 2011 (this edition by Bloomsbury in 2011)









Description (from back cover):

Joe and Ash are best mates.

One night after a party, they find a holdall abandoned by the side of the road.

They open it up.

Inside is £20,000.

Of course they're going to hand it to the police.

Aren't they?

And that is when the trouble starts.

My thoughts:
I'm actually not very sure as to how to start this review. In The Bag is not a book I would have chosen to buy for myself, the main reason being that I think I'm a little too old for it. But it seemed like a quick read, so I decided to give it a try.


The story in itself is appealing. It's about two boys (who are 15-16, if I remember rightly), who discover a bag with a lot of money in it. What are they going to do with it? Hand it over to the police? Or maybe not? It is quite a story, featuring mafia people, gunshots, black cars with dark windows. The main focus of the story is the reasons behind the boys' actions and how they deal of the consequences of their actions. Will they be able to keep it a secret, or will they find that they can't hold on to it any longer? Plus, it has a really weird ending... Like it's half-unresolved... You don't see it often in books and I have to say I didn't mind it! 


One aspect of this book that I liked was the fact that it had alternating chapters from the two characters' points-of-view. We got to be inside the heads of both characters and see how each one of them dealt with the consequences. Joe and Ash might be very good friends, but they're very different to each other and each one of them deals with the problem in his own way. That was very interesting to see. I also enjoyed the fact that the author did not focus solely on the 'bag'. He had a few side stories going on, which gave us more insight into both characters.


On the other hand, there were a couple of things I really didn't like. This book contains rather strong language. It even has a warning on the back for it (which I think is very good). To be honest, I am not bothered by swearing in books. But because of the fact that I think the story (as a storyline) would be more interesting for younger readers, the swearing excludes them from reading it. What I am trying to say here is that I am rather dubious as to whether the story would appeal to a 16 year-old me. It's more of the kind-of story that I would have found exciting when I was 13-14. Another thing I didn't like were all the smoking and drug references. I absolutely hate people smoking (I'm really weird about it) and I hate reading about children smoking. I know it is a wide-spread phenomenon nowadays, but I still don't like reading about it. (Including all those references to smoking marijuana.)


All in all, it wasn't a bad book, but the main problem I have is to whom I would recommend reading this book. It's worth a try though, as the writing is very good and the story flows well.


Rating: 5/10


Author:
Jim Carrington is the author of In The Bag and Inside My Head. (Sorry but that's all I could find!)

You can check out his website HERE.

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011, British Books Challenge 2011

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
First published by Definitions in 2010 (this edition is an e-Galley, courtesy of the S&S Galley Grab programme)

Expected date of publication from Simon Pulse: 28th June 2011

Description (from Goodreads):
Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.




My thoughts:
Before deciding to grab this eGalley from the S&S Galley Grab programme, I had seen it on various blogs and had read a few things about it. As is obvious from the blurb, this book is the story of a brother and sister who don't really feel like a brother and sister to each other, due to the fact that they had had to act like the adults of the household since they were very young. They grew up relying heavily on each other, while together they had to weather all the problems that came their way, as regards the running of their household.


So, to put it in plain words, this book is about incest. And, as I have read in numerous other reviews, consensual incest in particular (as in 'involving mutual consent'). As it is a rather controversial subject on which to base a book, I decided to give it a try and see how the author handled this very touchy subject.


This book was easily one of the loveliest written books I have read this year. Never during the whole book did I feel as if what Maya and Lochan, the two main characters, were doing was wrong. Which I suppose is rather weird... Still, I didn't. Despite the fact that they were brother and sister, their love for each other felt right. 


It is obvious that in a book such as this, dealing with such a controversial subject, you can't really expect a happy ending. You know from the word 'go' that something is going to have to happen to break them apart. Having said that, I did not expect the ending I got. It was so much worse than I thought it would be, but at the same time, just perfect for this kind of book. It truly was a lovely story presented in a very lovely way.


However, there are a couple of teeny-tiny things that I noticed... First of all, whereas the pace of the book was rather normal for the most part, as I was nearing the end, I felt as if things were presented in a rather rushed manner. It didn't ruin the story or anything, but I still noticed it. And secondly, the book is set in England, so why did she keep saying 'math'?? As far as I know, in England they say 'maths'... Might have been the editing or something...


I know a lot of people have read it and loved it too, while others have just stopped reading it because of the subject it deals with, so I can't really make a general recommendation. If you think you won't be bothered by the rather 'touchy' theme, then this is a book you must read sometime.


Rating: 9/10


Author:
Tabitha Suzuma was born in England to a Japanese father and an English mother. She holds a degree in French from King's College London. After university, she held various jobs, including being a school teacher. That was when she wrote her first book, A Note of Madness. In 2004, she left classroom teaching and started writing in earnest. Up to date, she has written 5 novels, including Forbidden, and is currently working on her sixth book, which is about euthanasia. (Another really tough and controversial subject!)

A Note of Madness  |  From Where I Stand

A Voice In The Distance  |  Without Looking Back

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
First published by HarperCollins in 2007 (this edition by HarperCollins in 2008)


Book #1 in the Wicked Lovely series






Description (from Goodreads):

Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries. 

Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty-especially if they learn of her Sight-and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.

Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries. 

Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention. 

But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King, who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. His is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost-regardless of her plans or desires.
Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; everything.
Faery intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning twenty-first-century faery tale.

My thoughts:
I'd first heard about this series quite some time ago, when my local bookshop had stocked one copy of the third book in the Wicked Lovely series, Fragile Eternity. (It's still there, in case you were wondering...) - It actually seems to do that quite a lot; stocking other books in a series other than the first one. I don't know why they do it though... It's rather stupid. - I rather liked the sound of it and wanted to read it, but I hadn't been able to get my hands on a copy of the first book.

So, even though I had wanted to read it, I hadn't known exactly what it was about. I knew it had faeries in it, but not much more than that.... I have to say I was rather pleasantly surprised while I was reading it. In Wicked Lovely, faeries are creatures which exist in the same world that people do, only they can't see them unless the faeries choose to become visible. Aislinn is not like the rest of the people; she has always been able to see faeries. She has had to ignore them for all of her life, as faeries can be very brutal to the people that they know can see them. Strange things seem to be happening, which all lead up to the fact that Keenan - the Summer King - seems to think that Aislinn is his Summer Queen.

This was a completely different take on faeries for me. The only other book about them that I have read it Lament by Maggie Stiefvater. In Wicked Lovely, the faeries seem to be a lot more street-wise, for want of a better phrase. They seem to be rather ferocious and to involve in acts of dubious nature. I liked that. It gave them a different air and made for a completely different faerie story.

I also liked the way in which all the characters were developed. All had a reason for acting the way they did and they were all very well described. My favourite character would have to be Seth, though. You could tell from the beginning of the book that he was going to be there for Aislinn no matter what. He seemed to be able to take everything into his stride, but you can also tell that he is also scared of all that is going on. Though I really did not understand the point of giving him so many rings all over his body (He has a navel ring!! I hate navel rings at the best of times, but on a boy???). Aislinn was a really tough character. Once she decided she had to stop fighting everything, she stood her ground and demanded things in a way that she could not be told no to. I love girls who are not complete pushovers, but have some spunk in them. Donia and Keenan were also great characters, though out of the two, Donia was definitely my favourite.

I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in this series, Ink Exchange! From an excerpt I read, the 2nd book sees the involvement of the fearies of the Dark Court, which didn't really get much mention in Wicked Lovely.

Rating: 8/10


Author:
Melissa Marr is an American author of young-adult and urban fantasy novels. She is most well known for her Wicked Lovely series, a young adult series about faeries. In 2011, she published her first adult novel, titled 'Graveminder'.

Check out her website HERE!

Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely #2)  |  Graveminder

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011, 1st In A Series Challenge

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
First published by Scholastic in 2010 (this edition by Scholastic in 2010)

Book #3 in The Hunger Games series






Description (from Goodreads):

My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead. 

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans -- except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay -- no matter what the personal cost.


My thoughts:
As everyone probably knows, Mockingjay is the third and final book in the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins (you can find the reviews of the previous two books in this series here and here). Before beginning to read this book, I had seen a few reviews on Goodreads which, while not saying that this book was bad, stated that it was their least favourite in the series. So when I started reading, I was a little guarded and did not know what to expect.


I want to say something here. I think I loved this book for exactly the reasons some people have said they didn't as much. In this book, we get to see Katniss' weaker side. In the first two books, she has survived two rounds of the Hunger Games, has killed more people than she wanted to and has gone through so much, I think she is entitled to be feeling a little lost. In Mockingjay, she lives in District 13, after the bombing that completely destroyed her home in District 12. She doesn't really do much there and is expected to adjust to the strict programme that District 13 operates under, while at the same time, they are trying to get her to become the face of the revolution.


This novel is a lot darker than the previous two, as it focuses a lot on all the plotting to overthrow the Capitol. There are many twists and turns within the book, quite a few of which I did not expect and really did come out of nowhere. I loved the fact that we got to see more of Gale, as well as good bit of Peeta (I was expecting a lot less after only a few pages in). The ending was wonderful. You certainly can't expect a happy ending from a book like this and I believe the way Suzanne Collins handled it was great.


All in all, a great end to a wonderful series. I loved the fact that though it could have been quite similar to the first two, but it wasn't and, in fact, went in a completely different direction. And yeah, if you haven't read it, then do! You definitely won't regret it.


Rating: 10/10


Author:
You can find out more about Suzanne Collins at the end of my review of The Hunger Games.




Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011, Dystopia Challenge

Specials (Uglies #3)

Specials by Scott Westerfeld
First published by Simon Pulse in 2006 (this edition by Simon & Schuster in 2010)


Book #3 in the Uglies series




Description: (from Goodreads)
Tally thought they were a rumor, but now she's one of them. A Special. A superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid.
But maybe being perfectly programmed with strength and focus isn't better than anything she's ever known. Tally still has memories of something else.
But it's easy for her to tune that out--until she's offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she's programmed to complete. Either way, Tally's world will never be the same.

My thoughts:
When I started reading this book, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I had enjoyed Uglies a lot and was a little disappointed by the second book in the series, Pretties. Before I start stating my opinion of this book, I have to say that this review will contain spoilers for anyone who has not read the first two books in the series. Consider yourselves warned!

In this installment of the Uglies series, Tally has progressed yet another level and she is now a Special. But she's not even a regular one at that; she is a special brand of Special (?), a Cutter, a team created by Dr Cable and led by Shay (who we saw as a Special at the end of Pretties).

This book was a lot better than the previous one, but still, nowhere as good as Uglies. The plot was a lot more interesting and there were some completely different things going on, which I actually did not expect. One thing I liked a lot about this book was that there was mention of other cities in the world other than the ones Tally had lived in and knew about (Crumblyville, Uglyville and New Pretty Town). It made the world a lot more real and believable.

Though again, quite sadly I must say, I did not like Tally. She comes off as a particularly selfish and rather stupid person. At the beginning of the book, she just seems to do whatever Shay tells her to do and as the book progresses, even though she does seem to still be able to make decisions for herself, she is still not very likeable. Another thing I liked was that Zane was not really featured in this book. It might sound rather nasty of me, but I really did not like Zane's character and I believe that he is responsible for the ruination of Tally's character.

To end this review, I am going to make a comment about the ending of this book. I can't say I expected it to happen in the way it happened, so I was pleasantly surprised by it. Though I didn't really like the part where 4-5 weeks went by in the space of a couple of paragraphs. Even though the author felt there wasn't much to say about that period of time, it nevertheless felt like a big gap to me, as things were sure to have been happening.

Rating: 7/10


Author:
You can find out more about Scott Westerfeld at the end of my review of the first book in the series, Uglies.

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011

Love Falls

Love Falls by Esther Freud
First published by Bloomsbury in 2007 (this edition by Bloomsbury in 2007)







Description: (from Goodreads)

From the author of Hideous Kinky comes a charming, surprising, and utterly irresistible tale of adolescent love and self-discovery.

When seventeen-year-old Lara accepts her father's invitation to accom­pany him to a Tuscan villa for the summer, she's both thrilled and nervous for the exotic holiday. To her delight, she soon discovers that the villa's closest neighbors are the glamorous Willoughbys, the teenaged brood of a British millionaire. Caught up in their torrential thirst for amusement—and snared by Kip Willoughby's dark, flirtatious eyes—Lara sets off on a summer adven­ture full of danger, first love, and untold consequen­ces that will irrevocably change her life.

My thoughts:

This book is one of the very few hardbacks I own. I think I got it as a present from my grandparents for my birthday back in 2007 (my birthday is in August and the book was published in July, so that is the only logical explanation as to why they got me a hardback). I hadn't actually read it until now, though don't ask my why not. I honestly do not know. I came across this book when my brother and I decided to have a clear out of our books (to give some of our kiddie books to charity), so I kept it with my other unread books.

Well, umm, I have mixed feelings about this book. I can't really say if I liked it or not. It was kind-of weird. It started off ok. We are introduced to Lara, the main character in this book, who lives with her slightly bohemian (??) mother. Her father, a university professor, invites her to travel with him to a villa in Tuscany, on his first trip out of London in years. She accepts and they travel to Italy by train, eventually arriving at her father's friend Caroline's villa. There, Lara and her father also meet up with the Willoughbys, the villa's closest neigbours.

The story focuses on all the relationships between the people in the area: Lara's rather awkward relationship with her father, Caroline's rather weird treatment of Lara, the relationships between the Willoughby children and their guests/spouses/spouses-to-be and, of course, the relationship between Lara and Kip, the youngest of the Willoughby lot. Yes, that's a lot of relationships to talk about. To the author's credit, you don't feel as if it's too much when you are reading it. I only realised it as I was writing these words.

The story was nothing too sophisticated. It was just how a girl of 17 grew up a little too quickly over the course of a few weeks over the summer, just because of her encounters with the other people in the novel. The character development was ok. Ms Freud told us more about some than the others, leaving me with a rather unclear picture of what was going on at some points in the book. I didn't particularly like Caroline or Roland (he's the husband of one of the Willoughby girls). Others I felt were there only because the author wanted to set a particular atmosphere - they didn't really contribute.

One thing I did like about this book was the descriptions of Tuscany. The villa and its surrounding area sounded beautiful and a little mysterious at times and I would love to see all that scenery myself. I particularly liked the descriptions of a beach the whole party visited one day! It sounded idyllic. I also liked the descriptions of Florence. I visited Florence for a day a few years ago (on a school trip) and loved it! Such a pretty place! The book did bring back quite a few happy memories!

All in all, I am not sure what to say about this book. I can't say I enjoyed it as much as I would have liked to, so I'd classify it as an ok read for me. It just might be the thing for you though! If you like the sound of it, then give it a try! (Forgot to mention that it's actually set in 1981, a week before Charles and Diana's wedding, and I read it right after their son got married to Kate Middleton! No, I didn't do it on purpose!)

Rating: 5/10

Author:

Esther Freud is a British novelist. She is the daughter of painter Lucian Freud and granddaughter of the famous neurologist Sigmund Freud. Ms Freud has worked in television and theatre as both an actress and a writer. Her first novel is the semi-autobiographical ''Hideous Kinky'', which has also been made into a film starring Kate Winslet. Her other books include ''Peerless Flats'' and  ''The Wild'', with ''Lucky Break'' being her latest novel. She is married to actor David Morrisey, with whom she has three children.

You can find out more about Esther Freud here:

Esther Freud on Goodreads

Esther Freud on Wikipedia

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011, British Books Challenge 2011

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2)

Seeing as Blogger has been completely weird and the fact that I just noticed it deleted my post, here it is again! :)


The Hunger Games: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
First published by Scholastic in 2009 (this edition by Scholastic in 2009) (that's what it says in my book, though Goodreads says it was first published in 2008)

Book #2 in The Hunger Games trilogy


Description: (from Goodreads)
Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol.


My thoughts:
I loved this book! So much! I didn't know what to expect after the terrific first book in this series (my review here), thinking the next books could not possibly be as good as the first one. This one was every bit as good as The Hunger Games. This is the third book I have devoured in a matter of hours this year! (Yes, it's that good)


After finishing the book, I looked it up on Goodreads to see what other people had to say about it. I saw quite a few reviews that said Catching Fire was not as good as The Hunger Games. I can understand why they might think that, but, for me, this book was equally good. It had a different storyline, focusing quite a bit on the politics behind the whole spectacle that is called ''The Hunger Games'' (which is why quite a few people found this book to be slower in action than the first one). I didn't mind it in the least. I felt that it was necessary (after all the things Katniss and Peeta went through while competing in the ''Hunger Games'') for them to have a period in time where everything was a little peaceful. That doesn't mean things weren't happening, just that they weren't as gruesome as what happened during the ''Hunger Games''.


And that twist...? Definitely did not see that one coming...! I think I had an '':-O'' moment when I read what was going to happen!


I had hoped for a little more of Gale in this book, as I had mentioned in my review of the first book. Well, I definitely got some (and it was good, if a little predictable), but it wasn't as much as I had hoped for.


The book ended on a pretty big cliffhanger, so I am VERY grateful I already own the third book and do not have to wait for it to be published! I'll get round to it very soon! 


Rating: 10/10


Author:
You can find out more about Suzanne Collins at the end of my review of The Hunger Games.

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011, Dystopia Challenge, 2nds Challenge

Night Star (The Immortals #5)

Night Star by Alyson Noel
First published by St. Martin's Press in 2010 (this edition by Macmillan Children's Books in 2010)

Book #5 in The Immortals series


Description: (from back cover)

Love and heartbreak belong together...

There are some secrets you're better off not knowing. But once Ever Bloom is given a glimpse of what Damen keeps hiding from her, she has to find out more - whatever the cost.

Their past together is not what she thinks - and only he remembers everything. Until now, when a vengeful friend lets her in on his secret. And it may just push Ever into someone else's arms . . .

My thoughts:
As you might know, if you've read my review of Dark Flame (which you can find here), I didn't particularly enjoy it. It was rather tiring. I felt as if the author was just trying to make a full story out of the very little that happened in the book. It picked up towards the end, but it was not enough for me to say I enjoyed it. I had already bought the fifth book before reading the fourth (as I found it on offer while on holiday), but just got round to reading it. As it's the fifth book in the series, it will have some spoiler-y stuff, if you haven't read the previous books in the series.

I have to say I liked this one a little more. It was not as good as the 1st and 2nd books in the series, but it was a lot better than Dark Flame. Yes, the focus is still on the problem that Ever and Damen have (that they can't touch properly) - which is getting a little tiring, in my opinion -, but it was not the only thing that was happening in the book. There was quite a bit of Haven in this book (who has turned out to be an absolute bitch now she is immortal and refuses to see reason), though I thought that the author depicted Haven in such a way that the only thing you could do is hate her. And hate her I did... There were quite a few revelations about Ever and Damen's past in this book. (Though again I must say I expected them to be a lot worse from the way the author led up to them...)

One thing that really annoyed me in this book (and which is probably in the previous books, too, but I probably just didn't notice it) was the constant use of words in italics. I get that the author was trying to emphasise some specific words and make it seem as if it was like a proper conversation, but after a point it just stood out - too much. To the point that I actually rolled my eyes when another word in italics came up.

All in all, I enjoyed this one more than the previous book and I am looking forward to reading the next and last book in the series, Everlasting (expected publication date: 7th June 2011 or 1st July 2011 in the UK).

US  |  UK

Rating: 6/10


Author:
You can find out more about Alyson Noel at the end of my review of Dark Flame HERE.

Counts as Book #37 in the 100 Books In A Year Challenge.

13 Little Blue Envelopes

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
First published by Avon in 2006 (this edition is the e-book edition, including an excerpt from The Last Little Blue Envelope)


Book #1 in the Little Blue Envelope series


Description: (from Goodreads)

Inside little blue envelope 1 are $1,000 and instructions to buy a plane ticket.
In envelope 2 are directions to a specific London flat.

The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a starving artist.

Because of envelope 4, Ginny and a playwright/thief/ bloke–about–town called Keith go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous–though utterly romantic–results. But will she ever see him again?

Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it's all because of the 13 little blue envelopes.

My thoughts:

This is the other book I bought from Amazon.com, when the offer was on (the other one being Wings by Aprilynne Pike). I had seen it everywhere on blogs and I thought the story sounded cute and easy to read, so I decided to try it for myself. (It was free, as a promotion for the release of the second book in the series, The Last Little Blue Envelope).


Suffice to say, I wasn't blown over by the book. I remember reading quite a few reviews mentioning that they absolutely loved the book, but that was not the case with me. First of all, I was really annoyed by the fact that there was NO mention of Ginny's parents in (nearly) the whole book. I'm not a parent, but, from a child's point-of-view, what happened in the book and the way it happened, is just not possible. I am 1000% sure that my parents would have never let me travel to a different continent at the age of 17, knowing that they would not be able to communicate with me on the phone. NO WAY!


Secondly, I thought that everything was just a little too rushed. Ginny opened an envelope, did what she was supposed to do and then went on to the next envelope; it was all going a little too fast in my opinion. I suppose that with 13 envelopes to open, the narration had to be a little faster to fit everything in, but I just felt that everything was rushed. I also found her aunt a little annoying... I do see the point of the letters and what her aunt was trying to do, but it didn't sound really realistic.


That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. It was a good read; an easy and quick book to read. I really enjoyed all the descriptions of places in the book. I've been to London and Rome, so I could remember some of the places described just like I saw them all those years ago. Especially Rome, with the lovely Santa Maria in Trastevere neighbourhood. I think I'll probably pick up the 2nd book in the series sometime in the future! I'd like to see where the story goes!


Rating: 5/10


Author:
Maureen Johnson is an American author. She was born in Pennsylvania and holds a degree in writing from the University of Delaware. Soon after graduation, she moved to New York City to study theatrical dramaturgy and writing at Columbia University School of Arts. She still lives in New York.
Her other books include:

The Key To The Golden Firebird  |  Devilish  |  Suite Scarlett

For more information, you can check these out:

Maureen Johnson (Official Website)

Maureen Johnson on Goodreads

Counts as Book #36 in the 100 Books In A Year Challenge.

Wings

Wings by Aprilynne Pike
First published by HarperTeen in 2009 (this edition is the Kindle edition, published in 2009 by HarperCollins e-books)


Book #1 in the Wings trilogy




Description: (from Goodreads)

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

My thoughts:

Wings is the second book I have read that features fairies (or maybe fearies/fae blah blah blah), the first one being Lament by Maggie Stiefvater (you can find my review here). I had seen it over a few blogs during the past few weeks, but only decided to download it when I saw a link on Alison's blog (Alison Can Read). To cut a long story short, Aprilynne Pike was organising a read-along of Wings on certain blogs, whom she offered various links so that their readers could download the book for free. I was one of them.

When I started reading the book, I was not sure exactly what to expect. But I was definitely NOT expecting what actually happened! I'm not going to give out any more information about that, lest I spoil the story for anyone who has not already read it. It was definitely a fresh take on the whole mythology surrounding faeries and I enjoyed that part of the story very much.

The main character, Laurel, is depicted to be blonde, thin, with translucent skin - perfect, in other words. It might come out as a little cliche'd, but when you understand why she is like that when the author comes to the explanation of the situation. The story revolves around the fact that Laurel turns out to be a faerie. She wakes up one day with what seems to be a huge spot (zit) on her back. After a week or so, the spot disappears and in its place is a set of flower petals that look a lot like wings (hence the title).

I liked all the characters in the book: Laurel, David, Chelsea and Tamani, as well as Laurel's parents. They all played some important role in some part of the story or another and they were all beautifully presented. My favourite character from this book would have to be David, though. He loves Biology (which you don't often see in books), he owns a microscope and is also able to take every weird thing that happens (and there are lots) in his stride. He proves to be a great help to Laurel. Such a great guy! Towards the end of the book, I started to rather like Tamani, too! I'm not sure what happens in the second book, but I hope Tamani features a little more in it. (I don't really like the name though... Much prefer plain Tam.)

All in all, it was a good book. It was very easy to read and very enjoyeable, without being particularly light and fluffy. I definitely want to read the next one in the series (Spells), to see what happens!

Rating: 6/10


Author:
Aprilynne Pike is an American author. She was born in Salt Lake City, but grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. She holds a BA in Creative Writing from Lewis-Clark State College, which she finished in only 3 years. She is married with three children and currently lives in Arizona.
Wings was her first book, but she has gone on to publish another two after it to add to the Wings series. The latest book, Illusions (or Wild in the UK) is coming out tomorrow!

Here are the covers of all the books:

US / UK

US / UK

US / UK

I just love the UK covers for this series... I like the first one in the US series, too, as it seems to fit the title a little better that the UK one. The other US ones are a little mediocre, in my opinion... They're not really eye-catching in the way that the UK ones are.

You can find out more about Aprilynne Pike here:

Aprilynne Pike Official Website

Aprilynne Pike on Goodreads

Counts as Book #33 in the 100 Books In A Year Challenge. 

Also counts towards the 1st In A Series Challenge.

Tyme's End

Tyme's End by B.R. Collins
First published by Bloomsbury in 2011 (this edition by Bloomsbury in 2011)








Description: (from back cover)
Bibi feels out of place everywhere - everywhere that is, except for Tyme's End, the deserted house that she breaks into when she thinks nobody is nearby. There she unexpectedly meets Oliver Gardner, the owner of the house, who's just returned after ten years away. Their story and the story of Oliver's grandfather becomes inextricably entwined, linked as they are by Tyme's End itself. For Tyme's End is more than just a deserted house. It is a house that by turns can be romantic, beguiling, sinister and malevolent. It is a house that had a cruel and manipulative owner. And anybody who enters Tyme's End must prepare themselves for terror ...


My thoughts:
This book was a very pleasant surprise! I started reading it without really knowing what to expect, but, as the story progressed I found myself more and more engrossed in the story!


The actual story is split into three parts, each one describing the events that happened in a particular year (mainly over the course of a few days to a few months each). It starts off with Bibi's part in the story, which is set in 2006. As it says in the blurb, Bibi essentially feels at home only when she is at Tyme's End, a deserted house near her home. She has actually set up her own corner in a room in the house, to run to whenever she feels low. There, quite unexpectedly, she meets Oliver, the owner of the house, who has not set his foot in England (or Tyme's End) for 10 years. Through her encounters with Oliver, we learn many scraps of information, which only caused me to want to keep on reading the book, to find out what has happened!


Thus, we get into the second part of the story, which is set in 1996 and is told from Oliver's point of view. That, as you can see is ten years earlier. That leads us to the third - and last - part of the story, which is set in 1936. With these two last parts, we get to find out the exact history surrounding Tyme's End.


I really enjoyed this book. I loved the air of mystery that the author enveloped Tyme's End in. The way the story progressed was just right, giving us just the right amount of information to make us speculate about what really happened. The author gives all sorts of information, describing various scenes in such detail, that you end up thinking, 'Ah! Yes! That's it! I knew it all along!'. But in the end you just sit there thinking, 'Wow! Did not see that one coming.'. And that makes a talented author. She makes you go exactly where she wants you to go. That takes some talent.


All in all, this book was a definite surprise! It's one of the best mystery books I have read as of late and I would really love to read Ms Collins' other two books, to see if they're just as good! Definitely recommended!


Rating: 8/10


Author:
B.R. (Bridget) Collins has graduated from both university and drama school. Her debut novel, 'The Traitor Game' won the Banford Boase Award in 2009 and was longlisted for the 2009 Carnegie Medal. She currently lives in Kent.
Her other books are:

Goodreads page

Goodreads page

Counts as Book #31 in my 100 Books In A Year Challenge and as Book #15 in the British Books Challenge 2011.

(Disclaimer: I received this book from Bloomsbury for free, as part of a prize pack. Everything stated above reflects my own views on the book. My review has not been influenced in any way.)

Pretties

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
First published by Simon Pulse in 2005 (this edition by Simon & Schuster in 2010)

Book #2 in the Uglies series





Description: (from back cover)
Tally has finally become Pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes cool, her boyfriend totally gorgeous, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted.
But beneath all the fun - the non-stop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom - is the nagging sense that something is very wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's Ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with Pretty life, and the fun stops cold. Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life...


Opinions:
Pretties is the second book in the Uglies series. I read and reviewed the first book in the series, Uglies, earlier this year (you can find my review here). I really enjoyed reading Uglies (hence the 9/10), so I ordered Pretties and Specials straight away, so that I could read them as soon as possible. They ended up taking a month to get here...

To review this book, I obviously have to mention things that happened in the first book, so if you haven't read Uglies, then read at your own risk. (That sounds rather ominous, doesn't it!)

In Uglies, Tally desperately wanted to become a Pretty. But her friend Shay ran away and she was sent by the Special Circumstances to look for her. She ended up living in the Smoke for some time, but then circumstances forced her to return and give herself up to become a Pretty. I'm not going to say more than that, just in case you have decided to read on. I'm not going to spoil the book completely for you!

This book starts off with Tally as a Pretty, who lives a wonderfully carefree life, goes to parties, is either drunk or hungover. On that first night, she is getting ready to go to a costume party, where she is going to be judged.  So it can be decided whether she will become a part of the Crim gang. But then something happens. Something which she agreed to do, but cannot remember doing so. She decides to trust herself anyway (she reads a note she wrote herself, at the end of the first book) and just go for it. This obviously ends up leading to a big adventure for Tally, as well as some of her fellow Crims, and most importantly her boyfriend.

I have to say, I was rather dissapointed. I did not love this book as much as I loved the first one. First and foremost, the style of writing rather annoyed me. I know he was doing it on purpose, as he wanted to show us the airy-headedness (yes, I think that's a word) of the Pretties. But it just ended up being annoying. I mean, come on: Tally-wa and Shay-la...??? Those were bad enough, but then came the worst: Zane-la... (note: Zane is a boy)

Other than that, the story was ok. It had adventure, as well as some other elements that I did not expect. Though I didn't really like Tally as much in this book, to be honest. It seemed as if the Pretty surgery had taken something away from her spunk. She was still mischievous and troublemaking, but there was also something missing. Another character I really didn't like was Zane. I know he was a good guy, but I just could not like him, even though he goes through a lot in this book. I suppose it just interfered with my dream of Tally and David's relationship progressing, despite Tally becoming a Pretty... Ah well... We'll have to see what happens in Specials.

All in all, it was a good book, but, for me, it was definitely inferior to Uglies.

Rating: 6/10

Author:
You can find out more about Scott Westerfeld at the end of my Uglies review, which you can find here!

Counts as Book #30 in my 100 Books In A Year Challenge. 

Also counts towards my 2nds Challenge and the Dystopia Challenge.