Cover Alert!

Oh me! yesterday two of my all time favourite series covers were released!

First up is.... The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

Isn't it pretty. I like the colours in the Bloodlines series, alot happier than the black/red of VA.

So from the left we have an unknown person, Sydney (with no lily tattoo... What the...?) and Adrian, oh Adrian (happy smily face) give me more of Adrians face!

But book 3 looks like a corker, having read the first chapter and being hooked i want it now... not ~Feburary 12th.









Next is... Sever by Lauren Destefano.

All of the Chemical Garden book covers help hint at the story, so i gather that Rhine is set free ( the bird was previously caged), she gets to see the world and Linden (how i love Linden NOT Gabriel) lets her free of the marriage, and then theres the forbidden fruit at the bottom, so everything i thought is probably wrong, yet hey it is a gorgeous cover! I love the shade of green, but i think it is missing something, not as good as books 1 & 2!

Be back soon

Sorry for the lack of posts, but recently i have alot of school and extra-curricular activities to be attending so I have NO time to blog :(

See you in July!

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males born with a lifespan of 25 years, and females a lifespan of 20 years--leaving the world in a state of panic. Geneticists seek a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Yet her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement; her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next; and Rhine has no way to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

Out Now!

Initial thoughts; OMG THAT COVER IS SO PRETTY! (Fever is beautiful too!)

I first saw this book while surfing the waterstones world of books online, and to be fair it didnt tickle my fancy. Obviously the screen was too small to appreciate the books cover, and how amazingly well it ties in with the novel. The blurb is also built to entice.

Initial problems with the book; why in EVERY dystopian i read is it America...America...America. Please give me a good reason why every time something bad happens, America survives? Why not Europe or Asia? also if only a portion of America remained how can they be industialised, where are crops grown and so forth. Moving on from this the story is very pretty, poetic even.

Rhine's world is always changing, and now she is a bride to a man she doesn't love, but who adores her. Rhine is abviously a likable person becoming friends with Rose (the first wife who dies) and Jenna, another wife who was picked. DeStefano portrays all of Rhines misgivings and thoughts into her writing and clearly give the reader a real sense of how Rhine negotiates her way around the house and Lindens world.

Each character was built up that they would be remembered and even as the book goes on you wonder.. what happened to XXX? DeStefano also makes sure that the romantic element was constructively given a back seat in this novel without ever disappearing. You were left with two possible loves, Rhine and Linden or Rhine and Gabriel, which is so creatively done you feel that she could live happily with either.

DeStefano also makes sure it is not lost on the reader that Rhine knows she is dying and that all she wants is freedom, but  Hey, her father-in-law has other ideas.

This book left me with the feeling that freedom is very important to Rhine and that while she could live happily with Linden she wouldn't actually be happy.

P.S. Im team Linden, he's so much cuter than Gabriel!!!

Talia xx

Competition Time ;o! (UK ONLY)

So yes I have decided to host a competition!

The book you can win is ~ Allison Rushby's wonderful "Shooting Stars".

I just have to warn you, it has been read, but otherwise is in good condition.

So what do you have to do?

It's really simple.

1. You have to be a follower of the blog.

2. You have to leave a comment here with a random number between 1 and 150 (whole numbers please!) and a way of contacting you (twitter, email etc)

I retain the liberty to cancel the competition if fewer than 20 people.

Winner will be picked from a random draw.

If two people pick the same number, I will email back the second person to let them choose a new number.

You must be a resident, living in the UK.

Competition closes 4th June at midnight.

Sorry about the long opening, i have exams!

Edited  15th May 2012

Vampire Academy (Series) by Richelle Mead

St. Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school it's a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They've been on the run, but now they're being dragged back to St. Vladimir's the very place where they're most in danger. . . .

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy's ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi the world's fiercest and most dangerous vampires make Lissa one of them forever.

Published by Penguin Books

For starters this book is XXX times better than Twilight.

Richelle Mean brings a new and exciting idea into the world of vampires. That there is 2 races and a mixed race, Moroi/Strigoi/Dhampir. It was interested getting to know the different types and how they all differed in strength, power and magic.

Rose is our protagonist and was saved by Lissa durning a crash that killed all of Lissa's family. Rose has her own problems, she doesn't know her Dad, hardly see's her Mum and is on a one way road to be kicked out of the Academy.

We have  a typical love triangle that is effectivly dealt with by Mead over the 6 books and it is enjoyable to see how they continuosly flow form one book to another. I have to admit Rose and Dimitri are one of my all-time favourite couples. The way that they have obvious chemistry and are inseperable even in the toughesdt of decisions is made, that even Lissa is able to support their relationship which is forbidden.

Vampire Academy introduces a host of characters that are all given enough depth for the reader to sympathise their situation and cry with joy when they are reunited or something good happens to them.

It was great to find out that Mead has introduced a 'sister' series following the alchemists and Adrian, who i felt deserved more than just ending with him heartbroken.

Mead has effectively made a world that the reader is drawn into and to be honest doesn't want to leave!

Talia x

Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby

Behind the flashing lights, the camera reveals all...even love.

Meet Josephine Foster, or Zo Jo as she’s called in the biz. The best pint-sized photographer of them all, Jo knows that the public – and the stars – have a symbiotic relationship with the paparazzi. She doesn’t mind doing what it takes to get that perfect shot, until she’s sent on a major uncover assignment to shoot Ned Hartnett – teen superstar and the only celebrity who’s ever been kind to her – at an exclusive rehabilitation retreat in Boston. The money will be enough to pay for Jo’s dream: real photography classes, and maybe even quitting her paparazzi gig for good. Everyone at the retreat wants to know what Ned’s in for. But Jo certainly doesn’t know what she’s in for: falling in love with Ned was never supposed to be part of her assignment.

 

 

Publisher: Walker

Release Date: 28^th February 2012

 

I'd like to thank the author for my copy of the book!

Admittedly not a book i would normally pick up (not that i've seen it in my local bookstore), when offered the chance to review, i looked around and thought, this could be really good. The idea of a tennage paparazzo was intriguing and different, so definately an eyecatcher. The cover is stunning, the light- heart and Jo at the forefront of the crowd, like she is in the book.

 It was a nice change for this part - Hollywood set book, not to be using designer labels as adjectives! Jo was a likable character who was spunky and quick-witted with a good moral sense of right and wrong. The reader is able to connect to Jo and feel how she is troubled, finds out the discoveries and manages to make others live somewhat better.

Being one of the paparazzi was a nice change in scenery for me as a reader and i felt quite happy to learn about her sneaky ways and the jostling of position in the paparazzi pack, and how, as a short person, you can do alot better than all the others. Ned is a somewhat typical child celebrity but actually there is alot more behing the mask of this character and i enjoyed finding out his problems and his family life.

Jo's moral sense of right and wrong lead her into making one of the sleaziest and yet most redeaming jobs of the books and leads the reader to feel happy and content.

All in all i believe this is a brilliant feel-good book, there is no frills or fluff but it makes the reader feel happy and well rounded by the books end. Well worth reading into the Wee hours for!

Talia x

Divergent by Veronica Roth

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

Published by: Harper Collins
Released: Out now

My it has been a while blog! I'm very sorry for neglecting you but i have exams (pooh). But this book here is a true scorcher.

Divergent is another in a line of many fantastic dystopians i have read recently and to be fair, i picked this book up in a buy one get one for a £1. Im cheap ok? But boy am i glad i did. This book is full of suspense and reasoning that it unique to this setting. As usual with dystopian books we have the over-ruler, but Roth brings in the idea of Factions which i believe are a good representation of the traits of human kind and how we constantly try to tame them.

Tris was easily the most impressionable character, who has always known she is different. She doesn't want to live a life of helping others she wants to live her life being free, or atleast as free as the society will let her. Then we meet Four (no spoilers my friends!) who is our typical love interest. There is also the classic enemies and best friend. But hey thats what we want in our books!

 Tris is Divergent meaning she doesn't fit neatly into one faction, an aberation, one that the society doesn't like. This means many trials are headed before she even realises what she is herself. My only problem with Tris is how Roth seemed to magically turn her into an awesome-kick-ass fighter after being beat up yesterday. puh-lease.  But all in all Roth created Tris in a convincing way where it was clear of her character growth and ability to think out situations unlike many strong-headed dauntless types.

I also enjoyed Four how he doesn't mind that Tris has the body of a twelve year old and isn't pretty. He loves her none the less and this shows near the end of the book. Roth also explores the idea of conquering fears and how this in turn makes you a stronger person, quite a nice touch!

All in all i believe this is a book that will leave you in suspence and It will stay with you for nights, it's unputsownable afterall!

~Roll on Insurgent please!

Talia x

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

Published by Simon & Schuster
Out Now in the UK

If this book doesn't fly off the shelf, i don't know what will.

What a heartbreakingly beautiful love story, that had me hooked throughout the night! (Another almost sleepless night!) Nikki has been gone almost one hundred years when she returns to earth, yet time passed differently in the Everneath, only six months has gone by and her guilt and heartache has forced her back. Everneath is built apon the Hades/Persephone myth, with a twist.

Truth be told I am a fan of Greek Mythology and Persephone always make me think and i actually enjoyed this breath of fresh air into the YA market. As you can see the cover is stunning and that ultimately grabs hold of a prospective buyer, that and a good summary. So straight off we meet her and Cole, and much to Cole's surprise she wants to live again, and doing so is only given 6 short months in which to say goodbye.

Insert Jack, the love interest of both past and presant who was left heartbroken. He helps Nikki heal, while they both fall back in love. - awww -. I love how Ashton has created a strong female lead who can actually have a choice in who she ends up with! Cole, is darkly handsome while Jack is honest and cute, ones a musician from the everneath and one is a starring American Football player. Both desirable in that context but Cole is dark and manipulative.

Now ill switch to the end, and what an ending! Jack and Nikki have struggled to find away to stary together but are unsuccessful and in all the hub-bub the Shades come for Nikki and...and...! It had me bawling my eyes out at 4am, and trust me not alot makes me cry. Ashton finely weaved a plot line that will leave the reader hanging out to dry. I mean, is there no better way to have it?

So all in all i loved this book and i can't wait for a possible book 2. I just hope Ashton keeps up the good work!

Talia x

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Published by: Scholastic


I love a good dystopian series, and this sets the bar very,very high.

I love the concepts in this series and the constant excitement doesn't fail to impress either. the First book is where we get the concept and the second, and third is the struggle for survival that is continued from the decisions made. Katniss is a very strong and likable lead for the series and Peeta i have to say is adorable, but i wasn't always convinced by him, but meh, I can have my fan-girl moments, no?

Collins exhibits an amazing concept that in this day and age is enough to make even the toughest of politicians know that this shoul dnever happen. taking 24 tennagers from 12 districts for a battle to the death? THAT SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED. But yet it has everyone at the edge of their seats as they read and weep with the emotions and trials Katniss and Peeta have to overcome.

Book One was my all time favourite odf the series so much so Book Two couldn't compare. Book Three had me in tears along with Katniss as everything was going wrong, until it went right, but no spoilers here!

I am saddened to see a twilight-like hype about the up-and-coming movies for the series, but i have my doubts. If it is anything like the twilight adaptions i may have to eat the books as it will wreck anything i felt for the series, the fact that Collins let that happen.

Overall this series will have you hooked from the first page, and leave you with nightmares at the thought if that was a reality.

Talia x

Demon Trappers Series By Jana Oliver

Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself – and that’s exactly what the demons are counting on…

Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper, Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father's footsteps. The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta’s local Trappers’ Guild needs all the help they can get – even from a girl. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils – Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life’s about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.

But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers’ Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined. As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart – and her life.

Published by Macmillan Childrens Books.

Finally, finally, finally. A book about Demons! I love the idea of demons, no idea why or how just do.

Riley is a protangonist that i enjoyed to learn and read about. She is witty, not self centered and doesnt give an asshat about what the men in the guild think of her. It is very quickly into the series that she loses her Dad. Before the end of the first book she loses him again and at the end of the second book she finally gets him back but hey, hell may have other idea's.

Riley's love life is atrostious at best and absymal at worst. The reader thinks she may have found love twice in the first two books, Simon and Ori are lovely but they can change and quickly, shame to be honest. She has one constant hearteache and she doesn't give him any slack, ever. 

Oliver's writing technique is very good and she portrays accents quite effectively especially Angus's, I should know! :)

The Demon's were a joy to read about and learn, how they are all different grades of strength. I loved how one demon gets attached to Riley and helps her out.  To be honest it is quite cute!

I have a few minor quips, If petrol is so expenive how can Riley drive around easily yet not pay her bills? And why are there so many demons roaming the earth to begin with?

Jana Oliver is a fantastic writer and it really a nice person to talk to. I have pre-ordered Forgiven ready for my March reading and can't believe there is only one more book after Forgiven!

Talia x

The Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong

After years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home.

At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behaviour. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either…

Published by Atom

FINALLY! A book with a female necromancer lead, for YA! I broke my very small bank (sigh) buying this series and boy, am i glad i did. Chloe isn't 16 or 17, yet she has a good awareness of herself and others that many protagonists don't have that make them quickly disliked by a reader. If there was a quip it was she was a constant victim till about halfway through book 2.

There is  a love triangle, but that is the way of books nowadays Chloe/Derek/Simon could be compared to Bella/Edward/Jacob and Riley/Simon/Beck quite easily. Although atleast there is no vampires in this book, as that genre is getting congested with cheap knockoffs.

I enjoyed particularly the transition between teenager and wolf for Derek and how Chloe kept him sane and it was nice to see their relationship bloom i was also disheartened at the controlling side of Derek and i can see problems in that future.

Chloe and Tori really come into their own during the series and the reader can see Tori wasn't just put in to be the antagonist! Thank god! Chloe grows into her powers and it is nice to see how she copes and learns. Although it was sad to see Armstrong struggled to decide what part Chloe's Aunt played in this, is she dead, ghost, dead again?

Overall this series is a good read and is thourghly enjoyable and is a definate top read of mine that sits, quite comfortably on my - overly stuffed - bookshelf.

Talia x

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

"Throughout all my histories, I found no one I loved more than you...no one."

Those were some of Rhode's last words to me. The last time he would pronounce his love. The last time I would see his face.

It was the first time in 592 years I could take a breath. Lay in the sun. Taste. Rhode sacrificed himself so I, Lenah Beaudonte, could be human again. So I could stop the blood lust.

I never expected to fall in love with someone else that wasn't Rhode. But Justin was... daring. Exciting. More beautiful than I could dream. I never expected to be sixteen again... then again, I never expected my past to come back and haunt me...

Published by Macmillan Children's Books

I'm a fan of Vampire books and this, to me, is a slightly different interpretation. We meet Lenah as she is just turned back to human and her darling Rhode is dieing. She isn't a normal Heroine either which is refreshing. She was a Queen of a coven of male vampires until she agreed to go underground for many years.

I enjoyed Lenah's flashbacks into her life before and seeing, from her point of view how she has changed and matured. I enjoyed seeing her learn how to live in the 21st century and how she copes when her coven want her back.

Now for the bad. This book was basically drowning in love interests. 400pages isn't quite enough, in my view, to fit 4+ of them and to be honest it wasn't really nessesary. She gets over Rhode very quickly, she seemed almost to forget he gave her life for her. Also this book is full of very Stereotypical people, i mean the blonde girlfriend who is typically the Bitch? Pah-leese.

I did think this story highlighted how important it is to live yourlife the way you want to and not forgetting who you are in the mean time.

Talia x

Sorry for the short review, got alot to fit in, in an hour ;)

Tempest by Julie Cross



The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler.  Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

Released: Out now!

Holy god, what a book. This book makes the take a rollercoaster on their emotions. I mean how can a book do that? Julie Cross is debuting into the world of wonderful YA with Tempest a time-travelling book that I can actually get my head around. What is interesting is the fact it is written from a guys point of view by a female author, and i think she has pulled it off very well. *insert bowing to the writer*

Jackson Meyer has the recessive Tempest gene, which allows the holder to travel through time, with and without consequences along with a better memory capacity e.g. Photographic memory etc. In 2009 an event takes place which rocks his work literally. He is thrust back into 2007 and cannot get back. During this time he learns many home truths about his Dad and who's after him, oh and did i mention he has to get back to 2009 to save Holly?

So, this book is super enjoyable once, and only once the story picks up, it is really nice to know the background of Jackson and Holly and this and that, you know? But me? I'm a fast paced story lover, a book that keeps churning out suprise after suprise. It is really only the last third that the story pace picked up and the reader was swept away. It made me enjoy the story alot more and i finally understood why the author added so much background, we were going to need itto get our head around the story.

Cross then changed everything we already knew at the last minute and left us, the reader looking at that last blank page going, crap, i have to wait an eternity for the next one!

Thanks to Mykindabook on twitter for holding a competition to win a pretty hardback version!

Talia x

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

Published by: Hodder & Stoughton (UK)
Released: Out now!





Doesn't the blurb just make you want to read more? It did to me, so what did i do? I bought it, poor little broke me! I confess i am a HUGE fan of dystopian novels when they are done well and when they aren't done well, i slate it and donate the book as it doesn't deserve a place on my overly crammed bookcase. This review is a shorty as i don't have much time!

Delirium is a dystopian fans dream, a fresh take on what it would be like and the ridiculous things 'governments' would do and say. So love is classed as a disease that they have found the cure for although they can only give it too them when they are 18. Lena's Mum was immune to the cure and was taken when she was younger so she lives with her extended family most of whom have been cured. Lena will struggle through ordinary teenage problems with a dystopian twist, Will i still be good friends with Hana after the procedure? How can i fall in love with Alex. (oomph!)

This novel is so beautifully written and described i felt like i was in the novel living Lena's life. The plot is so well integrated the reader knew what would happen but would still not expect it.
It comes into its own about two thirds through where the action picks up before te reader is dumped unceremoniously on the edge of a very high cliff. So as you do, look online and find book two 'Pandemonium' is out later this year! YAY!

Dystopian novels are not for everyone but if you are yet to try one, this is going to be one of my top three dystopian series!

Talia x

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared--the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in his own blood--but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.

The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school. Despite promising Jude she'll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel's shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.

The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy's dark secret...and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it--her soul

Published by Egmont
Released Now.

'The Dark Divine' by Bree Despain follows the story of Grace Divine the daughter of a pastor. we as the reader see her easy relationship with her brother unfurl when childhood friend - and crush- comes on the scene after a three year absence. One is able to guess, something isn't quite right with Daniel and we soon learn what, and who else has been infected.

Having a scrawl through my school library i come across this book. I took it out and started reading it on my way home and was suprised not be immediately engrossed. Yes the plot was a good start but it was maybe just a bit too slow and trying to fill in too many gaps. It is written with a certain childish flair, very simplistic writing that is easy to understand. For me, i like a challenge in books i read with the language if the stroy-line itself doesn't keep me interested. What kept me on was Becca Fitzpatrick's review praising it, i've read (and enjoyed) her books and ones she commends but i was sorely disappointed with this read and felt that her praise was not worthy.

Daniel is inexplicitly the books 'bad-boy'. Who could resist? Obviously not Grace who couldn't see a bad bone in his body. But she couldn't tell who  was good or bad so i don't take her account. About 50 pages in the great 'secret' is guessed by the reader and leaves them thinking, story over. But no a few chapters at the end reveal another twist to try keep the reader with her, to little success as they will have already guessed.

Overall this book is an ok read with lots of glaring holes, it didn't leave me wanting more, it left me returning it back to the library dissappointed.

Talia x

Flying Blind by Deborah Cooke



The next generation of shape-shifting dragons from the popular author of the Dragonfire novels.
Zoë Sorensson is perfectly normal, except she's been told she's destined for great things. Zoë's the one female dragon shapeshifter of her kind. But Zoë is at the bottom of the class when it comes to being Pyr and her powers are AWOL, so she's sent to a Pyr boot camp.
 
Zoë quickly realizes that she has to master her powers yesterday, because the Pyr are in danger and boot camp is a trap. The Mages want to eliminate all shifters and the Pyr are next in line-unless Zoë and her friends can work together and save their own kind.

Published by Allison & Busby
Release Date: Out now!



A unique novel if ever I've seen one! This is a totally different take on dragons - and i LOVE dragons. We meet Zoe, the only female dragon of her kind, and there can only ever be one. It has many humerous touches that bring the character to life, one of which, Zoe the kickass dragon, is a vegetarian!

Zoe has many problems, some very girly problems others a bit more mystical. Her dragon powers have yet to kick in and she is slated by all the others - and they are all men. A paranormal story isn't complete without a love interest or two, so we meet Nick, whom she may be destined to be with, dating another girl. Ow! While at bootcamp they are infiltrated by mages and put against eachother, without knowing it and only one person can help, the wyvern, which happens to be Zoe!

The dragon lore is very specifically thought and told making it easy for the reader to image these happening and such. The dragons themselves sound very pretty and an amazing thing to be. (Dreams of flying as a dragon much!)

This book is very fastpaced and a keen read, and fast paced, i really can't wait to get my 'claws' on it and have thus pre-ordered!

Talia x

Night School by C.J.Daugherty

Allie Sheridan's world is falling apart. She hates her school. Her brother has run away from home. And she's just been arrested.

Again.

This time her parents have finally had enough. They cut her off from her friends and send her away to a boarding school for problem teenagers.

But Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. Its rules are strangely archaic. It allows no computers or phones. Its students are an odd mixture of the gifted, the tough and the privileged. And then there's the secretive Night School, whose activities other students are forbidden even to watch.

When Allie is attacked one night the incident sets off a chain of events leading to the violent death of a girl at the summerball. As the school begins to seem like a very dangerous place, Allie must learn who she can trust. And what's really going on at Cimmeria Academy. 

             From Goodreads.com

       Published by Atom

               Release Date:Out Now!


Wow, what can I say? This book is totally different to how i thought it would be, the usual vampire/werewolf/whatever romance novel. It is a MYSTERY! yeah! This book at 453 pages is a fair length but, i being a fast reader took around five hours, the fast pace and the unfolding events kept those pages turning.

We meet our main protagonist Allie - disfunctional teenager with a major problem- spraypainting her Headmaster's door. The reader - and Allie- is soon chucked into the Cimmeria Academy, with the dreamy guys (Comon, you know you want them!) the twists and the turns, especially when... Oops no spoilers for you! (thought it burns me up! ;) )

There were many a turn in the story i was shocked at and more that i couldn't believe! If i were to be totally honest I think Daugherty lost the story line and waffled her way through about 20-30pages before swiflty picking up again. This I think was saved by the fact Daugherty managed to inject another dose of excitment into the novel.

On closing this book I honestly had wondered "what the hell just happened" before thinking further, that was a really awesome read, and "please sir can i get some more?"

Thank you Atom for an Advanced copy through your Atomics service!

Talia x