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