tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48328564912406350942024-03-14T00:50:43.356+00:00DISTRICT YADistrict YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.comBlogger325125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-86132800320238426462013-04-03T10:00:00.000+01:002013-04-03T10:00:02.287+01:00Review: Hidden Among Us By Katy Moran<span id="freeText9944431129357934699"><b>"When Lissy meets a
mysterious and strangely beautiful boy on her way to Hopesay Edge, she
is deeply unsettled by their encounter.<br /><br />She discovers that the
boy, Larkspur, is a member of the Hidden, an ancient group of elven
people, whose secrets lie buried at Hopesay Reach. Before long, Lissy
and her brother Rafe find themselves caught by a powerful magic and
fighting to escape a bargain that can never be broken"</b> taken from Goodreads</span> <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGiEagmz2Fu1rLsbfJlUMWe8Mv3x61uiTUo_iykYya3jBfm-VTDLSvfeL8SJF9ziss33AfA-oR7aqzO9aSwIb3EhRg1Nq6EFIAcHtf182wx8va0PuKyZdN0_xpYQxWQnnmviFUNC69SmM/s1600/Hidden+among+us.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGiEagmz2Fu1rLsbfJlUMWe8Mv3x61uiTUo_iykYya3jBfm-VTDLSvfeL8SJF9ziss33AfA-oR7aqzO9aSwIb3EhRg1Nq6EFIAcHtf182wx8va0PuKyZdN0_xpYQxWQnnmviFUNC69SmM/s320/Hidden+among+us.jpg" width="208" /></a>Although having a copy of this book since last year, I unfortunately hadn't gotten round to reading this. Luckily the book group I belong to chose this as our April read, giving me the much needed push to read it.<br />
<br />
The cover is rather beautiful. The imagery going from dark to light is stunning. Somehow I totally missed the swans head when I first saw the cover and thought it was angels wings, giving me a very different expectation for the read. My lack of sight gave me a nice surprise when I finally got into it.<br />
<br />
The book is told in parts, all of it from different perspectives. I love the fact that each person knows different things so is able to give you new and varying information, helping you to build up the story piece by piece. This is all done very gradually, so has your suspense growing steadily.<br />
<br />
This book had a very unique aspect for me and that was that you got to read from the perspective of a mother. For me it seems incredibly rare to read a young adult book that is even partly narrated by someone that isn't a young adult. I found this so enjoyable and fresh, its made me wonder why this isn't done more often?<br />
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At times I was a little confused what with the changes of narrator and what role they were playing in the story, but with a bit of persistence things became more clear. By the time I'd finished I had sorted everything out and so the end made full sense.<br />
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That's not to say that we're not left on somewhat of a cliffhanger though. You are given some very important information on the last pages and I am desperate to find out where things will go next!!<br />
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<b>Rating 4 Out Of 5</b><br />
<br />
Published In The UK By <a href="http://www.walker.co.uk/" target="_blank">Walker Books</a><br />
<br />
This Can Be Purchased <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hidden-Among-Us-Katy-Moran/dp/1406324213/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364936801&sr=8-1" target="_blank">HERE</a> and from good book sellersDistrict YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-5983692598533405062013-03-20T10:00:00.000+00:002013-03-20T10:00:12.466+00:00Meeting Stephenie MeyerI'm a fangirl. I am more than happy to admit this to anyone. I'm into a lot of fandoms past and present. I quite happily go to conventions and signings of all sorts to meet the people that have created the worlds I love so much. I've been fortunate enough to meet a lot of my idols, so when I heard that Stephenie Meyer was making a very rare appearance in the UK, I was compelled to go.<br />
<br />
It seemed for a while that I wouldn't be able to attend and although I put this down to fate and what was meant to be, I was kind of gutted that I couldn't go. Then at the last minute, things fell into place and I could go. I was big fan of fate again now I was getting to do what I really wanted.<br />
<br />
So accompanied by my ever patient Mum we travelled along to Waterstones at Piccadilly Circus at 10am - the signing wasn't till 6pm and we only live about an hour away. We were in for a seriously long wait!!! But were numbers 23 and 24 in the queue.<br />
<br />
Once again luck was on our side and we had the best weather of the year so far. So although the pavement being rather hard, the day was pretty pleasant. <br />
We got to hang out with an old friend that I haven't seen for quite some time and had an awesome queue buddy in the form of Caroline from <a href="http://www.bigbooklittlebook.com/" target="_blank">Big Book Little Book</a>. Although we brought books along to read, I didn't open my book once. We were far to busy gossipping and getting over excited!!<br />
<br />
I also got to have a lovely chat with Waterstones bookseller and fellow book blogger Nicole from <a href="http://reluctant-hypersomniac.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Reluctant Hypersomniac</a><br />
<br />
Being in the queue was a joy, getting to see lots of familiar faces from my convention life and from my book blogging life. It was like a huge collision of all my favourite things.<br />
<br />
The long queue time went surprisingly quickly and in no time we were being ushered into the store to get into the proper signing queue. It was really exciting to see the press photographers in their pen waiting for Stephenie just as we were.<br />
<br />
When the cheers started and the cameras started flashing I knew Stephenie had arrived. Sadly at this point I couldn't see a thing, being 5 foot and standing in a corner my view wasn't great. I could live with that though, I knew my turn was soon to come.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLwFkVzkhRfmw0g7aSEhqARhh6f-vWa-J7SU5VzSCzPSudbYySMBdgQNbZksL_WH4J6UrUTzxUNypw5EwhBHYzQBjzOrN0oBrc6kWflUp_1m6UvU7Wj42-85XxSmmguDL5nPfBIErkvs/s1600/108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLwFkVzkhRfmw0g7aSEhqARhh6f-vWa-J7SU5VzSCzPSudbYySMBdgQNbZksL_WH4J6UrUTzxUNypw5EwhBHYzQBjzOrN0oBrc6kWflUp_1m6UvU7Wj42-85XxSmmguDL5nPfBIErkvs/s320/108.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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As I got to the table I really didn't know what to say. I knew my meeting would be brief, so I had to make it count for something and so this is what I said -<br />
<br />
<i>Me - Thanks so much for this</i><br />
<b>Stephenie - Oh its a pleasure</b><br />
<i>Me - I do have to tell you though, that only two authors have made me cry and you have managed to make me cry twice, so well done</i><br />
<b>Stephenie - Oh I'm sorry, but I hope it was in a good way</b><br />
<i>Me - Oh definitely, I think any author that manages to bring about psychical reactions must have a done a pretty good job, so all is good</i><br />
<b>Stephenie - Well then I am thrilled</b><br />
<i>Me - Thanks again</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFM8FKzFhVsGgcFWBJb7DwECqBS9InNe8J2t4YaPpd5GRgv-gOAXXONChpDfWsm1M8xeON8J0f9sEBgZq3RKbSS5SKEZJdHfLd5aMT9Ecfb91Q8rExe33ZZNLR47yLVnF4jW4o3sH5yk/s1600/110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFM8FKzFhVsGgcFWBJb7DwECqBS9InNe8J2t4YaPpd5GRgv-gOAXXONChpDfWsm1M8xeON8J0f9sEBgZq3RKbSS5SKEZJdHfLd5aMT9Ecfb91Q8rExe33ZZNLR47yLVnF4jW4o3sH5yk/s320/110.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And that was it - my 7 hours in the queue and although short I got to say exactly what I wanted. Stephenie was an absolute joy to meet and I'm thrilled to be able to tick another of my idols of my to meet list.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9V6OGc2LMexefUCT6wTMajpqzSmcXSbT3vUz-ea0Y2kV54l7nGMrRhk6POlPjvMj0g5xMnrrzDv9lDsBSzFeULRFJXN4n3246oXKy6G43rQPY21h_Dp-3vOXLFsG-IiD2lcNOw2-vYKs/s1600/111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9V6OGc2LMexefUCT6wTMajpqzSmcXSbT3vUz-ea0Y2kV54l7nGMrRhk6POlPjvMj0g5xMnrrzDv9lDsBSzFeULRFJXN4n3246oXKy6G43rQPY21h_Dp-3vOXLFsG-IiD2lcNOw2-vYKs/s320/111.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My rather awkward photo, but hey its me and Stephenie!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Massive Thanks to <a href="http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/" target="_blank">Waterstones</a>, <a href="http://www.atombooks.net/" target="_blank">Atom</a>, <a href="http://www.littlebrown.co.uk/" target="_blank">Little Brown Books</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheHostMovieUk" target="_blank">The Host UK movie team</a> and most importantly Stephenie. My day was amazing!! District YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-31323990605288729902013-03-18T10:00:00.000+00:002013-03-18T10:00:02.485+00:00Review: Requiem By Lauren OliverThis is the third book in the series, so spoilers are possible...<br />
<br />
<b><span id="freeText14834880173343151432">Battling against a
society in which love has been declared a disease, Lena now finds
herself at the centre of a fierce revolution. But the Wilds are no
longer the haven they once were as the government seeks to stamp out the
rebels. And Lena's emotions are in turmoil following the dramatic
return of someone she thought was lost forever...</span> </b>taken from Goodreads<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcyPhL0rsHbvUjO_ALAPPG2G211VxutSiOW3qodokcyryqQmTUclU2cn784Y-UblECj4vsPfkGqe4_LD3WtgmHoTLmfn5XSyvVnPLKe2E665xbS9RhVxLlVVrY5eUtpEZsXQwWLckIu4/s1600/Requiem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcyPhL0rsHbvUjO_ALAPPG2G211VxutSiOW3qodokcyryqQmTUclU2cn784Y-UblECj4vsPfkGqe4_LD3WtgmHoTLmfn5XSyvVnPLKe2E665xbS9RhVxLlVVrY5eUtpEZsXQwWLckIu4/s320/Requiem.jpg" width="198" /></a>I was quite nervous on reading this book. I adored Delirium, but wasn't as blown away by Pandemonium so I really wanted to love Requiem but was prepared to not like it as much as I wanted. I actually ended up feeling a bit of both - weird I know!...<br />
<br />
I loved that this story was being told from two very different perspectives - uncured Lena and cured Hana. The lives of both are completely different as are their views, so alternating chapters of these parallels were so absorbing and fascinating. I had trouble deciding which life would be the more favourable. It was easy to tell which life would be easier but which life would really be better that took some major thought. Given time it was actually an easy choice. Although I hope we are never put in that kind of situation.<br />
<br />
The end - oh I feel somewhat confused. We did get an end, an end that was very enjoyable. But it was over extremely quickly, the conclusion didn't take long to happen. And when it did end, it wasn't exactly thorough. You don't find out what happens in the long run, which bothers me. I'm hoping that Lauren has some idea of extending on the story but maybe with different characters. I'm also torn as to whether the events that took place would really have had that great an effect in the future. Like I said I'm confused.<br />
<br />
Although my reservations I did really enjoy this instalment of Lena's story and found it hard to put down. I just can't help but want more!! I am super eager to see what Lauren thinks up next. <br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Rating 4 Out Of 5</b><br />
<br />
Published In The UK By <a href="http://www.hodder.co.uk/" target="_blank">Hodder And Stoughton</a><br />
<br />
This Can Be Purchased <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Requiem-Delirium-Trilogy-Lauren-Oliver/dp/1444722972/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363554304&sr=1-1" target="_blank">HERE</a> and From All Good Book Sellers.<br />
<br />District YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-19598952869622042122013-03-13T10:00:00.000+00:002013-03-13T10:00:03.506+00:00Review: Warm Bodies By Isaac Marion<span id="freeText11289434618952203429"><b>"'R' is a zombie. He has
no name, no memories, and no pulse, but he has dreams. He is a little
different from his fellow Dead. Amongst the ruins of an abandoned city, R
meets a girl. Her name is Julie and she is the opposite of everything
he knows - warm and bright and very much alive, she is a blast of colour
in a dreary grey landscape. For reasons he can't understand, R chooses
to save Julie instead of eating her, and a tense yet strangely tender
relationship begins. This has never happened before. It breaks the rules
and defies logic, but R is no longer content with life in the grave. He
wants to breathe again, he wants to live, and Julie wants to help him.
But their grim, rotting world won't be changed without a fight..."</b> taken from goodreads</span> <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Ot0mCLJhAGeypHIZMdJJdoGr5XIrzya_JGI8qBJV86Gy6ExGAMLkkDK4qVsCpqtDQDsiOZ4kgafx_uJ51cHr_vW_LjVq8ZlO0-iMek1FHG1Sdxm-fDT1AxCACVHYtoXSry5XsL7sde8/s1600/Warm+bodies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Ot0mCLJhAGeypHIZMdJJdoGr5XIrzya_JGI8qBJV86Gy6ExGAMLkkDK4qVsCpqtDQDsiOZ4kgafx_uJ51cHr_vW_LjVq8ZlO0-iMek1FHG1Sdxm-fDT1AxCACVHYtoXSry5XsL7sde8/s320/Warm+bodies.jpg" width="206" /></a>I've been intrigued by this book for ages, but with the amount of amazing books out there its one that I hadn't gotten round to reading. When I found out the book was being adapted into a movie, I found it the push I needed to actually read it.<br />
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I can't say I've read many zombie themed books, making my reading experience fairly fresh and new. Obviously I expected dead, flesh eating creatures but other than that I wasn't sure how the book would pan out. <br />
<br />
I loved the idea of this kind of being a Romeo and Juliet reworking in a totally new setting. R somehow decides he doesn't like his zombie life anymore and wants to live. With the help of living girl Julie, they try to make it work. Its a brilliant concept but I have to say I just didn't get how this would come about. I didn't see that a living person would find any attraction to or understanding of a living dead person, especially knowing and seeing what these people are capable of. Actually writing that makes me feel somewhat racist against the zombies and I actually feel guilty. I think that is one of the things that make this book great - it makes you think. It definitely made me think of a post apocalyptic world and how we would cope. It made me think of inbuilt prejudice that came quite easily to me, which I do regret.<br />
<br />
The more you learn of R and Julie, the more you are drawn to both of their characters and their relationship. I felt I judged them way to early and although it seemed impossible to me, they actually built an incredible relationship that was not only clever, but kind of beautiful too.<br />
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The conclusion was more than I could have hoped for. I can't say I 100% know how things happened in the way they did, but I can say that I did enjoy it. I think it would be quite interesting to read a companion story that maybe went into what happened some time after, on a more wide spread scale.<br />
<br />
<b>Rating 3 1/2 Out Of 5</b><br />
<br />
Published In The UK By <a href="http://www.vintage-books.co.uk/" target="_blank">Vintage Books</a><br />
<br />
This Can Be Purchased <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Warm-Bodies-Isaac-Marion/dp/0099583828/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363123005&sr=8-1" target="_blank">HERE</a> and from good book sellersDistrict YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-8062093262238564292013-03-01T10:00:00.000+00:002013-03-01T10:00:05.215+00:00Review - Zom-B By Darren Shan<span id="freeText12229625842468702642"><b>Zom-B is a radical new
series about a zombie apocalypse, told in the first person by one of its
victims. The series combines classic Shan action with a fiendishly
twisting plot and hard-hitting and thought-provoking moral questions
dealing with racism, abuse of power and more. This is challenging
material, which will captivate existing Shan fans and bring in many new
ones. As Darren says, "It's a big, sprawling, vicious tale...a grisly
piece of escapism, and a barbed look at the world in which we live. Each
book in the series is short, fast-paced and bloody. A high body-count
is guaranteed!"</b> taken from goodreads</span> <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZJ5yHHcLHeP9wIFWyD5FD6dhZlnowzLpawLlOa4dGEv62ZmViKTYGSW-GPSoqQyWEcBJkeu8mczp9cbdG9tm75Tovcd83TCZUeg2qmX1lLgm_FjBy87J71BkqievadE3I8DNKw1T3Wk/s1600/Zom-B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZJ5yHHcLHeP9wIFWyD5FD6dhZlnowzLpawLlOa4dGEv62ZmViKTYGSW-GPSoqQyWEcBJkeu8mczp9cbdG9tm75Tovcd83TCZUeg2qmX1lLgm_FjBy87J71BkqievadE3I8DNKw1T3Wk/s320/Zom-B.jpg" width="198" /></a>I've been meaning to read Darren Shan's work for many years now and with the launch of his new zom-b series I thought it was the perfect time to start.<br />
<br />
The cover is just AMAZING!! If this doesn't catch your eye, nothing ever will. Its brutal, grotesque and ever so awesome. Its just genius!!<br />
<br />
One of the first things I noticed about this book was its compact size. I love the idea of these books being released in instalments and so you get it in easily digestible (excuse the pun) lots. It makes it a great quick read for the likes of me, but also makes it more appealing to the reluctant reader. <br />
<br />
After hearing about Darren's love of horror I was kind of expecting the book to be horror filled from beginning to end, I was in for a surprise. Yes there is a bit of Zombie action at the start and loads at the end, but the middle really is about building a world for the main characters to exist and see how they adapt to a new world. <br />
<br />
Darren actually hits on some huge current issues that I really didn't expect to be in a horror story. I found myself liking characters and then changing my mind due to their actions, then finding out more about their backgrounds and feeling sorry for them. I wasn't prepared to feel so much from a 'horror' story, it was a great revelation to me.<br />
<br />
The story comes with some amazing twists and turns, that were very unexpected for me. I do love a surprise!!!<br />
<br />
There were a few loose ends which I am very intrigued by and also wondering where the next book will start from as the conclusion definitely left me thinking where next??<br />
<br />
I'm so glad to have finally read some of 'The Master of Horrors' work and was not disappointed what so ever. However I do know, I really wouldn't like to meet any of Darren's characters in a dark alley!!!<br />
<br />
<b>Rating 4 Out Of 5</b><br />
<br />
Published By <a href="http://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/" target="_blank">Simon And Schuster</a><br />
<br />
This Can Be Purchased <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zom-B-Darren-Shan/dp/085707752X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362088132&sr=8-1" target="_blank">HERE</a> and from all good book sellersDistrict YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-79678315507427582612013-02-27T10:00:00.000+00:002013-02-27T10:00:02.936+00:00Review - Dance Of Shadows By Yelena Black<span id="freeText14100976021454076769"><b>"Dancing with someone is
an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss,
close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is
deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .<br /><br />Vanessa
Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister,
Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never
live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her
glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances –
she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world
around her turns to flames . . . <br /><br />Soon she attracts the attention
of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Josh, and the great, enigmatic
choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the
lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead –
and the burning forces about to be unleashed . ."</b> taken from Goodreads </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCN3a_kbd5z9_69k3sY-qULIazltFbF6jvRIrz44b2WSqQYb-F3B-xFYGdbJW9nqTXEwyrTDQjtMo3i7J104w-rws4SbIj1-gpjlV5sNJ3K-2_jtcDNqhm2llhjo1Zv-4UZnB3i-35n8c/s1600/dance+of+shadows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCN3a_kbd5z9_69k3sY-qULIazltFbF6jvRIrz44b2WSqQYb-F3B-xFYGdbJW9nqTXEwyrTDQjtMo3i7J104w-rws4SbIj1-gpjlV5sNJ3K-2_jtcDNqhm2llhjo1Zv-4UZnB3i-35n8c/s320/dance+of+shadows.jpg" width="208" /></a>This definitely isn't the typical type of book I go for. Its contemporary and about dancing, yet this had something that attracted me to it and I'm thrilled I took a chance on it.<br />
<br />
The cover is STUNNING. You know exactly what the book is based around, with the added touches of sinister'ness and possible paranormal happenings. I can't express enough love it!!<br />
<br />
Before starting the book I read a little interview with the author Yelena. She mentioned a love of all things Bronte And Austen, so yet again it was a major hook for me - I am a fan of all things Bronte and Austen too. She put an emphasis of Jane Eyre, which is my absolute favourite - this was just getting better and better for me as a reader.<br />
<br />
From the beginning you have this building mystery that gets you hooked right in. I finished the first chapter with an actual Ooooh, excited to see where the story was going to go.<br />
<br />
I adored the school setting. I loved that this was a different type of school to what I'm used to reading about, be it a school for wizards, vampires, secret agents. This was a refreshing and interesting change. Yet with the mystery kept me wanting to know more.<br />
<br />
I'd heard that ballet was particularly brutal on dancers, both mentally and physically. This book shows that and then some. I really don't envy the things that dancers feet have to go through.<br />
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This did suffer with something that so much YA suffers from and that is very premature declarations of love. It is in most teen set books but I still find it very frustrating.<br />
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Each page turn had me suspecting all variety of things and yet I didn't guess completely correct so that was a huge bonus. I was pleased to see the incorporation of elements that I love from other books. Being cryptic to avoid spoilers is tricky sometimes.<br />
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On finishing this instalment of the book I have to say I felt it had more of an Austen feel than the Jane Eyre / Bronte links that were mentioned early on.<br />
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I'm really excited by the conclusion of this story and am so eager to see where the next part will go. I can actually say I have no idea how it will pan out and that is truly thrilling for us readers.<br />
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This story will definitely give any wannabe dancers out there pause for thought - the world of dance just got seriously scary!!!<br />
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<b>Rating 4 Out Of 5</b><br />
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Published In The UK By <a href="http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/" target="_blank">Bloomsbury</a><br />
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This Can Be Purchased <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dance-Shadows-Yelena-Black/dp/1408829975/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361911930&sr=8-1" target="_blank">HERE</a> and from Good Book SellersDistrict YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-12725365025123303952013-01-29T10:00:00.000+00:002013-01-29T10:00:03.915+00:00The Disappeared Blog Tour - Book ExtractI was absolutely thrilled to be asked to be a part of The Disappeared Blog tour and today is my day to post my content. I didn't realise till recently that it is impossible to add pdf files to blogger, so hope my copy and paste job is good enough......<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">‘What do you think it’s like to kiss a girl?’ Wilson says as<br />he scans his holocard and steps on to the metro train.<br />‘It’s not unpleasant,’ I say, following him.<br />‘Yeah, right! You’ve never kissed a girl,’ Wilson says,<br />in an unnecessarily loud voice.<br />‘Shh!’ I look round at the construction workers and<br />shoppers on the train. They don’t seem to be listening.<br />‘You don’t know everything about me,’ I say.<br />‘Jackson, we’ve been living at the same school since<br />we were five. I do know everything about you.’<br />‘Actually, in the past eleven years there have been a<br />number of occasions when you haven’t been present.<br />There was that intimate evening walk with Mel Ross . . .’<br />‘You were eight! And the only reason she wanted to<br />talk to you was to break the news that she’d accidentally<br />sat on your genetic mutation experiment.’<br />He’s right of course. Wilson is my best friend, but<br />sometimes I hate the fact that we live in each other’s</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">pockets. When the kids in our district take the Potential<br />Test at age five, only those with the highest scores get into<br />our Learning Community: it’s one of the top schools in<br />the country and they keep the classes small. Which means<br />everyone knows everything about everyone.<br />‘You’re not exactly a girl magnet yourself , ’ I say.<br />Wilson waggles his eyebrows at me. ‘Don’t you<br />remember my Biology project with Leela Phillips? We<br />spent a lot of time in that lab together.’<br />‘We all know that she only chose you for a partner<br />because you’re the biggest Science brainer in the school,’<br />I say.<br />‘No, you’re the biggest Science brainer. Actually,<br />you’re the biggest brainer full stop.’ He gives me a kick.<br />Quite a hard kick.<br />I smother a smile. It’s useful being smart. Everyone wants<br />to be in my work group and on Fridays my name is always on<br />the high achievers list, which means extra privileges.<br />The train pulls into the Business Sector and two women<br />in suits crowd into our carriage.<br />‘Maybe we need to meet a different kind of girl,’<br />Wilson says. He looks around as if he suddenly expects to<br />see a selection of teenage females. Unsurprisingly, there<br />aren’t any.<br />We’re not likely to meet a ‘different type’ of girl. We’re<br />not supposed to be friendly with anyone outside of school.<br />In fact, we’re not even supposed to think about anything<br />outside school. The children who get into top-rated</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Learning Communities like ours leave home at five years<br />old and from then on our teachers are always going on<br />about how we’re the elite and we’re being trained for<br />important Leadership work and how we need to focus on<br />our studies. Anyone who doesn’t work hard is a disgrace. I<br />don’t mind the hard work, but I do mind never being<br />allowed out. We go home for just two weekends a year and<br />we rarely leave the school grounds. I’d like to see my mum<br />more. Wilson says he never really thinks about his parents,<br />but I speak to my mother on the communicator a lot. She’s<br />cool. My dad died when I was baby so it’s just us.<br />Wilson pokes me in my side to get my attention. Then<br />he punches me in the arm. He’s a bit wired because we’re<br />out on a trip. It’s the first time in ages that we’ve been<br />given a pass out. Our teacher, Facilitator Johnson, gave it<br />to us so we could deliver a package for him.<br />Wilson jabs me again. ‘Do you think we could get an<br />evening pass out? Maybe we could go to an entertainment<br />centre and meet some girls.’<br />‘They don’t like us going to entertainment centres. They’re<br />full of kids from Second Class Learning Communities.’<br />‘So?’<br />‘I don’t know, maybe they think if we mix with average<br />kids it will rub off on us. Anyway, do you really want<br />to date some girl who’s going to end up as a nurse or a<br />secretary? What’s wrong with the girls at our school?<br />They’re the academic elite. We’re talking the finest teenage<br />minds in the country.’</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">‘Maybe it’s not their minds we should be interested in,<br />my friend.’ Wilson lets go of the hand grip to reach out<br />and pat me on the shoulder. The train jerks to a halt and<br />he ends up falling on to the man in front of us.<br />Wilson pats him on the shoulder instead. ‘Sorry! Sorry<br />about that,’ Wilson says.<br />The man stares down at Wilson’s hand. Wilson pulls it<br />back and folds his arms. The man eyes our school badges<br />and tuts.<br />I drag Wilson a little further down the carriage. The<br />train slows and we pull into our stop. We hop off and take<br />the high-speed lift to surface level.<br />‘I don’t know if I’d even want to meet an outside girl.<br />Have you noticed the general public aren’t exactly keen<br />on us?’ I say.<br />We step out of the lift and head into the long, sheltered<br />avenues of shops. The winter sun is shining, but the wind<br />is biting.<br />‘They’re jealous,’ Wilson says. ‘They think we’re<br />living a life of luxury at a top Learning Community.<br />They’ve got no idea how hard we work, or how much<br />pressure there is on us to get into the Leadership and sort<br />this country out.’<br />‘Jealous or not, all this stuff about us being geniuses<br />and the future of our nation doesn’t make us popular.’<br />‘I reckon we’d be popular with Academy girls. I heard<br />they’ll do anything you want,’ Wilson says grinning at<br />me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you don’t score high enough in the Potential Test to<br />get into a Learning Community, even a Second Class one,<br />they send you to an Academy.<br />‘What are you saying, Wilson? The only girl who’d go<br />out with you would have to be too stupid to know any<br />better? How many Academy girls do you think would<br />understand your latest research?’<br />‘I’m sure we’d find something else to talk about,’ says<br />Wilson, working his eyebrows again.<br />In a minute he’ll be winking at me. I give him a shove.<br />‘What would you have to talk to a girl about anyway?’ I<br />say.<br />‘Just, y’know, stuff.’ He shrugs his shoulders.<br />I don’t know what I’d talk to a girl about. I can’t imagine<br />that they’d be interested in the things that Wilson and<br />I discuss. We talk about Science. And sex. And sci-fi<br />films. Preferably ones with sex in. And sometimes Wilson<br />rambles on about the novel he’s writing about a world<br />ruled by dragons and gnomes.<br />Wilson is staring at me.<br />‘What?’ I say.<br />He eyes me up and down. ‘That red jacket doesn’t<br />really go with your hair,’ he says.<br />‘My hair is black, how can it not go?’<br />‘But there’s so much of it.’<br />My mother is always telling me to cut my hair. It’s<br />thick and curly and grows quickly, but I like it when it’s<br />just starting to hang in my eyes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">‘I like my hair and I like my jacket,’ I say. ‘Even Facilitator<br />Johnson told me it was striking.’<br />‘You’re a bit long and skinny for it.’<br />Suddenly I get it. Wilson is just as long and skinny as<br />me. He is also obsessed with finding the perfect outfit that<br />will make him irresistible to females. I shrug off my<br />jacket and hand it to him.<br />‘You could have just asked,’ I say.<br />He hands me his own plain black jacket. ‘I never like to<br />miss an opportunity to tell you that your fringe makes you<br />look like one of those dogs with all the hair in its eyes.’<br />I kick him in the shins.<br />We walk quickly down a parade of the expensive kind<br />of shops. The screens in the windows change constantly.<br />They fl ash up footage of models or music videos or arty<br />shots of the latest communicator. I nod my head towards<br />the greeter at the door of one of the shops. ‘That’s the<br />kind of place Second Class Learning Community girls<br />end up working,’ I say.<br />‘Does it really matter where a girl works?’<br />He’s trying to wind me up. ‘Shut up, Wilson, don’t give<br />me all that anti-Leadership crap. Of course it matters<br />where you work, it’s supposed to be “individuals working<br />to their potential for the good of all” remember?’<br />He covers his ears. ‘Don’t start spouting The Leader’s<br />speeches at me.’<br />‘I’m just saying: everyone’s got their place and that’s<br />why it works.’</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">‘And I’m just saying I don’t see why kids from different<br />schools can’t get . . . friendly.’<br />I shake my head at him. I don’t believe he’d really go<br />near a Second Class Learning Community girl and defi -<br />nitely not one from an Academy. He’s just obsessed with<br />the thought of girls full stop.<br />We take a right, then a left. As we approach the edge of<br />the shopping sector the stores get shabbier and smaller.<br />There’s a row of three digital poster screens; each one is<br />cracked but you can still see The Leader delivering a<br />speech. It’s one of his most famous ones.<br />‘If we want to survive, we must work. If we want to<br />prosper, we must work. If we want to keep our enemies at<br />bay, we must work. We must work with our minds and<br />with our hands to build a better nation. The power lies<br />with you.’<br />Wilson likes to joke, but even he has to admit that after<br />the Long War, when this country was in a mess, it was<br />The Leader who got us back on our feet. He’s the one that<br />got kids doing the Potential Test and now, unlike the<br />olden days, everyone is matched to the work they’re best<br />suited to. And that’s how we’ve become a force to be<br />reckoned with again.<br />Whenever I hear that work speech I make up my mind<br />to do better in my next assessment. Everybody says that<br />I’ll be chosen for one of the top Leadership positions<br />when I’m twenty-one and leave school, but I want to<br />make sure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes I wonder what my dad did before he died. I<br />like to imagine he had an important job in the Leadership.<br />My mother hasn’t told me much about him. I think it makes<br />her too sad. Yesterday, I finally got up the courage to try to<br />hack into the National Register to see if there was anything<br />about him on my official notes. But I couldn’t fully access<br />my records. I suppose the point is that I really want to do<br />something that would have made my dad proud.<br />Wilson is watching me. ‘You’ve gone all gooey eyed.’<br />He looks up at the digi posters. ‘You can’t wait to get into<br />the Leadership, can you? You love all that “strive to<br />serve” stuff that Facilitator Johnson goes on about.’<br />‘It’s going to be great,’ I say. ‘The way I see it, we’ve<br />spent the last seventeen years recovering from the Long<br />War and now the Leadership is really getting into its<br />stride. It’s going to be our generation making the decisions<br />that make this country great again. We’re going to<br />be so important.’<br />‘Yeah.’ Wilson grins. ‘I suppose we will be, won’t we?’<br />It’s easy to fi nd the factory workers’ accommodation<br />block we’re looking for because it’s in the shadows of a<br />huge factory which towers above the other buildings. The<br />factory and the block are surrounded by high fences. In<br />front of the main gate we fi nd a scanner. When I walk<br />through it the gate clicks open for me. We pass through<br />two more gates like this. As we approach the factory I nod<br />my head towards it. ‘And that’s where Academy girls end<br />up,’ I say.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">‘All right, snobby, stop going on about it.’<br />‘I’m not a snob. That’s just how society works. If you<br />want to work in the Leadership then you can’t mix with<br />Academy kids or factory workers.’<br />Wilson smirks at me and points at the package in my<br />hand. ‘Facilitator Johnson knows someone in a factory<br />accommodation block,’ he says.<br />‘That’s different.’<br />Wilson is quiet for a minute. His face is more serious<br />now. ‘Do you ever wonder what it would be like though?<br />If you went to an Academy and ended up in a factory?’<br />‘If your Potential Test suggested that you should be a<br />factory worker then that’s the best place for you.’ I don’t<br />know why he’s questioning the system. It works perfectly.<br />Everyone has a role and everyone knows their place.<br />We’ve reached the accommodation block. Wilson<br />looks up at it. ‘I suppose so.’<br />‘Come on, we want the fifth floor,’ I say.<br />We make our way up the metal staircase clinging to the<br />side of the grey concrete block and quickly overtake an<br />old man carrying a battered shopping bag.<br />‘Why isn’t he at the factory?’ I whisper.<br />We watch the man’s quivering hand reaching for the<br />banister. ‘I don’t think he’s fi t for work any more,’ Wilson<br />says.<br />‘But he still gets to live here? That’s nice, isn’t it. See?<br />Everyone is provided for.’<br />Wilson shrugs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We don’t see anyone else on our way up the stairs. I<br />guess they’re all at the factory.<br />‘You can see the Wilderness from here,’ Wilson says.<br />I lean on the rail and look out behind the block. A few<br />hundred metres away is a familiar style of tall fence made<br />of strips of metal and topped with barbed wire. You see<br />them wherever the district borders the Wilderness.<br />Beyond the fence is a wasteland littered with rubble that<br />stretches, without a hint of greenery, as far as I can see.<br />‘Do your duty, do your best, or you’ll be sent to the<br />Wilderness,’ Wilson whispers in a creepy voice.<br />‘Shut up.’ I haven’t heard that rhyme since I was a kid.<br />‘Remember what happened to Facilitator Amonetti?’<br />Facilitator Amonetti disappeared from the Learning<br />Community at the same time as a rebellious boy called<br />Fisher. The rumour was that Fisher had wound the facilitator<br />up to breaking point and that she had strangled him<br />and then been sent to the Wilderness as punishment.<br />‘There was never any proof of all that,’ I say.<br />The Wilderness is a huge area of desolate land that was<br />created by bombing during the Long War. Being sent<br />there is worse than going to prison. They say it’s roamed<br />by packs of feral people who will tear you limb from<br />limb. The rumours about the Wilderness are enough to<br />keep anyone’s murderous rage under wraps.<br />I shudder; just looking at the place gives me the creeps.<br />I turn back to the steps.<br />‘They should get a lift,’ Wilson says. ‘Imagine living</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">on the twenty-fi fth fl oor. I wouldn’t want to climb these<br />every day.’<br />‘Factory workers are trained for physical work,’ I say.<br />‘I’d like to see how “physical” a factory lady could be.’<br />Wilson squeezes the air in the region where a very short<br />and very wide lady’s breasts would be.<br />When we reach the fi fth fl oor we stop in front of a set<br />of fi re doors that lead to a corridor. Through the misty<br />glass I can see someone.<br />‘Hey Wilson, maybe this is your factory lady.’<br />We push open the door. I stop dead. Wilson bangs into<br />me from behind.<br />It’s not a lady.<br />It’s a man with a gun.</span></div>
District YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-719344307131750942013-01-15T10:00:00.000+00:002013-01-15T10:00:03.540+00:00I miss you!!!<div style="text-align: center;">
So I've been hugely absent since mid November, which makes me sad. I wish I had some epic reason as to why I've not been around but sadly I am lacking that. </div>
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Annoyingly my depression and anxiety have been very present of late and its killed my passion for just about everything. I've read very few books in this time, which is a huge indicator of me not being 'myself'. </div>
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I can't promise to be back blogging daily, but I do promise to try harder to get some reviews posted and hopefully find my bookish self again, I know shes still in there, shes just really good at hide and seek!!!</div>
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I shall leave you with a picture of three ladies that do make me smile</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIv5ssb-aS5Gk7kxzN2dF_-BS6QIGp5Dh1LF7AZpJiPM9IkcGVOxtJ1ma__YRjFVVeVHT7ylo-QCMFCZnns_0flyu3mOG3jRSQfMxFd_VEj700RCpL2J2bQ7_oqrJ2LATlsGp83vu-38/s1600/new.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIv5ssb-aS5Gk7kxzN2dF_-BS6QIGp5Dh1LF7AZpJiPM9IkcGVOxtJ1ma__YRjFVVeVHT7ylo-QCMFCZnns_0flyu3mOG3jRSQfMxFd_VEj700RCpL2J2bQ7_oqrJ2LATlsGp83vu-38/s320/new.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My babies Bam Bam, Pebbles & Luna</td></tr>
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<br />District YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-46447628415201526952013-01-05T09:00:00.000+00:002013-01-05T09:00:03.870+00:00Night School Legacy Blog Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />District YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-53016839145466819782012-11-11T09:30:00.000+00:002012-11-11T09:30:00.745+00:00Letterbox Love (16)<div style="text-align: center;">
Letterbox Love Is Hosted By The Fabulous Lynsey over at <a href="http://www.narrativelyspeaking.com/" target="_blank">Narratively Speaking</a>. Its a fun way for us to showcase our weeks new books here in the UK
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Book links will take you to Amazon UK</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNKRWe54IVXQd_nwPJOQHRb3F5U2d_ChzpUZMuqC_9f-GuYxK9ukdG7e5XniCMAGUAb4OFFCh5Sg6FaEdZkRDYG2se65JI6O3wtMLu6oGMgoad199FXTnI09DI8lPP_q4A3eRa3T1Z6NU/s1600/Letterbox+Love.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNKRWe54IVXQd_nwPJOQHRb3F5U2d_ChzpUZMuqC_9f-GuYxK9ukdG7e5XniCMAGUAb4OFFCh5Sg6FaEdZkRDYG2se65JI6O3wtMLu6oGMgoad199FXTnI09DI8lPP_q4A3eRa3T1Z6NU/s320/Letterbox+Love.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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SHOCK HORROR!! I didn't get ANY books last week, hence why there was no LL post. Thank goodness my letterbox was back in action this week!!</div>
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Apart from bookish goodness, one of my baby dogs had to have a huge operation, so I shall be playing nurse to her for the foreseeable future - hoping to maybe get some more reading in....</div>
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<b>RECEIVED </b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCdp4Nll7yQKHKyi1hZW-Qc3afS8pZMy7IDxy2FV3MObOTvxy_UlM5SXnX9WK_7pK2NpElPTdQdrRLDrUIwM2bldIp7artECaMnHXFLeyjPdPKBWWfcZmcJ81kxVxAj-N-Z43p7C9Zxo/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCdp4Nll7yQKHKyi1hZW-Qc3afS8pZMy7IDxy2FV3MObOTvxy_UlM5SXnX9WK_7pK2NpElPTdQdrRLDrUIwM2bldIp7artECaMnHXFLeyjPdPKBWWfcZmcJ81kxVxAj-N-Z43p7C9Zxo/s320/009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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From<a href="http://torbooks.co.uk/" target="_blank"> TOR</a> (Many Thanks)</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Boneshaker-Clockwork-Century-Cherie-Priest/dp/1447225082/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352577102&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Boneshaker By Cherie Priest</a></div>
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<b>BOUGHT</b> </div>
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(from Waterstones Bluewater)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_ly2IJRnABo3Q_kvzlRqMhbB0QZaFhqQ1tp-tvCd_BLPVYm8at0pcQb7gGCLfLGF2s4I42cF0sIfdjXE-0bUiIm5GEn60xrmzbC1NADIhrdaR_rjqxEuYTqjog_u9zYeSS1DByAwbuQ/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_ly2IJRnABo3Q_kvzlRqMhbB0QZaFhqQ1tp-tvCd_BLPVYm8at0pcQb7gGCLfLGF2s4I42cF0sIfdjXE-0bUiIm5GEn60xrmzbC1NADIhrdaR_rjqxEuYTqjog_u9zYeSS1DByAwbuQ/s320/013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Misfits-Mike-OLeary/dp/1444761757/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352576828&sr=1-1" target="_blank"> Misfits By Mike O'Leary</a></div>
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I got this signed in person by three of the stars of the show - Joseph Gilgun, Karla Crome & Nathan McMullen</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Finale-Hush-Becca-Fitzpatrick/dp/0857072919/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352577044&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Finale By Becca Fitzpatrick (signed & numbered)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mist-Kathryn-James/dp/1444903063/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352577071&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Mist By Kathryn James (signed)</a></div>
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District YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-60700887782355204212012-11-05T09:30:00.000+00:002012-11-05T09:30:00.356+00:00Review - Shadows On The Moon By Zoe Marriott<span id="freeText2116260240343140353"><b>"On my fourteenth
birthday when the sakura was in full bloom, the men came to kill us. We
saw them come, Aimi and me. We were excited, because we did not know how
to be frightened. We had never seen soldiers before.<br /><br />Suzume
is a shadow-weaver. She can create mantles of darkness and light, walk
unseen in the middle of the day, change her face. She can be anyone she
wants to be. Except herself. <br /><br />Suzume died officially the day the
Prince's men accused her father of treason. Now even she is no longer
sure of her true identity.<br /><br />Is she the girl of noble birth living
under the tyranny of her mother’s new husband, Lord Terayama? A lowly
drudge scraping a living in the ashes of Terayama’s kitchens? Or Yue,
the most beautiful courtesan in the Moonlit Lands? <br /><br />Everyone
knows Yue is destined to capture the heart of a prince. Only she knows
that she is determined to use his power to destroy Terayama. <br /><br />And nothing will stop her. Not even love"</b> taken from Goodreads</span> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJM4vS2taasUFyMGFd-QrGNc8zrmE8SqRfOJnG3Nk0z6EUt3sj2xsZBLsaU-zhEHuwtaKo7fksbhjXKuu2tl4q5e_PWoL1njlGKLUvJETS_D13uMQ88ckC3RV74OVepOOqe0FM7QGjhM/s1600/Shadows+On+The+Moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJM4vS2taasUFyMGFd-QrGNc8zrmE8SqRfOJnG3Nk0z6EUt3sj2xsZBLsaU-zhEHuwtaKo7fksbhjXKuu2tl4q5e_PWoL1njlGKLUvJETS_D13uMQ88ckC3RV74OVepOOqe0FM7QGjhM/s320/Shadows+On+The+Moon.jpg" width="207" /></a>I've wanted to read a book by the lovely Zoe Marriott for some time now. I've had Shadows On The Moon, sitting on my shelf since last December and just never found myself getting round to it. Thanks to the awesome Bluewater YA bookclub we chose Shadows as our book for October - YES I FINALLY GET TO READ IT!!!<br />
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The cover is beautiful. So subtle and delicate, but gives you the setting and atmosphere of the book. Huge thumbs up!!<br />
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I read a interview with Zoe before starting the book and when I read that it was a slight retelling of Cinderella, I did a little inward groan. I just felt I had read so many fairytale revamps that I didn't see how it could be done differently again. I am thrilled to say I was completely wrong on all counts. This was completely new and to be honest it was a very loose adaptation and so felt very fresh.<br />
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I'd never read a book with a Japanese setting before either, so yet more new ground for me. I hold my hands up to be rather uneducated in these matters and found myself rather confused by the names of people and places. Also objects they used were quite foreign to me. I have to admit to needing a glossary, I think it would have enhanced my enjoyment of the story somewhat.<br />
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The story is rather dark and understandably the character of Suzume suffers greatly through this. I was really surprised by the way in which she deals with her depression and really didn't expect to find this in a fantasy set book. I totally applaud Zoe for her handling of it. Its a subject that doesn't in my opinion get much coverage and any highlighting of it is needed.<br />
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Although I had times of not fulling understanding the story due to my ignorance, I was absolutely thrilled with the conclusion. It was rounded off really neatly and was as happy a end to the story as you could expect, which was a much more realistic way to finish the story. <br />
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Zoe's writing is incredible and pulls you straight in. I can't wait to read more from her in the future, just hope I'll understand more of the setting next time.<br />
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<b>Rating 3 1/2 Out Of 5</b><br />
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Published in The UK By <a href="http://www.walker.co.uk/" target="_blank">Walker Books</a><br />
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This Can Be Purchased <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shadows-Moon-Zoe-Marriott/dp/1406318159/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352063583&sr=8-1" target="_blank">HERE</a> and from all good book sellersDistrict YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-46288324548752065612012-10-31T09:30:00.000+00:002012-10-31T09:30:02.954+00:00Books That Make Me Go Oooooh (56) Everbound By Brodi AshtonWaiting On Wednesday is a brilliant book blog feature hosted by <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking The Spine</a> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3YM5kjGcTqWfcCD93MsHzLZOAzLIcSoX4n1QS4TjVTGlyh9llVDBnWXPZiEZx2QL6XH9roJD7-qBZ9scAKOrod3jpFEP2EdKbC3pUOTS5RCAYvws5yip4HHk_x8fnSjBhTJAjA6V-p4/s1600/everbound.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3YM5kjGcTqWfcCD93MsHzLZOAzLIcSoX4n1QS4TjVTGlyh9llVDBnWXPZiEZx2QL6XH9roJD7-qBZ9scAKOrod3jpFEP2EdKbC3pUOTS5RCAYvws5yip4HHk_x8fnSjBhTJAjA6V-p4/s320/everbound.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<b>Everbound By Brodi Ashton</b><br />
Published In The UK By <a href="http://kids.simonandschuster.co.uk/" target="_blank">Simon And Schuster</a><br />
Due For Release February 2013<br />
Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Everbound-ebook/dp/B008J3ZN9S/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351362870&sr=1-1" target="_blank">LINK</a><br />
Goodreads <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15801725-everbound" target="_blank">LINK</a><br />
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<span id="freeText5288345678826705019"><b>"It's been two months
since the dark tunnels of the underworld came for Nikki Beckett. That
night, Nikki's boyfriend, Jack, made the ultimate sacrifice and took her
place in the Everneath for eternity - a debt that should have been
hers. Every night Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused, and
wasting away. All Nikki wants is to save him before it's too late, but
no matter how hard she tries to reach for his hand, she can never find
it.<br />Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy
who wants to make her his Queen - and the one person least likely to
help. But it seems Nikki has touched his heart, and surprisingly, Cole
agrees to help in the only way he can - by taking Nikki to the Everneath
himself.<br />As they descend into the heart of the Everneath Nikki and
Cole discover that their journey will be more difficult than they'd
anticipated, and more deadly. Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack
- even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own…"</b> taken from Goodreads</span><br />
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<span id="freeText5288345678826705019">Ever since I read Everneath this year, I've been obsessing over when I would get to read the next part to this epic story. I found it completely impossible to put down and read the book in just two sittings. Just reading the blurb for book 2 and looking at the cover has me anxious for its arrival, could it go any slower???!</span>District YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-58937806348245368192012-10-29T09:30:00.000+00:002012-10-29T09:30:02.186+00:00Review - Pantomime By Laura Lam<span id="freeText16311596382857278874"><b>"R. H. Ragona’s Circus
of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing
blue Penglass—remnants of a mysterious civilisation long gone—are
wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It’s a place where anything
seems possible, where if you close your eyes you can believe that the
magic and knowledge of the vanished Chimaera is still there. It’s a
place where anyone can hide.<br /><br />Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, the
daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline,
and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Micah Grey, a runaway
living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist’s apprentice and
soon becomes the circus’s rising star.<br /><br />But Gene and Micah have
balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that
could unlock the mysteries of Ellada."</b> taken from Goodreads</span> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNddmX7hTMCP2ukMaqyEMj-CgRIZ3g4LUwhwmI490xe7YyUSqfn2xtMbN4IntPEs0_Apy_9X4Z5aMigRLJTMInv_kHVZ8273pRD1eF54WzwRRT0HUJpvcs3eZ_C138O3g-8wic7nOo9BY/s1600/Pantomime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNddmX7hTMCP2ukMaqyEMj-CgRIZ3g4LUwhwmI490xe7YyUSqfn2xtMbN4IntPEs0_Apy_9X4Z5aMigRLJTMInv_kHVZ8273pRD1eF54WzwRRT0HUJpvcs3eZ_C138O3g-8wic7nOo9BY/s320/Pantomime.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
I'd been seeing the cover image for this popping up in the blogging world quite a bit and was understandably very drawn to it straight away. I guess I did a fair bit of judging a book by its cover, as I knew I wanted to read it before I knew anything much about it. Luckily for me the cover wasn't deceptive!!<br />
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The cover is gorgeous. I love the vintage style image of the girl, with just the touches of colour in the background showing the circus. I guess I hadn't thought of circus' being places filled with secrets before and the fact that the cover girl seems to be going 'Ssssh' is a fantastic little touch.<br />
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The story kicks off with two characters in two seasons (spring & summer) Its two totally different environments that I really couldn't see much to connect them, but that made the reading all the more enjoyable as I was fascinated with both landscapes. I couldn't decide which one I wanted to read about more.<br />
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The alternating chapters / Characters are so well written and flow so well. It kept the reading exciting. <br />
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It takes quite some time to learn what links the characters and to say I was shocked is a huge understatement. I just didn't see it coming but also didn't expect this type of occurrence in an olde worlde setting (I love trying to be cryptic) This also goes to prove my extreme naivety once again!!<br />
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After the link reveal I have to say that I started to feel hugely conflicted by the actions of individuals in the book. I could totally understand why they took the actions that they did but it just didn't feel right and by this time I was so involved in the story that I felt somewhat conspiritory in what was happening. I felt guilty and that's something I've never felt before from reading - its pretty genius!!<br />
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The conclusion to the story left my head spinning. I actually stayed up to the early hours of the morning because I just needed to know what was going to happen. I was shocked by some of the events and then just questioning what was happening here or what did this mean or why did this happen? I'm just praying that a book 2 is in the works as I NEED some things filled in pronto!!!<br />
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Pantomime is a fascinating, exciting, thought provoking, colourful read that kept me intrigued for hours (especially some really boring hours at the hospital - this book was my Savior then) Its left me dying to know more about the circus!!!<br />
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<b>Rating 4 Out Of 5</b><br />
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Published In The UK By <a href="http://strangechemistrybooks.com/" target="_blank">Strange Chemistry</a><br />
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This Can Be Purchased <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pantomime-Strange-Chemistry-Laura-Lam/dp/1908844361/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1351280438&sr=8-3" target="_blank">HERE</a> and From good book retailersDistrict YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-26966423574059355132012-10-28T09:30:00.000+00:002012-10-28T09:30:01.560+00:00Letterbox Love (15)<div style="text-align: center;">
Letterbox Love Is Hosted By The Fabulous Lynsey over at <a href="http://www.narrativelyspeaking.com/" target="_blank">Narratively Speaking</a>. Its a fun way for us to showcase our weeks new books here in the UK
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There has been no blogging this week as I had my wisdom teeth out last Monday and have been a bit under the weather since. Fighting fit again and ready to blog away.</div>
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I got just the one book this week, but I think its a good'un!!</div>
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<b>BOUGHT</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqcPS9wxkcEpB6cfp0kk9SXlIf5mGZ_GwqVd5lXT4r4vKpDlDgTm8KoSTz7LW1P4g3U5z3l7iLcjIYCb7v5r1DnaXPOqCwA1w6G6z1NsGFupGv27qAlv91AjZQdBtvBG6rv7jpGCDO1k/s1600/Frostbite+GN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqcPS9wxkcEpB6cfp0kk9SXlIf5mGZ_GwqVd5lXT4r4vKpDlDgTm8KoSTz7LW1P4g3U5z3l7iLcjIYCb7v5r1DnaXPOqCwA1w6G6z1NsGFupGv27qAlv91AjZQdBtvBG6rv7jpGCDO1k/s320/Frostbite+GN.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Frostbite-Graphic-Vampire-Academy-Quality/dp/1595144307/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1351362009&sr=8-6" target="_blank">Frostbite: Vampire Academy Graphic Novel By Richelle Mead, Emma Vieceli and Leigh Dragoon</a></div>
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Hopefully going to get this signed by the artist Emma this weekend!!</div>
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District YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-47265016474308454922012-10-21T09:30:00.000+01:002012-10-21T09:30:01.381+01:00Letterbox Love (14)<div style="text-align: center;">
Letterbox Love Is Hosted By The Fabulous Lynsey over at <a href="http://www.narrativelyspeaking.com/" target="_blank">Narratively Speaking</a>. Its a fun way for us to showcase our weeks new books here in the UK
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I was away last weekend so missed out a LL - Whoops! But back this week with lots of fab goodies!</div>
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<b>Received</b> </div>
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From <b><a href="http://strangechemistrybooks.com/" target="_blank">Strange Chemistry</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pantomime-Strange-Chemistry-Laura-Lam/dp/1908844361/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1350761051&sr=8-4" target="_blank">Pantomime By Laura Lam</a></b></div>
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From <b><a href="http://kids.simonandschuster.co.uk/" target="_blank">Simon & Schuster</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Infinite-Sky-C-J-Flood/dp/085707802X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350761137&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Infinite Sky By C.J. Flood</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Through-You-Emily-Hainsworth/dp/006209419X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350761233&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Through To You By Emily Hainsworth</a></b></div>
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Signed Sticker From Karen Mahoney, via the wonderful Jenny at <b><a href="http://www.wondrousreads.com/" target="_blank">Wondrous Reads</a></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDNFAy4C0y2Uiq6y3vFY7lGR6OHeleFTeEgs_sknas2tAGhADBqQe_xHZzz94gev1EAN60A3dKkWuI5-e6m8FFYTIbm0GYY0cQNsiHyWna85adgwhdUG366TPw7jkKKUPZ0hF4YQQ6G4w/s1600/066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDNFAy4C0y2Uiq6y3vFY7lGR6OHeleFTeEgs_sknas2tAGhADBqQe_xHZzz94gev1EAN60A3dKkWuI5-e6m8FFYTIbm0GYY0cQNsiHyWna85adgwhdUG366TPw7jkKKUPZ0hF4YQQ6G4w/s320/066.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Grisha Posters For <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gathering-Dark-Grisha-1/dp/1780621108/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350761266&sr=1-1" target="_blank">The Gathering Dark</a> / Shadow & Bone By Leigh Bardugo</div>
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Made By <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/goodnightkittens?ref=shop_sugg" target="_blank">Goodnight Kittens</a></div>
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Thank you SO much to everyone that sent me books and stuff - you ROCK!!</div>
District YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-90759975219092545722012-10-19T09:30:00.000+01:002012-10-19T09:30:01.242+01:00Review - The Dark Heroine By Abigail Gibbs<b><span id="freeText3507454751416268780">"One moment can change your life forever…<br /><br />For
Violet Lee, a chance encounter on a darkened street draws her into a
world beyond her wildest imaginings, a timeless place of vast elegance
and immeasurable wealth – of beautiful mansions and lavish parties –
where a decadent group of friends live for pleasure alone. A place from
which there is no escape… no matter how hard Violet tries.<br /><br />Yet
all the riches in the world can’t mask the darkness that lies beneath
the gilded surface, embodied in the charismatic but dangerous Kaspar
Varn.<br /><br />Violet and Kaspar surrender to a passion that transcends their separate worlds – but it’s a passion that comes at a price…</span>"</b> taken from Goodreads<br />
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The first I actually saw of this book was in a tweet from <a href="http://www.dark-readers.com/" target="_blank">DarkReaders</a>, saying they had been sent a copy and were loving it. A few days later I got an email telling me about the release and wondering if I would like to review it. After a very brief conversation with Casey over at DR I was advised to say a HELL YES!!<br />
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The cover is very cool. Understated, but effective. I love the key details like the bite marks. I think maybe more elegant writing would have been better for the title though.<br />
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This has to have one of the most exhilarating starts to a book ever. Seriously so much happens and not at all pretty I have to say. I was pulled in straight away and was desperate to know more. The writing is so incredibly descriptive and vivid that it was so easy to paint the picture of what was happening. This could be helped slightly by the use of very local locations for me, being used in the book. I read Rochester and had a little excited dance (I don't get out often obviously)<br />
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The story shifts incredibly quickly that kept me on my toes. In just a few pages I read Creepy stuff, sexy stuff and down right sinister stuff. It was done in a way that flowed well though, so didn't feel out of place or anything.<br />
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I found some of the wording to be very 'Americanised' which I found strange seeing as it was a London / Kent set book. I can't say I hear people saying words like 'Jerk' or 'News Anchor' very often.<br />
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The thing that surprises me so much with this book is the fact that the author was just 15 when she started to write this book. There are things that happen in this story that I barely know now let alone back in my teens. Its a real eye opener!<br />
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Although Kaspar is the lead male character, I found him particularly annoying and not all that appealing. His constant nickname for Violet was a HUGE turn off too. I really wouldn't find it attractive to be called that all the time. His character does mellow somewhat, but I don't know if the damage had already been done for me as a reader? I guess I will know more in the next book.<br />
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This book takes some really intriguing twists that makes it very absorbing. Its so addictive that it had me constantly saying just one more chapter.<br />
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<b>Rating 4 Out Of 5</b><br />
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Published In The UK By <a href="http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/about-harpercollins/Imprints/voyager/Pages/Voyager.aspx" target="_blank">Harper Voyager</a><br />
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This Can Be Purchased <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Heroine-Dinner-Vampire/dp/0007503679/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350417748&sr=1-1" target="_blank">HERE</a> and from good book retailersDistrict YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-84050205134852861562012-10-17T09:30:00.000+01:002012-10-17T09:30:04.606+01:00Books That Make Me Go Oooooh (55) Infinite Sky By C.J. FloodWaiting On Wednesday is a brilliant book blog feature hosted by <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking The Spine</a> <b><b> </b></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWutjiqwnCXlsPJ4m7LguP68fSaLYCYkD6A5uG3iA7GGUqrpyR51KW-in6_KE6LWvI67_HzUuKrgSbIi8B44zOOBlK330fBTLc5ASL5Z4_L2kP1aBwD4HZCb2X5ftuPlRmrxTjnhJ_mg/s1600/Infinite+Sky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWutjiqwnCXlsPJ4m7LguP68fSaLYCYkD6A5uG3iA7GGUqrpyR51KW-in6_KE6LWvI67_HzUuKrgSbIi8B44zOOBlK330fBTLc5ASL5Z4_L2kP1aBwD4HZCb2X5ftuPlRmrxTjnhJ_mg/s320/Infinite+Sky.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<b>Infinite Sky By C.J. Flood</b><br />
Published In The UK By <a href="http://kids.simonandschuster.co.uk/" target="_blank">Simon And Schuster</a><br />
Due For Release February 2013<br />
Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Infinite-Sky-C-J-Flood/dp/085707802X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350417259&sr=8-1" target="_blank">LINK</a><br />
Goodreads <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13450407-infinite-sky" target="_blank">LINK</a><br />
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<span id="freeText15923788114838361096"><b>"Iris Dancy’s
free-spirited mum has left for Tunisia, her dad’s rarely sober and her
brother’s determined to fight anyone with a pair of fists. <br /><br />When a
family of travellers move into the overgrown paddock overnight, her dad
looks set to finally lose it. Gypsies are parasites he says, but Iris
is intrigued. As her dad plans to evict the travelling family, Iris
makes friends with their teenage son. Trick Deran is a bare knuckle
boxer who says he’s done with fighting, but is he telling the truth? <br /><br />When
tools go missing from the shed, the travellers are the first suspects.
Iris’s brother, Sam, warns her to stay away from Trick; he’s dangerous,
but Iris can no longer blindly follow her brother’s advice. He’s got
secrets of his own, and she’s not sure he can be trusted himself. <br /><br /><em>Infinite Sky</em> is a family story about betrayal and loyalty, and love."</b> taken from Goodreads</span><br />
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<span id="freeText15923788114838361096">I have to say this is not one of my usual reads that I'm drawn to, but this one just has that something about it. This totally has a Romeo & Juliet sound to me, but with a completely contemporary twist to it. I'm really interested to see how it pans out!!</span>District YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-76993034473573666672012-10-10T09:30:00.000+01:002012-10-10T09:30:03.818+01:00Books That Make Me Go Oooooh (54) Half Lives By Sara GrantWaiting On Wednesday is a brilliant book blog feature hosted by <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking The Spine</a> <b><b> </b></b><br />
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<b>Half Lives By Sara Grant</b><br />
Published In The UK By <a href="http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/" target="_blank">Indigo Books</a><br />
Due For Release May 2013<br />
Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Half-Lives-Sara-Grant/dp/1780620381/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1349817430&sr=8-3" target="_blank">LINK</a><br />
Goodreads <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13517621-half-lives" target="_blank">LINK</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODEmzaa18ZoZc78JHX-85K41J6VuRVAEgCYN9NmFnvKV1Q9KyG5WG7-YzjKRy0nxWHa_OKdeRJxipr-bMELjq7hbcSdr7Wv61npqeJdD3tt20ixRQ9VEBj0aRIoHTD1v0xdi2Ybi3P1M/s1600/Half+Lives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODEmzaa18ZoZc78JHX-85K41J6VuRVAEgCYN9NmFnvKV1Q9KyG5WG7-YzjKRy0nxWHa_OKdeRJxipr-bMELjq7hbcSdr7Wv61npqeJdD3tt20ixRQ9VEBj0aRIoHTD1v0xdi2Ybi3P1M/s320/Half+Lives.jpg" width="197" /></a><b>"Present day: Icie is a typical high school teenager -
until disaster strikes and her parents send her to find shelter inside a
mountain near Las Vegas.</b><br />
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<b> The future: Beckett lives on
The Mountain - a sacred place devoted to the Great I AM. He must soon
become the leader of his people. But Beckett is forced to break one of
the sacred laws, and when the Great I AM does not strike him down,
Beckett finds himself starting to question his beliefs.</b><br />
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As Beckett investigates The Mountain's history, Icie's story is revealed
- along with the terrifying truth of what lies at the heart of The
Mountain.</b><br />
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<b> A gripping tale of two people separated by time
but connected by a story - and by the dark secret the story was meant
to protect."</b> taken from Amazon<br />
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How awesome does this sound?? I love a good bit of dystopia and anyone that has read Dark Parties, knows that Sara can write some kick ass dystopia. I can't wait to see what she does with this new exciting tale!</div>
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District YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-62164924573615479942012-10-08T09:30:00.000+01:002012-10-08T09:30:01.572+01:00Review - Poltergeeks By Sean Cummings<span id="freeText7122455082315499132"><b>"15-year-old Julie
Richardson is about to learn that being the daughter of a witch isn't
all it's cracked up to be. When she and her best friend, Marcus, witness
an elderly lady jettisoned out the front door of her home, it's pretty
obvious to Julie there's a supernatural connection. <br /><br />In fact,
there's a whisper of menace behind increasing levels of poltergeist
activity all over town. After a large-scale paranormal assault on
Julie's high school, her mother falls victim to the spell Endless Night.
Now it's a race against time to find out who is responsible or Julie
won't just lose her mother's soul, she'll lose her mother's life."</b> taken from goodreads</span> <br />
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The first thing that definitely drew me to this book was the cover. Its just the coolest imagery, to me it has a very comic book look, which blends well with the characters in the book both being into everything geektastic. It also tells you a whole lot about the story, which is always handy for picking a read suited to you!!<br />
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From the get go, you really get that Julie the lead character is a hell of a sassy teen. The narration is totally contemporary, but then you have a supernatural twist on it. It really makes it for teens of today, so in that case I'm not sure of the long term reader appeal on this.<br />
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I have to say quite often I felt really frustrated with Julie. Now this could partly be down to me getting older and not being as youthful but I just wanted Julie to listen to the advice her Mum would give her or actually speak to an elder. I couldn't read a reason for her to be so rebellious and so came my annoyance. I do also understand that the story wouldn't have gone very far if she hadn't of been a tad naughty, so in that end it was needed.<br />
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For me this did feel like a very fictional world - of course it is fictional but when reading I love to be able to think about how things would work if this was real life. This just didn't have anything that I could see actually being real. For this it had a kind of Charmed / Sabrina the Teenage witch feel - both shows that I really enjoyed, so it didn't make the book a bad experience, just a different experience.<br />
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Something that I really loved about the book was the setting of Calgary in Canada. I've never actually been there but my best friend moved there when we were teenagers, so it was fun reading of places that she had mentioned to me. I now want to go to Tim Hortons even more!<br />
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There is definite room for expansion on the story. There are quite a few loose ends that would be great to see built on or sorted once and for all!<br />
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A fun, sassy read for teens of today, that like a hint of magic!!<br />
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<b>Rating 3 Out Of 5</b><br />
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Published In The UK By <b><a href="http://strangechemistrybooks.com/" target="_blank">Strange Chemistry</a></b><br />
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This Can Be Purchased <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Poltergeeks-Strange-Chemistry-Sean-Cummings/dp/1908844094/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349646043&sr=8-1" target="_blank">HERE</a> and from all good book retailersDistrict YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-31571050126867024232012-10-07T09:30:00.000+01:002012-10-07T09:30:01.906+01:00Letterbox Love (13)<div style="text-align: center;">
Letterbox Love Is Hosted By The Fabulous Lynsey over at <a href="http://www.narrativelyspeaking.com/" target="_blank">Narratively Speaking</a>. Its a fun way for us to showcase our weeks new books here in the UK
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Book links will take you to Amazon UK</span></div>
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Definitely not as epic as week, this week but it would be hard to top meeting Leigh Bardugo & J K Rowling. I did still get some great new reads though!!</div>
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<u><b>RECEIVED</b></u></div>
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I got both of these from the Fantastic Guys At <a href="http://www.atombooks.net/" target="_blank">ATOM</a> - very excited to read both of them!!! </div>
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Crash-Valley-Book-02/dp/1907410570/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349553453&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Crash By Krystyna Kuhn</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Diviners-Book-01/dp/1907410392/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1349553520&sr=1-1" target="_blank">The Diviners By Libba Bray </a></b></div>
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District YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-71126959881439745362012-10-03T09:30:00.000+01:002012-10-03T09:30:00.943+01:00Books That Make Me Go Oooooh (53) Clockwork Princess By Cassandra ClareWaiting On Wednesday is a brilliant book blog feature hosted by <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking The Spine</a> <b><b> </b></b><br />
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<b>Clockwork Princess By Cassandra Clare (The Infernal Devices 3)</b><br />
Due For Release March 2013<br />
Published In The UK By <a href="http://www.walker.co.uk/" target="_blank">Walker Books</a><br />
Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Infernal-Devices-Clockwork-Princess/dp/1406330396/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1349205857&sr=8-2" target="_blank">LINK</a><br />
Goodreads <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15746527-clockwork-princess" target="_blank">LINK</a><br />
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<b>"If the only way to save the world was to destroy what you loved most,
would you do it? The clock is ticking. Everyone must choose. Passion.
Power. Secrets. Enchantment. Danger closes in around the Shadowhunters
in the third and final instalment of the bestselling Infernal Devices
trilogy."</b> taken from Amazon.co.uk<br />
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I've been a fan of Cassandra Clare for many years now, but the release of the first of The Infernal Devices books multiplied my fanship, basically making me a MEGA fangirl. Although part of me can't wait to read the conclusion to this series, I will be devastated to lose this world and everyone in it.District YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-59178587370644093762012-10-02T09:30:00.000+01:002012-10-02T09:30:01.779+01:00Leigh Bardugo London Event<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5o4hFA52YYx9fA2jUMFqE0Fu-Irx-aAFCFkR_niFmMnHWfRyDV-22TyrzrV606bpixeMvWKiTF9g62aR-NzCR-HgpV9FhHj2emFofva38znGJgZxkBz52vr1hj1eXzJ-kGUHNDpgq9s/s1600/022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5o4hFA52YYx9fA2jUMFqE0Fu-Irx-aAFCFkR_niFmMnHWfRyDV-22TyrzrV606bpixeMvWKiTF9g62aR-NzCR-HgpV9FhHj2emFofva38znGJgZxkBz52vr1hj1eXzJ-kGUHNDpgq9s/s320/022.JPG" width="238" /></a>A couple of months ago during my reading and blogging slump I was offered the opportunity to go and meet Leigh Bardugo at her only London event. At that time I hadn't even read her book (The Gathering Dark - Soon to be Shadow And Bone) I was hearing amazing things about it though and so said a yes please to the event. Obviously I wanted to read the book before meeting Leigh and I was more gutted that I hadn't read it sooner (my <b><a href="http://districtya.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/review-gathering-dark-by-leigh-bardugo.html" target="_blank">Review</a></b>) It totally cured my reading slump, as well as making me fall in love with the world of the Grisha.<br />
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I was told that I could bring a plus one along, this was fantastic. Not only could I get my Mum to read and love the book, but I'd also have someone to tag along to the event with me. Of course my Mum adored the book!<br />
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Tuesday 25th September came along as so arrived the day I'd get to meet Leigh, the creator of this new world I've fallen in love with. I warned everyone on twitter, that some fangirling was possible!!<br />
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The event was held at Waterstones Piccadilly Circus. We arrived to an already pretty full event. So many bloggers that I know and love were there, so double win - I got to meet Leigh and see them!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqRYFqnOWUnr1PLZrK6gR0vaGVgg_l5oaYp0oZUK6CuQyu0tim8aW-NFv9bOGJQaZ8_jR4HqO2zyLsAUEjwc5nT9nchjOtsHc3Dj8pNwfYONDX21yxdO0SKfRO9OV0HHg_mgCMGGch6b8/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqRYFqnOWUnr1PLZrK6gR0vaGVgg_l5oaYp0oZUK6CuQyu0tim8aW-NFv9bOGJQaZ8_jR4HqO2zyLsAUEjwc5nT9nchjOtsHc3Dj8pNwfYONDX21yxdO0SKfRO9OV0HHg_mgCMGGch6b8/s320/005.JPG" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Arrival of Leigh</td></tr>
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It all started with the lovely Nina from Indigo / Orion books introducing Leigh, not that she needed any introducing at all.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxm0w-qDfFJMaJIXskEPi8RrCLPnopptqVbtkVJtQH0s0LfgvdfHWH8bw-ETk1wS110LFA3B9oxUCp6r-sB78gkd0LUTe9FvJNBLaGfI_0oMl-lsp6X3fk22qQ6rF93O7e09WLt1td7o/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxm0w-qDfFJMaJIXskEPi8RrCLPnopptqVbtkVJtQH0s0LfgvdfHWH8bw-ETk1wS110LFA3B9oxUCp6r-sB78gkd0LUTe9FvJNBLaGfI_0oMl-lsp6X3fk22qQ6rF93O7e09WLt1td7o/s320/010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leigh's Chocked Reaction to the Video</td></tr>
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We were shown an incredible <b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pheA8PH4Rcs&feature=plcp" target="_blank">video</a></b> that was made by fellow UK blogger <a href="http://www.dark-readers.com/" target="_blank">Darkreaders</a>. The video actually made Leigh CRY!! Seriously she was so thrilled by it, you could see the emotion pouring away. All the lovely ladies involved got gorgeous leather Grisha wristbands.<br />
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Next Leigh did a brilliant read from the book. Possibly one of the best scenes from the beginning of the book, we were all hooked once again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXj6cG7wBfelA3dG-I1Zb-ocRLR4MTa-SP0GpBh3_0nYHv25BJ-2iY7YXNflAkMeya1CzqIAKqN6sOxXD08Ca8Fs1z7doKeJI9HbQitiF3WT6fjLv2b1ZYq-44iuXnXMMoTn2AhCRfH9A/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXj6cG7wBfelA3dG-I1Zb-ocRLR4MTa-SP0GpBh3_0nYHv25BJ-2iY7YXNflAkMeya1CzqIAKqN6sOxXD08Ca8Fs1z7doKeJI9HbQitiF3WT6fjLv2b1ZYq-44iuXnXMMoTn2AhCRfH9A/s320/018.JPG" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leigh Reading from the book</td></tr>
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After this we did a Q&A session, where we found out all sorts of things about the book, the writing process, what Leigh's hopes are for the future. It really did feel like a catch up with a lot of friends though. Leigh is so friendly and engaging you just feel you have known her forever.<br />
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We all had a geek out session over the news that Dreamworks have bought the rights to the book and a movie will be made. For me it is so exciting to know I'll get to see characters I have connected with come to life, so to see Leigh and her reaction to that same news but about a world she has created was just wonderful.<br />
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Now was our opportunity to get our books signed and have 1 to 1 chats with Leigh. I played it cool for a while and eventually went up and made a complete fool of myself by totally fangirling out. Seriously I could barely find the words to say I loved the book and the world and Thank you. I think Leigh could see my serious lack of words because she stood up and gave me the biggest hug. I then got to have a photo with her - look at how happy I look!!!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCxM703qiMEoPZFDyPLncAWi7S_EKETpJhXXnF-j0b_5OOfhBJH8TXPQK_xRwERrDJ3zGkCwtInlDx37hGmkGPM0XduOJXf4SPtO_KyuaNUMMIyHo87kDVMpkc5rKluo-D_DgmOQivlI/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCxM703qiMEoPZFDyPLncAWi7S_EKETpJhXXnF-j0b_5OOfhBJH8TXPQK_xRwERrDJ3zGkCwtInlDx37hGmkGPM0XduOJXf4SPtO_KyuaNUMMIyHo87kDVMpkc5rKluo-D_DgmOQivlI/s320/021.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leigh & Me</td></tr>
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Leigh and Nina then held a round of trivia questions with the winners getting some seriously cool Grisha style gifts. With a little help I got a question right and was the very lucky winner of a gorgeous handmade bookmark. This night just got better and better for me!!<br />
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The event concluded with lots of chatting and general mingling. All in all one hell of an event that I will never forget. Thank you so much to Nina, everyone at Orion &Waterstones and most of all HUGE Thanks to Leigh - you made this fangirl real happy!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghReAcjQqDUrFJsbhL7aqyfyJHIJ8gqCzAHiZu4xAixV38m0HheZzY_1-JM4yJt8nfcGWV6O_RmMcL3FlSwZsuwu5l8X_yVNzXEwAX0Nc-py5MI0ujq5RAGUS9GJC6_qSBwONBRw2bbDQ/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghReAcjQqDUrFJsbhL7aqyfyJHIJ8gqCzAHiZu4xAixV38m0HheZzY_1-JM4yJt8nfcGWV6O_RmMcL3FlSwZsuwu5l8X_yVNzXEwAX0Nc-py5MI0ujq5RAGUS9GJC6_qSBwONBRw2bbDQ/s320/031.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My souvenirs of the day</td></tr>
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<br />District YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-26606664793362151312012-10-01T09:30:00.000+01:002012-10-01T09:30:02.429+01:00Review - The Reckoning By Alma Katsu<div id="outer_postBodyPS" style="display: block; height: 303px; overflow: hidden; z-index: 1;">
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<b><i>"I turned to Luke and reached for him. My blood felt as though it had seized up in my veins.</i></b><br />
<b><i>"Lanny, what is it?" Luke asked. </i></b><br />
<b><i>I clutched his lapel desperately</i></b><br />
<b><i>"It's Adair. He's free."</i></b><br />
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<b>FOR 200 YEARS SHE'S BEEN HIDING</b><br />
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<b> He gave her immortality.</b><br />
<b> She tried to destroy him.</b><br />
<b> Now he is searching for her.</b><br />
<b> They must not meet.</b><br />
<b> Or there will be a RECKONING"</b> taken from Goodreads<br />
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Last year the only 'adult' fiction I read was The Taker. I was utterly enthralled by it. At times it was so brutal that I had to put the book down, but that just made me more eager to pick it up again. I was so eager to read the sequel, so imagine my excitement when it finally arrived.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_w43fEA4a_SsBy9Y7p2jYBW64W9282KrIHbZd4aITY2rWZzn5eEnw__8fpjbasLYXzjpPKlOWxWYoWq9pnrdwJfam0iwzhDcrYXZOpZaBbxi_wL1Ydr9vOonsuySZBQAAodgVUztH6Q/s1600/The+Reckoning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_w43fEA4a_SsBy9Y7p2jYBW64W9282KrIHbZd4aITY2rWZzn5eEnw__8fpjbasLYXzjpPKlOWxWYoWq9pnrdwJfam0iwzhDcrYXZOpZaBbxi_wL1Ydr9vOonsuySZBQAAodgVUztH6Q/s320/The+Reckoning.jpg" width="209" /></a>The cover although utterly beautiful, I kind of don't get the relevance of it to the book. I don't even think Lanny is a brunette? I loved the original tattoo style of the first cover and was hoping to see something in that design again. I kind of missed the black edged pages too.<br />
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My initial reaction to starting this was that I didn't feel as anxious as I did with The Taker. Generally I am more scared of the unknown, so you would assume that this booking being set in real time as opposed to flash backs would be a hell of a lot more scary. Somehow I had a completely different reaction to what I expected.<br />
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I did love the use of different narrators for this instalment. I didn't expect some characters to have the thoughts they did, so this gave me a great new insight.<br />
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Some of the story was a little repetitive for me. Especially the thoughts of Adair. I felt he just kept thinking and saying the same things and by repeating them it didn't change or accomplish anything.<br />
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I didn't feel any great connection to any of the characters. For me they were weak, twisted, unpleasant in some cases all of the above. I didn't feel I was routing for anyone in particular, but it enabled me to read it in an unemotional way.<br />
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All that said the conclusion was brilliant, I am so excited to see where the next book will go. I actually have no idea what will happen next!<br />
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Overall I didn't enjoy this as much as The Taker, but I know understand why its necessary to bridge to the conclusion which I have very HIGH hopes for!!<br />
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Rating <b>3 1/2 Out Of 5</b><br />
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Published In The UK By <a href="http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/" target="_blank">Century Books</a><br />
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This Can Be Purchased <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Reckoning-Immortal-Trilogy-2/dp/1846059291/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349034986&sr=8-1" target="_blank">HERE</a> and from Good book retailersDistrict YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-78809271172152279702012-09-30T09:30:00.000+01:002012-09-30T09:30:02.144+01:00Letterbox Love (12)<div style="text-align: center;">
Letterbox Love Is Hosted By The Fabulous Lynsey over at <a href="http://www.narrativelyspeaking.com/" target="_blank">Narratively Speaking</a>. Its a fun way for us to showcase our weeks new books here in the UK</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidS0buL7CaGNXZxs54XM0Ga9vPxpUt_HAT5iDA_O3yZLRwVx7vlE18xT-zpQCbT3zQLnY4Yzg3EIIMQfFS8TgH667iY38eK9sLUUMAEPYs1GCmF59qfgtGZJ0iFSnhtEgaK02NA4hwfRY/s1600/Letterbox+Love.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidS0buL7CaGNXZxs54XM0Ga9vPxpUt_HAT5iDA_O3yZLRwVx7vlE18xT-zpQCbT3zQLnY4Yzg3EIIMQfFS8TgH667iY38eK9sLUUMAEPYs1GCmF59qfgtGZJ0iFSnhtEgaK02NA4hwfRY/s320/Letterbox+Love.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Not gonna lie, I have had a spectacular week. Got to meet two amazing authors, that I did fangirl over just a bit!! Check back this week for full reports, but in the mean time here are the bookish lovelies that I got...</div>
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<b>RECEIVED </b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEs-3k5G9JqwNTwy2bOpuNl9tiMMTE9Pp0FnrZB3iavIi8j-94tRB40xHvskdeY57k325B-t-_meYbIzlXbUaAaVf3JRIXsa1A0gsiC0uSz6mBuj7P3DhBeD4M-EDbWXLCaSkI2sf-O8/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEs-3k5G9JqwNTwy2bOpuNl9tiMMTE9Pp0FnrZB3iavIi8j-94tRB40xHvskdeY57k325B-t-_meYbIzlXbUaAaVf3JRIXsa1A0gsiC0uSz6mBuj7P3DhBeD4M-EDbWXLCaSkI2sf-O8/s320/002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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From <a href="http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/" target="_blank">BLOOMSBURY</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dance-Shadows-Yelena-Black/dp/1408829975/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348950198&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><b>Dance Of Shadows By Yelena Black</b></a></div>
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I am loving the sound of this, quite a different book for me to read really, but I'm really excited for it</div>
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From <a href="http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/" target="_blank">RANDOMHOUSE / CORGI</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mystic-City-Theo-Lawrence/dp/0552567647/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348950277&sr=1-1" target="_blank"><b>Mystic City By Theo Lawrence</b></a></div>
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I showcased this as one of my books That Make Me Go Oooooh the other week, so I really am eager for this one. I love the idea of it and am hearing great reports already!</div>
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I got to go to an event for the amazing <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gathering-Dark-Grisha-1/dp/1780621108/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348950385&sr=1-1" target="_blank">The Gathering Dark</a> (Shadow & Bone) By Leigh Bardugo And <a href="http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/" target="_blank">INDIGO</a> book - such a fantastic event and I got some awesome swag bits!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgJfWzJTJxFNiV4LOHNcGXkZF1NKAuT-RYBK5fQ803NfY1ZPDKuaFxOrC6E2HdPuRAa3yr9dN5CXM5lcEkdiiuJYLMcwev2eM-NY2xgDf0mM-2MQxb9zM6_38jrQH9vEA6selQ5N80l0/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgJfWzJTJxFNiV4LOHNcGXkZF1NKAuT-RYBK5fQ803NfY1ZPDKuaFxOrC6E2HdPuRAa3yr9dN5CXM5lcEkdiiuJYLMcwev2eM-NY2xgDf0mM-2MQxb9zM6_38jrQH9vEA6selQ5N80l0/s320/032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b> BOUGHT</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3bRpL1tHHHsv6KikxGsWD_nb0TmnlHCp6CY3ytaGn8WTTRuYsfgHXtj2wYjbAmTHvjhxCbE3H8ip1k6sXD10h04ilEfXfK0sWcnMul3pk8MXnWI9Eas24ttXhGf5zpUn61uAfPJ-_Ds/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3bRpL1tHHHsv6KikxGsWD_nb0TmnlHCp6CY3ytaGn8WTTRuYsfgHXtj2wYjbAmTHvjhxCbE3H8ip1k6sXD10h04ilEfXfK0sWcnMul3pk8MXnWI9Eas24ttXhGf5zpUn61uAfPJ-_Ds/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Casual-Vacancy-J-K-Rowling/dp/140870420X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348950442&sr=1-1" target="_blank"><b> The Casual Vacancy By J.K.Rowling</b></a></div>
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So the other event I got to go to was the launch of the Casual Vacancy, where I got to meet the LEGEND that is J.K.Rowling. Pretty immense moment!!</div>
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Thank you to everyone that sent me bits this week - Love you all!!!</div>
District YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4832856491240635094.post-86816911973261643202012-09-26T09:30:00.000+01:002012-09-26T09:30:03.980+01:00Books That Make Me Go Oooooh (52) Pantomime By Laura LamWaiting On Wednesday is a brilliant book blog feature hosted by <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking The Spine</a> <b><b> </b></b><br />
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<b>Pantomime By Laura Lam</b><br />
Published In The UK By <a href="http://strangechemistrybooks.com/" target="_blank">Strange Chemistry</a><br />
Due For Release February 2013<br />
Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pantomime-Laura-Lam/dp/1908844361/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348515473&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Link</a><br />
Goodreads <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15797050-pantomime" target="_blank">Link</a><br />
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<b>"<span id="freeText5362241756186512017">R.H. Ragona's Circus of
Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue
Penglass -- remnants of a mysterious civilisation long gone -- are
wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It's a place where anything
seems possible, where if you close your eyes you can believe that the
magic and knowledge of the vanished Chimaera is still there. It's a
place where anyone can hide.<br /><br />Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, the
daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline,
and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Micah Grey, a runaway
living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist's apprentice and
soon becomes the circus’s rising star.<br /><br />But Gene and Micah have
balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that
could unlock the mysteries of Ellada"</span></b><br />
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<span id="freeText5362241756186512017">WOW, just WOW!! This is definitely an exciting premise for a book, bringing together so many factors that I LOVE!! This can't come soon enough!! </span><br />
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<br />District YAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04557172976300351093noreply@blogger.com4