Follow Friday #28

Question: It's Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. so we want to know what you are Thankful for - blogging related of course! Who has helped you out along the way? What books are you thankful for reading? 

Well, I am thankful for all the great bloggers out there who have helped me along during my first year of blogging. Thanks to all my readers for their support and I look forward to the next year with you all (if GFC permits!).


Book-wise, I say a big thank you to NetGalley and GalleyGrab as both have given me the chance to read some amazing titles this year that I might not otherwise have come across. Ones that come to mind include: Smuggled by Christina Shea and Ghost on Black Mountain by Ann Hite - but there are many others too. Here's hoping 2012 is just a fruitful in the book stakes!

GFC - Ways to Keep Following Me

No doubt by now most of you will have seen the information circling the blogsphere with regards to GFC and the fact that it will no longer be available for anyone outside Blogger from March 2012.

A good number of my followers are with Blogger and will therefore not be affected (for now at least), but if you think these changes will affect you and you are still keen to follow me (I hope you are) you can look at one of the following options:

1) Subscribe to the RSS feeds (links for this on my sidebar a bit below the GFC widget).

2) Follow me on Facebook. At present I only link some of my posts to Facebook, but will start linking all if that becomes necessary.

3) Follow me on Goodreads (link also in left sidebar under Facebook link).

4) Follow by email (also in the sidebar).

Thanks everyone and I hope you'll all still keep in touch!

Pure by Julianna Baggott - Book Review

Title: Pure (Pure #1)

Author: Julianna Baggott

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Publication Date: 8th February 2012

Pages: 368

Format: E-Book - EPUB

Genre: YA / Dystopia

Source: ARC from NetGalley

 

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . .
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . .
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her. 

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again. (Goodreads Synopsis)


Pure is an amazing story that drew me in right from the first page. There is an element of steampunk in this dystopian tale and I felt the mix worked well. The world-building is well done and I really believed in the dynamics of the land and time the characters were living in.

The story moved at a good paced, holding my interest throughout, and I thought the lead characters were well written and showed some growth through the piece. This is a story that is driven more by character than plot for the first half of the book. I found that worked well though as we got a really good look at the world and its inhabitants, setting the scene for the remaining books in the series to be able to concentrate more on the plot aspects.

This is officially a YA release, but I think it is one that will appear to the older end of the market and could also be a successful cross-over piece into the adult market too. I am certainly keen to continue reading the series.

Waiting on Wednesday #2

My choice for this week is the new Saint Germain novel by one of my favourite authors, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro.

Commedia della Morte
by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
13th March 2012

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's modern classic, Hotel Transylvania, introduced the Count Saint-Germain and his beloved, Madelaine de Montalia. The Count is one of the most critically acclaimed vampire characters ever created, with dedicated fans who have followed his adventures through more than twenty novels, dozens of short stories, and thousands of years of human history. But of all the women the Count has loved, the most popular is the beautiful, ever-youthful Madelaine.

In Commedia della Morte, Saint-Germain learns that Madelaine—now a vampire—has been arrested by France's Revolutionary Tribunal and is soon to lose her head. Desperate to rescue her, the Count sneaks into France with a troupe of actors led by the glamorous Photine, who soon becomes Saint-Germain's mistress. Photine's teenage son, driven by jealousy and revolutionary fervor, betrays the Count. Now Saint-Germain's life, as well as Madelaine's, hangs in the balance, in this darkly romantic historical vampire novel (Goodreads Synopsis)

Blogging Back On Track

Well, I am finally getting back into a bit of a routine with my online stuff now most post-wedding things have been dealt with. I still have a few name change bits to organise, I need to get my dress cleaned and I am waiting on the official photos, but otherwise life is returning to normal.

I need to start job hunting and I will do a few things for that over the next 2-3 weeks, but I am anticipating that there won't be much around until after Xmas now. I also need to start making time for some writing again as I am really keen to get Time Keepers ready for submission to my publisher early in the new year. They are cutting down on the number of paranormal pieces they are accepting, so I must make sure it is as good as I can get it!

In the meantime, I am trying to get into the swing of making some guest appearances again and at present you can find me over at The Pen and Muse.

You'll be pleased to hear that I am also lining up a couple of guest blogs from other authors on here, so I should have some more diverse content for you again soon. I'm gradually getting a few new books into my tbr pile, so some more reviews will be making their way to you shortly and my upcoming birthday and Xmas will no doubt add to my tbr pile as well. Onwards and upwards, as they say.

Follow Friday # 27

Q: Tell Santa what books you want for Xmas

Well anything from the 250+ I have on my Book Depository wishlist would be good, but particuarly:

Day Watch, Twilight Watch and Last Watch by Lukyanenko

Night Circus by Morgenstern

Vamplayers by Rusty Fischer - Book Review

Title: Vamplayers

Author: Rusty Fischer

Publisher: Medallion Press

Publication Date: February 2012

Pages: 298

Format: E-Book - PDF

Genre: Paranormal

Source: Review Copy from Publisher

 

 

 

 

At the Afterlife Academy of Exceptionally Dark Arts, Lily Fielding is a measly trainee who dreams of one day becoming a Saviorthose who visit vampire-infested high schools and put down the undead with their deadly crossbows. When Lily and her classmates Alice and Cara begin their latest assignment, it seems like just another run-of-the-mill gig: they’re to simply spot the Vamplayer—part vampire, part player—identify the popular girl he’s set his sights on, and befriend her before the Vamplayer can turn her to do his bidding. Before long, however, the Vamplayer sets his sights on Lily's friends, and she is left to face the threat alone while protecting her friends from the dark forces she has sworn to resist. (Goodreads Synopsis)


I was offered a review copy of this book and, since I enjoyed two of Rusty's other books, I jumped at the chance. I am glad to say that I was not disappointed.

This is a tale that kept me grinning and hooked on each page turn from start to finish. It has the same zany humour I've come to expect from this author and it is nicely paced. The twists are a little predictable at times, but this just adds to the fun as it is also a great spoof piece in many ways.

This book will definitely appeal to fans of horror-comedy and it boasts a cast of crazy and fun characters that will make you eager to turn each page and find out what will happen next. A great new story from Rusty Fischer whether you are new to his writing or already a fan.

Wedding Picture

Hi Everyone!

So here, as promised, is a quick little snap shot of me from the wedding. This picture was taken by my mother - we still have another 2-3 weeks to wait for the official shots.

All These Things I've Done (Birthright #1) by Gabrielle Zevin - Book Review

Title: All These Things I've Done (Birthright #1)

Author: Gabrielle Zevin

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Publication Date: September 2011

Pages: 351

Format: Paperback

Genre: Dystopia / YA

Source: Won in a Giveaway

Sixteen year-old Anya becomes the head of a mafia family after her parents are both murdered by rival gangs. Although Anya is embrolied in the criminal world, she is determined to keep her brother and sister out of the mafia family, but her father's relatives aren't so keen to let them go. When Anya's violent ex-boyfriend is poisoned with contaminated chocolate – chocolate that is produced illegally by Anya's mafia family – she is arrested for attempted murder and sent to the notorious jail on Manhattan Island.

Eventually she is freed by the new D.A. in town, who believs she has been framed. But this D.A. is the father of Win, a boy at school to whom Anya feels irresistibly drawn, and her freedom comes with conditions. Win's father wants to be mayor, and he can't risk having his ambition jeopardised by rumours spreading that his son is seeing a member of a notorious crime family. Anya knows she risks the safety of her family by seeing Win again, but the feeling between them may be too strong to resist... (Goodreads Synopsis)

I was lucky enough to win this book in a giveaway recently. I didn't have much prior knowledge of it and at first I was uncertain about it. But, after a few chapters, I found myself completely sucked into the story.

I really enjoyed the premise and the dystopian future, which came across as very real and possible. Anya is an engaging character and I felt she really did grow within the piece. At times I felt a couple of the other major players could have been fleshed out a little more, but it is very much Anya's story and I didn't feel it was too big an issue.

I understand that this is the first book in a trilogy and certainly I am keen to read on and see what the future has in store for Anya and her family.

A nicely written piece of YA fiction that should appeal to most YA fans.

Return of the Bride

Hi everyone!

Well, I am finally back online again after my wedding blogging hiatus. The big day went well - no problems and a good time had by all from what I have heard. I still have a few weeks to wait before we get to see the official pics, but I will share some with you as soon as I can - I may get a few 'unofficial' ones from family and friends in the meantime.

Corey and I had a lovely 10-night honeymoon in Tasmania. I was a bit ill (a cold) during the trip, but was still able to enjoy it. We visited some amazing places and had some time for relaxing too.

My parents are still here this week and we'll be doing some sight-seeing with them, but they fly back to England next weekend and then I should be back to normal with my online schedule. posting etc. I just requested a couple of books on NetGalley, so I hope to be back in the swing with my reading soon too.

Also next week, I hope to start on the second draft for the full-length version of Time Keepers. I will keep you posted on that as things progress....

Nice to be back with you all and I should be caught up and back to routine in the next week or so.

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting - Book Review

Title: The Pledge

Author: Kimberly Derting

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Publication Date: October 2011

Pages: 336

Format: E-Book - PDF

Genre: Dystopia / YA

Source: ARC from Galley-Grab

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime. (Goodreads Synopsis)


I received this fairy-tale dystopia via Simon and Schuster's Galley Grab and I found it an enjoyable read.

There is not a great deal of depth to this piece and it is a little predictable at times, but I liked the character of Charlie and was drawn into her story and her world, eager to find out what would happen to her. There is not a great deal of time for fleshing out most of the characters, but the main figures come across well and there is enough growth with Charlie's character to hold the reader's interest.

As a linguist, the idea of language as a class marker was interesting to me and I thought that it worked well in Derting's world-building. The story was original and engaging despite some obvious twists and overall it held my interest throughout.

Worth a read for YA fans.