Cross my heart

Cross My Heart by Carmen Reid was an inspirational adventure set in the Second World War. Following plucky bold Nicole as she joins the Belgian resistance, determined to do all she can to make it harder for the Nazi Germans who have stolen her city for them-selves, Reid tells a emotional heartbreaking story with vivid threads of truth sewn through it which gives it an edge over other fictional novels.

Brussels, 1940. Fifteen-year-old Nicole watches as the Nazis invade Belgium. Determined not to stand by as her country is brought to its knees, Nicole vows to fight back and joins the Belgian Resistance. Under her new alias - Coco - Nicole embarks on a dangerous new life as a spy, where the only question is not if you'll be caught, but when...

Cross My Heart was well written in that it managed to include scenarios where some warmth was instilled again - it wasn't an overly cold distressing desolate novel as many WWII novels are (it wasn't exactly a period where many good things happened). Reid's character creation was brilliant and her characters extremely real. I was completely invested in Nicole's life and actions and fell in love with kind strong Anton at the same time as her.

Reid also conveyed Nicole's steeled determination to resist but also the fear and guilt she felt at endangering her family excellently. Reid's imagery and description was spot on and the Ravensbruck part of the novel was real enough without being too real. Reid didn't need to overload the reader with horrific graphic descriptions as the dire atmosphere of the camps and the defeated scared feelings of the inhabitants was reinforced throughout her writing and didn't need the overload.

All in All Cross My Heart was a good historic fiction and was a welcome addition to the growing YA market. A solid 4 for  Reid's novel and I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for her next novel for YA.
Published by Corgi, an imprint of Random House Childrens Publishers Cross My Heart  can be bought from all decent book stores.

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Every Day

Every Day by David Levithan was sweet, sincere and touching. It could almost be considered heart breaking. Levithan has a light touch to his writing, he lent a tentative feeling to his words which was perfect for the narrative of A.

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

As I've seen from other reviews readers had a similar problem to me. It's very difficult to sum up how you felt after reading Every Day. It was everything and nothing, confusing yet clear as crystal. Mad but brilliant. The variety of characters Levithan was able to  provide was mindboggling, especially as nearly every new character Levithan introduces is really A in a different body, and no matter the race, the gender, the age, it's still A. And I never found out who A was. A was and is everyone. It was incomprehensible to a certain extent. The rules that bind him to bodies for a day and how they dictate where and who he is. However that indicates we know what the rules are but we don't - they're invisible and apart from one or two things A clarifies for us, we have no idea. And that is the main thing I took from this novel is how if we don't know who we are, where we'll be when we wake up, who will be there for us then we are really lost. And A is lost. He's never known where he'll be when he wakes up, who he'll be and he's never had anyone he cares about or wants to be with. Until Rhiannon. And that simple connection provides a root for A - he starts to become an identity, an individual living in other people's body. A becomes someone.

This book was about identity and people. How everyone is similar but completely different. Levithan managed to tell a story without ever really telling a story. Yes Every Day had the makings of a plot with a villain and heart wrenching selfless decisions to be made but really Every Day didn't actually go anywhere.

I really enjoyed Every Day but it is so difficult to say why. Normally I dislike reading stories where I feel sorry for the main character, pity is a destructive emotion for readers as it means you lose respect and faith in the characters ability to lead you through the story. But in a talented twist of events it's this pity that Levithan exploits, all the way through the book Levithan is building up the pity the reader feels for A in order to really get the reader to empathasise with A's plight. I can feel this review descending into rambling and it's because Every Day is so complex and different. It is a new approach. A lot of people have complained about the fact there are a lot of questions unanswered but the minute you pick up a book you have to suspend some ounce of logic otherwise you will never enjoy it. It's called imagination, artistic license and fun. Revel in the craziness and implausibility of it that's what it's there for. An escape. And A and Rhiannon under the guiding hand of Levithan definitely offered an escape from life.

Its a 4.5 out of 5 for Every Day as I can't quite give it 5 but it's better than a 4. It's one of those rare gems of sane insanity in the literary world and worth stretching your mind to read. Published by Egmont who have recently announced their acquisition of Rhiannon, the companion novel to A, it was an experience to say the least!

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The Almost Girl

The slight figure is lithe and quick, a shadow of a shadow in the darkness. It runs along the edgy gloom of the halogen-lit streets, flying over electric fences and scaling walls with the practiced ease of a skilled athlete. One would never suspect that it was being chased by an entire army of soldiers, but it was, several hundred of them.

I actually defy anyone to read The Almost Girl and not be captivated by the sharp bold worlds Howard has created. Spanning two worlds - Earth and our much more advanced counterpart - Howard has created the ultimate setting for a series of books. Her detailed dry fluid writing style is a joy to ride and to be carried by, and she transports the reader to and from each world with admirable ease and skill - there is no awkward explanation each time we transit worlds, Howard lays everything flat and everything just makes sense.

Her characters are incredible. They are extremely realistic and admirable. They mature and develop throughout the novel and I did not want to stop reading about them especially about Riven and Caden.

Riven
Riven is from the domed city of Neospes, on the parallel world of Earth. She is really strong and willful, and determined to see things through to the end. The way she was brought up with her insane genius of a father has meant she sees loving as a weakness and isn't prepared to trust anyone apart from Cale and at the beginning Caden is just her target, her assignment from Cale. And she is ready to use all means necessary to complete her mission, even disabling her sister.

Caden
An average teenage boy who suddenly has way more to worry about then whether his physic homework is going to be done on time. The moment Riven steps into his life, bad things start to happen - his aunt is killed, Vectors are tracking him trying to kill him, and the girl he's falling for switches off every time she starts opening up. It's not going to be an easy year!

Howard weaves a fast paced thriller full of conspiracy, plots, family drama, romance, defiance, courage and many many fights! She sets herself up brilliantly for a sequel without detracting from the epicness of The Almost Girl and I can NOT wait to read the next one - there has to be one!

A well deserved 4 out of 5, I await with bated breath! Published by Strange Chemistry The Almost Girl  will be published on the 2nd January 2014. One for the wish list guys, pre-order now!(£7.49 at the moment from Amazon.co.uk for pre-ordering!) The Riven series is one to watch! Indulge, be blown away and then be very very grateful that you got to read it!

En Bon Lu,
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Rolling Dice

But when people have this opinion of you, it's very hard to change it. They've judged you, and they like to label you, and they like you to stay with that label for ever. You've been allocated a place in their society  and that's where they want you to stay.

Again Random House have delivered another Young Adult literary gem. Rolling Dice might not deal with any obvious issues but Reekles expertly tackles and highlights the daily troubles and turmoils of ordinary teenagers, the issues we have to deal with all the time, not just the one-offs. For this reason I fell in love with Rolling Dice as it doesn't pretend to be anything it's not. It is a simple love story set in a normal high school (in America) with normal problems.


Okay, Reekles employs some artistic license but it wouldn't make for a good story if she didn't! I really related to Madison and Dwight and although I also knew Bryce would turn out to be a douche I liked the opportunity he gave for Reekles to allow Madison to affiliate with the populars. It was a predictable plot with the many expected twists, the leading popular girl becoming really bitchy, the various kisses behind people's backs, the convoluted political social situations of American high school cliques.


However the one thing that really stood out in this novel was Reekles amazing precise sum-ups of teenage life - for instance the quote at the top? Who hasn't felt like they were forced into a mould at school and just weren't allowed to change, any change was ignored and you stayed as the geeky fat kid who lived in the library? When really you had lost weight, started playing volleyball and did drama productions? You just weren't allowed to change. And throughout this novel there would be a paragraph where I would just stop and go 'yeah that's completely right'. And some books need to do that, they have to put what you've felt into words and make it real but also allow you to distance yourself from it and realise it isn't just you, nearly always someone feels or has felt the same way.

'I'll just do what I've been waiting to do all night'.
And then he kisses me.
It's a cheesy line, and I roll my eyes at it - but it almost makes me blush, and I wonder if it's true; if he actually has been waiting all night to kiss me. It's kind of a weird feeling, being kissed. But a good kind of weird. I don't know what I'm doing at all, but I just follow Bryce's lead and press my lips back against his.

I'm giving Rolling Dice a deserved 4 out of 5 and will definitely look out for more of Reekles work. Thank you Random House! Rolling Dice can be purchased on Amazon.co.uk for £5.24 (Paperback) and £4.74 (Kindle).

En Bon Lu
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Endless

*Publishing on the 8th October 2013*


Jenny knows she’s different. After all, she sees the past lives of people she touches. But when Nikolai, the mysterious boy she painted, shows up claiming to be a love from a past life, Jenny is forced to accept that he has traveled through time to find her. Now, Jenny and Nikolai must fight against the Order, an ominous organization tasked with keeping people in the correct time. The Order is determined to send Nikolai back. And fighting them could tear Jenny and Nikolai apart -- this time for eternity.

Endless is a timeless classic by debut author Amanda Gray. Gray's romantic writing rivals that of Alyson Noels, Lauren Kate and Richelle Mead. It follows Jenny as her life becomes more chaotic and disrupted by the appearance of two boys; both she seems to already know and both seem to carry hidden dangers as her soul recognizes and associates them with distressing and horrific memories.

Exploring the idea of reincarnation and time travel Gray instills a new breath of life into the over used idea of soul mates. Her writing is tinged with a bitter-sweetness that prevents the novel from becoming too light, instead creating a story about love and the darkness it has to attempt to conquer if it is ever to come to true fruition. 

Gray span a complicated love triangle between Jenny, Nikolai and Ben, always leaving the reader doubting whether Jenny would be completely dedicated to her soul mate, and wondering if it was possible for another to replace her soul mate. It wasn't a predictable story and it finished on such that I am anxious to read the second book.  The cover art captures the haunting theme of the love story and it is definitely a series to watch.


A 4 out of 5 for this debut novel which is published by Month9Books and can be purchased from Amazon.co.uk for £6.50 (paperback).

En Bon Lu
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Wild Cards

Read the Perfect Chemistry trilogy? If that's a no, get out there and buy them. These books are pure romantic chocolate gold, they melt on your tongue, leave a warm feeling coursing through your body, they are the ultimate YA contemporary romance books.

Ashtyn wants to prove that she can lead her school’s American football team to the championships, but this might mean losing her boyfriend, the team’s star player. Things get complicated when her older sister walks back into her life after ten years – with a gorgeous stepson in tow. 

The last thing Ashtyn needs is to be distracted by Derek’s sexy drawl and perfect body. It looks like her life is going off track. Ashtyn has to get a game plan and fast. It means trusting Derek – someone born to break the rules. Will she put her heart on the line to try and win it all, or will Derek be just too hot to handle?


Elkeles is a master story teller, they may not be challenging reads, they may be predictable, but it doesn't matter: they are indulgent and sometimes we need a break. Wild Cards is guaranteed to deliver that break. We all love to read about someone struggling to prove herself, with all the odds against her, while that one arrogant drop-dead gorgeous player who in real life wouldn't fall for any girl, falls for her. Of course there are the various trials and tribulations, the tentative trust forming to be thrown back in the girls face, or the turmoil the boy faces of showing any feelings at all. 

I can't put it any simpler it was a thrill to read and was as good as the Perfect Chemistry books and I'll definitely re-read it on a rainy day where I need some warmth.

Wild Card gets a solid 4 out of 5 and can be purchased from Amazon.co.uk for £6.67 (paperback) - not until Jan 2 2014 - or £4.61 (Kindle) - out now - and so worth it. It's published by Bloomsbury Publishing.

En Bon Lu,
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Daughter Of Camelot

Daughter of Camelot by Glynis Cooney is the first book in the Empire of Shadows series. I was immediately tempted by The DoC when I saw it was based in the time of Arthur and Merlin, a time which allows magic, bravery, courage, honour, battles, love, and fantasy to roll into one: providing a breathtaking backdrop for any novel.

Cooney delivers; her world is well developed with various forts and courts all differing slightly or greatly, but still with the same underlying themes of deceit, intrigue and politics. Her characters vary from false greedy men seeking power, to pure noble true men (often whose appearances would lead someone to believe they were the former), from brave characters desperate to prove themselves to cowardly sinister characters stabbing the most honorable in the back, disregarding the true values of the Knights Of Camelot and of Arthur's Court.

Although on occasion the grammar was poor or parts badly phrased, this did not subtract from the novels overall brilliance and Cooney weaves a world of power, that is still imprinted on my brain, thrumming to the beat of time running out and armies marching. The plot itself follows Deirde, who thirsty for adventure, is determined to defy Fate and safe the King from those plotting against him. Cooney employs artistic license to change the legend of King Arthur to suit her story's needs but there was little indignation on my part, at least, when the story took a detour from the original legend as Cooney knits a story that stands both beside and aside the legend; in its own way it is a unique story but parts still ring true to the famous saga.

Any one brave enough to tackle such a well-known legend deserves applauded but Cooney deserves special acclaim for this novel that bolsters and adds to the already glorious fable. Also as it doesn't directly follow King Arthur but instead some-one in his various courts it doesn't feel too familiar.

The Daughters of Camelot receives 4 out of 5 and I eagerly await the next book in the Empire of Shadows. It is published by Mabon Publishing and can be purchased at Amazon.co.uk for £3.59 (Kindle).

En Bon Lu.
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Popping The Cherry

 So basically this story revolves around the degrading of sex to a meaningless act - an act that if you haven't ever performed it - you're a virgin - it means you're uncool, abnormal, frigid.

Popping the Cherry exaggerated normal life in order to portray how the world is based on images and how people present themselves, and how people perceive something as the way to do it and feel if they don't do it that way they're a total failure.

You only get one first time… From driving tests to relationships, Valentina Bell thinks she’s a failure, with a big fat capital F. At this rate, she’s certain she’ll be a virgin forever. So Lena’s friends plan Operation: Popping the Cherry to help her find the perfect first time. Yet somehow disastrous dates with bad boy musicians and fabulous evenings with secretly in-the-closet guys aren’t quite working out how Lena planned. Soon Lena’s avoiding Operation: Popping the Cherry to spend time with comforting, aloof Jake, her best friend’s older brother ,who doesn’t make her feel self-conscious about still clinging to her V card. But could Jake show Lena that sometimes what you’re looking for most is right by your side? A Forever for the 21st Century.

Although there was occasionally grammatical issues and the odd weird story twist Rowl's novel came together pretty well and made for an easy stimulating read. It isn't like the storyline implies - all about sex - but instead about relationships, drama, expectations, a bit of sex, and well, highschool and the bitchiness it entails!

The characters were well developed - I loved Nathan, the gay best friend - and Jake the love interest was suitably saucy and sultry. Although there were a few awkward 'romance' scenes where it failed to deliver real chemistry Popping the Cherry portrayed high school bullying at its worst and also examined the results of peer pressure and how standing up to people can often make for the best result even if it's the most difficult option.

All in All it is an excellent debut novel from Rowl and I will look forward to her other books. It was an extremely decent length with multiple sub-plots and created a whole micro-life for the characters. It gets a well deserved 4 out of 5 and I'll undoubtedly read it again. It is published by Harlequin (UK) limited and can be purchased from Amazon.co.uk for £3.29 (Kindle) and will keep you occupied for a good wee while!

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Parallel

Parallel by Lauren Miller was a original read following Abby Barnes as she discovers the power of choice and the cosmic effects it can have on everything we know and do.

Your path will change. Your destiny doesn't.

Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She'd go to a great university, study journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice - deciding to take a drama class in her senior year of high school - changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she's in a room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. 

Overnight, it's as if her life has been rewritten.

With the help of  Caitlin, her science phenom BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality - an Ivy League address, a place on the crew team, a birthday blind date with a cute lacrosse player - is the result of  a cosmic collision of parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her life. And not only that: Abby's life changes every time her parallel self makes a new choice. As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence, forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn't choose, Abby must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that's finally within reach.

Parallel was just the book for me, as someone who likes to plan their whole life, who likes to know when and where something is happening, I could relate 100% to Abby. I sometimes think maybe people like me do need a cosmic shift in their life so we can realise what is important - what is right in front of us or what we want to be there. It addresses the important issue of the power of choice and explored that question teenagers kill themselves over - what if I'd done that differently, where would I be now? Would it be better? 

And Miller really puts across the point that we can make the best out of whatever path we take: wherever we chose it; stumbled across it; or got flung from the high flying speeding motorway onto it.

I enjoyed the way Miller made Parallel about Abby Barnes - there weren't any bad guys out to get her, nothing we were running from, it was just Abby, her choices and her life. Also the bonus of having two lives is we get two brilliant stories in one book! I would quite happily have followed either Abby on their lives as they both made for good YA fluffy reads.

There wasn't any one part of Parallel that was WOW! but it was overall a good read and I enjoyed the focus on Abby, her lives, her boyfriends (ooh there was some brilliant romance - very gripping, believable and utterly cheerworthy!)..... I will go back and read Parallel again, undoubtedly pick something up I'd missed and will enjoy it as much as before. It gets a decent 4 out of 5 and can be purchased from Amazon.co.uk for £5.75 (paperback) or £5.46 (kindle). It's published by Scholastic and is Miller's debut novel, and a remarkably well put together one for a first novel!

En Bon Lu!

Kite Spirit

Kite Spirit by Sita Brahmachari followed Kite as her world falls apart when her best friend commits suicide.

During the summer of her GCSEs Kite's world falls apart. Her best friend, Dawn, commits suicide after a long struggle with feeling under pressure to achieve. Kite's dad takes her to the Lake District, to give her time and space to grieve. In London Kite is a confident girl, at home in the noisy, bustling city, but in the countryside she feels vulnerable and disorientated. Kite senses Dawn's spirit around her and is consumed by powerful, confusing emotions - anger, guilt, sadness and frustration, all of which are locked inside. It's not until she meets local boy, Garth, that Kite begins to open up - talking to a stranger is easier somehow. Kite deeply misses her friend and would do anything to speak to Dawn just once more, to understand why . . . Otherwise how can she ever say goodbye? A potent story about grief, friendship, acceptance and making your heart whole again.

Kite Spirit was an addictive story with a poignant plot. Brahmachari weaves a touching plot following Kite's plummet from a confident teenager to a withdrawn confused vulnerable girl and then the slow halting return to her original self. It was a story that I could relate to in certain aspects as will other readers. A huge part of the novel was Kite's confusion over why Dawn committed suicide, she didn't appear any different, just one day she was gone, no warning, nothing. It's similar, though more extreme, to discovering something serious your friend has been hiding and holding on to, and you can't imagine how she managed to keep it from you, and you worry why she didn't feel she could come to you. Kite Spirit helps reinforce the fact that sometimes there's nothing you can do, people have to make the decision to come to you, and sometimes people just feel they can't share that thing with anyone.

It was written in a similar easy access way to Finding Cherokee Brown and it means that it can be read by all ages which is good as issues like this need to be accessible to everyone. Suicide is a big issue that is often avoided or skirted around as it is considered immoral, wrong and shouldn't be discussed. However personally I believe that addressing issues can help people cope with these issues and help others through it. Sometimes it is the people left behind who need to be helped, thought about and given sympathy, rather than the people who have gone. Kite Spirit reminds you life keeps going even though it feels like it has ground to a shuddering stop.

I loved how Brahmachari chose to create a stranger for Kite to confide in, and help her untangle her emotions as I think it reflects the real-life need to talk to people who are removed from the bad situation as it helps people talk through their problems and helps give an honest detached opinion which can then help the person move on.

Kite Spirit receives a deserved 4 out of 5 and only did not receive higher as it was a little fluffy. It is published by PanMacMillan  Children Books and can be purchased from Amazon.co.uk for £5.03.

En Bon Lu!
Tabby
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Spark

Spark by Amy Kathleen Ryan. First let me start of by saying I only found out today Spark was the second book in the Sky Chasers series. I had no idea, not even when I was reading the book, though looking back it kinda makes sense. However Ryan did a fabulous job of updating the reader on what had happened previously and why certain situations had evolved.

Spark is an original unique story which combines Sci-fi with romance and I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would! To begin with I was worried I wouldn't like this bizarre society Ryan had created where kids were in charge, the only adults on board a freaking spaceship were deluded or incapacitated, and the kids were chasing after another more powerful spaceship to find their parents. It was a little Lord of the Flies at some points with the kids all turning on each other, and Ryan managed to make me forget they were kids, especially with some of their cruel acts, like drawing graffiti of the main character Waverly doling out sexual favours. Ryan created quite a complex backstory with a big plot involving the two spaceships, previously sister fleets, as the spaceships are looking for a Utopia basically and so a lot of backstabbing and sabotaging went on between the ships in order to reduce the competition when they arrived at the new 'Earth'. Spark picks up from where the first novel Glow seems to have left of with the female kids returning to the Empryean after escaping from the New Horizon, where their eggs in their ovaries had been stolen from them. Yep told you it was a complex story!

The novel is told from three viewpoints (the three main characters) Waverly, Seth and Kieran.

Waverly
Waverly was the leader of the escaped teenage girls and returned the majority of the girls to the Empryean. However as she had failed to save the parents who were locked on the New Horizon  a lot of the Empryean kids resented her and were horrific to her during the novel. I really liked how Ryan didn't let Waverly just miraculously get over her ovary ordeal. Waverly was scarred mentally as were the other girls and this really added to a lot of the interactions and events that developed in the novel. Waverly was a strong character however at times you could get quite exasperated with her as everything became harder than it should have been as she struggled to turn the Empryean into a democracy rather than an autocracy and kept ending up being almost as bossy as Kieran despite the fact she was trying to restore democracy! Ryan kept the theme of disunity and division between the Empryean kids going through out the novel which could become quite tiresome as you struggled to catch up with the latest developments of side picking. However I enjoyed Waverly and I especially liked the animosity Ryan developed between Kieran and Waverly as well as the budding agressive romantic relationship between Waverly and Seth. Ryan had a good knack for developing relationships fully and adding new events to further consolidate the feelings between characters she was generating.

Seth
Seth was a strong well developed character with plenty of depth and sad pasts. It annoyed me a little that Ryan took so long to develop Seth and Waverly's relationship as you knew it was going to happen and she kept drawing it out whereas I think I would have liked Waverly to have had Seth there for her without Waverly having to tip toe around the question of whether Seth liked her etc. I suppose what with Seth being in hiding from Kieran a lot of the time it was quite difficult! I disliked Seth being blamed for everything by the kids, he acted as something as a scapegoat and occasionally it felt like Ryan chose him just so she could fob the blame off quickly and easily without having to introduce another character who could possibly be blamed. Again I would have liked their (Waverly and Seth's) relationship to have been a bigger feature in the novel.

Kieran
Imagine a boy with a teenage 'I'm always right' attitude combined with a conviction that it is his duty to lead and control the ship and you make Kieran. Ryan has really portrayed him as the bad guy in this novel, though she does sometimes give him a break by delving into the bloody past between the Empryean and the New Horizon which explains some of his actions and makes him realise when he's going wrong. However I did feel sorry for Kieran as he was one of those characters whose every action was motivated by a desire to do well and do right and he was basically trying to live up to the previous captains image. This turned out to be not a good rolemodel though! Also poor Kieran got his heartbroken when his beloved Waverly returned from the Empryean and accused him of being a dictator and refused to give him support. What was great about this novel was there were so many angles that you could view the characters from and it meant at different points in the novel you empathised with different characters.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I would give it a 4 out of 5 as I would like to re read it and try to glean more information from the backstory and I think I will purchase Glow as well as the third book in the series if there is one! It is published by PanMacmillan children's books and can be purchased from Amazon.co.uk for £5.24 or cheaper from other sellers.

En Bon Lu
Tabby x
Also on Goodreads under the name Smithjamest

Infinite Days

I didn't look a day over sixteen, yet - if someone had calculated - on that particular day I'd officially turned 592.....

Straightaway Rebecca Maizel's 'Infinite Days'  seductively grabs the reader pulling them into a story where obviously the main feature is vampires. However what I really enjoyed about this novel is that Maizel never tries to portray the main character Lenah as a good vampire. She's not. And that's the whole point. Lenah was one of the most bloodthirsty, one of the eldest, vampires in vampire history. However she changed. Back into a human. I really liked Maizel's subtle suggestion that humans are better than vampires. Or at least have the potential to be.  Basically it was so nice to read a novel where being a vampire isn't romanticised and the whole plot doesn't revolve around how these particular vampires are better than others (Ahem Twilight). Although the main story does follow Lenah's 'transformation' it was more about Lenah getting back to her human roots and really 'rehabilitating' herself as a human girl.   However Maizel never lets Lenah forget her past, things don't magically change, Lenah doesn't magically forget the thousands of people she's killed. She can't shed that just because she's become a human.

However just so I don't shoot myself in the foot if you do come to read the novel. Maizel does have vampires that are nicer, well nicer is the wrong word - more humane springs to mind, than the average vampire. But these characteristics only tend to show when these vampires are interacting with Lenah as a human. Other humans are still definitely on the menu.

Lenah

Ever the typical female heroine, main character Lenah is strong, confident and determined. However this is because she has kept hold of her characteristics from when she was vampire Queen Lenah. She's used to kicking ass and she'll keep doing so, even as a human. However Maizel slowly strips back Lenah's character exposing the unsure, shy, guilty girl underneath. Lenah's past haunts her and for me, this was a major theme throughout the novel, as Lenah attempted to override all her fading vampire instincts and try to fall back into her human roots. There were times the reader could feel a little exasperated with her incompetency and ignorance in certain normal social American high  school occasions. But Maizel keeps emphasising Lenah's nervousness and confusion in these situations and really makes you empathise with her through some powerful well scripted personal narrative. Although Lenah's transformation back into a human results in her losing the one person she cared about, Rhodes, she vows to make the most of his final gift to her and truly experience and regain her humanity.

'You were Rhode's brightest day'.

Rhode

He created the monster that Lenah became by being the one responsible for turning her. He now regrets it having borne witness to her spiralling descent into madness and depravity and cruelty. He watches her change from the innocent country farm girl into a seasoned killing machine, and decides to fix his mess. He performs an ancient ritual which results in him sacrificing himself in order to give Lenah a chance to be human. Rhodes doesn't feature a great amount in this novel but in the flashbacks Maziel creates to give Lenah's character depth the reader grows fond of this one person they only see in the past, who wasn't afraid to tell Lenah that she was going insane, going crazy through her acts of cruelty. They recognise Rhodes as both her salvation but also her doom.

Justin (& Vicken)

The new love interest of Lenah, Justin's the typical popular rich American teenager who falls for the new cute girl. Maizel does manage, however, to develop his character and give him some depth creating a sensitive lad scared of rejection, and very worried as, for the first time in his slightly spoilt life, he's experiencing falling in love. What I found quite interesting with the love aspect of this novel was that Maizel didn't allow Lenah to fall completely and utterly for one person, Maizel developed three separate love tangents, Rhode, Justin and Vicken (who doesn't feature much till the end but is present in various flashbacks - he's basically a sexy dangerous vampire replacement to Rhode for Lenah). Lenah loves them all on different levels and Maizel really exploits this and creates an intricate love net, which I loved following!

To Conclude: Infinite Days was a very enjoyable read which brought a bit of fresh breath to the omnipresent vampire genre that constitutes a huge percentage of YA novels today. The plot follows Lenah as she tries to shed her life as a vampire and become a human girl again and I really liked it! Maizel has a lyrical way of writing and she painted amazing images and was very vocal with her details and descriptions which made the novel very beautiful even when it dealt with blood and death.

I will give Infinite Days a deserved 4 stars and it can be purchased, recommended!, from Amazon.co.uk for £4.99 and is worth it, especially as it has a very juicy yummy second half! It is published by MacMillan Children's Books.

En Bon Lu!

Tabby

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Shipwrecked

Shipwrecked by Siobhan Curham is darker than her previous two novels, Dear Dylan, and Finding Cherokee Brown. However I think I enjoyed it more. Shipwrecked is what I would look for in a Young Adult novel with equal amounts of sass, adventure, drama, and romance. I like how Curham manages to make sure that there is an equal amount of girl/boy time to girl/friend time. 

Shipwrecked follows a dance crew as they become wrecked on a desert island while they travel to a cruise ship to perform. Curham really develops each individual character, Grace, Belle, Jenna, Cariss, Todd, Ron, Dan, and the Flea. The story is told from Grace's point of view and she's a perfectly flawed teenager, she's real, she's easy to relate to and she's kind and likeable. I really enjoyed following Grace and watching how her relationships changed with the members of the dance crew. I also thought Curham introduced Cruz, the Spanish boat boy, to the crew well (he's shipwrecked with them) and portrays the attraction between Grace and Cruz well.

Something I have to comment on about Curham's writing skill is that she is amazing at dialogue. All the dialogue in Shipwrecked is beautifully written and seems realistic even when the events that are taking place seem far from! Just flicking back through this book in order to remind myself of what I thought I've reminded myself how much I liked it! and how I can't wait for the next in the series!

I'd give Shipwrecked a very high four as Curham has really mastered older YA writing with this book and I I really enjoyed it and plan to re-read it!! Published on the 3rd June, at the moment, you can order it from Amazon.co.uk for £5.59 which is a bargain!

Go for it, Summer treat.

Καλή ανάγνωση (Greek)

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Finding Cherokee Brown

Finding Cherokee Brown by Siobhan Curham is a heartwarming story following Cherokee Brown, or Claire Weeks, as she struggles to find herself.

Curham deals with the emotional theme of bullying something that has most likely affected everyone, it's certainly affected me at one point. Curham manages to craft a young character who is inspiring and easy to relate to. She has managed to weave a story that deals with this difficult issue in a quirky cool way that makes it accessible to all ages.

I really enjoyed watching Cherokee develop as a character and whenever she stood up to her bullies I was silently cheering her on. It was such a sweet story involving Cherokee's reunion with her dad, a little bit of a love interest, a  handful of bullies, a stressed inefficient teacher and a misunderstanding with her mum and stepdad.

Basically Curham has managed to combine the events of teenager life into one small book, to tie it together to end in a nice finish and give us a really nice sweet story.

Despite being perhaps more aimed towards the age group of 10-14 I as a 17 year old really enjoyed it, It was a easy, interesting cute book that I read non-stop in an afternoon. Curham manages to portray the vivid feelings Cherokee experiences throughout the novel and you really feel there.

Published by Electric Monkey, Egmont, it can be purchased from Amazon.co.uk for £5.24, much suggested to buy, even if it's a present for your little cousin that you happen to break in first ;)! I'm going give Finding Cherokee Brown a 4 out of 5 because although I really enjoyed it and it had some real depth it was a little easy and quick to end. I'd re-read it on a rainy day though!

En Bon Lu!
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Midwinterblood

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick is a gothic horror YA novel. Having read Sedgwick's novels before I was expecting a beautifully written, thought provoking novel and I wasn't disappointed. The convoluted but simple story was bitter sweet and addictive.

It would appeal to readers who want something other than the generic YA novel and it is interesting to read a horror novel that is less gore and more spooky goth. It is wonderfully odd and beautifully crafted. (I realise that I keep using beautiful as an adjective but it is just that - Sedgwick has an amazing technique that brings the images he is writing about vividly to mind.)

-They link their fingers, intertwine them as they twist, already half-crazed by the music, half-crazed by their fear. Emotions streak across their faces; terror and ecstasy mingle on their lips, shine wildly in their eyes-

To be brutally honest I didn't think the book had an overall plot line, other than Eric and Merle were bound by a everlasting love that would be reborn seven times, however when I think about it in terms of enjoyment and author's skill it really didn't matter. The seven individual love stories are beautifully (again!) written, each reincarnation of Eric and Merle strikingly original but still similar. I loved how Sedgwick teased the meaning of love, the seven stories featured different kinds of love, from the love of a brother and sister, to the love of forbidden lovers. To give away any more details on the seven stories would ruin the pleasure readers will gain from discovering and reading them themselves. I am certain that Midwinterblood is a novel in which each reader would take something different from, a favourite story or a favourite description. I am also convinced that it would be mightily difficult for any reader to not appreciate and fall in love with Sedgwick's lyrical simple writing style as well as his breathtaking love story. I read a review on Midwinterblood where the reviewer described reading this novel in 'a single feverish sitting, late one evening, and drifted to sleep haunted by its vision of love and fate and history'(Guardian). I think the use of feverish describes how I read this book, I was desperate to read each different love story, as I've said discerning which type of love Sedgwick was portraying in each story was part of what I loved about it.

The seven stories go back in time and the first story which is finished in the epilogue resembles the sacrificial story of the Wicker Man, and is told in the same passionate bizarre manner.

Midwinterblood is one of those novels you are left feeling slightly shell shocked after; you feel that in order to be able to really describe the novel you would need to re-read and re-read it. And as I feel I am going to have to do the same (re-read and re-read) I will give Midwinterblood a 4 out of 5. It is a credit to Sedgwicks already amazing collection of books and is published by Indigo, a division of Orion House.

You can purchase Midwinterblood from Amazon.co.uk for £5.24 and if you want your literary senses blown I strongly suggest investing in it!

Viel Spaß beim Lesen (hopefully that's German for Good Reading!)

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Echo

Echo by Alyson Noel is the second book in the Soul Seekers series and follows Daire as her and Dace try to face the Richters (Coyotes) and stop their evil from spreading.
Personally, I enjoyed Echo more than Fated as, because all the characters had been introduced in Fated, Noel was able to develop them further resulting in more 'airtime' on Daire's interactions with Xotichl and Lita for example.

Echo was split between Daire and Dace this time as Cade manages to prevent them from seeing each other by implying their love feeds his evil power.....

Noel continues to weave her own magick in this story as she did in the first and I enjoyed the continuation of the plot, Daire's own magick's power increased in this novel as she continued along the path of her ancestors guided by her grandmother Paloma and Paloma's sort of boyfriend Chay. Have a look at my review of Fated for some character information but I'll put one in here for Lita who didn't feature much in Fated.

Lita
Lita was bit of a biatch towards Daire in the first book but by Echo she's integrated herself into Daire's crowd and cares about her fiercely.... Constantly reminding Dace that he better treat her right! She's good fun and sarcastic and a bit bitchy but a good friend!

I loved Echo and it's a great addition to the Soul Seeker series and I can't wait to read the Mystic the next in the series! July's too long to wait! Echo gets another 4 and Dace is going to be swimming in my dreams the night! You can get Echo of Amazon.co.uk for £5.03.... (strongly recommended! I can't put it much clearer!)

En Bon Lu!.....(you know, it's just occurred to me that that's probably not the proper French.... ach well it's Scottie style ;)

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Strange Angels

The Strange Angel series by Lili St. Crow were pretty darn amazing. There were 5 books in the series and each one was a decent length adding something to the story as well as giving you more book time with your favourite characters.... and they will be your favourites after the first 30 pages of book 1.

The SA series follows Dru Anderson, a Night hunter, as she copes with various things, the loss of her family, the discovery of her true identity, two boys vying for her affection, for all you paranormal, romantic readers - this book brings it all! If you like Twilight, The Vampire Academy, House of Night, Wolves of Mercy Falls then you'll like Strange Angels.

For me there were three important characters....

Dru
Dru is strong, passionate, big on rights and wrongs, compassionate and really great fun to follow. Her voice is funny, dry and sarcastic bringing a bit of light to serious situations that she finds herself in.... which she does a lot! She ends up with two sexy boys fighting over her and she has to find ways of keeping them both happy without leading them on too much!

Graves
Dru meets Graves after her father's death and Graves becomes Dru's rock. He's strong and loves Dru, prepared to do everything and anything to keep her safe.... not always something she appreciates but I like it! Graves competes with Christophe for Dru's affections and doesn't necessarily win or lose......

Christophe
A dhjampir Christophe has commited himself to protecting Dru from everything that tries to help her, while managing to make her feel included and independant. Christophe provides a connection to Dru's mother and really, I find him pretty fit though in the book he hasn't eyes for anyone bar Dru, darn! I'll settle for Graves!!

Strange Angels is set in modern time in America and follows the idea I love, that there are paranormal things around us we just don't pay attention to it! I like that idea! I really enjoyed the series and the 5 books was just enough to bring the story to a dramatic sexy close! The only thing I didn't like about the ending was that there wasn't really any conclusion on the love relationship side.... you don't know who Dru chooses in the end and I like to know for sure!

Strange Angels is published by Barnes & Nobles and most of the books can be bought from Amazon.co.uk for around £5.24 or for as little as 2 - 5 pence if you buy from some of the other sellers! I really suggest at least getting the first book just to try it - you really won't regret it and I promise they're amazing! I'd give the whole series a 4 out of 5.

Buy! Buy! Buy!

Good Reading!
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The Repossession

Let me put it out there first before I start this review...... I am more than a little scarred from reading this book in a good thrilling sort of way. Let me sum it up in the three words.... epic, scary and amazing!

The Repossession by Sam Hawksmoor is a scientific romantic thriller that follows Genie Magee and Rian as they struggle to escape a Institution that seems to be stealing kids..

'34 kids are missing. Vanished without trace. They never write, they never call. Parents are frantic.

Six weeks, four days and sixteen hours and twenty minutes since the bedroom door locked on Genie Magee. She's possessed, says her mother. The Devil wants her for his bride.
All Genie's hope, all her life and her soul, are pinned on beautiful Rian. Rian loves her. He'll rescue her from this madness. Won't he? 'You're next,' the face on the wall tells her. By morning, Genie realises, she'll be missing too.
The Repossession is just the beginning.'

Yeah, I was freaked out too. I almost didn't want to read it, but my curiosity and book loving nature got ahead of me. And it was flipping fantastic. I mean there was a few things I didn't like, such as Hawksmoor tendency to write in a hesitant sort of manner, but the story and the characters are amazing.

My heart was in my mouth, all the way through this book. One minute it would slowly sink down relaxing before having to jump back up in anticipation or trepidation for the characters and what was about to happen next. It was quite exhausting emotionally! It wasn't so much that it was action-packed more that a lot happened in it, not necessarily fighting and action-packy stuff, just events and twists and surprises. It's great to have a novel for Young Adults that stretched your mind and that you had to pay attention to. If you want a fluffy light read the Repossession's not for you, and for that I pity you...... it's a unmissable book!

Genie & Rian
Seriously they're a couple to rival all other couples. They are so dedicated to each other, mature and loyal. Sometimes too much devotion from the couple to each other can get a bit heavy on the reader but Hawksmoor sets it right. Yeah they're in love, but they're also each others' best friend and each others' rock.
They're both really credible teenagers and I think Hawksmoor has managed to create two solid characters who the reader can learn to love and rely on to guide them through the novel.

There are a lot of minor characters who all help to anchor the novel and the plot. Each different character bring something else to the novel, be it evil or good, but there are far too many of them to list! I'll just assure you they're all really well crafted and you can relate to them all. You'll start to care for them.... which can be a bad thing in this novel... things happen to those you care about... I warn you.

Seriously though, I loved the Repossession, it was a breath of fresh air for Young Adults and gave me some real food for thought. It starts to make you wonder where kids do vanish to. Is there something sinister behind most of the cases? After reading this novel, you'll think there is.

The Repossession gets a not shabby 4 out of 5 from me, and I really really can't wait to read the Hunting. You can buy it from Amazon.co.uk for £5.24 and it'll be the best fiver (and 24 pence) that you'll spend in a long time. It's published by Hodder Childrens Books, an imprint of Hachette's UK, and I commend Sam Hawksmoor on a brilliant piece of writing!

Good Reading
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Fated

Fated by Alyson Noel is about a 16 year old girl, Daire, who is a Seeker though she doesn't know that yet..... instead she thinks she's going crazy. Noel weaves a world where magick's real, and people just are unaware of it, wrapped up in their own world, and where Seekers are working to prevent the Coyotes (the evil magick practisers - always need baddies!), from wreaking havoc on our world. I found it really credible and I prefer it when fantasy novels emphasise that the only reason we don't know about these magick things is because we don't want to notice them. Another series (Strange Angels) does the same thing and I really prefer it and like it...... though I would love to be able to notice the magick in the air - must not be going around it the right way!!
And, thankfully, there's the love interest, Dace Whitefeather.... and he is scrumptious....

Strange things have been happening to Daire Santos. Animals follow her, crows mock her, glowing people appear from nowhere. Worried that Daire's having a breakdown, her mother sends her to stay with the grandmother she's never met, who lives on the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico.There Daire crosses paths with Dace, a gorgeous guy with unearthly blue eyes. Her grandmother recognizes Daire's episodes for what they are - a call to her true destiny as a Soul Seeker, a person who can navigate between the living and the dead. Guided by her grandmother, Daire must be quick to learn how to harness her powers, because Dace's brother is an evil shape-shifter, out to steal them. Daire must embrace her fate as a Soul Seeker and discover whether Dace is the guy she's meant to be with . . . or if he's allied with the enemy she's destined to destroy.


Daire
She's plucky, brave, exotic, and funny (with a sarcastic dry humour) Love her! She's good fun to follow, you  care for her, and you want her to succeed. There are bits in the novel where she's a bit of a martyr 'should I go with Dace or is that going against my families ancestral rules' kinda thing, but nevertheless she's a really good lead character to follow.

Dace .... & Cade
The goodest and evillest souls around, literally. His twin brother Cade is the evil half, he's the good, go figure who Daire choose... They're both fit, but while Dace is warm and friendly, Cade is cold and aloof. I would have liked more a love triangle between them and Daire but I suppose, in some books that can be really annoying as you're shouting at the girl 'What the hell you going with him for? The other one's good and just as fit'!..... Yeah I analyse the Love relationships a bit too much sometimes, Jealously makes a girl green!

Paloma
Paloma's Daire's gran. She knows all about what Daire's going through and convinces Daire's mum that she can 'save' her saving Daire another trip to a mental hospital. She guides Daire through her Seeker training and helps her follow her heart as well as her head.

Xotichl (and it's pronounced So-cheee)
Although Xotichl is blind she can see energies which allow her to see the world and people clearly, usually more so than people with vision! She befriends Daire and helps to keep her grounded, sane and a teenager.... Daire's weight on her shoulders could turn her into an adult before you could say Snap!

Noel gets the necessary rivalries, relationships, humour and background into the novel in order to construct a intriguing addictive first book that leaves you craving more! I loved the incorporation of old legends and the animal spirit guides..... (I admit it, I took the quiz, I'm a wolf..... grrr) and how the Seekers began to seem plausible and real.

I would give this book 4 out of 5... I'm not being generous it really was that good and it's made me desperate to read the rest of them! I love how it's not ridiculously fluffy as some YA series can be!

You can get Fated from Amazon.co.uk for £4.61, it's definetly one to get....buy it or borrow it, just read it!
Fated is published by MacMillan books and again, I can't stress this enough, it's sooooo good! Buy it!

En Bon Lu
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The Gallagher Academy series

The Gallagher Academy series by Ally Carter follows four girls, Cammie, Bex, Liz and Macey, as they learn to become spies and cope with some pretty nasty men who, well, are out to kill them. Of course we need the love interest and Cammie manages to grab that aspect of the novel with the three other girls helping her like only best friends can!

Below is the blurb for ‘I’d tell you I love you but then I’d have to kill you’ the first book in the Gallagher series, where it all kicks off.

‘Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses – but it’s really a school for spies. Cammie Morgan is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti). But the one thing the Gallagher Academy hasn’t prepared her for is what to do when she falls for an ordinary boy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl.         Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through a mall without his ever being the wiser, but can Cammie have a normal relationship with a boy who can never know the truth about her….’

Carter weaves a novel with extremely realistic characters that readers can relate to and fall in love with. One book reviewer said ‘If ever there were a new series chock full of characters to make Harry, Ron, Hermione et al look like wimps, then this is it.’Not that any series can make Harry, Ron and Hermione look like wimps because they are the BOMB but you get the drift that this spy girl series is pretty darn good.

Yeah the writing’s pretty simple so anyone above 12/13 can read it, enjoy it and understand it but even as a 16 year old there are still bits in it for you. What I’m trying to say is that it’s a kick-ass book that manages to spread itself a wide age range!
I really enjoyed reading about Cammie as she’s a plucky teenager with next to no experience with guys and really, is pretty freaked out by them (something we can all emphasise with at some point in our lives!) There’s zilch of the paranormal in here so for some of you, that’ll be a big bonus and for those of us (you) who do like paranormal a bit too much, take  a break, read something that’s just as good as Twilight or Halo or Nightshade, it just doesn’t have the fangs and the blood-suckers or the howlers…….. Though it does have plenty of knives, blood and bruises!
As the series progresses and the plot becomes more complex and intricate you can still rely on Macey to comment sarcastically or Bex to irrationally drop-kick something before she can – in other words they stay the same loveable awe-strucking characters they were in the first book even though the atmosphere around them is slowly  darkening and getting more dangerous.

On the whole the series are good fun to read, a good present for a friend or something to keep you ticking over the holidays – they’re pretty addictive and I promise you’d enjoy them!

The Gallagher Girls series is published by Hachette UK and can be acquired from Amazon.co.uk from between £3.29 and £5.24. As a series they get a 4 out of 5 from me and I suggest you get the first one to start you off soon!
En Bon Lu!
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