Darkmere by Helen Maslin

Synopsis (From Goodreads) 

Pages: 368

Publisher: Chicken House

Released: 6th August 2015

A castle. A curse. A dangerous summer. Leo has invited Kate and a few friends to spend the summer at his inheritance, Darkmere Castle: as wild and remote as it is beautiful. Kate thinks it will be the perfect place for her and Leo to get together - but instead, she's drawn into the dark story of a young nineteenth-century bride who haunts the tunnels and towers of the house. And whose curse now hangs over them all. 

What I Have to Say 

I love the combinations of this book, the teenagers going to stay in the castle (well technically not a castle) for a fun holiday, the creepy dark nights and the story of Eleanor, the original mistress of Darkmere interwoven throughout the story. 

A lot of my favourite parts were the ones with Eleanor. I like that period of history and the female side of things a lot, I mean who doesn't like a period drama? Also the relationship between Eleanor and St. Cloud was really interesting and had a wonderful Brontë-esque feel to it. 

I also loved the way it could transition so quickly between the fun, happy teenagers-on-the-beach scenes into the creepy haunted castle scenes.  It always felt very smooth even though they are such different types of scenes and atmosphere. 

This is an essential book for people who like dark, creepy gothic books. 

Guest Post: Melissa Brown's Top Five books about Death and the Afterlife: Includes Giveaway

  

Melissa Brown is an American author that lives in Norwich, England. She is a teacher in ICT skills, English and creative writing. In 2014, she was shortlisted for the IdeasTap Inspires: Writers' Centre Norwich Writing Competition and longlisted for the Nottingham Writers' Club's inaugural National Short Story Competition. She was also a featured poet at the Norwich: City of Stories launch event, where she did a live reading of the poem 'The Library.' She enjoys films, books, comics, fangirling and subscription boxes. She blames her love of the written word on her hometown library and fanfiction. 

She lives with her partner, Kris, and her awesome cat, Hailey. 

 

 

 Melissa's Top Five Books About Death/ The Afterlife

 1. Warm Bodies/ The New Hunger by Isaac Marion

'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... 

2. Undead and Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson

It'a been a helluva week for Betsy Taylor. First, she loses her job. Then, to top things off, she's killed in a car accident. But what really bites (besides waking up in the morgue dressed in a pink suit and cheap shoes courtesy of her stepmother) is that she can't seem to stay dead. Every night she rises with a horrible craving for blood. She's not taking too well to a liquid diet.

 Worst of all, her new friends have the ridiculous idea that Betsy is the prophesied vampire queen, and they want her help in overthrowing the most obnoxious, power-hungry vampire in five centuries - a badly dressed Bela Lugosi wannabe, natch. Frankly, Betsy couldn't care less about vamp politics, but they have a powerful weapon of persuasion: designer shoes. How can any self-respecting girl say no? But a collection of Ferragamos isn't the only temptation for Betsy. It's just a lot safer than the scrumptious Sinclair - a seductive bloodsucker whose sexy gaze seems as dangerous as a stake through the heart... 

3.  Z-Chronicles - Girl, Running by Kris Holt (short stories) 

 Z. Among the most monstrous creations of our imaginations, the zombie terrifies with its capacity to pursue its prey unrelentingly, to run it down, exhaust it to surrender.

 In this title in the acclaimed Future Chronicles series of speculative fiction anthologies, fourteen authors confront that nightmare, that horrific mirror of ourselves turned base, soulless, and hungry. 

4. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris 

Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much. Not because she's not pretty. She is. It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of "disability." She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill. He's tall, dark, handsome - and Sookie can't 'hear' a word he's thinking. He's exactly the kind of guy she's been waiting for all her life.

 But Bill has a disability of his own: He's a vampire. Worse than that, hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, with a reputation for trouble - of the murderous kind. 

 And when one of Sookie's colleagues is killed, she begins to fear she'll be next ... 

 5. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own. Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. 

There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family . . .

TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY

There is also a tour-wide giveaway!

The prizes are:

5 necklaces inspired by Becoming Death

2 copies of Becoming Death

This giveaway is open to UK participants ONLY.

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The Monkey's Secret by Gennifer Choldenko

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 249

Publisher: 6th of August 2015 

Released: Hot Key Books 

A segregated town, a hidden boy, a courageous girl - and a mystery in desperate need of solving.

San Francisco, 1900. Thirteen-year-old Lizzy Kennedy is not like the other girls in her town. She'd much rather be helping her doctor father with his patients than be stuck in frilly dresses and learn how to dance - but unfortunately for her, society (and her Aunt Hortense) has other ideas about what is 'proper' for a young lady. This includes not poking your nose in other's people's business - but then Jing, their beloved housekeeper, gets stuck in the Chinatown quarantine. Fear rules San Francisco - fear of the Chinese, and mostly fear of the plague rumours that circle them. Lizzie knows she has to help Jing, whatever the warnings. But what she doesn't expect to find is a strange boy hiding in Jing's room.

The boy is called Noah. He says he's Jing's son - although Lizzie's never heard of him - and although he's escaped the quarantine, he can't risk leaving the house in case he gets rounded-up too. Lizzie wants to investigate, but it seems her questions only get people riled up. Is there really plague in San Francisco? What have the Chinese got to do with it? Just what or who is the mysterious 'monkey' - and what has his secret got to do with anything? Lizzie will have to use all of her courage, instinct and cleverness to unravel the mystery of the monkey's secret, save Jing, Noah and Chinatown - and maybe even her change her own destiny.

What I Have to Say 

This was a beautiful story about class, race and gender, It worked so well with all the paralleling themes; Lizzy's struggles with her aunt, wanting to be a doctor when society pushes her towards marriage and more "suitable" female pursuits; Noah's similar desire to go to university when his race and class makes it harder and the search for Jung, trying to get him out of Chinatown when the whole place is under quarantine.  

I loved the mystery of everything. There were so many different mysteries  with in the main one of whether or not there is actually plague in Chinatown being very prominent with twists and turns all over the place. 

I liked the friendship between between Noah and Lizzy a lot. It was interesting how they managed the hiding and secrecy with the secret signs and messages they sent. I particularly liked the way they used the cat's collar as a way to deliver messages. 

This is not a traditional mystery, but definitely up there in with the top ones I've read this year. 

Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan and Deborah Biancotti

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 546

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's Books

Released: 24th of September 2015

Ethan aka Scam has a voice inside him that'll say whatever people want to hear, whether it's true or not. Which is handy, except when it isn't - like when the voice starts gabbing in the middle of a bank robbery. The only people who can help are the other Zeroes, who aren't exactly best friends these days.

Enter Nate, aka Bellwether, the group's 'glorious leader.' After Scam's SOS, he pulls the scattered Zeroes back together. But when the rescue blows up in their faces, the Zeroes find themselves propelled into whirlwind encounters with ever more dangerous criminals. At the heart of the chaos they find Kelsie, who can take a crowd in the palm of her hand and tame it or let it loose as she pleases.

What I Have to Say 

Who can resist a superhero book by Scott Westerfeld? I don't know much about the other authors, but their writing blends seamlessly, creating a wonderfully told story from six different perspectives. 

I loved each of the characters in different ways. They all had a distinct and interesting personality to bring to the mix. I think my favourites were Flicker and Anonymous. Flicker because she was so sweet and because of the way her superpower helped a little to compensate for her blindness when other people are around. Anonymous's powers are so sad. His backstory is really tragic. Although the best scenes are where he pops into a scene from nowhere at just the right moment, 

The story worked best because all the characters; their stories and powers all fitted together so well. Mob was separate for a while, but even then she was there. She passed by Scam and was involved so deeply in the story. It shows how well thought out the character were so that they could work so well as a team. 

I can't wait to see how this series develops. 

Becoming Death by Melissa Brown

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 321

Publisher: n/a

Released: 12th of June 2015 

Ever since her father's demise, Madison Clark knew Death had her number. After losing her first job, she is ushered into the cryptic family business. Little does the teenager know her family is hiding a dark secret; they are grim reapers, custodians of souls on their journey to the beyond. Even years of studying comics doesn't prepare Madison for the reality of having a so-called superpower, the ability to kill with just a touch. Madison expects her historic legacy to have benefits beyond immortality but what she doesn't expect is to still be struggling for cash while reaping souls on the side. 

As if being Death's minion wasn't strenuous enough, Madison finds herself back in school with her worst enemy studying the ancient rules, methods and paperwork of her vocation. In a cascade of life changes: her best friend admits he’s in love with her and she starts a new job as a professional mourner, but she can’t help thinking her family might have other secrets. 

Just when things are finally starting to feel normal again Death throws her a curveball: her next victim is someone close to her. Madison must find a way to overcome the strict guidelines of being a grim reaper in order to save their life. 

What I Have To Say 

This book was good as a simple New Adult book. It was good to see a sort of coming of age type story for going out into the adult world, as this is a stage of life that a lot of people are completely unprepared for. It dealt well with the issues surrounding finding work, getting money and generally looking after yourself. This created a lot of the story and it did it really well. 

The grim reaper side of things parallels well with this; New job; going out into a new world; new responsibilities. It works well as a story and I liked the technical side of the reaper business with the app that they use, but I felt it wasn't well built enough. I feel that the system that the grim reaper business had was a really good start but I wish we could have seen more of it. 

All in all, I think it should have been longer. It could have been improved a lot by taking more time to set up the details of the business more as well as the relationship. 

3.5 stars

Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 256

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release: July 1st 2015

A teenage girl will soon discover, there are some things which burn even brighter than fire.

Iris’s father Ernest is at the end of his life.

Her best friend Thurston seems like a distant memory to her.

Her mother has declared war. She means to get her hands on Ernest’s priceless art collection so that she can afford to live the high life.

But Ernest has other ideas. 

There are things he wants Iris to know. Things he can tell her and things that must wait till he’s gone.

What she does after that is up to her

What I Have to Say 

This book was interesting. It took me a while to get into it and it hasn't left me feeling like it was anything special, but there are moments that I can think back to and remember I really enjoyed. I think that for someone out there, this could become their favourite book, but unfortunately for me, it wasn't the one for me. 

There wasn't anything wrong with the book that I can see. I really liked the relationships, or lack thereof, between the characters. Iris' background of not really feeling love and actually despising her mother was really interesting to read. Her friendship with Thurston and Thurston's character in general was one of my favourite parts of the book. I always love an eccentric character and an eccentric character who enjoys doing performance art was sure to win my heart. 

I was also very captured by the descriptions of Hannah and her fakery. It was good to see a character who by very definition hasn't got that much to her, but who is still a very strong, well written character. It is an easy thing to get wrong, making a character bland and uninteresting, but Hannah is just shallow, vain and driven by her greed. She makes the perfect antagonist for Iris, as Iris is striving to form a relationship with her father, Ernest. 

As I said, I enjoyed this book, but don't think it will stay with me as one of my favourites, but I would encourage others to read it as it is well written and full of lively characters. It may not be the book for me, but it could be for you. 

The Kiss by Lucy Courtenay

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 336

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books

Released: 2nd of July 2015

'Aphrodite kissed a mortal once by the light of this moon, many thousands of years ago. It drove him crazy. The next person that he kissed - boum. The craziness travelled like this from person to person. It travelled through time. Everywhere - boum! Tu comprends?'

'Where did it end up?' I whisper. His lips are on my cheek now.

'It ended with me. And now I am going to pass it to you. You will like that, mermaid?'

Imagine the perfect kiss. A legendary kiss that makes people crazy with love. Imagine a summer's night, on a moonlit beach in the South of France, as French boy Laurent kisses 16-year-old Delilah after the best chat-up line she's ever heard.

BOOM!

Delilah is pretty sure the Kiss is fiction, despite her head-spinning holiday fling. But with all the sudden crushes, break-ups and melt-downs happening back at home, the Kiss starts looking a little too real for comfort. If only Delilah could keep track of where it's gone ...

Who knew one kiss could cause this much trouble?

What I Have to Say 

For this book, think Chick Lit meets a Shakespearean farce, with a scattering of Greek mythology thrown in. It took me a while to get into the style of it, but once I got what they were doing, I loved it. It was really funny. 

I really liked the main two girls. Their friendship is one of the most real that I've seen because they fight and they make up, showing that not all friendships are easy. It's something that quite a few YA books are starting to do and it's a trend that I hope continues because perfect YA friendships lead to unrealistic expectations in real life. 

The ending felt a bit rushed though. The bits with the musical and Tabby were fine, but the rest of Delilah's personal resolution seemed to be resolved without any actual resolving happening. (Sorry for being vague, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers). I don't know if anyone else felt the same, but I just felt that wasn't a good enough reason to gain that resolution. 

All in all though, it was a really fun read.