The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 434

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Released: 30th of April 2013

Other books in the series: The Immortal Rules

Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning - New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally. 

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she's never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike. 

What I Have to Say 

Julie Kagawa breaks my heart with every single book she writes. I don't know how she does it. And I love it. 

I really love any conversation between Allie and Jackal. They're so sassy to each other and very wary. It was interesting to see how they developed when they were put together for so long. Although Zeke and Jackal weren't quite as cool together. They just didn't have the same feel as Allie had. 

As with the first book, I love Zeke so much. He and Allie just go together so well. Though it was really interesting to see him so far out of his comfort zone in this book, especially as it goes well with the last book where Allie was surrounded by humans.

This book was just heartbreaking and wonderful. Perhaps not quite as good as Immortal Rules, but still a really, really good read. I can't wait for the next book. 

Night School: Fracture by C.J Daugherty

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 400

Publisher: Atom

Released: 20th of August 2013

Other books in the series: Night School ,Legacy

Devastated by the loss of her friend and under constant threat from an unknown spy at Cimmeria Academy, Allie Sheridan is finding it hard to cope.

In Fracture, the third book in the Night School series, she’s not the only one losing it – everything is falling apart. And when Nathaniel begins to reveal his game plan, Isabelle starts to lose control.

As the school slides into a deadly morass of paranoia and suspicion, everyone is guilty until proved innocent. Anyone can be held without proof, and convicted without a trial. No one is safe.

This time Nathaniel doesn’t need to hurt them. This time they’re hurting themselves.

What I Have to Say 

If you haven't gotten into this series yet, seriously you have to go out and buy Night School. Then Legacy. And now Fracture. It just seems to be getting better with each and every book and it was phenomenal with the first book. 

 I loved all the secrecy and espionage in this book. It's been there all along, but I feel it's always been a little downplayed, possibly because they were in the relative safety of the school and felt like they could trust people. But in this book they were working to keep things secret from everyone and I felt it really, really added to the thrill of it all. 

The politics were also a lot more apparent. Again, they've always been there. It's nothing new, but at the same time, it's all surfaced a lot more, especially with Lucinda and Isabelle taking Allie into their confidence a lot more. And it doesn't bog down any of the plot like some political novels would. It's so woven into the thrilling, mysterious and intense nature of the book that it works so perfectly without becoming the least bit dry. 

I still can't forgive Sylvian for what he did in the first book though. I don't think I ever will. I'm also not sure that I trust Lucinda. All the affection she shows for Allie... it just seems off slightly. It may just be the nature of the book, especially this one, arousing suspicion for everyone, but I feel like maybe she's using Allie a little. Like Allie is as much as a pawn to her as she is to Nathaniel. That's just my two cents of speculation. 

Fractured by Teri Terry

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 432

Publisher: Orchard Books

Released: 4th of April 2013

Other books in the series: Slated

How do you know where to go when you don't remember where you came from? 

Kyla's memory has been erased,

her personality wiped blank, 

her memories lost for ever. 

Or so she thought. 

Kyla shouldn't be able to remember anything. But she can - and she's beginning to realise that there are a lot of dark secrets locked away in her memories. When a mysterious man from her past comes back into her life, she thinks she's on her way to finding the truth. But the more she learns about her history, the more confusing her future becomes... 

What I Have to Say 

I still loved this book and I still love Slated. But as with any second book in a trilogy, it didn't quite live up to the amazingness of the first. It just didn't have that same quality that Slated had. The desperation to read on, the emotion invested in the characters. It was just not the same. Though, like I said,  in my experience with most trilogies the second book is often the weaker of the three, so perhaps that's all it is. 

The characters have developed well within the two books. Kyla (or whatever we should call her now) is the obvious one. Her character now exists on so many different, interesting levels and we still have so much more to find out about her. But also characters such as her mother and Dr Lysander are showing much more depth than they originally had. 

All in all, I was slightly disappointed with this book. Especially because of how much I fell in love with Slated last year. But I have a lot of hope for the next book, especially seeing as the third book in a trilogy often turns out to be the best! 

Ink by Amanda Sun

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 377

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Released: 25th of June 2013

Other books in the series: SHADOW (optional prequel) 

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

What I Have To Say

I've been excited about this book since I first heard about it a year ago and it really didn't disappoint. I loved the entire premise and Amanda Sun's writing didn't let it down. She gave a beautiful and vivid picture of Japan and interwove the supernatural elements seamlessly, diving into so much of Japanese culture to do so. 

I loved the way Katie's character was built. She was so strong without being unbelievable and without possessing any powers of her own. In a genre filled by girls of superpowers (which I love, don't get me wrong) it was refreshing to see one who didn't, but is just as strong a person. 

 I also loved how her integration into Japan paralleled her journey of recovery from her mother's death. It made an easy progression into the story and dealt with Katie's emotional trauma without detracting from the story at all. 

In all, I really, really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one in the series.    

Shadow by Amanda Sun

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 69 

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Released: 1st of June 2013

Katie Greene’s worst nightmare comes true when her mother dies, and she’s devastated to learn that she will have to leave the only home she’s ever known. Desperate to find where she belongs, she must decide if she has what it takes to start a new life across the ocean. 

For Yuu Tomohiro, every day is a nightmare. He struggles to control his strange ability, and keeps everyone at a distance so they won’t get hurt—even his girlfriend, Myu. At night, a shadow haunts his dreams, and a mysterious woman torments him with omens of death and destruction. But these haunting premonitions are only the beginning…

What I Have To Say 

This was a really great set up for Ink, reading it has made me really, really excited for the release date. 

It had a really emotional start, showing how hard it is for a teenager to lose the single parent who's raising them. The emotion cam through really well, both at the funeral scene and the time after between then and Katie moving to Japan. 

The feelings Katie has when reaching Japan are really interesting too and show well the cultural shock and disorientation of moving to an entirely different country. 

I've been looking forward to Ink for a while now and reading Shadow has made it so that I just can't wait for the release. 

Shadow is only available for ebook and is dirt cheap on Amazon, so I really recommend getting it. You don't need a reader, I downloaded kindle for desktop and read it there. Apparently it's free on for Nook but that seems to only be available in the States. 

Hiatus

Due to deadlines and general business, I'm not getting enough reading done to post a review a week. Therefore I'm going on hiatus/ sporadic posting for a little while. I'll return when I actually have something to review.

The Madness Underneath by Maureen

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 290

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Released: 26th of February 2013
Other books in the Series: The Name of The Star

After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Devereaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance.

But Rory's brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: She's become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades - the city's secret ghost-fighting police - are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it's too late.

What I Have to Say

I loved The Name of the Star so much, so obviously I was looking forward to this book a lot. It didn't disappoint me, but it didn't blow me away either. Although I didn't feel the sense of danger as much as I did with The Name of the Star. There was no point where I was generally worried about Rory. Which was what really built up the tension in The Name of the Star. 

What was really done well in this one was the emotion. There were moments that were really tragic, which is not something that you expect so much from Maureen Johnson. But she did it really, really well. 

Honestly I love this whole series. I want there to be another book, now! If you haven't read The Name of the Star yet, then what are you waiting for? And if you have, then read this one now! 

Legend by Marie Lu

Synopsis (From Goodreads) 

Pages: 304

Publisher: Penguin

Released: 2nd of February 2012 (first published: 29th of November 2011) 

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

What I Have To Say

Another book that I've heard so much about. But the stuff I heard was not wrong in the slightest. This book was incredible! And another one that had me physically gasping. NOT A BOOK TO READ IN PUBLIC. Believe me! I read most of it on a train!

I loved Day's character so much. I mean, sassy bad boy, I was always going to! But I also loved June a lot. Both had interesting qualities that made them really good viewpoints to read. 

Another thing that I really, really thought was done well about this book was the romance. Too many books have romance that you just can't see. Or a love at first sight moment with the characters going on and on about how they feel about the other person. I'm not quite sure what was done differently in this one, but it felt so much more real and believable. 

Seriously. Read this book. Just do it. 

Dead Romantic by CJ Skuse

 Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 328
Publisher: The Chicken House
Released: 4th of February 2013

Camille wants to find the perfect boy, with an athlete's body and a poet's brain. But when she's mocked at a college party, she knows there isn't a boy alive who'll ever measure up. Enter Zoe, her brilliant but strange best friend, who takes biology homework to a whole new level. She can create Camille's dream boy, Frankenstein-style. But can she make him love her?

What I Have To Say

I love CJ Skuse's ideas. They are so quirky and out there. And this one, she has so beautifully updated the Frankenstein story. Making it unique and different at the same time. The way it starts out and you think you know where it's going but it takes so many twists and turns in getting there. Even having finished the book, there is doubts and room for theories about what's going to happen. There had better be a sequel, that's all I'm saying. 

I loved Pee Wee. He was so cute and not a completely stereotypical zombie dog, it could have been taken too far and just been a cliché, but the fact that most of the time he was just a normal dog and the flesh eating monster bit just cropped up occasionally made it really effective. 

I also love the way she wove the details into the story. So many things cropped up at the start that seemed completely inconsequential that come to be really significant later in the book. It was so skillfully done. 

So read this book for quirkiness and a fair bit of gore. 

Wood Angel by Erin Bow

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 288

Publisher: Chicken House

Released: 7th of March 2011

Plain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. As the wood-carver’s daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden talismans are so fine that some even call her “witch-blade”: a dangerous nickname in a country where witches are hunted and burned in the square. A mysterious fog ruins crops and spreads hunger and sickness. The townspeople blame Kate.

The stranger Linay will exchange her shadow for escape and her heart’s wish. It’s a chance for her to start over, to find a home, a family, a place to belong. But Kate soon realizes she can’t live shadowless forever — and that Linay’s anger and grief can "level a city"

What I Have to Say

I really loved the society in this book. It was really well made. I would have loved to see more about the Roamers, but at the same time, I would have loved to stay in the city and see more of the society there. It seemed like a really interesting world. I'd like to find out what country it was based on and explore more of it. I want to say Russia? 

It was a really good plot as well. Told in a way that made it seem like an old fairy tale. It really showed how devastating the paranoia about witchcraft can be, whether or not the person is actually a witch. Also, how easily it can be manipulated. 

Also I loved Taggle so much! He was just such a cute and accurate portrayal of what a cat would actually be like if it could talk. 

What's Up With Jody Barton?

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 249 

Published by: Macmillon

Released: 31st of May 2012

Me and my sister are twins. She's Jolene and I'm Jody. We've both got brown hair, we're both left-handed and we both have these weirdly long little toes which make us look like long-toed mutants. But apart from that, I'd say we're fairly different. Well, actually, we're a lot different . . . It's hard enough being one half of the world's least identical twins, without both of you falling for the same guy. Jolene's turned flirting into a fine art, but Jody? Not so much. And as if a twinny love triangle wasn't messy enough . . . there's something nobody knows about Jody Barton. Something BIG.

What I Have to Say

This is another of those books that is really, really hard to review. I really enjoyed it, but when it comes to saying why I really enjoyed it, I just can't for fear of spoiling the very thing that made me like it!

I put off reading this book for so long, just because it didn't really look like my sort of thing. And even when reading it, brilliant writing and humour aside, it didn't feel like my sort of thing. Until I reached that point. That one thing that changes everything in such an unexpected way.

And that's why I can't really say much about this book. I want you to read it. I want you to experience that moment and see what I mean. Because it was that very moment that turned this book from something that was good, to something that was great.

So just trust me and go read it.

Beauty by Robin McKinley

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 271

Publisher: David Fickling Books
Released: 25th of October 1978


A strange imprisonment

Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lacks in looks, she can perhaps make up for in courage.

When her father comes home with the tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows she must go to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will. Her father protests that he will not let her go, but she answers, "Cannot a Beast be tamed?"

What I Have To Say

I've been wanting to read this book for a while. It was so good! McKinley has a really good way of being descriptive and evocative with such a talent. The way it was written as well made it feel exactly like it was an old fairy tale. I've read a lot of original fairy tales and it really did feel like one of them. 

Beauty and the Beast has never been my favourite fairy tale but this retelling of it was so beautiful. It felt really real as well, which is especially good because of how contrived fairy tales tend to be. 

My only real criticism of it was that there was a lot of time spent building up Beauty's family and not enough came of it. After she went away they were barely heard from again. I would have liked to see more of how they coped after Beauty let. 

All in all, I loved every word of this book, even if it ended a bit too quickly. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in fairy tales. 

My Sister Lives On The Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher

Synopsis (From Goodreads) 

Pages: 221

Publisher: Indigo

Released: 1st of October 2011

Ten-year-old Jamie hasn't cried since it happened. He knows he should have - Jasmine cried, Mum cried, Dad still cries. Roger didn't, but then he is just a cat and didn't know Rose that well, really. Everyone kept saying it would get better with time, but that's just one of those lies that grown-ups tell in awkward situations. Five years on, it's worse than ever: Dad drinks, Mum's gone and Jamie's left with questions that he must answer for himself. This is his story, an unflinchingly real yet heart-warming account of a young boy's struggle to make sense of the loss that tore his family apart.

What I Have to Say

This book made me cry. Those of you who have been reading my reviews for a while, know that this is a good thing. If you don't like sad books, probably best to pick up something else. Though you can probably tell that just from the premise.

If you do like sad books, then seriously, read this one. The whole concept of it is really interesting, the lose of a child told from a younger siblings viewpoint. And it is written so well. At first the style felt a bit stilted, but it was actually quite easy to fall into after getting used to it.

I really liked Jamie as a character. He was a cute kid and his friendship with Sunya was great. I do think that Pitcher was wrong to make it love though. 10 is a little young to be thinking about love and even if it's not, there's not enough close friendships in books. Especially when it's a boy and a girl. Everything is about love. I'd like to see a book which isn't about love.

I think Jas was interesting too. I'd have loved to have seen more about her.

Anyway, read this book. So powerful.

Night School: Legacy by CJ Daugherty

Synopsis (From Goodreads) 

Pages: 385

Publisher: Atom

eleased: 17th of January 2013

Other books in the series: Night School 

In the last year, Allie's survived three arrests, two breakups and one family breakdown. The only bright point has been her new life at Cimmeria Academy. It's the one place she's felt she belongs. And the fact that it's brought the dreamy Carter West into her life hasn't hurt...But far from being a safe haven, the cloistered walls of Cimmeria are proving more dangerous than Allie could've imagined. The students, and faculty, are under threat and Allie's family - from her mysterious grandma to her runaway brother - are at the centre of the storm. Allie is going to have to choose between protecting her family and trusting her friends. But secrets have a way of ripping even the strongest relationships apart...

What I Have to Say

I loved the first book in this series, so I was really, really excited to read this one. It didn't disappoint. It was really easy to slip back into the feel of it and I enjoyed reading every second of it. I know it's a cliché to call a book an "old friend" but honestly? I can't think of a better way to explain how picking up this book felt! It's like starting a new term at school and slipping back into the routine of things easily, which is exactly what Allie is doing in the book. 

I love the humour of it. It's such a dark book, but the characters still find time to be joking and have fun. I would hate for it to get too dark and for this aspect of their friendship. It really adds something to the book and for the building of their characters. 

Speaking of characters, I love Zoe! She's great. I love how she's slotted in so easily and didn't feel like she changed the dynamic too much. She's also the perfect balance of social awkward and slightly violent. The character who I didn't like was Sylvain. After what he did to Allie in the last book, I don't think I can like him again. I know that he redeemed himself, but I can't help but hate that guy. 

I'm looking forward to the next book and seeing how it all develops, especially considering the events of the last few chapters. 

Let It Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

Pages: 352

Publisher: Speak

Released: 2nd of October 2008

Sparkling white snowdrifts, beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks.

What I Have to Say

I loved the fact that this was three different stories, from three different authors that fit so well together. The fact that all three stories were set in the same town, with three overlapping sets of characters worked really well for me.

They blended seamlessly too. It wasn't like it was three different authors. Even when they had characters that were crossing between stories, there was no moment when it felt like those characters were off or acting out of character.

Having read and reviewed a lot of Maureen Johnson and John Green, I won't repeat how awesome they are. They are amazing. I love them. That's all that needs to be said. So I'll focus on the third author, Lauren Myracle. Having never read anything by her before, I had no idea what to expect. But I actually think I liked her story best. It was interesting, had a good character and a cute pig.

So yes. I really loved this book! I'm glad I finally got around to reading it.

Zom-B by Darren Shan

Synopsis (From Goodreads) 

Pages: 217
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Released: 27th of September 2012

When news reports start appearing of a zombie outbreak in Ireland, B's racist father thinks it's a joke-- but even if it isn't, he figures, it's ok to lose a few Irish.

B doesn't fully buy into Dad's racism, but figures it's easier to go along with it than to risk the fights and abuse that will surely follow sticking up for Muslims, blacks, or immigrants. And when dodging his fists doesn't work, B doesn't hesitate to take the piss out of kids at school with a few slaps or cruel remarks. 

That is, until zombies attack the school. B is forced on a mad dash through the serpentine corridors of high school, making allegiances with anyone with enough gall to fight off their pursuers. 

 What I Have to Say

This was my first Darren Shan book and I really enjoyed it. It was well written, with interesting characters and a good plot. And I get what he was doing with the racism angle, I really do. The only thing is that for a zombie book, there really weren't enough zombies in it for me. 

That said. The main character, B, was really interesting. It was good to see a character who is actually the bully rather than the bullied. There's a lot of books about bullying, but they're all told from the victim's viewpoint. I think a lot of authors do forget that a lot of bullies are victims themselves and that their viewpoint is just as interesting as anyone else's. 

All in all, I loved this book. I really recommend it as a good read. But I do think that it needs to be stated that the zombies take a back seat, and the plot is mostly about racism and bullying. Which is no bad thing.