Scare Me by Teri Terry

Pages: 448 

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books 

Released: 22nd of June 2023 

The past can haunt you...

Sixteen-year-old Liv can't get on with her own life - not as long as the ghost of her twin sister, Molly, who died at birth, has been her constant companion: she is always there, a part of her that no one else can see or hear.

Liv meets a boy called Echo, who is searching for the truth about his mother's death, and despite Molly's concerns, Liv is drawn to him. Echo believes that if he can just speak to his mother's ghost, he will finally learn the truth about what happened to her and be able to move on with his life.

But he believes the way to reach her is through fear: to scare himself enough to lift the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead. Echo and Liv begin an increasingly dangerous game that tests their greatest fears: but how far is Echo willing to go to uncover the truth?

What I Have to Say 

This was good but it was just a bit predictable. I guessed the main plot twist pretty early on so it felt a bit of a let down. I liked the ending though as I hadn't guessed much beyond the big reveal. 

I really liked the relationship between Molly and Liv. I really liked how they had a bond as sisters and then a bigger bond because Liv was the only one who could see Molly. It was a really interesting relationship to explore. Especially because Molly totally shipped Live and the best friend. 

I think it's because I guess what would happen though that this book didn't really hit quite as much as Teri Terry's stuff normally does. I have to say I'm disappointed. 

 

4 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hodder Children's Books for providing me with this copy for review. 

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson

Pages: 318 

Publisher: One More Chapter 

Released: 1st of October 2022 

It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus…

Essie Winterscale lives in a huge and ever-changing house in the village of Good Winter, in deepest, darkest Essex. She lives with various witches of various ages, one of whom is still a bit salty about having been burned at the stake in 1635, one who keeps accidentally casting fertility spells, and one who knits things that create the future.

All Essie ever wanted was to have a normal life but in the end she found herself drawn back to Beldam House because she just can’t stop her witchiness (although the ability to instantly chill wine is pretty awesome, even she has to admit).

Into this coven of chaos stumbles gorgeous, clueless Josh, their new landlord – and he’s just discovered his tenants haven’t paid rent since the 1700s! As Josh is drawn further into the lives of the inhabitants of Beldam House, Essie is determined to keep him at broomstick’s length. That is, until a family secret, lying hidden for centuries, puts Josh firmly under her spell…

What I Have to Say 

To say this book wasn't for me is an understatement. I really was not interested in this story at all. At first I was interested in the relationship between Essie and Josh but it was just a bit predictable and dull. Except for one key element, I could see the drama coming from a mile off and the thing that I did see was more plot based than relationship. 

The house was interesting and I would have loved to have found out more about it and spent more time there but the plot took us away too fast. The witchhunting bits, I found a bit hammed up and the bit where they just abandoned the plot for a sex break just irritated me. 

It takes a really good romance to pique my interest and this just wasn't it. 

Two stars

My thanks go to One More Chapter and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

Slayer by Kiersten White

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 416 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's UK 

Released: 21st of February 2019 

Into every generation a Slayer is born…

Nina and her twin sister, Artemis, are far from normal. It’s hard to be when you grow up at the Watcher’s Academy, which is a bit different from your average boarding school. Here teens are trained as guides for Slayers—girls gifted with supernatural strength to fight the forces of darkness. But while Nina’s mother is a prominent member of the Watcher’s Council, Nina has never embraced the violent Watcher lifestyle. Instead she follows her instincts to heal, carving out a place for herself as the school medic.

Until the day Nina’s life changes forever.

Thanks to Buffy, the famous (and infamous) Slayer that Nina’s father died protecting, Nina is not only the newest Chosen One—she’s the last Slayer, ever. Period.

As Nina hones her skills with her Watcher-in-training, Leo, there’s plenty to keep her occupied: a monster fighting ring, a demon who eats happiness, a shadowy figure that keeps popping up in Nina’s dreams…

But it’s not until bodies start turning up that Nina’s new powers will truly be tested—because someone she loves might be next.

One thing is clear: Being Chosen is easy. Making choices is hard.

What I Have to Say 

I am so excited to have a new YA series set in the Buffy world! It was so great to be in the world of Slayers and Watchers and demons again, even if there's no magic any more since Buffy broke the world. I  loved the new characters. Nina was a great character and I really liked her twin sister, Artemis too, though she was a bit of a bitch in some parts. I liked their relationship and the relationship between Artemis and some of the other Watcher kids. 

The book contained all the heart, humour and even some of the characters we know and love from the TV series (Faith wasn't named, though it was obvious that it was her and there was plenty of Buffy despite the book not being about her). It kept the themes that made the show so great really strong too. It had strong themes of family and friendship as well as showing the shades of gray in the demon world, showing that the black and white world that the Watcher's want to believe in is just not the case. 

I'm interested to see how this series progresses, with Nina being born a Watcher but also having experience of being a Slayer. It will be really cool to see the path she forges between the two, trusting her instincts more as a Slayer would while still having the background and training of a Watcher. 

I can't wait to see what Nina and her friends will face next. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with this free copy for review. 

Murder in D Major and Death in D Minor

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 268 

Publisher: Henery Press 

Released: 13th of September 2017 

With few other options, African-American classical musician Gethsemane Brown accepts a less-than-ideal position turning a group of rowdy schoolboys into an award-winning orchestra. Stranded without luggage or money in the Irish countryside, she figures any job is better than none. The perk? Housesitting a lovely cliffside cottage. The catch? The ghost of the cottage's murdered owner haunts the place. Falsely accused of killing his wife (and himself), he begs Gethsemane to clear his name so he can rest in peace. Gethsemane's reluctant investigation provokes a dormant killer and she soon finds herself in grave danger. As Gethsemane races to prevent a deadly encore, will she uncover the truth or star in her own farewell performance?

Pages: 220

Publisher: Henery Press 

Released: 11th of July 2017 

Gethsemane Brown, African-American classical musician and expatriate to an Irish village, solved a string of murders, led a school orchestra to victory in a major competition, and got used to living with a snarky ghost. She can rest easy over the Christmas holiday. Right? Wrong. The ghost has disappeared, her landlord's about to sell her cottage to a hotel developer, and her brother-in-law is coming for a visit—with one day’s notice.

She scrambles to call her spectral roomie back from beyond and find a way to save the cottage from certain destruction. But real estate takes a backseat when her brother-in-law is accused of stealing a valuable antique. Gethsemane strikes a deal with a garda investigator to go undercover as a musician at a charity ball and snoop for evidence linking antiques to a forgery/theft ring in exchange for the investigator’s help clearing her brother-in-law. At the party, she accidentally conjures the ghost of an eighteenth-century sea captain, then ends up the prime suspect in the party host’s murder. With the captain’s help, she races to untangle a web of phony art and stolen antiques to exonerate herself and her brother-in-law. Then the killer targets her. Will she save herself and bring a thief and murderer to justice, or will her encore investigation become her swan song?

What I Have to Say 

These books were quick and easy reads, they were a wonderful cross genre between Supernatural fiction and Crime. Gethsemane was a really interesting character to read about and Eamon was just wonderful sarcastic and witty. I really missed him in the second book, even though the new ghost, the sea Captain was also really fun to read, though in different ways. 

I think I preferred the plot of the first book to the plot of the second though. I enjoyed getting to know Gethsemane's brother in law, I just didn't feel as interested in the crime. I'm not really sure why. There was plenty of tension and intrigue, but I didn't get into it. Perhaps because I liked Eamon so much. 

Both books though were thrilling, intense and well written. I loved how Irish everything was because Ireland is a place that I haven't been and really like to read about. I also really liked the fact that Gethsemane was black and American. It was nice to see Ireland through her eyes and her race really contributed to the mystery and crime in the second book.

I really like this series and will definitely keep reading it.

My thanks go to Netgalley and Henery Press for providing me with this copy for review. 

Think Twice Sarah Mlynowski

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 275

Publisher: Orchard Books

Released: 7th of April 2016

Other Books in the Series: Don't Even Think About It

What's worse than having telepathy in high school? Having telepathy in high school, and then losing it. When class 10B got their flu shots and developed the unexpected side effect of telepathy, it seemed like the worse thing ever. But two years later, they've got used to their powers. They've even come to like them. And as they prepare to leave school, they're all making exciting plans - plans that involve them being Espies. So when one by one they suddenly begin to lose their powers, they know they can't let it happen. Can they save their telepathy before it's too late? Or will they have to learn how to survive without them once again? 

What I Have to Say 

This was the perfect sequel to a truly fantastic book. I wasn't sure it would live up to the first one, or if having a sequel was even a good thing for this particular book, which worked so well as a stand alone, but this was a brilliant way to round off the story and add a little extra without detracting from the original story. 

I like the emotion that was in this book. You could really feel the fear that the espies had over loosing their powers as they fought to try and change them. 

Most of what I like about these books though is how real the characters feel. Even though a few of them are stereotypes, it gives a realistic view of how teenagers would adjust to getting telepathic powers. They don't go out fighting crime or defeating monsters, they use them to gossip with each other so people don't see or go on reality television. 

I love these two books so much. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Orchard Books for providing me with this copy for review. 

Shadow of the Yangtze by Julian Sedgwick

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 320

Publisher: Hatchette Children's Books 

Released: 7th of April 2016 

Other Books in the Series: Ghosts of Shanghai

Ruby - a Western girl who feels more Chinese than English - and her friend Charlie must follow the Yangtze hundreds of miles upriver, travelling by Chinese junk and rogue steamer, through bandit and ghost haunted countryside - doggedly tracking Moonface as he spirits Charlie's sister Fei off to his home village. Everything is in flux around them: civil war pulsing, with Nationalists, Communists and warlord bandits struggling for control. The river rises and falls, villages spring up and are gone again. 

Ruby and Charlie brave a shipwreck and a gunbattle and then take a perilous cliff path to Moonface's lair

What I Have to Say 

I think it's safe to say that my love for this series hasn't gone away. As soon as I got this book, I couldn't wait to read it. I was so excited to get back into Ruby and Charlie's world and find out what was next for them. 

Going back to the world felt like I'd hardly left it, although I always find it hard to remember where the last book left off. But Ruby is the same brave, determined girl that I remember and it was really interesting seeing her and Charlie growing apart. The racism that happens towards her in the latter part of the book shows how easily she can be offset as China changes and foreigners find they are no long welcome there. 

The mystery and tension in this book is spot on. Near the end, when certain things (which shall remain vague because of spoilers) were coming to a conclusion, it was hard to look away. It is always a sign of something truly special when a book can keep you transfixed like Shadow of the Yangtze did. 

I cannot /wait/ for the next book. Is anyone else reading this series? 

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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lorali by Laura Dockrill

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

My thanks go to Hot Key Books for providing me with this review copy. 

Pages: 208

Publishers: Hot Key Books 

Released: 2nd of July 2015

Looking after a naked girl he found washed up under Hastings pier isn't exactly how Rory had imagined spending his sixteenth birthday. But more surprising than finding her in the first place is discovering where she has come from.

Lorali is running not just from the sea, not just from her position as princess, but her entire destiny. Lorali has rejected life as a mermaid, and become human.

But along with Lorali's arrival, and the freak weather suddenly battering the coast, more strange visitors begin appearing in Rory's bemused Sussex town. With beautifully coiffed hair, sharp-collared shirts and a pirate ship shaped like a Tudor house, the Abelgare boys are a mystery all of their own. What are they really up to? Can Rory protect Lorali? And who from? And where does she really belong, anyway?

What I Have to Say 

Can I just say how adorable Lorali is? She such a special little sweetheart that needs to be protected from this world at all costs so she never loses her enthusiasm for everything. I really hope that the events of the book don't take that from her because she is a beautiful character that everyone needs in their life. 

The story was amazing. There was everything, politics, drama, betrayal, pirates, hunters and pain. I found the society of the Mers really interesting. It was well done, drawing in classic mermaid mythology as well as new and unique ideas to create a beautiful world. The idea of savaging was especially interesting. It creates so much space for mermaids with tragic backstories. 

The ending nearly killed my heart. I knew how it would be resolved, but there were loads of twists and surprises. 

It's such a beautiful book. 

Shadow, Shadow by V. B. Marlowe

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 203

Publisher: All Night Reads

Released: 16th February 2015

"The four of you have been blessed with a great gift. Well, it's a gift for you, but a curse for someone else." 

Harley receives a mysterious gift on her sixteenth birthday--a shadow box. The box gives her the power to trade someone to the shadows, meaning they will disappear and cease to exist. Harley can't imagine doing such a horrible thing and is warned that using the box comes at a price. Unfortunately, not using the box can be even more costly. Harley must make this life-altering decision as she discovers frightening revelations about the town she calls home.

What I Have To Say 

I honestly thought this wouldn't be good, but when I'm curious about a book on Netgalley, even if it looks terrible, I like to give them a go. And this is the sort of book that makes it all worthwhile because I really enjoyed it. 

The characters felt like they were blending together a bit too much, especially the two girls. I did find that I got a bit lost with which characters' voice I was reading. But I really liked Harley. Even though she seems like the typical "troubled teen" character, I felt that she was interesting and that there was more to her than met the eye. I found the thing with Nash were especially interesting. 

It was an enjoyable story, with a really good plot. There are a few things that I'm slightly worried may have been lost during the writing, but they could also be being saved for the sequel so I'm going to withhold my judgement on that until I've read the next book. 

This really was a pleasant surprise, I'm so happy that I decided to give it a go. 

The Disappearance of Emily H. by Barrie Summy

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 256

Publisher: Random House Children's Books 

Released: 12th of May 2015

A girl who can see the past tries to save the future in this compelling tween mystery.

 

A girl is missing. Three girls are lying. One girl can get to the truth.

 

Emily Huvar vanished without a trace. And the clues are right beneath Raine’s fingertips. Literally. Raine isn’t like other eighth graders. One touch of a glittering sparkle that only Raine can see, and she’s swept into a memory from the past. If she touches enough sparkles, she can piece together what happened to Emily.

 

When Raine realizes that the cliquey group of girls making her life miserable know more than they’re letting on about Emily’s disappearance, she has to do something. She’ll use her supernatural gift for good . . . to fight evil.

 

But is it too late to save Emily? 

What I Have to Say 

This was actually really good. I wasn't sure after reading the blurb which way it could go, especially since I've had some really bad books from Netgalley. But apparently I've gotten better at finding the good ones, because I really enjoyed reading the Disappearance of Emily H. In fact, I think the only complaint I really have of it is that it was too short! 

I found Raine's character really intriguing and really enjoyed the parts were she was exploring her gift. It's strange that it's quite a common gift that is used by psychics, but in literature I haven't seen that much of psychometry. It seems like the sort of thing that would thrive in YA especially. 

I also found the mystery element was done really well. At first I thought that it was a bit predictable, since it seemed that everything that happened to Emily was presented from the very start, but it really surprised me. 

 This book is a lovely Middle Grade mystery. 

The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

My thanks go to Hot Key Books for providing me with this review copy.

Pages: 374
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Released: 5th of February 2015
Other Books in the Series: The Name of the Star
                                         The Madness Underneath

Grieving, shaken, and feeling very much alone, Rory's life as a member of the Shades of London has changed irrevocably. It's only been a matter of hours since Stephen was taken from her, possibly for ever. Her classmate Charlotte is still missing, kidnapped by the same people who tried to take Rory. Rory is no longer a schoolgirl haplessly involved in the dealings of a secret government unit. She is their weapon in a matter of life and death.

With hardly a moment to think for herself, Rory is back to work. Charlotte must be found -- as must Stephen, if he is even out there. Lines must be drawn and forces rallied. Something is brewing under London, something bigger and much more dangerous than what has come before. The Shadow Cabinet holds the key to everything, and it is up to Rory to unravel its mysteries before time runs out...

What I Have To Say 

I read The Madness Underneath while I was on a reading slump and that accounts for the fact that I didn't enjoy it as much, I think. And the fact that I could barely remember what happened when picking up this on (although how could I forget something like that!). Luckily, I very quickly remembered everything. In fact, it was really, really easy to get back into. 

This book was, although not possibly as good as The Name of the Star, was more what I had expected. It has the quirkiness of all Maureen Johnson's books along with such tension and thrilling plot that I really enjoyed with The Name of the Star. The characters are as good and quirky as ever, including the new edition, Freddie, though there's something about her that I'm not really warming to. I'm not sure what though. 

All in all, I really am glad that it was just the reading slump and not The Madness Underneath that I didn't like as this book has proved that the series is still right on track and has reminded me of all the good bits from The Madness Underneath. 

I know I say this in a lot of my reviews, but that's because it's true. I can't wait for the next book!

Death & Co. by D.J. McCune

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 279

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Released: 2nd of May 2013

Adam is a Luman, and it runs in the family. Escorting the dead from life into light, Adam must act as guide to those taken before their time. As his older brothers fall into their fate however, Adam clings to his life as a normal kid - one who likes girls, hates the Head and has a pile of homework to get through by Monday morning. When Adam gets a terrible premonition he realises that he must make a devastating choice, risking his life, his family and his destiny. 

What I Have To Say 

I think I like books where people are from families of people with supernatural gifts more than I like people who just randomly have powers. As much as I like random powers, I just love the whole family traditions and societies that can be built up with genetic powers. And this book is a perfect example of this. The Luman society is so cool and I love the way that it works and how antiquated it is. Especially, since I'm hoping for some action from Adam's sister forcing the society to accept her as the first female Luman. 

Adam felt very real. Obviously as I'm a girl, I know next to nothing about what teenage boys are like. But the anxiety around the girls and dating seemed very realistic. I really liked how his life as a Luman intruded on his life as an ordinary teenage boy and how he trying to keep them separate. 

I really liked this book. I'm hoping to get the next book in the series soon. I'm expecting a lot from it!

Lockwood & Co. The Screaming Staircase and The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud

Synopsis of The Whispering Skull (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 322

Publisher: Doubleday Children's Books

Released: 25th of September 2014

SPOILERS FOR THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE

In the six months since Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in England, Lockwood & Co. hasn't made much progress. Quill Kipps and his team of Fittes agents keep swooping in on Lockwood's investigations. Finally, in a fit of anger, Anthony challenges his rival to a contest: the next time the two agencies compete on a job, the losing side will have to admit defeat in the Times newspaper.

Things look up when a new client, Mr. Saunders, hires Lockwood & Co. to be present at the excavation of Edmund Bickerstaff, a Victorian doctor who reportedly tried to communicate with the dead. Saunders needs the coffin sealed with silver to prevent any supernatural trouble. All goes well-until George's curiosity attracts a horrible phantom.

Back home at Portland Row, Lockwood accuses George of making too many careless mistakes. Lucy is distracted by urgent whispers coming from the skull in the ghost jar. Then the team is summoned to DEPRAC headquarters. Kipps is there too, much to Lockwood's annoyance. Bickerstaff's coffin was raided and a strange glass object buried with the corpse has vanished. Inspector Barnes believes the relic to be highly dangerous, and he wants it found.

What I Have To Say 

Series in general

Lockwood is basically the Sherlock Holmes of ghost hunters. The books are written by his Watson, Lucy Carlyle, who I really, really like the voice of. She explains things well and has good insights on the other characters while being brave, dependable and keeps her head in danger. In short, she's wonderful. 

I can be very sensitive to horror, so I suppose it doesn't mean that much that these books terrified me. Though I think it was a mistake to read the first one late at night with all the lights off. In terms of horror, I think the fact that I'm slightly traumatised by it all is probably a good thing. I don't think I'm going to be sleeping properly for a while. 

The Whispering Skull

I felt this book was better in some ways than The Screaming Staircase. It was less scary, which is either a good or a bad thing depending on whether you like terrifying yourself. Though it was still lovely and creepy in many places, which I much prefer to outright horror. But it was also much more about humanity and obsession and even madness, which I always like more than murder and vengeance,

The whole basic of the story was around a haunted object and how the people around are drawn to it due to various reasons, the curse of the object itself, money ect. It was so much more interesting than the first book, which does make a lot of sense because a lot of first books in a series are kept quite simple to set up the series.

I also really loved the skull, who I'm honestly surprised they haven't named yet. He was so sarcastic a lot of the time and I loved the pure evilness of him, I don't know why, but I love it when evil characters help good characters because they want to get some thrill of satisfaction when they fail. Or any reason that isn't because they're secretly good or whatever. I just love a good evil character.

And that ending! When's the next book coming out?

Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 304

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton

Released: 17th of July 2014

Dying sucks – and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows. Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things – including boys.

When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he’s a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she’s more than interested. There’s just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden’s adopted father, a man she’s sure has sinister reasons for collecting children with abilities even weirder than hers.

But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not have been an accident at all, she’s not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time.

What I Have To Say

For the first few chapters, I really hated this book. It was slow, rather dull and I really just didn't want to read it. But it is a great example of why you shouldn't give up on a book too quickly, because once things started happening, I started to really enjoy it.

So basically the story is about Rogue from the X-men if she had a little sister to take care of. That's not a bad thing. I like Rogue and I liked Ember just as much, especially while she was trying to control her gift. It was also a really good exploration of how a girl might feel when she's become her sister's carer only to have her taken away.

There was also a lot of other emotion (Ember is really screwed up) as well as a lot of mystery and suspense that made it a really intriguing read. I'm really looking forward to the next book. 

3.5 stars

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 664

Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK Children's Books

Released: 24th of September 2014

Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings…

Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack.

But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.

What I Have To Say

I wasn't sure how this book would really work. I honestly thought that Darcy's book would be the only interesting parts. But it was by Scott Westerfeld, who's one of my favourite authors so I thought I'd give it a shot. 

It actually really surprised me. At times I was more into Lizzie's story and was reading quickly through the Darcy parts to get back to it. But at other times it was the other way around. And then there were times when I got so into each part that I forgot that something dramatic was happening in the other part.

On the whole, I think I liked Darcy's story the best as it showed a lot of Darcy's worries about being in the adult world. I was especially interested in the fact that it showed someone who chooses a path other than university, as this isn't something that's seen often. 

The way this was written just made it so much more interesting. It wasn't a contempory romance about a young debut author, it wasn't a paranormal thriller about hot hindu death gods. It was two books in one. And it did it brilliantly. 

Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 304

Publisher: Orchard Books

Released: 1st of May 2014

This is the story of how we became freaks. It's how a group of I's became a we.

When Class 10B got their flu shots, they expected some side effects. Maybe a sore arm. Maybe a headache. They definitely didn't expect to get telepathy. But suddenly they could hear what everyone was thinking. Their friends. Their teachers. Their parents. Now they all know that Tess has a crush on her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper. Some of them will thrive. Some of them will break. None of them will ever be the same.

What I Have To Say 

I really wasn’t sure about this book when I started reading it. The voice really threw me. Having a first person narrator can lead the way for a bit of interesting styles, but having a group of people narrating? Exchanging the use of “we” with third person? I found it clunky and irritating. And honestly cannot say when or why I changed my mind. I suppose I just grew used to it. By the end I was really loving the little asides where the narrators commented on the story or spoke to the other characters.

There was a lovely array of characters as well. Olivia, the quiet one, struggling with the fact that her thoughts are suddenly heard by all the others, how she suddenly can’t just hid in the background anymore. And Pi, selfish Pi, a girl whose only thoughts are about getting ahead of the crowd, whether by test scores or psychic abilities. I liked that about her, although obviously not in a way that I’d want to be friends with her. I also liked that she was the second smartest person in the class. Not the sort of annoying ones who flies through exams without trying, but the type who works hard and stresses about it all.

Finally, I liked the domesticity of it. The fact that what tore them apart was bitching and cheating. Their own everyday secrets. It made a really nice break from all the save the world, tear down the government books I usually read. And its something I think a lot of authors forget. Not everything has to be the end of the world.

The Coldest Girl In Coldtown by Holly Black

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 419

Publisher: Indigo

Released: 3rd of September 2013

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. It's an eternal party, shown on TV 24 hours a day - gorgeous, glamorous, deadly! Because, once you pass through Coldtown's gates, you can never leave...

What I Have To Say 

It has taken me far too long to fall in love with Holly Black. I know it has. A lot of people have told me it has. And finally I can say that it has happened. I am in love with Holly Black and now have to read everything she's written.

The vampires were so dark. Brutal, backstabbing, manipulative and completely out of control. A lot of authors have been trying to get over the influence that Twilight had on vampires and now, finally, Holly Black has managed. With so much darkness, it is far more natural to compare Black’s vampires to those of Ann Rice than those of Stephanie Meyer.

Though I liked all the vampires and their showyness, I think Gavriel was my favourite. His madness makes him much more interesting than the other characters. In the end any character that has a level of predictability that not even they can predict is one to watch.

Just everything about this book was interesting and exciting and just so different from most of the vampire books that are around at the moment. I cannot wait to read more from this world.

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 450

Publisher: Scholastic

Released: 5th of September 2013
Other Books in the Series: The Raven Boys

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after…

What I Have To Say 

There is still something about this series that just doesn’t do it for me. It’s okay to read but it’s just not special like the rest of Maggie Stiefvater’s books are. Still, I enjoyed The Dream Thieves a lot more than The Raven Boys.

I’m starting to like the characters a lot, especially Blue and Adam. This book also made me really like Ronan. Finding out more about his back story gave me a lot more sympathy for him and I loved the idea of stealing from dreams as well as the way it worked.

 The darkness of dream thievery was also really great. I always like it when magic has a dark side and Maggie Stiefvater is definitely one of the authors who does it best.

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge

Synposis (from Goodreads) 

My thanks go to Pan MacMillon and Netgalley for providing me with this e-arc.

Pages: 416

Publisher: Pan MacMillon

Released: 8th of May 2014

The first things to shift were the doll's eyes, the beautiful grey-green glass eyes. Slowly they swivelled, until their gaze was resting on Triss's face. Then the tiny mouth moved, opened to speak. 'What are you doing here?' It was uttered in tones of outrage and surprise, and in a voice as cold and musical as the clinking of cups. 'Who do you think you are? This is my family.'

When Triss wakes up after an accident, she knows that something is very wrong. She is insatiably hungry; her sister seems scared of her and her parents whisper behind closed doors. She looks through her diary to try to remember, but the pages have been ripped out. Soon Triss discovers that what happened to her is more strange and terrible than she could ever have imagined, and that she is quite literally not herself. In a quest find the truth she must travel into the terrifying Underbelly of the city to meet a twisted architect who has dark designs on her family - before it's too late . . .,

What I Have To Say

Some books can be tricky to review. This is one of those books, but only because as I sit down to write this review, I've realised, I have absolutely no idea what to call the main character. Her name changes so much. So I'm going to refer to her by my favourite of her names, Not-Triss. It's simple and states the facts with a hint of humour. And I think it's kind of cute. 

I honestly cannot think of anything that bothered me about the book. The only thing I can think of is the pace could be a little slow for some readers. But I liked it. This isn't a book you race through, desperate to find out how it ends, it's one to take your time over and enjoy the writing. Everything fits with the pace.  

And the prose. Oh how I love beautiful prose. This book is a work of art. Every sentence is an elegant, perfectly constructed gem. All right. I'm exaggerating a little. But really I found some very beautiful sentence. 

I'm trying to keep this fairly short, but I just need to mention some things. The characters were amazing. The fact that the point of view character was the changeling child and the way she had to work through the mystery and confusion surrounding everything was unique and intriguing. And the sister Pen and how they had to form a new relationship was so interesting. 

There are so many other things I could talk about. The whole dysfunctional family is something I could talk about for hours and I haven't even mentioned the people who took Triss and planted Not-Triss in her place. But I don't like long reviews. If I try to read one I tend to zone out after a while. Though this blog is not all about me. I want to do what I can to cater to you, my reader. So if you would like longer reviews when I have something to say, drop a word in the comments. 

The Night Itself by Zoë Marriott

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 368

Publisher: Walker Books

Released: 4th of July 2013

When fifteen year old Mio Yamato furtively sneaks the katana - an ancestral Japanese sword - out of its hiding place in her parent's attic to help liven up her Christmas party costume, she has no idea of the darkness she is about to unleash on modern day London, or the family secrets that she is going to uncover.

The paralysing paranoia that descends on her before she gets to her friend's party is her first clue. The vivid and terrifying visions that nearly get her killed are a pretty good warning too.

The giant nine-tailed cat demon that comes after the sword and tries to rip her throat out? Overkill.

Seconds away from becoming kitty-food, Mio is saved by Shinobu, a mysterious warrior boy. But it's already too late. Mio has ruptured the veil between the mortal realm and the Underworld, and now the gods and monsters of ancient Japan stalk the streets of London, searching for her and the sword.

With the help of her best friend Jack, a fox spirit named Hikaru - and the devoted protection of the betwitchingly familiar Shinobu - Mio attempts to discover the true nature of the sword and its connection to the Yamato family. Because if she doesn't learn how to control the katana's incredible powers, she's in danger of being overwhelmed by them. And if she can't keep the sword safe from the terrible creatures who want it for their own, she'll lose not only her own life... but the love of a lifetime.

What I Have To Say

I've been looking forward to this book ever since it was announced and seeing as Shadows On The Moon was the first of Zoë Marriott's books that I read (and my favourite of hers that I've read so far), I couldn't wait to see another book influenced by Japanese culture. The fact that it will ne a whole trilogy rather than a stand alone novel like Shadows On The Moon just made me more excited. 

The book really didn't disappoint me. The blend of modern day London with Japanese mythology was really smooth with Mio's response to it all being really realistic. 

The kitsune were my favourite part, mostly because kitsune are one of my favourite mythological creatures, though I do feel that their talents were a little under-used. 

I can't wait for the next book.