A - Z OF PEOPLE WATCHING: H IS FOR HOPE

As we celebrate the New Year, lots of us will be thinking of the year to come, what we hope to achieve, and possibly even making New Year's resolutions.

H is for Hope

Sadly lots of people I know in work scorn resolutions as a fad and a waste of time. I completely understand this; sometimes we might want to change something, but just don't have the desire or drive to do it. And this often leads to failure, and in turn to despair. But I always make resolutions. Yes, I really want to succeed and achieve the goals I set myself. But I also don't mind failing, because at least I will have tried.

Most people making resolutions will probably hope to lose weight, see family more often, get a new job or quit smoking. Mine are to grow my nails (not 'stop biting my nails' - as with hope, a resolution should be positive); finish writing a dystopian short story I started a while back; and travel more. Whilst hope is a key concept in lots of fictional writing, and is often a motivating force for change in the key characters, it's not often you read about characters in books wanting to achieve mundane goals like quitting a bad habit. (It's just not that interesting to read about.) But more common themes in YA are new relationships, being accepted by peers, or surviving life threatening situations.

If I thought people might read them all, I would give quotes from lots of books, including Debutantes by Cora Harrison, which is about four young sisters in the 1920s, each hoping and striving to escape their humdrum life and fulfil their career ambitions. Or from Whisper by Chrissie Keighery, which follows 16 year old Demi as she copes with becoming deaf. The whole story is wrapped up in feelings of hope and despair, fear and courage, and the emotional journey Demi goes through, from hopelessness to hope, is completely heart warming and touching.

The book I'm going to quote though is Partials by Dan Wells, because it looks at hope, not just to live, for the whole human race to survive. Set in the future, the human race is near extinction. Even the remaining survivors of a genetically engineered virus, RM, are unable to have babies that live passed a few days. Despite the government's attempts to find a cure, through enforced pregnancy (the Hope Act), there is little to be hopeful about. Yet, Kira wants to fight for the future and go out into unchartered territory to find a Partial so they can create a cure. There is no certainty that anyone will survive, but Kira has hope on her side. And if you don't have hope, what do you have?

"Of course it's worth it," said Kira. "Say that it's stupid, say that it's impossible, but never say that it's not worth it. We know full well that we might not be coming back alive, or successful, and I recognize that, and I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't ready to accept it. But Haru is right -- trading any of us, even trading all of us, for the chance to start a new generation of humans is more than worth it. If we can actually pull this off and use a Partial to cure RM, we're not just saving Maddy's baby, we;re saving thousands of babies, maybe millions of babies -- every human baby ever born for the rest of time. We're saving our entire species."

This was one of my favourite books of 2012, and I would definitely recommend reading it!

Do you have any hopes, aspirations or resolutions for the new year?

REVIEW: THE LOST GIRL

Author: Sangu Mandanna
Series: No, standalone
UK Publisher: Random House Children's Publisher
UK Release date: 3rd January 2013
Genre: Dystopian
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

Eva’s life is not her own. She is a creation, an abomination – an echo. Made by the Weavers as a copy of someone else, she is expected to replace a girl named Amarra, her ‘other’, if she ever died. Eva studies what Amarra does, what she eats, what it’s like to kiss her boyfriend, Ray. So when Amarra is killed in a car crash, Eva should be ready.
But fifteen years of studying never prepared her for this.
Now she must abandon everything she’s ever known – the guardians who raised her, the boy she’s forbidden to love – to move to India and convince the world that Amarra is still alive ...

What I loved about The Lost Girl was how the story delved into Eva’s situation as a replica or 'other' – trying to balance the two conflicting sides to her life, each pulling her in a different direction. Eva was torn between doing what she was created as an echo to do, and discovery and expressing who she was as an individual. Receiving information from Amarra about her life and having to learn it as if it was her own life must have been difficult. Especially knowing you can never be yourself. And despite what some people thought, Eva did have a soul, a personality and her own thoughts and feelings. She was interesting and best of all didn't ever want to give up fighting. The idea that she couldn't be with the person she liked was really sad. On the flip side, it was interesting to hear snippets of how Amarra felt, having to share how every thought and every action with some stranger who might possibly usurp your life.

The concept of a replica to replace you when you die was also very thought provoking. How would I feel knowing there was a replica of me ready to jump into my shoes when I died? And is it right to create one in the first place? Surely echos only existed because families couldn't bear the thought of living without some they love, which is a nice thought but it's also selfish to some degree and doesn't allow the family to grieve properly when someone passes away. But once an echo has been created, it seems wrong to treat them as if they themselves are evil or soulless.

Aside from the concept behind the story, I also loved the writing which was natural and flowing. Although I expected Eva to become Amarra really quickly on, you actually get to see quite a bit of Eva as herself, struggling to cope with what is expected of her. I think this was a good thing though, as you feel the build up before she is thrust into her new life in India and can understand her fears about it. The plot focused a lot on Eva's emotional perceptions and the changes she undergoes, but there were also lots of suspenseful moments, when I was really worried that she might be found out, and plenty of action towards the end.

Although Eva grew up in England, Amarra lived in India. So for Eva, becoming Amarra was also a huge change in situation. I liked the contrast between the two places and how to some extent Eva already knew little bits of her new life. There were a few bugs for me, like Eva growing up in a country that would give her a different tan and accent to the real girl, but that's just me being ultra picky.

A stunning debut, The Lost Girl combines a brilliant concept with flowing writing to create a thought provoking dystopian.

Rating: 4*

MY TOP 5 YA BOOKS OF 2012

In order to pick out my 5 favourite reads of this year, I've very strictly had to pick only books that were released this year. Even so, it's been really hard to whittle my list down, as there have been so many good reads, but I've managed to pick one for five different sub genres within YA.

Dystopian - Breathe by Sarah Crossan
Published by Bloomsbury, October 2012

It's been hard to pick a favourite dystopian because this genre has bloomed. But I picked Breathe because the story is completely immersed in a ruined futuristic world which is so easily imaginable it's scary.

The world is dead. The survivors live under the protection of Breathe, the corporation that found a way to manufacture oxygen-rich air.
Alina has been stealing for a long time. She's a little jittery, but not terrified. All she knows is that she's never been caught before. If she's careful, it'll be easy. If she's careful.
Quinn should be worried about Alina and a bit afraid for himself, too, but even though this is dangerous, it's also the most interesting thing to happen to him in ages. It isn't every day that the girl of your dreams asks you to rescue her.
Bea wants to tell him that none of this is fair; they'd planned a trip together, the two of them, and she'd hoped he'd discover her out here, not another girl.
And as they walk into the Outlands with two days' worth of oxygen in their tanks, everything they believe will be shattered. Will they be able to make it back? Will they want to?

You can find my review here.


Paranormal - Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Published by Simon & Schuster, January 2012

As the plot counted down Nicki's remaining time before she is taken back to the underworld, the tension grew and grew. A very gripping story.

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she's returned--to her old life, her family, her boyfriend--before she's banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.
Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance--and the one person she loves more than anything. But there's just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.
As Nikki's time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's queen.

You can find my review here.


Science Fiction - Partials by Dan Wells
Published by Harper Collins, February 2012

I loved this book because of the post-apocolyptic setting and the strange partials that Kira is off to hunt. Nothing in this books is what it seems though.

The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.
Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them--connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.

You can find my review here.


Fantasy - Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
Published by Random House Children's Publishers, July 2012

Rachel Hartman's debut features a brilliant fantasy setting and a female protagonist with a secret. Such a great read!

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.
Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

You can find my review here.


Contemporary - Whisper by Chrissie Keighery
Published by Templar, July 2012

I loved the unique perspective of this book, as it shows how Demi copes with becoming deaf and trying to deal with all the usual teenage issues and communicating with everyone around her.

Fifteen-year-old Demi's world is shattered when she is left profoundly deaf by a sudden illness. Everything is different now, and Demi must learn to adapt to a new school, new friends and even learn a whole new language.

Whisper is a coming-of-age tale, about discovering who you are and where you fit in life. About friendships and first love and, most of all, learning to love the person you are.

You can find my review here.



What have been your favourite books this year?

TRAILER TUESDAY: SHIVERTON HALL, THE CONFESSIONS OF AN ANGRY GIRL & CARNIVAL OF SOULS

The purpose of my weekly trailer teasers is to highlight some fab books (and/or their related movies). Two of this week's trailers are January releases and look so good. And the final book came out back in September, but you must check out the stunning trailer for it.


Shiverton Hall by Emerald Fennell will be published by Random House Children's Publishers. The paperback will be out on 3rd January 2013.

They slowed as they reached the gate; two stone columns, each with its own crumbling angel perched on top. The angels held up a rusty, wrought-iron arch that read, in curling, serpentine letters: SHIVERTON HALL.

Arthur Bannister has been unexpectedly accepted into Shiverton Hall, which, as it turns out, is an incredibly spooky school, full of surprises. And it is just as well that Shiverton Hall has made its offer, because Arthur had a horrible time at his previous school, and was desperate to leave. Timely indeed . . .

But Arthur has no time to worry about the strange coincidence. He is too busy trying to make head or tail of Shiverton Hall, dogged as it is by tales of curses and bad fortune. At least there are a few friendly faces: George, who shows him around; also Penny and Jake. But not all the faces are friendly. There are the bullying Forge triplets for starters. And then there is the acid tongue of the headmistress, Professor Long-Pitt, who seems to go out of her way to make Arthur's life a misery.

Luckily Arthur has his new friends to cheer him up. Although there are some friends that you don't want to have at all, as Arthur is soon to find out.

*****

Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett, will be published by MIRA Ink on 4th January 2013.

Rose Zarelli, self-proclaimed word geek and angry girl, has some confessions to make…

1. I'm livid all the time. Why? My dad died. My mom barely talks. My brother abandoned us. I think I'm allowed to be irate, don't you?

2. I make people furious regularly. Want an example? I kissed Jamie Forta, a badass guy who might be dating a cheerleader. She is nowenraged and out for blood. Mine.

3. High school might as well be Mars. My best friend has been replaced by an alien, and I see red all the time. (Mars is red and "seeing red" means being angry—get it?)

Here are some other vocab words that describe my life: Inadequate. Insufferable. Intolerable.

(Don't know what they mean? Look them up yourself.)
(Sorry. That was rude.)

*****

Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr was published by Harper Collins in September 2012. I loved reading this mix of paranormal and fantasy YA. I hadn't seen the trailer until this week, but I had to feature it because it's so professionally done (and I love the music!).

In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the Carnival of Souls, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures--if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father--and every other witch there--fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable. While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the Carnival of Souls.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: JEREMY DE QUIDT ON THE FEATHERED MAN

Today I am really excited to have author Jeremy de Quidt joining me on the blog to talk about some of his latest book The Feathered Man, a historical YA with some creepy undertones and strong characters that delves into the concept of what happens after your last breath.

How would you describe The Feathered Man to a potential reader?

It’s an adventure, a dark, frightening adventure. I wanted to take the science and thought of the early nineteenth century - that Gothic world of Mary Shelley in which the boundaries of medicine and anatomy were being pushed forward - and mix it up with murder, and curse and the belief in an after life from an earlier, more distant time. It’s about a search for that unanswerable question - where does life go when we have breathed our last? Maybe it’s an answer it’s better not to know.

What sparked the ideas for this new book?

A present to my daughter Alice. A friend of ours gave her a life-sized wire and feather sculpture of a kneeling man. Alice hung it on her bedroom wall. I would go in to her room to say ‘goodnight’  and see its shape in the dark. I’d sit there on the edge of her bed and think to myself ‘there’s a story there.’

If you were to 'sell' The Feathered Man using a single quote or line from the book, what would you choose?

The warning given to Markus by Professor Karolus - ‘Curiosity is a killing thing.’

The Feathered Man is set in a German town in a long ago era. Did you need to carry out any research to help you write the book, and if so, what did you research?

I needed to have a grasp on the science and philosophy of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and of the beliefs and ritual of the Aztecs at the time of the Spanish Conquest. The town itself is made up - I dipped into every mental picture I had of a northern German town and fitted them together, though the twin-spired church is based on the Marienkirche in Lubec. It was on a postcard that someone once sent to me.

Who was your favourite character to develop and write for in The Feathered Man?

I liked writing Frau Drecht. She is simply so horrible. Cruel people are bad enough, but scheming cruel people are even worse - they are an absolute gift to a writer.

The Feathered Man touches on some thought-provoking issues such as life after death. Has writing this book taken you on any emotional/philosophical journeys.

It made me think about the conflict between religious belief and science, and the conflict between different religious beliefs themselves. And I had to think about an after life. I ended up asking myself what if there was one, but what if it was more broken and disfunctional than life itself?

When you were writing The Feathered Man what were the positive or challenging elements?

I found the difficult part was combining the real world and an after life - finding a way of running them together as one. The positive part? Actually making it to the end of the book.

Who would you say inspires you and your writing (people you know, authors etc).

I find I’m more inspired by object and image than by people or by other authors. I find it really difficult to read any fiction while I’m trying to write it myself. But it’s not the case that I see an object and think ‘I could make up a story about that,’ it’s more that it sets in motion a train of thought that leads to other things. Old photographs do that for me too. I love old photgraphs - they are a gold mine for imagination.

How has writing your second book differed from writing your first? Has it been easier, with the experience behind you, or more challenging?

It was far more challenging. When I wrote my first - The Toymaker - it was as a weekly instalment to tell to children at a local junior school. The only pressure was to make sure there was another instalment ready to tell them come Thursday. It was a different thing altogether knowing that I was writing a book that a publisher was waiting for. I think it’s an almost universal fear among second time novelists that the first was a complete fluke and that you are about to be found out in a big way when you try to write a second.

What can we expect next from Jeremy de Quidt?

I don’t know yet. I still haven’t quite put down THE FEATHERED MAN - I need to get a little more distance between him and me, and by then one of the ideas that is quietly working away in my head will have pushed it’s way to the front. I’ve got an opening scene I’d like to use though, and in it there is snow on the ground, and the breath of the man makes a small cloud as he walks towards the door of the carriage.

Thank you so much Jeremy for taking time to talk about The Feathered Man. If you would like to find out more about Jeremy de Quidt or his latest book you can find it here:

Goodreads
Jeremy's Blog on the David Fickling Books website

The Feathered Man was released on 1st November 2012 by Random House. You can read my review of it here or you can head on over to Amazon to grab yourself a copy.

REVIEW: THE FEATHERED MAN

Author: Jeremy de Quidt
Series: No, standalone
UK Publisher: Random House
UK Release date: 1st November 2012
Genre: YA, Horror, Historical
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

In a German town, long ago, lives a tooth-puller's boy called Klaus. It isn't Klaus's fault that he sees his master steal a diamond from the mouth of a dead man in Frau Drecht's lodging house, or that Frau Drecht and her murderous son want it for themselves.

He has nothing to do with the Jesuit priest and his Aztec companion who turn up out of the blue looking for it, or the Professor of Anatomy who takes such a strange interest in it. No, Klaus doesn't want any trouble. 

But when he finds himself with the diamond in his pocket, things really can't get much worse - that is, until the feathered man appears. Then they become a matter of life . . . and death.

The Feathered Man features some very strong characters, some of whom are very cruel and heartless. Particularly Frau Drecht who uses children as free labour and has an unusually high number of deaths in her boarding house. I loathed this woman and really wanted her to get her just desserts. In comparison, the two young children, Klaus and Liesel, were so innocent, naive and vulnerable. Because of this they ended up constantly on the run and all I wanted was for them to find safety and hope. My heart went out to them both because they had no parents or anyone to look out for them, and sorely needed someone to give them a hug, food and a warm bed. But in the poverty stricken German setting, safety and love were very hard to find.

The setting very much reminded me of Victorian London, due to the historical timing as well as the stark contrast between those with money and education and the poor struggling just to survive. There were also a fair few gruesome acts in the story from murder, torture and maltreatment which gave the town a very dark and sinister underbelly. This poverty meant that Klaus and Liesel were forced to work for horrible adults just to survive, and when they were both in danger (which was quite often!) I was wracked with fear for them. The plot also took a number of sharp twists and turns, and there was plenty of intrigue when new characters were introduced and I tried to figure out how hey might fit into the puzzle.

A huge part of the plot links to the spiritual and what happens after death. I’m not sure I completely understand the other world. In fact, if that’s what it is like afterwards, I’m not sure I want to know. And yet, the desire to know what lies beyond drove several of the characters to commit heinous acts of violence and murder. I did like that this spiritual element was balanced against the exploration of the physical through anatomy, and that the anatomists were intrigued in life after death despite having a scientific background. 

The Feathered Man is a dark and chilling tale of human nature and what happens when our curiosity about death exceeds the value of life.

Jeremy de Quidt is currently taking part in blog tour for The Feathered Man. Here on My Book Journey Jeremy will be answering some questions about his latest book – be sure to stop back on November 6th 2012. 

Rating: 4*

REVIEW: TIME BETWEEN US

Author: Tamara Ireland Stone
Series: No, standalone
UK Publisher: Doubleday
UK Release date: 26th October 2012
Genre: YA, Romance
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett has the unique ability to travel through time and space, which brings him into Anna’s life, and with him a new world of adventure and possibility.
As their relationship deepens, the two face the reality that time may knock Bennett back to where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate, what consequences they can bear in order to stay together, and whether their love can stand the test of time.

I seem to have come across a few books or films lately that involve some sort of time/space travel, but for some reason I still find it really interesting. With Time Between Us, I was instantly intrigued and pulled into the story, particularly because of the mysterious prologue that was set 15 years before the rest of the book. I also liked that the story was set in the 1990s, with its grunge and rock references (where were you when Kurt Cobain died?). The time travel element added thought provoking "what might happen if" questions that made me think about not only the characters' potential futures but my own.

Anna was just amazing. I liked the way she tied her hair up with a pencil (something I do), wanted to go travelling, and liked rock/grunge bands. She was independent, down to earth and very cool, in a ‘I don’t even realise it’ kind of way. Whilst she wasn’t like her friend Emma who seemed to ooze charm and a sense of her own pretty outward appearance, Anna had so much passion and potential to do something different and interesting with her life, and I really wanted her to get the courage to go for it.

Although we didn’t know as much about Bennett, because he was the secretive ‘visitor’, I really liked him. Despite his gifts he was unpretentious and a nice, caring guy. His mysterious disappearances and appearances, whilst strange to Anna, weren’t quite so suspicious to me (having read the synopsis). But what I didn’t know was how things tied together later on. Being able to jump between times, there is likely to be some crossover of appearing in the same time, and it was these points that I found intriguing and kept me guessing. In fact I would have liked a little more on this to add a bit more complexity and mystery to the plot. Having said this, Time Between Us was well written and plotted out with events from different times or versions linking together and resonating nicely.

I also loved the ending to the book and the "message" that it conveyed. I don't want to spoil the book, so all I will say is that I wish I was more like Anna; brave and with her own amazing dreams and aspirations.

Time Between Us is a heart-warming romance fraught with suspense and mystery.

Rating: 5*

REVIEW: MYSTIC CITY

Author: Theo Lawrence

Series: Yes, #1
UK Publisher: Corgi
UK Release date: 11th October 2012
Genre: Urban fantasy
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself.

Mystic City has lots of references and parallels to Shakespeare, most particularly the forbidden love between two young people from rival families. I loved how this classic theme was paired with dystopian and paranormal elements; New York had been transformed into a futuristic Venice with the global-warming flooded streets in the Depths and its motorised gondoliers. With the contrast between luxurious high rises and the humble Depths, the setting was perfect for two star-crossed lovers to find each other.

I loved both Hunter and Aria. Aria, although brought up in a very wealthy and powerful family, was a sympathetic and caring person. Her family's power doesn't seem to have been built on honest foundations, and rather than go along with it and enjoy all the luxuries thrown at her, Aria was determined to find out the truth and fight for what was right no matter the consequences.  I thought Aria and Hunter were a perfect pair and really wanted to see them together. Hunter was a mysterious, mystic rebel, combining a dark and dangerous side with a funny, charming and protective personality. I liked the way he teased Aria, and was  a sensitive and caring person with real charisma. As an undrained mystic rebel, he was going against the city laws, but honestly who could blame him. He was standing up against the oppression and persecution of mystics which gave him a passionate, moral and slightly wild edge.

Although huge chunks of the plot were easy to foretell, I didn't mind because I was so invested in Hunter and Aria and their potential relationship. Their escapades to the Depths, especially during the old-fashioned carnival, were so romantic. When Aria was sneaky around and hiding from her family there was palpable tension and also plenty of mystery as Aria tried to fill in the missing gaps of her memory and figure out what the interesting little locket meant. This tension reached some big climaxes as she was discovered by her family and forced into some very horrible situations. Quite frankly I don't know how such a selfish, evil family brought up such an amazing girl!

Aria's friends were your typical spoilt socialites. They were selfish, ignorant and just a little annoying. Their speech included words like "upper" to describe anything cool. It definitely made the point that they were the popular girls, although it bugged me a little. But more importantly, their behaviour gave a strong contrast to Aria's; whereas they wanted to shop, eat and look good, Aria wasn't bothered attending parties or climbing the social ladder, caring instead about equality, fairness and truth. I did however love Turk, Hunter's best friend. He was witty, cool and cared about his friends, and I would much rather have him as a friend.

Mystic City is a gripping tale of forbidden love, magic, politics and fighting for what is right.

Rating: 5*

REVIEW: FALLING TO ASH

Author: Karen Mahoney
Series: Yes, Moth #1
UK Publisher: Corgi
UK Release date: 27th September 2012
Genre: YA Paranormal
Read via NetGalley
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

Trapped between two very different worlds, newly made vampire Moth is struggling to find her place in either. Not only does she have to answer to her strict Irish-Catholic Dad, but her over-protective maker, Theo, is intent on making her the star attraction in his powerful Boston vampire clan. Moth will have to pull off the double-act of the century to please both of them...
Adding to her problems is the dangerously attractive Jason Murdoch, a trainee vampire hunter who loves to play cat and mouse in his spare time (Jace = cat; Moth = mouse). But when the teenagers of Boston’s wealthiest families start to disappear, it forces Moth and Jace into an uneasy truce. Will they be able to solve the mystery behind the disappearances—before someone winds up undead? (Goodreads)

I have to admit, I'm a bit fed up with vampire stories. But Falling to Ash didn't bore me at all. For starters, Moth is a little rough around the edges as a vampire. She wears a leather jacket, steel toe capped biker boots and is extraordinarily witty. It kind of made me feel good though that even as a vampire, Moth wasn't unnaturally perfect all the time. The fact that Moth could still feel pain and had to overcome that to get things done made her character tougher and somehow more humane. Having been turned against her will, Moth is undergoing the emotional turmoil of trying to reconcile her new vampire life with with old life and family. Her protectiveness of her younger sister was really sweet. Moth may be a kickass heroine, but she will capture your heart.

Although the murder mystery was easy to predict, there was plenty of action and twists to the story. Surprising things happened after the murders, which I won't tell you about but were a little gruesome and made some interesting links.

I loved the relationship between Moth and Jace and the fact that they already had a backstory that affected how they interacted at the start of the book. Jace, following in the footsteps of his fathers, was a monster-hunter. And Moth was considered the monster. Despite the fact that Jace had been brought up to kill vampires, Moth and Jace were perfectly balanced. Both in strength and charisma. When they both start investigating the murders of local teenagers they form a tentative alliance. And as Moth is so down to earth, Jace slowly started coming around to seeing her as a person and not just a human blood-sucking killing machine. The fact that he could overcome all the believes his father had instilled in him was impressive and endearing.

This may sound patronising, but it isn't meant to be in the slightest. As Karen is a British author, I was really impressed by how authentic the writing was to the American setting. OK so I haven't  ever been to Boston, where the book is set, but the locations described felt so real. And the language and style really did make me believe Moth was a born and bred American. With Irish roots ;)

Dark, witty and with a dash of romance, Falling to Ash is a refreshing addition to the vampire genre.

Rating: 4*

REVIEW: MUDDLE AND WIN

Author: John Dickinson

Series: No, standalone
UK Publisher: Random House Children’s Publishers
UK Release date: September 2012
Genre: Children’s / MG
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

Everyone has a Lifetime Deed Counter (LDC). It works like this: You offer to help with the housework: Lifetime Good Deeds +1. You steal your little brother's sweets: Lifetime Bad Deeds +1.
When Muddlespot is promoted from a devil's janitor to special agent, the pressure is on for him to infiltrate Sally Jones and make her Bad. If he doesn't, it will be Very Bad for him. But as his mission leads him down Sally's ear and into the deepest recesses of her mind, all becomes unclear. Just what does it mean to be good? And can it be good to be bad?

Muddlespot has been sent on a mission of great importance: to turn Sally Jones to the dark side. For an overgrown wart that cleans up entrails, his promotion to special agent was a pretty big deal, but despite being taken out of his comfort zone he seemed to muddle his way through somehow. In fact Muddlespot was the most unsuspecting protagonist there is. At least I think he’s the protagonist. Coming from Pandemonium, aka hell, he should be the antagonist. But for someone who lives in Pandemonium, he isn’t really all that bad. In fact I rather liked him. I wish I knew more about him, but I’m not sure that you could know more about someone that has been grown from a wart by his evil master Corozin purely to clean up the left overs of the other special agents that fail.

It took me a while to realise that the 'Win' in the book title actually referred to Windleberry, a tuxedo wearing angel sent down to save Sally. With a Lifetime Deed Counter that absolutely no bad deeds, Sally is very special. And it is up to Windleberry to jump into Sally's head like some James Bond character and protect her from evil thoughts. I loved the way that Sally's organised and almost repressed brain and thoughts change, so that when Windleberry enters her brain, it's full of vandalised statues and graffiti. And I also liked the psychological element of the angels and demons influencing people and I could imagine people in the real world struggling with good and bad thoughts being feed to them from external forces before acting. Hearing little snippets of what was being whispered to Sally's teachers and mum was funny and you could see the point at which they sometimes broke and committed a bad deed.

The story takes a very blasé attitude to gore and violence. In Pandemonium, torture is commonplace, with fleshed peeled from bones and eyes literally rolling across the ground. I can imagine that some young boys would rather enjoy all the gory details and jokes within the text, but personally I’m not sure such a throw-away attitude would be good for every young reader.

The idea of an angel and devil whispering away to the subconscious mind, isn’t a new one. But the way John Dickinson has written Muddle and Win, and included such unusual characters, brings up so many questions and moral dilemmas. What makes someone good or bad? Can being bad be justified? Can you be bad but still be good? Maybe using the terms good and bad is too black and white. Sometimes standing up for yourself can seem like being bad, but for someone like Sally, who has always done everything other people’s way, a bit of selfishness certainly wouldn’t hurt her. Well, maybe. For younger readers, I think the book will be a good prompt to think about their own behaviour. It certainly made me think.

Sally’s ‘naughty’ sister, Billie couldn’t do anything right. As we were introduced to the inner Billie, Scattletail, her resident demon, and Ismael, her guardian angel, I enjoyed seeing why Billie acts the way she does. At first she just seemed like the naughty, selfish one, but as I started thinking about how people and their actions interplay and rebound, I kind of felt sorry for her. She’s always been compared to her sister and struggles to do anything as well. But when you get inside her head, the relationship between inner Billie, Scattletail and Ismael was much more balanced and relaxed and seemed like a lot more fun, especially when they played cards together.

Although I enjoyed the story overall, it seemed to take a long time for Muddlespot and Windleberry to both get inside Sally's mind. In fact the story was half way in, before any of the really interesting 'thought-persuasion' and angel versus demon dilemmas started. 

Muddle and Win: The Battle for Sally Jones is a thought provoking book about good, bad and deeds somewhere in the middle.

Rating: 4*

REVIEW: TRASH

Author: Andy Mulligan
Series: No, standalone
UK Publisher: Random House Children's Publishers
UK Release date: 2011
Genre: Children's / MG
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

In an unnamed Third World country, in the not-so-distant future, three "dumpsite boys" make a living picking through the mountains of garbage on the outskirts of a large city.
One unlucky-lucky day, Raphael finds something very special and very mysterious. So mysterious that he decides to keep it, even when the city police offer a handsome reward for its return. That decision brings with it terrifying consequences, and soon the dumpsite boys must use all of their cunning and courage to stay ahead of their pursuers. It's up to Raphael, Gardo, and Rat--boys who have no education, no parents, no homes, and no money--to solve the mystery and right a terrible wrong.

Trash is written from the perspective of three young boys: Raphael, Gardo and Rat. They live in extreme poverty, trawling everyday through rubbish and collecting what can be used or sold from a huge dumpsite. Raphael's unabashed account of how they search through faeces looking for something of value instantly made me feel so sad. With the additional accounts from Father Julliard, Sister Olivia and Grace, it makes the story a truly believable account. But it also heartbreaking. How could a country's leaders allow its people and children to live in such squallor? Unfortunately it happens in many third world countries, and Andy Mulligan based the dumpsite on a visit to Manila, and it really brings home how other people live and survive in the world.

Life for the boys is pretty bleak until they discover this exciting and dangerous bag. At last there is some hope in their lives. But it brings so much danger with it. The plot twisted and turned as the boys risked everything on what they might find, and when Raphael was taken to the police station for some very questionable 'questioning', I was really scared for the little boy. But each of the boys surprises you in them determination to not give in. They are three little survivors.

Each of the boys had a distinct voice and character. Raphael was more innocent and childlike of the three, able to win anyone with his smile; Gardo was the protector, looking after Raphael; and Rat was a little enigma. Rat really caught my attention because he described himself as ugly with his broken teeth, got his name from living with rats, and had no family to look after him. And yet underneath the lost and ugly exterior, he was smart, tough and cunning. Despite all the odds against the boys, I really wanted them win out and triumph over the evil police and politicians.

There is an ongoing theme of morals in this book. Not only are the police corrupt and unafraid to kill, but politicians and leaders are bent, taking money from their own people who live in stark poverty. It made me so cross, and as I could see what was coming in the plot I couldn't help but smile. The actions and decisions of the boys, starting with keeping the bag to themselves, is also up for scrutiny. But honestly I don't think anyone would blame the boys of any wrong doing once they've seen how they live.

Trash is a heartbreaking and hopeful account of three friends that find a miracle in amongst the rubbish.

Rating: 4*

VIDEO TRAILER: CRUSHER BY NIALL LEONARD

Following on from my previous review of the crime thriller Crusher by Niall Leonard, here is the trailer for the book. As the video trailer and music suggests, this story is at times intense and violent. Take a look....

REVIEW: CRUSHER

Author: Niall Leonard
Series: No, standalone
UK Publisher: Random House Children's Publishers
UK Release date: 13th September 2012
Genre: YA Crime thriller
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

To catch a killer, Finn Maguire may have to become one....

Everything changed the day Finn found his father in a pool of blood, bludgeoned to death. His dull, dreary life is turned upside downas he become's the prime suspect. How can he clear his name and find out who hated his dad enough to kill him?

Facing danger at every turn, uncovering dark family secrets and braving the seedy London underworld, Finn is about to discover that only the people you trust can really hurt you...

Crime isn't usually my genre of choice, and whilst I didn't necessarily like the violence in this story, the young protagonist Finn made the story for me.

Finn has had more than his fair share of bad luck and rough patches in his life, what with his mother leaving him and his dyslexia. He's had to help his dad pay the bills and fell into petty crime in the past. Now his father is dead and there is no-one to help or look out for him. I instantly liked his no bull attitude, and ability to pick himself up and carry on. He was absolutely determined, no matter what the cost, to find out who killed his dad. Even if it meant getting himself into a whole heap of trouble and giving the police a bit of smart-assed lip. Finn had no fear and it was his reckless behaviour and outspokenness that made the story. I did feel a little sorry for him, because his step-dad had been the best thing in his life and suddenly he had no-one. But Finn isn't really the kind of person you can feel sorry for. He doesn't mope around or want sympathy; he's a born survivor.

I was expecting the plot to be really fast paced and action packed, but to start it wasn't. Although the book spans roughly a week of Finn's life, in which his questions get him the wrong kind of attention, the plot didn't have much sense of urgency. It was only towards the end when Finn was in some serious and violent trouble that the action became nerve wracking and scarily intense. I did however find the mystery of who killed his father compelling. With so many suspects and different leads coming out of the woodwork, the 'whodunnit' element kept me reading as much as Finn's bravado and outlandish behaviour. I enjoyed the twists and changes from one subplot to another, although there were some rather convenient 'coincidences' that helped move the plot along. I didn't see the ending coming at all and enjoyed seeing where it ended up.

As you may or may not know, Niall Leonard is the other half of E.L. James, author of Fifty Shades of Grey. Although I'm not really fussed on who's who or the hype around a book, and even though Crusher isn't normally my kind of book, Leonard has made a very promising start as a writer and will be worth keeping an eye on.

Crusher is a gritty crime thriller with spells of violence and swearing; with a protagonist with no fear and a crime overload that had me seriously scared.

Rating: 4*

REVIEW: THE WOOD QUEEN

Please note: there may be spoilers for The Iron Witch, #1 in this series, but there won't be any spoilers for The Wood Queen.

Author: Karen Mahoney
Series: Yes, #2
UK Publisher: Corgi
UK Release date: February 2012
Genre: YA Faerie

To keep her best friend, Navin, from being killed at the hands of vicious wood elves, Donna Underwood stole the elixir of life. Now she's facing an alchemist tribunal while her mother lies dying, succumbing to the elven curse that shattered her mind. In desperation, Donna seeks an audience with Aliette, the fierce and manipulative Wood Queen, who offers a deal: if Donna can use her strange and burgeoning powers to help the wood elves, Aliette will free her mother from the curse. Along with Navin and Xan, the half-fey guy she's falling for, Donna struggles to unlock the secrets of her iron tattoos in time to save her mother's life. But some secrets are better left untold.

Donna is the kind of girl that tries to do everything herself, but often things end up going awry and not at all according to plan. Having been told faery stories by her father as a child where the heroine never waits to be rescued by the hero, Donna has learnt to charge into a situation and try to handle it herself. But I had to admire Donna for wanting to do help save her Mum and solve her problems with the Wood Queen on her own, even if it didn't always work out for the best. She's got guts and determination and for that I liked Donna, rather than throw my hands up in frustration at her. She also started developing new powers and I can't wait to see how these develop further.

Despite the slow start, the story's plot covered 3 days making it feel well paced and very real as it followed Donna's life and the dilemmas and problems she faced. Although there was plenty of action, excitement and surprises, the book felt to me like it was setting everything up for the final book; asking more questions and presenting more mysteries and clues but never actually resolving anything. For me this book didn't quite follow up The Iron Witch with as much gusto as I expected, but I'm hoping that all the set up will make The Stone Demon that much better.

In this book, there were a lot more questions about the Order and what its true purposes are. Could its leader Simon by trusted? Would Donna's aunt Paige really do the best for Donna? Sure the Order protect people from the Fey but do they actually do good? With the introduction of new characters such as Robert Lee there was even more interest and intrigue surrounding the witches. Robert, a member of the Order of the Crow, was a great new addition - I couldn't figure out at first if he was a good guy or bad guy, but his quick wit and mysterious air made me want to know more about him.

What can I say about Xan - he's gorgeous, irresistible and practically perfect in every way. He helped Donna, fought along side her, and made my knees a bit wobbly. I just hope we see as much if not more of him after the revelation of the trial.

The Wood Queen is an easy enjoyable read that leaves a lot of action and answers for the final installment in the series.

Rating: 3.5*

RHCP LAUNCHES NEW TEEN WEBSITE 'TOTALLYRANDOM'

There is some very exciting new today from Random House Children’s Publishers, as they have launched a new website aimed at teen and YA readers, TotallyRandom books.

It features author information with book samples, book trailers, blog posts written by authors and you can even vote on what's hot. 

Over the past 3 years RHCP has built an active teen community via Facebook and teen mailing lists and the new site provides a platform to grow this community, connecting readers from some of RHCP’s most successful teen brands including Lauren Kate, Christopher Paolini and Malorie Blackman, and introducing them to up and coming teen and YA authors.

The site launches with a feature on Jenny Downham before the forthcoming release of the Now is Good film adaptation of her YA novel, Before I Die.

Go check it out now!

SUMMER SCREAM: 4 VERY LOVELY AUTHORS

Zoe, Karen (talking about her books) & Lee

The other week I was thrilled to go to Foyle's Summer Scream event in London. Amid the chaos of the Olympics, 4 wonderful authors braved the tourists to come speak about their books.

The authors were: Zoe Marriott, Karen Mahoney, Michelle Harrison and L.A. Weatherly.

It was so refreshing and reassuring to hear authors talking about the struggles it took to get their first and current books written and published. Zoe talked about how her characters changed gender several times in the editing, and they all mentioned the frustrations and downfalls of leaving a story unfinished and uncompleted.

All four of the authors were lovely and funny and each gave a reading of their books. Michelle's reading was scary and thrilling (I loved Unrest!) and we were lucky enough to get a read from Karen Mahoney's not-yet-published book Falling to Ash. The main character, Moth, sounded spunky and so fun! Lee talked about her books becoming films, and Zoe talked about her childhood passion with a lot of zeal!

4 authors and 4 very cool books. In case you haven't picked up these books yet, here's a quick blurb...

Angel Fire by L.A. Weatherly
Only Willow has the power to defeat the malevolent Church of Angels, and they will stop at nothing to destroy her. Willow isn’t alone, though. She has Alex by her side – a trained Angel Killer and her one true love. But nothing can change the fact that Willow’s a half-angel, and when Alex joins forces with a group of AKs, she’s treated with mistrust and suspicion. She’s never felt more alone…until she meets Seb. He’s been searching for Willow his whole life – because Seb is a half-angel too.

Michelle and Zoe

The Wood Queen by Karen Mahoney
Donna Underwood is in deep trouble.An ancient alchemical order is holding her accountable for destroying the last precious drops of the elixar of life. Never mind the fact that Donna was acting to free her friend, Navin, from the dangerous clutches of the Wood Queen at the time. But what the alchemists have in store is nothing compared to the wrath of the fey. The Wood Queen has been tricked and Donna must pay. Get ready for all hell - quite literally - to break loose...

Unrest by Rachel Harrison
Seventeen-year-old Elliott hasn’t slept properly for months. Not since the accident that nearly killed him. Sometimes he half-wakes, paralysed, while shadowy figures move around him. Other times he is the one moving around while his body lies asleep on the bed. His doctors say sleep paralysis and out-of-body experiences are harmless - but to Elliott they’re terrifying.
Convinced that his brush with death has attracted the spirit world, Elliott secures a job at a reputedly haunted museum, determined to discover the truth. There, he meets the enigmatic Ophelia. But, as she and Elliott grow closer, Elliott draws new attention from the dead. One night, during an out-of-body experience, Elliott returns to bed to find his body gone. Something is occupying it, something that wants to live again - and it wants Ophelia, too . . .

FrostFire by Zoe Marriott
Frost is cursed - possessed by a wolf demon that brings death everywhere she goes. Desperate to find a cure, she flees her home, only to be captured by the Ruan Hill Guard. Trapped until she can prove she is not an enemy, Frost grows increasingly close to the Guard’s charismatic leader Luca and his second in command, the tortured Arian. Torn between two very different men, Frost fears that she may not be able to protect either of them ... from herself.

REVIEW: NOW IS GOOD

Author: Jenny Downham
Series: No, standalone
UK Publisher: Random House Children's Publishers
UK Release date: September 2012
Genre: YA Contemporary
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

Tessa has just months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It’s her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is Sex. Released from the constraints of ‘normal’ life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa’s feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, and her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallised in the precious weeks before Tessa’s time finally runs out.

Now is Good, otherwise known as Before I Die, was released a few years back, but has been re-released with a new cover and title to match the film that comes out in September and features Dakota Fanning.

Written in first person, Tessa’s illness is made all the more real. You can’t escape from her thoughts and feelings or the pain she suffers. The story itself is heartbreaking and it really makes you appreciate all the little things in your life that you normally take for granted.

The plot counts down to the inevitable, and I admit for a big chunk I cried my eyes out reading this book. It is very emotion driven and the intensity of the emotions meant I had to put the book down at certain points and have a break from it. The action revolved around Tessa’s final fews month where she was trying to complete a ‘list’ of things she wanted to do. Although this list was integral to Tessa’s emotions, every action had an emotional element to it – what was the meaning behind it, what was she trying to recapture or explore? I was a little surprised by her list to start with, but being sixteen I should have expected boys to come into it somewhere! I really liked the way her list changed throughout the story, not only for her own benefit but for her family’s.

Although the story is from Tessa’s perspective, you really get to see and feel how her family and friends are coping with the situation and how it is affecting them. Out of everyone I felt most sorry for Tessa’s dad, because he hadn’t come to terms with the diagnosis and was still holding out for a cure. As her father he also wanted to protect Tessa, and struggled to cope as she ran off to complete her ‘list’. Cal, Tessa’s younger brother, was a little star. Perhaps being a little too young to understand exactly what Tessa’s illness meant, he added a light and humour to the story that was desperately needed. His innocence and natural curiosity about life and death helped Tessa and me as the reader think of her illness in a different way.

Zoey was an unusual character for me. One moment she would be fully supporting Tessa, and I would really like her. And the next minute she would swing and come off selfish and uncaring. Even though I didn’t always like her, I think the story needed the balance of different characters coping in very different ways.

Truly heart wrenching, Now is Good, will have you appreciating all the little things in your life.

Rating: 5*

AUTHOR POST: RACHEL HARTMAN & SERAPHINA

Today I am really excited to have author Rachel Hartman joining me on the blog to talk about how she developed the world for her novel Seraphina, what sparked the ideas for it and how did she balance the world building against the characters.

If you've read Seraphina, or even if you're interested in writing, you really must read this insightful and funny account into what went into writing Seraphina.

The world came first, which seemed the natural order of things to me. There was no single moment when it came into being, no Big Bang or separation of the land from the waters. Rather, it came in bits and pieces over many years. 
I had my first inkling when I was twelve and had to write a narrative poem for school. Inspiration struck hard, and I wrote a long poem called “The First Adventure of Sir Amy,” about a little girl knight saving a king from an opera-singing witch. It was quite silly, but it established a number of things: the name Goredd (it rhymed with Fred, the name of Sir Amy’s horse); King Kiggleworth, who later became Prince Lucian Kiggs; and the presence of dragons.  

When I was sixteen, my father took a sabbatical year at Wye College, Kent. I was an avid reader of the English classics, and I was awestruck by the way literature intersects with real life in England. We walked the path of Chaucer’s pilgrims, lived near Jane Austen’s brother’s estate, and were just a short hop from places mentioned in David Copperfield. History was just as palpable and present. Roman walls seemed to converse pleasantly with Georgian houses and Norman churches. I conceived an abiding love for Medieval architecture. The texture of Goredd comes from Canterbury most of all, and from the bucolic hills and close horizons of Kent.  

After university, I wrote and illustrated a comic book for a number of years, and that’s when these disparate elements – things I’d seen, read, and invented – began to solidify into a unified whole. The comic was set in Goredd, and featured a girl named Amy (who was no longer a knight). My love of Medieval history had turned into a large collection of Medieval reference books; I studied the illustrations closely, absorbing details of ornamentation and the forms of everyday objects, and then tried to base my drawings in truth, which was often more astonishing than my imagination. I didn’t want the hackneyed Middle Ages that everyone already knew; I wanted to revive overlooked details and make them live again.  

From the material world grew the cultural world. I wanted there to be religion, or the trappings of religion that interested me most: cathedrals full of candles and statuary, shrines covered with offerings. I was wary of giving offense, so I invented my Saints, very different in nature from Christian saints. My people needed music and medicine, a national epic and history, neighbours and holidays. I put all these things in the comics, learning as I drew, as if my pen were teaching me. I sat back and watched it unveil the world. 

Of course there had to be dragons, because of the dragon in my poem. I soon discovered, however, that I did not enjoy drawing dragons. My dragons all looked like dogs. It was a disaster. I couldn’t bring myself to abandon the idea, however. Luckily, I hit upon a solution: the dragons could take human form.  

And that was the origin of shape-shifting dragons: an expedient of illustration that ended up being a tremendous wellspring of ideas, the happiest of happy accidents.  

So the world has been with me a long time, slowly accumulating detail and depth. I’m not sure whether other writers work this way, or whether it’s my own eccentricity, but once I had the world the characters were easy. The characters generally showed up whole and ready for work; I almost feel like a movie director, and they’re actors I’ve been working with for a long time. Some are what I’d call “utility infielders.” That’s my American roots showing. In baseball, a utility player is one who can play multiple positions. Maybe he’s not the best at any one position, but his flexibility is handy in a pinch. Josef and Lars are of this type; they’ve played a number of different roles over the course of many drafts. 
Having such a well-established world from the beginning allowed the characters space and time to stretch and develop. I must underscore, however, that the world never stops growing. Quighole, the dragon ghetto, was a recent development. I needed something concrete to keep people wary of dragons even after forty years, so I decided there should be an enclave of quigutl (small, flightless dragons who can’t take human shape) in the city. I was telling a friend about this over lunch one day, and she said, “But why do people find the quigs menacing? Are they aggressive pan-handlers?”  

I nearly fell out of my chair laughing at that suggestion. If it makes me laugh, it wins. That is why the book contains pan-handling lizards, and that is how a world grows, piece by piece.

Thank you so much Rachel for taking time to talk about Seraphina! Personally I would love to see Rachel's drawings, even the ones where dragons look like dogs! If you would like to find out more about Rachel Hardman and her book Seraphina you can find it here:

www.SeraphinaBooks.com
http://rachelhartmanbooks.com/

Seraphina was released earlier this week. You can read my review of it here or you can head on over to Amazon to grab yourself a copy.

REVIEW: SERAPHINA

Author: Rachel Hartman
Series: Yes, #1
UK Publisher: Random House
UK Release date: 10th July 2012
Genre: Fantasy
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

In the realm of Goredd, dragons and humans live side by side in a fragile attempt at peace. Their differences keep them apart; dragons believing humans are irrational, indulging in unnecessary emotions, and humans believing dragons are cold, dangerous creatures with no soul. When Seraphina is dragged into the limelight by her musical talents, she risks exposing her dangerous secret. But it is this secret that will help uncover a dangerous plot to upset the balance between humans and dragons.

Seraphina is a complex and captivating fantasy featuring dragons as we have never seen them before. They are able to transform into saarantrai or human form and live alongside humans. However the peace between dragons and humans is very precarious and tenuous. Neither side fully trusts the other and their differences makes them suspicious and wary of each other.

I love the fact that dragons are scientific, rational, logical creatures; they don’t understand or want human emotions, which sully the mind and infect their rational decision-making. Their lack of affection, sympathy or appreciation for art and music puts them at a distance from humans, which seems irreconcilable. And this is why I loved Orma, a dragon secretly living in Goredd in human form. He struggled to understand the emotions and physiological reactions he was feeling as a human, and yet he refused to ignore them. He was heartwarming and full of funny contrasts.

Although I struggled a little with the first chapter, once I got into the story I found it completely absorbing and captivating. There are so many different elements to the story from the extravagant world building, intriguing and multilayered characters, and underlying tension and prejudice between human and dragon kind.

As the female protagonist, I can’t think of anyone better than Seraphina. For someone so young she was mature, vulnerable, sassy, reserved and outspoken all at the same time. Despite wanting to live a quiet life, her talents as a musician draw her into the palace and into the public eye. Here she meets Prince Lucian, a strong man with his own insecurities. Their interactions and the slowly building romantic tension between them was charming and thrilling. A big plus for me was that Hartman didn’t feel the need to constantly remind the reader how attractive Prince Lucian was. His personality and Seraphina’s feelings for him did all the work, leaving me slightly infatuated and very fond of him.

The concept of Seraphina’s ‘mind-garden’ is unusual and strange and yet so brilliant. Here Seraphina controls and tends her ‘unruly’ thoughts to prevent her visions and breakdowns. Unusual characters and landscapes bloom in her mind and threaten to expose her secret. I won’t say more about this, but will only say you must give this book a read!

Seraphina is a beautifully unique and fascinating debut fantasy. I can’t wait to read more from Rachel Hartman.

Rating: 5*

You can check out the all-new Seraphina website here: www.SeraphinaBooks.com and view the trailer for Seraphina below: