With Glastonbury, one of the UK’s biggest music festival happening next week, it feels only right to be involved in The Last Thing You’ll Hear blog tour (hosted very kindly by Kaleidoscopic Tours)
The Last Thing You’ll Hear follows sisters Wren and Lark, who seem more like rivals than sisters. So when a mysterious music producer and his DJ prodigy come to their small town, both sisters are desperate to impress. Lark is the one who is taken under the producer’s wing, but Wren can’t help feeling that there’s something sinister going on as Lark distance herself from her friends and family.
But when the sisters get the chance to perform at the most-talked-about music festival of the summer, Enrapture, things come to a head a there’s a lot to lose. Can Wren put her jealously and ambitions to save her sister, or is it too little, too late for them both?
A twisted thriller set at a music festival? Sign me up!
Anyway, I am thrilled to be hosting a guest post about the power/dangers of music and why festivals are the perfect place to set thrillers, written by Jan Dunning. Some of you might know her from her debut thriller, Mirror Me, a twisted fairy-tale inspired thriller set in the world of high fashion…
Before I past you over to Jan’s guest post, I just want to thank her for finding the time to write this for this tour and huge thank you for Blue at Kaleidoscopic Tours for allowing me to tag along on this tour. If you want to say hi to Jan, you can do so on either Instagram and X/Twitter, and if you want to know more about The Last Thing You’ll Ever Hear, please check it out at uk.bookshop.org (Affiliate Link Alert).
Let's hit the ground running with a small Q&A type post (very rare for PW, I know.) with thriller writer, Sue Wallman.
In case you're not sure who Sue is (how?!), Sue is the bestselling author of four YA thrillers - Lying About Last Summer, See How They Lie, Your Turn To Die and Dead Popular - with her fifth title, I Know You Did It, coming out TOMORROW!!! All her titles are edge-of-your-seats away winners with her debut, Lying About Last Summer, was part of and won the Zoella Book Club 2016.
Now, I don't want to say too much about what I Know You Did It is about (Sue's going to explain in an elevator pitch below), but I am HUGELY grateful to Sue for saying "Yes" to my out-of-the-blue email, asking "Do you fancy being on my blog again?".
Oh, FYI! By the think you'll be reading this, Sue will have done a Crowdcast with her lovely editor from Scholastic, Linas, and I think (though I'm not sure so don't hold me to this) that you might be able to rewatch the event. Go to crowdcast and see for yourselves.
Title And Author: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic
Physical, eBook or Audiobook: Physical
Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Bought
Length: 528 Pages
Ok, let's address the elephant in the room. The world at the moment is awful. There's no other word for it. It's awful. And I thought long and hard over whether to continue posting on the Pewter Wolf or not over the next few weeks. I decided, in the end, that I am going to continue posting for a little while (I am going to take a small break later in the moment due to work and my mental health), but I wanted to say that this blog is my safe space and I want to keep it being a safe place for you, dear reader. I will one or two things the next few weeks and you will notice a shift on what I read and how I educate and entertain myself. But please bear with me. I will try and be/do better.
So... the long awaited prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy! And it’s a chunky beast. And it had a bit of a journey to its worldwide release - we were told it was a prequel, following an eighteen President Snow becoming a mentor for the 10th Hunger Games and happening in the middle of the COVID-19 and other things (can we just cancel 2020?) - but we’re here now. And this book is getting some very mixed reactions.
So, what is mine?
Now, before we go further, the book. On the morning of the Reaping for the tenth Hunger Games, young Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot of fame and glory as a new mentor of this Hunger Games. The name and respect for the Snow has fallen on hard times and he thinks this will save himself and his family.
But when he is told he will mentor the female tribute from District 12, he feels humiliated and starts trying to figure out his next move. For someone desperate to survive, how far will he follow the rules for?
Title And Author: City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
Publisher: Scholastic
Physical, eBook or Audiobook: Audiobook
Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Borrowed from Essex Libraries via BorrowBox
Length: 272 Pages or 5 Hours 2 Minutes
Curveball alert!!! A middle grade! And via audiobook even though I have a physical copy on my TBR shelves! Plus, at a time when I’m not sure what kind of book blogger I am, this comes as a real sidestep.
So, I bought this book MONTHS ago after hearing everyone RAVE about Victoria Schwab (or V.E. Schwab for her adult novels) other novels. You guys seem to really love her Darker Shades of Magic and Vicious series. I think I got Vicious on my kindle during a Kindle Sale so might read that in the future (not sure when), but when I first heard of this, this caught my attention. A middle grade ghost story set in Scotland - sign me up.
But then, I never read it. I never felt in the mood or the right frame of mind, and it was only when I saw the audiobook on the BorrowBow app (via Essex Libraries as am trying to save money and I cancelled my Audible. I know, what was I thinking?!) did I go “Ok, am in the mood for something fun”.
Cassidy Blake can see ghosts. She can step through the Veil between the living and the dead. And no one knows this about Cassidy expect her best friend Jacob. Who’s a ghost himself and can read her thoughts.
When Cassidy’s parents - two famous authors who investigate the paranormal - are offered a chance to host a TV show, showcasing the world’s most haunted cities, the family (two adults, one child, one ghost and one ticked-off cat) head off to Edinburgh, a city of ghosts. Including one with black hair, a red cloak and the ability to steal children away…
The Raven in Red is watching, and she watching Cassidy with great interest…
I have to apologise in advance if this write-up isn’t as fully in depth compared to others. I did have a notepad and pen for once. With my laptop. But I made no notes WHATSOEVER so I am winging it/remembering from my photos and everyone else’s Twitters and Instagram feeds.
So, where do I begin?
On Saturday, I made my way to London for the Scholastic Book Feast, a blogger event where Scholastic show off some of their most exciting titles for the rets of 2019 that they think we are going to love. I drove to London due to the maintenance work on the trail lines (why do they always do maintenance work on Saturdays I have to go to London for blogger events?! And yet, to other bloggers who were coming to London for this one event and was on the train at 5 in the morning, I can’t complain!), got the tube and managed to get there on time for a chin-wag with some cool, exciting bloggers.
And then the event begun. Now, this Blogger Event was done a little different compare to others. Normally at these things, publishers chat about several of the books they want us to know about, get authors to talk about them and maybe read a tiny extract and then we get together and chat with authors, publisher people and bloggers over food, tea and books (as book bloggers are vultures!)
But Scholastic did things a little different. They decided to chat about the titles first, get the authors to do mini talks about certain subjects and then a little quiz at the end of the event. So… let’s see how awful my memory is over what the talks were…
Alexander Shepherd chatted about being a debut novel and writing. Alice Broadway and Sue Wallman chatted about how they writing in their genre (fantasy for Alice, thriller fo Sue). Simon James Green, Laura Wood and Paula Rawsworth chatted about romance. Alexander with Beth Garrod and Melinda Salisbury chatted about feminism and PM Freestone chatted briefly about her debut, Shadowscent: The Darkest Bloom but spoke more about perfume and the layers within perfume. And the cover designer of Shadowscent chatted about how he created the cover.
Ok, I think I got the talks rights. And all were interesting and, if I was better prepared, I would have recorded some and put on all the social medias. But I didn’t. But you’re not here for that. You’re here for the book news so, let me chat about a few (ok, nearly all barring Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. I need to watch these shows, don’t I?)
First, there is no point me talking about Melinda Salisbury, is there? You all love her (and rightly so. She’s a badass!) so no point me chatting about Song of Sorrow. I did pick up a copy of State of Sorrow, the first in the duology (My copy’s gone! I think I lost it in the house move last year!) and you guys all have said I gave up on it too soon. So, going to try again as I love Mel and I feel like a bad human if I didn’t.
Nor am I going to talk much about Scar, the final book in Alice Broadway’s Ink trilogy. I haven’t read this trilogy (THE SHAME!!!) but I do have copies of book 1 and 2 and I know you all will scream if I don’t attempt to read it soon or put it on one of my “Pick My Next Read” polls throughout March/April so keep eyes peeled for that!
Not going to to talk much about Shadowscent: The Darkest Bloom by PM Freestone. For the purely selfish reason of I want to read it and want to go in as blind as I can! From the little I got that made me go “YES!”, imagine a fantasy-ish version of the Hunger Games but with perfume. It’s sounds deliciously dark and messed-up and I am here for that!
Under a Dancing Star by Laura Wood is a bit of gear change for me, but I am intrigued this. Imagine a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, set in 1930s Italy and you have an idea what you’re getting in. Now, I haven’t read A Sky Painted Gold as I gave my copy to my Other Half’s little sister and we bloggers were given a little sneak peek of Under A Dancing Star and I am a little furious that I don’t have either books in my possession! DAMN IT LAURA!
Best way to describe Paula Ratsworth’s newest novel, The New Boy, is imagine a mix of two Netflix shows - Black Mirror and You. Imagine these two shows having a baby and you have this. It tackles the issues of privacy, social media and romance and whether romance is romance when one person in the relationship is faking it…
As you know, I love Simon James Green. I’m scared he’ll think I want a relationship with him due to his books. So, of course, his newest - Alex in Wonderland - is going to be an auto buy for me. Alex has got a job in the rundown seaside theme park, Wonderland, and when news comes that the park might close down, can Alex and his friends help save the park while falling in love? I have been promised kissing so am all over this when it comes out. Sorry in advance everyone!
We all know about Oh My Gods by Alexander Shepherd but, if you have missed it, growing up is hard. And for Helen, it’s harder. She is half Greek Goddess, hiding her identity in Central London and feeling as if she doesn’t belong anyway. This sounds like the perfect beach read so get this read for your Easter break!
The Love and Lies of Rusksana Ali by Sabina Khan follows Rusksana as she tries to balance her life and her secrets. She only has a few months before she can stop as she will be off to college and can be open about who she is. But when her parents discover her kissing her girlfriend, Ariana, they send her to Bangladesh where Rusksana is thrown head first into a world of tradition and arranged marriages. But as she gets friends and unexpected allies, can Ruskana find the courage to take control of her future the more she learns about her family past?
I was going to tell you about Sue Wallman’s latest, Dead Popular, but I can’t. Not really. As I wrote no notes whatsoever. But from the author of Lying about Last Summer, what do you think this is going to be about? And with that title…? (We got a sneak peek of the cover and it’s very teen Karen Slaughter. I like hugely!)
Take a Chance on Me is gonna be perfect for you ABBA fans. From Super Awkward Beth Garrod, TACOM follows a girl who goes to a Greek island and find herself, awkwardly, in the middle of summer romance with three suitors. Hmmm… where have we seen that before? This is going be Mamma Mia, but not as you know it…
Last title in my notes is Becoming Jo, a modern day reimagining of classic Little Women from the mind Sophie McKenzie, and with a movie adaption coming out at the end of the year staring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Timothée Chalamet and Meryl Streep, interest in the world of March sisters.
And that is it. I have no other titles to report on! And reading my GP handwriting on non-exist notes was hard work. I do want to leave this post off to say thank you to Scholastic for hosting this event and I can’t wait to get involved in these titles, via blog posts or preorder! This reading year, so far, is gonna be fab!
I love Greek myths. I don't that comes as a huge shock to you guys, so when I first heard of Oh My Gods, I knew I had to read it in 2019! Greek gods hiding in modern London? SIGN ME UP IMMEDIATELY!!! Plus, LOOK AT THAT COVER!!!
I am thrilled to be reading in soon (I have one secret manuscript/story to read then am all over this!!!) but I am thrilled to be involved in this blog tour and thrilled to welcome Alexandra Sheppard onto the Pewter Wolf, chatting about why having an immortal family is a whole heap of trouble. What do you expect when Zeus is your father and your half siblings are gods...?
Before I throw you over to Alexandra, I just want to thank her for finding time to write this some piece for The Pewter Wolf. And thank you to Harriet at Scholastic for asking if I wanted to be involved in this tour!
OH! If you want to say hi to Alexandra, why not pop over to her website at alexandrasheppard.com or pop over onto twitter and tweet her at @alexsheppard!
I can't do cringe. I've said this before. I can't watch reality talent contests like Britain's Got Talent or The Voice/X Factor, as I just can't handle the people who think they can sing but can't - I cringe and get embarrassed on that person's behalf. I can't watch certain hidden camera shows due to certain elements. I can't watch certain comedy programmes or films due to the the tone of the humour. I just can't do cringe.
So, me wanting to be read this is a big contradiction. I mean, I read Noah Can't Ever last year (write-up for that is here, FYI) and I knew this sequel was going to make me cringe like heck, but I have been so excited to read this since finishing Noah Can't Even because it made me laugh. Do you know how rare it is for a book to make me laugh? I preordered a copy but Scholastic were super nice and sent me a copy of Noah Could Never for review. I squealed when I discovered it on my doormat and started reading it that very day (that's how excited I was!)
Noah and Harry are now dating. And now only is Noah trying to find his footing with what this could mean, a French exchange is happening and it includes the sexy and very gay Pierre Victoire, who might be having his eye on Harry, and Eva, a girl who dislikes Noah. And there are strangers beginning to follow Noah. Noah has no idea why - expect it could be his dad and half-brother doing something dodgy with his gran's fake diamonds OR that a drag queen is staying at his house due to a drag feud OR Noah maybe getting involved in a pyramid scheme linked to protein powder?
Can Noah get a break?
Yes, this book is cringe-worth - I knew that when I went in - but this is still hugely funny (maybe more so than Noah Can't Even, as I knew how Noah would react to certain things) and big hearted.
Ok, let's get the things I don't like out of the way first. Like I said, I can't do cringe that well and this book - no, this series - has a lot of cringe moments. If you don't like cringe, you might not like this. While there are a few cringe moments that made me want to curl up into a ball, there was a few I laughed at. The one that made me have the strongest reaction was on page 345, where I threw the book on the other side of the sofa then spent next ten or so minutes trying to uncurl my fingers and toes while going "MY EYES!!! MY EYES!!!"
Another thing I didn't warm to was the pyramid scheme storyline. Ok, I get it. I understand why it's here - it feeds into two/three other storylines - but whenever it cropped up, I just wanted to skim it. But seeing why Noah got involved and the fallout was really interesting, but I never warmed to this plot.
But I hugely enjoyed reading this. I read it in just under a week - that's fast for me. I enjoyed the humour in it and I enjoyed Noah trying to come to terms with everything (which, most of the time, was terrible and I wanted to shake him!). I hugely enjoyed a new character called Mike or, when "I got me hair on", Bambi Sugapops, and I hope that if there is a third book, Noah gets more of a relationship with Mike and Bambi.
And I liked how certain subjects are tackled. In this, Noah is worried about his relationship with Harry - is it going too fast or not fast enough - but also, he's worried about why Harry wants to be with him. He's worried that he's doesn't fit a gay template that he sees on the Internet and TV shows. That he's not jock or twink enough. And I get this - I struggled with this when I was coming to terms with my sexual identity and when I started dating. So the fact Simon talks about it and pokes fun at it is refreshing and makes Noah more relatable.
Maybe I cringed while reading this as Noah was me when I was in my teens. Only he's more extreme in his reactions than me...
Cringey, funny and big-hearted - I can't wait to see what Simon writes next.
Why, hello y'all! Welcome to the first stop in the Night of the Party blog tour! Yes, I am kicking this tour off - not sure if this was a smart idea from Scholastic or not, but let's getting this party started!
... don't give me that look! I had to put a terrible pun in this post, somewhere!
Anyway, Night of the Party is a post-Brexit thriller, where we follow Zara. Zara who is dating Ash. Zara who is keeping secrets from Ash. She's the only person who knows what happened the night her friend, Sophie, died. But she can't tell anyone, because she's an Illegal - she and her family were born outside the UK and if the Government, ruled by The Party, find out, she and her family will be arrested on the spot and deported, and failing to report an Illegal is a crime in itself.
But she can't tell Ash either, as Ash is Sophie's brother, putting Zara in an impossible situation. Tell him and risk her and her family's lives, or stay quiet and risk the secret being exposed down the line. As the country is gearing up for an election, Zara must make a choice... Speak or stay silent...
Doesn't it sound messed-up? RIGHT UP MY STREET! I can't WAIT to sink my teeth into this book!
To kickstart the tour, Tracey Mathias has kindly written a tiny piece about how Night of the Party changed over the course of two years as she wrote it due to the UK politics!
But before I hand you over to Tracey, I just want to thank Tracey for finding time to write this - it's really interesting to read this! - and for Rachel at Scholastic who asked if I wanted to be involved in this tour! If you want to check Tracey's online home, go to either traceymathias.wordpress.com or @traceymathias.
I'm not whether to class this as a book review or a #re3. Because I have read this once before. But it has been over ten years and I can tell you when and where I read this (but I won't due to personal reasons and I don't want the first paragraph within this post to be black and heavy).
So, why did I decide to reread this? I've been toying with rereading this but the past few months due to the series celebrating its 15th anniversary, and with the movie coming out later this year, it piped my interest. So when I saw it a few months back being 99p, I knew it was time.
In the future, cities are no one set in one place. They move. They roam. They eat smaller cities. London used to be one of the cities that small cities fear, but it's been in hiding. Now, it's roaming again, and its mayor have sinister plans, and third-class apprentice Tom finds himself caught up in it when he sees an assassin try to kill London's Head Historian, Valentine. When he corners the assassin, he discovers an angry, scarred teenage girl who shouts "Ask him what he did to Hester Shaw!" before she jumps down a waste chute. Within minutes, Tom is falling down that same chute, pushed by Valentine...
And London is racing across the Hunting Ground towards an unknown goal and something is hunting Shaw...
So, how do I feel about this? Well... kinda the same as I did when I read it the first time round over ten years ago. I liked the idea but I struggled with the execution and the writing style.
I'm not sure what else I can say about my feeling on it. I really liked this idea of cities being on wheels and moving, eating others. I haven't heard any other books do this or take it to the extreme that Philip Reeve did. And there were elements in here I hooked onto to - the character of Shrike I found fascinating and wanted to know more about him.
But, there were tings that didn't work for me. There were times I didn't click with the writing. I don't know if it was the writing style or the tone of the book I didn't gel with, but I didn't connect to it in the way I would have liked. And because of this things happened that made me tilt my head and go "That feels odd". Some of the characters and their relationships felt odd at times - rushed in places. I know this was meant to be a standalone novel when it was first published and then it was turned into a four book series, but the relationships ad character developments in this felt off.
It's a mixed bag for me. I know people who have read this and adore Mortal Engines and the books that follow in this series and its prequel trilogy. But not everyone is going to love the same book so I am at peace with my feelings towards this. Will I consider reading the second book in the series, Predator's Gold? Maybe... It really depends on my mood and on my TBR, which at the moment is all over the place due the events happening behind the scenes... So, we shall see...
I should be watching Riverdale as I write this late last night. I promised Scholastic, several bloggers and authors that I will be watching one or two episodes as I write this.
But, I have so much to tell you guys and I know this is going to take some time (and I have been playing on my phone/YouTube for over several hours and stressing about being a grown-up so I need to focus and get this done).
Saturday just gone was my second blogger event of the year - and I had to make plans with my work so I can go (I work some Saturdays - hence why I was staring at my phone most of the day as even though I muted WhatsApp, I could sense the messages piling up and I don't know how to remove that little red circle that pops up on the corner of the app!). So, after driving to train station near my work (work was borrow my mode of transport till I can afford a car and because my regular train line is a replacement bus service for the next few weekends), I was whizzed to London one cold, wet Saturday. And after going "OOOH!" over Tower of London (it was right next to Fenchurch Street station - plus am audiobooking Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness!) and taking my time to get to event, I got to Scholastic and MY BLOGGER FAMILY WERE THERE!!!
Oh, blogger family, I missed seeing you. And for some of you, it's been too longer!
I should go and reference them, shouldn't I? But there was too many - but more on that and them a little later as I have plans with one or two of them and am planning to steal some of their instagram pics.
Anyway, once we were all in the conference room, the lovely ladies at Scholastic started the presentations of some of their titles that are coming out this year. And most/all of them caught our attention in one form or another and made us go "We need to buy this as soon as it comes out!". Now, I'm not going to reference them all (there is going to be a load of pics/blog posts/vlogs about this, me thinks) so I am going to talk to you guys about the titles that caught my attention and made me sit up a little straighter (even though my TBR is currently hating my guts and going "WHY AREN'T YOU READING ME YET?! DON'T YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!")
The first title is Shell by Paula Rawsthorne. Now, I have the proof for this since the end of last year and it came wrapped in bandages so I know it's going to be interesting. Lucy is diagnosed with terminal cancer. You don't survive that. Expect Lucy does. She wakes up one morning to find herself cancer-free. But there's a big catch. She's no longer in her own body. While she slept her brain and eyes were removed out of her body into someone else's, and now she is no longer Lucy. In this modern nod to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (published 200 years ago this year), Lucy begins to wonder how far you go for the people you love? And if there's a line you must never cross...
Second is State of Sorrow by Melinda Salisbury. This is the first book in her new duology and I have already got this on preorder (and Scholastic knows that nearly every blogger in the room wanted to read this) so this is going to be fun. Deliciously dark with complex fantasy world-building, we enter a kingdom which is still grieving for Sorrow's older brother who died days before she was born. She has the govern this kingdom and, when it gets too much, find comfort in the arms of the boy she's in love with. But when a stranger comes forward and claims he is her dead brother, Sorrow is taken aback. This boy wants to claim the throne, but is he really her brother or an imposter? And what is she going to do - stand aside or fight for the throne, even though it's the last thing she wants to do?
Another preorder book that was talked about here was Noah Could Never by Simon James Green. Sequel to Noah Can't Even, I was bouncing when this popped up on the screen and tried not to bully Simon since I finished reading Noah Can't Ever with tweets such as "There's going to be more kissing, right Simon?" or "If you hurt my babies, I swear to Lucifer!". (There is more kissing in the book, Simon said there was in the presentation and practically pointed me out by going "Him! Blame him!"). Taking place around two months after Noah Can't Even, Noah and Harry are dating (hooray!). But Noah is struggling to see what Harry sees in him. He's nothing compared to the sexy French exchange student, Pierre Victorie, who has his eye on Harry. Plus, the police are monitoring Noah, but he's not exactly sure why. Because of his dad and his secret half brother trying to steal his Gran's fake diamonds? Because of his PE teacher who's getting mysterious payouts? Or because drag queen Bambi Sugapops is hiding out at Noah's house while in the midst of a bare-knuckle, knock out drag feud? And when you throw in the mix Noah wondering if he's ready to take the next step in his and Harry's relationship, it's going to be a funny, cringey and warm story (it's better be!)
Your Turn to Die by Sue Wallman. Ok, I haven't read her last thriller (IT'S ON MY TBR!) but Sue is a wonderful author and I adore her, so I have to mention this. Plus, this book sounds AMAZING! A dark and twisty thriller, this follows the teens of three families who, every New Year, go on holiday together in an old countryside house. But the teens discover a terrible secret - a deathbed confession led the police to a body of a teenager who went missing 50 years ago. As the teens begin to dig up the past, strange accidents happen round the house. If they're not careful, this new year will simply be their last...
Speaking of thrillers, Night of the Party by Tracey Mathias is getting a lot of buzz as the "Brexit thriller of the year". Set in the near future when the UK leave the EU, we meet Ash who is grieving the lost of his sister. When he meets Zara, he falls her fast and hard. But Zara has secrets. Secrets she can never tell. Not only is she an "Illegal" - a person who wasn't born in the UK, meaning her and her family would be arrest and deported without question - but she knows the truth about how Ash's sister died. To tell would put her and her family in danger, but staying quiet could ruin everything between her and Ash. With an general election looming, it will either save them or bring disaster in its wake...
I have another thriller for you. Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl is a hard one to explain but it sounds so messed-up, I'm going to try. Five friends reunite a year after graduation, but during a night out, they narrowly avoid a collision with other car. When they get back to one of their houses, a mysterious man knocks on the day and tells the something that shatters their world. The friends must make a choice: one of them will live and others must die. And it must be unanimous. Then the mind games of Neverworld Wake begin...
Let's chat one more book as you all are probably screaming at me "WHY HAVEN'T YOU MENTIONED THE SURFACE BREAKS BY LOUISE O'NEILL?!". So, The Surface Breaks by Louise O'Neill is the feminist reimagining of The Little Mermaid. There's not much else I can say. I think most of us are intrigued over how Louise is going to write this and what she does... Will have to wait till May to find out...
And, of course, I could go on and mention the other jaw-droopingly yummy books I think you guys will love: The Light Jar by Lisa Thompson (a hopeful middle-grade touching on some dark issues), Tender by Eve Ainsworth (who I am ashamed to admit I have never read, but her books are topical and this is no exception, tackling the issue of young carers), Spark by Alice Broadway (sequel to Ink, which I haven't read yet! I only just got a copy of it today!), Twister by Juliette Forrest (mainly because of the cover. It's divine!), Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood (imagine I Capture a Castle meets The Great Gatsby and you got it!), the sequel to Hayley Barker's Showstopper (I can't remember if the title was revealed or not but I haven't read Showstopper - you can blame me DNFing another fantasy book set in a circus for putting me off reading this. But I feel ready to hunt down a copy again) and A Storm of Ice and Stars by Lisa Lueddecke (prequel to A Shiver of Snow and Sky - again, another book I have but not read. Wow, I suck at this book blogger lark, don't i?!) And there is probably a ton more that I missed or I can't read my appalling handwriting to
But it didn't end there! Oh no! After that, we had Simon James Green, Laura Wood and Lisa Thompson read tiny extracts from their upcoming novels and we all went "OOOOH!" over them. The editors and designers chatted about their jobs and how the process of the job. And then, we had a panel with all the authors - Alice Broadway, Paula Rawsthorne, Traey Mathias, Eve Ainsworth, Sue Wallman, Simon James Green, Lisa Thompson and Laura Clarewood - all chatting about how they write, why they write and advice they give to aspiring authors. And, after that, a tiny quiz to put our YA book brains through our paces (and to highlight that I haven't read Malorie Blackman's Noughts and Crosses... but by the year of this year, I will damnit!)
And after that, it was time to leave (though I was dragged out. I was trying to make Simon James Green and Eve Ainsworth co-author a comedy horror together and trying to hide in the corner, going "Shhh. If they don't know I'm here, Scholastic will have to give me a job!"), and once was given a goodie bag (which I always feel odd about taking. I feel like I just turn up to steal books!) which contained a beautiful new edition of Philip Pullman's Northern Lights and a proof of Neverworld Wake (and I was kindly given a copy of Alice Broadway's Ink and Juliette Forrest's Twister as well).
And once we were kicked out of the building, a bunch of us bloggers decided to have lunch at a nearby Nandos (we're a classy lot. But, if you ever want us, bribe us with books and food, and we'll love you). If I can find photos on other bloggers's Instagram, I will embed in this post.
I can't explain the pout in that photo. I was trying to be funny and I look like a camp goldfish...
Now, before I go, I just want to thank everyone at Scholastic for the event. It was wonderful and I had such fun. Plus, it's always a lovely thrill/honour to be invited. Thank you - and I am sorry for the email you're going to get in the next few days...
So, I was listening to a random episode when the hosts, Michelle and Caitlin, were chatting about podcasts they listen to. One of them mentioned a recent discovery - The Babysitters Club Club - and how it was funny, thoughtful and cool to hear two guys reread and chat about the book series. Now, I have fallen out of love with my recent podcast obsessions (so much so, I had unsubscribed to several of my faves - Nightvale, No Such Thing As Fish, etc) and scared of going near news/comedy based shows (Brexitcast and Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4), I thought I would give this a whirl. But I didn't. I never read Babysitters Club so wasn't sure if I would enjoy it. So, I wondered what books I read when I was younger. And the answer jumped into my head very quickly: didn't I go through a year-long phase of reading KA Applegate's Animorphs? And look, there's two Animorphs podcasts you can listen to - Thought-Speak and Morph Club.
So, after binging random episodes of Animorphs books I never read (my obsession lasted a year and I think I quit the series halfway though the David trilogy so around book 21/22), I thought What if. A dangerous question but what if this series was super awesome and stupid preteen me quit too soon? Shouldn't I go back and see if it holds up? So, probably against my better judgement, I bought a very battered second-hand copy of the first Animorphs book I ever read: The Forgotten (aka book 11 of the series).
Ok, before I go further, history lesson time! Animorphs was a sci-fi series, written between 1996 to 2001-ish) about five preteens (well, at the start of the series) seeing a spaceship crash and, after trying to save the alien's life, gaining the power to morph. This power comes with a huge problems as these five are the only ones that can stop a secret alien invasion of the Yeerks coming to take over the planet. The series was written under the pen-name KA Applegate (which was wife and husband duo, Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant) and then, around book 25, was ghostwritten (though Applegate gave highly detailed outlines for each book).
Apparently, Scholastic tried to reboot the series in 2011 with new covers and update some pop culture reference but, due to poor sales, they stopped this after republishing the eight book in the series, The Alien. Since then, this series has been out of print and can only get second hand.
And with that out of the way, The Forgotten. The eleventh book in the series (and told from Jake's POV), we follow the Animorphs who discover someone crashed a Yeerk spaceship. But the Animorphs decide to try and get he spaceship and show Earth that they are being invaded. But with Jake getting weird flashes of something, the Animorphs and some of the Yeerks (including the leader of the invasion, Visser Three) find themselves in another place, another time, and with little to no way of getting home...
I read this in two hours. It wasn't that taxing and it was nice to read something I could switch my brain off to. And I get why my preteen self enjoyed reading this. It was fast paced, and it was fun to read. We had kids and aliens transforming into animals and fighting back against aliens.
But, my 30-something year old self does go "You know, if this series was going to do a true reboot, then this book would be much longer than 170-odd pages, the type would be smaller and the plot would be much much darker".
I think there has been a definite change in stories and their tone from when this was first published (in the UK, 1998) and now (2018 - 20 years gap!). The books would have been longer, darker, gritter and maybe not so long a series run (Animorphs ran for 52 books and this doesn't include the spinoff books such as Megamorphs, the Chronicles and Choose Your Own Anternamorphs [which I didn't know existed till researching this!]).
Although this was a nice nostalgia read (I did buy another secondhand book from another KA Applegate series, Everworld - because, apparently, I have more money then sense), it shows how much I have grown and changed as a reader over the past *mumbles so no-one hears exact number* years.
SURPRISE!!! This is my day on the A Shiver of Snow and Sky blog tour! And I have a double-whammy for you all!
For those curious, A Shiver of Snow and Sky is set on the island of Skane where the sky speaks. Beautiful, colourful lights fill the sky, relaying a message from the Goddess. Green means all is well, blue means a snow storm is coming and red... red is rare and it's a warning...
And the last time the sky turned red, it was seventeen years ago, Ósa was just born and a disease went through her village, killing hundreds of villagers, including her mother. Now Ósa is determined to figure out how to stop the onslaught before it destroys her village...
Now I have wetted your appetite, I'm going to tease you with an extract from the story and, if that grabs your attention, I have a small contest for you to enter (if you want to enter, all the details will be on the Google Form so check that before you enter, ok?). All the details for the contest is on the form so read before you enter.
With all that out of the way, ONTO THE EXTRACT AND THE CONTEST!!!
*sigh* Fine, Noah. I will do the extract for you as part of the Noah Can't Even tour.
Anyway, hello Internet! Today is my (and the lovely Jim from YA Yeah Yeah) stop on the Noah Can't Even blog tour! Jim, to my knowledge, has a different stop post compared to mine so once done here, pop over to his and check it out!
But before I tell you guys what my stop is, let me explain what Noah Can't Even is. Noah Can't Even follows Noah who isn't having the best time at the moment. His dad went missing years ago. School is hell as his classmates discover that his mum is a Beyoncé tribute act. His gran isn't really herself any more. And he only has one friend, Harry.
Why can't he be normal and have a normal life? When the lovely Sophie asks if he wants to come to a party, he wonders if this is the moment his luck is going to change. But life takes an unexpected turn when Harry kisses Noah...
So, as you can tell, my stop is an extract and am thrilled over what little titbit am showing you guys! Probably one of my fave moments in the book!
So, before I hand you over to the extract, just wanna thank Olivia from Scholastic for inviting me on this tour and to apologise for all the tweets I send her while reading this book (sorry about them!). I also want to thank Simon James Green for writing this book and to apologise for all the times I tweeted him while reading this (and those tweets demanding a sequel that contains kissing. Lots and lots of kissing...)
You can check out Simon online via his website (simonjamesgreen.com) and via his Twitter (@simonjamesgreen). And I believe Noah has his own twitter (@noahgrimes12) because, apparently, Simon and Scholastic are liars... *says nothing*
Now, with all that out of the way, ONTO THE EXTRACT!!! (Sorry about the long type. Was meant to be a PDF you could read and flick through but no idea how to upload it on here. Sorry in advance!)
As you guys know, I blitz the whole Sin Eater's Daughter trilogy the early part of this year (Sin Eater's Daughter in January, Sleeping Prince in February and The Scarecrow Queen in March). And I really liked this series, with Scarecrow Queen being my favourite. And I remember chatting to Melinda at one point, going "You should write a small collection of short stories set in this world."
This must have been in the works because, a few months later, a small ebook collection of short stories set in this world was published!
The Heart Collector is a collection of three short stories set in the Sin Eater's Daughter world. We have two that have been released on the Waterstones's website for a limited amount of time - The King of Rats and The Heart Collector - and a third being published for the first time in this collection - Mully No-Hands.
All are prequel stories and you don't need to have read these to enjoy the trilogy. I want to make this clear before I go any further, explain what each story is.
The King of Rats is the story of when rats plague the city of Tallith and what triggers events that will reshape the world in centuries to come. The Heart Collector is a story of the Bringer who must wake and bring a girl to the Sleeping Prince for, one day, one girl will wake him from his slumber... Mully No-Hands is a fairy tale of a boy who has a beautiful mother and a rich father, who is destined to live a fairy-tale like life. But not all fairy tales end happily ever after...
Now, I have already read King of Rats (write-up for that is here) so I just jumped into The Heart Collector and Mully No-Hands. But out of the three stories, I enjoyed The Heart Collector the most. This story, I wished, was written as a standalone novella, almost in the same vein as The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer. I feel that this would stand up on its own, but add extra insight into the Sin Eater's Daughter story as this follows a different character.
This collection is very much for fans of the series and it adds an extra layer to the world.
Last Wednesday, in the secret heart of the theatre area of London, a small book launch party was thrown. This is the launch party of Simon Can't Even by Simon James Green. And it was filled with family, friends, book publishing people, people from that glittering world of theatre and TV...
... and me. [insert the awkward here. No, wait. Insert that picture to the right now!]
Thanks to the lovely people at Scholastic (who will never invite me to anything again. See further down for reasons), I was invited to come to this launch party and, for once, I realise that I could (moved departments at work). So, out of work, changed into normal human clothes, popped onto train and, was shocked to discover that I had time to spare in London. I could pop into Foyles bookshop and have a snoop at the pretties (and, even though I should be saving money due to rent, I treated myself to a copy of The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen. So, guess what I'll be reading soonish... maybe...). Then, once I figured out where the launch party was being held (very close to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Aladdin! And not that far from The Mousetrap [if you've read Simon Can't Even, you know why I reference that!]), I went in and discovered...
...bananas. Quite a few bananas. Not real bananas (because fruit is healthy and that is not allowed on this blog!), but inflatable toy bananas. Because we need any more reason to be a filthy-minded lot. (If you haven't met any YA book blogger/vlogger/person, our minds live in the gutter!)
I have to make a quick statement before I go any further: I don't like cringe. You know what I mean: those moments that make you cringe. Like watching a TV talent show and having someone on who believes that they really have talent in that field but they don't. Or watching a hidden camera prank show and one of the hosts having to do something as a punishment (not all but a few). Yeah, I can't do cringe well. This is why I haven't (nor probably will never) watch The Inbetweeners. If I can make it through an episode of X Factor or that episode of Friends that make me want to claw my ears off, how am I going to survive The Inbetweeners?!
I state this now because this book has moments of cringe in it. I mean, the cover is a clue (the cover is ace, by the way!) Well, for me, it has moments of cringe. Where I would have to put the book down and leave it alone for a few moment while I go "WHY?!" at it. This isn't a bad thing but still...
Anyway, now I have that out of the way, let me chat about this book. Now, since I first heard of this book back in January at Scholastic's Blogger Event, I have been quite keen to read this. It sounded like fun. I sensed there might be moments I will dislike or go "Well, this is very Hollyoaks for my tastes, but it looks like a laugh". So, of course, when it appear in my letterbox due to Scholastic sending me a copy, I jumped at it without much thought.
Noah is having a bad few years. His dad's disappeared. His mum is a total embarrassment. His gran is suffering from dementia and isn't always there. He has only real friend - Harry. School's hell. But life might be on the up when he strikes up a friendship with Sophie and she invites him and Harry to a party. This is perfect, right?
But the party takes a turn when Harry kisses Noah. What does that mean? From there, things just keep going downhill.
I have to admit this, I am writing this a good week after I have finished this and posting this a few days later so my memory of this book is shot (this is why I write these posts within 24 hours after finishing the book)!
And while I did cringe OH SO MANY TIMES and wanted to grab Noah and shake some sense into him, I did enjoy it. I wouldn't say it was a fun read for me as, at times, it reminded me a little too much of me in my teens. Maybe this is why Noah grated on me at times - because he did things that I could have easily done myself in my youth (though, never to the extreme Noah did!).
At times, this did feel very Hollyoaks. I know some of you guys like Hollyoaks so that's not a bad thing. But at times, was a little overwhelmed with some of the stories that was thrown at Noah. Or maybe it was how Noah reacted to them that felt overwhelming.
I feel like am being mean about this book. I did like this book! Honest! I like Noah's Gran - possibly my fave character, truth be told. She gives Noah a lot of good advice and gave the book an edge of humour (I nearly choked on my cup of tea when reading one section, which was lovely and tender, Gran shouts the word "HERPES!"). And I like Harry and Sophie. They're characters I wanted to spend more time with and hopefully, we do in the next book. Plus, I liked the last 100 or so pages. It tied everything up nicely but gave character development to Noah and this helped me warm to him HUGELY! Plus, these 100 pages give room and new ideas for the sequel (yes, there is a sequel).
Now, not everyone is going to like this. This isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. This coming-of-age/coming out story is madcap, awkward, cringey, yet oddly charming. And I kinda want the sequel. If, for no other reason, just to shout "Just kiss, you morons!" at certain unnamed characters...
I DID IT!!! I READ THE ENTIRE TRILOGY IN A SPACE OF THREE MONTHS!!! Bit late to the party but I DONE IT!!! (and to that fan who tweeted Melinda that she read the whole trilogy is less than 16 days, shame of you. Melinda kept giving me tweets to say "er... LOOK!")
In this, the third and final book in the trilogy, the Sleeping Prince has taken control of Lormere and with Twylla in hiding and Errin in his clutches, time is running out to them and their band of rebels to stop him taking full control.
But Aurek will stop at nothing to keep the throne and to keep it forever.
Anymore than that and I might spoil a lot of details within the previous two books in the trilogy, The Sin Eater's Daughter and The Sleeping Prince. But it's gonna hit the fan, so brace yourselves...
This is the strongest and my favourite book in the trilogy. Things are put into place and the pay-off worked excellently, characters have grown from when we first met them and we have a climax which left me breathless.
This is how a final book in a trilogy in a dark fantasy trilogy should be: dramatic, badass, tender, creepy as heck (I couldn't stop thinking about the prologue for days after I read it, and those interlude chapters were just ), breath-taking as you want to sped through to the end yet want to savour the writing at the same time. It's been so long since I read a faultless finale, and this ticked every box!
Shame it's taken me so long to discover this trilogy (blame the hype fear and the wrath of nearly EVERY BLOGGER/VLOGGER WHO SCREAMED AT ME TO READ THIS TRILOGY [and Melinda who threatened to send a Dementor at me - I swear she's Voldermort's secret daughter!]) but Mel has a new fan and I await her next book, Floored (which she is co-writing with Sara Barnard, Holy Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Lisa Williamson and Eleanor Wood) and her just-announced trilogy with baited breath!
EDIT: Just when you thought I can't mess up the author's name further (have you guys not see me say Mel's surname wrong. I called her a supermarket chain!!!), I then type up her first name wrong! AND IT'S THE AUTHOR WHO TELLS ME ABOUT IT!
MEL, I AM SO SORRY!!! Thanks for pointing it out to me and being very kind and laughing at it (better than my reaction which involved swear words and me blaming auto-correct and a podcast I have recently discovered called My Dad Wrote A Porno [don't ask. Will blog about this in future once all catch up - not sure if that's a good thing or not]). SORRY!
Last Wednesday (because I have been weirdly busy - thanks work, reading and Breath of the Wild!), I was very kindly invited to the launch party of Melinda Salisbury's third and final book in the Sin Eater's Daughter trilogy, The Scarecrow Queen.
Now, as you know, I have been trying to blitz this trilogy and, since been invited, I have been trying to finish Scarecrow Queen before I got to the party. And I failed. I got a good chuck in but, alas, not completed it.
So, after doing a half day at work, rushed home, changed and on the train to London I went, speed reading (or trying to. You can't rush this book, I found!) Scarecrow Queen. After getting there a bit early (for reasons am going to explain), I popped to Kings Cross to see Platform 9 and 3/4 and the shop (it was MAD!). And bought myself some pens - because that's what this Hufflepuff likes.
Then, off to where the launch party was being held - in a crypt. That's right, dear readers, a crypt. It wasn't Melinda's natural writing habitat (I checked) and we weren't going to get locked in and have to offer a blood sacrifice to get out and go home (though, I would have loved to see how work would have reacted if I phoned up and went "I'm going to be in today. Why, you ask? Well...". Plus, I could have finished Scarecrow Queen in peace!).
But, I had to get there a little bit early because Lorraine from Scholastic asked if I fancied asking Melinda some questions on their Facebook Live feed. I said yes, then panicked because I have no filter. So I had to be professional and control and not panic over the fact that, before I left for the event, I spend ages trying to figure out what to wear! I HAVE TO LOOK ME BUT PROFESSIONAL BOOK BLOGGER/LOVER!
I haven't watched the video. I just can't. Not only because I'm not a fan of watching myself on film, but a little bit because I got Melinda's surname wrong. Of all the things that could go wrong, I didn't think me GETTING THEIR NAME WRONG TO THEIR FACE would be one. And after me panicking over getting the characters's names wrong (how many times I asked how to pronounce Twylla before the interview?). But Melinda has a great sense of humour (as you can see) so, hopefully, she didn't get that annoyed with me. Plus, if we play our cards right, we might be able to annoy Sainsbury's supermarket chain for some freebies (unlikely but you never know!).
Oh, if you want to enter the contest I mention, go to Scholastic UK's Facebook page and like the video. And that's it!
Anyway, after that whirlwind panic, the launch party started! The crypt was creepy and filled with people - family, friends, publishing people (some who needed wine after London Book Fair - apparently, it was manic!) and bloggers! There was (hang on, let me check my Twitter as have a bad memory and I did have two glasses of wine on an empty stomach!): George from @TheGeorgeLester, Kate from @Magic_Kitten, Darren from @ShinraAlpha, Bex from @MyShelfMyself, Jess from @bookendsending, @littlehux (Am positive we chatted very briefly, or am I misremembering), Grace from @_gracelatter & Stephen from @MyBookishLife. I spoke to David Owen (whose upcoming novel, The Fallen Children, is coming out soon) who is very cool and will be helping me out with Zelda if/when I get stuck/find time to play it. I saw (but was too scared to talk to) CJ Daughter (Night School series and Secret Fire duology) and Chris Russell (Songs About A Girl) and I discovered that Katharine Corr (co-author of the Witch's Kiss series), Lindsay Galvin (whose novel, The Breathing Sea, will be out next year) and L.D. Lapinski (not sure if I spoke to you. If I did, yeah! If not, sorry! NEXT TIME, HUNT ME DOWN AND SAY HI!!!).
After small, very sweet speeches, we had tiny cup cakes and got copies signed. And this is what Melinda wrote in mine...
This fits perfectly with what Melinda wrote in my copies of Sin Eater's Daughter and The Sleeping Prince. But, HA-HA! I FINISHED SCARECROW QUEEN YESTERDAY (my reactions to this will be coming soon!)
And then, due to it being a work night and the train journey back, we left. And the crypt looked SUPER CREEPY at night!
Anyway, I would like to thank Melinda Salisbury, Lorraine from Scholastic and everyone at Scholastic for inviting me. It was such a fun evening and can't wait to see what Melinda writes next!