April New Releases

Hello folks! So today is April 5th - and a surprising amount of (in my opinion) awesome books are being released not only this month: but TODAY! Also - these are all second or third or fifth or SEVENTH in a series - like how'd that happen? I feel like there are fewer and fewer stand-alone titles coming out these days.

Anyways! Here are the goods:

Fire Ascending (The Last Dragon Chronicles #7) by Chris d'Lacey
Published by Orchard Books - April 5th 2012
Age: Older Fiction/Young Adult

What can I say? This has been an AMAZING journey - David and his dragons have been on such a saga of adventure and I've never had a dull moment through any of the books. This is a series that has evolved smartly and with continued interest and surprise.

You can find details for the first book: The Fire Within here.

Apocalypse Moon (Joshua Files #5) by M.G. Harris
Published by Scholastic - April 5th 2012
Age: Older Fiction/Young Adult

Another end of a saga - M.G. Harris' series has been so much FUN to read and every time I finish one of these books it makes me want to get on a plane to South America without another thought. I cannot wait to read this!

You can find details for the first book: Invisible City here.

Death Cure (Maze Runner #3) by James Dashner
Published by Chicken House - April 5th 2012
Age: Young Adult

The third and final part of this fantastic dystopian thriller. I can't wait to see how it ends! (Although have you noticed how every dystopian book that comes out now mentions Hunger Games? *laughs*)
This has already been released in the states late last year but I've been collecting these covers here.

You can find details for the first book: The Maze Runner here.

A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) by Beth Revis
Published by Puffin - April 5th 2012
Age: Young Adult

Aaaaaand last but not least - the next episode in the space/romance saga that is Across the Universe. I didn't love the first book, but it's made me intrigued enough to want to find out what happens next. I do wish there was more Science Fiction in the Teen/Young Adult market, and if they have to chuck a torrid love affair into the mix to make it work - then so be it.

You can find details for the first book: Across the Universe here.

Book Review: The Truth About Celia Frost by Paula Rawsthorne

"They mustn't know that they are being looked for. We can't afford for them to run away again." Pg 111







Celia Frost is a freak. At least, that's what everyone thinks. Her life is ruled by a rare disorder that means she could bleed to death from the slightest cut, confining her to a gloomy bubble of 'safety'. No friends. No fun. No life.

But when a knife attack on Celia has unexpected consequences, her mum acts strangely - and suddenly they're on the run. Why is her mum so scared? Someone out there knows. And when they find Celia, she's going to wish the truth was a lie.

A buried secret, a gripping manhunt, a dangerous deceit... What is the truth about Celia Frost?

I kind of feel like there should be a dramatic 'dun dun DUN!' after that last sentence. And really - this book is full of the drama. (Please read 'drama' as 'Drah-Mah' for added effect.) I spent the first part of this novel hoping that it wasn't going to be a supernatural thriller and the remainder of it wishing it was.

It's not that I didn't enjoy it - it is a very intriguing story with an intriguing premise. Celia is shunned from public interaction - isolated, meek; add to that standing out with insanely orange hair and being unnaturally tall and gangly - any teen would be moody.
But then she finds out that her mother has been lying to her her whole life - and suddenly Moody Celia turns into Rebel Celia, defying her mother at every opportunity. And it takes another painstaking quarter of the novel to find out WHY her mother lied.

An interesting idea, yes. But the characters were flat and unconvincing (can anyone explain what's with Frank and his hard-on-the-outside but soft-on-the-inside personality and how that is not predictable in any way?) and the story left me feeling as if I'd not learned anything from it - I won't be thinking about this one much at all once it's back on the shelf.

Published: August 2011 by Usborne Publishing

Maria V. Snyder in Melbourne and a GIVEAWAY!

On Tuesday the 9th of August in overcast (but not raining!) Melbourne - Hawthorn Readings bookshop played host to the wonderful author of 8 books (so far!) - Maria V. Snyder.

 

It was a very relaxed atmosphere inside - everyone was chatting excitedly as we waited for Maria to make her entrance - comparing book covers, favourite characters and scenes as well as (naturally) talking about the other books we'd read and sharing recommendations. That's what I liked about having a relatively small group (about 30-40 people in all) - there was a great vibe in the room.

    

Maria had an attentive audience as she spoke about her writing, inspirations and where her ideas came from. It was great to hear about how much her personal life was involved with her writing - and we were all quite amused when asked about her vision of Valek (featured in the 'Study' series) that her husband 'claims' the he was the model of that particular heartthrob character - with much rolling of the eyes from Maria and made us giggle quite a lot.

  

As questions were opened up a lot of eager hands shot into the air. Questions ranging from Maria's idea for Inside Out/Outside In (a frantically written down dream) to how often she edits her books before publication (between 6-8 times).
Too soon it was time to suspend with the questions and Maria set off to begin signing all of our books. A lot of people had brought her entire collection with them and Maria was really great and took the time with each of us, signing personal messages in each book, posing for photos and answering some last-minute questions.

And now comes the competition time!!

I am giving away a SIGNED copy of the Australian Edition of Inside Out - the first book in the Inside Out/Outside In duo!

This competition will be open internationally and anyone can enter - you don't need to follow my blog (though naturally I would greatly appreciate it!)

All you have to do is send me an email with your postal address and tell me two things:
1) I've talked about four different Maria V. Snyder books in my blog before this post - tell me the very first book of hers I reviewed.
2) Tell me your favourite character from any Maria V. Snyder book and why. If you've not read any of her books before - then tell me about a character from another book and why.

As long as you've covered those two points, I'll put all the entries into a hat and draw out the winner.

Competition ends the 26th of August with the winner being announced shortly after! So get cracking!!

Book Review: Outside In by Maria V. Snyder

"There wouldn't have been a rebellion or the Force of Sheep without you. You started everything and you need to finish it." Pg 55.








Me? A leader? Okay, I did prove that there's more to Inside that we knew. That a whole world exists beyond this cube we live in. And finding that led to a major rebellion - between worker scrubs like me and the snobby uppers who rule our world. Make that ruled. Because of me, we're free. I thought that meant I was off the hook, and could go off on my own again - while still touching base with Riley, of course. He's the one upper I think I can trust. But then we learned that there's outside and then there is Outside. And something from Outside wants in.

(Read my review of Book 1: Inside Out here)

Okay, so the big rebellion is over and everyone in Inside knows that they are in a ship flying through space. A BIG freaking ship. The uppers and scrubs are attempting to get along, Trella and Riley are happy and more levels are being built in the expanse. But how long does harmony last on a ship like this? Not very long at all.
So I'm going to split this review up into two parts - The Good and The Not-As-Good. I'll do my very very best not to include spoilers, and if you've not read Inside Out yet... well this review has probably spoiled enough for you already!

The Good:
In true Maria style she starts things off with a bang. Literally. Things pick up right where Inside Out left us - Trella is complacent in the fact that she's fulfilled her part in the rebellion and now she just wants to return to her old life of being alone and exploring new places. But naturally things don't work out that way; we get to see Trella really struggling with this new threat and who she can trust. The suspense is tight throughout the entire story.
I liked the new characters introduced in this episode - Bubba Boom plays a very interesting roll, you never really know whether he is really dangerous or not, and that kept me on the edge of my seat.
I also loved how Trella's relationship with the scrubs changed - from being almost a spectre and talked about in excited whispers to being openly scorned and treated so distrustfully. It added a new dynamic to the already complex society structure.

The-Not-As-Good:
Generally if I do not like a book, I will put it down and go on to something else. And you might notice that I don't review those books on here either. Who needs that? I enjoy talking about books I love!
So know that this bit isn't me not enjoying the book - just some niggling bits that I don't think should be ignored!
The pacing was really strange. The first half of the novel is Trella's journey, you could say, in trying to deal with all the new issues in her life - knowledge of her family, having a boyfriend and being involved in the chaos of possible terrorist attacks. It's very intense and she doesn't know whom to trust and loyalties keep changing and changing back. It almost felt like the story had gone slightly juvenile - where Inside Out wasn't at all.
So in the second half we are hit with the bombshell of these 'other beings' wanting to come inside. Suddenly the whole pace changes and it's so fast that one doesn't really have a chance to catch up. I wanted to know so much more about these beings and their story and I felt a bit cheated - so much of the book had been taken up by all that politics! Boo.
Oh and Sheepy.... If I never hear about Sheepy again it'll be too soon.... Just saying.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this. I do hate having such mixed feelings about a book, but I think it was still for the better. I like that it was just two books and the story was so enclosed and tight.
Oh and the UK covers are so gorgeous as this blog post shows - the cover on my review of Inside Out is of the Australian cover and it really doesn't do it justice at all! *laughs*
...
Wow, this was a bit of a rant, hey?

Published: March 2011 by Mira Books

August Highlights

Hey folks!
Well it's coming to the end of July - so I thought I'd do a little post on what I'll be looking forward to in YA this coming month! (As if I didn't have enough to read as it is *grins*)

There is no Dog - Meg Rosoff
Published: 4th August by Puffin

Meet your unforgettable protagonist: God, who, as it turns out, is a 19-year-old boy living in the present-day and sharing an apartment with his long-suffering fifty-something personal assistant. Unfortunately for the planet, God is lazy and, frankly, hopeless. He created all of the world's species in six day because he couldn't summon the energy to work for longer. He gets Africa and America mixed up. And he's beleaguered assistant has his work cut out for him when God creates a near-apocalyptic flood, having fallen asleep without turning the bath off. There is no Dog is a darkly funny novel from one of our most delightfully unpredictable writers.

Juliet Immortal - Stacey Jay
Published: 9th August by Delacorte Press

The most tragic love story in history...
Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.
(This one could be fantastic or fantastically horrible... We shall see...)

A Long, Long Sleep - Anna Sheehan
Published: 18th August by Orion

Rosalind Fitzroy had been asleep for 62 years when she was woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically-induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten sub-basement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long dead, and Rose - hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire - is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put her past behind her and adept to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardises her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes - or be left without any future at all.

Book Review: Shift by Em Bailey

“Anyway, aren’t we supposed to be staying away from Miranda?”

Shift is a sinister psychological thriller that tears through the themes of identity, loss and toxic friendship.

Olive Corbett is just a bit mixed up. Dealing with a family break-up and surviving a suicide attempt, Olive has turned from being the popular girl at school to the introverted ‘freak’ that everyone ignores. With the exception of her only friend – Ami – Olive talks to no one.

Then one day a new girl shows up at the school. There is a rumor that she killed her parents, and Olive admits that she’s just as curious as everyone else. But when Miranda turns out to be an ordinary (if not sullen and pale) girl, she is ignored – even teased – with Olive’s former friend Katie at the head of the gang. But things begin to change, as suddenly Katie and Miranda are best friends – swapping clothes and going out all night. And as Katie begins to show signs of wearing down, Miranda is looking more and more like Katie…

I’m really glad I had the chance to read this book. It’s so different and I think it’s going to be a strong addition to the YA market. The characters are solid and Olive really ties the story together – you are really living with her as she goes through her days convincing herself that she’s not at all crazy.

This one gets five stars from me and I strongly recommend you add it to you ‘To-Read’ lists and go out tomorrow and pre-order it from your bookstore!

Published: September 2011 by Hardie Grant Egmont

Book Review: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

"Books are the ultimate Dumpees: put them down and they'll wait for you forever; pay attention to them and they always love you back." Pg 110.

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. He's also a washed-up child prodigy with ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a passion for anagrams and an overweight, Judge Judy-obsessed best friend. Colin's on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which will predict the future of all relationships, transforming him from a fading prodigy into a true genius, and finally win him the girl. 

Letting expectations go and allowing love in are at the heart of Colin's hilarious quest to find his missing piece and avenge dumpees everywhere.

---

Do you know who John Green is? If you answered 'no' then I strongly suggest you hop on over to YouTube and type in 'VlogBrothers' and have yourself a nerdy good time!

It's difficult to be critical of any of John's books as I feel like I know him so well from his YouTube videos, but I shall try *laughs*

Colin is a smart guy. As a former child prodigy he is desperate to prove his worth to the world. But it's hard to stand out when there are so many other geniuses throughout history. One thing that does make him different (besides his talent for anagramming almost any word/sentence and speaking in eleven languages) is his knack for dating girls named Katherine. And thus begins a very amusing story as Colin and his best friend, Hassan, take a journey to discover just why Katherine 19 dumped him and perhaps discover a formula to explain the history (and even his future) of relationships. 

I really enjoyed An Abundance of Katherines. I've read a few of John's novels now and I do see what others have said about him having a pattern to his characters, but I don't think it's a bad thing. Mostly because the story and the characters relationships between each other are so strong that it just works. 

The thing about reading even one of John's books is that you will inevitably learn something from it. And I think as the main character of this one is so insanely smart - John had good fun throwing in his numerous personal interests including: Anagrams, Mathematics (despite the fact that he himself is not so good at it!), English poets, Seriously random facts, Venn Diagrams and even Co-joined twins. 

And Footnotes!! It has footnotes! How can you not love the footnotes?! *grins*

First published: September 2006 by Dutton Juvenile 

Book Review: Inside Out - Maria V. Snyder

"I never said it would be easy. Giving up is easy."







I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of the thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own... until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution.

Trella lives a very different life Inside compared to both the Uppers and her fellow scrubs. Nick-named the 'Queen of the Pipes' she exists in isolation - crawling through the vast corridors and pipes that are used to make the Uppers lives as comfortable as possible. Trella has grown to enjoy her solitary environment. Until she meets with a prophet from the Upper sections, and everything begins to change...

If you've read Maria V. Snyder's previous books, you will understand when I say that Trella is a typical heroin in the Snyder universe. She is strong, independent and fiercely sure of herself. All she wants is to be left alone. But as she is thrust into one extraordinary event after the other, she is forced to come out of her shell, and this is when we see just what she is made of.

The idea for Inside Out is a fascinating one. As I was reading I had no idea where Inside actually is or what function it serves. And as Trella dug deeper into it's secrets - I was right along with her.
A bold addition to the YA Dystopia genre and like Maria's previous novels and other dystopian novels such as Hunger Games and Across the Universe - the story isn't clogged with copious amounts of romance, which left the plot free to be fast-paced and riveting. What a relief!

Published: April 2010 by HarlequinTeen


(Read my review of the second book - Outside In)

Book Review: Savannah Grey - Cliff McNish

15 year old Savannah Grey has never felt she's belonged. She keeps her distance, so she's surprised by her attraction to the new boy Reece. Then strange things begin to happen: nature, it seems, is exerting an overpowering force on the world. Birds behave strangely; gusts of wind blow leaves so fiercely they seems to lure people away. And Savannah learns she has supernatural powers. Nature has a purpose for Savannah and her friends. For they are on course to meet the vile and evil Orcrassa, who wants to destroy the world by corrupting nature. And it wants Savannah to help realise it's savage intent.

I'd always noticed Cliff's books on the shelves before, but it wasn't until my mum had bought and read Savannah Grey in no less than two days did I really think: "This is something I need to read." as she had trouble putting the book down; even for a second.

Savannah Grey is a brilliantly plotted tale, mixing in horror, intrigue, suspense and romance - a tricky task for something 234 pages short.
I especially enjoyed the chapters with the 'darkness.' Giving these beings a voice set it apart from the main heroin and thus the enemies are far from being one dimensional, they bring a tenseness to the story, as well as hitching up the fear several notches.

I suppose I should note that over the past few weeks I have been reading novels that are either in the beginnings or the ends of a series/trilogy. So as I started with Savannah Grey it did throw me a little as the pace or drive of the book was so different than the controlled feeling of a series, where an author has the freedom to delve deeply into plot and characters.
In no way did that diminish the strength of this novel, nor my opinion of it. Savannah Grey is a well-crafted master-piece and it only makes me want to read his others novels that much more.

Published by Orion Children's Books - February 2010.

Book Review: Killing God - Kevin Brooks

"Why do I want to kill God?
Reason Two: If God was dead, the shops could stay open later on Sundays."







Dawn Bundy is fifteen. She doesn't fit in and she couldn't care less. Dawn has other things on her mind. Her dad disappeared two years ago and it's all God's fault.
When Dawn's dad found God, it was the worst time ever. He thought he'd found the answer to everything.

But that wasn't the end of it...

Kevin Brooks - Killing God wasn't exactly high on my 'to-read' list. Actually it was situated around the 150 mark. And then I was planning to attend an event with Cassandra Clare, Eoin Colfer and Kevin Brooks. Having read all books written by the former two authors - Mr Brooks suddenly shot up to the number one position.

From the very beginning Dawn is very frank about herself, her alcoholic mother and her father - who's sudden departure two years previous leaves Dawn feeling resentful - not to him - but to God.
And so in a desperate attempt to make sense of her messed-up life, she undertakes a campaign to kill God.
But how do you kill someone that doesn't physically exist?

Accompanied by her dogs, Jesus and Mary, Dawn sets her sights high as she struggles to deal with her real-life issues. With a raw, honest voice that is both ironic and humorous, she begins to unlock the secrets of her family's past.

Killing God was a relatively quick read for me and I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit - but don't expect a happy ending.

Published by Penguin - June 2009.