Some Very Cool News!!

Richelle Mead, author of my favourite YA series, and two amazing adult series has awesome and much wanted news on her blog today.

Vampire Academy has been optioned for adaption to the big screen!! This does not mean it will become a film, or if it does, that it'll happen any time soon, but it does mean a production company has the rights to it now. Which is a step in the right direction. I am thrilled about this news because I think it really, really deserves the recognition that comes with being a film as well. So I have my fingers crossed that it actually does get made, at some point in the not too distant future. If you've not tried the Vampire Academy series yet, then you are missing out on an immense series. It's gritty, dark and with just the right touch of wit. It is a YA series, but one that should appeal just as much to adults as well. No idiot whiny girls here, this one totally kicks a$$! Check out Richelle's site: http://www.richellemead.com for more details and excepts from the series, and her others.

Also, the final Georgina Kincaid book has a title now: Succubus Revealed! Which I love. Is a great title given how much needs explaining... And a release date: September 2011. A very long wait, but I have no doubt it'll be worth it.

Full details of the news, along with release dates for the next several of Richelle's books are in her post here.

13 To Life by Shannon Delany

"Everything about Jessie Gillmansen's life changed when her mother died. Now even her hometown of Junction is changing. Mysterious dark things are happening. All Jessie wanted if to avoid more change. But while showing a hot new guy around Junction High, she's about to discover a whole new type of change. Pietr Rusakova is more than good looks and a fascinating accent - he's a guy with a dangerous secret. And his very existence is sure to bring big trouble to Jessie's small town. It seems change is the one thing Jessie can't avoid."

This book was pointed out to me a couple of weeks ago by Jess, who mentioned hearing about it at the Romantic Times convention this year and was really looking forward to it. So I checked it out and thought that it sounded interesting so I ordered it. I didn't expect to adore it though, and I completely do. The book opens with Jessie grooming one of her horses, Rio. I'm more horse obsessed than book obsessed, which is saying something, so right there Jessie had mega points in my book. The mystery with the werewolves starts up moments later, though Jessie doesn't understand it for a long while. It's not a particularly fast paced book, but it doesn't hang around. Jessie was easy to like, her voice easy to get in to and she's a complex character. She's hurting for her mom, crushing big time on football star Derek and helping her best friend Sarah, who has been through a really rough time as well. Then in steps Pietr. Hot new Russian guy who she can't figure out. Every girl in school is drooling over him, especially Sarah, but not Jessie. She's annoyed by him more than anything. He aggravates her easily and seems to enjoy pushing her. He's brutally honest and Jessie respects that, even if she doesn't always like it.

Jessie has a lot of spark to her, and she doesn't back down easily. She's smart and she knows what she wants, apart from when it comes to boys. Derek, after years of crushing on him, seems to finally be noticing her too. But can she really trust in his attention? The more she gets to know Pietr, the more she finds herself falling for him too. But Sarah wants him and Sarah being happy is more important to her, so she can't have him. But there is more to this book than romance. It's also about friendship, about Jessie dealing with her mom's death and growing up. And about a year ago, there was an incident in a town not too far from theirs. A wolf attack that left someone dead. Jessie is an editor on her high school paper and it's something she'd love to know more about. She looks in to it a little in some of her free time. And when she faces a giant wolf on her horse farm, she's even more curious.

I was hooked on this book from the start. It's sweet, intense, sad, thoughtful, mysterious and there are some very funny moments as well. One of my favourites being Pietr being faced with a kitten who suddenly faced with a werewolf in human form, and goes...a little bit crazy trying to hurt him. Jessie has a second best friend, Amy, who I love. She's doesn't mind telling it as it is, and she's wiling to support Jessie, and kick her when she's being an idiot, as any true best friend should. She's a fantastic side character and the friendship she and Jessie share is very real and really adds to both their characters, as well as just being a great addition to the book.

All the characters are really well drawn, and so is the location adding to the overall tone. It's well written, carefully revealing secrets from everyone as the book unfolds. There were some things I thought I had figured out, then when it got there, things turned out to be completely different. Or at least, not like they'd first appeared. Great characters, great plot, carefully written and very, very enjoyable. The ending was fantastic but left me hanging. I very much want the second book to find out what happens next for Jessie and Pietr. There were some big moments at the end that are obviously going to leave lasting impacts on them both, and those around them by default. There is a lot still unknown and a lot that still needs explaining, but I'm really happy with what we do know at present and that we don't know everything, that Jessie and Pietr don't know everything. Far more interesting learning along side them, watching them screw up, learn, grow. Life. I can't wait for the next book in Feb 2011, Secrets and Shadows. I loved everything about this book and would highly recommend it!! 9/10

The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

"Sixteen-year-old Nick knows that demons are real. Magicians call up demons in exchange for their power. The demons can appear in any shape, show you marvels, promise you anything - until you invite them in and receive their mark. What happens next? First you get possessed. Then you die.

Nick's been on the run his whole life, ever since his mother stole a charm from the most feared magician of them all, and the only person he trusts is his brother Alan. Alan's just been marked by a demon. Only Nick can save him, but to do so he must face the magicians - and kill them. The hunt is on, and Nick's going to discover things he never dreamed were out there."

This is the first book of a trilogy, and it's one I've heard a lot of for a while as being really good. But it was one of those ones I wasn't sure about trying, but figured I'd get to eventually. Then a friend of mine read it and said she thought it was really good so I pushed it up the list, expecting a good read. Sadly, it really wasn't.

The book was predictable from beginning to end. It took me maybe 2 chapters to figure out the 'big secret' that was going to be revealed near the end. It wasn't particularly badly written, but I didn't think much of the characters. They were all pretty flat and generic, nothing about them really standing out to me. The only times I felt there was real life between any of them, was when Nick was arguing with Mae, the girl both brothers fancy (which, really, did they both have to like her?). What I really didn't get, was how Nick didn't figure out something was 'off' so much sooner. It's not like there weren't neon signs along the way. Alan annoyed me a lot. He was ridiculously self sacrificing, too soft, too manipulative. Brother and sister Jamie and Mae weren't a whole lot better.

They went to Nick and Alan looking for help. Jamie had been marked by a demon and they wanted to know how to get rid of it. Nick grudgingly agreed to help only because Alan insisted, which he did mostly because he wanted a date with Mae. Jamie was almost constantly afraid of Nick, which given Nick's behaviour is not surprising, but it was tiring. Mae was constantly switching from snapping at Nick to trying to be kind and helpful to both brothers, whilst protecting her own. Nothing really wrong with her, but again I just didn't feel there was much to her, or any of them.

The book had it's slow moments where it switched to explaining things for a little while, which when I really wasn't enjoying the book too much, dragged. But there is a fair bit of action and it moves along fairly quickly for the most part. I didn't think much of the 'final showdown' because I thought all 4 main characters really weren't smart doing what they did, how they did.

I didn't hate the book or anything, and I did finish it without too much effort. But I was really left with an overall 'meh' sense about it. I didn't much of it at all, and I really doubt I'll be reading the rest of the trilogy. A shame, because I'd been hoping for more from this. But it just really wasn't my cup of tea. I can see why some people like it, but for me, I just could not like the characters enough to care about their reactions to the 'big reveal' at the end. That's what the pulling factor was meant to be, and it just wasn't there for me. Could have been worse, but it could have been so much better. 4/10

Magic in the Shadows by Devon Monk

'"Using magic wasn't as easy as the actors made it look in the movies. Every time you use magic, it uses you back. Sure, you could magic yourself a photographic memory for that big test, for that big interview, for that big stock market job. And all it cost you was a nice case of liver failure. Or the memory of your lover's name."

Magic is Allison Beckstrom's blessing and curse. As a Hound, she uses her gifts to track down practitioners who abuse their power, and then stops them from inflicting harm on unsuspecting innocents. Unfortunately her spells have taken a toll on her, physically marking her and erasing her memories - including those of the man she supposedly loves.

But lost memories aren't the only things preying on Allie's thoughts. Her late father, the prominent businessman - and sorcerer - Daniel Beckstorm, has somehow channeled himself into her mind. With the help of the Authority, a secret organization of magic users, she hopes to gain better control over her own abilities - and find a was to deal with her father..."

This is the third book in the Allie Beckstrom series. I loved the first book, but wasn't so keen on the second one. But this one I loved again. It picks up exactly where book 2, Magic in the Blood, left off: Allie standing in her bathroom hearing her dead fathers voice in her head. Unpleasant. Unsurprisingly, her father, how to deal with him, what he's capable of play a sizable role in this book, but it's far from the only thing she's got to deal with. After the death of Pike, a Hound who was trying to take care of the rest of the Hounds in the city, Allie has stepped up to take his place. While also Hounding a case for the cursed Detective Stotts, meeting with Authority members for the first time, having her best friend Nola staying with her, getting to know Zayvion again, and, oh yeah, dealing with a stone gargoyle she accidentally brought to life. Somehow. Busy girl is Allie, it works for her.

The book is fast paced and there is a lot going on to keep track of, but somehow it all comes together rather than feeling like a lot of different and unnecessary threads there for no reason. Allie is tough as ever working through her issues, memory loss and all the new and ongoing threats she faces. She is constantly being surprised by how much more there is to magic than she, or the general public, knew. And Zayvion, the guy she doesn't remember falling in love with, knows far more than he's saying. I loved the expansion of the world in this one, discovering it alongside Allie, as well as learning more about the Hounds, seeing them work together, how Allie's trying to help them. I loved Davy when we met him in the previous book, and I liked him even more in this one. There is the introduction of a couple new people in this book who I really like as well, none more than Shamus, who is funny, smart and a trouble maker who knows it, and loves it. Seeing Zayvion deal with these new people brought more depth to his character as well. We've not learnt all that much about him before, but we know more now, and meeting his 'friends' was fun and shed yet more light. Allie continues to grow and deal with everything thrown at her, some things better than others, but I love her determination to keep going in the face of fear, to protect those she cares about and to simply keep herself alive.

Overall, this was probably my favourite of the series so far. It's fast and hectic, but works really well with some good character development and additions to the character list as well. I'm really enjoying the series on the whole, I love the world, the way magic works, it's limits, it's costs, how different people deal with those costs. And I also love how Allie's best friend is someone who doesn't use magic at all. It's kind of a nice break to have her around, because she doesn't take any nonsense, takes care of Allie and while she's fine with Allie's use of magic, she doesn't feel the need to use it herself. She's probably the most 'normal' character in the series and I love that, having that element in the books, showing that it's not all magic, somethings can be dealt with just fine without it. Really looking forward to reading the 4th book, Magic on the Storm, soon, seeing more of the Authority and basically more of everything! Great book and really hard to put down. 9/10

Best of First Half of 2010

Can't quite believe we're almost half way through the year already, but we are. So far this year I've read 67 books and most of them have been great reads that I've thoroughly enjoyed. Narrowing the list down is very hard, but here are some of the very best I've read.

Best New YA Releases
1) Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy #5)
2) Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready (sequel out 2011)
3) Glimmerglass by Jenna Black (Faeriewalker #1)
4) My Soul To Keep by Rachel Vincent (Soul Screamers #3)
5) White Cat by Holly Black (Curse Workers #1)


Best New Adult Releases
1) Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels #4)
2) Shift by Rachel Vincent (Shifters #5)
3) Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson #5)
4) Soulless/Changeless by Gail Carriger (Parasol Protectorate #1 & 2)
5) Succubus Shadows by Richelle Mead (Georgina Kincaid #5)

Best Books Regardless of Release Date (excluding those above)
1) The Hunger Games/Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #1 & 2, YA dystopia)
2) Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles (sequel coming late 2010, YA contemporary)
3) Lover Eternal by J. R. Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood #2, PNR)
4) Betrayals by Lili St. Crow (Strange Angels #2, YA UF)
5) The Black Magician trilogy by Trudi Canavan (take your pick classing as YA or adult, fantasy)

7 Other Top Picks (ie the ones that tie with some above and deserve mention, in no order)
Moon Sworn by Keri Arthur (Riley Jenson #9, adult UF)
Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves (stand alone, YA UF)
Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray (historical YA fantasy)
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (Perfect Chemistry #1, YA contemporary)
The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong (Darkest Powers #3, YA UF)
Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder (Inside Out #1, YA SF/dystopia)
Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (sequel out 2011, YA UF)

So far, it's been an awesome year for books. The second half of 2010 shows just as much promise with many more titles I'm very excited for. I'll try and post a 'looking forward to' post about them in the next few days.

Shiny Stuff!

Two things I want to mention:
1) The first 6 and a bit chapters of Pray For Dawn by Jocelynn Drake (out June 29th June) are live via HarperCollins 'Browse Inside' feature. Can I just say? Ohmigosh. PfD is the 4th book in the Dark Days series and the first (and currently only planned) book from Danaus point of view instead of regular protagonist Mira. Is very cool to be getting a look inside the Hunters head, but within those first chapters (okay, 66 pages) I was having serious 'what the heck is going on?!' feelings. The good kind. It's setting up to be an awesome book! Can't wait to read the rest of it!!

2) Karen Mahoney has her first YA novel due out in Febuary next year in the US. After reading her short story in The Eternal Kiss (which was my favourite of the shorts in there, and it was a awesome anthology) I am very, very much looking forward to The Iron Witch. The Book Smugglers have the cover with the blurb and an exclusive except live here.
How beautiful is that cover?!

My Soul To Keep by Rachel Vincent

"When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies. And Kaylee is about to scream her head off...

Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them.

Until something does.

Demon breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that really can kill you. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their their friends - one of whom is already hooked.

And so is someone else..."

This is the third book in the Soul Screamers series and while I liked the first two, a lot, I didn't love them. No specific reason, they're well written, good well rounded characters, good plot, but just didn't fully grab me like some YA series can. But I still wanted this book a lot, especially after a few people said it was the best one yet. They weren't wrong. I adored this book!! I was hooked from the start and couldn't put it down. I had a lot of trouble getting a hold of a copy but once I had it, I read it in a day easily.

MSTKeep is darker than either of the books before it, Kaylee does a lot of growing up, loses a fair bit of the innocence and naivety that surrounded her, and it's not pretty. Which is probably why I love it so much. Life isn't easy, and growing up in particular is painful, ugly and unavoidable. Why shouldn't fictional characters have to deal with that too? The form it takes is more or less irrelevant for me, I just can't take fictional characters seriously if they're everything is easy for them. Kaylee has never had it easy, but the events of MSTKeep are much rougher on her. It picks up a month after the end of MSTSave, when Kaylee's grounding for passing in to the Netherworld has just ended. Her first night of freedom sees her at a party where she finds a friend with the scent of Demon Breath on his. Kaylee is shocked and scared. The forbidden Netherworld substance shouldn't be in the human world and certainly not being taken by high school jocks. But it is and she's determined to get to the bottom of it.

It's fast paced and had some great twists. I did guess one big thing before the book was out, but that was fine, it didn't stop it being a painful emotional ride that had me just about in tears at times. I felt so much for Kaylee as she tried to make sense out of what was going on and how to fix things. The Netherworld is dark and creepy as it should be, but I think I felt it more this time around. Nash and Tod are of course big parts of the story as well, and I love how the brothers react to each other, but also how they both play off Kaylee. Tod is one of my favourite side characters ever, for a grim reaper he's a lot of fun. He's dark and sarcastic, I love his friendship with Kaylee (and that it is a friendship, not a possible love interest) and I love seeing what he does for those he loves. Overall, a really great read, great character development and the ending was awesome, painful but awesome. I can't wait for book 4, My Soul To Steal!! 9/10

Mockingjay Cover!

Mockingjay is the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. It is out August 24th and it is one of the books I want most this year. The first two books were awesome and I can not wait to see what happens in the end!! The UK cover has finally been released so if you've not yet seen it, here it is:
I love it. I've always prefered the UK ones over the US covers, but this is my favourite of them. Be really interested to hear what others think of it verses the US one below.

Changeless by Gail Carriger

"Alexia Maccon, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.

She might even find time to track down her wayward husband - if she feels like it."

This is the second book in the Parasol Protectorate series from Gail Carriger. I loved the first book in this series and was really looking forward to it. I was not disappointed!! It picks up about three months after Alexia's wedding to Lord Conell Maccon, Alpha werewolf of the large Woolsey pack, and she's more or less adjusted to life in the pack. Until of course there are suddenly many more wolves to deal with, and camping on her front doorstep (very inconsiderate of them too!). But it can't hold Alexia's attention for long. For some reason all supernaturals in a certain area of London have found themselves decidedly mortal again. Very bad news for the ghosts, because it meant sudden exorcism. *poof* no more ghosts in that area. Alexia's new position as muhjah for the Queen means she has good reason to investigate it. Her investigations lead her to Scotland, where her husband also disappeared, without a word to her, to. But being Alexia, a preternatural generally feared by the supernaturals, it is not long before things get even more complicated and she finds herself the specific target of some serious unpleasantness, both with the company she finds herself in and the acts being done against her.

This book was as fast and fun as book one. I am completely in love with the spunk and attitude from Alexia in the Victorian London setting. Add in the Scot's with their slightly less than respecful attitude to the English with Miss Hisselpenny's crazy hats, Alexia's simpering half-sister Felicity and Lord Maccon's claviger, thespian Tunstell (who may or may not be in love with Miss Hisselpenny) and you get serious entertainment as well as drama. I love it!!

There is depth and intrigue to just about every aspect of this story with some surprising twists along the way. We meet some very entertaining new side characters, as well as getting to know those we've already met better. I love the way Alexia and Conell play off each other. They're both strong willed characters who like having their own way and they seem to spend as much time yelling at each other as not. In a loving way, mostly.

I got warned by a couple of people on Jocelynn Drake's forum, very strongly, not to read Changeless before Blameless is out in September. I didn't get the advice until I was halfway through, which was kind of a shame because I should have taken it. The ending is shocking, totally didn't see it coming (well, one part of it I did, the other I didn't) and oh! I so need the next book right now!! I won't say the emotions involved because I don't want to ruin it in anyway for anyone. It was fantastically done and it leaves for a lot to be sorted in the next book. Left me hanging completely. I both love and loathe when that happens. I always hate the wait, I'm a very impatient person, but at the same time, I love it because it adds to the suspense and fun. If 'fun' is the right word... Still, this was a fantastic follow up to Soulless with drama and humor blended together seamlessly. This is a series that has easily jumped to my favourites list. Bring on Blameless!!

Rating: 9/10

Lover Awakened by J. R. Ward

"In the shadows of the night in New York there exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Of these, Zsadist is the most terrifying member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering and humiliation. Renowned for his unquenchable fury and sinister deeds, he is a savage feared by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion - until he rescues a beautiful aristocrat from the evil Lessening Society.

Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses. But even as their desire for one another begins to overtake them both, Zsadist's thirst for vengeance against Bella's tormentors drives him to the brink of madness. Now, Bella must help her lover overcome the wounds of his tortured past, and find a future with her . . ."

This is the third Black Dagger Brotherhood book and follows Zsadist's story, which really started in the previous book, Lover Eternal. There he met Bella for the first time, and then she was kidnapped by the lessers. Zsadist shocked his brothers with his reaction to her abduction, because he's known as a killer. Someone who doesn't treat women with anything more than contempt. No one trusts him with Bella, but his obvious drive to save her can't be ignored. It's Bella who needs to stay strong to rescue Zsadist though.

I loved this book. It was gripping, intense and painful reading. Particularly the flashback scenes to how Z was tortured a couple of centuries ago, and how he's still torturing himself now. Pain is what he knows and understands. He struggles to accept that it's at all possible for Bella, for any female, to love him. Some of Z's thoughts on himself are heartbreaking to read. I loved how he and Bella grew and dealt with each other over the course of the book.

Aside from Bella and Z, we learn a lot more about Phury (Z's twin) and John Matthew throughout the book as well. John is easily my favourite side character in this book. I liked finding out more about Phury because we didn't know too much about him before hand, but I'm far more curious about John. I like that he's got his own background we're just seeing glimpses of, rather than just being a flat padding character. Butch's continued involvement in the brotherhood, as the only human to be so, also gets a fair bit of page time, which a very surprising twist towards the end.

There is heartbreak in more than one way in this book. And a fair few tears were shed on my part through it. But while the ending was fantastic, I couldn't help feeling just a little cheated over something. We got a fair bit from John through this book, but when a couple of big incidents happened, John's reaction to them (which should have been big) was mostly ignored. Which I thought was a real shame and after everything we got of him before that moment, I felt a little cheated by it. I also felt that there should have been more on a certain other brother with regard to the events that happened. I'm not naming names for spoilers sake, but this particular brother was hugely involved and his reaction was (rightly) massive, but then...nothing. 2 months get skipped over for the final chapter and in the last chapter I really wish there had been mention of what was going on with him, but it was very strictly a Zsadist/Bella chapter. Which makes sense as it was their book, but still, I was disappointed by that.

Still, it is a great book and that is only a small complaint. It's fast paced and intense. Like the two books before it, I had a really tough job putting it down. I am still fascinated by all of the brothers and their lives and I'm looking forward to reading the next book, Lover Revealed, soon! 8/10