Unbelievable: A Pretty Little Liars Novel - Sara Shepard

Unbelievable: A Pretty Little Liars Novel - Sara Shepard

Pages: 335
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: December 2008

Other Titles in this Series: Pretty Little Liars, Flawless, Perfect, Wicked, Killer, Heartless (19/01/10), Wanted (29/06/10)

!SPOILER ALERT! DON’T READ THE BLURB IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE REST OF THE SERIES BUT INTEND TO. THE REVIEW IS SPOILER FREE THOUGH!

Four pretty little liars’ charmed lives have turned into living nightmares.

Emily’s been shipped off to Iowa to live with her über-conservative cousins. Aria’s boyfriend is behind bars - because of her. Spencer’s afraid she was involved in Ali’s murder. But Hanna’s fate is far worse: She’s clinging to life in hospital because ‘she knew too much’.

If these girls don’t start listening to me, Hanna’s going to look like the lucky one.

- A

Unbelievable is the thrilling fourth instalment of the addictive Pretty Little Liars series.

We saw a lot more of Ali in Unbelievable. Spencer, Aria, Emily and Hanna thought about her a lot so we saw her in flashbacks, memories and dreams. While I was reading these I was just so shocked that she actually had any friends; she was a nasty piece of work! I did like seeing how the girls were similar and how they had changed since Ali’s disappearance, though. Especially Hanna. At times it was like she was a completely different character.

The biggest thing that happens in Unbelievable is the reveal of A’s identity and Ali’s murderer. And I’m proud to say that they were both on my (very long!) list of suspects and there are plenty of other twists and turns that completely throw you off track. I never know what to expect from the next page in this series.

As much as I loved Unbelievable, I did have a few minor problems with it. My favourite of the four girls is Aria and there weren’t very many of her chapters. It seemed like she was being pushed back a little. This made me sad as I love Ezra and Aria’s quirkiness really sets her apart from the other three. The other little niggle I had was the tons of exposition. I know it’s the fourth in the series and that you need to know a lot to get Unbelievable, but it just on my nerves as I read them all consecutively and didn’t need a recap. You never know, I might love it in a few books time!

I love this series and I can’t wait for book five, Wicked, to drop through my letter box so I can see what those pretty little liars get up to next.

Sophie

Cover News: Nobody's Girl and Linger

Okay, so I'm behind on my reviews. I've gotten a little involved in the Pretty Little Liars series and neglected blogging. :) So, I decided to post about the (fairly) newly released covers of two books that I'm REALLY excited for.

Nobody's Girl - Sarra Manning (UK 04/02/10)

Linger - Maggie Stiefvater (US 20/07/10)

Sophie

In My Mailbox 38

This meme was started by the fabulous Kristi who was inspired by Alea. If you want more information check out their blogs. All summaries are from the book jackets.

Pretty Little Liars box set - Sara Shepard

Among the mega mansions and perfectly manicured hedges of Rosewood, Pennsylvania, everyone has something to hide - especially four very pretty little liars.

High school juniors Spencer, Hanna, Aria and Emily have been keeping secrets ever since their best friend, Alison DiLaurentis, disappeared three years ago. But when the girls begin receiving threatening notes from someone named “A”, their secrets, the big ones, the little ones, even the long-buried ones - no longer seem safe.

Unravel the Pretty Little Liars’ wildest mysteries in this special box set. But remember, nothing is what it seems in Rosewood…

I’ve actually read the first three of these, but I’m fed up of waiting for Unbelievable to come out in the UK so I got these so I could catch up!

The next three were sent to my from the lovely Nancy of Lush Budget Production. Thanks, Nancy!

Demon Princess: Reign or Shine - Michelle Rowan (ARC)

For Nikki Donovan, being a teenage can be hell. Literally.

As if trying to fit in at a new school and navigating the social scene isn’t enough stress for her, sixteen-year-old Nikki Donovan just found out that her long-lost father is, in fact, the demon king of the Shadowlands - the world that separates and protects us from the Underworld. When she is brought there by a mysterious - and surprisingly cute - messenger Michael she learns that he father is dying, and that he wants her to assume the throne. To complicate matters, a war is brewing between the Shadowlands and the Underworld, her half-demon qualities are manifesting, and her growing feelings for Michael are forbidden. Ruling a kingdom, navigating a secret crush, and still making it home by curfew - what’s a teenage demon princess to do?

My Soul to Take - Rachel Vincent

Something is wrong with Kaylee Cavanaugh.

She doesn’t see dead people, but…

She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who’ll be next…

Soul screamers

The last thing you hear before you die

Undiscovered Gyrl - Allison Burnett (ARC)

Only on the internet can you have so many friends and be so lonely.
We’re all famous in our own minds.
Complete honesty is a complete lie.
What’s worse than keeping a shameful secret.
All sex has consequences, most of them dire.
Don’t read my life. Go live your own!

Sophie

Featured on Friday: Ron Reikki

When Ron contacted me, interested in having an interview or guest blog on So Many Books, So Little Time, I decided to hold my first guest blog. I hope you enjoy it and please let me know what you think. Over to you Ron:

"I've done plenty of guest blogs, but the one Sophie asked for me to write is probably one of the hardest I've had to do . . . or am about to do. You see, she wants me to write about my environment where I write. My worry is that it's going to be boring. There's nothing really that intriguing about where I write. I've seen shows about writers where they take a cameraman and show them their writing desk and the view from their window where they type and it tends to bore me to tears. Well, for me there's no writing desk, because I don't own one. I live in a very sparse bedroom in a house with four roommates in California. But my rent's only $600 a month, which, for California is very cheap. Although my rent when I lived in Michigan was only $250 a month, so I'm still getting used to the leap in expenses. I have four roommates in the house, so I tend to write after they've gone to sleep so that I don't have any distractions. They all have day shifts and I work afternoon shift, so often I only see them for about five minutes a day. So it's at night and it's in my bed. Since I don't have a writing table, I put the laptop on my lap with a pillow underneath and write lying down, because there's not really another option. I found the bed in the trash outside and it looked in great condition so I brought it into the house and have used it ever since. This is the life of a writer. There's a lot of poverty to it. As a matter of fact, if I backed my life up, I'd never have become one. It's not a very good life. Right now I'm meeting with producers in L.A. and doing contract negotiations to turn my novel U.P. into a film and if that happens then things will change, but it's a ton of stress because if that doesn't happen then I have to continue to do telemarketing, which I detest, but the job market in America collapsed. In the background I'll listen to music while I write--lately it's been a lot of Fiona Apple, New Radicals, Elliott Smith, Sinead O'Connor, Oasis, and Radiohead, but I'm all over the place with what I listen to. I really like a lot of bands from England though. And that's really it. Like I said, there's not much for me to write about. I tried to go beyond my environment to other things just so I'd have something to write about, because it's a white small room with not much in it and a view of the wall of the house next door and a bed. That's all. I wish I was Stephen King so I could have some elaborate bat-decorated chair, but it's a boring environment with roommates who never seem to take the trash out and the sound of dogs barking every time a car drives by. Maybe that's why my novels are so intense and crazy--an escape from the realities of the dreariness of lower class American life."

Thanks, Ron! Ron’s book U.P. was published in 2008 by Ghost Road Press.

Sophie

Goddess Boot Camp - Tera Lynn Childs

Goddess Boot Camp - Tera Lynn Childs

Pages: 264
Publisher: Dutton
Release Date: 11th June 2009

Other Titles by this Author: Oh.My.Gods. (my review)

Phoebe, who recently discovered she’s a descendent of Nike (the goddess, not the shoe), is finding out that supernatural powers come with a crazy learning curve.

A few months ago, when Phoebe’s mom married a Greek guy and moved her halfway around the world to the tiny island of Serfopoula, she had no idea that she’d soon find herself surrounded by the descendents of Greek gods, let alone that she’d learn her own heritage was more mythical that mortal. But because she still doesn’t quite have her new powers under control, something that can be dangerous since the gods are known for smoting those who use their powers recklessly, Phoebe’s been enrolled at Dynamotheos Development Camp, also known as Goddess Boot Camp, for the summer. What kind of earthly torture will Goddess Boot Camp be? Well, it can’t be any worse than Hades, can it?

This summer will be all about learning her powers, reigning them in, training for the marathon at the Pythian Games (the only athletic event bigger than the Olympics). And surviving Goddess Boot Camp with her love life and sanity intact!

Goddess Boot Camp is the hugely fun sequel to Oh.My.Gods.. I really enjoyed reading this.

Phoebe’s life gets a little more complicated in Goddess Boot Camp as she has some pretty serious things to deal with. She was desperate to learn more about her dad’s death, busy training for the Pythian Games - more important then the Olympics - and prepare for a test that will have dire consequences if she fails. And yet Goddess Boot Camp had me giggling throughout.

I really didn’t like Stella - Phoebe’s step-sister - in Oh.My.Gods., but she really began to grow on me while I was reading this. She’s actually a human being! Well, a very powerful, descendent of a goddess, human. We also learnt a lot more about Adara. I still don’t like her, though!

One of my favourite things about Goddess Boot Camp was the explanations of the twelve different powers at the beginning of each chapter and then seeing how Phoebe discovered them and then learnt to control them. It did make me realise that I need to brush up on my Greek mythology, though!

Goddess Boot Camp is the perfect antidote to a rainy November day with it’s sunny setting, loveable characters and escapist world.

Sophie

Swoon - Nina Malkin

Swoon - Nina Malkin

Pages: 421
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: 19th May 2009

Other Titles by this Author: 6X: The Uncensored Confessions, 6X: Loud, Fast and Out of Control, Orange is the New Pink, An Unlikely Cat Lady

Sin is coming…

Prepare to swoon.

Torn from her native New York City and dumped in the land of cookie-cutter preps, Candice is resigned to accept her posh, dull fate. Nothing ever happens in Swoon, Connecticut…until Dice’s perfect, privileged cousin Penelope nearly dies in a fall from an old tree and her spirit intertwines with that of a ghost. His name? Sinclair Youngblood Powers. His mission? Revenge. While Pen is oblivious to the possession, Dice is all too aware of Sin. She’s intensely drawn to him - but not at all crazy about the havoc he’s wreaking.

Determined to exorcise the demon, Dice accidentally sets Sin loose, gives him flesh, makes him formidable. Now she must destroy an even more potent - and irresistible - adversary before the whole town succumbs to Sin’s will. Only trouble is, she’s in love with him.

What do you do when the boy of your dreams is too bad to be true?

Swoon is a sexy, unique and captivating tale of the supernatural. I’ve never read anything like it.

The plot of Swoon is extremely complex and original. It draws on Jewish folklore, uses stories from 18th century life and throws them into the world of a lost American girl. At some points there was so much going on and lots of threads from different parts of Swoon that I got a little confused. I’d occasionally have to read back over a few paragraphs to figure out what was going on.

I also felt that the romance between Sin and Dice was very rushed. Dice fell deeply in love with him after very few brief meetings, it was a bit unrealistic. To be honest, I don’t really understand what she saw in him. I like a bad boy as much as the next girl, but other than his gorgeousness, he didn’t really have very many redeeming qualities. He was manipulative, slimy and pretty horrible until the last few chapters. I like my bad boys to have hidden goodness so Sin just didn’t do it for me!

But with all of the problems that I had with Swoon, I really liked the ending. Dice and Sin got closure, most of the other characters had their problems resolved and the town of Swoon had been changed forever. To me, it felt like all of the loose threads were tied up and that the ending suited the characters perfectly.

Swoon is a very strange, yet compelling, read that is definitely different from lots of supernatural fiction out there. The sensuality of Swoon, however, may make some readers uncomfortable.

Sophie

Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater

Pages: 434
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: 5th October 2009

Other Titles by This Author: Lament: The Faerie Queen‘s Deception, Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

The pack circled around me, tongues and teeth and growls.

When a local boy is killed by wolves, Grace’s small town becomes a place of fear and suspicion. But Grace can’t help being fascinated by the pack, and by one yellow-eyed wolf in particular. There’s something about him - something almost human.

Then she meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away…

A chilling love story that will have you hooked from the very first page.

I absolutely loved Shiver. It’s lyrical, beautifully written and drew me in from the very first page.

The relationship between Sam and Grace was sweet and believable. It moved at apace that fit with the restraints that were put on the story by Sam’s nature. The lyrical way that Maggie Stiefvater writes pulled me into the story and I connected with Sam and Grace instantly and Mercy Falls was also described so vividly that I could picture exactly where Sam and Grace were standing.

As those of you who read my blog regularly will know; I love books written in split narrative. Grace is a strong and likeable character and I loved reading how Sam’s view of her compared to her own. And Sam, well, what to say about him? I love him? He’s gorgeous? He’s perfect for Grace? I really liked how Maggie Stiefvater gave him such depth; there was more to him than just being a werewolf.

I don’ know that many different versions werewolf lore, but I think that Shiver’s lore is particularly clever. Being a supernatural creature usually enhances and extends life in YA fiction, but not in the case of the wolves of Mercy Falls. The control of temperature and the differences between wolf Sam and human Sam made Shiver truly individual.

I loved reading Shiver, even when it made me cry, and I can’t wait to find out what happens to Grace and Sam in Linger.

Sophie

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