Unrest - Michelle Harrison

Unrest – Michelle Harrison

Pages: 375 (ARC)

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Release Date: 26^th April 2012

Other Titles by this Author: The Thirteen Treasures, The Thirteen Curses, The Thirteen Secrets

Seventeen-year-old Elliot hasn’t slept properly in months. Not since the accident that nearly killed him. Sometimes he half-wakes, paralysed, while shadowy figures move around him. Other times he is the one moving around, while his body lies asleep on the bed. His doctors say sleep paralysis and out-of-body experiences are harmless – but to Elliot they’re terrifying.

Convinced that his brush with death has attracted the spirit world, Elliot secures a job at a reputably haunted museum, determined to discover the truth. There, he meets the enigmatic Ophelia. But, as she and Elliot grow closer, Elliot draws new attention from the dead. One night, during an out-of-body experience, Elliot returns to bed to find his body gone. Something is occupying it, something dead that wants to live again – and it wants Ophelia, too...

I’ve been a fan of Michelle Harrison since her debut, The Thirteen Treasures, so when I found out she was writing a ghost story for a YA audience, I got extremely excited. And I had every reason to.

Unrest immediately draws you into Elliot’s unsettled and creepy world where he is haunted in his own house. Wondering whether he’s losing his mind or experiencing something ‘other’, he needs to find a way to make it stop. There’s an electric tension running through the novel as Elliot’s encounters become more frequent and infinitely more dangerous that kept me on the edge of my seat and tightly clutching the book in my hands, furiously turning the pages.

I immediately warmed to Elliot and his struggles (and not just because I love his name ridiculous amounts) and there were moments where I was genuinely scared for him. I fell a little in love with him if I’m honest. Ophelia was rather different. At first, I thought she was stuck-up and cold, exactly like Elliot did. but as she warmed to him and more and more was revealed about her life and her character, I began to see what Elliot saw in her. One of m favourite elements of their relationship was the stony start they had and that Elliot wasn’t immediately drawn to her stunning beauty or anything like that. It was a natural and realistic progression that is really quite badly represented in YA sometimes. Ophelia continued to surprise me and with each revelation, I liked her a little more.

As well as the aching nail-biting tension, Michelle Harrison gripped me with the never-ending trail of questions that threaded through Unrest. Is Elliot mad, or is he really seeing ghosts? What does Tess want from Elliot? What exactly is Hodge up to? Is Lesley right about him? Each answer was revealed slowly, drip-feeding us hints and clues until being explained at just the right moment. Brilliant. I loved it.

Unrest is a chilling and atmospheric novel that will make night-time jaunts through the house a thing of the past.

Thank you to S&S for providing me with a review copy.

Sophie 

In My Mailbox 111

This meme was started by the fabulous Kristi who was inspired by Alea. Check out their blogs for more information. All summaries are from the book jackets unless otherwise stated.

For Review:

The Immortal Rules – Julie Kagawa

In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity. She must decide what – and who – are worth dying for.

My vampire creator told me this:

‘Sometime in your life, Allison Sekemoto, you will kill a human being. The question is not if it will happen, but when. Do you understand?’

I didn't then, not really.

I do know.

As I already have a US ARC and have a pre-ordered a hardcover copy, I am passing this on to Lily at Whispering of the Pages. Thanks, MIRA.

Hitler’s Angel – William Osbourne

Otto and Leni have escaped the Nazis and fled to England.

They thought they were safe, but now the British want them to go back to Germany.

Dropped behind enemy lines, they embark on a secret operation.  Their mission is to find and kidnap a girl who could bring down Hitler.

And so begins their bravest journey...

Really not my thing, but it sounds prett interesting. Thanks, Chicken House.

The Out of Office Girl – Nicola Doherty

From London...

Alice Roberts is having a rubbish summer.

She’s terrified of her boss, her career is stallin. And she’s just been dumped – by text message. But things are about to change...

...to Italy

When her boss Olivia is taken ill, Alice is sent on the work trip of a lifetime: to a villa in Sicily, to edit the autobiography of Hollywood bad boy Luther Carson. But it’s not all yachts, nightclubs and Camparis. Luther’s arrogant agent Sam wants him to ditch the book. Luther himself is gorgeous, charming – and impossible to read. There only seems to be one way to get his attention, and it definitely invloves moixing business with pleasure.

Alice is out of the office, and into deep trouble...

...with love.

This is obviously an adult novel, but I love the sound of it. |It feels reminiscent of Paige Toon’s Johnny Be Good. Thanks, Headline!

Secret Breakers: The Power of Three – HL Dennis

Imagine an ancient manuscript no one can read.

Imagine a secret code for someone just like you.

Imagine the chance to uncover a Truth hidden for centuries – but the Rules say it’s forbidden to even try.

Three have been chose to join a secret team to solve the most mysterious code in the world.

Brodie Bray likes a challenge. But when she and her friends try to crack the code, she finds someone will kill to try and stop them.

This sounds pretty interesting, but it won’t be top of my tbr pile. Thanks, Hodder.

Bought:

Graffiti Moon – Cath Crowley

Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight she’s going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. Somewhere in in the glass darkness, he’s out there, spraying colour, spraying birds and blue sky on the night. And Lucy knows that a guy who paintslike Shadow is someone she could fall for – really fall for.

The last person Lucy wants to spend this night with is Ed, the guy she’s managed to avoid since punching him in the nose on the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells Lucy he knows where to find Shadow, the two of them are suddenly on an all-night search to places where Shadow’s pieces of heartbreak and escape echo off the city walls. And what Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes.

From Cath Crowley comes an exhilarating adventure set against a moonlit cityscape – one night of art and poetry, humour and longing, anticipation and risk, and (maybe) love.

YAYYAYYAYYAY!! I will finally discover the proported beauty of Cath Crowley’s writing thanks to getting this instead of an Easter egg from my mum :)

Sophie

Bunheads - Sophie Flack

Bunheads – Sophie Flack
Pages: 294
Publisher: Atom
Release Date: 1^st March 2012

As a dancer with the Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward is living her childhood dream. And while she might not be a prima ballerina yet, she’s moving up the ranks and surely if she works hard enough she can make it happen.

But devoting her whole life to ballet leaves very little time for anything else: friends, family, school have all fallen by the wayside. Hannah doesn’t mind, until a chance encounter brings Jacob into her life. He’s cute, plays guitar and he’s offering a whole future that Hannah never considered. And now she must choose between her lifelong dream and what could be the love of her life...

Bunheads didn’t immediately grab me when I first heard about it, but when it arrived and I read the first few pages, I knew I was going to enjoy it. I didn't realise I would love it, though.

There’s a certain charm surrounding ballet for every girl. I think every six-year-old goes through a phase of wanting to be a beautiful ballerina and wear a tutu when they grow up, especially those with no grace, balance or coordination (i.e. me). That ambition never left Hannah and after twelve or so years of brutally hard work, she’s dancing with one of the world’s best ballet companies. And it’s nothing like we dreamed of as little girls.

Before reading Bunheads I knew that being a ballet dancer is an incredibly difficult and challenging, both mentally and physically, career, but I had no idea to what extent. The girls in the corps abuse their bodies with punishing exercise routines on top of a day full of dancing and put very little back into it all to fight for a solo and get promoted. But for the dancers, it’s completely worth it for the utter euphoria Hannah feels when she’s onstage. I’d love to have something like that in my life.

One of my favourite things about Bunheads is that Hannah is nineteen. There are very few protagonists in YA that are this age, What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen is the only one I can call to mind right this second. It was so nice to read about a girl who is the same age as me who was still only just falling in love and having an adventure and those typical teenage life-changing moments. It’s a breath of fresh air for those of us who are older than the usual YA main character.

Bunheads is a fascinating glimpse into the world of ballet and I can’t wait to see what else Sophie Flack has up her sleeve.

For my 2012 Contemporary YA Challenge and 2012 Debut Author Challenge

Thank you to Atom for providing me with a copy to review.

Sophie

Blog Tour: Siobhan Curham (Dear Dylan)

Back in 2010 I was the first to review Siobhan Curham’s first novel for teens, Dear Dylan, which she self-published, and I loved it. Two years later, Dear Dylan won the Young Minds Award and is being republished by Electric Monkey and I’m honoured to be kicking off the blog tour with a guest post from Siobhan. Read my review of the book and then read on to find out why Siobhan wrote Dear Dylan.

 Day One ~ So Many Books, So Little Time

 My Personal Reasons for Writing Dear Dylan

When I was a teenager I mainly read books for pleasure, but every now and then a novel would come along that became more like a life-line. One of the most difficult times of my teens was when my parents split up. Back then, divorce wasn’t as common as it is now and I didn’t know any other kids whose parents were separated. I felt scared and upset and alone. But then I read It’s Not the End of the World by Judy Blume. The book is about a character called Karen whose parents are going through a break-up and how tough she is finding it. Even though her fictional family was very different to mine, the emotions Karen was experiencing were almost identical, and I drew so much comfort from that.

Fast forward to my early thirties. I was now author of several novels for adults and Writer in Residence at a local school. As I started running regular writing workshops for young people I was reminded of what a difficult and painful time the teenage years can be. Then, one week, I ran a drama workshop in a local youth centre. One of the girls who came along had really had it tough. Her family had come to the UK as asylum seekers and she was now living in foster care. In spite of all this she had a wonderful spirit and lust for life, and was determined to one day be an actress. At the end of the workshop she asked me which of my books she should read. When I realised that she can’t really read any of them as they were all for adults it was a real light-bulb moment. Why wasn’t I writing books for young people like her? About characters facing the same kind of issues? Books that would hopefully help and inspire readers the same way Judy Blume’s helped me all those years ago.

And so I made the transition into YA fiction. Dear Dylan is my first novel for teens and it is about a 14 year-old girl who starts emailing her favourite actor because she is so unhappy at home. Through the resulting online friendship she gains the confidence to stand up to her bully of a step-dad and pursue her dream of becoming an actress. I initially self-published Dear Dylan, and, when it went on to win the Young Minds Book Award, it was one of the happiest moments of my life. I had set out specifically to write fiction that in some way helped young people, so to have Dear Dylan recognised in this way was thrilling. Now it is being traditionally published I hope it will reach many more readers. And if any of them get as much from it as I did from It’s Not the End of the World then it will make me the happiest writer on the planet!

Dear Dylan also includes a sneak preview of Siobhan’s next YA novel, Finding Cherokee Brown, which looks at how a teenage girl finds a novel way of standing up to her high school bullies.

A massive thank you to Siobhan and make sure you all keep up with the tour!

Sophie

In My Mailbox 110

This meme was started by the fabulous Kristi who was inspired by Alea. Check out their blogs for more information. All summaries are from the book jackets unless otherwise stated.
As well as a few books I got throughout the week, I came home on Friday to find a pile of packages. I’ve written up the ones I’m most excited for and just listed the rest.

For Review:

172 Hours on the Moon – Johan Harsted

There’s a reason we never went back to the moon.

It was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime. Mia, Antione and Midori had different reasons to enter NASA’s competition for a seat on the first shuttle to go to the moon in over forty years.

But while they all wanted to escape earth, they never realised there might not be a chance to come home...

I’ve read the prologue and I know I’m going to love this. Thanks, Atom!

Dead Rules – RS Russel

Heathers meets Romeo and Juliet in this wickedly funny read that will keep you guessing to the end.

Sometimes falling in love means you have to kill somebody

Jana Webster and Michael Haynes are in love: The school’s perfect couple, they’re destined to be together forever.

But Jana’s destiny is fatally flawed. And now she’s in Dead School, where Mars dreamcote lurks in the back of the classroom with his beguiling blue eyes, mysterious smile and irrestistibly warm touch.

Jana is sure Michael wll rush to her side soon. And she is willing to do anything, anything, to make sure he does...

Never heard of it before, but it looks awesome. Thanks, Quercus!

All Fall Down – Sally Nicholls

A deadly contagion races throught England...

Isabel and her family have nowhere to run from a disease that has killed half of Europe. When the world she knows and loves ends forever, her only weapon is courage.

The Black Death of 1349 was the deadliest plague in human history. All Fall Down is a powerful and inspiring story about survival in the face of real-life horror.

I loved Sally’s first two novels and I've had my eye on this for a while – so pleased to find it waiting for me at home! Thanks, Scholastic!

The Last Echo – Kimberly Derting

In the beginning

Violet’s morbid ability to sense choes from the dead led her to uncover dark murders and long-buried secrets. The only people she told were her supportive parents and boyfriend Jay.

Now she can finally be honest

Violet hopes that working with a special investigative team will give her the chance to save lives – or at least catch more killers. But the instant connection she feels with mysterious partner, Rafe, is both confusing and unsettling, and their unique bond creates tension with Jay.

In the end, all thats left is an echo

When she discovers the body of a student murdered by ‘the collector’, Violet is determined to solve the case. With her own relationship on the line, Violet doesn’t realise that the serial killer is looking to add to his collection, and that she may have caught his eye.

Will the next life Vio;et has to save be her own?

I really need to catch up with this series! Thanks, Headline.

Ghost Flower – Michele Jaffe

I am an imposter. A fake. A fraud. But everything that follows is the truth and nothing but the truth. I have no reason to lie anymore.’

Eve has been living hand-to-mouth, trying to forget old scars from her foster homes and to avoid getting any new ones from her sleazy boss. So when she’s offered a way out – ahuge sum of money to pretend to be somebody she’s not – she knows she’d be a fool not to take it.

But it soon becomes clear that her lfie will be at riskunless she can work out exactly what happened to the girl she’s been asked to impersonate. Trapped in a web of lies and deceit, Eve is desperate to learn the truth. Even if it means facing up to a past filled with murderous secrets.

I’d never heard of this before I opened the package, but what a beautiful cover! Thanks, Atom.

I also received:

A finished copy of Bsrk by Michael Grant
Paperback copy of Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick
Serafina, Rachel Hartman
Torn, Amanda Hocking
Silver, Andrew Motion
Poison Heart, SB Hayes
The Joshua Files: Apocalyse Moon, MG Harris
The Calling, Kelley Armstrong
The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind, Meg Medina

Bought:

Goddess, Interrupted – Aimee Carter

Fate brought them together

The underworld wants to tear them apart

After surrendering her mortal life, Kate’s about to be crowned queen of the mythical Underworld, home to the Gods.

Her king – dangerous, mesmerising Henry – the boy she sacrificed everything for, is becoming ever more distant and secretive.

Then he is abducted in the midst of her coronation.

Forced to take up jer role in a bitter war between the Gods, Kate battles to save Henry’s life. Worse, her only hope of victory measns turning to Persephone, henry’s first true love...and the greatest threat to Kate’s future.

Kate now knows that rescuing the one she believed to be her destined soulmate could mean losing him forever.

I sent this home by mistake so I’ve only just got my hands on it! Can’t wait!

Sophie