Swapped by a Kiss - Luisa Plaja

Swapped by a Kiss – Luisa Plaja

Pages: 344

Publisher: Corgi
Release Date: 29th April 2010

Other Titles by this Author: Split by a Kiss, Extreme Kissing

I wish I wasn’t myself anymore.

I wish I was her.

I wish I was Jo.

Rachel hates her life.

When her on/off boyfriend David goes to a music festival she decides to surprise him - but she gets a shock of her own. Not only does she find David kissing someone else, but it’s their friend Jo! Super-lovely, super-loved, all-round-perfect Jo.

Rachel runs away, wishing she could leave her life behind - and suddenly she finds herself in Jo’s body! Can she keep this swap a secret? Can she unravel what’s really going on? Can she get to grips with Jo’s out-of-control curly hair?

And if she discovers that being in someone else’s shoes isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, can she ever be herself again?

Swapped by a Kiss is the third - and my favourite - novel by Luisa Plaja. I loved it; it was so much fun!

As the sequel (of sorts) to Split by a Kiss, we move away from Jo and focus on Rachel, one of the friends Jo made in Boston. I really liked Rachel then, and after reading her story, I love her even more. She’s sparky and angry completely kick-ass. There are lots of issues and mysteries surrounding her and her family though which make for some very surprising plot twists. I was taken by surprise quite a few times! These were often more shocking as the characters were in the wrong bodies and knew nothing of the other’s problems.

I love the body-swapping idea. It seems to be a great way to really get to know the person you’ve swapped with, the people around them and even yourself. It should be prescribed for every teenager! Rachel realised that you shouldn’t take anyone at face value, nobody’s perfect and that you should always check your clothes for unravelling hems. But even with all of the self-discovery, Swapped by a Kiss is brilliantly funny. I found myself laughing out loud at the human snail races, glowing pants, tent ransacking goats and even Rachel’s dodgy attempts to sound authentically British. Her enthusiasm for all things British is pretty much how I feel about America so I definitely know where she’s coming from.

Another of the things that I really loved about Rachel is her love of superheroes and graphic novels. It can be quite hard to find that in a heroine. And through ‘Jo-in-Rachel’s body’s diary entries I was also thrown some serious Buffy love. Luisa, you’ve finally convinced me to watch it. I even asked for the Season 1 DVD for my birthday. I feel like I’ve been missing out!

I loved Swapped by a Kiss and I hope we get to see more of Rachel, Jo, David etc, in future books.

For my 2010 100+ Reading Challenge

Sophie

The Last Song - Nicholas Sparks

The Last Song – Nicholas Sparks

Pages: 390
Publisher: Sphere
Release Date: 10th September 2009

Other Titles by this Author: The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Rescue, A Bend in the Road, Nights in Rodanthe, The Guardian, Three Weeks with my Brother, The Wedding, True Believer, At First Sight, Dear John, The Choice, The Lucky One

Seventeen-year-old Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Miller’s life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York to Wilmington, North Carolina. Since then she has remained angry and alienated from her parents, until her mother decides she should spend the summer with her father.

Ronnie’s father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town. He is immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centrepiece of a local church.

What unfolds is an unforgettable story about love - first love and the love between parents and children - that demonstrates the many ways that relationships can break our hearts…and heal them.

The Last Song may be Nicholas Sparks’ fourteenth novel, but, damn, he’s still got it!

I should start this review by saying that I’ve loved Nicholas Sparks’ books for years so I may be a little biased! Then why, I hear you ask, did you wait until seven months after The Last Song’s release to read it? I think I know why. Nicholas Sparks’ first couple of books blew me away, but then the new ones just seemed to be okay. I guess I was worried that it wasn’t going to be as good as I wanted it to be. I really shouldn’t have worried.

I was hesitant in the beginning of The Last Song, though; it felt very different to his previous books. There were multiple points of view, one of them an angry teenager and not nearly as much focus on Christianity as I’ve come to expect. And then Ronnie met Will and began to forgive her dad. The Last Song turned out to have one of the strongest religious threads of his books (that I can remember) and though this would usually irritate me to death, I know and accept that it’s part of Nicholas Sparks’ books so it didn’t bother me much at all. The Last Song has actually turned out to be one of my favourites of his.

Something else that I love and is quintessentially Nicholas Sparks is the setting of North Carolina. And over the last fourteen books, a love of NC has been instilled me. I haven’t even been there. That’s the kind of writer he is. The small (and often coastal) towns of his stories have captured my imagination and my heart. They seem quaint, beautiful and full of a kind of energising life that makes me want to go there RIGHT NOW! It’s ridiculous for a book to make me want to live somewhere I haven’t even been, in a country I’ve never been to! But, hey, what can you do?

As well as all of these things, it’s the tragedy and love in his novels that keep me coming back for more. The way that Ronnie and Will begin to fall in love, trust each other and teach each other things about themselves that they never could have guessed is beautiful. But so is Ronnie’s relationship with her dad. Steve is the kind of dad you’d be proud of; the kind of dad that would go to the ends of the earth for his children without a word. Add in Nicholas Sparks’ trademark dose of tragedy and you get tears. Floods of them. At points I even had to stop reading and compose myself. But regardless, the beautiful, bittersweet ending left me with a smile on my face.

From my rather fan-girly review, I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that I’ve already pre-ordered Nicholas Sparks’ next two books. I really can’t recommend his books enough. Even if you only read YA, make an exception for Nicholas Sparks.

For my 2010 100+ Reading Challenge

Sophie

Book Trailer: Burned by PC and Kristin Cast

Things have turned black at the House of Night. Zoey Redbird’s soul has shattered. With everything she’s ever stood for falling apart, and a broken heart making her want to stay in the Otherworld forever, Zoey’s fading fast. It’s seeming more and more doubtful that she will be able pull herself back together in time to rejoin her friends and set the world to rights. As the only living person who can reach her, Stark must find a way to get to her. But how? He will have to die to do so, the Vampire High Council stipulates. And then Zoey will give up for sure. There are only 7 days left…

Thanks to Zeitghost Media I have the link to read the first chapter of Burned for free online and the fabulous trailer to show you. You can also visit the House of Night website for information on the series and authors PC and Kristin cast.

You can also download the song from the trailer.

Enjoy!

Sophie

The Naughty List - Suzanne Young

The Naughty List – Suzanne Young

Pages: 240
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: 4th February 2010

Everybody knows Tessa Crimson is the perfectly perky captain of the Smitten Kittens cheer squad. What most people don’t know is that the Smitten Kittens double as spies-for-hire. Their mission? Catch cheating boyfriends in the act and bring justice to the girls of Washington High. So far, every suspect on their naughty List has been found 100% guilty!

Thank goodness Tessa’s relationship with basketball captain Aiden is strawberry-smoothie. Or so she thinks.

Inter-kitten communication
Dear Smitten Kittens,

Brace yourselves, girls, for this latest catastrophe - we received the following anonymous alert this morning:Another name for your possible cheater roster: Aiden Wilder. Who would’ve guessed right? Hope the rumours aren’t true!

SOS

Tessa’s about to begin her biggest mission yet: Could her boyfriend be just as naughty as all the rest?

Although I enjoyed The Naughty List, it didn’t quite live up to my rather high expectations.

There was, however, one element of The Naughty List that exceeded them: Tessa’s sayings/ they’ve been praised as cute, funny and charming in nearly every review that I’ve read of this book and I completely agree. They really did make me giggle. Tessa’s exclamations ranged from “strawberry smoothie!” to “Oh, butterscotch!” to my personal favourite, “toasted ravioli!”. Utter genius; I loved them. in fact, they’re probably my favourite part of The Naughty List as I did have a major problem with it.

I didn’t feel Tessa and Aiden’s love. Their relationship was purely physical; they didn’t really talk or listen to each other and they didn’t do anything together, either. At school they were together constantly, playing the perfect couple. But the only other contact they had was hooking up after cheerleading/basketball practice. It seemed really superficial and I found Tessa way too clingy.

The cheater reports and SOS correspondence between chapters was brilliant. It allowed us to see more of the society that didn’t really get much page time. Obviously Tessa’s personal and relationship issues were central to the novel, the SOS, which started most of her problems and that she regularly complained about, weren’t really featured very much at all. I was quite disappointed as it’s such a brilliant idea and I would have loved to have been given more detail into how they managed to pull it off and remain anonymous.

I might read So Many Boys, the next in the series, but I’m in no hurry at all.

For my 2010 Debut Author Challenge, 2010 100+ Reading Challenge

Sophie

In My Mailbox 60

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.

My Dad came to the rescue and gave us his old modem so I have full access to the internet again. I did lose all of my files, though. But, I’m back properly adn I got loads of books!

For review:

Triskellion - Will Peterson

Rachel and Adam are sent from their New York home to stay with their grandmother, following their parents’ bitter divorce. But the quiet English village where their mother was born is a sinister and unsettling place. Is there a genuinely dark heart beating beneath the thatched roofs of the picturesque village of Triskellion?

Against a brooding background of very real danger, the two young outsiders follow an incredible trail on an archaeological adventure with startling paranormal twist. In a community that has has existed for centuries, many terrible secrets lie hidden, and the villagers of Triskellion have a great deal to protect…

Triskellion 2: The Burning - Will Peterson

Escape from Triskellion ends in captivity for twins Rachel and Adam, who become the latest specimens in the Hope Project - a sinister scientific organisation.

Reeling from a gruesome discovery and fearing for their mother’s sanity, flight from the Hope Project becomes the only option. Gabriel appears once again to help them as they race for their lives across Europe to an unknown destination; a destination which may explain the links they have with other like them and reveal the secrets of their supernatural powers. Secrets that have shaped mankind…

Hated, feared and pursued, the twins will need every ounce of courage to stay alive and face the truth.

Triskellion 3: The Gathering - Will Peterson

New Mexico 1955:
An incredible discovery is made when a UFO is shot down over a US airbase.

Australia 2008:
The hunt for the final Triskelleion turns deadly; Rachel and Adam go to ground.

New York 2010:
A cult leader prepares his followers for the end of the world.

A story that began in a far distant place will end high above the streets of New York City, and the power of the Triskellion will finally be unleashed…

Who will survive the Gathering?

Thanks to Walker for these; I’m really looking forward to reading them.

The Carrie Diaries - Candace Bushnell

The Carrie Diaries is the coming-of-age story of one of the most iconic characters of our generation.

Before Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw was a small-town girl who knew she wanted more. She’s ready for real life to start, but first she must navigate her senior year of high school. Up until now, Carrie and her friends have been inseparable. Then Sebastian Kydd comes into the picture, and a friend’s betrayal makes her question everything.

With an unforgettable cast of characters, The Carrie Diaries is the story of how a regular girl learns to think for herself, and evolves into a sharp, insightful writer. Readers will learn about her family background, how she found her writing voice, and the indelible impression her early friendships and relationships left on her. Through adventures both audacious and poignant, we’ll see what Carrie brings to her beloved New York City, where her new life begins.

I’m looking forward to this as I don’t know much about Carrie or Sex and the City, but loved the film. Thanks, Harper Collins!

Girl 16, Five Star Fiasco - Sue Limb (ARC)

A brand new book from best-selling author Sue Limb - the fifth to feature the crazy adventures of charming but insane Jess Jordan.

The chaotic world of Jess Jordan is not looking rosy. Mum has joined an online dating programme and has recruited Jess as advisor, while Jess’s best friend, Flora, has got a rich new boyfriend who Jess can’t possibly keep up with. Then Jess’s own boyfriend, Fred, does something unbelievably treacherous and spineless…

I love this series to death!

No and Me - Delphine de Vigan

Lou Bertignac has an IQ of 160 and a good friend called Lucas who gets her through the day. At home her father cries in secret and her mother hasn’t been out of their flat properly for years.

Then Lou meets and becomes friends with No, a teenage girl living on the streets, and asks her parents if No can come and live with them. No’s sudden presence within Lou’s fractured family has an explosive force that will change the lives of Lou - and her parents - for ever.

A brilliant, challenging and thought-provoking novel about the true nature of home and homelessness.

I’ve heard great things about this.

Paper Towns - John Green

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues - and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew.

Printz-medalist John Green returns with the brilliant wit and searing emotional honesty that have inspired a new generation of readers.

I’ve already read and loved this. I think I’ll be passing it along to my older sister!

Obernewtyn - Isobelle Carmody

In a world struggling back from the brink of apocalypse, life is harsh. But for Elspeth Gordie, born with enhanced mental abilities, it is also dangerous. There is only survival by secrecy, and so she determines never to use her forbidden powers. But they are not easy to keep hidden and their inevitable use brings her to the attention of the totalitarian Council that rules the land.

Sent to remote Obernewtyn, from where escape is said to be impossible, Elspeth must thrown off her safe cloak of concealment and pit herself against those who would resurrect the terrible forces of the apocalypse. Only then will she truly learn what and who she is…

LOVE the sound of this!

Drawing with Light - Julia Green

I’m on the edge of something extraordinary, and I can hardly wait for it all to unfold….

Everything is changing in Emily’s life. Her older sister Kat is just starting university; Dad and Cassy have bought an old house which will be their dream home one day…except that while it’s being done up, they’ve all got to live in a tiny caravan in the middle of a field. Then a throwaway comment starts Emily about her real mother, who left when Emily was a baby. Who was she? What was she like? Why did she go? Over the years, she has become the unmentionable in Emily’s family.

And as Emily pieces together a truer, fuller picture of her mother, she also embarks on a new relationship of her own with Seb, a beautiful boy with fine features and expressive dark eyes…

I nearly bought this the other day as I’ve heard great things about it. Glad I didn’t, though! Thanks to Bloomsbury for these.

Bought:

Kiss of Death: The Morganville Vampires - Rcahel Caine

Claire Danvers has a few things on her mind. First of all is the laundry, which is now an unfortunate shade of pink. Then there is her boyfriend, Shane, who is never too far from her thoughts. Finally, there is her best friend Eve’s relationship problems. As if life as a student wasn’t complicated enough, Claire just happens to be studying in Morganville. A town run by vampires.

Trouble seems to follow Claire and her friends like a shadow and tonight is no exception to the rule. They must find the most difficult documents for a vampire to acquire; people passes that will allow ‘bad ass’ Morley and his friends to leave Morganville. But it’s proving incredibly problematic, and with the odds stacked against them, the biggest question of them all is…

Will they survive?

*Squee* When my sister found this, three weeks before publication, I actually squealed aloud in the middle of Marks and Spencer’s. Beyond excited!

Sophie

Shadows: A Dark Touch Novel - Amy Meredith

Shadows: A Dark Touch Novel – Amy Meredith

Pages: 241
Publisher: Red Fox
Release Date: 1st April 2010

Fifteen-year-old Eve Evergold is cute, sassy and enjoying a busy social life. What she doesn’t know yet is that someone close to her is an evil demon that only she has the supernatural power to defeat.

She needs to work out who it is - and fast. Because although there’s something very attractive about the dark side…dating a demon?

Pure hell.

Shadows is a light, but creepy, addition to the plethora of supernatural reads around at the moment.

I have to admit that after reading the first couple of chapters of Shadows, I wasn’t really bothered about it either way. I could easily have put it down and walked away. However, I am glad I stuck with it. After about a third of the way in, the story really got going and I began to enjoy it. It actually became quite addictive as I was eager to see if all my guesses were correct. They were for a change! It was a little predictable, but I didn’t really mind.

Most of my initial not-bothered feelings about Shadows had to do with Eve. I just felt no connection with her. She was just another pretty, rich girl with a major shopping addiction. I really hate it when teen girls are portrayed this way; we’re not all like that! In fact, I personally, hate shopping unless it’s for books. Maybe that makes me odd, but it really affected the way that I felt about her. I did, however, love and Eve and Jess’ ratings for guy hotness: the shoe scale, Jimmy Choo being the highest accolade and closely followed by Manolo Blahnik’s. I don’t like shopping, but I do appreciate pretty shoes that I’ll never be able to walk in so I thought this was genius.

Shadows is a quick, fun read and I’ll be looking out for The Hunt, the second book in the Dark Touch series.

For my 2010 Debut Author Challenge, 2010 100+ Reading Challenge

Sophie

Viola in Reel Life - Adriana Trigiani

Viola in Reel Life – Adriana Trigiani

Pages: 282
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: 29th April 2010-04-19

Other Titles by this Author: Very Valentine, Big Stone Gap, Cherry Holler, Home to Big Stone Gap, The Queen of the Big Time

Viola doesn’t want to go to boarding school, but somehow she ends up ay the Prefect Academy, which feels like a million miles away from her home in New York.

Viola’s sure she won’t survive the year - especially since her three new roommates all seem to like being at Prefect. Her only comfort is her camera and her dreams of becoming a filmmaker.

But life at Prefect is nothing like Viola thought it would be and soon she realises that this could be the most incredible year of her life; if she can just learn to put the camera down and let the real world in…

As soon as Jenny told me that I’d love Viola in Reel Life, I knew that I would, but I still didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did.

My favourite thing about Viola in Reel Life is Viola herself. I want to be her friend! She’s got a snarky, wry sense of humour and a voice that encapsulates the angry angst of teens everywhere. I think that that’s what I loved most about her: she’s a normal girl. Viola’s voice did slip slightly, though and she occasionally said or thought things that a regular fourteen-year-old wouldn’t. Viola is also an unusual character because unlike most heroines of YA novels set in boarding school, she actually missed her parents, her friends and her home. She was openly homesick and it was completely refreshing as this often isn’t made a very big deal of.

But I also love Viola’s journey through Viola in Reel Life. She really changes her outlook on life. Viola begins angry and alienating of those who try to help her at Prefect Academy to someone confident in herself and her skills and with some brilliant new friends. This is one of the things that I often miss when reading supernatural and fantasy books.

Viola in Reel Life also taught me a lot about a subject that I knew virtually nothing about: filmmaking. I have plenty of friends who study subjects like film and media, but I guess I’ve never really taken much notice of what they actually do (I know, I’m a bad friend), and I really wish that I had now. It’s really interesting! Adriana Trigiani closely detailed Viola’s processes and I never realised how much skill and organisation it takes. Viola’s passion for filmmaking was lovely to read about and her enthusiasm infectious.

I loved journeying through Viola’s year at Prefect Academy with her and I can’t wait to join her again in Viola in the Spotlight.

For my 2010 100+ Reading Challenge

Sophie

Bad news...

On Saturday night, my computer crashed. This means that until we get a new computer (not likely for a while), I'm relying on my free periods at college for internet access.

I'm going to do my best to keep my reviews regular, but comments and replying to emails is going to be sporadic and I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do a regulr IMM post. I'm going to do my best, though!

Hopefully you'll stick it out with me and it'll get sorted soon.

Thanks guys!
Sophie

In My Mailbox 59

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.

For review:

The Glass Demon - Helen Grant

The First Death
Seventeen-year-old Lin Fox finds a body in an orchard. As she backs in horror, she steps on broken glass.

The Second Death
Then blood appears on her doorstep - blood, and broken glass.

The Third Death
Something terrible is found in the cemetery. Shards of broken glass lie by a grave.

Who Will Be Next?
As the attacks become more sinister, Lin doesn’t know who to trust. She’s getting closer to the truth behind these chilling discoveries, but with each move the danger deepens.

Because someone wants Lin gone - and won’t give up until he’s got rid of her and her family. Forever.

This sounds fantastic. Thanks, Puffin!

Swapped by a Kiss - Luisa Plaja

I wish I wasn’t myself anymore.
I wish I was her.
I wish I was Jo.

Rachel hates her life.

When her on/off boyfriend David goes to a music festival she decides to surprise him - but she gets a shock of her own. Not only does she find David kissing someone else, but it’s their friend Jo! Super-lovely, super-loved, all-round-perfect Jo.

Rachel runs away, wishing she could leave her life behind - and suddenly she finds herself in Jo’s body! Can she keep this swap a secret? Can she unravel what’s really going on? Can she get to grips with Jo’s out-of-control curly hair?

And if she discovers that being in someone else’s shoes isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, can she ever be herself again?

SO beyond excited to read this! Thanks, Random House!

Bought:

My So-Called Death - Stacey Jay

Just because you don’t have a pulse doesn’t mean you can’t be perky.

My first day at DEAD High, and someone harvests a fellow undead freshman’s brain?!?

I leaned over and hyperventilated for a few minutes. Then I noticed that Gavin’s shoes were not regulation uniform gear - and that those non-regulation shoes were splattered with blood.

I tried to search his face for signs of guilt, but instead found myself sucked into the gorgeousity of Gavin. Be still, my non-beating heart! Surely someone so beauteous couldn’t be an evil zombie brain thief…?

Really looking forward to this. I think it’s going to be really funny.

The Compound - SA Bodeen

Safe or sorry?

Eli and his family have lived un the underground Compound for six years. The world they knew is gone, and they’ve become accustomed to their new life. Accustomed, not happy. For Eli, not amount of luxury can stifle the dull routine of living in the same place, with only his two sisters, only his father and mother, doing the same thing day after day after day. As problems with their carefully planned existence threaten to destroy their sanctuary - and their sanity - Eli can’t help but wonder if he’d rather take his chances outside. Eli’s father built the Compound to keep them safe. But are they safe - or sorry?

I LOVED The Gardener so I had to order SA Bodeen’s first book immediately. I just hope I love it as much as I did The Gardener!

Sophie

Featured on Friday: Saci Lloyd

Saci Lloyd has worked as a cartoonist, toured the US with her band, ran an interactive media team and co-founded a film company. The Carbon Diaries 2017, the sequel to the critically acclaimed The Carbon Diaries 2015, was released in January.

1. Is there a specific time or place that you do your best writing in?
No, always and anywhere is good for me. Have learnt not to be picky.

2. Who were your favourite authors as a teenager? Are they different to your current favourites?
I've always liked humorists... Douglas Adams, Sue Townsend, Garison Kiellor, David Sedaris, Mark Twain... Recently really gotten into Douglas Coupland.

3. If you were only allowed to take three books to a desert island, what would they be?
Great Expectations, Huckleberry Finn, Generation X.

4. Is there a novel that you wish you’d written? Why?
Generation X. Very clever book, that.

5. What inspired you to write The Carbon Diaries?
Er, I wanted to write something about climate change that was funny. Didn't want to be all dystopian... it was more of an exploration of what happens when things get taken off you bit by bit. Everyone knows about polar bears and melting ice caps, but I wanted to write about getting to work and what happens in bars when the fridge gets turned off.

6. If you were in Laura’s position, would you react in the same way?
Yeah, she's not exactly a do gooder. She just wants her old life back, but knows she's got to face the music. I like her a lot. Some people think the second book's a lot heavier than the first, but in my mind I was just trying to imagine what it was like for a teenager when WW2 broke out. You've got no choice but to be dragged in.

7. Do you think that carbon rationing is a possibility in the UK’s near future?
Without a doubt.

8. Are you working on anything at the moment? Can you tell us anything about it?
I'm on fire! Working on a near future novel set in London, but this time playing around with peak oil and what we do when the lights start to flicker. It's written in a completely different style, more like a thriller... and there's a lot of people hurling themselves around the place. Very exciting to write. It'll be out next spring.

Thank you very much, Saci! You can visit Saci at her website and read my review of The Carbon Diaries 2017 here.

Sophie

The Gardener - SA Bodeen

The Gardener - SA Bodeen

Pages: 232 (ARC)
Publisher: Feiwell and Friends
Release Date: 25th May 2010

Other Titles by this Author: The Compound

Be careful what you wish for…

Mason has never known his father, but longs to. All he has of him is a DVD of a man whose face is never seen, reading a children’s book. One day, on a whim, he plays the DVD for a group of comatose teens at the nursing home where his mother works. One of them, a beautiful girl, responds. She is part of a horrible experiment intended to render teenagers into genetically engineered, self-sustaining life-forms who don’t need food or water to survive. And before he knows it, Mason is on the run with the girl, and wanted, dead or alive, by the mysterious mastermind of this evil plan, who is simply called the Gardener.

Will Mason be forced to destroy the thing he’s longed for most?

The Gardener blew me away. It’s shocking, horrifying, involving and unbelievably clever.

Mason may just be the most un-hero-like hero I’ve come across in YA for a long time. And I like him a lot. He’s well over six foot, built like the Incredible Hulk and his face is marred by a disfiguring scar. And yet he’s quiet, kind and clever - a gentle giant with a hero complex. Mason acts on whim and instinct throughout The Gardener leaving himself as perplexed at his actions as I was. His mix of emotions for the girl - confusion, attraction, fear, a protective urge - made his journey so believable.

And it had to be because the storyline of turning humans autotrophic (being able to sustain themselves using sunlight, like plants) is out of this world. I knew vaguely what was going on from the book’s blurb, but the mysteries of TroDyn, Mason’s dad, the clinical trial and the girl kept me furiously turning the pages. I kept promising myself that I would only read one more chapter and then go to sleep, but I couldn’t. I read it very quickly, but for a book of just over 200 pages, it didn’t feel rushed or lacking in plot in the slightest.

The unveiling of all of the mysteries left me reeling. It was morbidly, horrifically, disgustingly fascinating and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the page. And what made it worse was my paranoid line of though that someone like that could be going on under out noses and we’d have absolutely no idea it was happening. Then I started to think about the chemical research lab that’s across from my school and offers summer programs like TroDyn does. I really freaked myself out!

I loved The Gardener to bits and if I enjoy SA Bodeen’s first novel, The Compound, anywhere near as much, she could easily become one of my favourite authors.

For my 2010 100+ Reading Challenge

Sophie

Titus and Atreus - Meridi Myers

Titus and Atreus - Meridi Myers

Pages: 323
Publisher: Hero Publishing
Release Date: 1st December 2009

Two worlds, two boys…one prophecy.

Grief-stricken by the loss of his parents, Titrus Attwater is convinced his life will never improve. His older sister ignores his calls, his grades in school have plummeted, and his house, once a place of warmth and security, is now lonely, cold, and alien.

But when a young man appears one night in Titus’s house, claiming he came in upstairs through the full-length mirror, Titus’s life gets turned upside-down. For, as Titus soon discovers, this intruder is not from Earth. Against his will, Titus is kidnapped and taken to another world, a place like Earth but markedly different. It is here where he will befriend angels, face assassins, and help a young prince unravel a prophecy that proves much darker and more twisted than any of them had imagined.

Titus and Atreus is a magical novel of dark prophecies, dangerous secrets and a deadly battle. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

My favourite thing about Titus and Atreus is the characters. Titus and Atreus are twin souls consumed by fear and controlled by destiny. But they’re also selfless and brave. There is also Atreus’ bodyguard Juno (who reminds me a little of Valek from Maria V. Snyder’s Study trilogy) and intimidating healer Nightingale. Though it’s the Angels that stole the show for me. All seven angels have different, vibrantly coloured wings, flower-covered revealing outfits that correspond with their names (Lily, Rose, Tulip etc.), irritate Atreus to death and would do anything in their power to protect him. Put it this way, they’re not traditional angels by any means.

I also really loved the mythology. It’s completely original and like nothing I’ve ever come across before. The idea of travelling between worlds through mirrors is genius and I loved it. Twin souls who look and think alike and experience versions of the same things seems a really Doctor Who idea. And I’m rather fond of Doctor Who. The way that the lives of the characters are entwined is captivating and kept me guessing as to how events would play out through the novel.

I really enjoyed Titus and Atreus and I’ll be keeping my eyes open for more from Meridi Myers in the future.

For my 2010 100+ Reading Challenge

Sophie

In My Mailbox 58

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.

For review:

Wintercraft - Jenna Burtenshaw (ARC)

Ten years ago Kate Winters’ parents were taken by the High Council’s wardens to help with the country’s war effort.

Now the wardens are back, and prisoners, including Kate’s uncle Artemis, are taken south on the terrifying Night Train. Kate and her friend Edgar are hunted by a far more dangerous enemy. Silas Dane - the High Council’s most feared man - recognises Kate as one of the Skilled; a rare group of people able to see through the veil between the living and the dead. His spirit was damaged by the High Council’s experiments into the veil, and he’s convinced Kate can undo the damage and allow him to find peace.

The knowledge Kate needs lies within Wintercraft - a book thought to be hidden deep beneath the graveyard city of Fume. But the Night of Souls, when the veil between life and death is at it’s thinnest, is just days away and the High Council have their own sinister plans for Kate and Wintercraft.

VERY excited for this one. And it’s a UK debut! Thanks, Headline!

Beads, Boys and Bangles - Sophia Bennett

Crow is in designer heaven; Nonie’s caught the eye of a gorgeous boy; Jenny’s rehearsing a new play.

But this time Edie’s in trouble…The rumours are that slave children in India have been making Crow’s new high-street collection.

How far do the girls have to go to save their dreams?

I haven’t read the first book, Threads, yet, but now I have every incentive to! Thanks to Chicken House for this.

Bought:

The Dead-Tossed Waves - Carrie Ryan

Gabry lives a quiet life, secure in her town next to the sea and behind the Barrier. She’s content to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse.

Home is all she’s ever known and all she needs for happiness.

But life after the Return is never safe and there are threats even the Barrier can’t hold back.

Gabry’s mother thought she left her secrets behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth but, like the dead in their world, secrets don’t stay buried. And now, Gabry’s world is crumbling .

One night beyond the Barrier…

One boy Gabry’s known forever and one veiled in mystery…

One reckless moment, and half of Gabry’s generation is dead, the other half imprisoned.

Now Gabry knows only one thing: if she has any hope of future, she must face the forest of her mother’s past.

I am so annoyed that the cover for this was changed. What was wrong the blue one? This one doesn’t match the hardback of the first book properly now! (It’s so irritating!)

Sophie

Featured on Friday: Julie Kagawa

Julie Kagawa lives in Kentucky with her husband, two cats and two dogs. The Iron King, the first book in The Iron Fey series, is her first novel.

1. Is there a specific time or place that you do your best writing in?
I write everyday starting at 10am and usually going till 5pm. This is my job, so I treat it as such. Of course, there are definite perks, like not getting out of your PJs until 2pm.

2. Who were your favourite authors as a teenager? Are they different to your current favourites?
My favorite author as a teen was Terry Brooks and the Shannara series. We didn't exactly have a YA section when I was a teenager (there's an age joke in there somewhere), but in most of his books, the characters were teens. I don't think my tastes have changed all that much.

3. If you were only allowed to take three books to a desert island, what would they be?
"The Idiot's guide to surviving on a desert island," "how to build your own canoe," and a writing notebook. ;-)

4. Can you tell us a bit about your road to publication?
I met my agent at a writer's workshop, and she liked my novel enough to represent me. But, after a year of trying to sell that novel with no success, she suggested I start on something else. I told her about an idea I had for a YA urban fantasy with faeries, and she told me to definitely write that. So I did. I wrote The Iron King in a little under two months, and it sold to Harlequin Teen just weeks after I finished.

5. How did you come up with the mythology for Faeryland?
I did a lot of research on faeries when I was writing The Iron King. Most of the faeries in the book already have myths and legends about them, with the exception of The Iron Fey. Oberon, Titania, Mab and Puck have all been done before (as many reviewers have said), but that's kind of the point in The Iron King. That they are so powerful because they are well-known and remembered. I wanted to mix the familiar with the new and strange, which is where Machina and the Iron Fey came in.

6. Out of all of your characters, who is your favourite? (Mine are Grimalkin and Ash!)
I will have to agree with you on Grimalkin and Ash. I have a weakness for bad boys with swords, and Grim was a lot of fun to write.

7. Are you working on anything at the moment? Can you tell us anything about it?
I have just been contracted for a brand new series with Harlequin TEEN. Not sure how much I can reveal, but I will leave you with one hint: Vampires.

Thanks so much for the interview!

Thank you very much, Julie! You can visit Julie at her website and read my review of The Iron King here.

Sophie

Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins

Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins

Pages: 323
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: 1st April 2010

When sixteen-year-old Sophie Mercer discovers she’s witch, she imagines life will be full of magic, fun and…well…broomsticks! But her first attempt at a love spell goes disastrously wrong and, as punishment, Sophie is shipped off to Hectate “Hex” Hall, a reform school for witches, shape shifters and faeries.

By the end of her first day among her fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tag-along ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person on campus and the only vampire.

Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students and her only friend is the number-one suspect…

Hex Hall is a truly fantastic novel that I loved every page of. I am so glad it’s the first in a series!

The variety of magical creatures in Hex Hall make this a novel to suit the tastes of every fan of the supernatural. Hectate Hall is home to witches, warlocks, spirits, werewolves, shifters, fairies and even a few vampires who live alongside each other fairly well. And my favourite creature is usually the main character or the gut, and although I really liked Sophie’s witchiness and Archer’s warlock ness, I just couldn’t make my mind up. Persecuted vampires or whimsical fairies? Crazy powerful witches or salivating werewolves? What a choice!

As well as books about mythical creatures, for some reason, I love those that are set in isolated boarding schools. I have no idea why, but it seems sort of romantic. But Hectate “Hex” Hall is far from the usual boarding school depictions. It’s not a sprawling Gothic castle or mansion and it’s rooms aren’t filled with imposing pieces of furniture and historic relics. Hex Hall is miss-match and charmingly higgledy-piggledy. It seems so much more realistic for a place hiding members of a world that needs to stay hidden.

Sophie’s world is a very cool one. I love Rachel Hawkins’ mythology on the origins of the mythical creatures collectively known as the Prodigium. Background like this is very rarely given and it gave Hex Hall such a connection to history and reality. This sense of history and inheritance is enhanced as we learn more about Sophie the dark secrets of her family’s past. It’s such a compelling story and in the last hundred pages of so it was just shock after shock. I didn’t want it to end!

With Hex Hall Rachel Hawkins has written an incredibly funny, magical and engaging story that’ll be a favourite with lots of people and I can’t wait to read the nest instalment of Sophie’s story.

For my 2010 Debut Author Challenge, 2010 100+ Reading Challenge

Sophie

Dark Life - Kat Falls

Dark Life - Kat Falls

Pages: 297 (ARC)
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: 29th April 2010

When the oceans rose, entire continents were swallowed up by the rising water. Now humans live packed into high rises on small tracts of land, while those willing to forge new frontiers settle deep beneath the waves.

Ty has lived under the sea his entire life, helping his family to farm the ocean floor. But when outlaws attack, Ty finds himself in a fight to save the only home he has ever known. Joined by Gemma, a girl from Topside who is looking for her missing brother, Ty ventures into the frontier’s rough underworld - and discovers some very dark secrets. Secrets which threaten to destroy everything…

A world where the deep can be dangerous, the darkness can be deadly and sometimes it’s all you can do to stay alive…

Dark Life is a sparkling debut that captivated my imagination from first word to last. Kat Falls is a major new YA talent.

The first part of Dark Life that I have to gush about is the breathtaking imagery. Benthic Territory is where the east coast of America has collapsed into the sea and Ty is forever searching for relics. While doing this, avoiding doing his chores and fighting for his home, Ty encounters fearsome, arcing dolphins, barnacled whales, luminescent jellyfish and incredible fish. It’s full of life, colour and vibrancy, even in the total darkness of the ocean floor. And if I had to choose between being a Topsider or a pioneer, I’d be right with Ty living in a jellyfish-look-alike house. So amazing!

My next gushing object if Ty himself. He’s one of those rare truly good guys tht get hidden by the likes of a girl’s bad boy favourites. Ty has an overwhelming passion for the ocean and it’s creatures, not only because it’s his home, though that is part of it, but because he realises how wondrous, dangerous and diverse it is. But he also has a reckless streak that’s bordering on stupidity. He’ll be first to rush off and do something risky to protect his home and those he cares about. And he gets embarrassed and blushes around girls. And he glows which is pretty damn awesome.

You know, I think that this is the first dystopian novel that actually sounds okay to live in. So if there’s an apocalypse tomorrow, you know where I’ll be hiding! But, seriously, the effects of climate change and global warming are very topical at the moment they’ve been remained in books, films and TV shows over and over again, and yet, Kat Falls has managed to dream up a vision of the future that’s completely original. Can you tell how much I love this yet?

I believe Dark Life to be the beginning of a series, and though I think it works beautifully as a stand-alone novel, I’m waiting anxiously for another chance to read Kat Falls’ writing.

For my 2010 Debut Author Challenge, 2010 100+ Reading Challenge

Sophie

In My Mailbox 57

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.

For review:

The Gardener - SA Bodeen (ARC)

Be careful what you wish for…

Mason has never known his father, but longs to. All he has of him is a DVD of a man whose face is never seen, reading a children’s book. One day, on a whim, he plays the DVD for a group of comatose teens at the nursing home where his mother works. One of them, a beautiful girl, responds. She is part of a horrible experiment intended to render teenagers into genetically engineered, self-sustaining life-forms who don’t need food or water to survive. And before he knows it, Mason is on the run with the girl, and wanted, dead or alive, by the mysterious mastermind of this evil plan, who is simply called the Gardener.

Will Mason be forced to destroy the thing he’s longed for most?

Thanks to Feiwell and Friends for this. I’m very excited to read it ; it sounds amazing.

Gifts:

Shadows: A Dark Touch Novel - Amy Meredith

Fifteen-year-old Eve Evergold is cute, sassy and enjoying a busy socil life. What she doesn’t know yet is that someone close to her is an evil demon that only she has the supernatural power to defeat.

She needs to work out who it is - and fast. Because although there’s something very attractive about the dark side…dating a demon?

Pure hell.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox - Mary E Pearson

I used to be someone.
Someone named Jenna Fox.

A girl wakes from a coma following a devastating accident, her memory a blank. One day she can’t walk; the next she can. One day her right eyelid droops; the next it doesn’t. Her parents call her recovery a miracle - but at what cost has it come? What are they hiding from her?

Who is Jenna Fox?

These were both from my Dad instead of an Easter egg. Good exchange I think!

Sophie

The Prophecy - Gill James

The Prophecy - Gill James

Pages: 367
Publisher: The Red Telephone
Release Date: 26th February 2008

Kaleem Malkendy is different - and, on Terrestra, different is no way to be.

Everything about Kaleem marks him out from the rest: the blond hair and dark skin, the humble cave where he lives and the fact that he doesn’t know his father. He’s used to unwelcome attention, but even so, he’d feel better if some strange old man didn’t keep following him around.
Then the man introduces himself and begins to explain the Babel Prophecy - and everything in Kaleem’s life changes forever.

The Prophecy has such a promising plot, but for me it just wasn’t executed well enough for me to enjoy it properly.

With science fiction I feel that there has to be a certain amount of exposition integrated into the story for it to make sense. You can’t magically understand what the author wants you to when they’re talking about something that they made up and when the world has been changed so drastically I want to know how and why. Preferably in more than just a simplistic sentence. I found this to be a major problem in The Prophecy. it may just have been me being dumb, but there were so many things central to the story, like the Stopes programme, although I worked out what it was, a bit of clarification would have been lovely.

I also had a bit of an issue with how The Prophecy read. I kept tripping over my tongue with names like Razjosh, Gabrizan and Marijam. I just had no idea at all how to pronounce them and it bugged me. Again, maybe it was me and I just wasn’t paying proper attention, but the prose sometimes felt sloppy and inconsistent. There seemed to be gaps that minor bits of information should have been included in to make the writing flow properly.

Though I had major with The Prophecy, I did love Gill James’ take on the Earth of the thirty-fifth century. It’s a world where a poison cloud has forced people underground and no one enters or leaves the planet until the cloud suddenly disappears. Now Terrestra, as Earth is now called, is filled with people paranoid about disease, scared of outside and wary of anybody different to themselves.

I think that with some polish and a really good editor, The Prophecy could be a brilliant novel. Hopefully you guys aren’t as picky as me and will love this!

For my 2010 100+ Reading Challenge

Sophie