The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove - Lauren Kate

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove - Lauren Kate

Pages: 235
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: 12th November 2009

Other Titles by this Author: Fallen (my review)

All it takes is one fatal mistake.

What she wanted:

Natalie Hargrove wants one thing and one thing only - to be her high school’s Palmetto Princess. Among the other Southern Belles, a.k.a. Bambies, competing for the crown, she’s by far the most beautiful, and the most deserving. Or so she thinks.

The catch:

Her boyfriend, Mike King, is on the brink of losing Palmetto Prince to Nat’s nasty nemesis Justin Balmer. And let’s just say Natalie and Justin have a history so shady it could wither flowers. Sure, Natalie could share the throne with Justin - over her dead body.

The trick:

So Nat convinces Mike to help her play a naughty little prank on Justin…just to make him look bad. Little do they know, the plan is about to go terribly, terribly wrong.

The fatal flaw:

Natalie and Mike desperately try to cover up what happened to Justin. But blackmail and buried desire, dark secrets and even darker deeds slowly begin to tear them apart. Because fate is the one thing more twisted than Natalie Hargrove.

Lauren Kate’s debut, The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove, is a re-telling of Macbeth that’s full of twisted, sexy intrigue.

I have to admit that I didn’t really connect with Natalie. She’s cold, hard and very scary. I mean, is anyone actually that arrogant and assured? It’s really quite unnerving. But regardless of that, I really wanted to learn more about her. Nat’s bad girl past was heavily hinted at but we only saw one or two tiny snippets of it. I would have liked to have known more about what made her so messed up. And Nat really is concrete proof that both greed and your parents really can screw you up for life. She just completely shocked me. Maybe I’m naïve. Maybe lots of high school seniors are like Natalie. I really hope not, though.

One of the first things that struck me about The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove is how different it is to Fallen. Lauren Kate’s sultry, sumptuous prose is harsher and darker (but not supernaturally dark) than I expected, but it fit Natalie’s story and personality perfectly. The writing is what kept me going during The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove as not connecting with the main character really reduces the chances of me liking a book.

I didn’t enjoy The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove nearly as much as I wanted and expected to. I do love Lauren Kate’s writing, though.

For my 2010 100+ Reading Challenge

Sophie

Event Report: Headline Meets Online

Last Wednesday, I got the chance to go up to London for the Headline Meets Online party where I got to meet lots of the Headline publicity team and some amazing UK bloggers. Unfortunately I forgot my camera (as usual) so I have no pictures, but I did meet Jenny of Wondrous Reads, Carla of The Crooked Shelf, Jo of Once Upon a Bookcase/Ink and Paper, Becky of The Bookette, Carolyn of Book Chick City, Liz of My Favourite Books, Sammee of I Want to Read That and a few more that I can’t remember. Sorry!

I was lucky enough to bump into Jenny, Carla, Liz, Carolyn and Alex Bell (author of Lex Trent Versus the Gods) as I arrived early so we sat outside and chatted until it was time to go in. When we arrived we navigated the very cool lifts into the office and got our badges (which I forgot to take off and ended up wearing on the Tube). We were in a little boardroom with food, drink and piles of books. Books that we were allowed to HELP OURSELVES TO and add to our goodie bag!! A very exciting moment for all of us. After a brief chat with everyone we settled down to watch a presentation on all of the new and upcoming Headline titles. I have to admit, I’m a tad excited for a few of them! (Wintercraft, Scarlett Dedd etc.).

After the presentation, the authors were unleashed on us. Carole Matthews (The Chocolate Lover’s Club), Dan Wells (I Am Not a Serial Killer), Alex Bell (Lex Trent Versus the Gods), Jonathan L. Howard (Johannes Cabal the Necromancer), Paul Magrs (The Diary of a Dr Who Addict) and Sean Cregan (The Levels) joined us. They were all fantastic and it was really lovely to be able to chat to them and get our books signed so informally.

We then took part in a quiz. My team, the Crescents, came joint second to last. But Alex, Becky, Carla and me felt we were at a disadvantage with only four players compared to some with seven. It wasn’t our fault we were so lame! Jo’s team won and they got a cool little trophy as she proudly showed off in her report!

Then we just carried on chatting as the people dropped away and then after I left, some bloggers went to the pub. I had college the next morning and would’ve been home quite late so I didn’t go, but it sounds like they had a brilliant time.

I had a fantastic time so I’d like to give a thank you to all of the Headline team (Sam, Maura, Kasi, Helena) who organised the event and I’d encourage anyone else to go to something like this if they get the chance. It was a brilliant afternoon.

Sophie

In My Mailbox 56

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:

Mr Monster - Dan Wells (signed)

My name is John Cleaver. I’m sixteen. I’m a mortician. I’m a sociopath.

But I am NOT a serial killer. Yet.

It’s been almost five months since I first killed someone. Nobody knows it, but I stopped the Clayton Killer - a serial killer who tore his victims to shreds. The other thing nobody knows is that he wasn’t even human - he was a monster. Literally a monster. A demon.

Now the only monster left is me - the dark side of me I call Mr Monster. I try to keep him locked up but he’s desperate to kill again, and now people are getting suspicious, the FBI is asking questions and corpses are showing up all over and - well, something’s gotta give…

This sounds fabulously dark. I got this at the Headline Meets Online event on Wednesday when I actually got to meet Dan and get this signed.

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer - Jonathan L. Howard

Johannes Cabal, a brilliant but reclusive scientist, has never pretended to be a hero. There is, after all, little heroic about robbing graves, being chased by torch-bearing mobs and selling your soul to the Devil. All routine inconveniences, however, when your buisness is raising the dead.

But now Cabal wants his soul back and he descends to Hell to retrieve it. Satan, incredibly bored and hungry for a challenge, proposes a little wager: Johannes has one year to persuade one hundred people to sign over their soul or he will lose his own forever.

With little time to lose, Cabal raises a crew from the dead and enlists his vampire brother to help out. On the road, Cabal wields weird science and black magic with the moral conscience of anthrax, but are his tricks good enough to beat the Devil at his own game?

I also got this at the Headline event. It sounds really, really weird. But brilliant.

Presents:

Savannah Grey - Cliff McNish (ARC)

With a secure, new home life is good for Savannah Grey. But now it seems her body has turned against her. It’s become an enemy and a weapon. New boy Reece thinks Savannah’s troubling powers are a special gift. No wonder she is attracted to him. But there’s another force luring Savannah from safety into danger…

A present from Jenny who I finally got to meet on Wednesday. Love the sound of this!

White Cat - Holly Black (ARC)

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers - people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they’re all mobsters or con artists. Except for Cassel. He’s the straight kid in a crooked family, if you ignore one small detail - he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Now Cassel is having nightmares, terrifying dreams about a white cat that seems to want to tell him something. He’s starting to notice other things, too - the strange behaviour of his two brothers, who seem caught up in a secret plot. As Cassel starts to suspect he’s part of a huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to outcon the conmen.

Thanks to the fabulous Nancy for this and some Vladimir Tod badges. I’m extremely excited to read this as I love Holly Black’s books.

Bought:

I went a little mad this week! And they’re all Tenners!

The Naughty List - Suzanne Young

Everybody knows Tessa Crimson id 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?

SO excited for this!

The Mark - Jen Nadol

Cassandra Renfield has always seen the mark - a glow around certain people reminiscent of candlelight. But the one time she mentioned it to someone else, the mark was dismissed as a trick of the light. Cassie starts to consider its rare occurrences insignificant - until the day she watches a man die. After searching her memories, Cassie realises she can see a person’s imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today

Armed with a vague understanding of the light, Cassie begins to explore her “gift”, seeking those marked for death and probing the line between decision and destiny. Though she’s careful to hide her secret - even from her new philosophy obsessed boyfriend - with each impending death comes the temptation to test fate. But so many questions remain. How does the mark work? Why is she the only one who sees it? And finally, the most important of all:

If you know today is someone’s last, should you tell them?

This has got really mixed review, but at only £6.89 on Amazon UK, I thought I’d give it a go!

Princess for Hire - Linsey Leavitt

Wanted: teenage girl to serve as substitute princess. Must be willing to travel. Please call Meredith.

Desi’s life sucks. She has to wear a stupid, furry costume at work, the guy she likes doesn’t know she exists and her former best friend hates her.

So when she’s accepted as a substitute princess, it looks like she might finally have a chance to shine…And there’s a hot prince to meet!

But is Desi really up to the royal challenge? After all, the life of a princess isn’t just tiaras and glass slippers…

What girl doesn't secretly want to be a princess? I do!

Pretty Bad Things - CJ Skuse

Twins in candy-store crime spree…

I know what you’re thinking. Tearaway teens. Yadda yadda. Maybe you’re right. But we’re all out of choices.

Last time we made headlines, Beau and I were six-year-old ‘wonder twins’. Little kids found alive in woods after three days missing, looking for our dad.

We’ve just hit sixteen and life’s not so wonderful. In fact, it sucks out loud. Still no Dad. Still lost. Still looking.

But now we’ve got a clue where Dad could be. Everything’s changed. it’s a long shot but we’ve nothing to lose. In the words of Homer Simpson, seize the donut.

This sounds so different and Lauren gave it a great review.

Magic Under Glass - Jaclyn Dolamore

Nimira’s life takes an unexpected turn when she’s hired by the mysterious Mr Hollin Parry to accompany an exquisite piano-playing automaton. But Nimira’s happiness with her new lifestyle is short-lived. She soon discovers that the spirit of a handsome young fairy gentlemen is trapped inside the machine’s stiff limbs. As they gradually fall in love, they become enmeshed in a plot to save the fairy realm from a ruthless gang of sorcerers - a battle that risks their very lives.

This delightful novel, which combines a fabulous blend of fantasy, intrigue and magic with a healthy dash of romance, marks the debut of an exciting new writer.

I love the cover of this book. And fairy gentlemen…

Sophie

Featured on Friday: Lauren Oliver

Lauren Oliver is the debut author of Before I Fall; the novel that’s taken the blogosphere by storm.

1. Is there a specific time or place that you do your best writing in?
I love to write in the mornings, at my kitchen table, but I travel so much and have such a hectic schedule I often find myself writing on the subway, or in airports, or at 10 p.m., unfortunately.

2. Who were your favourite authors as a teenager? Are they different to your current favourites?
I read and loved a lot of great literature as a teenager, although weirdly, I don’t have very strong memories from that period about what I loved to read. I remember being blown away by James Joyce, but I’m pretty sure that was in college. I do know that I’ve always had a shamefully intense obsession with Agatha Christie. It has abated somewhat over the years, but as a teenager I think I may have read all of her books, multiple times.

3. If you were only allowed to take three books to a desert island, what would they be?
The complete book of Grimm’s Fairy Tales; Remembrances of Things Past, by Proust, because otherwise there is probably no way I will ever get through the darn thing; and either Matilda, by Roald Dahl, or One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez—both books I could reread endlessly.

[Sophie: I LOVE Matilda! It's one f my favourite books ever.]

4. Is there a novel that you wish you’d written? Why?
The Harry Potter series, for fiscal reasons; The Great Gatsby, for artistic ones. The last line of that book still takes my breath away every time I read it.

5. What inspired you to tell Sam‘s story?
Sam herself. The character came to me before the story did. I knew I wanted to write about this kind of mean, bratty, self-absorbed girl who doesn’t even know how terrible she really is; she excuses her own bad behaviour. I wanted to create a set of circumstances that would enable her to see herself from different perspectives.

6. Where did the idea for Cupid Day come from?
I wish it had been some kind of invention on my part! We actually had a Cupid Day in my high school. It’s funny, because I was criticized by a blogger for having imagined this cruel holiday; she referred to that portion of the novel as “straight out of Mean Girls.” But I didn’t imagine it, or invent it! People exchanged flowers (carnations, not roses) with little notes attached to them, and the quantity you received was a big measure of your popularity.

7. Do you think that the blogosphere has had a substantial effect on the immediate success of Before I Fall?
Absolutely. I mean, I have nothing to compare this experience to, really, as this is my first published novel, but I definitely think the tremendous support of the blogging community has helped my book achieve a kind of recognition and notice in the industry. That’s what buzz is all about: getting people to chatter about a certain title. And that buzz, that chatter, certainly helps sell books.

8. If you had to relive one day in your life, which would it be?
It is probably too private—and in some ways, too painful—to share.

9. Are you working on anything at the moment? Can you tell us anything about it?
Yes! I’m just finishing up my follow-up book to Before I Fall (not a sequel). It’s called Delirium, and I’m very excited about it. It’s basically a Romeo-and-Juliet kind of story, with some dystopian deliciousness thrown in there. It takes place in a society that has deemed love a contagious and very dangerous disease…and figured out how to cure it. It should be out in early ’11. I’m also working on a middle-grade novel tentatively titled The Story of Liesl and Po. So lots going on!

Thank you very much, Lauren! You can visit Lauren at her website and read my review of Before I Fall here.

Sophie

Hourglass - Claudia Gray

Hourglass - Claudia Gray

Pages: 339
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: 9th March 2010

Other Titles in the Series: Evernight (my review), Stargazer (my review)

Bianca will risk everything to be with Lucas.

After escaping from Evernight Academy, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and Lucas take refuge with Black Cross, a fanatical group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at its hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend - the vampire Balthazar - hiding is no longer an option.

Soon, Bianca and Lucas are on the run again, pursued not only by Black Cross, but by the powerful leaders of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they travel, Bianca can’t escape her destiny.

Bianca has always believed their love could survive anything…but can it survive what’s to come?

Hourglass is the heart-pumping third instalment of the amazing Evernight series. And what an instalment it is!

High-octane action is packed into every page of this novel and I don’t think I breathed properly for a moment while reading this. The chases and the hunts kept me right on the edge of my seat and each time I was literally praying for both Bianca and Lucas to come out unscathed. Because sometimes I couldn’t see how that was possible. Add that to Bianca’s desperate need for blood and you’ve basically got a book full of tension. And one that’s very hard to review without being spoilery!

But it’s Bianca and Lucas’ relationship that I love most about this series. They have such an amazing connection! The lengths that they’re willing to go for each other astounds me and now I kind of want my own Lucas. (I realise that I say this a lot, but I can’t help it. Fictional guys are amazing.) The chemistry between them is electric and so full of sexual tension that I’m surprised they didn’t spontaneously combust! It’s almost reminiscent of the connection between Alex and Brittany from Perfect Chemistry.

But the ending made me angry. And it also made me cry. Why, Claudia Gray, why? You can probably tell that I was quite distraught. But I shouldn’t rally have been very surprised. With all of the shocking twists and turns that Hourglass had in store I should have anticipated such a horrible cliffhanger of an ending. But instead, I was left gawping like a fish.

After the aforementioned cliffhanger, I am aching to read Afterlife, the last chapter in Bianca and Lucas’ story.

For my 2010 100+ Reading Challenge

Sophie