Klickitat

Klickitat by Peter Rock

Published- 12th April 2016
Publisher- Amulet Books
Pages- 240 pages (paperback)

SOLICITED ARC REVIEW

The premise of the novel is about two sisters called Vivian and Audra. Audra suddenly goes missing one day, but where has she gone and why? When she does reappear who is the mysterious guy with her? Does the guy have anything to do with the mysterious words appearing in Vivian's notebook? Why do they want Vivian to come with them and will they all make it home safely?

This novel was quite a quick read as the text was quite small but there wasn't much text per page. A lot of the page was blank around the sides and at the bottom and top. So the pages could have been filled up a bit more. In some ways I enjoyed this novel, mainly because it was a quick mystery/survival read. The ways I didn't enjoy it include some aspects of the novel which were not included or talked about. 

Two things which weren't explained where what exactly was wrong with Vivian and why did she need to keep taking medication. Also, what exactly was her dad's job, all it said was that he spoke to people in other countries in his basement. Some other parts which were not explained include who exactly was writing in the notebook, that was never answered. I also wanted to know exactly what happened to Henry and Audra. I'm guessing they both died in the water, but it was not explained what they were doing at the water or exactly what happened to cause them to drown. Some parts of the action were also very slow paced so it took a while to get through some of the scenes. 

I liked that the novel was very descriptive in terms of the landscape and where they were staying. It was also descriptive in how they would describe some of the people they met. In terms of back stories I would have liked more back story for Iceland and Henry. We never found out exactly who Henry was or why he suddenly appeared with Audra. This novel definitely had the mystery element to it in terms of Audra's disappearance and no one knowing where exactly she was.

Overall, I gave this novel 3/5 stars as it was a quick reading, but it was lacking in a lot of elements of the plot. Such as back stories, explanations, key questions answered, etc. I got through this read within a few days which was good. Its a good mystery survival novel, but it does need a lot of things added to the overall plot of the novel.

              Rating 3/5

  

Review Copies In My Mailbox

Saturday 27th February 2016

On The Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis and The Cure For Dreaming by Cat Winters

Magonia

Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

RECEIVED FROM HARPER COLLINS FOR REVIEW

Published- 28th April 2015
Publisher- Harper Collins
Pages- 320 pages (paperback)

What and where is Magonia? Is Aza Ray destined to stay on Earth or go to Magonia? Aza Ray has spent her whole live not being able to breath normal human air, but is her life about to change forever?

This was a good fantasy novel about a subject I have not read about before. Aza Ray was born with breathing difficulties which means she cannot breathe normal human air, this was her rare lung disease. No one knew how to cure her or why she was born this way. Aza Ray was a good female character as she was brave and would do anything to protect the people she loved. She just wanted to live a normal human live, but she wasn't a normal human as she was born in Magonia. Jason was also a good character as he just wanted to protect Aza. I didn't really like Zal that much as she wasn't a very likeable person. She just wanted to control everyone and didn't care about their feelings.

The cover for this novel is very fitting as the feather represents what Aza is about to become and what the future holds for her. It also fits into the storyline where they find a feather in her lungs during an MRI scan. Birds are in this novel a lot as they are part of the main storyline. The writing flows fairly well. However, I didn't really like the parts where it kept repeating itself quite a lot throughout different pages. The fantasy elements were portrayed very well in this novel through Magonia and the birds who could talk/sing. However, you didn't get to find out much about what Magonia looks like as they were mainly on Earth or the Amina Pennarum ship.


Overall, I give this novel 3/5 stars. I gave it that rating because although it was a good fantasy novel there were not many action elements for me. Some parts were very slow for me like the start of the novel. All the action scenes came towards the end of the novel, so I had to wait quite a while for them to happen. However, this was still a good novel and a definite must read if you like fantasy novels with an element of nature.

               Rating 3/5
  

Black Ice

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Published- 7th October 2014
Publisher- Simon and Schuster UK
Pages- 384 pages (ARC paperback)

A girl is murdered in the first chapter of this novel, but who killed her and why? Britt and Korbie are going on a trekking holiday in the mountains and they encounter 2 mysterious guys when they get caught in a snowstorm. Who are Mason and Shaun. Also, why has Calvin, Korbie's brother, suddenly returned from university?

I really enjoyed this novel as it was a thriller and it contained elements of romance throughout. The whole novel leaves you trying to guess who the real killer is and why they were killing these young girls. It also leaves you wondering more about Shaun and Mason and why thy are trying to hide out in the mountains. There was action straight away in the first chapter, but it did kinda slow down towards the middle. However, the action picked up again towards the end of the novel.

Britt was a great character in my opinion as she would do anything from her friend Korbie so they both got off the mountain alive. She was brave and willing to do whatever it took. Korbie annoyed me at times as she moaned a lot and complained and basically didn't believe anything anyone told her about her family. So in my opinion she wasn't that likeable of a character.

Mason was a brilliant male lead character. He wanted to protect Britt and make sure that Shaun didn't hurt her. Their romance story was a good side plot to the main novel. Shaun was a great bad guy as he would hurt whoever he wanted to just so they could get off the mountain without being caught by the police. I did like Calvin at first, but the more you found out about him just changed your opinion of him. 

I was lucky enough to go to a questions/answers session with Becca Fitzpatrick at Foyles in London and meet the her too. She was such a lovely lady and signed my copy of Black Ice. This was the first Becca Fitzpatrick novel I've read, but I might have to give the Hush Hush series a read in the future.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable thriller for me. Loved trying to guess what was going to happen next and I always try to guess who the killers are. I gave this novel 5 out of 5 stars. Give it a read if you are a fan of Becca Fitzpatrick or just love reading thrillers/romance novels. 

                                    Rating 5/5

    

To Die For

To Die For by Sandra Byrd

Published- 9th August 2011
Publisher- Howard Books
Pages- 332 pages (Paperback)

This book is about Anne Boleyn's best friend Meg and their lives from before Anne became Queen up to when she died. I really enjoyed this book and it's the first historical book I've read about Kings and Queens. To Die For gave me an insight in to how Anne, Henry and Meg would have felt during the Tudor times and what it was like for other citizens living in the same area as them.

Meg was a brilliant character as she really cared about Anne. Meg would do anything for her friends and family. It was great to get an insight into her duties and how she felt about her best friend being Queen. Meg was a little shy, bold, said what was on her mind, caring and loved her friends and family. Anne was a brilliant woman who didn't, in my opinion, deserve to die by beheading. However, she was blamed for crimes she didn't commit which was the crime of cheating on the King with lots of men, including her own brother.

I learnt a lot about the duties everyone in the court had to do, such as dressing the royal members, cleaning, preparing their food, etc. It was really sad that Anne's two baby sons died in childbirth, however it was good that she had a daughter called Elizabeth. Henry could be a nice man when he wanted to be, but later in their lives he became mean, nasty and seeked other women to marry so they could produce him a male heir.

Overall, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. If you are a fan of reading historical books about Kings and Queens then this is a definite must read. It doesn't just tell you lots of facts about the time of Henry VIII, it gives you their emotions, feelings and delves deeper into their lives. If you enjoy this book then definitely check out the second novel in the series called The Secret Keeper which is about Katherine Parr.

                                  Rating 4/5
   

The Farm

The Farm by Emily McKay

SOLICITED ARC REVIEW

Published- 4th December 2012
Publisher- Berkley Trade
Pages- 420 pages (Paperback)

The Farm is about twin sisters called Mel and Lily who live on the Farm. The Farm is where humans are sent to keep them safe, but their blood is also used to feed the vampires who come out at night. Mel is autistic so cannot communicate properly so Lily has to help her with everything and take care of them as there parents sent them to the Farm. Carter is the guy who comes to the farm they are on to try to save the twins, but what is his ulterior motive behind this act?

Normally books which change between characters each chapter annoy me as I tend to find it hard to follow the story and what is happening to each character. However, this book just flowed and I didn't have trouble following it at all as it tended to change perspectives every chapter. The book was filled with suspense, action, a bit of romance and horror. Throughout reading you didn't know if the characters in the book were going to make it to the end of the book. I was shocked by the end of the novel as I wasn't expecting that to happen. To find out what happens you will have to read the book.

Lily and Mel were good main characters as they were really brave and all they wanted was a normal live somewhere which wasn't the farm. Mel was the smart one who, although unable to communicate properly, came up with a plan of how they could get off the farm. Lily was the brave one who would do anything to get off the farm and protect her sister. However, both the twins were brave in their own individual ways. Carter was also a good character because he would do anything to protect Lily and Mel from the vampires.

Overall, I gave this book 4/5 stars. I really enjoyed reading this book as it was filled with suspense. I just wanted to keep reading it til I finished it, but obviously couldn't as I had to do other stuff aswell. However, I loved reading this book and would definitely recommend it to people who like vampire novels. It is quite a quick read aswell as a lot of the chapters are really short. A definite must read for supernatural and horror fans. Grab a copy and enjoy book lovers!!!!!!

                       Rating 4/5
   

The Academie

The Academie by Susanne Dunlap

SOLICITED ARC REVIEW

Published- 28th February 2012
Publisher- Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pages- 368 pages (Paperback)

The Academie is a story told from different characters (Eliza, Hortense and Madeleine). Each chapter switches from 1 character to another out of those 3 characters. This is a lot different from her previous novels I have read as this is basically more of a romance novel. Her other novels have been full of intrigue, suspense and sometimes even murder. So it was a change for me to read a romance novel by Susanne Dunlap, but I really loved this novel.

This wasn't my favourite novel by Susanne so far, but it was still really good. Eliza was my favourite female character because she was fearless, brave, up for carrying out dangerous plans and desperately searching for someone to love her. However, Hortense and Madeleine were also looking for guys to love them. The character I didn't like much was Caroline because she was bossy, sometimes rude to people and didn't really do well in group situations. Although, I was happy that her character found love.

The guys in this story were genuine and lovely guys who only wanted to protect the girls they loved. However, in some cases throughout the novel this wasn't entirely possible. I wasn't really expecting the ending that the novel actually had, so that came as a bit of a surprise. The romance throughout the novel was good, but it was sad in some parts.

Overall, I gave this novel 4/5 stars. This was a brilliant novel, but there wasn't enough intrigue, suspense and tension for me. However, I found that this was a great romance novel and I don't normally tend to read romance novels. Although, I have read romance novels by Simone Elkeles and now Susanne Dunlap. It wasn't as good as Simone Elkeles's romance novels, but it was almost as good. Definitely worth a read if you love historical romance novels.

                                 Rating 4/5
   

Deadly Cool

Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

SOLICITED ARC REVIEW

Published- 11th October 2011
Publisher- HarperTeen
Pages- 303 pages (Paperback)

Summary- Hartley has just found out her boyfriend Josh has cheated on her with the Chastity Virgin Queen Courteney. However, when Hartley goes to confront Josh at his house she finds Courteney's dead body. This leads her into a world of murder, intrigue and mystery. Everyone believes Josh is the killer, but did he really do it? Who is the real killer? It's up to Hartley to find out the answers.

Hartley was a good main female character because she was determined to find out the truth about who actually killed Courteney. This lead her on a long and dangerous adventure with the help of her best friend Sam and Chase (the gothic bad boy). Hartley can be described as courageous, brave, smart and reliable. However, she does spill details of her investigation to the police and tv crews really easily when she hasn't really found out any new information yet.

Chase and Sam were also good characters because they made the perfect team with Hartley. They were all determined to find out who the killer was. Chase was described as the bad gothic boy who you didn't know if he was good or bad/killer or innocent suspect in Hartley's investigation. Hartley and Chase made the ultimate investigating team in my opinion because they both used their knowledge and the evidence they had to crack the murder case. Courteney wasn't a popular person so there were lots of suspects in her murder.

Throughout the whole of this novel you were kept guessing as to who the killer could be. When you thought you had guessed the killer another piece of action would happen or another piece of evidence would be found. So the whole way through you kept changing your mind as to who the killer actually was, even coming up with your own bizarre storylines as to what could have happened (but didn't). This novel contained mystery, intrigue, action, murder and kept you guessing throughout the whole novel as you could never guess who the killer actually was. Overall, I give this novel 5/5 stars as I really enjoyed it and would definitely read it again (even though I now know who did it). This was a fast paced novel and readers will definitely enjoy it so get reading Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday.

                          Rating 5/5
    

The Book of Blood and Shadow

The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

SOLICITED ARC REVIEW

Published- 10th April 2012
Publisher- Random House Children's Books
Pages- 434 pages (E-book ARC Version)

The novel is based on the main female character Nora Kane. She is a shy girl with 2 best friends called Adriane and Chris. Adriane and Chris are a couple and Nora becomes a couple with Max (Chris's room mate). However, their worlds are changed when Chris is murdered, Adriane is left in a mental institution (she was at the murder scene when her boyfriend was murdered) and Nora goes in search of answers from the book, also to find out who murdered Chris. The murder was blamed on Max, but did he really do it? The book leads Nora in search of a device called the Lumen Dei, but what is this ancient device and what does it do?

This novel is broken down into 4 different parts each with their own different amount of chapters. It took me a while to read as I was really busy and didn't have much time to read. However, the novel did contain action, mystery, some parts romance and murder. Some of this novel was written in Czech as the main characters had to travel to Prague to find answers to the mystery. Other parts of the novel were letters written by Elizabeth Weston (one of the main people the mysterious book is about). The mystery contained throughout this whole novel didn't start until the characters got to Prague.

Nora was a good female character because she started off a shy person, but soon found her voice and became a couragious female character. She fought for what is right and wanted to find the answers about the book she was so desparately seeking. Eli was a good main character because you didn't know exactly who he was. Was he a good guy or a bad guy. He was also the guy with all the combat fighting moves. Luckily for Nora he was always there when she needed protecting from their main enemy. Max was the guy you were supposed to like and think he was being framed for Chris's murder, but what is the truth behind Max's story. Adriane was supposed to be the nice best friend, but also a bit of a mean person sometimes. However, was she always telling Nora the truth about what was going on her life after her time in the mental institution?

Overall, this was a good novel, but it was slow in some parts. It was hard at times to read some of it as it was written in Czech, but I gave it a go. Luckily the parts in Czech had English translations written after them. It helps teach you a new language in some parts of this novel. Overall, I give this novels 3/5 stars. This novel hasn't yet been released, but once it is I think that people should read this novel if they like mystery novels and novels which contain murder/who done it.

            Rating 3/5
  

Tighter

Tighter by Adele Griffin

SOLICITED ARC REVIEW

Published- 10th May 2011
Publisher- Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages- 216 pages (Paperback)

Tighter is a good supernatural novel which centres on the main female character Jamie. Jamie is a good female character as she goes through some of the same problems that other teenage girls have to face. Problems such as crushes, health problems and job problems. The best male character in this novel in my opinion is Sebastian because he really identifies with the problems which Jamie is going through and he really likes her so he would do anything to help her.

For people who haven't read this novel the main premise of the novel (from the blurb on the back) is that Jamie becomes an au-pair in Little Bly for a young girl called Isa. However, when Jamie gets to Little Bly she finds out that the previous au-pair for Isa, called Jessie, died the previous summer in a plane crash. Jamie then finds out that she looks exactly like the dead girl Jessie and everyone is shocked by their identical appearances.

This whole novel is filled with ghosts, intrigue and mystery. However, to find out what happens throughout this novel means you must read it for yourself or else you will never know. I only gave this book 4/5 stars as I felt it was missing a bit of action from the story. If the story contained more action with the ghosts then it would have got the full 5 stars. However, this was a brilliant novel and I suggest that everyone read it if you like mystery ghost novels. If you are a fan of Adele Griffin's novels then you definitely need to give this a read and soon.

                   Rating 4/5
   

The Implosion of Aggie Winchester

The Implosion of Aggie Winchester by Lara Zielin

SOLICITED ARC REVIEW

Published- 4th August 2011
Publisher- Putnam Juvenille
Pages- 278 pages (Paperback)

The Implosion of Aggie Winchester is filled with teenage rebellion, school proms and teen pregnancy. This novel has, in my opinion, a gorgeous cover as it gives you the prom feel with the sparkly tiara. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel as it is a quick read if you have lots of time to read.

The basic storyline of this novel is basically Aggie having to deal with her best friend Sylvia's problems, wheter she (Aggie) should get back together with her ex-Neil and school prom drama/problems. Aggie is a brilliant female character who a lot of teenagers can relate to. She rebels against her parents quite a lot (by becoming a Goth) and she is very opinionated and just tells things how she sees them.

As the novel progresses you learn more about what kind of people Sylvia and Neil really are. Aggie also finds out who she can really trust with the stuff she knows. The main context of this story is about being a teenager and having to deal with all kinds of school, friendship and relationship problems.

Overall, this was a brilliant novel and I really enjoyed reading it. My rating is 4/5 stars. I would recommend this to everyone to read once it has been released in August. This book is highly recommended to teenagers as it relates very well to teenagers and how to deal with school/prom problems.

              Rating 4/5