Writing from the Tub

Blog Tour: Cynthia Hand - Hallowed

2012-01-29T15:57:00.003Z

Hi guys - have you you all had a lovely weekend? Hopefully this fab guest post from Cynthia Hand will keep those Sunday blues away because, well, we all have to go back to work/school tomorrow and that's just not a fun prospect, is it?

Cynthia Hand talks SETTING

I feel like my career is one big lesson in why it’s important, as a writer, to embrace setting. So often beginning writers pay attention to plot, characters, conflict, point of view, all those things, but don’t give much thought to setting. Why? Well, it’s only place, after all.

But place is important.

Let me take you back to the beginning.

1988. This was the year of the big Yellowstone National Park forest fires, what would later be called “the great fires.” It started with a dry, windy summer and a single lightning strike, and it ended up consuming more 1.4 million acres of forest.

I was ten years old in 1988. My family lived in Idaho Falls, which is a couple hours from Yellowstone. It’s funny (and possibly dumb, yes), but while the park was evacuating all the tourists, many of the natives in the area actually drove into Yellowstone to see the fire. Like my family. We wanted in on the action.

I remember the power of the fire, mostly. The way, in spite of the best efforts of the firefighters, it would not be contained, not held back. And I remember the beauty of it, the dance of the flames, the movement from tree to tree and slope to slope. I also remember the way the sun looked that evening as it sank against the smoky sky, so big and orange I felt like I could have reached out and picked it like a peach.

It made a big impression on me, is what I’m saying. If you’ve read Unearthly you’ll see why.

Another big event happened in Yellowstone in 1988, this one a more personal one. That fall my family came back to the park during the autumn season. Fall is truly the best time to visit Yellowstone, in my opinion. There are less tourists, the aspens are turning spectacular colors, and the elk are acting peculiar.

That day my family sat down to eat lunch on the edge of a meadow with a small herd of elk, a male (bull) and his little harem of four or five females (cows), grazing across a stream from us. We weren’t extremely close to them, but close enough to see them nicely from a distance. Everything was quiet until, suddenly, we heard a loud bugle. A new challenger bull stepped from the tree line, lifted his head and bugled again. The original bull whipped his head up, moved quickly between the challenger and his women, and bugled back. Back and forth they bugled, until the challenger boldly came out into the middle of the meadow and the two bulls squared off for a fight.

It was fantastic. The crash of the horns, the bugling, the way they turned and angled and rushed at each other again and again. Unbelievable to see. I felt like I was holding my breath the entire time. When it was over the original bull was victorious. He gathered up his harem and exited the scene. The challenger took off, limping and huffing. For a while I just stared at the place in the meadow where they’d been. The earth was upturned, gouged. The meadow was quiet once again.

That night I started writing. I was working on a Halloween story about witches at the time, so that night, in our tent by the light of a flashlight, I worked in a new scene, a scene where my witchy main character inexplicably witnesses two elk fighting. I used all my ten-year-old writerly power to try to capture what I had seen earlier, the power of it, the beauty, the way the air felt, the way the trees looked, the way the elk moved and sounded and struggled.

The story made no sense. But out of all the pieces of writing that I did as a child, all the stories about unicorns and fairies, that story about the witch watching the elk is the one I remember most clearly. It stayed with me. Why? Because of the power of setting.

It’s funny to me that I didn’t learn that lesson then. More than ten years later, in writing school, I actually avoided writing about real settings. I was the youngest and most clueless student in my MFA program, and the only one, at the time, from Idaho, and I didn’t want to be seen as the local hick. Plus I didn’t think people would be particularly interested in my part of Idaho, with its farmland and distant mountains. So I tried to write settings that were “universal.” My settings were like a blank stage in my mind, where I occasionally dragged a sofa on for my characters to sit on, or a bed to sleep in, or any other prop they might need.

My stories weren’t very good then, and nobody was excited about them.

Finally, my third and final year of the program, I decided that I would write one story about Idaho, and see what happened. It was a story called “The Sugar Shell,” which is about a fourteen-year-old girl whose mother has recently died of cancer, who feels like she must be the woman of the house now for her father and younger brothers, who gets a job at a cake decorating shop in Idaho Falls. There is a real Sugar Shell in Idaho Falls. My mom worked there when I was very young, and I had hazy but magical memories of that place. So I started writing. I used all my writerly power to capture that place, not only the shop, but the train tracks beyond the shop, the country roads beyond the train tracks, the dark and run down house where my main character lived. And I tried to make her an Idahoan through and through, from the way her voice sounded to how she thought about the world.

The story came alive for me as I wrote it, and everybody who read it loved it, and my instructors told me to send it out for publication. I did, and it was immediately accepted in a very good literary journal. And after the story published, literary agents started contacting me, asking me what I was working on. Out of those agents I picked Katherine, who would be my agent five years later when I sent her my first draft of Unearthly.

So, to make a long story short, me embracing my roots and deciding to write about setting led, in its way, to a book contract. None of the crazy and wonderful stuff that’s happened to me in the past few years would have happened if I had continued to avoid writing about my home.

Lesson learned, right? Lesson learned!

When I first had the idea for Unearthly, I chose my setting carefully. I knew it needed to be a place where a forest fire was possible (ah ha! A forest fire!) and I knew that I wanted it to be a place with a decent-sized high school. Jackson, Wyoming fit that bill perfectly. I grew up a couple hours away from the Jackson area (which is pretty close to Yellowstone), and had been visiting that town and having fun in that place all my life. I love Jackson, so it was a no-brainer to choose to write about it. It was a great place to get to travel to every day in my head.

It is also home to my favorite mountains in the world: the Tetons. There is no place on this earth that I can go and have a greater sense of awe, such glory. It was, in a word, perfect for my story about angels and flight, and readers have responded so well to it. I probably get one email or so a week where the reader talks about wanting to visit Jackson Hole, which always makes me smile. It’s also a large part of why I was able to sell the film rights to the book so easily. My agent simply set along a set of photos from places in the book.

So. Setting is good! If you’re a writer, embrace your settings! Know your “heart’s field,” and use it.

I’m only able to write about this for you now, because I did.

Blog Tour: Opal Moonbaby - Maudie Smith

2012-01-25T16:00:00.001Z

Good afternoon my dears. Two blog tours in one day - maniac around here at the moment! For my second stop of the day I've got a great guest post from Maudie Smith, author of the middle-grade novel, Opal Moonbaby. Have a read below of the exact from The Earth Manual and see if you can make it all the way through without cracking a smile. I failed, spectacularly.

Extract from:

The Earth Manual
(Essential reading for all Earth-bound Carnelians)

Section II.iii.4(a.1.11)
Street Wisdom

As has already been said many times in this Manual, when on Earth it is the Carnelian's main aim to blend in, ie to not stand out. Observe the following simple rules and you will be sure to be taken for just one of the crowd.

Street Rule, the first: Earth streets are exceedingly cracky (ie littered with cracks). Attend to these cracks at all times. Do not step on one or you will be eaten by an Earth bear. (NB. This is not proven but do you really want to risk it?)

Street Rule, the second: WALK in an Earth street. Do not GLIDE. Gliding will draw immediate attention to you. It is in any case much more difficult to glide on Earth owing to the high levels of gravity.

Street Rule, the third: If you encounter a human coming towards you, immediately make eye contact with them. This helps to establish that they are neither a lamp-post nor a parking meter - there is a great deal of such street furniture cluttering the Earth highways and it can be confusing. Once you have established eye contact, extend your hand and grasp the oncoming fingers firmly in your own, saying as you do so, “How do you do?” (This makes no particular sense. 'What do you do?' would be a much more useful question but humans expect this so say it anyway.) The human will respond with 'Yo!', 'fine, thank you', 'what's it to you?' or 'huh?', at which point you should release their fingers, say, 'It was pleasant shooting the breeze with you. Goodbye,' and continue on your way in a purposeful manner.

Note: if the human has a street pet with them (street pets are mingle-like creatures usually with a canine emphasis) on no account allow your mingle to come into contact with them. This will lead to suspicious rear end sniffing. If your mingle does arouse comment, say, 'Yes he's a rare breed of terrapin,' and move quickly away.

Remember. WALK! Do not GLIDE!

Blog Tour: Dark Parties - Sara Grant

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000Z

Today I've got the very lovely Sara Grant with me for a guest post about friendship and love in her debut novel, Dark Parties. Welcome to Writing from the Tub, Sara, I'm very excited to have you here today!

BFFs 4 Evva

Dark Parties is a love story. Sure there’s a sexy, mysterious leading man and forbidden romance. But in many ways the central love story is between two best friends – Neva and Sanna. If you are lucky enough to have a best friend, you know the importance of this relationship and that they save your life in big and small ways all the time.

When I was Neva’s age, boyfriends came and went but girlfriends endured. I wanted to write a story with friendship at its heart. Maybe that’s strange for a book titled Dark Parties. But this feminine camaraderie is the underlying pulse of the book. Neva and Sanna complete each other. They finish each other’s sentences. Neva grounds Sanna and serves as her surrogate family. Sanna provides Neva with a spark and an energy.

When the novel opens, Neva and Sanna have decided to rebel against the government. Each has different objectives. Sanna wants to make a splash. Neva wants to make a difference. Sanna has the ideas. Neva has the connections. They host a dark party – a party in the pitch black. Their hope is to entice their friends to join them in a secret rebellion. But when the lights go out, Neva accidently kisses someone. When the lights come back on, she realizes she’s kissed Sanna’s boyfriend. Now she’s falling for her best friend’s boyfriend and discovering secrets and lies that threaten her friendship, her family and her country. Ultimately Neva must risk everything to save her best friend.

Sanna reminds me of two of my best friends. She’s part my oldest and dearest friend Courtney. We met in college. She’s the one who understands me like no other – and likes me anyway. We have been friends for more than twenty years. We have grown up and weathered many trials and tribulations together. We are separated by a big ocean but no matter how long between our phone calls, it’s like we were never apart. She knows the right thing to say no matter what my conundrum.

Sanna is also part my newest and dearest friend. From the moment we met in 2005, we had an instant connection. We are both Americans named Sara who married Brits and now live in the UK – and have a deep love for Mexican food. She has boundless enthusiasm and is never at a loss for big ideas. She never ceases to amaze me. I can always count on her.

What’s the saying? A friend helps you move, your best friend helps you move a body. If one of my friends called with an emergency – no matter what the time, no matter where I was – I’d drop everything to help. What would you do to save your best friend?

Lovely - now please excuse me while I send my best friend a text telling her how awesome she is!

Interview: Kristen Simmons (Article 5)

2012-01-23T07:00:00.003Z

Good day, chaps! Hasn't January flown by? We're creeping ever closer to the apocalypse. Joking. I hope.

Anyway, I've got another debut YA author interview for you today. This time I've got Kristen Simmons with me, author of the hotly anticipated Article 5, the first in a new trilogy which I for one and seriously excited about. Article 5 is due out in just over a week on the 31/01/2012, published by Tor Teen.

Hi, Kristen! In case any readers haven’t heard about the book yet, can you tell me a little bit about Article 5?

Hi Carly! Thanks for inviting me over to your blog!

I’d love to tell you all about ARTICLE 5, but since I have a hard time keeping things concise when asked about it, I’ll share the cover copy. It’s a little more to-the-point than I tend to be!

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behav-ior—instead, there are arrests, trials and maybe worse. People who get arrested don’t usually come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard to forget that people weren’t always ar-rested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. That life in the United States used to be different.

In the three years since the war ended, Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs—like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes—and how to pass the random home inspections by the Federal Bureau of Reformation. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow. That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And what’s worse, one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved.

Talk me through an average day when you’re working on a novel. Do you have a set number of words you have to write per day or do you set yourself different targets?

This is something that has changed drastically over the years. When I wrote A5, I was working full-time and teaching exercise classes in the evening, which meant that I typically wrote on lunch breaks, late at night, or on the weekends. Now that I’m taking some time off to finish the series, I have much more flexibility – but that means I need to be even more disciplined!

I never set a target word count for the day. Mostly because I hate counting words (ha ha), as my agent can attest to. Like I said, I have a hard time keeping things concise. Instead, I’ll set a specific scene goal; for example, my characters have to get from Point A to Point B, or get into a fight, or escape the authorities.

Almost always, when I sit down to write, I need some time to get my head back “in the game,” so to speak. To do this, I’ll reread everything that I wrote the previously day, that way I’m both editing as I go along, and getting back into the spirit of the story. Usually by the time I’ve read through the previous day’s pages, I’m no longer hearing the washing machine buzz, or the phone ring. I’m focused and ready to work.

In young adult fiction in particular, it’s important that readers bond with the characters - what do you think is the most important thing to get right when you're creating a character?

Wow, good question. I’d say the most important thing to get right is a character’s flaws. I know that sounds awful – I don’t mean to be a Negative Nancy – but I think flaws are the essential elements which make us human. For me, it’s easy to write characters who always do the right thing in any given situation (be the right thing “good” or “evil”), but it’s not always easy to identify the underlying issues they struggle with: a short fuse, an abusive parent, feeling fat, a fear of being alone, bad breath. It’s important to express a character’s vulnerabilities, because under our candy-coated shells, we’re all vulnerable about something, and oftentimes it’s those vulnerabilities which truly connect us, not just common interests or common enemies. A character’s weaknesses are always what define my relationship with them as a reader.

What sort of research did you have to do for Article 5? How did you go about doing this?

Ha. My husband always jokes that I’m one Google search short of being arrested.

For ARTICLE 5, I knew I wanted to write about a society that had abolished the separation between church and state, and replaced the American Bill of Rights (a document protecting citizens from the government by giving them the right to religious freedom, speech, free press, etc.) with a set of Moral Statutes. I also knew I wanted to include a military regime, and an opposing resistance, all of which I had only a superficial knowledge.

I did do a lot of research on the internet. I had to read up on the American Revolution, and to explore the founding documents that granted citizens personal freedom in order to understand the magnitude of overhauling a country’s core belief system. And...I did a lot of online searches on guns, weapons, and political conspiracy theories. Sooo glad I never got in trouble for that.

A few close friends, and a few absolutely fantastic high school guys, helped me realize just how easy it is to make something blow up (in theory. IN THEORY!), and how to ride a motorcycle. And, maybe best of all, I went on a fantastic ridealong with the police one night, and learned all about weapons, policy-stuff, and what it feels like to sit in the passenger seat while someone drives 120 mph down surface streets, weaving in and out of cars, with the sirens blaring and the lights blazing. Researching a book is awesome.

The YA book market is a competitive place, what do you think sets Article 5 apart from the pack?

I think the primary element which sets A5 apart from the other dystopian thrillers is its place in time. Ember's world is not run by machines or Skynet, there are no hover crafts or futuristic weapons. Her world is much like our own, with similar technologies, communication methods, and social issues. However, within this similar reality exists a very different political structure - a moral regime, governed by a set of faith-based rules which have replaced the Bill of Rights. A5 looks at what might happen to life as we know it should the separation between church and state be dissolved and the punishments for noncompliance be taken too far. And Ember, like all of us, is forced to adapt to that environment while remembering what it was like before everything changed.

There are a couple other things, but I don’t want to give away the ending!

Some writers relate take great inspiration from music while they’re writing. Do you listen to music while you’re writing? If so, what artists/bands do you like to listen to while you write?

Music has a very important role in my life – it’s my daily medicine – but I can’t actually write and listen at the same time. Mostly just because of overstimulation; I’m afraid my brain will explode if crowded with too many things. But, that being said, I used music a lot to set the scene for A5, and to put me in the right frame of mind to write. Here are the songs I listened to over and over:

ARTICLE 5 Playlist:
Track Artist
1. Grounds for Divorce Elbow
2. Kingdom of Rust Doves
3. Magick Ryan Adams & the Cardinals
4. Call Me When You’re Sober Evanescence
5. Decode Paramore
6. Imaginary Evanescence
7. Runnin’ Wild Airbourne
8. Permanent David Cook
9. For Reasons Unknown The Killers
10. My Immortal Evanescence
11. I Don’t Believe You Pink
12. Hurt Christina Aguilera

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Have you always been this way?

I was originally a pantser (which is probably why the first draft of A5 was so long and consequently had so many revisions), but over time I’m becoming more and more of a plotter. I’m finding it harder than I thought to close a series. You have to tie up loose ends and stuff.

Can you tell me a bit about your journey with Article 5? When did you first come up with the idea and what were the timescales involved between the first draft and the novel being accepted for publication?

I wrote the first draft of ARTICLE 5 in about eight weeks, in the fall of 2008. I went out in search of an agent in the beginning of 2009 and connected Joanna MacKenzie, with Browne and Miller Literary Agents in April of 2009. You may remember earlier that I mentioned I can be a little verbose...well...the first draft of A5 that I sent to Joanna was approximately 154,000 words (which is an awful lot for YA). Anyway, she expressed the appropriate concerns, but thought the story had some potential, so we hacked into it (aka, did revisions) for a while. Almost a year actually. After she offered representation, we went out on submission, and that’s when I met editor-extraordinaire, Melissa Frain, at Tor Teen (we’re now in the summer of 2010). Revisions commenced, and as you know ARTICLE 5 will be released on January 31st, 2012. Yes, this has been a long process, but I’ve learned a lot, and it’s been pretty amazing.

How important do you think social media (i.e. Twitter/Facebook/blogging) is in today’s market for a writer?

Oh gosh. This is a hard question for me to answer. I didn’t have a blog, let alone a Facebook page (personal or professional), before I signed a contract with the publisher. Social media is a definite learning curve for me. That being said, it gets easier the more you do it. I definitely like stalking my author friends on their blogs, and connecting to other writers and readers through Facebook.

What would you say is your worst bad habit when it comes to writing?

Eating. Plain and simple. I have a hard time sitting at my computer without mindlessly stuffing my face.

Is naming characters important to you? What processes do you go through to come up with names for your characters?

It is important to me actually. Chase was chosen because both he and Ember are on the run, are chased, while at the same time pursuing something else. Ember is pursu-ing her mother. Chase is pursuing their safety. Both are chasing each other, although due to circumstances are finding each other just out of reach. This puts them in a state of constant motion, making it hard to settle, which is why they cling to that which doesn’t change – their memories of each other.

My heroine required something slightly unusual to reflect her tenacity in a world of compliance and regulations, but not so flamboyant that she would stand out. The "E" softened the name Amber, allowing her to slip into the mainstream crowd pre-Chase, but not become dismissible. Embers are also, of course, the last smoldering ashes of the fire, and that’s sort of the point of her. She blends in while the world is rages and is stripped away, yet still burns, still perseveres.

What did you hope to accomplish by writing Article 5? Do you think you have accomplished what you set out to do?

Honestly, I just wanted to write the kind of story I like to read. Something fast-paced and romantic, with enough controversy to make me think about things. I feel like I accomplished that.

Do you think your teenage years have influenced you as a writer? If so, how?

Oh yes. I love writing books for young adults because I think that age is the most crucial time of our lives. It’s when we start to really consider why we act the way we act, and think they way we think, and believe what we believe. (Because of others? Because of our parents?) This is the age where we start to develop our own opinions, when every experience is fresh and new and therefore so acute and intense, when everything is funny and traumatic and embarrassing and beautiful.

There is a lot of argument within the young adult market as to what is appropriate for teens to read. Where do you stand on this matter? Do you think teens should be protected from reading about taboo subjects or do you think they should have the freedom to choose their own reads?

Another good question! This IS a hot topic, but an important one, nonetheless. I believe that YA authors should write about whatever feels right and natural to them. If that means sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll, that’s what it means. I don’t think authors should censor their creative process. As far as what teens should have access to, I think that’s up to the teen and the family.

Here’s what I know from personal experience: if you tell a teen not to do something, they will inevitably seek it out. Teens are going to experiment with all kinds of stuff because that’s what being a teen is all about; that’s how someone figures out who they are and how they fit into the world. But the more information teens have to make safe, informed decisions, the better. And sometimes characters can provide empathy, and normalize a person’s feelings, in a way no one else can.

What books do you think we should be looking out for in 2012?

Absolutely anything from the Apocalypsies. I’ve gotten to know some of these writers and ohmygosh, they’re amazing. I’m especially looking forward to PUSHING THE LIMITS, by Katie McGarry, STORMDANCER by Jay Kristoff, and RENEGADE by Jess Souders. There are also a lot of sequels from series I read due out in 2012. The Apocalypse better not actually happen!!

Aside from writing, how do you like to spend your free time?

I spend my free time exercising (to keep my head on straight), reading (of course), or having fun with my husband and our greyhound. We love going to the movies and finding tasty little restaurants (Husband and I – not greyhound, husband and I).

Thank you so much for your time, Kristen. Before you go, could you tell me about any projects you have in the pipeline we can look out for?

Of course! ARTICLE 5 is a trilogy, so you can expect book 2 and book 3 to come out in February 2013 and February 2014. Also, because the publishing industry is not particularly snappy, I had some time in the gaps to work on other projects. I’m currently working on shaping up two other manuscripts, one about a girl forced into human trafficking, and the other about sweatshops and children’s rights. Maybe they’ll make it to print...maybe not...but I hope so!

Thanks so much for taking the time to ask about A5, Carly. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to chat with you and your readers!

High-Five for A5!

Kristen

Ha, I love high-five for A5! I hope that catches on :). For more information about Kristen and Article 5 you can check out the following links:

Interview: Caroline Starr Rose (May B)

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000Z

Hi all, I've got a great interview today with Caroline Starr Rose, debut author of the recently released MG verse novel, May B. I'm a huge fan of verse novels and am always looking for new authors to try so I'm really excited to get my hands on this one.

Hi, Caroline! In case any readers haven’t read the book yet, can you tell me a little bit about May B?

From the book jacket:

I watch the wagon
until I see nothing on the open plain.
For the first time ever,
I am alone.

May is helping out on a neighbor’s homestead—just until Christmas, her pa promises. But when a terrible turn of events leaves her all alone, she must try to find food and fuel—and courage—to make it through the approaching winter.

This gorgeous novel in verse by Caroline Starr Rose will transport you to the Kansas prairie—to the endless grassland, and to the suffocating closeness of the sod house where May is stranded.
May’s eloquent yet straightforward voice, and her bravery, determination, and willingness to risk it all will capture your heart.

Talk me through an average day when you’re working on a novel. Do you have a set number of words you have to write per day or do you set yourself different targets?

Because I primarily write verse, any sort of word or page count utterly discourages me. On a good day, I might hit 300 words. On a spectacular day, I might get to 500. Instead of page or word counts, I force myself to sit with the book, even when the words aren’t there. As long as I don’t have appointments or errands, the day is wide open. It can be painful, but every time I enter this phase, I’m so glad this time of forced focus is there. Otherwise, I think I might run and hide.

In middle-grade in particular, it’s important that readers bond with the characters - what do you think is the most important thing to get right when you're creating a character?

Voice. Emotions and experiences that ring true, even if the reader can’t directly relate. Honesty.

What sort of research did you have to do for May B? How did you go about doing this?

I read up on the American frontier -- first-hand accounts of prairie women, books about families moving across country to start life in barren, dismal surroundings, general overviews of this period in history, and several novels/biographies (notably Mari Sandoz’s Old Jules).

The middle-grade book market is a competitive place, what do you think sets May B. apart from the pack?

There are actually three things that made my book a really hard sell: it’s a historical literary verse novel. Not exactly what everyone’s clamoring to read. On the flip side, these three traits are what make May B. unique and what sets it apart from other middle grade titles.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Have you always been this way?

I’m a little of both. I find I need to know my setting and characters before I begin. I also like to plot a very general story and character arc. Then I dig in, fully knowing things will change.

Can you tell me a bit about your journey with May B? When did you first come up with the idea and what were the timescales involved between the first draft and the novel being accepted for publication?

I started May B. in 2007, signed with my agent in 2009, and sold it, at auction, in 2010 with a publication date scheduled for September 2011. After working on revisions, line edits, and copyedits, my publisher, Random House Children’s Books, closed down my imprint, Tricycle Press. This meant my editor and all her colleagues lost their jobs and May B. was without a home. For six weeks, I had no idea what would happen to my book. Thankfully, another RHCB imprint, Schwartz and Wade, picked it up. I went through revisions, line edits, and copyedits again. My publication date moved to 2012. As hard as this was, I’m so glad I got to work with two different editors. My work is better for it.

Before signing with my agent, I counted up over three hundred rejections from editors and agents spanning eleven years and eleven books. Writing is not for the faint of heart!

How important do you think social media (i.e. Twitter/Facebook/blogging) is in today’s market for a writer?

It’s important, but what I think is most important is for authors to participate in social media they enjoy. I’m not on Twitter and have no plans to be. I don’t have the time or inclination. Maybe I’m missing out, but I’m okay with that.

What would you say is your worst bad habit when it comes to writing?

Procrastinating and /or agonizing over starting something new.

Is naming characters important to you? What processes do you go through to come up with names for your characters?

For historicals, I make sure the names I pick were actually being used in the time and place I’m writing about. May’s name came to me before the character herself did: Mavis Elizabeth Betterly. I liked the idea of her being May B. and the double entendre hinted at there -- maybe being a rather weak, non-committal word. I also liked that her last name hints at “better”. In developing her character, I determined there needed to be some way she felt weak, something she longed to be better at.

What did you hope to accomplish by writing May B? Do you think you have accomplished what you set out to do?

Wow, that’s a huge question. I’d say apart from hoping to create a unique, compelling book, my primary goal was to let kids know everyone feels like they don’t measure up in some way and that a person’s worth isn’t wrapped up in what we can or cannot do.

Do you think your teenage years have influenced you as a writer? If so, how?

Since I write middle grade, I’d say my pre-teen years certainly have influenced what I write today. There is an intensity to young children that I want to honor in what I create. I remember feeling passionately about certain things as a girl and how easy it would be to brush off those “childish” ideas now. Books like Beverly Cleary’s Ramona series remind me that those first experiences with fear or anger or confusion or joy are valid and okay. I hope my writing shows children the same.

There is a lot of argument within the young adult market as to what is appropriate for teens to read. Where do you stand on this matter? Do you think teens should be protected from reading about taboo subjects or do you think they should have the freedom to choose their own reads?

I have no problem with topics that provoke conversations or show kids (in the safety of their own worlds) what painful choices or horrible events might lead to. I especially love when a reader is left with the element of hope. The thing that is personally difficult for me to see in teen literature is the passive girl who is only complete with her boyfriend by her side. Maybe this is part of the reason I write middle grade?

What books do you think we should be looking out for in 2012?

All the Class of 2k12 books, of course! (www.classof2k12.com)

Aside from writing, how do you like to spend your free time?

Reading, running, spending time with my husband and boys. I relish a simple, quiet life.

Thank you so much for your time, Caroline. Before you go, could you tell me about any projects you have in the pipeline we can look out for?

I’m currently working on a picture book about the Louisiana wetlands and have begun another historical verse novel...details to come.

To learn more about Caroline and May B you can visit the following links:

- Website
- Blog
- Facebook
- Goodreads

Reckless Chapter Titles of Joy

2012-01-17T19:48:00.003Z

So every day Reckless gets a little more polished and feels a little bit closer to being finished. Or, finished enough that I stop tinkering with it and start my quest for an agent. I still have a way to go but the end is in sight. Scary, scary stuff.

I've just been filling out big sheets of paper with a timeline so I can check for continuity and fun things like that. Reckless is set (roughly) over a nine week period and as I've been going along and editing (and editing...and editing) I've plonked some names down to round up the general tone of each week, or part. I had a read through the nine titles earlier and they made me happy, as they pretty much do sum up the contents (and remarkable depth...) of my little book about boys and girls and gap years and hangovers. Folks, if you will:

Week One: Reckless Abandon
Week Two: Jock Quest
Week Three: Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy
Week Four: The Spark
Week Five: The Hugging Incident
Week Six: Le Flirt
Week Seven: Nicole's Week of Shit
Week Eight: Sexytimes
Week Nine: All's Well That Ends Well

And to finish, just a couple of the photos that are up on my mood boards in my writing room to help me settle back into the story whenever I sit down to write:

*

So there you go :). More Reckless updates soon!

Review: The Court Painter's Apprentice - Richard Knight

2012-01-17T07:00:00.003Z

Published: January 1st 2012, Catnip
Pages: 175 pages, ARC
Series/standalone?: Standalone
Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

My review: If you look at this novel on paper, I probably shouldn't have enjoyed it very much. Firstly, it's a historical (no bitchy high school cheerleaders) and it's aimed at the age range 8+ (no chance of drunken debauchery at house parties). However, something about this one grabbed my attention and made really want to give it a go. I read The Court Painter's Apprentice in a single sitting, while I was ill in bed with a throat infection (nasty) and it completely and utterly cheered me up. What a lovely little novel!

This novel just feels timeless. It reminded me of hunching over my desk back when I was in primary school and poring over every book our school library had to offer. This reminded me of those childhood books that I read and read until the books were dog-eared with ragged spines. This is a book I can completely see myself reading aloud to my children (if I finally do deem it appropriate to respawn... If not, well, Bertie will enjoy it, I'm sure). It's just a classic tale of mystery and adventure, which will definitely appeal to both girls and boys. It's definitely a book that can cross over age ranges and I'm convinced a lot of older readers will love this book too. I think it's so important, especially for younger age ranges, that books are accessible and make reading fun, rather than a chore.

The tone of The Court Painter’s Apprentice definitely gets a lot darker as the storyline progresses but I loved this. I’m so glad Knight isn’t patronising to his audience; he doesn’t shy away from intense, atmospheric scenes that really are quite frightening. I really enjoyed that, despite being for younger readers, this one wasn’t too Disney. Not that Disney isn’t fricking awesome (Aladdin as the hottest cartoon character of all time, anyone?) but The Court Painter’s Apprentice felt real, despite the fantastic elements in the content.

The relatively short length of the novel is great, making it a quick read for younger readers who may not have the attention span to trawl through a 500 page epic. No words are wasted on unnecessary back story and long, rolling descriptions and the concise length really helped the sense of immediacy that was prevalent from beginning to end.

The Court Painter's Apprentice just goes to show how important it is to step outside of your comfort zone every so often. I do tend to get stuck in a cycle of contemporary YA (just typed 'YAY' instead of 'YA'. Tempted to leave it as it is but better correct it) and read about endless mean blonde girls and pretty boys with long eyelashes. Now, this is all well and good as not much in life makes me happier than a pretty boy with long eyelashes but sometimes I just need a little something else to reaffirm my love for reading. Novels like The Court Painter's Apprentice are just that kind of story. Polar opposite to what I usually choose but stunningly well written and absolutely charming from beginning to end. Hooray!

First line: 'Take a look in the mirror.'

Read if you liked…: The Toymaker - Jeremy de Quidt

Rating:
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 3/5
Total: 15/20 (B)

Interview: Jodi Meadows - Incarnate

2012-01-16T07:00:00.001Z

Hi everybody - I'm here today with a great interview with Jodi Meadows, a 2012 debut author. Her first novel 'Incarnate' is due out January 31st 2012 in the US - but you can nab it on Amazon or The Book Depository if you're a UK or international blogger. It's the first book in a new series that is sure to be huge and I cannot wait!

Without further ado I'll hand over to Jodi.

Hi, Jodi! In case any readers haven’t read the book yet, can you tell me a little bit about Incarnate?

Incarnate is about the only girl who's new in a world where everyone else is perpetually reincarnated, and her quest to discover why she was born, and what happened to the person she replaced.

And if you need more than that, the cover copy is on my website and Goodreads.

Talk me through an average day when you’re working on a novel. Do you have a set number of words you have to write per day or do you set yourself different targets?

I really like working, so when I'm drafting a novel, that's pretty much what I do. It's all I can handle. My goals for getting through the first draft really depend on how I'm feeling that day, and how much I think I can reasonably accomplish. I like to set small, attainable goals. Every time I reach one, I feel awesome! Reaching lots of smaller goals adds up fast.

When I'm revising, if it's a huge rewrite that takes just as much focus and creativity as a first draft, I do the same thing. But once I'm editing and better-fying what's already on the page, I make myself do other things like sleep and bathe. (You're welcome for that.)

In young adult fiction in particular, it’s important that readers bond with the characters - what do you think is the most important thing to get right when you're creating a character?

I think the character has to be real. There has to be something about the character that makes the reader think this person could step out of the pages and be just as real and compelling and complicated as any one of their non-paper friends.

What sort of research did you have to do for Incarnate? How did you go about doing this?

I love using the internet for research. Wikipedia and national park websites totally saved me on knowing what wildlife might exist in my world, and what the climate might look like. (Ten points if you can guess which national park Range is based on.) I also looked up blogs and people's vacation photos to get me into places I couldn't go.

In addition to other big things, like pleading with professional musician friends to give me their thoughts on the music aspects of the story, I looked up lots of little--but important for to make the world look real--things, like where certain plants grow, whether my characters could actually have as much coffee as I'd like to give them, and how high a jump into water a person can take and still survive.

Some writers relate take great inspiration from music while they’re writing. Do you listen to music while you’re writing? If so, what artists/bands do you like to listen to while you write?

Sometimes! Sometimes I need silence to get the right mood. Other times nothing but Vienna Teng will do. (I listened to her "Drought" on repeat for the entire first draft of Incarnate. I think my ferrets could probably sing along.) Instrumental music usually works best for me; unless I know a song really well, I get distracted by words. Ludovico Einaudi is one of my go-to composers. He has music for everything.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Have you always been this way?

I don't like to think of myself as one or the other. There's a huge spectrum in between! With Incarnate, I did a lot more plotting ahead of time than I had in the past. That worked out well. But I also left myself a lot of room for new ideas and directions in the story, which turned out to be super important. If I had stuck to my synopsis, I wouldn't have the masquerade. (Which you might recognize from the cover.)

Can you tell me a bit about your journey with Incarnate? When did you first come up with the idea and what were the timescales involved between the first draft and the novel being accepted for publication?

I first had the idea for Incarnate in July 2006. It looked hard. I put it away. For three years.

In October 2009, I started thinking about it again, writing some ideas, musing about the worldbuilding and society. I wrote synopses for three books. In November and early December 2009, I wrote the first draft of Incarnate. I took a month to revise, and then I queried agents. Agent Lauren called in the beginning of February and offered. We revised Incarnate a little more, and then submitted to editors. Editor Sarah offered on July 1 -- four years after my initial idea for Incarnate.

Incarnate moved really quickly for me, but it wasn't anything like an overnight success. I started writing full time in 2003, and Incarnate was . . . well into the double digits on the number of novel-length manuscripts I'd written.

How important do you think social media (i.e. Twitter/Facebook/blogging) is in today’s market for a writer?

That depends on the writer. Suzanne Collins and JK Rowling are doing just fine in spite of not having a huge web presence. For others, I think it definitely helps. But whether any author should do it? Only if they want to. It's a huge time commitment, and if you're not enjoying it, there are better ways to spend time. Like reading or writing. (Or having a life. I know people who have lives. . . .)

What would you say is your worst bad habit when it comes to writing?

Like Mary Poppins, I am practically perfect in every way. (I wish.)

Is naming characters important to you? What processes do you go through to come up with names for your characters?

Sometimes my characters come with names. Other times I have a feeling about what it might be, but I have to spend time on behindthename.com to find it.

What did you hope to accomplish by writing Incarnate? Do you think you have accomplished what you set out to do?

When I started writing Incarnate, I was actually at a very low point. I'd been getting the nicest rejections you'd ever seen, with people complimenting my writing, my worlds, my whatever. But they still said no.

With Incarnate, I told myself I didn't care whether it got published. And heck if it was a hard idea I didn't have the guts to write before, because I still didn't care whether it ever got published! So there! I set out to write a story that made me happy, made me think, and most of all, a story that challenged me. (Obviously my "I don't care so there!" attitude lasted about five seconds after I finished revising it, because I immediately set out looking for an agent. I don't think anyone was more surprised than me when offers happened.)

I did accomplish what I set out to do. Incarnate was a huge challenge and took lots of work, but I wrote the story I needed to write, the story I wanted to read, and the story that made me very, very happy. (And not just because the right people all said "yes.")

Do you think your teenage years have influenced you as a writer? If so, how?

Absolutely. I was a busy teenager. I had a part time job, 20 hours of dance practice a week, 15 hours of music practice a week, and something called school I sort of recall. I had a very strong work ethic -- and I still do. I loved getting things done and making things perfect. I also loved reading, fuzzy animals, and chocolate.

Not much has changed since I was a teenager, now that I think about it.

There is a lot of argument within the young adult market as to what is appropriate for teens to read. Where do you stand on this matter? Do you think teens should be protected from reading about taboo subjects or do you think they should have the freedom to choose their own reads?

Like most authors, I think teens are smart creatures. They're pretty good at self-censoring when they come upon something that may be too mature for them.

But I also think that, while a small number of adults shouldn't dictate what all teens read, it would be awesome if parents of teens were more involved in what their kids are reading. Even if they don't have time or desire to read it themselves, they can talk to people who do: librarians, booksellers, and reviews online. There are so many places where a parent can find information on books.

And while I have my soapbox -- let's cheer for teens reading. Period.

What books do you think we should be looking out for in 2012?

Oh a whole slew of books! Some I've read already: Everneath by Brodi Ashton; Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi; The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson; Hourglass 2 by Myra McEntire; A Million Suns by Beth Revis.

And some I have the WANTS for: Defiance by C.J. Redwine; Glitch by Heather Anastasiu; Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready; Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins; Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood; Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock; Article 5 by Kristin Simmons.

There are SO many books I can't wait to read. If I tried to list them all, we'd be here all night. A good place to start for books I yearn to read: the Apocalypsies pages.

Aside from writing, how do you like to spend your free time?

I like knitting and spinning. I find yarn crafts incredibly relaxing, almost meditative. I usually have a knitting project by my keyboard so I can knit whenever I pause to think about the story. (Five points for every knitted item you find in Incarnate.) I have a spinning wheel in my living room; I like to spin while watching movies and TV shows.

Thank you so much for your time, Jodi. Before you go, could you tell me about any projects you have in the pipeline we can look out for?

I can't tell you anything specific, I'm afraid, but I can give you a hint: for the project I'm currently working on, I researched supernovas.

So there you have it! Massive thanks to Jodi for taking the time to visit Writing From the Tub and for giving me such a great interview. I can't wait to read Incarnate when it comes out - counting down the days until my pre-order arrives!

Review: Chocolate S.O.S - Sue Limb

2012-01-14T07:00:00.000Z

Published: January 15th 2012, Bloomsbury
Pages: 294 pages, paperback
Series?: Yes, this is book six (I think... Don't quote me on that) in the series
Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): Jess has broken up with Fred, though really she is waiting for him to come to her door and beg to get back together again. But is that the sort of thing Fred would do? He has said himself that he has no backbone...

Meanwhile, a gorgeous boy has moved in next door and, to Jess's mingled horror and delight, is making it very, very obvious that he would like to be a lot closer than next door... Surely, now, Fred will be driven, in a fit of jealousy, to sweep Jess back off her feet? Won't he?

Full of Sue Limb's very funny take on early teenage life and problems, fans of Jess Jordan will be thrilled to have a new Fred and Jess story.

My review: Sue Limb is just brilliant. It's always such a treat to receive a copy of one of her books and I've thoroughly enjoyed everything of hers that I've read. She absolutely stands up as an important writer for tween girls, alongside Samantha Mackintosh, Cathy Cassidy, (overlord of hilarious books for girls) Louise Rennison and all of those other wonderful ladies who are flying the flag to make reading accessible (and vampire free) to younger teens.

*Gasp* Fred and Jess have split up? Nooo. I loved these guys as a couple, as I said in my review of Girl, 16: Five Star Fiasco, which I read and reviewed last year. They had a great relationship, built on a foundation of fun and friendship and were both great role models for any younger readers to take inspiration from. However, the course of true love never did run smooth and the series certainly wouldn't be as interesting if there weren't a few bumps in the road for our heroine, Jess.

Anybody who's been through a break up will absolutely sympathise with Jess, who obviously needs copious amounts of chocolate and friends to get over what happened between her and Fred (hence the title of the book). Although, nothing will help you get over a break up quite like an attractive new neighbour, will it? Enter Luke, a gorgeous boy who is exactly what Jess needs to cheer her up.

I thought Luke was a great character, of course he did provide a lot of the drama in Chocolate S.O.S. but not through any fault of his own, he's a welcome addition to the existing cast and I loved the way he interacted with the various characters in Jess' story, especially Jess herself. Watching their relationship develop and change throughout the book was great and the ending was just fab!

Chocolate S.O.S. is another hit for Limb, who goes from strength to strength with whatever she brings out. I'll be keeping my eyes firmly peeled for the next book in the series, Party Disaster, when it's released this summer. And you jolly well should be, too!

First line: 'No!' breathed Flora. 'I can't believe it! You and Fred haven't really split up, have you, babe?'

Read if you liked…: Lula Does the Hula - Samantha Mackintosh

Rating:
Plot: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 3/5
Total: 14/20 (B)

Blog Tour: C. J. Daugherty (Night School)

2012-01-13T13:50:00.003Z

Hello folks! I've got the lovely C. J. Daugherty with me today for my stop on the Night School blog tour. She's here to talk about 'paranormal vs. normal' and how normal can be so much more scarier than paranormal.

Without further ado, I'll hand you over to C. J.:

Paranormal vs. Normal

I originally envisioned Night School as a paranormal book – with vampires and witches. After I’d completed it, though, my editor at Atom asked me to consider re-writing it as a non-paranormal book.

She thought there was a lot of excitement to be found from putting a group of ordinary teenagers in a beautiful but dark school where the adults around them weren’t doing the sorts of things you would normally expect adults to do.

At first I wasn’t convinced. I loved the freedom that paranormal fiction gave me. If I needed to get characters from one side of the school grounds to another, they could fly and be there in seconds. If I needed an increase in drama, a brutal attack with swords and teeth was completely possible.

I knew that dropping all of that and summoning drama out of more believable, real-world style events would be harder.

But when I tried it, in many ways it was actually easier. Once I removed the paranormal elements, I remembered how scary ordinary life can be. How frightening it can sometimes be just to walk down a dark, quiet city street late at night. How your heart can begin to thump in your ears when you’re walking in the woods and suddenly nothing looks familiar anymore.

Using those kinds of elements to unsettle my characters, I began to create a moody, threatening atmosphere in which any ordinary person would feel jumpy.

And I have to say I absolutely loved doing it. Using more realistic elements to frighten my characters worked so well for me that sometimes when I was writing it I scared myself.

However, none of this is to take away from how scary and exciting paranormal fiction can be. When blood-sucking creatures who want to kill you fly at you with super-human speed? Well, that’s always going to be jump-out-of-your-seat frightening.

And I’m always going to love reading, and maybe even some day, writing about that.

But for now I’m enjoying tapping into the kinds of fears we have all faced from time to time, in a world that always seems to be going somewhat mad.

YES! Big up scary books that aren't paranormal. I really, really enjoyed Night School and I can't wait to see what C. J. does next!

Interview: Megan Miranda (Fracture)

2012-01-10T07:00:00.002Z

Good morning readers, I'm here today with my first interview of 2012! Megan Miranda is here to tell us a little bit about her writing process and her debut YA novel, Fracture. I've already read so many rave reviews of this one so I can't wait to get stuck into my copy!

Hi, Megan! In case any readers haven’t read the book yet, can you tell me a little bit about Fracture?

Sure! Fracture is about a girl who survives 11-minutes trapped under the ice of a Maine lake and awakens from a coma 6-days later, despite brain scans that show irreparable damage. She soon discovers that she’s drawn to the dying, but she doesn’t know whether she’s predicting death of causing it.

Talk me through an average day when you’re working on a novel. Do you have a set number of words you have to write per day or do you set yourself different targets?

I have 2 small children, and at least 1 of them is home with me most of the time. For revisions, or if a deadline is rapidly approaching, I’ll call in the babysitters, but for the most part, I’m a night-time writer. I don’t have a word count goal, honestly. I spend a lot of time when I’m not writing thinking about writing, so when I finally sit down at the computer, I usually have a good idea of the scenes I want to get down. Sometimes the words come easily. Sometimes they don’t. Sometimes I write a chapter. Sometimes more, sometimes less. For revisions, I do set concrete goals, but when I’m drafting, the only goal I set for myself is to sit down and write. Every night.

In young adult fiction in particular, it’s important that readers bond with the characters - what do you think is the most important thing to get right when you're creating a character?

I definitely agree. I think the most important thing is to give yourself over to that character. The plot is not in charge; the character is. I think if you get that part right (making sure the motivations stay true to the character), everything else falls into place. Like you said, bonding with the main character is really the key, so I think creating that emotional connection is pivotal. Make someone feel, and hopefully you’ll make someone care.

What sort of research did you have to do for Fracture? How did you go about doing this?

I went to school for science, so a lot of the science information comes from my background. But I did read a lot of first-hand accounts of people who had fallen through the ice, people who experienced near-drownings—how they survived, or how they didn’t. How they were rescued, or how they weren’t.

The YA book market is a competitive place, what do you think sets Fracture apart from the pack?

I think Fracture falls on the cusp of two genres. When I began writing, I came at the story from the science angle and wrote it with what I considered a contemporary, real-world feel. When I finished, I realized that it was technically paranormal, which is really just something that can’t yet be explained by science. I hope that fans of both contemporary and paranormal will enjoy Fracture.

Some writers relate take great inspiration from music while they’re writing. Do you listen to music while you’re writing? If so, what artists/bands do you like to listen to while you write?

I actually don’t. I don’t like any noise when I’m writing. Not even a car passing by the window…

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Have you always been this way?

I am a pantser…at first. This usually results in a giant mess, so then I go back and plot everything out. But at that point, I know my characters pretty well, so it feels more natural. I can’t plot from scratch.

Can you tell me a bit about your journey with Fracture? When did you first come up with the idea and what were the timescales involved between the first draft and the novel being accepted for publication?

I wrote the first words of Fracture I believe at the start of July, 2009. The story came fast, and I started querying agents in October of 2009… at which point I realized I really should’ve plotted more. I signed with my agent in November, 2009 after we discussed that I’d probably need to rewrite all of it—but she took the leap, and so did I. I rewrote Fracture from scratch. Twice. It took 6 more months to get it right. She sent it out to publishers in May 2010, Walker/Bloomsbury pre-empted it, and I am so, so happy there!

How important do you think social media (i.e. Twitter/Facebook/blogging) is in today’s market for a writer?

I’m not sure. I think the book, the writing, always needs to come first. That said, I love Twitter and Facebook because of all the people I’ve met. I really enjoy social media now… But… I don’t want to say it’s not important, but I think if you don’t want to do it, it’s not the biggest deal in the world. You can’t do everything, and at the end of the day, the book wins. Truth is, before my first book sold, I didn’t do any of it (except for a personal Facebook page). I’m very glad I do it now, but not doing it didn’t hurt in terms of getting an agent or a publishing deal.

Is naming characters important to you? What processes do you go through to come up with names for your characters?

In theory it is, but the names just….come. So by the end of a draft, I’ll read through and think, “Seriously? That’s her name?” But by then, she’s in my head that way, and I can’t think of her as anything else.

Do you think your teenage years have influenced you as a writer? If so, how?

Definitely. I loved to read the darker classics, and that was definitely reflected in my early writing. But the other half of me was a science geek who loved research—it took me until recently to fully merge those two sides of me. But they were there even when I was a teenager.

What books do you think we should be looking out for in 2012?

There are so many books I’m excited about it 2012! I’ve read a few great debuts recently: UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi & SLIDE by Jill Hathaway.

Thank you so much for your time, Megan. Before you go, could you tell me about any projects you have in the pipeline we can look out for?

I have another stand-alone psychological thriller set to come out in early 2013. It’s in the same vein as Fracture, in that I think it walks the line a bit between the science and the paranormal, but it’s also very different from Fracture. It’s about psychological things that can manifest into the physical, the thin line between the real and the imagined, and memories.

Thanks so much for having me!

There you have it. I loved reading Megan's answers, especially hearing how her journey from first draft to publication went. It was pretty quick from first draft to publication if you ask me!

Review: Cinder - Marissa Meyer (Debut Author)

2012-01-09T07:00:00.003Z

Published: January 5th 2012, Puffin
Pages: 372 pages, ARC
Series?: Yes, this is the first out of four
Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

In this thrilling debut young adult novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world that’s enthralling.

My review: The first thing that attracted me to Cinder was the stunning cover, I'm not going to lie. I absolutely love it and I think it's going to command so much attention in bookshops and online browsing. It definitely transcends a number of different cover art stereotypes for various genres, which is going to really help the book become more accessible to, for example, readers who usually only read contemporary novels.

There is a big revelation towards the end of Cinder and this is where I felt a little let down, as I'd guessed it within a few chapters of the story beginning. I'm not sure if that will be the case for everybody but I am usually famously slow on the uptake so I'm assuming most people will probably have the twist figured out quite quickly.

Prince Kai is your run of the mill dystopian hero; gorgeous, confused by the state of the world around him and a bit nicey nicey. Of course, he and Cinder are attracted to each other from the outset etc etc. I don't need to go into any more detail in regards to the love story, as you've all definitely read it a thousand times before. However! There is a bit of a shocker towards the end of Cinder that had me cheering. So in the last thirty or so pages of the book you can forget everything you thought you knew about predictable, stale love stories. Thank God for that - Marissa Meyer, you win many points to avoiding the ending I have to admit I thought you were going to go for!

The mythology in Cinder was interesting and definitely original so big props to Meyer for that. I liked learning more about the Lunars and their Bitch-Ass Queen, who was a stereotypical fairytale villain in all her glory. This was a good thing. I bet she has very severe eyebrows.

This is definitely a very traditional 'first in a series' novel; so many questions are raised and very few are answered, though there's a big ole cliff hanger to make sure we're back for round two when it's released. I love, love, loved the little hint as to which fairytale princess we're going to meet in book two. At least, I hope that's who we're going to meet. We'll see in 2013!

First line: 'The screw through Cinder's ankle had rusted, the engraved cross marks worn to a mangled circle.'

Rating:
Plot: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: 5/5
Total: 15/20 (B)

Alternative cover:

(Spanish edition)

Blog Tour: Don't Call Me Ishmael - Michael Gerard Bauer

2012-01-08T07:00:00.002Z

Hello folks! Today is my stop on the blog tour for Michael Gerard Bauer (an action hero name if ever I heard one) and his brilliant YA book, Don't Call Me Ishmael. I asked Michael a few questions about music and how it influences his writing process - have a look below to see what he had to say.

I do host quite a lot of guest posts here at Writing from the Tub but this is definitely one of my favourites. I found myself laughing out loud at some of Michael's responses and it was fascinating to read about the part music has played in his writing life, especially when it comes to the sequel to Don't Call Me Ishmael.

Now I'll hand you over to Michael, while I scurry off to listen to some Bob Dylan!

Hi from Brisbane, Australia and thanks so much for inviting me into The Tub!

Do you listen to music when you are writing or plotting?

Music has always been a big part of my life. I love music. I play guitar (badly) and sing (even worse) and have tried to write my own songs (head for the hills!). When I was in my late teens and early twenties I had dreams of being a singer-songwriter like Bob Dylan and my early writing influences probably derive more from songwriters than novelists.

So obviously the answer to the question, Do you listen to music when you’re writing or plotting? is … ‘No way!’

I tried once, but I couldn’t do it. I just ended up listening to the songs. Maybe I like music too much to have it on as just a background thing? Maybe I chose the wrong songs to play? Maybe I just can’t multi-task? Maybe I’m too easily distracted? Ooooh look, four questions in a row! What was I talking about again?

Do certain songs inspire you?

I may not be able to write along to music but there are many songs that inspire me. I would love to be able to capture the mood and feeling of some of my favourite songs particularly in a serious novel. I think playing these songs before I write might work for me. Jackson Browne’s beautiful song Sky Blue and Black is one I might choose. http://youtu.be/Fz_sOnO9D24

Does Don’t Call Me Ishmael have a theme song or playlist?

Don’t Call Me Ishmael doesn’t really have a theme song or playlist but music plays an important part in the series. Ishmael’s dad is an ex-member of a short lived cult rock band from the 80s called The Dugongs. He’s also a big Beatles and Bob Dylan fan (a bit like someone else I know).

In fact in the sequel to Don’t Call Me Ishmael not only do we find out that Ishmael’s sister Prue gets her name from the Beatles’ song Dear Prudence, but also that Ishmael’s dad believes that the Beatles were responsible for turning Prue into a near-genius and also saving her life!

So I‘m thinking now that maybe it should have a Beatle’s playlist?

For Ishmael’s battles with bully Barry Bagsley – Help!
For his love for Kelly Faulkner – Something or I’ve Got To Get You Into My Life.
For his struggles with Ishmael Leseur’s Syndrome – I’m a Loser or Carry That Weight.
And for his fear of speaking in public and maybe the over all theme song for the book – I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends.

Music becomes even more central to the second Ishmael book. The sequel really does have its own built-in playlist because the nine sections of the story are introduced by lyrics from nine Dugong’s.

On the German audio version of Ishmael 2, a Hamburg band called Gone Fishin’ played and recorded the songs (in English) that I wrote for the book. Amazingly, in 2010, I got to play all those songs with the band live on stage at the White Ravens Children’s Literature Festival in Munich.

It was one of the highlights of my life to be in a band and play songs I had written. For a brief moment there I finally became the singer-songwriter I dreamed of being when I was young. The American author John Green (Saving Alaska, Paper Towns) was also at the Festival and he features a bit of the concert at the end of one of his famous vlogbrothers video s: http://youtu.be/rTzsShHWGPE.

You know, with all this musical influence coming from his dad, it wouldn’t surprise me if sometime in the not-too-distant future, Ishmael and the Razzman and the rest of his mad mates ended up forming their own rock band. Now that would be something to read about!

Thanks once again to Writing From The Tub for the great topic and for allowing me to chat with your fabulous readers.

Cheers from Down Under!
Michael

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For more information about Michael and his work you can visit his blog or Facebook page.

Review: Saving Daisy - Phil Earle

2012-01-07T07:00:00.002Z

Published: 5th January 2012, Puffin
Pages: 338 pages, paperback
Series?: Companion novel to 2010's Being Billy
Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): Losing love, fighting guilt, seeking hope.

Daisy’s mum is gone. Her dad refuses to talk about it and as far as Daisy’s concerned, it’s all her fault…

Saving Daisy is a powerful and moving story that follows the life of Daisy Houghton who first featured in Phil Earle’s critically acclaimed debut, Being Billy.

As Daisy struggles with misplaced guilt over her mother’s death, she turns to extreme and violent measures and soon her life starts spiralling out of control. This leads to tragedy and suddenly Daisy finds herself left all alone. But sometimes the kindness of a stranger can turn things around. A stranger who desperately wants to save Daisy – if she’ll only let herself be saved.

My review: Being Billy was one of the first books I reviewed in 2011 and definitely one of my favourites. I waited patiently allllll through 2011 for Saving Daisy and I finally managed to get my hands on a copy just before Christmas. I loved Being Billy so much, so I had massively high expectations for Saving Daisy. Did it deliver? Abso-bloody-lutely.

We met Daisy in Being Billy so already know that she's a strong, funny, brave character when we follow her story in Saving Daisy. However, instead of picking up where Being Billy left of, we actually jump back to Daisy's life before the events in Being Billy take place. The Daisy we meet this time around is much more fragmented, nervous and guilt-ridden, a shadow of Billy's friend we already know and love. There are traces of her sparky personality and sense of humour but these are buried under years of blaming herself for her mother's death and a strained relationship with her father.

The journey Daisy embarks on is staggering and we see her grow and grow with every unthinkable challenge that is thrown at her. With the help of a cast of amazing characters (especially Ade, who I'm sure everybody is going to adore) Daisy goes from strength to strength as the ultimate proof that whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Honestly, I think both Saving Daisy and Being Billy should be mandatory reading for anybody who thinks putting on a few pounds over Christmas or Twitter being down for a couple of hours is genuinely something to complain about - first world problems, eh?

Particularly towards the ending of the story I loved how a few events that happen in Being Billy are hinted at - sorry to be so vague but I don't want to post any spoilers in case any of you haven't read Being Billy. I'm actually interested to reread Being Billy now to see if there's anything new I pick up on now I know more of Daisy's story. It was definitely a very interesting idea for the stories to be revealed in this order, I found that learning about Daisy's past made her seem even stronger and more resilient than I first thought she was.

There are some brilliant characters in Saving Daisy who are definitely memorable, for both good and bad reasons. Ade, of course, as I mentioned earlier, is sure to be a favourite - I thought she was fantastic, so fully realised that I'm sure she must be at least partially based on a real person. Mr Hobson as well, is one I'm sure I'll remember for a long time to come - I certainly didn't see that coming! Naomi was the other character, aside from Daisy, who made me think the most and she reminded me a lot of Lisa R from Girl, Interrupted; cruel and tragic in equal measure.

Saving Daisy definitely makes you think and I defy any one of you who can make it through the book without welling up - I know I had a cheeky cry on more than one occasion!

First line: 'You can tell how good a party is by the time that the walls start sweating.' (One of my favourite opening lines ever and so bloody true!)

Read if you liked…: The Zelah Green series - Vanessa Curtis

Rating:
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 4/5
Total: 18/20 (A)

Interview: Robin Mellom (Ditched)

2012-01-06T16:00:00.001Z

Today I've got Robin Mellom with me, talking about her debut YA novel, Ditched, which is sure to brighten up the grey, dull days that I'm sure we're all tiring of. I know I am, after having ten glorious days off over Christmas I'm definitely not best pleased to be back at work.

I featured Ditched in my 'Debut novels I can't wait for in 2012' post in December and I'm happy to say we only have to wait four short days until the book is released on the 10/01/2012 in the US - of course, us non-US types can order Ditched from Amazon or The Book Depository.

Hi, Robin! In case any readers haven’t heard about the book yet, can you tell me a little bit about Ditched?

How about a quick summary! A 16-year-old girl finds herself lying in a ditch the morning after her prom with no memory of the last twelve hours, which includes a disappearing prom date and a punk Tinkerbell tattoo. She must piece together—stain-by-stain on her thrift store dress—exactly how she ended up dateless…with only the help of some opinionated ladies at the 7-Eleven.

Talk me through an average day when you’re working on a novel. Do you have a set number of words you have to write per day or do you set yourself different targets?

It depends, of course, on whether I’m drafting a new novel or experiencing “the crazies” of revisions due on deadline. On a typical drafting day, I give myself a page count, usually 5-8 pages a day. Deadline days usually mean 12-14 hours of working-while-eating-junk-food.

In young adult fiction in particular, it’s important that readers bond with the characters - what do you think is the most important thing to get right when you're creating a character?

I love when characters have things they love and don’t love. They are small details that define us and become almost comforting. In my own life, my friends and family know that I will never drink coffee that is lukewarm—if it’s not practically scorching, it’s worthless. And if you quote a line from the movie The Jerk, I will love you. So it’s awesome to know book characters in small ways as well as BIG ways.

The YA book market is a competitive place, what do you think sets Ditched apart from the pack?

I focused on humor and romp. I wanted it to be entertaining—just an overall good time. There are moments of tenderness, but mostly it’s about tattoos and Chihuahuas and run-ins with the police. Maybe Romp-i-ness could be the new Dystopian?

Some writers relate take great inspiration from music while they’re writing. Do you listen to music while you’re writing? If so, what artists/bands do you like to listen to while you write?

Yes! I have several stations on Pandora I listen to while writing and, strangely, it’s not usually music I listen to in my *personal life. When I write, I need upbeat dance music so I rely on Britney Spears and Rihanna to get me through.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Have you always been this way?

Both. I get an idea and just start writing—usually a couple of chapters so I can get a feel for the voice and if it’s something I’m truly excited about. THEN I sit down and outline the snot out of it! But my outlines often change as I write the book.

Can you tell me a bit about your journey with Ditched? When did you first come up with the idea and what were the timescales involved between the first draft and the novel being accepted for publication?

I had written five other novels before writing Ditched, mostly middle grade. My agent came to me and said she’d like to see me try teen humor for girls. The process of writing this book and getting it published was rather dreamy (thank goodness!). It took me about 5-6 months to write it. Within in weeks of submitting there were three publishers interested and within a month I had accepted a 2-book offer from Disney-Hyperion. (It still freaks me out to say that!)

How important do you think social media (i.e. Twitter/Facebook/blogging) is in today’s market for a writer?

It’s important to have a way for readers/writers/friends to connect with you and to keep you sane! I write at home full time now, so Twitter/Facebook have become like my personal water cooler—a place to chat and decompress and find out other wonderful news. What a cool thing! The only downside, obviously, is if it impedes on your writing time but having a writing deadline will take care of that quick!

What did you hope to accomplish by writing Ditched? Do you think you have accomplished what you set out to do?

I want readers to have a good time and come away with a smile, even while maybe shedding a tear. According to my mom, I accomplished that! :)

Aside from writing, how do you like to spend your free time?

We live on a bay in California so if I’m not in my office, you can find me kayaking or hiking. And then watching Modern Family. And then The Daily Show. And then waiting for The Hunger Games movie.

Thank you so much for your time, Robin. Before you go, could you tell me about any projects you have in the pipeline we can look out for?

I have a middle grade series coming out from Disney-Hyperion in June called THE CLASSROOM—it’s a mockumentary of life in 7th grade (oh, the awkwardness!) and then the companion novel for DITCHED comes out winter ’13…someone goes to jail in BUSTED!

Thanks for interviewing me!

Blog Tour: The Future of Us - Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

2012-01-06T07:00:00.003Z

Morning all - Friday at last, phew! Hope you all made it through the first working week of 2012 unscathed. Today is my stop on the Future of Us blog tour and I've got a joint interview with authors Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler as a lovely end of week treat.

Enjoy!

In young adult fiction in particular, it’s important that readers bond with the characters and both Josh and Emma are so likeable from the outset - what do you think is the most important thing to get right when you're creating a character?

CM: I think it’s key to create real characters who have personalities and quirks and fears and things they’re proud of. I like to know my characters’ backstories while I’m writing, even if most of the things I know never make it into the novel.

JA: Dialogue is the main way I get to know characters. Each character should use language a little differently (sarcastic, meandering, etc…). The way a character speaks tells a lot about who they really are. With this novel, Carolyn would occasionally have a character say something in a different way than I’d have written it, but it made me see the character in a way I hadn’t thought about. And I know I did the same for her, which made the characters become richer and constantly surprise us.

When reading for pleasure do you prefer to read standalones or series? Why?

JA: I’m always reluctant to pick up a series book. There are way too many books that I haven’t had time to read yet, and I’d rather get through a bunch of individual books than commit myself to several books about the same characters.

CM: Definitely standalones. Aside from Harry Potter, I’ve generally stayed away from series. I’m too impatient. I want to know the full arc of the story as I’m reading THAT novel, not wait a year or two to see where the narrative is going.

The setting for The Future of Us felt very authentic (as a 90s kid I adored the Dave Matthews Band references), what sort of research did you have to do for the novel? How did you go about doing this?

CM: Mostly, Jay and I talked about our experiences in the 90s, what music we listened to, when we first went on the internet, what people thought about cell phones back then. And Google definitely helped, like if we were trying to find the accurate television line-up for May 1996, or see a picture of a cell phone from that era.

JA: It was fun to find those opportunities to sprinkle in 90s references, but we always kept in mind that most of our readers probably weren’t even born in 1996. So we wanted the book to have that authentic mid-90s feel, but also make sure a teen from today would understand it all within the context of the story.

The YA book market is a competitive place, what do you think sets The Future of Us apart from the pack?

JA: This is exactly the type of book I would’ve wanted to read at that age. It deals with friendship, love, who we become, and who we are, all within a fast-paced and fun story. The Future of Us may not fit into any of the big current trends, but everyone loves a well-told story with a big hook!

CM: What I love about The Future of Us is that it’s fun and gripping and really suspenseful. But it also speaks to everyone’s curiosity about where their lives will be like in fifteen years, and how they’d change their day-to-day if they knew how their futures turned out.

Some writers take great inspiration from music while they’re writing. Do either of you listen to music while you’re writing? If so, what artists/bands do you like to listen to while you write?

JA: I’ll often listen to a few songs before I write a scene to set a certain mood, and this book involved lots of Green Day and Alanis. But when I actually write, often at a coffee shop, I don’t listen to anything. Whatever’s playing in the coffee shop, along with the people talking around me, blends into the background noise.

CM: I need total silence while I’m writing, but as Jay and I were working on The Future of Us (and when I was NOT writing), I tuned into some Dave Matthews and Joan Osborne and Green Day to get in the 90s mood.

Can you tell me a bit about your journey with The Future of Us? When did you first come up with the idea and what were the timescales involved between the first draft and the novel being accepted for publication? Did you always set out to write the book together or is that something that came later?

CM: About a year and a half ago, I decided I wanted to write a collaborative novel. I immediately thought of Jay as the ideal co-author. We barely knew each other, but I was a big fan of his first novel, Thirteen Reasons Why, and I felt we had similar realistic fiction sensibilities. So I sent him an email and said, “I have a semi-crazy idea to run by you.”

JA: We began brainstorming ideas in early April, then turned in our first draft in early December (the very day my wife went into labor with our first child). There was a short break during the holidays, and then we had about five very intense weeks of editing. Seven days after turning in our final edit, Warner Bros. made an offer on the film rights.

Obviously social media is an important part of The Future of Us; how important do you think social media (i.e. Twitter/Facebook/blogging) is in today’s market for a writer?

JA: It’s a great way to get the word out about a new project or upcoming appearances, but readers aren’t going to know about those things unless they continue following you in those various outlets. That requires letting them into your world a little, so every author needs to find a comfortable balance between what’s public and what’s private.

CM: Jay is much better about being a presence on the social media circuit. I do think readers enjoy seeing what their favorite authors are up to on Facebook and Twitter, but I feel so conflicted about writing about my personal life, my husband and kids and daily dramas. Everything I have creatively, I pour into my novels. After that, I want to kick back on the couch and read a book or watch a movie.

Which authors do you think have most influenced your own individual writing styles?

CM: A whole mix of the YA authors I grew up reading, like Judy Blume and Lois Lowry, to the amazing array of contemporary authors such as Gabrielle Zevin, Megan McCafferty, David Levithan and – yes! – Jay.

JA: Carolyn’s style, and how she slowly reveals her powerful characters, was definitely an influence. Chris Crutcher’s brutal honesty also left a huge impact on me.

What advice would you give to writers who want to make the leap from writing as a hobby to actively pursuing a career in writing?

JA: Join a critique group. You’re not going to be in the same room as future readers (including agents and editors) when they open your work, so it’s very important to get feedback about how others read your words.

CM: Write what you’d most like to read. Read a lot. Rewrite a lot. Don’t be afraid to show your work to people. Get to know other aspiring and published writers.

There is a lot of argument within the young adult market as to what is appropriate for teens to read. Where do you stand on this matter? Do you think teens should be protected from reading about taboo subjects or do you think they should have the freedom to choose their own reads?

CM: Teens should definitely have the freedom to read what they wish. It is our jobs, as authors, to tell the best stories we can tell. It is our job, as parents, to guide our children into forming opinions about what they read, knowing when they’re ready (or not ready) to read something, and deciding when they do and don’t agree with the characters’ actions.

JA: There’s almost no issue I could write about that hasn’t been dealt with by at least one person. Because of that, I don’t think there’s anything inappropriate to explore through writing. Especially in the teen years, people need to know that there are others who understand what they’re experiencing or what they’re feeling.

Thank you so much for your time. Before you go, could you tell me about any projects you have in the pipeline we can look out for?

JA: I’m working on several ideas right now, but I don’t know which one will be my next completed project.

CM: I’m just starting a new solo novel, but Jay and I both want to write another book together, too. It was such a creative and fun experience writing The Future of Us. We want an encore!

And there you have it, folks. Make sure to check out the next stop on the tour, where Jay and Carolyn will be visiting Gripped Into Books tomorrow!

Review: The Future of Us - Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

2012-01-05T15:00:00.005Z

Published: January 5th 2012, Simon & Schuster
Pages: 356 pages, paperback
Series/standalone?: Standalone
Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): It's 1996 and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet. Facebook will not be invented for several more years. Emma just got a computer and an America Online CD-ROM with 100 free hours. When she and her best friend Josh log on to AOL they discover themselves on Facebook... fifteen years in the future. Everybody wonders what life has in store for them.

Josh and Emma are about to find out.

My review: I spent most of 2011 looking forward to The Future of Us; it's a novel that I knew I would love before I even cracked the spine. I just love the premise so much, there are so many possibilities for the plot and I think it's a book that is definitely going to create a lot of discussion between readers.

The obvious element to comment on is the 90s nostalgia that The Future of Us brings; it's impossible to read this one without remembering the days of yesteryear and it was so much fun being reminded of so many little details that bring me back to my childhood. I was aged between three and thirteen in the 90s so it really was the decade that I grew up. Even the description of loading the AOL CD and the sound of dial up took me back to days spent surfing AOL chatrooms with my best friend (and getting into flame wars with fellow Buffy fans, naturally).

I loved the music references as well and might have spent an entire afternoon with Dave Matthews Band on repeat to really set the scene. They're one of my favourite bands as it is so to have them unexpectedly crop up in a YA book made me a little overexcited. Some of the funniest moments in The Future of Us arise when Josh and Emma muse exactly what their future status updates mean - Josh wondering what might happen to pluto was probably my favourite moment and Emma pondering what 'Glee + Netflix' might mean was brilliant.

During the first third of the book, however, I did feel as though the 90s references were being a little shoe horned into the story. I began to wonder if Asher and Mackler wrote down a list of every memory they had from the 90s before they started writing and swore they would include every single one. I'm also interested to see what younger readers make of the 90s references as I do wonder if certain throw backs will have quite the same resonance to, say, fourteen year olds who weren't born until the decade drew to a close. It's like when I watch 80s movies (something I do on pretty much a daily basis); I love them with every fibre of my being but I can't quite have the same feeling of nostalgia that my mum and aunt do when they see shoulder pads and spandex on screen or in print.

The split narrative was a great device and I think it worked even better as each writer handled one character's chapters. I really did come to recognise Josh and Emma's voices quickly and never found it confusing to remember whose chapter I was on. It was interesting to note Mackler and Asher's different styles but rather than this being an issue, I think it helped to make the voices seem even more authentic.

One criticism I did have is that I felt the characters were slightly underwhelming, especially the secondary characters, Kellan and Tyson. I wish their relationship had been explored in a bit more depth, as I think it could have made a much more interesting subplot than it did. Taking away the main plot of Josh and Emma and the newly discovered Facebook there isn't too much else in the way of storylines, which I didn't necessarily mind but I definitely would have liked to get to know Kellan and Tyson a little better. One thing I did appreciate, however, is that Kellan and Emma were both independant, strong female characters. Hooray!

The Future of Us is an easy, breezy read that will leave you with a smile on your face and a little thought in the back of your mind about what you would do if you had the choice to see your future. Would you try to change things or do you believe that whatever happens, happens?

First line: 'I can't break up with Graham today, even though I told my friends I'd do it the next time I saw it.'

Read if you liked…: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - David Levithan and Rachel Cohn

Rating:
Plot: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Total: 17/20 (A)

Review: 15 Days Without a Head - Dave Cousins (Debut Author)

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000Z

Published: 5th January 2012, Oxford University Press
Pages: 272 pages, paperback
Series/standalone?: Standalone
Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): Meet Laurence, fifteen years old and six feet tall. Very soon, he'll dress up as his mum and inpersonate a dead man on the radio.

Meet Jay, his six year old brother. He looks like an angel but thinks he's a dog. He'll sink his teeth into anyone who gets in the way.

Today is Tuesday - and the next fifteen days will change the boys' lives forever...

My review: I remember feeling this way about a debut novel almost exactly this time last year; really, genuinely excited about the discovery of a huge new talent in the YA world. When I felt this way last year it was about Phil Earle's Being Billy and this around, it's Dave Cousins' 15 Days Without a Head, which is absolute magic.

I devoured this novel over a couple of days, grabbing a few minutes here and there to read whenever I got a chance; on the way home from the event in London where I was given my copy, when I arrived a work a few minutes early. Any time I had a little bit of spare time I buried my nose in Laurence and Jay's story, which I was utterly engrossed by.

The characters are what makes this such an exceptional book because they are just so real. Cousins uses so many tiny details to bring the boys to life and they're definitely two of my favourite characters of this year. I was absolutely rooting for them from the outset, which make the book so much more enjoyable than if I'd only had lukewarm feelings for them. Caring about the characters raises the stakes and makes the outcome of the novel so much more important and I was really hoping things worked out as well as possible for Jay and Laurence.

The time span of the book (taking away the epilogue) is relatively short but we see Laurence go on such a journey, turning from a relatively average fifteen year old into a responsible, mature young man who has definitely had far too much to deal with in his life. The way he looks after and protects Jay was so touching and I loved the moments that those two shared. Speaking of Jay...Thinking he's a dog? Loved it. I actually did the exact same thing when I was younger. Yes, I genuinely used to try and persuade my mum to feed me out of a dog bowl. That actually feels a lot more sinister now I've seen Audition.

But I digress.

Cousins is a truly powerful writer, managing to have me laughing out loud during one scene and crying during the next - I loved how the atmosphere in the story changed so quickly from happy to tragic, exactly how it does in real life. I think that's the main strength of this book, that it is so incredibly real. It stays realistic from beginning to end and I'm really pleased that the ending is realistic, rather than the Hollywood ending I know some writers would have gone for.

I really don't have anything negative to say about 15 Days Without a Head. I'm so excited to watch Dave Cousins' career pan out from now, as he's just what the MG/YA market needs right now; a fresh, exciting new voice who isn't afraid to tell it like it is. Also - bonus points for the brilliant reading he gave at the Oxford University Press event!

First line: 'The front door slams.'

Read if you liked…: Being Billy - Phil Earle

Rating:
Plot: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 4/5
Total: 18/20 (A)

Note: This review was originally posted as an early review here at Writing from the Tub on the 24/10/11

Guest Post: Marissa Meyer (Cinder)

2012-01-03T17:00:00.000Z

Here with me this afternoon is the lovely Marissa Meyer, author of debut 2012 novel, Cinder, which is the first in a brand spanking new series that I know we are all very excited about!

Happily Ever After: Why Fairy Tales Never Grow Old
By Marissa Meyer

There are only nine stories in the world.

Or… maybe it’s fifteen stories. Twenty-one? I can never remember.

But whatever the number, there’s a common believe that there aren’t very many stories in the world, and storytellers just continue to rehash the same plot arcs and themes over and over again:

Cinderella = “Rags to riches.”

Rapunzel = “Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl.” (Oh hey, that one works for Cinderella too!)

The Little Mermaid = “Be careful what you wish for.” Even more appropriately, this is also a typical “fish out of water” tale.

This could go on and on, simmering every story, from the most basic to the most complex, down to its core and fitting it nicely into a specific slot.

To me, though, the most interesting part about the theory that there are only a handful of “stories” constantly being retold, is that it in no way limits what we can do with those stories.

Take “Cinderella,” for example. How many versions of Cinderella are there that use the expected fairy tale plot and yet still manage to be unique and entertaining? (The Disney movie, for example.)

Then there are Cinderella retellings that take it a step or two further. They might add an unusual curse (Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine), or give her a new love interest (Ash by Malinda Lo), tell the tale from the villain’s point of view (Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire), or set it in the future and make the heroine part-machine, like I do in my own Cinder.

There are takes on the story that go even farther, until it’s barely recognizable as Cinderella, even though the rags-to-riches theme remains—a la Pretty Woman featuring a prostitute as the heroine or Maid in Manhattan featuring, you know, a maid. In Manhattan.

And then there are mash-ups that put many different stories in a blender and see what happens—such as the Broadway musical “Into the Woods,” in which Cinderella’s prince is the brother of Rapunzel’s prince, among other twists, and also the recent television drama “Once Upon a Time,” in which Cinderella’s modern-day representation is a pregnant woman being hounded to give up her child by none other than Rumpelstiltskin.

Whew! All that, and so much more, from one simple story about a girl going to a ball and marrying a prince. And there will be many more riffs on Cinderella, and its fairy-tale counterparts, in the years to come. Because while it may be true that there are only a handful of underlying stories in the world, each writer and creator brings something entirely new to that theme. Something unexpected. Something fun.

And that’s why I think the recent fairy tale revival has captured so many hearts. The familiarity of the fairy tales has an element of nostalgia to it, but we know better than to expect the same old story again and again. We expect each new retelling to have something new to offer. And that excitement and curiosity about what else could be done with these tales, I feel, will continue to captivate our imaginations time and time again.

Marissa Meyer is the author of Cinder: Book One of the Lunar Chronicles. Follow her on Twitter (@marissa_meyer) or become a fan at facebook.com/lunarchronicles and facebook.com/marissameyerauthor.

Blog Tour: 15 Days Without a Head

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000Z

Morning all - how are we all doing today? Today marks the day most of us are returning to work so I'm pretty sure everybody will be in a bit of a grump. I know I will be. I hope this guest post from debut author Dave Cousins cheers you up and makes your day that little bit jollier.

Getting inside Laurence’s head

Given the title of this post, I should probably start by pointing out that the fifteen year old narrator of 15 Days Without a Head, Laurence Roach, is only ever metaphorically headless – otherwise there wouldn’t be much point in occupying his head in the first place!

15 Days Without a Head is Laurence’s story; he tells it – I just wrote it down. At least, I hope that’s how it comes across when people read the book. One of the things I like most about writing in the first person is that it gets me, the author, out of the way. Telling the story in present tense was a conscious decision too – I wanted readers to feel as though they were standing right next to Laurence, experiencing events at the same moment he did. We know no more than he does – we can’t even be sure that he will survive.

I spent months inside Laurence’s head while writing and revising the book. I enjoyed his company, admired his courage and pragmatism in the face of mounting difficulties. Most of the time he was an easy-going companion, but there was only so far I could push him around before he dug his heels in. Sometimes, Laurence’s head wasn’t an easy place to be, and there were occasions when, like him, I wished I could get away, to stop the voices and the questions “hissing and scratching around my brain like the roaches in the kitchen.”

I realised early on that it was crucial to allow Laurence to be unreliable, to tell his version of events. Ask five people to write an account of the same incident, and you’ll get five different stories. Each person will portray events as he or she sees them, or rather, as they want the reader to see them. My job, in this instance, was to make sure there were enough clues, so that the reader could sometimes see through what Laurence was telling them, and realise what was really going on.

I mentioned at the start that it is important for the writer to be ‘invisible’ in a first person narrative. It’s easy to give voice to your own opinions and prejudices, but vital that you make sure everything expressed is true to your narrator. If you and the character agree – that’s fine, but there were a couple of sentences I took out of 15 Days, because they sounded more like me than Laurence!

So how do you get inside a character’s head? Sometimes people arrive on the page almost fully formed and simply introduce themselves; with others it takes a little longer to get acquainted. It’s all about understanding that person until you know instinctively how they would react in a given situation. I’ll often have reference points: friends they remind me of, even a photograph can help and provide something real to hold onto. When Laurence appeared, it was like one of those rare moments when you meet somebody new, and after talking to them for only a few minutes, feel like you’ve known the person all your life.

Despite that, I still had to do my ‘homework’. I always take some time away from the story to write about my characters. These pages never end up in the book, but often spark ideas that do. I’ll write about their clothes – maybe a favourite item, think about the story behind it; find out what books they have read; the films and music they like. I sometimes compile a playlist of songs they might be listening to.

In 15 Days, Laurence has a Secret Things Tin:

“There’s a pebble in here, from the beach at Barmouth where we went on holiday with Nanna, and a note from Chloe Raven asking me to marry her – we were both eight at the time. I could list the contents of this box by heart, …”

Thinking and writing about what would be in Laurence’s Secret Things Tin gave him a history, like sitting down and listening to someone tell you stories of their past. I think that’s one of the most important things to remember when writing a character – the same as when you meet a person in real life – you have to be prepared to listen, if you want to find out who they really are. Only then, can you genuinely get inside their head, and speak on their behalf.

Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E. Smith

2012-01-02T08:00:00.005Z

Published: January 5th 2012, Headline
Pages: 215 pages (ARC)
Series/standalone: Standalone (Contemporary standalone - the ultimate!)
Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Imagine if she hadn't fogotten the book. Or if there hadn't been traffic on the expressway. Or if she hadn't fumbled the coins for the toll. What if she'd run just that little bit faster and caught the flight she was supposed to be on. Would it have been something else - the weather over the atlantic or a fault with the plane?

Hadley isn't sure if she believes in destiny or fate but, on what is potentially the worst day of each of their lives, it's the quirks of timing and chance events that mean Hadley meets Oliver...

Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

My review: I think I'm always more critical of contemporary novels than other genres, mostly because I feel as though it's my comfort zone and I know more about that area of the market than any other. I read so many glowing reviews of this one that I did have my reservations - if anything's massively hyped up I always steel myself to be disappointed as I find more often than not it doesn't quite deliver as much as I hoped it would. I'm really, really happy to say that The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight absolutely blew me away and completely surpassed my expectations. Thank God for that!

Anyone who knows me knows I love my contemporary and, honestly, this is perfect contemporary at its finest. The writing is light-hearted and fun, the characters are likeable and relateable from the outset and at the centre of it all is a sweet, romantic love story. When I turned the final page I am not at all ashamed to say my eyes were brimming with tears and I had a very, very dopey smile on my face. It's just lovely; if you're having a crappy day then pick this one up and delve in, I guarantee it will cheer you up and make you believe in love again.

When I talk to people about this book I just want to clasp my hands together and flutter my eyelashes until I look like a Disney character. It's just so damn sweet. 'Sweet' is often a word I associate with books that are a little lacklustre but that's not the case here; The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight deals with sensitive issues so well and I really commend Smith for that, I think she did a brilliant job.

As I said earlier, the characters here are fantastic. Hadley is great - interesting enough that she's memorable after you've finished reading but not so 'quirky' that you'll want to boot her round the back of the head. She's the sort of girl you want to be friends with and that's always a quality I like in a heroine. And Oliver, well, he's ridiculously charming, isn't he? A proper English gentleman through and through, you can't help but by charmed by him. Hadley and Oliver have obvious chemistry from the very beginning but the journey (physical and emotional) that they go on together and the way their relationship develops throughout the book, is what makes The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight an absolute winner.

Also, the male model on the French cover (posted down at the bottom of this post) looks *exactly* the way I pictured Oliver while I was reading the book - good job, French cover designers!

First line: 'There are so many ways it could have all turned out differently.'

Read if you liked…: Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins

Rating:
Plot: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Total: 17/20 (A)

Alternative covers:

January Reading List

2012-01-01T16:00:00.001Z

Afternoon my dears, how are you all enjoying the first day of 2012? I hope you haven't broken any resolutions yet!

I wanted to post up my planned reading list for this month - I'm hoping that if I make it public I'll do a better job of sticking to it. I'm going to attempt to be much more organised in 2012 and get reviews posted in the month of publication wherever possible. I have a big ole spreadsheet to help me out with this (I do love a good spreadsheet) so fingers crossed.

My reading list for January is as follows:

Review copies

Cinder - Marissa Meyer
Blink and Caution - Tim Wynne-Jones
Fracture - Megan Miranda
The Storyteller - Antonia Michaelis
Fated - Sarah Alderson
The Weight of Water - Sarah Crossan
The Court Painter's Apprentice - Richard Knight
Don't Call Me Ishmael - Michael Gerard Bauer
Smoulder - Brenna Yovanoff
Tempest - Julie Cross
In Darkness - Nick Lake
The Hunting Ground - Cliff McNish
Dark Parties - Sara Grant
Death by Sunshine - Allison Burnett

Pre-orders:

Don't Breathe a Word - Holly Cupala
Other Words for Love - Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
XVI - Julia Karr (so I'm up to date to read Truth)
Truth - Julia Karr
The Education of Hailey Kendrick - Eileen Cook

That's a total of nineteen books, which is definitely possible if I knuckle down and get to it, rather than faff about on the Internet looking at rage comics. January isn't a particularly busy month for me, something I've arranged on purpose - I'll just be reading and writing and pretty much being a hermit! One of my goals for 2012 is to stay chilled out and not burn myself out trying to do too much of everything; last year I over-committed big time and I was so knackered and stressed all the time, I'm not going to let that happen this year! Hopefully ensuring I have free time every week will mean I've got time to read the books I want to. There are some brilliant books being released in January and I'm so excited about every single title on my list.

Have you read any of these books yet? If so, do let me know where you'd recommend I start!

Review: Night School - C. J. Daugherty Debut Author

2012-01-01T07:00:00.001Z

Published: January 5th 2012, Atom
Pages: 456 pages, ARC
Series?: Yes, this is book one
Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): Sometimes school is murder.

Allie Sheridan's world is falling apart. She hates her school. Her brother has run away from home. And she's just been arrested.

Again.

This time her parents have finally had enough. They cut her off from her friends and send her away to a boarding school for problem teenagers.

But Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. Its rules are strangely archaic. It allows no computers or phones. Its students are an odd mixture of the gifted, the tough and the privileged. And then there's the secretive Night School, whose activities other students are forbidden even to watch.

When Allie is attacked one night the incident sets off a chain of events leading to the violent death of a girl at the summer ball. As the school begins to seem like a very dangerous place, Allie must learn who she can trust. And what's really going on at Cimmeria Academy.

*SPOILER ALERT: This review does NOT contain spoilers about Night School but it does contain a couple of BIG ones about the end of the Hunger Games trilogy, so if you haven't read Mockingjay yet turn back!!!*

My review: Night School is the first in a new YA series, by debut author C. J. Daugherty. It contains all the basic ingredients integral to a successful young adult series; an exciting plot, explosive writing and, most importantly, pretty boys. Yes, yes, story and writing are important but we all know it's the love story that really seals the deal. Oh, and a love triangle never seems to go amiss, does it? Well, Night School has one of those two.

Personally, I hate love triangles. I probably enjoyed the first twenty I came across in YA novels but, really, right now I'll just be excited if I find a YA book that doesn't have one in it. That said, the love story in Night School was well written and I liked the slow burning nature of it, rather than the freaky deaky 'I only met you yesterday but we're in love' ridiculousness that's prevalent in so many books at the moment. Although there is a love story in Night School it's much more Hunger Games style - true, there may be a love rival in the mix but, really, he doesn't stand a chance. It's the same in Night School, at least it was for me anyway.

Night School has a bit of a timeless feel to it, which I think is helped by the boarding school setting. The girls sitting up late at night in the boarding houses did have a certain Enid Blyton feel to it, only with added murder and make out sessions - brilliant, right? I like the history of Cimmeria, which was woven deftly into the plot and Daugherty did a great job with bringing the school to life.

Further down in this post I've noted that you'll probably enjoy Night School if you liked Fallen by Lauren Kate, which I think is fairly similar in terms of style and tone. The subject matter is different (Night School is a contemporary, rather than paranormal romance - yay) but I still think it's a safe bet that if you like one you'll like the other. Luce (of Fallen fame) and Allie did have some similarities; they're both rebels who are newcomers at a mysterious school, they both become the centre of intrigue and gossip via the other students and they both quickly become embroiled in strange circumstances they don't fully understand. Plus, they're both caught in a rivalry between two guys, both of whom they're attracted to.

...Which brings me nicely onto the two male leads in Night School. I do think that if a writer is going to write a love triangle than it's important to make both contenders fairly equal - this is one of the things that annoyed me about the Hunger Games series (one of the only things, as I did love it); why was the love triangle so forced when it was always all about Peeta? It's the same in Night School, one character stands out from the beginning and isn't a massive douche, one character is a massive gropey douche, so, yeah. Ladies of Cimmeria, keep your pepper spray close at hand, that's all I'm saying.

Allie herself was an interesting character and I'm looking forward to getting to know her a little better in the second book in the series. I think it's always difficult to fully get to know a character in the first installment as so much emphasis is put on plot but we did see a few snippets of Allie's personality that I think will be great as the story develops.

Another reason I think I found it quite hard to bond with Allie is because Night School is written in third person. I've been reading so many books in first person lately that it did jar a little with me, especially because Night School is such a fast paced novel, full of twists and turns. I think if this had been written in first person it would have given the pace more immediacy, which would have complemented the nature of the plot brilliantly.

My grumbles about Gropey Male Character and point of view aside, Night School has a great premise and is a strong opener to a series that I'm sure is going to be huge. It's great to welcome more debut authors who write contemporary into the market so I'd like to say a big massive welcome to C. J. Daugherty (who is lovely, by the way); I look forward to seeing what she does next!

First line: "Hurry up!"

Read if you liked…: Fallen - Lauren Kate

Rating:
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: 4/5
Total: 14/20 (B)

Whistle for a hottie

2011-12-31T07:00:00.001Z

So, everybody likes a bit of eye candy. Don't deny it, we all do. Whether you're single, in a relationship, married, whatever, it's nice to have something good to look at, isn't it? Well, I think so anyway.

I thought I was the world's shallowest book blogger. I thought I was alone. Then I caught up with a few of my best blogging pals a couple of weekends ago at the Walker event and we got onto the topic of boys. Well, to be more precise, hot YA authors. Hooray, I thought to myself, I'm not the only one who's prone to perving over hot Goodreads profile pictures, Lynsey from Narratively Speaking is as bad as me. Sarah from Feeling Fictional is as bad as me. Don't even get me started on Andy from The Pewter Wolf but, boy, he is definitely as bad as me. It must be an Essex thing.

And thus, we've spent a fair bit of time discussing those YA authors who are, shall we say, aesthetically pleasing. Do you know what? There are a lot of them. Enough, perhaps, for a Mr YA 2012 pageant. Definitely. But then I realised people would almost certainly look down on me for objectifying these fine figures of men.

Surely they should be judged on their wonderful use of language rather than their banging abs, you might say. Well, yes, certainly having a way with words is the most important box to tick. I'm just saying, it's nice to have a pretty face to gawp over every now and then. Does this make me shallow? And superficial? Probably. But then most of you are just as bad as me, I know it. Deep down you all have that one writer who makes you come over all peculiar (bet you wondered where I was going with that last sentence).

So, hottie YA authors, I salute you. Thank you for your cheekbones and wolfish good looks. Thank you for your gorgeous books but thank you for your lovely faces, too.

(NB. This isn't one of the YA hottie authors. This is actually Rob Lowe. I have a need to post pictures of him at regular intervals or I get sad)

Vlog: Christmas Bookish Gifts

2011-12-30T18:00:00.000Z

Good day, chaps! I've recorded my last vlog of 2011, which you can have a gander at below if you feel so inclined. Please forgive my poor editing, bad sound quality and general failure at making videos. I will get better next year, I promise.

It's a short one, just showing you a couple of the YA books I got for Christmas this year.

(If the video isn't working can someone let me know on Twitter so I can bitch slap Blogger? Ta)

It's the end of the world as we know it

2011-12-30T07:00:00.000Z

I've had a bit of an epiphany of late. Credit for said epiphany goes to the gorgeous, super talented and all around awesome Lynsey from Narratively Speaking. While we were waiting for the Walker event a couple of weeks ago we were talking about 2012 and the world ending. We both agreed we're fairly sure the world will escape 21/12/12 unscathed but I'm at least 5% concerned, despite my boyfriend promising numerous times that the Mayans were definitely wrong.

Look, I know it's (almost definitely) not going to happen but what if the world did end in 2012? Would I have any regrets when it comes to my little corner of the Internet, Writing from the Tub? YES. Yes I would. I'd say I'm only 50% myself on the blog and 50% some vaguely dull 'better comment on the pacing and sentence structure' alter ago I seem to think equals a reviewer. Well, it doesn't. Let's face it, my reviews are getting increasingly stale. I've reviewed just over 200 books this year; I'm seriously running out of ways to make each review unique.

So, in 2012 I'm going to be myself. Truth is, I'm not always me on my blog, mostly because I'm inappropriate and, if I'm honest, a bit of a bitch so I always worry you guys or authors or publishers won't think I'm 'professional' enough. Also, more than anything else I am an aspiring writer. 2012 is the year I start my quest to find an agent. I've heard the horror stories about agents refusing to represent bloggers. True or not, that's scary.

With all of that in mind, I've definitely become a watered down version of myself this year on Writing from the Tub. And that watered down version of me is beginning to piss me off, frnakly. I'm going to put more of myself into my reviews, I'm going to write more personal posts (I know I've been saying that for the last six months) and I'm going to talk more about my writing, which I've always kept relatively quiet about. I'll definitely post more vlogs, mostly because I like layering music over the beginning of them and it gives me a legitimate to wear shit loads of eyeliner when I'm not even leaving the house.

I'm excited about actually getting to post the content I want to, rather than censoring myself lest I offend anybody. I'm also going to focus more on 2012 releases than older titles, which is something I haven't done before. I just want 2012 at Writing from the Tub to be fun, that's my main goal for next year.

I really hope you guys will stick around to see these changes take place. Hopefully you'll like the new and improved Writing from the Tub and enjoy getting to know the real me a little better.

Books I'm Most Looking Forward to in 2012 (Non-Debut)

2011-12-29T07:00:00.000Z

Good morning chaps! Yesterday I posted up a list of the 2012 debut novels I'm most excited to read and today I'm back with a list of the non-debut novels I can't wait for in 2012.

There are a ridiculous amount of amazing books coming out next year; I genuinely think 2012 is going to be the best year for books since I started blogging many moons ago. Well, only two years ago but still.

Adorkable - Sarra Manning

I freaking love Sarra Manning and Adorkable sounds absolutely up my street; it's probably the non-debut I'm most excited about in 2012!

A Midsummer's Nightmare - Kody Keplinger

Miss Keplinger is quickly becoming one of the brightest stars in YA contemporary so I'm counting down the days until her next book is released.

Second Chance Summer - Morgan Matson

I love the sound of Second Chance Summer, it sounds like a really sweet coming of age story with (obviously) a nice little love story at the centre. I haven't read any of Matson's work yet but I have Amy and Roger's Epic Detour on my shelves ready to read in 2012.

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare - Melissa Jensen

Another contemporary that sounds like it's going to put a huge smile on my face. The cover is sweet and I love the premise. Sure, it's one that's been done a few (okay, a load) of times but it's a tried and tested formula that I can't resist.

This Is Not a Test - Courtney Summers

Good lord, I'm excited about this book! I'm a massive Courtney Summers fans as it is and I really do think This Is Not a Test sounds like it could be my new favourite of hers. I have such high hopes for it and I have no doubt it's going to absolutely deliver.

This Is So Not Happening - Kieran Scott

I'm a big fan of this series so I can't wait for the third book to come out next year. I don't often commit to series but I just can't resist Scott's hilarious writing. Can we please have a TV adaptation soon? That would be swell.

The List - Siobhan Vivian

Yesss, I need this book in my life! It reminds me a little of The Market, which was one of my favourite reads of 2010.

The Fault in Our Stars - John Green

*Whispers* I've never read any John Green. I know I need to rectify this.

Two Truths and a Lie - Sara Shepard

I adore The Lying Game; I love the series, I love the TV show - I actually prefer The Lying Game to Pretty Little Liars. Does anyone else agree with me on this one? Either way, I already have book three in the series pre-ordered, woop!

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So that's a few of the books I'm really excited about in 2012. Of course, there are so many more books I can't wait for - back in my Twelve Days of Christmas feature I also listed the sequels I can't wait for in 2012 (Fever, Insurgent, Pandemonium etc - SO many). Which books are you guys most excited about?

Books I'm Most Looking Forward to in 2012 (Debut)

2011-12-28T08:35:00.008Z

So here we are, it's that time for year again where everybody brings out the lists. I do love a good list so I'm more than happy to join the party; over the next few days I'll be posting up some of the books I'm most excited about in 2012, as well as an end of year survey and some more details about what you can expect from Writing from the Tub in 2012.

Today I'm going to be listing the debut novels due out in 2012 that I can't wait for; I already have most of these pre-ordered and, as you'd expect from me, most of them are contemporary, though there are a few in there that might surprise you.

Fracture - Megan Miranda

This one sounds great - almost like a paranormal If I Stay. I've got a proof copy on my shelves so I'm really hoping to get time to ready it before I go back to work next week.

Struck - Jennifer Bosworth

I heard about this one earlier in the year at a Random House blogger event and I've been waiting for it ever since. The concept of this one sounds so interesting and it actually sounds like it might be a dystopian that's *gasp* a little bit original. Dare we dream it, folks?

Starters - Lissa Price

Gah, I NEED this book. Another one that Random House had us salivating over at the last blogger event, I know this series is going to be absolutely huge. The concept reminds me a little of the film Surrogate and I think it's going to be a great book.

Ditched: A Love Story - Robin Mellom

Ah, contemporary, my old chum. In Ditched we're promised high schools, proms, boys and big poofy dresses. Obviously I will adore it. Hopefully there'll be a bitchy blonde girl and it will check all the boxes to make my perfect read.

Pretty Crooked - Elisa Ludwig

Retellings are all the rage these days, aren't they? However, I can't recall too many contemporary novels that are retellings (aside from the endless Jane Austen reimaginings, of course), especially not of the story of Robin Hood. Enter Pretty Crooked. This one looks like Robin Hood set in an American high school, with added skinny jeans and big sunglasses.

Reunited - Hilary Weisman Graham

Yes, yes, yes - this one sounds awesome! Three friends from high school reuniting for a road trip to see their favourite band as kids, what's not to love? I know this one is going to make me laugh and I know it's probably going to make me weep big sentimental tears. Win.

Cracked - K.M. Walton

I do very much enjoy a good YA set in a psych ward; Girl, Interrupted, Impulse, Mouthing the Words, The Bell Jar (obviously), so I was really excited to discover Cracked, which sounds like a brilliant novel. I think this one will have a lightness to it in parts, which is always important in novels that deal with heavy issues and I can't wait to see what K.M. Walton does with this story.

Trafficked - Kim Purcell

I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to enjoy Trafficked, per se but it sounds like an important book that I'm sure I'll be recommending to everybody throughout 2012. Human trafficking isn't an issue that I've seen written about very much in YA so I think it's great that Purcell has chosen to tackle scuh a difficult subject.

Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe - Shelley Coriell

My main goal in 2012 is to have run, read fun books, write fun books and generally have a swell old time. Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe sounds like one of the most fun books due out in 2012 so I can't wait to get my hands on it. I'm already predicting the film rights to be snapped up for this one.

This One Time with Julia - David Lampson

This is one that I pre-ordered months ago, as soon as I read the summary on Goodreads. It sounds wonderfully dark and a little bit twisted and I'm pretty sure I'm going to love it.

Freshman Year & Other Natural Disasters - Meredith Zeitlin

Freshman Year & Other Natural Disasters sounds like the perfect book to dive into to pass a few hours. It sounds funny and sweet and I love both the title and the cover (which reminds me a little of the cover for Past Perfect). Of course, what's going on inside the book sounds pretty fab as well.

Hollow Pike - James Dawson

And last but by absolutely no means least, we have Hollow Pike by the lovely James Dawson. This book sounds bloody awesome, it's going to be amazing and everybody's already utterly obsessed with it - and it's not even coming out until February, God damn it!

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So there you have it folks, the twelve debut novels I'm most excited for in 2012. Do you have any of these on your wishlist? What books are you most excited about?

Christmas Sales Book Bargains!

2011-12-27T20:26:00.006Z

Hello my dears! Did you all have a lovely Christmas? I hope you ate lots of food, opened lots of fab presents and had a wonderful day with all your favourite people.

I've had a brilliant couple of days and been thoroughly spoiled by my family and lovely boyfriend. I seem to have bought pretty much the entire Internet in the sales, oops. I'm definitely going to do a post when all my bargains arrive!

In the mean time, I thought I'd let you know a few of the book bargains I've found during my travels in case you need some inspiration for how to spend your Christmas cash

First up is Amazon (with free delivery):

Dark Matter - Michelle Paver (down from £7.99 to £2.80)

Silence - Becca Fitzpatrick (down from £9.99 to £4.70)

My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece - Annabel Pitcher (down from £6.99 to £2.94)

Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson (down from £6.99 to £2.87)

The Double Shadow - Sally Gardner (down from £9.99 to £5.29)

The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson (down from £6.99 to £4.61)

Midwinterblood - Marcus Sedgwick (down from £9.99 to £5.29)

Dark Inside - Jeyn Roberts (down from £9.99 to £5.29)

Fury - Elizabeth Miles (down from £9.99 to £4.70)

Marcelo in the Real World - Francisco X. Stork (down from £8.99 to £2.70)

Next is Play.com (with free delivery):

Diary of a Wimpy Kid boxset (books one to four) - Jeff Kinney (down from £25 to £10.99)

Beautiful Chaos - Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (down from £7.99 to £4.69)

The Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater (down from £7.99 to £4.19)

Low Red Moon - Ivy Devlin (down from £6.99 to £2.79)

Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare (down from £7.99 to £3.89)

Bloodlines - Richelle Mead (down from £6.99 to £4.49)

Brother/Sister - Sean Olin (down from £9.99 to £5.19)

Forgotten - Cat Patrick (down from £6.99 to £3.59)

Never Have I Ever - Sara Shepard (down from £6.99 to £4.39)

0.4 - Mike Lancaster (down from £6.99 to £3.39)

And finally, The Book Depository (with free delivery):

Naked - Kevin Brooks (down from £7.99 to £4.38)

Abandon - Meg Cabot (down from £9.99 to £5.48)

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs (down from £9.99 to £6.58)

Forever - Maggie Stiefvater (down from £7.99 to £3.98)

Everlasting - Alyson Noel (down from £6.99 to £3.77)

Mini Review Madness (Cristmas Style): The Kingdom Under the Sea, Magic Beans and Jesus' Christmas Party

2011-12-25T07:00:00.003Z

Today marks the final day of my Mini Review Madness feature, with a (slight) Christmas theme no less! I've had a wonderful time reviewing so many great books this year and I'm pleased to say I'll be starting 2012 with a greatly reduced TBR pile, phew!

In today's installment I'll be looking at the following:

The Kingdom Under the Sea - Joan Aiken and Jan Pienkowski
Magic Beans - Jacqueline Wilson, Philip Pullman, Michael Morpurgo and many more...
Jesus' Christmas Party - Nicholas Allan

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The Kingdom Under the Sea - Joan Aiken and Jan Pienkowski

Summary (from inside cover of book): From the creators of the much-loved A Necklace of Raindrops comes a collection of stories filled with magic.

Travel deep to the kingdom under the sea, where lies the sea-king's palace filled with mermaids and dragons, the fearsome and the monstrous... Wicked fairies rub shoulders with sun-gods, goblins make mischief and noble knights go into battle within these pages. Meet Baba Yaya, who eats men up as if they were chickens, and meet the most beautiful creature on the whole round of the earth!

There are brave deeds, granted wishes and mythical creatures in these traditional European folk tales, retold with the inimitable touch of master storyteller Joan Aiken, and illustrated with the iconic silhouettes of Jan Pienkowski.

Mini review: Wonderfully written and beautifully illustrated, The Kingdom Under the Sea is a gorgeous book that deserves a place on any reader's shelves. The look of this book is just fantastic and the illustrations absolutely highlight the stories, without being too overpowering.

The mythology in the stories is excellent, simply explained so the book is suitable for children without being patronising. It was great to learn more about the Eastern European fairy stories and I'd definitely be interested to read A Necklace of Raindrops.

Magic Beans - Jacqueline Wilson, Philip Pullman, Michael Morpurgo and many more...

Summary (from Goodreads): Magic beans. Sow them. Plant them. Watch children grow. 'If you are a dreamer, come in. If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, a hoper, a prayer, a magic-bean-buyer. If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire, for we have some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in!' (Shel Silverstein, Poet). Each and every one of the stories in this anthology is a magic bean: a wondrous tale that will capture your imagination.

Prepare to be dazzled by "Rapunzel's" golden tresses. Prepare to be moved by the suffering of the "Little Mermaid". Prepare to laugh yourself silly as 'Mr Sultana' struggles to get the better of a little red rooster! Lovingly crafted by the finest authors and illustrators, these 'magic beans' will delight, thrill and thoroughly entertain.

Mini review: Any anthology that features stories by Michael Morpurgo, Philip Pullman and Jacqueline Wilson is definitely up my street and I'm pleased to say Magic Beans absolutely delivers.

Various traditional fairy stories are retold by some of the best writers in the market today and this is the perfect book to give as a gift at Christmas. Aesop's Fables retold by Malorie Blackman was my favourite story but Michael Morpurgo's Cockadoodle-doo, Mr Sultana! was another wonderful chapter.

Jesus' Christmas Party - Nicholas Allan

Summary (from Goodreads): Join the celebration! Start a new Christmas tradition by sharing Nicholas Allan's delightful holiday tale with your family. Whimsical illustrations combined with cheerful text guarantee that everyone will get into the Christmas spirit this holiday season.

There's nothing the innkeeper likes more than a good night's sleep. But that's the last thing he'll be getting on a night of angels, shepherds, bright stars...and a very special baby.

Nicholas Allan's charming retelling of the Nativity story will delight and amuse readers everywhere. The perfect gift to spread Christmas cheer!

Mini review: I've been a fan of this book for as long as I can remember, I read it as a child so I jumped at the chance to read it again for review here at Writing from the Tub. It's the perfect Christmas story to share with your children and this new design is just great.

This book used to make me laugh out loud and I always loved the touching ending. It's a timeless story that I'm sure you'll all enjoy reading just as much as the youngsters will.

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So, that's it from me for reviews in 2011! I'll be back every day between now and New Year with some end of year surveys and round-ups, then normal service will resume from January 1st 2012. I have another post coming later today about Christmas but, until then, I hope you all have a wonderful day x

The Twelve Days of Christmas: Book of the Year

2011-12-24T07:00:00.000Z

Good morning lovely people. Happy Christmas Eve! Are you all excited for Christmas today? Silly question. Of course you are.

Today is the last installment in my Twelve Days of Christmas feature, which I've had an absolute blast writing. It's been a great way to spotlight some of my favourite books and authors of 2011 and I'll definitely be bringing it back next year.

As this is the last post of the series I wanted to dedicate to my book of the year, the book I have enjoyed most of all and the book I've definitely talked about and recommend most during 2011.

This shouldn't come as much as a surprise to anybody who's spoken to me this year but my book of the year is...

Long Lankin by the incomparable Lindsey Barraclough!

Of course, it couldn't be anything else, could it? Midwinterblood came a very close second but Long Lankin just beat it.

I obsessed over Long Lankin for a good six months before I finally got given a copy at a Random House event. I loved it even more than I thought I would and it's easily one of my favourite YA books of all time (ALL TIME). If you want to read my review then just click here and to hear more about the time I was lucky enough to meet Lindsey click here.

There aren't enough superlatives in the world to describe how much I adore this book. I know it's one I'll reread and recommend for years and years to come and I'm so glad it was so well reviewed when it was released. It's completely unique and so refreshing to stumble across something so very different to anything out that's out there in the YA market at the moment. Plus, Lindsey is one of the sweetest authors I've ever had the pleasure of meeting and it was so lovely to get the opportunity to chat ot her about the book - massive thank you to the wonderful ladies at Random House for that, it absolutely made my year!

So there you have it, Long Lankin is Writing from the Tub's Book of the Year 2011. What did you think about Long Lankin? Which book would you give this award to?

Thank you everybody who's followed along with the Twelve Days of Christmas, I've loved reading all your comments and chatting to you about the posts on Twitter. You are all brilliant and if I don't speak to you before or if you're too busy to read tomorrow's posts I hope you all have the best Christmas ever!

(Fun fact: I just google Lindsey Barraclough to pull up an author picture and the second, third, seventh and eighth results on Google Images all come from Writing from the Tub - hot damn, that's some fine SEO)

The Twelve Days of Christmas: 2 Novels I Wrote in 2011

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000Z

Good morning all my lovely pals. Today marks the penultimate day of my Twelve Days of Christmas feature and also my last working day before Christmas - YES!

Today's post is centred around the two novels I wrote during 2011 so I want to talk a little bit about each of them and the time I spent writing them, as both stories were a huge part of my life this year.

Two Novels I Wrote in 2011:

1. Reckless

This is the summer camp themed YA novel that's been brewing in my head for years and years. I wrote it originally as part of one of my university dissertations but realised after graduating that the setting wasn't quite right; I tried a few different things and eventually settled on a summer camp. After that things slotted nicely into place and I got the first draft down in about six weeks over the summer. The first 50,000 words I wrote as part of Camp NaNo and the last 30k I wrote shortly after that.

A couple of chapters in things didn't feel as though they were flowing as well as they could so I switched from third person to first person. It was like a light went on and I don't think I'd ever choose to go back to third person. Hooray!

In short, Reckless is about the summer two British best friends spend working as camp counsellors at a summer camp in the US. I'm so proud of Reckless and I still adore it; I'm planning on editing it further and rewriting pretty much everything over the next couple of months, ready to (hopefully) start looking for an agent in the first half of 2012. There's still a long way to go with this one but it's looking good.

1. Under the Influence

This was a complete last minute idea, which came to me randomly at work. The day before I'd been persuaded to take part in NaNoWriMo '11 by the lovely Viv over at Seredipity Reviews and I had no idea what I was going to write about until this idea, almost fully formed, hit me square in the face. Isn't it wonderful when that happens?

Under the Influence was so much fun to write and although I think it's completely unpublishable, I absolutely love it. I'm going to continue working on it until it's polished the way I'd like it to be so hopefully it'll be done by the end of 2012. It's not my main priority as I'm not planning on taking it any further (at the moment, at least) but I'd still love to get it finished properly.

Under the Influence is the story of a university graduate who realises that a terrible mistake she made with a certain fellow during her time as a student has had a much greater impact on her life than she ever could have realised. Things happen. There are boys and hangovers involved. Etc etc. Basically, it's about spooning, drunk texting and cocktails. It's shallow, it's completely inappropriate and it was a blast to write. Love it.

So, yes, those are my two little books from 2011. I love them both like they're my literary children and I'm going to spend 2012 polishing them until they shiiiiine as brightly as possible. I'm currently planning book number four but I'm not letting myself delve too deeply until Reckless is done and dusted and I've finally started looking for representation. Eek.

Anyway, I digress.

Book four is very, very rough at the moment but seems to be about winter, a reunion and SECRETS.

The Twelve Day of Christmas: 3 biggest blogging achievements of 2011

2011-12-22T07:00:00.002Z

Good morning everybody! I'm here today with a list of my three biggest blogging achievements of 2011, as day ten of my Twelve Days of Christmas feature. As always, feel free to join in - just let me know so I can give you a shout out!

1. Being invited to so many amazing events - the fact that publishers I've looked up to for years actually know about my blog is completely inspiring in itself but the fact they actually take the time to put on events for us bloggers (and invite little ole' me!) still completely blows my mind. I've been to so many brilliant events this year and caught up with my very best blogging buds pretty much every month throughout 2011, which I'm so, so grateful for

2. Breaking 700 followers and seeing my stats improve month on month - Now, I know that followers aren't important etc etc but I still get a massive thrill every time I see that somebody new has started following me. I do so appreciate every single person who reads my blog or comments or follows me on Twitter. I've experimented this year with different types of content to try and deliver what people want so I'm really chuffed to see my stats improving every month.

3. Meeting Meg Rosoff and her telling me she's actually heard of Writing from the Tub! Um, AMAZING!

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So tell me, what were you biggest blogging achievements of the year?

The Twelve Days of Christmas: 5 books I can't believe I still haven't read and 4 trends I'm predicting for 2012

2011-12-21T20:46:00.002Z

Hello all - sorry I missed posting yesterday, everything's a little hectic in the run up to Christmas, as I'm sure it is for all of you!

First of all I have my list of five books I can't believe I STILL haven't read and then four of the trends in YA I'm predicting for 2012.

Five books I can't believe I still haven't read

5. Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins
4. Forever - Maggie Stiefvater
3. Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead
2. Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer
1. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs

Four trends I'm predicting in YA for 2012

4. Road trips/travelling (Wanderlove, Thou Shall Not Road Trip, Kiss the Morning Star, Reunited, The Disenchantments)
3. Post Iraq/Afghanistan war (Something Like Normal, Personal Effects, If I Lie, In Honor)
2. Anything set in Japan (Tokyo Heist, Katana)
1. Time travel/jumping (The Future of Us, Tempest, Time Between Us, Mortal Chaos)

Of course, dystopia is probably going to dominate 2012 releases, partly because of how popular it was this year and also because of the Hunger Games movie. I did enjoy dystopia this year but I'm already getting a bit fed up with the same couple of stories being regurgitated over and over again, sadly dystopia is becoming a bit of a snooze fest at the moment but there are a few great looking books due out in 2012 so hopefully that might freshen up the genre a little!

The Twelve Day of Christmas: 6 favourite characters of 2011

2011-12-19T07:00:00.004Z

Good morning everybody! I'm here today with a list of my six favourite characters from books released in 2011, as day seven of my Twelve Days of Christmas feature. As always, feel free to join in - just let me know so I can give you a shout out!

1. Auntie Ida (Long Lankin - Lindsey Barraclough)

For being one of the most beautifully crafted and humanly flawed characters I've come across this year

2. The Eck (There is No Dog - Meg Rosoff)

For being comedy gold without speaking a word

3. Four (Divergent - Veronica Roth)

For being a genuine hottie, rather than an 'I've known you for five minutes and I'm passive aggressively abusive' love interest

4. Natalie Hargrove (The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove - Lauren Kate)

For being a bitch and absolutely rocking it

5. Ronnie (Being Billy - Phil Earle)

For unexpectedly making me cry a whole damn lot

6. Zoe (Choker - Elizabeth Woods)

For being wonderfully evil and seriously creeping me out

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Tell me, who are your favourite characters of 2011?

The Twelve Day of Christmas: 7 writers I read for the first time in 2011

2011-12-18T07:00:00.004Z

Good morning everybody! I'm here today with a list of seven writers I read for the first time in 2011, as day six of my Twelve Days of Christmas feature. As always, feel free to join in - just let me know so I can give you a shout out!

I can't believe it took me so long to get around to reading the following writers, the book(s) in brackets is/are the titles of theirs that I read this year.

1. Marcus Sedgwick (Midwinterblood)

2. Elizabeth Scott (Love You, Hate You, Miss You)

3. Patrick Ness (Chaos Walking trilogy and A Monster Calls)

4. Megan McCafferty (Bumped)

5. David Levithan (Love is the Higher Law)

6. Susan Hill (The Woman in Black)

7. Morris Gleitzman (Grace)

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Which writers did you read for the first time in 2011? Did you enjoy their books or not?

The Twelve Day of Christmas: 8 books that surprised me in 2011

2011-12-17T07:00:00.004Z

Good morning everybody! I'm here today with a list of the eight books that surprised me the most in 2011, as day five of my Twelve Days of Christmas feature. As always, feel free to join in - just let me know so I can give you a shout out!

1. Unearthly - Cynthia Hand

This one was so much better than I expected! It was one of the first books I read on my Kindle and I'd convinced myself it was going to be nothing more than a run of the mill paranormal romance that I wouldn't enjoy. Well, I was seriously wrong about that. I loved everything about Unearthly and already have Hallowed pre-ordered!

2. Divergent - Veronica Roth

I was so sure that I wasn't going to enjoy Divergent so I avoided it for the best part of 2011. From what I'd heard about it I'd decided it was a Hunger Games rip off that I definitely wasn't going to like. I know, how wrong was I? After the lovely Jesse at Books4Teens sent me a spare copy I dove in and realised the error of my ways!

3. The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness

Confession: the first time I tried to read The Knife of Never Letting Go I ended up putting it down after about 100 pages. Why? I have absolutely no frigging idea. I just didn't quite get into the story. Madness, I know. I tried it again a few months later and was addicted - I flew through the series and am now and converted Patrick Ness fan girl. How did it take me so long to see the light?!

4. Beautiful Malice - Rebecca James

For reasons completely unknown I was so sure this one was about vampires and, as such, had avoided it for a while. I picked up a copy a long time ago but left it sitting on my shelf until the lovely Vicki from Heaven, Hell and Purgatory told me I'd love it if I liked Choker (which I did, big time). Thankfully, I took Vicki's advice and gave it a go. I'm so pleased I did and I seriously loved this book. It's contemporary, it's a little edgy and it's ever so screwed up - perfect!

5. The Goddess Test - Aimee Carter

I had massively high hopes for The Goddess Test and was sure I would love it. Unfortunately I didn't, at all. The story really let me down and I just couldn't connect with any of the characters.

6. Very LeFreak - Rachel Cohn

Oh, Very LeFreak... I'd been desperate to read this one since it first came out and I finally cracked and ordered it in from the US. However, I was completely disappointed and really, really didn't enjoy it, which is such a shame as I think it has so much potential. Boo.

7. The Long Weekend - Savita Kalhan

Wow - this one came completely out of nowhere and instantly became one of my most memorable books of the year, for all the right reasons. It's shocking, it'll twist your heart with every page and it's absolutely unmissable.

8. Vicious Little Darlings - Katherine Easer

I was so sure this one was about werewolves and that made me reluctant to try it. I'm still not sure why, I guess because there's a moon on the front cover. However, it's actually a wicked little contemporary novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.

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So which books surprised you (for good or bad reasons) in 2011? Let me know!

Mini Review Madness: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Mad Love, Reel Life Starring Us, Hidden

2011-12-16T07:00:00.009Z

Hi everybody, for today's installment of Mini Review Madness I'm going to be taking a look at the following books:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw - Jeff Kinney
Mad Love - Suzanne Selfors
Reel Life Starring Us - Lisa Greenwald
Hidden - Miriam Halahmy

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw - Jeff Kinney

Summary (from Goodreads): The highly anticipated third book in the critically acclaimed and bestselling series takes the art of being wimpy to a whole new level. Let’s face it: Greg Heffley will never change his wimpy ways. Somebody just needs to explain that to Greg’s father.

You see, Frank Heffley actually thinks he can get his son to toughen up, and he enlists Greg in organized sports and other “manly” endeavors. Of course, Greg is able to easily sidestep his father’s efforts to change him. But when Greg’s dad threatens to send him to military academy, Greg realizes he has to shape up . . . or get shipped out.

Greg and his family and friends, who make the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books a must-read for middle school readers, are back and at their best in this hilarious new installment of the series, which is sure to please current fans while attracting new ones.

Mini review: As you know, I'm a big fan of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. I find them funny now so I know I would have found them absolutely hilarious if they'd been about when I was younger. Greg is such a likeable protagonist and it's great to see him and the rest of the cast develop as the series progresses. I have actually read the series out of order but, for me, that doesn't take away from the enjoyment of each book. I think these work well as both standalones and part of a series.

Mad Love - Suzanne Selfors

Summary (from Goodreads): When you're the daughter of the bestselling Queen of Romance, life should be pretty good. But 16-year-old Alice Amorous has been living a lie ever since her mother was secretly hospitalized for mental illness. After putting on a brave front for months, time is running out. The next book is overdue, and the Queen can't write it. Alice needs a story for her mother-and she needs one fast.

That's when she meets Errol, a strange boy who claims to be Cupid, who insists that Alice write about the greatest love story in history: his tragic relationship with Psyche. As Alice begins to hear Errol's voice in her head and see things she can't explain, she must face the truth-that she's either inherited her mother's madness, or Errol is for real.

Mini review: I love this book! It's such an interesting story that I almost wish it was a little longer in length, as it is fairly short as it stands. Errol is captivating from the outset and I found myself completely drawn into his story, alongside Alice. I won't give too much away as there are some great twists and turns throughout the plot, all I'll say is that I definitely recommend this one to all fans of YA.

Reel Life Starring Us - Lisa Greenwald

Summary (from Goodreads): Rockwood Hills Junior High is known for the close-knit cliques that rule the school. When arty new girl Dina gets the opportunity to do a video project with queen bee Chelsea, she thinks this is her ticket to a great new social life. But Chelsea has bigger problems than Dina can imagine: her father has lost his job, and her family is teetering on the brink. Without knowing it, Dina might just get caught in Chelsea’s free fall.

Filled with honest truths about status and self-confidence, as well as the bubbly, infectious voice Lisa Greenwald mastered in her breakout, My Life in Pink & Green, this book is sure to charm tween readers everywhere.

Mini review: Ah, I'm sad to say I was disappointed with Reel Life Starring Us. I'd heard some great things about it and it sounded as though it'd be right up my street but unfortunately I just couldn't connect with Chelsea, Dina or any of the characters in Greenwald's novel. I think this one is definitely suited to younger teens rather than older teens but it's not one I'd rush to recommend.

Hidden - Miriam Halahmy

Summary (from Goodreads): "Hidden" is the first in a cycle of three novels set on Hayling Island, off the South Coast of England, near the Isle of Wight. Each novel is stand alone but a minor character in the previous novel becomes the major character in the next.

"Hidden" is a brave novel, tackling the issues surrounding Middle-Eastern immigration into the UK through the eyes of a British teenager. "Hidden" is a literary, coming-of-age novel dealing with judgement, courage, preconceptions and the difficulty of sorting right from wrong. "Hidden" is humorous, yet hard-hitting and speaks with a voice which teenagers will connect with.

Mini review: Hmm, I still have mixed feelings about this one. Hidden is definitely a book with a lot of potential and I think it's the beginning of what will be a popular series, though I wasn't completely convinced by it. I'm not sure that I'd pick up the next two books in the series but there are a lot of vey positive reviews out there so do check them out before you make up your mind. For me, the writing just wasn't tight enough and it felt as though I was reading an early draft of a novel, rather than the finished article.

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Note: All books were sent for review by the publisher

The Twelve Day of Christmas: 9 sequels I can't wait for in 2012

2011-12-16T07:00:00.004Z

Good morning everybody! I'm here today with a list of the nine sequels I'm most excited for in 2012, as day four of my Twelve Days of Christmas feature. As always, feel free to join in - just let me know so I can give you a shout out!

There are a ridiculous amount of sequels (or later installments in a series) that I'm really looking forward to next year, looking down my list almost all of them are for dystopia or paranormal series. You all know I'm not a huge paranormal fan so it's just a testament to how great those on the list are as it's extremely rare that I ever commit to a paranormal series.

1. Pandemonium - Lauren Oliver

2. Insurgent - Veronica Roth

3. Fever - Lauren DeStefano

4. The Wood Queen - Karen Mahoney

5. Hallowed - Cynthia Hand

6. A Million Suns - Beth Revis

7. Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2 (currently untitled and no cover yet) - Laini Taylor

8. Thumped - Megan McCafferty

9. Loss - Jackie Morse Kessler

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How about you guys? Which sequels are you most excited about in 2012?

The Twelve Days of Christmas: 10 Writers I was Most Excited to Meet in 2011

2011-12-15T15:00:00.005Z

So today marks day three in my Twelve Days of Christmas feature and today's stop is a lot of the writers I was most star-struck to meet in 2011. I had a really wonderful year for attending events and meeting writers and it's definitely one of my favourite things about blogging. I just want to say a huge thank you to all of the amazing publishing houses who have invited me to events this year - I'm so, so grateful and I still get a huge buzz any time I'm invited anywhere.

As well all know, writers are our rock stars so here is a (very non-exhaustive) list of some of the writers I was most excited to meet in 2011.

1. Phil Earle (Being Billy)

2. Sarra Manning (Diary of a Crush and so many other books that never fail to remind me why art boys are the best kind)

3. Lindsey Barraclough (Long Lankin)

4. Sophia Bennett (the Threads series)

5. Meg Rosoff (How I Live Now, There is No Dog and lots of other books that have made me cry)

6. David Almond (Skellig, The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean and approximately one million other beautiful books)

7. Melvin Burgess (Junk, Sara's Face and a tonne of other books that never fail to inspire me)

8. Alyxandra Harvey (The Drake Chronicles and Haunting Violet)

9. Dave Cousins (15 Days Without a Head)

10. Marcus Sedgwick (Midwinterblood, White Crow, Revolver... I could go on for a while)

Which writers did you get to meet in 2011? Are there any writers in particular you want to meet in 2012?

Mini Review Madness: Eight Keys, The Considine Curse, Too Small to Fail, George and the Big Bang, Footloose

2011-12-15T07:00:00.005Z

Hi everybody, for today's installment of Mini Review Madness I'm going to be taking a look at the following books:

Eight Keys - Suzanne LaFleur
The Considine Curse - Gareth P. Jones
Too Small to Fail - Morris Gleitzman
George and the Big Bang - Lucy Hawking, Stephen Hawking
Footloose - Paramount

Eight Keys - Suzanne LaFleur

Summary (from Goodreads): Elise and Franklin have always been best friends. Elise has always lived in the big house with her loving Uncle and Aunt, because Elise's parents died when she was too young to remember them. There's always been a barn behind the house with eight locked doors on the second floor.

When Elise and Franklin start middle school, things feel all wrong. Bullying. Not fitting in. Franklin suddenly seems babyish. Then, soon after her 12th birthday, Elise receives a mysterious key left for her by her father. A key that unlocks one of the eight doors upstairs in the bar . . .

Mini review: Eight Keys is aimed a slightly younger age range than I usually read but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It's an incredibly sweet novel that's sensitively written to speak out against bullying and explore the importance of friendship.

The Considine Curse - Gareth P. Jones

Summary (from Goodreads): Fourteen-year-old Mariel returns to England for her grandmother's funeral. It is the first time she has been back since she emigrated with her mother as a baby, and it is the beginning of the uncovering of some really extraordinary truths about the Considine family.

Why did Mariel's mum argue with Grandma all those years ago? Why does Amelia wear so much perfume? Why is there a very large cat flap in Louvre House? Why does Gerald seem scared of his brother's appetite? Did Grandma Considine really break her neck falling down the stairs? And most importantly, what is the dark secret that lies at the heart of the family?

Mini review: The Considine Curse is such a fun book that I'm sure will delight younger readers. The characters are great, all so unique and well written and I particularly liked Mariel, who is a great heroine and role model.

Too Small to Fail - Morris Gleitzman

Summary (from Goodreads): 1 boy. 1 girl. 1 camel. Squillions of dollars. A plan that can't fail. Or can it? Oliver's parents own a bank. This makes them very rich, very important and very busy. Oliver, on the other hand, is terrible at maths and aspires to nothing more than owning the puppy that he frequently visits at his local pet shop.

When a mysterious woman buys the puppy and threatens to harm it if Oliver can't return her thousand of dollars (unfortunately, Oliver's parents seem to have misplaced her life savings. Something to do with some stuff on the news.) Oliver hatches a plan which will take him further than he ever imagined...

Mini review: Morris Gleitzman is back with another heart-warming, funny novel. Too Small to Fail is a wonderful story, completely different from Grace, the other book by Gleitzman that I read this year but also loved. I love that Oliver's motivation behind the plan is the puppy he's so desperate for - when I was younger I would have done the exact same thing if it meant I could have a dog!

George and the Big Bang - Lucy Hawking, Stephen Hawking

Summary (from Goodreads): Going back to the beginning of time . . . Discover the final chapter in this out-of-this-world adventure series!

One of the biggest science experiments of all time is about to take place - and George and Annie have got front-row seats! Eric, Annie's scientist dad, is heading to the Large Hadron Collider to explore the earliest moments of the Universe - the Big Bang. Armed with his trusty super-computer, Cosmos, nothing can possibly go wrong . . . until George and Annie discover a fiendish plot to destroy the experiment!

George is swept into a terrifying adventure - through wormholes, into far-flung galaxies and to the edge of knowledge itself - while he and Annie race to outwit a sinister group who are bent on the destruction of science . . . But will they succeed?

Mini review: I'm a big fan of this book - not only is the story engaging and well-written, there are also some great physics lessons woven seamlessly into the plot. While reading this book it doesn't feel as though you're been lectured at, which I think is so important with children. I'm sure any budding scientists out there will adore this one.

Footloose - Paramount

Summary (from Goodreads): Newcomers Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough star in Writer/Director Craig Brewer's hot new remake of one of the most beloved films of the 80's. The themes of this classic movie are as timely as ever: freedom of expression, the role of religion in community, defining family values, and-of course- rock 'n' roll and teen spirit.

Mini review: I love the original Footloose movie, though I haven't yet seen the remake. When a copy of the book, inspired by the film, arrived I wasn't sure whether to try it or not. I'm not generally a fan of books that are written to tie in with film releases as I find the quality is usually pretty horrendous. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this one and found it was much better written than I thought it'd be. It's pretty true to the film (the original, at least) and I think the writer(s) did a great job of bringing the characters to life on the page.

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Note: All books were sent for review by the publisher

The Twelve Days of Christmas: 11 Favourite Covers of 2011

2011-12-14T15:00:00.006Z

Good afternoon lovely readers, I'm here today with a list of my favourite eleven covers of books relesaed in 2011, as day two of my Twelve Days of Christmas feature.

Now if you're a regular reader of Writing from the Tub you'll know how much I love covers so I had a lot of fun putting this list together. 2011 was a great year for gorgeous book covers and, from what I've seen of the 2012 books coming out, next year is set to be just as awesome. Hooray!

11. Long Lankin - Lindsey Barraclough

10. Wither - Lauren DeStefano

9. The Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater

8. Choker - Elizabeth Woods

7. There is No Dog - Meg Rosoff

6. Bad Taste in Boys - Carrie Harris

5. Sweetly - Jackson Pearce

4. Chain Reaction - Simone Elkeles

3. Perfect - Ellen Hopkins

2. Entangled - Cat Clarke

1. Imaginary Girls - Nova Ren Suma

What do you think? Tell me about your favourite covers of this year. Do you think anything is missing from the list?

Mini Review Madness: A Small Free Kiss in the Dark, Pride and Premiership, Beautiful Chaos, Bloodline, The Death-Defying Pepper Roux

2011-12-14T07:00:00.005Z

Hi everybody, for today's installment of Mini Review Madness I'm going to be taking a look at the following books:

A Small Free Kiss in the Dark - Glenda Millard
Pride and Premiership - Michelle Gayle
Beautiful Chaos - Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Bloodline - Kate Cary
The Death-Defying Pepper Roux - Geraldine McCaughrean

A Small Free Kiss in the Dark - Glenda Millard

Summary (from Goodreads): Two young boys, an old tramp, a beautiful teenage dancer, and the girl's baby--ragtag survivors of a sudden war--form a fragile family, hiding out in the ruins of an amusement park. As they scavenge for good, diapers, and baby formula, they must stay out of sight of vicious gangs and lawless soldiers.

At first they rely on Billy, the only adult in the group. But as civil life deteriorates, Billy starts to fall apart. Skip, who is barely into his teens, must take over and lead them on a search for sanctuary. This complex and haunting exploration of life on the edge and what it takes to triumph over adversity is a story about the indomitable nature of hope.

Mini review: A Small Free Kiss in the Dark is quite an extraordinary novel that really stirred up a mixture of emotions inside me. It's a great book at making you feel and think about how you would react in extreme circumtances. It's a book about family and hope and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one to fans of Patrick Ness and David Almond.

Pride and Premiership - Michelle Gayle

Summary (from Goodreads): This is the diary of Remy Louise Bennet, age 17-1/2. Remy Louise Bennet has one goal in life - to be a WAG. And as every true wannabe WAG knows, there are rules. One: pretend you don't know he's a footballer. Two: Don't get drunk (or he won't trust you while he's off on pre-season tour). Three: Never dispute a thing his mum says (they worship their mums).

When Remy starts dating Netherfield Park Rangers' Robbie Wilkins (not Premiership, but good for starters), it seems like all her dreams have come true. Or have they? Remy soon realizes that being a WAG isn't all it's cracked up to be, that Robbie's balls aren't quite so golden...and that maybe there are smarter dreams to pursue.

Mini review: This one was a fun, quick read that I soared through in a matter of hours. It's not earth-shattering fiction but it's definitely worth a read if you're looking for a quick pick me up to combat the grey days outside.

Beautiful Chaos - Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Summary (from Goodreads): Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

Mini review: The third book in a massively popular Caster Chronicles series, Beautiful Chaos continues the series well and heightens the tension even further than in the previous two books. I did enjoy Beautiful Chaos but I'm beginning of tire of the tried and tested paranormal format so, even though I do prefer this series to many other paranormal ones, I don't think I'll be continuing with it.

Bloodline - Kate Cary

Summary (from Goodreads): Thirty-five years have passed since the death of the Master. But now a new evil walks among the living. . . .

When nineteen-year-old John Shaw returns from the trenches of World War I, he is haunted by nightmares—not only of the battlefield, but of the strange, cruel and impossible feats of his regiment's commander, Quincey Harker. Harker's ferocity knows no limits, and his strength is superhuman.

At first John blames his bloody nightmares on trench fever. But when Harker appears in England and begins wooing John's sister, John must confront the truth—and stop Harker from continuing Dracula's bloodline.

Mini review: I'm a huge fan of Dracula so I was really intrigued by this one, which is marketed as a sequel to the original vampire novel. It's certainly an interesting book and it was great to read a YA vampire novel that is a continuation of Dracula, rather than a Twilight rewrite. I did enjoy Bloodline and it made me want to reread Dracula and devour old Christopher Lee movies - always a good thing!

The Death-Defying Pepper Roux - Geraldine McCaughrean

Summary (from Goodreads): Pepper Roux has a charmed life, not only because he confounded his mad aunt's prediction that he was going to die at 14 by remaining alive, but also because he can step into any role he likes and have an adventure. Pepper becomes a sea captain and a sausage-seller, amongst other things, creating chaos wherever he goes.

Mini review: This was a bit of an odd one for me. I think I enjoyed it more now than I would have if I read it when I was younger, I'm not sure that younger readers (who it appears to be marketed towards) would particularly enjoy it. Pepper is an interesting character but I'm not convinced that his personality alone is enough to carry this novel.

*

Note: All books were sent for review by the publisher

The Twelve Days of Christmas: 12 Favourite Books of 2011

2011-12-13T15:00:00.005Z

So for the first installment of my Twelve Days of Christmas feature I'm going to be talking about my 12 favourite 2011 releases that I read this year. Without further ado, onto the list (click the title to go to my review):

1. Long Lankin - Lindsey Barraclough

2. Choker - Elizabeth Wood

3. Midwinterblood - Marcus Sedgwick

4. Bumped - Megan McCafferty

5. The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean - David Almond

6. Wither - Lauren DeStefano

7. Divergent - Veronica Roth

8. A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd

9. Unearthly - Cynthia Hand

10. Brother Sister - Sean Olin

11. Here Lies Bridget - Paige Harbison

12. There is No Dog - Meg Rosoff

Honourable Mention:

Entangled and Being Billy - both 2011 releases that would absolutely be on that list if I hadn't read them in 2010.

What were your favourite 2011 releases? Do you agree with my list or do you think anything's missing? Let me know!

The Twelve Days of Christmas: The Schedule

2011-12-12T15:00:00.002Z

Hello everybody, welcome to the first day of my Twelve Days of Christmas feature, back from last year! Over the next twelve days I'm going to count down to Christmas by celebrating some of my favourite books and authors from 2011.

So many brilliant books came out this year and I'm hoping to highlight just a few of my favourites between now and Christmas day. The feature will run from tomorrow until Christmas Eve so do feel free to join in if you want to - just let me know if you're going to so I can give you a shout out!

The schedule for the next twelve days is as follows:

Tuesday December 13th: 12 Favourite Books of 2011
Wednesday December 14th: 11 Favourite Covers of 2011
Thursday December 15th: 10 Writers I was Most Excited to Meet in 2011
Friday December 16th: 9 Sequels I Can't Wait For in 2012
Saturday December 17th (*my birthday*): 8 Books That Surprised Me in 2011
Sunday December 18th: 7 Writers I Read for the First Time in 2011
Monday December 19th: 6 Favourite Characters of 2011
Tuesday December 20th: 5 Books I Can't Believe I STILL Haven't Read
Wednesday December 21st: 4 Trends I'm Predicting for 2012
Thursday December 22nd: 3 Biggest Blogging Achievements of 2011
Friday December 23rd: 2 Novels I Wrote in 2011
Satruday December 24th: My Book of the Year

Mini Review Madness: Escape Under the Forever Sky, Glow, POD, The Orphan of Awkward Falls, The Emerald Atlas

2011-12-10T07:00:00.000Z

Good morning all! For today's installment of mini review madness I'm going to be taking a look at the following books:

Escape Under the Forever Sky - Eve Yohalem
Glow - Amy Kathleen Ryan
POD - Stephen Wallenfels
The Orphan of Awkward Falls - Keith Graves
The Emerald Atlas - John Stephens

Escape Under the Forever Sky - Eve Yohalem

Summary (from Goodreads): Loosely based on real-life events, this suspenseful story, by a debut novelist, is also funny and touching and will have readers riveted from start to finish. Lucy's mother is the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, so Lucy's life must be one big adventure, right? Wrong. Lucy's worrywart mother keeps her locked up inside the ambassador's residence. All Lucy can do is read about the exotic and exciting world that lies beyond the compound walls and imagine what it would be like to be a part of it.

That is, until one day Lucy decides she has had enough and she and a friend sneak off for some fun. But to their horror, Lucy gets kidnapped! With only herself to rely upon, Lucy must use her knowledge of African animals, inventiveness, will, and courage to escape, and in the process embarks on an adventure beyond her wildest imagination.

Mini review: Under the Forever Sky is a lovely novel and a great read, I'd really recommend it to younger readers. The description of the landscape and wildlife was excellent and really helped plunge me into the middle of Lucy's world. I love that Lucy is such a strong character - shout out for well-rounded, likeable heroines!

Glow - Amy Kathleen Ryan

Summary (from Goodreads): What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside.

Mini review: Glow is definitely an interesting novel and I did enjoy parts of it, though I wasn't quite as blown away as I thought I'd be. I had huge hopes for this one but I thought the religious elements were a little too 'in your face', which isn't something I ever like. I don't like to feel as though I'm being preached to and, unfortunately, that's how I felt things came across in Glow.

POD - Stephen Wallenfels

Summary (from Goodreads): Surviving a massive alien siege is one thing-surviving humanity is another.

I'm all cried out. I'm still alone. The sky is full of giant spinning black balls that kill anyone stupid enough to go outside. I've only been out of the car twice-once to pee and once to look at the sky. That one look was enough for me. Now I sit alone in the car, staring out the window like a rat in a cage. But I don't have anyone to look at. The parking garage is empty, except for twisted-up cars, broken glass, and the smell of leaking gasoline.

POD is the story of a global cataclysmic event, told from the viewpoints of Megs, a twelve-year-old streetwise girl trapped in a hotel parking garage in Los Angeles; and sixteen-year-old Josh, who is stuck in a house in Prosser, Washington, with his increasingly obsessive-compulsive father. Food and water and time are running out. Will Megs survive long enough to find her mother? Will Josh and his father survive each other?

Mini review: I loved POD, I really, truly did. It's a fascinating and terrifying story and Wallenfels uses the dual narratives to perfection. I was so impressed with this one - I'd love to see it as a movie!

The Orphan of Awkward Falls - Keith Graves

Summary (from Goodreads): When thirteen-year-old Josephine moves to Awkward Falls she can t help but snoop around the dilapidated mansion next door. Inevitably, she is captured by the house s strange inhabitants: an ancient automaton who serves as a butler, a cat patched together with a few odd parts, and most surprising of all, a boy named Thaddeus Hibble.

Meanwhile, Fetid Stenchley the most feared patient in the Asylum for the Dangerously Insane is on the loose after making a dramatic escape, and there is only one thing on his mind...revenge. Unfortunately for Josephine and Thaddeus, he s headed their way. Can these unlikely friends stop Stenchley before it s too late?

Mini review: This is such a fun story that I thoroughly enjoyed. Fetid Stenchley - what a character, what a name! This reminded me of the old school Paul Jennings short stories I used to devour when I was younger.

The Emerald Atlas - John Stephens

Summary (from Goodreads): Kate, Michael, and Emma have been in one orphanage after another for the last ten years, passed along like lost baggage.

Yet these unwanted children are more remarkable than they could possibly imagine. Ripped from their parents as babies, they are being protected from a horrible evil of devastating power, an evil they know nothing about.

Until now.

Before long, Kate, Michael, and Emma are on a journey to dangerous and secret corners of the world...a journey of allies and enemies, of magic and mayhem. And—if an ancient prophesy is correct—what they do can change history, and it is up to them to set things right.

Mini review: What a brilliant story! The world building is wonderful in The Emerald Atlas but it's the storytelling that really sold me on this one. Awesome stuff, bring on more of John Stephens' books.

*

Disclaimer: All books were kindly received for review from the publisher

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor

2011-12-06T08:00:00.000Z

Published: September 29th 2011, Hodder & Stoughton
Pages: 420 pages (ARC)
Series?: Yes, this is book one. Book two (currently untitled) is due out in 2012
Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): Featuring necklaces made of wishes; an underground shop dealing in teeth; magical tattoos; a wishbone on a cord, DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE is a thrilling story about Karou and her secret life as an apprentice to a wishmonger.

Karou manages to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she is a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to an inhuman creature who deals in wishes and is the closest thing she has to family. Her life is surrounded by mysteries she is desperate to unveil.

My review: Bloody hell. Honestly, I had to take a few days after finishing this one before I could write this review because my head was absolutely spinning. What a book!

I was excited to read Daughter of Smoke and Bone but I hadn't managed to get around it until very recently. I'm not sure why it took me so long to read it, maybe because it's a bit chunky and I'm enjoying flying through some quick reads while I'm so busy with work and writing, I'm not sure. Either way, it was only after I started playing Skyrim that I wanted to read something other than contemporary and my boyfriend chose this one for me off of my shelves. I was reluctant, I pouted a bit and then I started reading it. I was utterly addicted from page one.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most exciting and beautifully written novels of 2011. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to any reader, whether they're a fan of YA, adult, contemporary or paranormal romance. I honestly believe any reader won't be able to stop themselves being seduced by Taylor's stunning, lyrical prose and the beautiful characters she creates.

Karou is brilliant, thoroughly unique without being annoyingly 'quirky', I loved her. Of course, I'm bound to love any YA heroine covered in tattoos but, still. She's tough as old boots and can kick ass in a fight but there's a vulnerability beneath the surface that makes her refreshingly easy to relate to, even though her circumstances are anything but every day. Her friends and guardians from Elsewhere (Brimstone, Issa and the others) are such wonderful characters and I'd love to see an illustrated edition of the book so we can see them all brought to life in Karou's sketchbooks.

I don't really want to say too much about Akiva or get into his and Karou's potential relationship but I'll just say this, he is bad ass and super hot and blatantly has really long eyelashes. That's all you need to know, trust me.

And the ending! Oh, God, the ending! I actually may have thrown the book down on my bed and let us an audible 'HURRUMPH', exactly that sound. Really? REALLY? We have to wait entire YEAR for the second installment? Honestly, I'm not sure I can wait that long. Normally I'm fine with being patient but, seriously, I need to know what happens next. Now, preferably.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a perfect novel, pure and simple. It's epic, it's wonderfully crafted, the story is top notch and the characters are memorable and so, so real. If you haven't read this one yet just do it, trust me.

First line: 'Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well.'

Read if you liked…: Living Next Door to the God of Love - Justina Robson

Rating:
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Total: 19/20

Alternative covers:

Review: Torn - Cat Clarke

2011-12-05T07:00:00.001Z

Published: December 22nd 2011, Quercus
Pages: 372 pages (ARC)
Series/standalone: Standalone
Acquired: Via UK Book Tours

Summary (from Goodreads): Four girls. One dead body. A whole lot of guilt.

Alice King isn’t expecting the holiday of a lifetime when she sets off with her classmates on a trip to the Scottish wilderness, but she’s not exactly prepared for an experience beyond her darkest nightmares…

Alice and her best friend Cass are stuck in a cabin with Polly, the social outcast, and Rae, the moody emo-girl. Then there’s Tara – queen of mean. Powerful, beautiful and cruel, she likes nothing better than putting people down.

Cass decides it’s time to teach Tara a lesson she’ll never forget. And so begins a series of events that will change the lives of these girls forever...

A compelling story of guilty secrets, troubled friendship and burgeoning love.

My review: Entangled was one of my favourite books that I read last year and I wasn't sure that Clarke would be able to top it with her second release, Torn. Do you know what? I think she might have done just that. Torn is incredible, pure and simple.

Torn is one of those books that I was sure I would adore, based solely on the summary and the author's previous work. I love anything creepy and anything involving bitchy teenagers so combining the two adds up to pretty much my perfect book. The pace is fantastic, racing and immediate one second and then slow and subtle just as you're beginning to get overwhelmed by the horrific situation the girls find themselves in. The thick of the action is great but I think it's the quieter, understated moments where Clarke really manages to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

Not only is Torn a mystery and thriller in all the right places, it's also teen drama at its finest. We see the social hierarchy at the school shift and change after the 'tragedy' and it's fascinating to see how each of the girls cracks (or doesn't) under the pressure of the secret they're desperately trying to hide. Each of the characters brings something to the book and I love how each of them is so distinct, with each girl dealing with her issues differently. Rae was an absolute gem of a character, kudos to Clarke for not making her the stereotypical emo girl.

I actually really loved the romance in Torn, which surprised me. I often tire of the love story if it isn't the central part of the plot but it works so well here; Alice and Jack's relationship is relatively slow burning and entirely realistic, which was great. Plus, sexytimes are always something we need more of in YA so thanks for that, Cat. God damn it, bring on the sex!

There were also two dogs, which made me really happy. I like a good canine character, particularly if their names begin with B. If I squinted at the page Bruno could almost look like Bertie, which was exciting. Although, more exciting than that was finding my name in the acknowledgements! I didn't even know either, so that was pretty darn awesome. Cat is not only an absolutely BAMF when it comes to writing kick ass YA, she's also a brilliant friend and all round lovely person. Go, Cat, go!

First line: 'A funeral without a body is like a wedding without a bride.'

Read if you liked…: The Hole - Guy Burt

Rating:
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 4/5
Total: 18/20 (A)

Event Report: Atom Blogger Event (23/11/11)

2011-12-02T07:00:00.005Z

So last Wednesday I was lucky enough to be invited to an event by Atom, for a showcase of their YA and 8-12 books that are coming out in 2012. I was pretty darn excited to visit Atom, partly because I'd never been to see them before and partly because I heard they always have awesome cupcakes. True story, by the way.

So I arrived, I saw some of my favourite bloggers in the land (and some new faces - and failed to see lovely Stacey from The Pretty Books but I'm getting used to that, elusive lady that she is!), then we were ushered into a swanky Apprentice-style board room for the main event.

Let me tell you this for free, guys and gals, Atom have some awesome titles lined up for 2012 and I'm genuinely excited about every book they spoke to us about. Get your Goodreads 'I NEED these books in 2012' lists ready because look and what treats we have to look forward to:

Trapped - Michael Northrop:

Yes! I've been tempted all year to buy the American hardback of this one because it just sounds so damn good.

Summary (from Goodreads): The Breakfast Club meets The Blizzard of the Century: A young adult suspense novel from PW Flying Start author Michael Northrop.

Scotty and his friends Pete and Tommy are among the last kids waiting to get picked up at their high school. The snow has been coming down for hours, and it's starting to look like no one is coming for them. As the snow piles higher, their teacher Mr. Gossell leaves them behind to seek help--and disappears into the drifts outside.

Now the seven remaining students are on their own, with no food and no electricity, facing a night of sleeping on classroom floors. Will their friendships survive the night . . . and will THEY?

Creepy! And creepy is always welcome - we definitely need more creepy in YA. I love the UK cover as well, it reminds me of the old school Point Horrors, which I adore (just ask Sarah from Feeling Fictional, who bought almost the full set for me!)

Night School - C.J. Daugherty:

Now this sounds awesome. Any sort of private boarding school drama is always going to get my vote - ah, it takes me back! But Night School is darker than your average Enid Blyton, by far. I'm thinking more Vicious Little Darlings, maybe? We'll see.

Summary (from Goodreads): Sometimes school is murder.

Allie Sheridan's world is falling apart. She hates her school. Her brother has run away from home. And she's just been arrested. Again. This time her parents have finally had enough. They cut her off from her friends and send her away to a boarding school for problem teenagers.

But Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. Its rules are strangely archaic. It allows no computers or phones. Its students are an odd mixture of the gifted, the tough and the privileged. And then there's the secretive Night School, whose activities other students are forbidden even to watch.

When Allie is attacked one night the incident sets off a chain of events leading to the violent death of a girl at the summer ball. As the school begins to seem like a very dangerous place, Allie must learn who she can trust. And what's really going on at Cimmeria Academy

Two other things. One, C. J. Daugherty is lovely and, two, I'm happy because my hair is currently the colour of the cover model's, yay.

The Book of Blood and Shadow - Robin Wasserman:

I need this book in my life! It sounds dangerous and exciting and utterly compelling, just look at that synopsis.

Summary (from Goodreads): It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up.

When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love. When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark. But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead. His girlfriend Adriane, Nora's best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora's sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.

Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world.

Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.

Prague is becoming a bit of a hot spot for YA, isn't it? First Daughter of Smoke and Bone and now this one. Actually, that's only two books so it's not exactly a trend but, still, if Prague becomes the new Twilight you heard it here first.

Under the Never Sky - Veronica Rossi:

Billed as a post-apocalyptic Romeo and Juliet, I can see this one being a massive hit next year, especially with the Hunger Games movie making dystopia even more accessible. I'm interested to read this one - I have high hopes for the love story so fingers crossed.

Plus, they all live in domes Simpsons movie/Stephen King style - what's not to love? Also, it's a debut. Win!

Summary (from Goodreads): Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.

As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions. They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers abarbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers.

Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY.

Bunheads - Sophie Flack:

Bunheads is going to be awesome! I love the cover, the title, the concept - everything. Black Swan meets Mean Girls - Bunheads sounds totally up my street and I love that it's a theme we don't see explored very often in YA.

Summary (from Goodreads): As a dancer with the ultra-prestigious Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward juggles intense rehearsals, dazzling performances and complicated backstage relationships. Up until now, Hannah has happily devoted her entire life to ballet.

But when she meets a handsome musician named Jacob, Hannah's universe begins to change, and she must decide if she wants to compete against the other "bunheads" in the company for a star soloist spot or strike out on her own in the real world. Does she dare give up the gilded confines of the ballet for the freedoms of everyday life?

This one prompted a lot of excitement at the event; why does March have to be so far away?

172 Hours on the Moon - Johan Harstad*:

This one was published in Norway a few years ago to huge success and I'm so excited it's being released over here. It sounds like a proper sci-fi (think Alien and Moon, we were told) and we definitely need more of that in YA. I think this one's going to be really popular with both boys and girls (always a plus) and seems as though it could make sci-fi more accessible to more casual readers of the genre. That includes me, so I'll let you know!

We've been promised this one is more than a little unsettling - bring it on, Harstad, bring it on!

Summary (from Goodreads): Three teenagers are going on the trip of a lifetime. Only one is coming back. It's been more than forty years since NASA sent the first men to the moon, and to grab some much-needed funding and attention, they decide to launch an historic international lottery in which three lucky teenagers can win a week-long trip to moon base DARLAH 2 - a place that no one but top government officials even knew existed until now.

The three winners, Antoine, Midori, and Mia, come from all over the world. But just before the scheduled launch, the teenagers each experience strange, inexplicable events. Little do they know that there was a reason NASA never sent anyone back there until now - a sinister reason. But the countdown has already begun...

*Apologies if this isn't the right cover

Adorkable - Sarra Manning:

Seriously, I feel like Sarra Manning (first lady of British teen fiction) has taken every single thing I've whinged about wanting more of in YA and rolled it into one glorious book! I already know I'm going to absolutely love Adorkable and it's definitely rocketed straight to the top of my wishlist for 2012.

It's going to be awesome. Alas, no cover as yet.

Summary (from Goodreads): Jeane Smith is seventeen and has turned her self-styled dorkiness into an art form, a lifestyle choice and a profitable website and consultancy business. She writes a style column for a Japanese teen magazine and came number seven in The Guardian's 30 People Under 30 Who Are Changing The World.

And yet, in spite of the accolades, hundreds of Internet friendships and a cool boyfriend, she feels inexplicably lonely, a situation made infinitely worse when Michael Lee, the most mass-market, popular and predictably all-rounded boy at school tells Jeane of his suspicion that Jeane's boyfriend is secretly seeing his girlfriend. Michael and Jeane have NOTHING in common - she is cool and individual; he is the golden boy in an Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt. So why can't she stop talking to him?

So there you have it - how great do they all sound? And all the books are so diverse as well, which I love. Hooray for so much contemporary!

I want to say a huge thank you to Atom for putting on scuh a great event - I had a brill night.

Mini Review Madness: Unleashed, The Amulet of Samarkand, Firespell, Betrayal, Deception

2011-12-01T07:00:00.004Z

Morning all! For today's Mini Review Madness I'm going to be having a look at the following books:

Wolf Springs: Unleashed - Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie
The Amulet of Samarkand (graphic novel) - Jonathan Stroud
Firespell - Chloe Neill
Betrayal - Lee Nichols
Deception - Lee Nichols

*

Wolf Springs: Unleashed - Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): Katelyn McBride’s life changed in an instant when her mother died. Uprooted from her California home, Katelyn was shipped to the middle of nowhere, Arkansas, to her only living relative, her grandfather. And now she has to start over in Wolf Springs, a tiny village in the Ozark Mountains. Like any small town, Wolf Springs has secrets. But the secrets hidden here are more sinister than Katelyn could ever imagine. It’s a town with a history that reaches back centuries, spans continents, and conceals terrifying truths. And Katelyn McBride is about to change everything.

Broken families, ageless grudges, forced alliances, and love that blooms in the darkest night—welcome to Wolf Springs.

Mini review: Now I'm always the first to roll my eyes when another werewolf novel hits the market - we have enough already, damn it! However, as tired as I am with this trend, I did find myself enjoying Unleashed.

The atmosphere was great and the writers did a really good job of building tension throughout the novel. I am definitely sick of the werewolf trend but if you've still got the energy for another werewolf novel then I would recommend this one.

The Amulet of Samarkand (graphic novel) - Jonathan Stroud

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): Nathaniel, an eleven-year-old magician-in-training, thinks he's ready to take on more challenging spells. With revenge against the proud and ambitious Simon Lovelace on his mind, he masters one of the toughest spells of all and summons Bartimaeus, a 5000-year-old djinni, to assist him. But summoning Bartimaeus and controlling him are two different things entirely, and when Nathaniel sends the djinni to steal Lovelace's greatest treasure, the Amulet of Samarkand, he finds himself caught in a whirlwind of magical espionage, murder, and rebellion.

Jonathan Stroud, along with acclaimed comic books-writer Andrew Donkin and artists Lee Sullivan and Nicolas Chapuis, turns the beloved and internationally best-selling first book in the Bartimaeus trilogy into a spellbinding graphic novel sure to excite and delight fans across all magical planes.

Mini review: I'm a big fan of graphic novels and have read a fair few during 2011 - this is definitely one of my favourites. The illustrations are gorgeous and the story completely gripping. I haven't read the novel version of The Amulet of Samarkand but I'm keen to try it now. Thumbs up!

Firespell - Chloe Neill

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): As the new girl at the elite St. Sophia’s boarding school, Lily Parker thinks her classmates are the most monstrous things she’ll have to face…

When Lily’s guardians decided to send her away to a fancy boarding school in Chicago, she was shocked. So was St. Sophia’s. Lily’s ultra-rich brat pack classmates think Lily should be the punchline to every joke, and on top of that, she’s hearing strange noises and seeing bizarre things in the shadows of the creepy building.

The only thing keeping her sane is her roommate, Scout, but even Scout’s a little weird—she keeps disappearing late at night and won’t tell Lily where she’s been. But when a prank leaves Lily trapped in the catacombs beneath the school, Lily finds Scout running from a real monster.

Scout’s a member of a splinter group of rebel teens with unique magical talents, who’ve sworn to protect the city against demons, vampires, and Reapers, magic users who’ve been corrupted by their power. And when Lily finds herself in the line of a firespell, Scout tells her the truth about her secret life, even though Lily has no powers of her own—at least none that she’s discovered yet…

Mini review: I'm always keen to try books that are set in boarding schools so I snapped Firespell up straight away. I wasn't disappointed by the setting, though I felt the story wasn't as strong as I was hoping. Lily is a sweet character but I didn't find her interesting enough to carry the story.

Firespell was an enjoyable read but I wouldn't rush to recommend this to those who aren't big fans of the genre already.

Deception - Lee Nichols

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): When Emma Vaile’s parents go missing while away on a mysterious business trip, she’s left all alone in her creepy old house. But her brother’s very cute best friend, Bennett Stern—Emma’s knight in J. Crew armor—arrives unexpectedly to whisk her away to New England. There, Emma settles into his family’s museum-like mansion and enrolls at an old-fashioned private school. She quickly finds friends in the popular legacy crowd at Thatcher and spends her free time crushing on Bennett.

But the eerie visions she’s been hiding from everyone have gotten worse. Emma has memories of Thatcher that she can’t explain—it’s as if she’s returning home to a place she’s never been. Finally, Emma confides in Bennett and learns she is a ghostkeeper, a person who can communicate with ghosts. Bennett brought Emma to Thatcher to protect her, but now he needs her help tracking an other-worldly murderer.

Mini review: Another private school story - can't get enough of them at the moment. This is the first book in a new(-ish) paranormal romance series and I could tell, I felt like a lot of the book was setting things up for the rest of the series but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

I liked Emma as a character and found her interesting; she's more than the usual passive paranormal romance heroines so that's a good thing. Deception is certainly an interesting novel and I love the look of the series as a whole; I'm sure it's going to be very popular.

Betrayal - Lee Nichols

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): Emma Vaile is the most powerful ghostkeeper in centuries. Which is great for battling the wraith-master Neos and horrible for her social life. Emma knows fellow ghostkeeper Bennett Stern is her soul mate, but when ghostkeepers fall in love, the weaker one loses all power. And until Neos is defeated, Bennett and Emma can't risk it.

When the temptation of being with Emma gets to be too much, Bennett disappears, pursuing a dangerous path to increase his powers. Heartbroken and alone, Emma tries to lose herself in school. But when the Knell, a secret ghostkeeping society, sends two new ghostkeepers to Echo Point—one a snarky teen guy, the other a British scholar—Emma throws herself into training to battle Neos. But as the team grows stronger, so do the ghosts. And worse, one of their own will betray them. One Emma never suspected. . .

Mini review: The sequel to Deception, I read Betrayal straight after finishing the first book in the series and I definitely enjoyed this one a lot more. The action is ramped up and jumps straight in at the deep end; we see Emma develop so much from the girl she was at the beginning of Deception and I love that we see her go on such a journey.

The third book in the series, Surrender, is due out later this month and while I don't think I'll continue with the series I did enjoy the first two books a lot more than I thought I would so I was pleasantly surprised.

Mini Review Madness: The Donut Diaries, Heist Society, About a Girl, Sugarcoated, An Act of Love

2011-11-30T07:00:00.005Z

Happy hump day all! For today's Mini Review Madness post I'm going to be looking at the following books:

The Donut Diaries - Dermot Milligan
Heist Society - Ally Carter
About a Girl - Joanne Horniman
Sugarcoated - Catherine Forde
An Act of Love - Alan Gibbons

*

The Donut Diaries - Dermot Milligan

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from back cover of the book): Today's donut count is four. I have to keep count because my mum is threatening to send me to Camp Fatso if I don't shape up. And she's making me go to a demon nutritionist to sort out my diet. So this is my donut diary, where I write down what I've eaten and my feelings - aaarrgggh yuck!

As if I don't have enough to deal with, what with starting Big School next week. (Note to self: Don't call it Big School!)

Mini review: The obvious comparison to The Donut Diaries is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series so fans of Jeff Kinney's books will love this one - I'd recommend it particularly for younger boy readers, who are about to make the transition to senior school.

The Donut Diaries is funny and sweet in equal measure and I thoroughly enjoyed it - though it did fill me with the urge to nip down to my local Krispy Kreme and chow down on an Original Glazed!

Heist Society - Ally Carter

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

Mini review: This is the first one of Ally Carter's books I've read and I enjoyed it - it was a quick, fun read and I'll definitely be looking into more of her books in the future. Kat is such a likeable character that I couldn't help but side with her, whether her actions were questionable are not.

Heist Society is a very strong start to this new series and I'm excited to read the rest of the series when I get my hands on the books.

About a Girl - Joanne Horniman

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): A spellbinding, dreamy love story between two young women that unfolds like a series of paintings.

'I remember when we lay together for the first time and I closed my eyes and felt the crackle of her dark hair between my fingers. She was all warmth and sparking light. When I was with her, my skin sighed that the center of the world was precisely here.'

Anna is afraid she must be unlovable—until she meets Flynn. Together, the girls swim, eat banana cake, laugh, and love. Some days Flynn is unreachable; other days she's at Anna's door—but when Anna discovers Flynn's secret, she wonders if she knows her at all. This beautifully crafted novel explores the tension between the tender moments that pull people together and the secrets that push them apart.

Mini review: I absolutely loved About a Girl and highly recommend it to any of you who love your YA beautifully written and touching. Flynn and Anna were both such well written characters, with flaws and weaknesses that made them so human, which is always the key, I think, when it comes to creating realistic characters.

About a Girl is subtle and moving and absolutely addictive - I flew through it in a single afternoon. Sinply gorgeous!

Sugarcoated - Catherine Forde

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): Cloddy is stuck in her dad’s optician’s shop working for little to nothing every Saturday, bored out of her brain in the middle of Greenwood Shopping Center—or Deadsville as she prefers to call it. One Saturday she closes the shop to get some peace and quiet to eat her lunch, but as she’s picking at her food, a trio of youths skulk out of Gluehead Alley down the side of her dad’s shop.

Out of nowhere a massive hand gushing blood is splayed across the window of the shop. And then a head is thumped against the window. Neither the victim nor attackers see Cloddy, but she sees everything. Afraid for her life, she decides not to tell anyone what she’s seen.

Who wants to think about such things anyway when there’s gorgeous Stefan to think about? Stefan who is cool and charming and has plenty of cash. Stefan who has come out of nowhere and sweeps her off her feet. Stefan who wouldn’t normally look at a girl like Cloddy, let alone make her his girlfriend. At her most vulnerable time he’ll look after her—or will he?

Mini review: Oh, I was so disappointed with Sugarcoated. I had such high hopes for it but it just didn't deliver. The writing was no way near as tight as I expected, Cloddy was a little bit drippy for my liking and the whole story was just a tad lacklustre. Very surprising but, unfortunately, not in a good way.

An Act of Love - Alan Gibbons

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): Childhood friends Chris and Imran celebrate the Millenium as inseparable blood brothers, they are both seven years old. But by 2011 their lives have taken very different paths. One has joined the Army and served in Afghanistan, the other is a potential jihad recruit. They are no longer friends, and there are bitter wounds between them which remain unhealed.

Will their childhood bond be strong enough to overcome an extremist plot? In a highly-charged, honest and life affirming story, told in flashback from both Chris and Imran's viewpoint, Alan Gibbon's cleverly explores the very real issue of terrorism that affects everyone today.

Mini review: Alan Gibbons has done it again - but then, is it any surprise? He's back with another stellar offering, which tackles controversial subject matter (as always) but is sensitively handled and puts a fresh spin on things.

The narrative style in An Act of Love is what makes it such a compelling novel. I loved seeing things from both Chris and Imran's viewpoints and I think Gibbons did a great job making each voice unique and realistic. Bravo - another belter!

Mini Review Madness: White Cat, Fallen Grace, Flip, Momentum, The Cursed Ones, The Damned

2011-11-29T07:00:00.005Z

Hi everyone! I realised I didn't post an introduction to Mini Review Madness so this is how it goes; I have so many books stacked up ready to review that I read earlier in the year that I just haven't had time to sit down and review, so I'm trying to catch up before the end of 2011. I really want to start 2012 afresh with nothing backed up so fingers crossed I'll manage to get through everything.
For today's installment of Mini Review Madness I'm going to be looking at the following titles:

White Cat - Holly Black
Fallen Grace - Mary Hooper
Flip - Martyn Bedford
Momentum - Saci Lloyd
The Cursed Ones - Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie
The Damned - Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

*

White Cat - Holly Black

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): 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 hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Mini review: Unfortunately I wasn't a huge fan of White Cat and I did find it a bit slow going, which is a shame as I think it has such a strong premise. I didn't particularly bond with any of the characters, particularly Cassel, which made it difficult to root for anybody to succeed. It is a relatively quick read, though, so if you're a fan of this sort of thing then it's worth giving it a go - reivews of this one are generally positive with fans of the genre.

Fallen Grace - Mary Hooper

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): Grace Parkes has just had to do a terrible thing. Having given birth to an illegitimate child, she has travelled to the famed Brookwood Cemetery to place her small infant's body in a rich lady's coffin. Following the advice of a kindly midwife, this is the only way that Grace can think of to give something at least to the little baby who died at birth, and to avoid the ignominy of a pauper's grave. Distraught and weeping, Grace meets two people at the cemetery: Mrs Emmeline Unwin and Mr James Solent. These two characters will have a profound affect upon Grace's life.

But Grace doesn't know that yet. For now, she has to suppress her grief and get on with the business of living: scraping together enough pennies selling watercress for rent and food; looking after her older sister, who is incapable of caring for herself; thwarting the manipulative and conscience-free Unwin family, who are as capable of running a lucrative funeral business as they are of defrauding a young woman of her fortune.

A stunning evocation of life in Victorian London, with vivid and accurate depictions, ranging from the deprivation that the truly poor suffered to the unthinking luxuries enjoyed by the rich: all bound up with a pacy and thrilling plot, as Grace races to unravel the fraud about to be perpetrated against her and her sister.

Mini review: Hooper's writing here is just beautiful and I loved Fallen Grace, which is a big deal for me as I'm not generally a fan of historical fiction. It was just impossible not to be pulled into Grace's world and Hooper really did get it spot on, the way she evoked the spirit of Victorian London through the tiniest of details was fantastic.

Flip - Martyn Bedford

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): Ever wake up in someone else's body? Fourteen-year-old Alex Gray wakes up one morning to discover he's not in his own bedroom. More surprising is that he doesn't recognize his hands, or his legs...When he looks in the mirror he gets the shock of his life! How is it possible that Alex has become another boy - a boy who everyone calls Philip? And how have six whole months passed overnight?

Mini review: I really enjoyed Flip and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to both boys and girls who are fans of YA. The premise is truly unique and Bedford is a fresh new voice in YA fiction, I'm really excited to see what he does next.

It was such a nice change to read something that isn't a flat out contemporary (even though I love them) or a paranormal romance so if you're looking for something a little different definitely try Flip.

Momentum - Saci Lloyd

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): London, the near future. Energy wars are flaring across the globe - oil prices have gone crazy, regular power cuts are a daily occurrence. The cruel Kossak soldiers prowl the streets, keeping the Outsiders - the poor, the disenfranchised - in check.

Hunter is a Citizen: one of the privileged of society, but with his passion for free running and his rebel friend Leo he cannot help but be fascinated by the Outsiders. So when he meets Outsider Uma, he is quickly drawn into their world - and into an electrifying and dangerous race to protect everything they hold dear.

Mini review: Momentum has such an interesting premise and it's executed brilliantly. The subject matter is particularly relevant, which just made me get even more drawn into the story.

Saci Lloyd is such an exciting writer, with both Momentum and the Carbon Diaries series and I'll definitely be keeping an eye on what she does next as I'm quickly becoming a huge fan of her work.

The Cursed Ones - Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): The Cursed Ones, or vampires, have made their presence known to mankind. They promised to help bring peace to the world but then declared war on humanity. The identity of their leader is unknown. Most people are too afraid or unwillingly to take a stand against them. Others, like eighteen-year-old Jenn Leitner, train secretly to become vampire fighters and risk everything in the process. Alongside her is fellow Hunter, Antonio de la Cruz.

But Antonio has a secret - he is a vampire fighting on the side of humanity. Jenn must battle with her hatred of all things vampire, and her love for Antonio. For together only they can bring light into the darkness the vampires have drawn over the face of the planet…

Mini review: I was disappointed with The Cursed Ones as I think it could have been so much stronger and I did have high hopes for it. I was let down by the protagonist, Jenn, as her priorities were just a little bit ridiculous; it seemed all she cared about was her potential love interest (I won't give anything away but, yeah, it's pretty darn obvious from the outset), rather than the impending destruction of everything she knows and loves. Not a winner for me.

The Damned - Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): There is a fine line between love and sacrifice…

Antonio would do anything for his beloved fighting partner Jenn. He protects her, even suppresses his vampire cravings to be with her. Together, they defend humanity against the Cursed Ones. But tensions threaten to fracture their hunting team and his loyalty—his love—is called into question.

Jenn, the newly appointed Hunter, aches for revenge against the Cursed One who converted her sister. And with an even more sinister power on the rise, she must overcome her personal vendettas to lead her team into battle.

Antonio and Jenn need each other to survive, but evil lurks at every turn. With humanity’s fate hanging in the balance, they must face down the darkness…or die trying.

Mini review: Following on from The Curse Ones, I did enjoy The Damned a little more than the first installment but I'm still not convinced by this series. The writing was quite clunky in places and I had to often double back and reread sentences to get them clear in my head; this did take me away from the story and meant I couldn't lose myself in Jenn and Antonio's world. Unfortunately the cover art is the best thing about this book.

Mini Review Madness: Mist, Ultraviolet, Forbidden, The Iron Queen and My Soul to Steal

2011-11-28T07:00:00.001Z

Hi all - today marks the first installment of Mini Review Madness, where I'm aiming to get through as many outstanding reviews as possible to give myself a clean slate for 2012.

Today's post features mini reviews of:

Mist - Kathryn James
Ultraviolet - R J Anderson
Forbidden (The Demon Trappers series) - Jana Oliver
The Iron Queen - Julie Kagawa
My Soul to Steal - Rachel Vincent

Mist - Kathryn James

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): Midnight: a mist-haunted wood with a bad reputation. A sweet sixteen party, and 13 year old Nell is trying to keep her sister, spoilt birthday-girl Gwen, out of trouble. No chance. Trouble finds Gwen and drags her through the mist. Only Nell guesses who’s behind the kidnap - the boy she hoped was her friend, the cute but mysterious Evan River.

All those fairy stories Nell’s grandmother told her about girls being stolen by fairy folk are true. The Elven are beautiful as starlight, fierce as wolves, and cold as ice. And they want their world back. The fight has been raging for centuries. Nell’s grandmother should know, she’s a Watcher, the ones responsible for imprisoning the Elven in isolated iron-bound camps in Siberia. Only Evan, his fanatical older brother Fen, and a handful of Elven children are still free.

Fen, hellbent on revenge, keeps Gwen in their wolf-guarded stronghold deep in the mist. The price for her safe return? The release of all the Elven – but the Watchers will never agree. Only Nell can save Gwen.

Time is twisted through the mist: if Nell stops longer than a night and day, a hundred years will hit her as soon as she returns and she’ll be old and withered before she’s even lived. The clock is ticking.

Mini review: Mist both intrigued and surprised me. I love the cover art (it looks stunning in real life) and the story was fascinating, though for a slightly younger age range than I tend to read. Younger readers will adore this one and there's a very sweet love story that's sure to please any romance fan.

Ultraviolet - R J Anderson

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): “Once upon a time there was a girl who was special. This is not her story. Unless you count the part where I killed her.”

Sixteen-year-old Alison wakes up in a mental institution. As she pieces her memory back together, she realizes she’s confessed to murdering Tori Beaugrand, the most perfect girl at school. But the case is a mystery. Tori’s body has not been found, and Alison can't explain what happened. One minute she was fighting with Tori. The next moment Tori disintegrated—into nothing.

But that's impossible. No one is capable of making someone vanish. Right? Alison must be losing her mind—like her mother always feared she would. For years Alison has tried to keep her weird sensory abilities a secret. No one ever understood—until a mysterious visiting scientist takes an interest in Alison’s case.

Suddenly, Alison discovers that the world is wrong about her—and that she’s capable of far more than anyone else would believe.

Mini review: What a great summary! The story really does live up to the cover and blurb and if you give Ultraviolet a go I promise you won't be disappointed. Set mainly in a mental institution, I really loved the setting and host of characters in Ultraviolet - think Girl, Interrupted with a supernatural element.

Forbidden - Jana Oliver

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): Riley's beginning to think being a demon trapper isn't all it's cracked up to be. Her dad's been stolen by a necromancer, her boyfriend's gone all weird and she's getting warm and fuzzy feelings for someone who's seriously bad news.

It's tempting to give it all up and try to be normal, but that's not an option. Because the demons have plans for Riley. And they're not the only ones.

Mini review: I did read Forbidden as a standalone novel, as I didn't have the first book in the series to hand when I receive this one for review so do bear that in mind.

I was left a little non-plussed by Forbidden, the pace was certainly exciting and the book well written but I didn't feel much of a pull to any of the characters in particular - the reviews for this on Goodreads are overwhelmingly positive but, for me, I won't be going back to read the first in the series.

The Iron Queen - Julie Kagawa

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

Mini review: The third book in Kagawa's Iron Fey series, The Iron Queen picks up shortly after The Iron Daughter ends and we're plunged right back in the thick of the action from the action.

This is a pacy read that is sure to satisfy existing fans of the series; the tension is brilliant and we see Megan develop even further as a character. Although I didn't initially warm to her in the earlier installments I really did find myself rooting for her this time around.

My Soul to Steal - Rachel Vincent

Acquired: Kindly sent for review by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads): Trying to work things out with Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can’t just pretend nothing happened. But “complicated” doesn’t even begin to describe their relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to take Nash back.

See, Sabine isn’t just an ordinary girl. She’s a mara, the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people’s fears—and craft them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she survives.

And Sabine isn’t above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants.

Mini review: The main strength in the Soul Screamers series is definitely Kaylee; unlike a lot of heroines about at the moment I genuinely do find myself willing her to succeed and I think she's a well-rounded, very human character.

That said, I do think this series is beginning to get a little tired so I'm not sure I'll be continuing with it. Fans of the genre will love this one but, for me, I think it's time to bow out.

Trailer Thursday: This Is Not Forgiveness - Celia Rees

2011-11-27T11:00:00.000Z

Morning all! Hope you're all having a lovely, relaxing weekend. I finished NaNoWriMo on Friday night so I've had a really chilled out weekend, which has been brill.

I wanted to post up the awesome book trailer for Celia Rees' upcoming book 'This Is Not Forgiveness', which is due out on February 2nd 2012.

I'm so excited about this one; the trailer is great, the summary is fab and I've always been a fan of Celia Rees. What's not to love?

Summary (provided by Bloomsbury): This is not historical fiction. This is not a safe read. This is not Celia Rees as you’ve ever seen her before.

Bestselling Celia Rees is known for writing tales of high adventure set in the past. This exciting departure is a psychological drama that sees her tackling subjects of political terrorism, extremism and the effects of post traumatic stress disorder on soldiers.

Everyone says that Caro is bad news, but Jamie can’t help himself. He thinks of her night and day and can’t believe that she wants to be his girlfriend. Gorgeous, impulsive and unconventional, she is totally different to all the other girls he knows. His sister, Martha, hates her. Jamie doesn’t know why, but there’s no way he’s going to take any notice of her warnings to stay away from Caro.

As Jamie falls deeper and deeper under her spell, he realises there is much more to Caro than he first thought. She disappears for days on end, she has small scars on her wrists, she talks about revolutions and taking action, and then there are the rumours he hears about the other men in her life.

Always in the background is Rob, Jamie’s older brother, back from Afghanistan and traumatised after having his leg smashed to bits there. Jamie wants to help him, but Rob seems to be living in a world of his own and is increasingly difficult to reach. With Caro, the summer should have been perfect . . . but that isn’t how things work out in real life and Jamie is going to find out the hard way.

*

What do you think about the trailer? Does it make you excited about This Is Not Forgiveness?

Debut Author Challenge 2012

2011-11-26T14:50:00.002Z

It's that time of year again - I'm signing up for The Story Siren's Debut Author Challenge! I'm making the DAC the only challenge I'm going to sign up for for 2012. I know it's going to be a busy year so I really want to focus on kicking ass in this challenge. I read so many wonderful debuts this year and I'm really excited to get cracking on the stack of 2012 debuts I already have lined up.

In case any of you haven't entered a Debut Author Challenge before or haven't come across this one yet here's some more information taken from The Story Siren:

CHALLENGE OBJECTIVE:

To read & review a minimum of twelve young adult or middle grade debut novels between the dates of January 1, 2012 – January 31, 2013.*

*The 2013 extension is so that December Debuts can be read and count toward the challenge.

RULES & GUIDELINES:

You must have a Blog to post your reviews or be a member of Goodreads.
Your blog must be written in English.
Deadline to join is May 31, 2012.

BOOK GUIDELINES:

Must be a young adult or middle grade title.
Must be the author’s YA or MG debut, released in 2012.
If an author has a previous novel published for adults or children, they can still qualify for the challenge.
If an author has a previous YA or MG title, they do not qualify for the challenge.

There are a ridiculous amount of debuts I want to try and read next year but this is my list for now, I'll add to it as I buy or receive more books throughout the year:

172 Hours on the Moon - Johan Harstad
Fracture - Megan Miranda
Mortal Chaos - Matt Dickinson
Night School - C.J. Daughtery
Someone Else's Life - Katie Dale
Tempest - Julie Cross
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer - Michelle Hodkin
the Weight of Water - Sarah Crossan
The Witch of Turlingham Academy - Ellie Bosworth
Wonder - R.J. Palacio
The Other Life - Susanne Winnacker
Cinder - Marissa Meyer
Never Eighteen - Megan Bostic
The Catastrophic History of You and Me - Jess Rothenberg
Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters - Meredith Zeitlin
Katana - Cole Gibsen
Croak - Gina Damico
A Breath of Eyre - Eve Marie Mont
Hollow Pike - James Dawson
Oliver Twisted - JD Sharpe
Starters - Lissa Price
Struck - Jennifer Bosworth
Under the Never Sky - Veronica Rossi
Vixen - Jillian Larkin

I think twenty four is a good number to start with; it works out as two per month which is completely doable. I'd love to hit fifty by the end of the challenge but we'll see...

If you want to sign up for the challenge or just learn a bit more about it head over to Kristi's blog here. If you're only going to sign up for one reading challenge in 2012 I really do recommend this one; it's always lots of fun and I guarantee you'll stumble across some truly brilliant books!

Trailer: The Hunger Games

2011-11-14T14:46:00.004Z

I've seen a few people on Twitter stressing that they haven't been able to find the full Hunger Games trailer so I thought I'd post it up here in case any of you haven't seen it yet.

I actually think it looks pretty awesome, I do have a few reservations and I really, really hope things don't go too Twilight but, based on the trailer, I'm quite excited! I think Lenny Kravitz as Cinna is a stroke of genius and I think Rue looks awesome. I'm still not 100% convinced by Josh Hutcherson but we'll see! Oh, also, was I the only one who's clearly been saying 'Mellark' wrong this whole time?!

Ha, and one last thing - the music at the end totally makes me think of The X-Files. Anyone else? No? Bueller?

Let me know what you think, guys!

Writing from the Tub

Blog Tour: Cynthia Hand - Hallowed

Blog Tour: Opal Moonbaby - Maudie Smith

Blog Tour: Dark Parties - Sara Grant

Interview: Kristen Simmons (Article 5)

Interview: Caroline Starr Rose (May B)

Reckless Chapter Titles of Joy

Review: The Court Painter's Apprentice - Richard Knight

Interview: Jodi Meadows - Incarnate

Review: Chocolate S.O.S - Sue Limb

Blog Tour: C. J. Daugherty (Night School)

Interview: Megan Miranda (Fracture)

Review: Cinder - Marissa Meyer (Debut Author)

Blog Tour: Don't Call Me Ishmael - Michael Gerard Bauer

Review: Saving Daisy - Phil Earle

Interview: Robin Mellom (Ditched)

Blog Tour: The Future of Us - Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Review: The Future of Us - Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Review: 15 Days Without a Head - Dave Cousins (Debut Author)

Guest Post: Marissa Meyer (Cinder)

Blog Tour: 15 Days Without a Head

Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E. Smith

January Reading List

Review: Night School - C. J. Daugherty *Debut Author*

Whistle for a hottie

Vlog: Christmas Bookish Gifts

It's the end of the world as we know it

Books I'm Most Looking Forward to in 2012 (Non-Debut)

Books I'm Most Looking Forward to in 2012 (Debut)

Christmas Sales Book Bargains!

Mini Review Madness (Cristmas Style): The Kingdom Under the Sea, Magic Beans and Jesus' Christmas Party

The Twelve Days of Christmas: Book of the Year

The Twelve Days of Christmas: 2 Novels I Wrote in 2011

The Twelve Day of Christmas: 3 biggest blogging achievements of 2011

The Twelve Days of Christmas: 5 books I can't believe I still haven't read and 4 trends I'm predicting for 2012

The Twelve Day of Christmas: 6 favourite characters of 2011

The Twelve Day of Christmas: 7 writers I read for the first time in 2011

The Twelve Day of Christmas: 8 books that surprised me in 2011

Mini Review Madness: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Mad Love, Reel Life Starring Us, Hidden

The Twelve Day of Christmas: 9 sequels I can't wait for in 2012

The Twelve Days of Christmas: 10 Writers I was Most Excited to Meet in 2011

Mini Review Madness: Eight Keys, The Considine Curse, Too Small to Fail, George and the Big Bang, Footloose

The Twelve Days of Christmas: 11 Favourite Covers of 2011

Mini Review Madness: A Small Free Kiss in the Dark, Pride and Premiership, Beautiful Chaos, Bloodline, The Death-Defying Pepper Roux

The Twelve Days of Christmas: 12 Favourite Books of 2011

The Twelve Days of Christmas: The Schedule

Mini Review Madness: Escape Under the Forever Sky, Glow, POD, The Orphan of Awkward Falls, The Emerald Atlas

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor

Review: Torn - Cat Clarke

Event Report: Atom Blogger Event (23/11/11)

Mini Review Madness: Unleashed, The Amulet of Samarkand, Firespell, Betrayal, Deception

Mini Review Madness: The Donut Diaries, Heist Society, About a Girl, Sugarcoated, An Act of Love

Mini Review Madness: White Cat, Fallen Grace, Flip, Momentum, The Cursed Ones, The Damned

Mini Review Madness: Mist, Ultraviolet, Forbidden, The Iron Queen and My Soul to Steal

Trailer Thursday: This Is Not Forgiveness - Celia Rees

Debut Author Challenge 2012

Trailer: The Hunger Games

Review: Night School - C. J. Daugherty Debut Author