Here's the utterly fabulous trailer for the first book in the Wolf Springs Chronicles by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie. I am really loving the sound of this one and as I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the book recently for review, I'm going to be starting it very soon!
Katelyn McBride's life changed in an instant when her mother died. Uprooted form 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.
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Monday, 14 November 2011
Review: The Double Shadow - Sally Gardner
The Double Shadow by Sally Gardner, published by Indigo on 3rd November 2011
Goodreads synopsis:
Arnold Ruben has created a memory machine, a utopia housed in a picture palace, where the happiest memories replay forever, a haven in which he and his precious daughter can shelter from the war-clouds gathering over 1937 Britain. But on the day of her seventeenth birthday Amaryllis leaves Warlock Hall and the world she has known and wakes to find herself in a desolate and disturbing place. Something has gone terribly wrong with her father's plan. Against the tense backdrop of the second World War Sally Gardner explores families and what binds them, fathers and daughters, past histories, passions and cruelty, love and devastation in a novel rich in character and beautifully crafted.
Review:
I'd previously read and enjoyed Sally Gardner's two historical novels, 'The Red Necklace' and 'The Silver Blade', so had been looking forward to her new offering immensely. This book is very different to anything else she's written but in a good way. Trust me, in a really good way! I enjoyed it so much that even after having finished reading it over a week ago, I still can't stop thinking about it. The plot is so detailed and complex that you'll want to pick it up and re-read it again as soon as you've finished.
What's so amazing about 'The Double Shadow' is the absolute uniqueness and originality of the story, which has sprung from an imagination that I'm seriously envious of. It's totally different from anything else I've read that it really stands out from any other offering currently gracing the shelves in bookshops. The plot and the characters are both multi-layered and as I was reading it, I continually felt that there was always something else waiting to be uncovered.
The first half of the book introduces the reader to Amaryllis Rubens around which most of the pivotal events of the story revolve. Having been expelled from school following an incident with an older man, 16 year old Amaryllis returns home to live with her father. Mixed-up and confused, she wants nothing more than her father's love and attention but he's more interested in spending time working on his invention - a memory machine housed within a picture palace in the grounds of Warlock Hall. With the threat of war coming, he wants to use the machine to not only wipe away Amaryllis's bad memories but to also keep her safe and ensure that everything remains the same for her, even with war on the horizon. The second half of the book deals with the aftermath of the memory machine being activated and the effect this has on not only the people trapped within the machine, but also on those who are left behind.
I found 'The Double Shadow' to be endlessly fascinating. The whole concept of the memory machine was incredible and the idea that someone could build something which could potentially create a three or four dimensional world in which only perfect memories could exist was amazing. Although Amaryllis's father's intentions are good, a major issue in the book is the broken relationship between a father and daughter and how each can be so oblivious to the needs of the other that the very foundation of their bond is lost. Each of them is so consumed with their own world that they isolate themselves and prevent the fragile link between the two of them from being repaired. Another major relationship in the book is between Amaryllis and local boy Ezra and the gradual blossoming of the love between them was wonderful to behold.
The book does deal with some heavy themes which makes it more suited to a slightly older teen audience, but it holds so much appeal that I will be recommending it to everyone! It has an extremely clever narrative and Sally Gardner's writing is both sharp and insightful which made this book a joy to read. The language used is also beautifully poetic at times and I literally savoured every word on the page of this wonderful story. I'm in awe of Gardner's storytelling skills and envious of anyone getting to read this book for the very first time. It's an experience you won't forget!
Goodreads synopsis:
Arnold Ruben has created a memory machine, a utopia housed in a picture palace, where the happiest memories replay forever, a haven in which he and his precious daughter can shelter from the war-clouds gathering over 1937 Britain. But on the day of her seventeenth birthday Amaryllis leaves Warlock Hall and the world she has known and wakes to find herself in a desolate and disturbing place. Something has gone terribly wrong with her father's plan. Against the tense backdrop of the second World War Sally Gardner explores families and what binds them, fathers and daughters, past histories, passions and cruelty, love and devastation in a novel rich in character and beautifully crafted.
Review:
I'd previously read and enjoyed Sally Gardner's two historical novels, 'The Red Necklace' and 'The Silver Blade', so had been looking forward to her new offering immensely. This book is very different to anything else she's written but in a good way. Trust me, in a really good way! I enjoyed it so much that even after having finished reading it over a week ago, I still can't stop thinking about it. The plot is so detailed and complex that you'll want to pick it up and re-read it again as soon as you've finished.
What's so amazing about 'The Double Shadow' is the absolute uniqueness and originality of the story, which has sprung from an imagination that I'm seriously envious of. It's totally different from anything else I've read that it really stands out from any other offering currently gracing the shelves in bookshops. The plot and the characters are both multi-layered and as I was reading it, I continually felt that there was always something else waiting to be uncovered.
The first half of the book introduces the reader to Amaryllis Rubens around which most of the pivotal events of the story revolve. Having been expelled from school following an incident with an older man, 16 year old Amaryllis returns home to live with her father. Mixed-up and confused, she wants nothing more than her father's love and attention but he's more interested in spending time working on his invention - a memory machine housed within a picture palace in the grounds of Warlock Hall. With the threat of war coming, he wants to use the machine to not only wipe away Amaryllis's bad memories but to also keep her safe and ensure that everything remains the same for her, even with war on the horizon. The second half of the book deals with the aftermath of the memory machine being activated and the effect this has on not only the people trapped within the machine, but also on those who are left behind.
I found 'The Double Shadow' to be endlessly fascinating. The whole concept of the memory machine was incredible and the idea that someone could build something which could potentially create a three or four dimensional world in which only perfect memories could exist was amazing. Although Amaryllis's father's intentions are good, a major issue in the book is the broken relationship between a father and daughter and how each can be so oblivious to the needs of the other that the very foundation of their bond is lost. Each of them is so consumed with their own world that they isolate themselves and prevent the fragile link between the two of them from being repaired. Another major relationship in the book is between Amaryllis and local boy Ezra and the gradual blossoming of the love between them was wonderful to behold.
The book does deal with some heavy themes which makes it more suited to a slightly older teen audience, but it holds so much appeal that I will be recommending it to everyone! It has an extremely clever narrative and Sally Gardner's writing is both sharp and insightful which made this book a joy to read. The language used is also beautifully poetic at times and I literally savoured every word on the page of this wonderful story. I'm in awe of Gardner's storytelling skills and envious of anyone getting to read this book for the very first time. It's an experience you won't forget!
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Blog Tour: The Haunting of Charity Delafield - Ian Beck
Today, I'm thrilled to be hosting a stop on the blog tour for 'The Haunting of Charity Delafield' which is a charming story about a little girl who comes to believe that anything is possible! This is a gorgeous little book that you'll want to read curled up in a chair with a big mug of tea.
After I moved to London all my energy went on pursuing my career as an illustrator. I was eventually successful at it, and within a few years was working steadily as a freelance illustrator for magazines, newspapers and design groups. Occasionally I would start writing something, and again I never finished any of it. I took a creative writing class for a while at the City Literary Institute in Drury Lane but the whole tenor of the course was more to encourage self examination and instil an avant garde (for 1971) approach to text which was based on the theories of Nathalie Sarraute and Alain Robbe Grillet. I was looking for a way to understand conventional narrative and structure and this was not encouraged and I was effectively put off writing for a while. All of this is by way of saying that the transition from illustrating to writing was not a sudden overnight thing but a gradual building up over many years.
I was lucky enough in the early 1980s to meet and work with David Fickling who was then a youthful editor at Oxford University Press. I illustrated several books for him and eventually after his move to what is now Random House Children’s books he encouraged me to write my own text to illustrate which became The Teddy Robber (Doubleday 1989) during the making of that book I also worked for the first time with Annie Eaton. The Teddy Robber led on to me illustrating a whole series of picture books which I also wrote, and many of which are happily still in print. I was still ambitious to attempt a larger form, a longer story and with the death of one of my closest friends in 2003 my mind was concentrated. If I wanted to do it then I had to get on and do it before it was too late for me too, and that was when I wrote the first of the three Tom Trueheart books; (The Secret History of Tom Trueheart Boy Adventurer, Oxford University Press 2006). The other books since have all been enabled by actually finishing and then heavily rewriting that first book in 2004/5.
I am happy to say that 23 years later I am still working with Annie Eaton at RHCB she was my editor along with Natalie Doherty on the very recently published; The Haunting of Charity Delafield (The Bodley head 2011)
My process is I suppose like most other writer’s, simply to write the story. A deceptively simple task and I am sure that every writer has a different method of approaching it. I like to write a very free first draft. This will often differ from any synopsis that I may have made. I like to discover the story as I write it. After that it is the graft of editing and rewriting and it is that stage that I think the book is really made.
Future projects as a writer and illustrator
I do have things in the pipeline, which I can only be very vague about at the moment for obvious reasons. One is a sequel to my YA novel Pastworld, another is an adventure story set in World War 2 London, another is a possible historical novel about a very precious substance, and I am keen to find out what happens to the character of Silas Jones from The Haunting of Charity Delafield I am eager to follow him and see where he leads. I very much enjoyed the process of making the illustrations for Philip Pullman’s version of Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp (Scholastic 2011) it would be nice to think that there was the possibility of another such collaboration somewhere in the future.
I'm delighted to welcome author Ian Beck who will be giving us an insight into his writing life, as well as talking about the inspiration behind the book and what projects he has planned next.
The transition from illustrator to author
I have always been a voracious reader. Even when I was a callow art student at the Brighton School of Art in the 1960s I was reading all the time and writing too as well as drawing. The pieces I wrote were just fragments really, little bits and pieces in imitation of the writers I admired. They were precious bits of story in the manner of Oscar Wilde’s fairy tales, and bits of imitation Ray Bradbury, Alain-Fournier and Vladimir Nabokov, all of whom I was, and still am, crazy about. None of the pieces were ever sustained or finished, and I certainly never told anyone much that I was writing at all or even had ambitions to write.
After I moved to London all my energy went on pursuing my career as an illustrator. I was eventually successful at it, and within a few years was working steadily as a freelance illustrator for magazines, newspapers and design groups. Occasionally I would start writing something, and again I never finished any of it. I took a creative writing class for a while at the City Literary Institute in Drury Lane but the whole tenor of the course was more to encourage self examination and instil an avant garde (for 1971) approach to text which was based on the theories of Nathalie Sarraute and Alain Robbe Grillet. I was looking for a way to understand conventional narrative and structure and this was not encouraged and I was effectively put off writing for a while. All of this is by way of saying that the transition from illustrating to writing was not a sudden overnight thing but a gradual building up over many years.
I was lucky enough in the early 1980s to meet and work with David Fickling who was then a youthful editor at Oxford University Press. I illustrated several books for him and eventually after his move to what is now Random House Children’s books he encouraged me to write my own text to illustrate which became The Teddy Robber (Doubleday 1989) during the making of that book I also worked for the first time with Annie Eaton. The Teddy Robber led on to me illustrating a whole series of picture books which I also wrote, and many of which are happily still in print. I was still ambitious to attempt a larger form, a longer story and with the death of one of my closest friends in 2003 my mind was concentrated. If I wanted to do it then I had to get on and do it before it was too late for me too, and that was when I wrote the first of the three Tom Trueheart books; (The Secret History of Tom Trueheart Boy Adventurer, Oxford University Press 2006). The other books since have all been enabled by actually finishing and then heavily rewriting that first book in 2004/5.
I am happy to say that 23 years later I am still working with Annie Eaton at RHCB she was my editor along with Natalie Doherty on the very recently published; The Haunting of Charity Delafield (The Bodley head 2011)
My process is I suppose like most other writer’s, simply to write the story. A deceptively simple task and I am sure that every writer has a different method of approaching it. I like to write a very free first draft. This will often differ from any synopsis that I may have made. I like to discover the story as I write it. After that it is the graft of editing and rewriting and it is that stage that I think the book is really made.
The inspiration behind 'Charity Delafield' and how the idea for the story came about
Charity began life as a watercolour drawing of a girl out in the snow in a bright red coat. Originally I had plans to make a picture book out of her, but that came to nothing. Both my agent and my editor at RHCB Annie Eaton liked her and they would occasionally prod my conscience about her. It was several years down the line that I realised that she might be a long story after all. There were many false starts before she settled into her stride. I wanted to include a house as a character in its own right. I know a particularly interesting one which features many of the long gloomy corridors that I have forced poor Charity to dream about. The house was added to the mix, as was the all important cat whose name I stole from a friend of mine whose best friend’s cat was actually called Mr Tompkins so I appropriated the name for Charity’s cat, and so on. The story progressed as things were added and taken away in turn and finally there came the day when after three complete drafts written over a long period she was finally finished.
I do have things in the pipeline, which I can only be very vague about at the moment for obvious reasons. One is a sequel to my YA novel Pastworld, another is an adventure story set in World War 2 London, another is a possible historical novel about a very precious substance, and I am keen to find out what happens to the character of Silas Jones from The Haunting of Charity Delafield I am eager to follow him and see where he leads. I very much enjoyed the process of making the illustrations for Philip Pullman’s version of Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp (Scholastic 2011) it would be nice to think that there was the possibility of another such collaboration somewhere in the future.
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Review: Reckoning - Lili St. Crow
Reckoning by Lili St. Crow, published by Quercus on 27th October 2011
Goodreads synopsis:
Nobody expected Dru Anderson to survive this long. Not Graves. Not Christophe. Not even Dru. She’s battled killer zombies, jealous djamphirs, and bloodthirsty suckers straight out of her worst nightmares. But now that Dru has bloomed into a fullfledged svetocha—rare, beautiful, and toxic to all vampires—the worst is yet to come. Because getting out alive is going to cost more than she’s ever imagined. And in the end, is survival really worth the sacrifice?
Dru Anderson’s not afraid of the dark.
But she should be.
Review:
There may be spoilers from previous books in the series.
This is the final installment in the Strange Angels series by Lili St. Crow. This has long been one of my favourite series, combining both vampires and werewolves, as well as an extremely feisty and kick-ass heroine in the form of Dru Anderson, so I really tried to savour every second of reading 'Reckoning'. I have to say that having got very attached to all the characters, I did hope that certain things were going to happen and I had my own personal views about the way in which I wanted the storyline to unfold. In some respects the book did meet my expectations but without giving anything away, I was a little bit unsatisfied with the ending.
The book opens after Dru's successful rescue of Graves. Now on the run from Sergej, most of the action takes place outside of the confines of the Schola Prima. It was interesting to see Dru having to try and survive on her own for a while without all the protection she's been used to. What I love about Dru is that she is a true survivor. She's been through so much and yet she always seems to come out stronger on the other side. She does find it incredibly difficult to let anyone help her though. She believes she's ruined the lives of the people around her and what she sometimes fails to see is that they would do anything and be willing to sacrifice anything to keep her safe. Part of Dru's journey has always been about learning to trust those closest to her and opening up enough to let people into her life and this is something that she's gradually managed to achieve throughout the series.
The majority of the plot is concerned with tying up the two plot strands that have been prominent from book one. The first is Dru's desire to get revenge on Sergej for her mother and father's death and the second is the love triangle between Dru, Christophe and Graves. Those hoping for a face off between Dru and Sergej will certainly not be disappointed. There's plenty of action, particularly in the second half of the book and there's enough excitement crammed into the story to keep you well and truly glued to your seat!
As for the love triangle, there's usually a clear divide between readers who love either the loyal figure of Graves who is like Dru's best friend, or those who prefer the brooding and handsome Christophe, who often appears at exactly the right moment to rescue Dru from another dangerous situation. Knowing that, I feel like there wasn't necessarily a proper resolution to Dru's romantic entanglements. The end of the book was very much left up to the reader's own interpretation, although there are some definite hints made about what might happen next. It's a brave choice for Lili St. Crow to have made but I would have liked things to have been a little more clear cut rather that inferred.
This has been a wonderful series and I really wish that the ride wasn't over! The writing has been sharp, the plot has been gripping and the characters have led readers on an incredible journey full of ups and downs, action and excitement. I will be eagerly waiting to see what Lili St. Crow writes next as she's definitely an author to watch!
Goodreads synopsis:
Nobody expected Dru Anderson to survive this long. Not Graves. Not Christophe. Not even Dru. She’s battled killer zombies, jealous djamphirs, and bloodthirsty suckers straight out of her worst nightmares. But now that Dru has bloomed into a fullfledged svetocha—rare, beautiful, and toxic to all vampires—the worst is yet to come. Because getting out alive is going to cost more than she’s ever imagined. And in the end, is survival really worth the sacrifice?
Dru Anderson’s not afraid of the dark.
But she should be.
Review:
There may be spoilers from previous books in the series.
This is the final installment in the Strange Angels series by Lili St. Crow. This has long been one of my favourite series, combining both vampires and werewolves, as well as an extremely feisty and kick-ass heroine in the form of Dru Anderson, so I really tried to savour every second of reading 'Reckoning'. I have to say that having got very attached to all the characters, I did hope that certain things were going to happen and I had my own personal views about the way in which I wanted the storyline to unfold. In some respects the book did meet my expectations but without giving anything away, I was a little bit unsatisfied with the ending.
The book opens after Dru's successful rescue of Graves. Now on the run from Sergej, most of the action takes place outside of the confines of the Schola Prima. It was interesting to see Dru having to try and survive on her own for a while without all the protection she's been used to. What I love about Dru is that she is a true survivor. She's been through so much and yet she always seems to come out stronger on the other side. She does find it incredibly difficult to let anyone help her though. She believes she's ruined the lives of the people around her and what she sometimes fails to see is that they would do anything and be willing to sacrifice anything to keep her safe. Part of Dru's journey has always been about learning to trust those closest to her and opening up enough to let people into her life and this is something that she's gradually managed to achieve throughout the series.
The majority of the plot is concerned with tying up the two plot strands that have been prominent from book one. The first is Dru's desire to get revenge on Sergej for her mother and father's death and the second is the love triangle between Dru, Christophe and Graves. Those hoping for a face off between Dru and Sergej will certainly not be disappointed. There's plenty of action, particularly in the second half of the book and there's enough excitement crammed into the story to keep you well and truly glued to your seat!
As for the love triangle, there's usually a clear divide between readers who love either the loyal figure of Graves who is like Dru's best friend, or those who prefer the brooding and handsome Christophe, who often appears at exactly the right moment to rescue Dru from another dangerous situation. Knowing that, I feel like there wasn't necessarily a proper resolution to Dru's romantic entanglements. The end of the book was very much left up to the reader's own interpretation, although there are some definite hints made about what might happen next. It's a brave choice for Lili St. Crow to have made but I would have liked things to have been a little more clear cut rather that inferred.
This has been a wonderful series and I really wish that the ride wasn't over! The writing has been sharp, the plot has been gripping and the characters have led readers on an incredible journey full of ups and downs, action and excitement. I will be eagerly waiting to see what Lili St. Crow writes next as she's definitely an author to watch!
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Waiting on Wednesday #47
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine that spotlights eagerly awaited upcoming releases. Head on over there to take part or to check out all the other fabulous books that people are looking forward to reading!
Born into the slums of Los Angeles, fifteen-year old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. A mysterious boy with no recorded image or fingerprints. A boy who should no longer exist. A boy who watches over his family until one evening, when the plague patrols mark his family's door with an X--the sign of plague infection. A death sentence for any family too poor to afford the antidote. Desperate, Day has no choice; he must steal it.
Born to an elite family in Los Angeles' wealthy Ruby sector, fifteen-year old June is the Republic's most promising prodigy. A superintelligent girl destined for great things in the country's highest military circles. Obedient, passionate, and committed to her country--until the day her brother Metias is murdered while on patrol during a break-in at the plague hospital.
Only one person could be responsible.
Day.
And now it's June's mission to hunt him down.
The truth they'll uncover will become legend.
Dystopian fiction is one of my favourite genres and so I really like the sound of this new title from Puffin. I've read some fantastic advance reviews of the book which sum it up as an addictive, pulse-pounding read, so it's definitely going on my wishlist!
Legend by Marie Lu
Published on 28th November 2011 by Puffin
Born into the slums of Los Angeles, fifteen-year old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. A mysterious boy with no recorded image or fingerprints. A boy who should no longer exist. A boy who watches over his family until one evening, when the plague patrols mark his family's door with an X--the sign of plague infection. A death sentence for any family too poor to afford the antidote. Desperate, Day has no choice; he must steal it.
Born to an elite family in Los Angeles' wealthy Ruby sector, fifteen-year old June is the Republic's most promising prodigy. A superintelligent girl destined for great things in the country's highest military circles. Obedient, passionate, and committed to her country--until the day her brother Metias is murdered while on patrol during a break-in at the plague hospital.
Only one person could be responsible.
Day.
And now it's June's mission to hunt him down.
The truth they'll uncover will become legend.
Dystopian fiction is one of my favourite genres and so I really like the sound of this new title from Puffin. I've read some fantastic advance reviews of the book which sum it up as an addictive, pulse-pounding read, so it's definitely going on my wishlist!
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Cover reveal: Fallen in Love and Rapture - Lauren Kate
Here's the beautiful final cover art for Lauren Kate's two new books, due to be published in 2012. I have completely fallen in love with both of these and I can't wait to get my hands on them and see them prettying up my bookcases!
Unexpected. Unrequited. Forbidden. Eternal. Everyone has their own love story.
And in a twist of fate, four extraordinary love stories combine over the course of a romantic Valentine's Day in Medieval England. Miles and Shelby find love where they least expect it. Roland learns a painful lesson about finding-and losing love. Arianne pays the price for a love so fierce it burns. And for the first -and last- time, Daniel and Luce will spend a night together like none other.
Lauren Kate's 'Fallen in Love' is filled with love stories . . . the ones everyone has been waiting for.
And in a twist of fate, four extraordinary love stories combine over the course of a romantic Valentine's Day in Medieval England. Miles and Shelby find love where they least expect it. Roland learns a painful lesson about finding-and losing love. Arianne pays the price for a love so fierce it burns. And for the first -and last- time, Daniel and Luce will spend a night together like none other.
Lauren Kate's 'Fallen in Love' is filled with love stories . . . the ones everyone has been waiting for.
The last installment of the Fallen series. Will Luce and Daniel get their happy ever after?
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