Quercus recently published the debut novel of author Katie Cotugno. I'm going to be reviewing 'How to Love' on the blog very soon but here's a peek at the fabulous trailer for the book.
This is a love story. But it’s not what you think. This is not a first kiss, or a first date. This is not love at first sight. This is a boy and a girl falling in messy, unpredictable, thrilling love. This is the complicated route to happiness that follows.
This is real. This is life. This is how to love.
BEFORE: Reena has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember. But he’s never noticed her, until one day… he does. They fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town, leaving a devastated – and pregnant – Reena behind.
AFTER: Three years later and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter Hannah. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again.
After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer again?
Monday, 14 October 2013
Friday, 11 October 2013
Review: Because It Is My Blood - Gabrielle Zevin
Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin, published by Macmillan Children's Books on 19th August 2013
Goodreads synopsis:
Since her release from Liberty Children's Facility, Anya Balanchine is determined to follow the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, her criminal record is making it hard for her to do that. No high school wants her with a gun possession charge on her rap sheet. Plus, all the people in her life have moved on: Natty has skipped two grades at Holy Trinity, Scarlet and Gable seem closer than ever, and even Win is in a new relationship. But when old friends return demanding that certain debts be paid, Anya is thrown right back into the criminal world that she had been determined to escape. It's a journey that will take her across the ocean and straight into the heart of the birthplace of chocolate where her resolve--and her heart--will be tested as never before.
Review:
It seems ages since I read the first book in this series about Anya and her family. I couldn't wait for the sequel and I'm pleased to say that it was just as enjoyable as the opening instalment was.
Anya has been released from Liberty Children's Facility and is finally able to re-join her family. She wants life to go back to normal but everything around her seems to have changed. Anya is a fantastic main character. I admire her strength and courage and her determination to do whatever is best for her family and friends even if it means she may suffer as a consequence. She will go to any lengths to protect her sister Natty and brother Leo and sometimes has to make incredibly difficult choices to ensure they remain safe.
Her romance with Win is one of my favourite things about the books. He seems to understand her in a way that no one else does and even when she questions his feelings for her, there's no doubt in my mind that he would do anything for her.
Throughout the book Anya learns more about the Balanchine chocolate business and about the tangled web of relationships that lie behind it. Up until this point she has almost been like a pawn in a bigger game but now she seems ready to step up and take her rightful inheritance. Half-way through the story she ends up in Mexico learning how to farm cacao and this leads to a whole new cast of characters who I enjoyed reading about.
'Because It Is My Blood' was such an enjoyable read and a great book two. I really love the Birthright world and I became completely immersed in the character's lives. The only problem now is the long wait to find out what happens next!
Goodreads synopsis:
Since her release from Liberty Children's Facility, Anya Balanchine is determined to follow the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, her criminal record is making it hard for her to do that. No high school wants her with a gun possession charge on her rap sheet. Plus, all the people in her life have moved on: Natty has skipped two grades at Holy Trinity, Scarlet and Gable seem closer than ever, and even Win is in a new relationship. But when old friends return demanding that certain debts be paid, Anya is thrown right back into the criminal world that she had been determined to escape. It's a journey that will take her across the ocean and straight into the heart of the birthplace of chocolate where her resolve--and her heart--will be tested as never before.
Review:
It seems ages since I read the first book in this series about Anya and her family. I couldn't wait for the sequel and I'm pleased to say that it was just as enjoyable as the opening instalment was.
Anya has been released from Liberty Children's Facility and is finally able to re-join her family. She wants life to go back to normal but everything around her seems to have changed. Anya is a fantastic main character. I admire her strength and courage and her determination to do whatever is best for her family and friends even if it means she may suffer as a consequence. She will go to any lengths to protect her sister Natty and brother Leo and sometimes has to make incredibly difficult choices to ensure they remain safe.
Her romance with Win is one of my favourite things about the books. He seems to understand her in a way that no one else does and even when she questions his feelings for her, there's no doubt in my mind that he would do anything for her.
Throughout the book Anya learns more about the Balanchine chocolate business and about the tangled web of relationships that lie behind it. Up until this point she has almost been like a pawn in a bigger game but now she seems ready to step up and take her rightful inheritance. Half-way through the story she ends up in Mexico learning how to farm cacao and this leads to a whole new cast of characters who I enjoyed reading about.
'Because It Is My Blood' was such an enjoyable read and a great book two. I really love the Birthright world and I became completely immersed in the character's lives. The only problem now is the long wait to find out what happens next!
Wednesday, 9 October 2013
Review: Marina - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, published by W&N on 10th October 2013
Goodreads synopsis:
In May 1980, fifteen-year-old Óscar Drei suddenly vanishes from his boarding school in the old quarter of Barcelona. For seven days and nights no one knows his whereabouts. It all began the previous autumn when, while exploring the dilapidated grounds of what seemed to be an abandoned house filled with portraits, he inadvertently stole a gold pocket watch. Thus begins Oscar's friendship with Marina and her father Herman Blau, a portrait painter.
Marina takes Óscar to the gardens of the nearby cemetery to watch a macabre ritual that occurs on the fourth Sunday of each month. At 10 a.m., a coach drives up to the cemetery and a woman with her face shrouded, wearing gloves, and holding a single rose is helped down from the coach and walks over to a nameless gravestone, where she sets down the flower, pauses for a moment, and then returns to the coach. The gravestone bears no marking but the outline of a strange-looking butterfly with open wings. On one of their subsequent walks Oscar and Marina spot the same woman and determine to follow her. Thereupon begins their journey into the woman's past, and that of the object of her devotion.
Review:
I've enjoyed several of Carlos Ruiz Zafon's adult books, particularly 'The Shadow of the Wind' which is a big favourite of mine. I've also read quite a few of his books for young adults which have also been very good. I'd heard of 'Marina' which is actually one of Zafon's earlier works and really liked the sound of it. I normally enjoy Gothic stories but sadly, I struggled my way through most of this book.
The story is set in Barcelona in 1980 and is told through the eyes of main character Oscar Drai. Oscar is a student at a local boarding school who one day inadvertently stumbles across Marina and her father Germain. I thought the opening few chapters of the book were intriguing and made me want to keep turning the pages. I actually felt that some comparison could be made with Dickens's 'Great Expectations' as Oscar and Marina reminded me initially of Pip and Estella. However, then the story took a completely different turn and the elements of Gothic horror really came to the fore.
Within the book stories within a story are recounted by various secondary characters. This continually added layers of mystery and intrigue which began to unravel as Oscar made it his mission to get to the bottom of events.
'Marina' is an incredibly creepy book. It has one of the most frightening scenes in it I've ever read and the grotesque aspects of the story really put me off wanting to finish it. I did persevere and I certainly do admire a writer who can be so versatile in writing about different subject matters but this one just wasn't for me.
Goodreads synopsis:
In May 1980, fifteen-year-old Óscar Drei suddenly vanishes from his boarding school in the old quarter of Barcelona. For seven days and nights no one knows his whereabouts. It all began the previous autumn when, while exploring the dilapidated grounds of what seemed to be an abandoned house filled with portraits, he inadvertently stole a gold pocket watch. Thus begins Oscar's friendship with Marina and her father Herman Blau, a portrait painter.
Marina takes Óscar to the gardens of the nearby cemetery to watch a macabre ritual that occurs on the fourth Sunday of each month. At 10 a.m., a coach drives up to the cemetery and a woman with her face shrouded, wearing gloves, and holding a single rose is helped down from the coach and walks over to a nameless gravestone, where she sets down the flower, pauses for a moment, and then returns to the coach. The gravestone bears no marking but the outline of a strange-looking butterfly with open wings. On one of their subsequent walks Oscar and Marina spot the same woman and determine to follow her. Thereupon begins their journey into the woman's past, and that of the object of her devotion.
Review:
I've enjoyed several of Carlos Ruiz Zafon's adult books, particularly 'The Shadow of the Wind' which is a big favourite of mine. I've also read quite a few of his books for young adults which have also been very good. I'd heard of 'Marina' which is actually one of Zafon's earlier works and really liked the sound of it. I normally enjoy Gothic stories but sadly, I struggled my way through most of this book.
The story is set in Barcelona in 1980 and is told through the eyes of main character Oscar Drai. Oscar is a student at a local boarding school who one day inadvertently stumbles across Marina and her father Germain. I thought the opening few chapters of the book were intriguing and made me want to keep turning the pages. I actually felt that some comparison could be made with Dickens's 'Great Expectations' as Oscar and Marina reminded me initially of Pip and Estella. However, then the story took a completely different turn and the elements of Gothic horror really came to the fore.
Within the book stories within a story are recounted by various secondary characters. This continually added layers of mystery and intrigue which began to unravel as Oscar made it his mission to get to the bottom of events.
'Marina' is an incredibly creepy book. It has one of the most frightening scenes in it I've ever read and the grotesque aspects of the story really put me off wanting to finish it. I did persevere and I certainly do admire a writer who can be so versatile in writing about different subject matters but this one just wasn't for me.
Monday, 7 October 2013
Review: Unbreakable - Kami Garcia
Unbreakable by Kami Garcia, published by Simon and Schuster on 1st October 2013
Goodreads synopsis:
When Kennedy finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn't know that evil forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into her house and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon - a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.
Now Kennedy has to take her mother's place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon - battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.
Review:
I was really excited about reading 'Unbreakable'. I love the Beautiful Creatures series by Kami Garcia and her co-author Margaret Stohl, so I was pretty hyped about this first book in a new supernatural series by Garcia. Because my expectations were so enormous, I felt a little let down when I actually finished the book. Please don't think I didn't enjoy it, because I did, but it failed to completely win me over. I still want to read the rest of the series as I feel that this was a promising enough start to make me want to find out what happens next, but I do hope the next instalment ramps things up a notch.
The plot centres on teenager Kennedy, who comes home one day to find her mother dead. From this point on her whole world is turned upside down. She discovers that her mother was part of The Legion, a group who protect the world from evil spirits and demons. Taken under the protection of twin brothers Jared and Lukas Lockhart, she joins them and their fellow demon hunters, as they battle all kinds of evil.
After the opening of 'Unbreakable', the story hurtles along at breakneck speed. There are some seriously creepy moments in the book and I wouldn't recommend reading this if you're alone in the house. I was frankly terrified! Be prepared for just about anything to come creeping out of the darkness when you least expect it. I kept jumping out of my chair!
Although there's a lot going on, I thought that some of the character development perhaps suffered because of this. I felt like I knew very little about the main character Kennedy before she's sucked into a whole new world, and I would also have liked more time to have been spent on developing Jared and Lukas. The inevitable love triangle between the three of them didn't particularly draw me in, as I didn't care enough about either boy to root for one or the other of them.
I enjoyed Garcia's world building and I loved some of the action sequences but some aspects of the book just didn't work for me. I will be intrigued to see how things progress but I'm yet to be completely sold on this new series.
Goodreads synopsis:
When Kennedy finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn't know that evil forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into her house and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon - a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.
Now Kennedy has to take her mother's place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon - battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.
Review:
I was really excited about reading 'Unbreakable'. I love the Beautiful Creatures series by Kami Garcia and her co-author Margaret Stohl, so I was pretty hyped about this first book in a new supernatural series by Garcia. Because my expectations were so enormous, I felt a little let down when I actually finished the book. Please don't think I didn't enjoy it, because I did, but it failed to completely win me over. I still want to read the rest of the series as I feel that this was a promising enough start to make me want to find out what happens next, but I do hope the next instalment ramps things up a notch.
The plot centres on teenager Kennedy, who comes home one day to find her mother dead. From this point on her whole world is turned upside down. She discovers that her mother was part of The Legion, a group who protect the world from evil spirits and demons. Taken under the protection of twin brothers Jared and Lukas Lockhart, she joins them and their fellow demon hunters, as they battle all kinds of evil.
After the opening of 'Unbreakable', the story hurtles along at breakneck speed. There are some seriously creepy moments in the book and I wouldn't recommend reading this if you're alone in the house. I was frankly terrified! Be prepared for just about anything to come creeping out of the darkness when you least expect it. I kept jumping out of my chair!
Although there's a lot going on, I thought that some of the character development perhaps suffered because of this. I felt like I knew very little about the main character Kennedy before she's sucked into a whole new world, and I would also have liked more time to have been spent on developing Jared and Lukas. The inevitable love triangle between the three of them didn't particularly draw me in, as I didn't care enough about either boy to root for one or the other of them.
I enjoyed Garcia's world building and I loved some of the action sequences but some aspects of the book just didn't work for me. I will be intrigued to see how things progress but I'm yet to be completely sold on this new series.
Friday, 4 October 2013
Review: Debutantes: In Love - Cora Harrison
Debutantes in Love by Cora Harrison, published by Macmillan Children's Books on 1st August 2013
Goodreads synopsis:
It’s 1924. Leaving their beloved Beech Grove Manor to go to London for the season, Poppy and Daisy Derrington know that they must shine as debutantes.
Since a girl cannot inherit her father's estate, the sisters have to marry well or face being left penniless.
But it’s not money or marriage that interests them. It’s music, cinema, literature, fashion, parties, love – everything that is shiny and new. Trapped by the dusty traditions of their class, Daisy and Poppy must choose between family duty and the bright lights of the roaring twenties.
Review:
The second book in Cora Harrison's Debutantes series focuses on the two middle Derrington sisters, Poppy and Daisy, as they arrive in London for their debutante season. I was a big fan of the first book about the Derringtons and their home Beech Grove Manor, as it reminded me of some of my favourite books when I was growing-up by Noel Streatfield. It had the same charm and easy manner about it which always appealed to me, plus I adore books about large families and sisters in particular.
The story is set in 1924 and so we get the era of the roaring twenties. Life and society are changing rapidly, with art, music and literature coming to the fore. The book touches on the divide between duty and passion and between following the same well trodden path or carving out a new future, outside of the rigid confines of society.
Beech Grove Manor is left behind as much of the action takes place in London. It was interesting to see how Daisy and Poppy functioned away from their more familiar surroundings and how they strived to build lives for themselves, while at the same time attempting to follow their dreams. The focus is on affairs of the heart and while Poppy and her childhood friend Baz begin to explore a new dynamic to their friendship, Daisy worries that she must marry well to ensure the Derrington future. Daisy has always been and continues to be my favourite character. I love her passion for her film-making, as well as her dedication to her family and her struggle to balance both is at the heart of the book.
Cora Harrison is on to a winner with this lovely series. The books are attractive on the outside and in and I'm wholeheartedly looking forward to the next instalment about the Derrington sisters. I wonder if the time is approaching for Rose, the youngest of the siblings, to get her own story.
Goodreads synopsis:
It’s 1924. Leaving their beloved Beech Grove Manor to go to London for the season, Poppy and Daisy Derrington know that they must shine as debutantes.
Since a girl cannot inherit her father's estate, the sisters have to marry well or face being left penniless.
But it’s not money or marriage that interests them. It’s music, cinema, literature, fashion, parties, love – everything that is shiny and new. Trapped by the dusty traditions of their class, Daisy and Poppy must choose between family duty and the bright lights of the roaring twenties.
Review:
The second book in Cora Harrison's Debutantes series focuses on the two middle Derrington sisters, Poppy and Daisy, as they arrive in London for their debutante season. I was a big fan of the first book about the Derringtons and their home Beech Grove Manor, as it reminded me of some of my favourite books when I was growing-up by Noel Streatfield. It had the same charm and easy manner about it which always appealed to me, plus I adore books about large families and sisters in particular.
The story is set in 1924 and so we get the era of the roaring twenties. Life and society are changing rapidly, with art, music and literature coming to the fore. The book touches on the divide between duty and passion and between following the same well trodden path or carving out a new future, outside of the rigid confines of society.
Beech Grove Manor is left behind as much of the action takes place in London. It was interesting to see how Daisy and Poppy functioned away from their more familiar surroundings and how they strived to build lives for themselves, while at the same time attempting to follow their dreams. The focus is on affairs of the heart and while Poppy and her childhood friend Baz begin to explore a new dynamic to their friendship, Daisy worries that she must marry well to ensure the Derrington future. Daisy has always been and continues to be my favourite character. I love her passion for her film-making, as well as her dedication to her family and her struggle to balance both is at the heart of the book.
Cora Harrison is on to a winner with this lovely series. The books are attractive on the outside and in and I'm wholeheartedly looking forward to the next instalment about the Derrington sisters. I wonder if the time is approaching for Rose, the youngest of the siblings, to get her own story.
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Review: The 100 - Kass Morgan
The 100 by Kass Morgan, published by Hodder and Stoughton on 29th August 2013
Goodreads synopsis:
An epic journey from the depths of outer space to a wild, futuristic Earth
In 3010, humanity lives in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland . . . before it's too late.
Now a hundred juvenile delinquents are sent on a high-stakes mission to re-colonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community and to get over their dark pasts. In order to survive, they must learn to trust - and even love - again.
Review:
'The 100' is a sublime combination of science fiction and dystopia, interlaced with hints of romance. This was an absolutely stunning read which I thought was superb from start to finish. I already can't wait for the sequel and the spin-off TV show which has already been commissioned.
Set in the future, the 100 refers to a group of teens, all convicted of various crimes and misdemeanours who are sent to earth to recolonise the planet after a nuclear war. The war led to the human race living in spaceships far above radioactive earth and learning how to survive by a number of methods, including limiting the number of new lives allowed to be created. The plot was fantastic. It was fast-paced, exciting and gripping and I was never sure what was going to happen next, so I was intrigued the whole way through.
The book features a four person perspective which alternates each chapter. The four main characters, Bellamy, Clarke, Wells and Glass, all have differing stories to tell and I was fully immersed in each of them. I initially worried that I might struggle with the multiple points of view, but it actually worked tremendously well. I loved the characters and thought they were all equally strong and interesting. I liked the way they all intersected with each other and it will be interesting to see how their personalities develop in future instalments as they face continued adversity and new challenges.
Some of my favourite scenes in the book were those that took place on earth. The characters experiences really shone through and I could feel their wonder and amazement as they experience things like a sunset, rain or birdsong for the very first time.
I was sucked into 'The 100' and by the second half I couldn't put it down. Kass Morgan's writing is wonderful, the world she's created is amazing and I would definitely give this book top marks for it's sheer brilliance.
Goodreads synopsis:
An epic journey from the depths of outer space to a wild, futuristic Earth
In 3010, humanity lives in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland . . . before it's too late.
Now a hundred juvenile delinquents are sent on a high-stakes mission to re-colonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community and to get over their dark pasts. In order to survive, they must learn to trust - and even love - again.
Review:
'The 100' is a sublime combination of science fiction and dystopia, interlaced with hints of romance. This was an absolutely stunning read which I thought was superb from start to finish. I already can't wait for the sequel and the spin-off TV show which has already been commissioned.
Set in the future, the 100 refers to a group of teens, all convicted of various crimes and misdemeanours who are sent to earth to recolonise the planet after a nuclear war. The war led to the human race living in spaceships far above radioactive earth and learning how to survive by a number of methods, including limiting the number of new lives allowed to be created. The plot was fantastic. It was fast-paced, exciting and gripping and I was never sure what was going to happen next, so I was intrigued the whole way through.
The book features a four person perspective which alternates each chapter. The four main characters, Bellamy, Clarke, Wells and Glass, all have differing stories to tell and I was fully immersed in each of them. I initially worried that I might struggle with the multiple points of view, but it actually worked tremendously well. I loved the characters and thought they were all equally strong and interesting. I liked the way they all intersected with each other and it will be interesting to see how their personalities develop in future instalments as they face continued adversity and new challenges.
Some of my favourite scenes in the book were those that took place on earth. The characters experiences really shone through and I could feel their wonder and amazement as they experience things like a sunset, rain or birdsong for the very first time.
I was sucked into 'The 100' and by the second half I couldn't put it down. Kass Morgan's writing is wonderful, the world she's created is amazing and I would definitely give this book top marks for it's sheer brilliance.
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