Wednesday 27 January 2016

antcipated realeses for 2016

Hi guys

I for once actually have some books I'm super excited for this year rather than having to scour goodreads for books that sound interesting,

Heartless by Cornelia Funke
No released cover in English yet
There is no official release date yet for this book but it was published in German last March, so it can't be that long now. I'm so excited for this book the Mirrorworld series is possibly my favourite series ever, though I think I'm going to have to reread the series before the third one comes out.

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard
 
'Red Queen' was one of my favourite books of 2015, so I'm super excited for the next one. I think it's going to be even better then the first. The epilogue gave the impression that there was going to be some intense character development in the next book.

Half Lost by Sally Green
I can't believe it is almost the end of this series. I'm so excited but at the same time I never want to read this book because I am not ready to end this series. There is also the obvious fear that Sally Green is going to kill Gabriel or Nathan and Gabriel aren't going to end up together.


Sunday 24 January 2016

Night Owls by Jenn Bennett : Book Review

Night Owls by Jenn Bennett
Publication date: August 13th 2015
Published by: Simon and Schuster UK
Genres: YA, Romance, realistic, mental health

Feeling alive is always worth the risk.

Meeting Jack on the Owl—San Francisco's night bus—turns Beatrix's world upside down. Jack is charming, wildly attractive...and possibly one of San Francisco's most notorious graffiti artists.

But Jack is hiding a piece of himself. On midnight rides and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who this enigmatic boy really is.






My Thoughts
I read this book wanting a happy romantic book that was extremely cutesy and while it was a romantic book that gave me the feels, it wasn't all that happy. Jack and Beatrix's lives are a bit all over the place and not very organised with their lives falling to pieces numberous times throughout the book but without it being to dramatic and just getting on my nerves.

This book really is a book that is better going into blind because of all the twists and turns that it takes throughout the process of the story. It does contain some scenes with mental health, not from the perspective of the main character, which I found very refreshing and much easier to read about because sometimes I find books that deal with mental health are a bit too much for me.

In conclusion, this is a phenomenal book that has characters that deal with real situations in realistic ways. I'm giving this book a 5/5 stars. Truly stunning.

Sunday 17 January 2016

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins : Review

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Publication date: August 24th 2010
Published by: Scholastic Press
Genres: YA, Dystopian, Action

My name is Katniss Everdeen.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.


Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans--except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.
  

My Thoughts
This book was amazing. A great ending to a great series. I was in floods of tears for the last quarter of the book, so I would recommend having a super happy book to read next.

The characters were great. We got introduced to Annie Cresta who thought she doesn't say a lot is my new favourite character ever. I liked how Peeta was portrayed throughout the books because I think it would have been easy for Suzanne to have turned him into a villain.

The plot was realistic or at least as realistic as a dystopian could be. It was fast paced yet still had all the impact that was in the previous books.

In conclusion, this review sucked, sorry. This book effected me so much I'm not sure words could ever be able to describe how much I loved it. I give this book 5/5.

Thursday 14 January 2016

Love, Sex and Violence in YA Fantasy Novels by Louise Herman : Guest Post


Introduction

Happy holidays everyone, and I hope you are enjoying the break.

 

I have decided to take a week’s respite from writing the third book in my YA urban fantasy series, Split Blood, to catch up with author interview and guest post requests. I am looking forward to discussing my thoughts and opinions on love, sex and violence in YA books and how I have dealt with these themes in my own stories.

 

What is YA?

 

Many of my friends and family have asked me what YA books are, and with the new introduction of the New Adult genre, the YA audience has become even more specific.

 

My explanation used to be that YA books are aimed at young adults. However, today I would say that YA audiences are split into two categories with respect to storyline and levels of violence and profanity.

 

Personally, I would class a book that has no references to sex, violence or profanity in it as suitable for pre-teens (9-12 years), but a story like Split Blood: The Ancient Codex – Part One I would class as suitable for ‘teen’ readers, as it tackles issues that include sex, as well as challenging issues such as arranged marriages, torture and murder.

 

What themes and scenarios are appropriate for YA readers?

 

I have read many articles arguing that some readers feel that YA authors are pushing the limits of what they class as suitable storylines for YA audience, with some so far as suggesting that books should have a visible certification rating, like films, to warn readers that such story refer to these sensitive topics.

 

As an author, I personally do not have a problem with this because my books are aimed at the ‘teen’ end of the spectrum, and as a teacher from the UK, I know that students aged between 13 and 15 years are taught sexual education in their ‘Citizenship’ lessons, which are part of the UK curriculum. Therefore, I would rather portray a sexual situation that contains respect, mutual understanding and a loving relationship than a glorified situation in which a character is in a sexual situation that is filled with dark undertones.

 

When does it go too far?

 

I am not a big fan of books aimed at pre-teens or ‘teens’ in which the sexual situations have sadistic elements (such as using force) or murder scenes that show endless enjoyment being gained from preforming these acts, because although I know that some characters are dark and it would be a part of their personality to act in this way, I would personally prefer such stories to be listed under the NA genre, as a college student would have a better grasp of these topics due to their older age and greater experience (this is my opinion, but I know that there are many teens who can understand and not be affected by such storylines).

 

How far have I taken it in my own books and why?

 

I don’t think I have taken such themes too far in my books because, as I mentioned earlier, in the UK children receive lessons in sex education from the age of 13-15 in school, and teenage pregnancy is also studied in Citizenship lessons; therefore, this was a topic that I wanted to approach, and hopefully I managed to do this delicately.

 

Louise Herman Bio

 

Louise Herman is a North London Fantasy author obsessed with pear drops sweets and 80s Fantasy films.

In between reading James Herbert novels and drinking too much coffee, she writes Young Adult Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance novels.

Louise Herman has currently written five YA Fantasy books to date (December 2015); The Orcus Games Prequel Trilogy and The Split Blood series, which take the reader on a journey of magic, mystery, obsession and forbidden love with seductively dark consequences.

For more information, please go to:
www.louisehermanauthor.com

 

Sunday 10 January 2016

The Savages by Matt Whyman : Book Review

The Savages by Matt Whyman
Publication date: June 6th 2013
Published by: Hot Key Books
Genres: Ya, Horror

They'd love to have you for dinner . . .

Sasha Savage is in love with Jack - a handsome, charming ... vegetarian. Which wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that Sasha's family are very much 'carnivorous'. Behind the family facade all is not as it seems. Sasha's father rules his clan with an iron fist and her mother's culinary skills are getting more adventurous by the day. When a too-curious private detective starts to dig for truths, the tight-knit family starts to unravel - as does their sinister taste in human beings . . .




My Thoughts
I have wanted to read this book for a couple of years ow, so when I got it on Christmas I was super excited. From the review I had read I had got the impression that this was a very thought provoking book that made you wonder whether eating animals was any worse then eating people. Unfortunately that is not wha this book is about.

All the characters are quite psychopathic with a slight exception of Oleg but that could just be because he is less featured in the book. There were points where characters train of thought would really creep me out particularly Iva, Sasha's brother. I thought that Sasha's character was a bit pathetic, letting Jack treat her like that.

The plot was okay, my favourite parts where the points that involved Vernon. I thought he was a nice non-psychopathic character. The parts that involved Russia in the World War were also quite interesting but otherwise super disturbing.

In conclusion, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone because it was super disturbing but not disturbing enough to really scare you. The plot wasn't great and the characters were weak. I'm giving this book 2/5 stars.

Wednesday 6 January 2016

November / December Wrap up

Hi Guys

I only read 2 books in November, so I thought it would make more sense to put both November and December together then create the smallest blog post ever..

The 100 Series by Kass Morgan
I actually really enjoyed this series. I know most people hate this series but I thought it was a good light-hearted series that had one of the best endings ever. I still need to watch the show though. I have a review of the first book here.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
I read 'The Hunger Games' ages ago but after seeing 'Mockingjay Part 2' and falling in love with Finnick I knew I had to finish the series. I was a bit disappointed about how long the build up to even the announcement of the games is but once the plot picked up I was captivated desperate to know what happened next. My full review is here.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
This was one of my favourite books of this year. It's phenomenal. It was fast paced yet all the characters where very relatable and as realistic as they could be. My full review is here.