Soul Beach by Kate Harrison (Book Review)

Goodreads summary:
When Alice Forster receives an email from her dead sister she assumes it must be a sick practical joke. Then an invitation arrives to the virtual world of Soul Beach, an idyllic online paradise of sun, sea and sand where Alice can finally talk to her sister again - and discover a new world of friendships, secrets and maybe even love . . . . But why is Soul Beach only inhabited by the young, the beautiful and the dead? Who really murdered Megan Forster? And could Alice be next? The first book in an intriguing and compelling trilogy centered around the mystery of Megan Forster's death.


                                  My rating - 2.5




My Review:
Honestly? I had mixed feelings about this book.
I liked the idea of Soul Beach - a place where young, beautiful people go when they die and their loved ones can visit the beach virtually, and communicate with their dead kin. It was like a paranormal social website. Lewis was a geeky ex-friend of Maggie and Alice's new companion; he was my favorite character and I would have preferred him as the love interest - but we can't all get what we want. 

The thing that I hated about Soul Beach was the romance between Alice and Daniel. It was one of those romances where the characters fall in love at first sight. I don't believe in love at first sight and I insta-love is one of my pet-peeves. Continuing with my hate for insta-love,  another thing that bothered me was that the author concentrated more on the romance than she did on the murder of Alice's sister. 

As I said earlier, I really liked the idea of soul beach. But we never find out what soul beach is, who's behind it and why it exists. It's just... There. No explanation. 

Alice was one of those characters that annoys me from the very first page. She's just lost her sister in a tragic way - I understand - but she's so obsessed with Soul Beach that she spends all her time on there and not in the real world. When people pass on, you grieve, then you get on with your life. 

I hated the ending because it was predictable. I won't go into details to avoid spoilers, but I found that it was an easy way to get Alice and Daniel together. So I'm afraid that I will not be picking up the sequel and I'm pleased that I borrowed this from the library. 

40th Anniversary - Live Episode

                                                         My rating - 5

On 17th October this year, to celebrate their 40'th year, Emmerdale went live. Eastenders and Coronation Street are two other soaps that have gone live but Emmerdale was my favorite. It was an action packed episode, the acting was brilliant, and most importantly? There were no mistakes!! In Eastenders, Scott Maslin who plays Jack Branning messed up his lines, Barbara Windsor called the actress who plays Roxy by her real name and when Bradley died his finger moved. I don't remember any mistakes from Coronation Street, but some of the acting wasn't up-to-scratch.

During this live episode there were two births, two weddings (one that only lasts an hour) and a death of a 'well loved-character' which later turned out to be Carl King. The births were Debbie and Gennie Dingle and  when Debbie gave birth it was nice finally seeing Cain and Zak getting on better and Cain and Charity were nice to each other for once. Gennie's birth was hilarious. Nikhil was especially funny when he was looking at a baby app on his Iphone. The funniest bit was when he fainted. Hilarious!

Now the death. I am so gutted that they killed off Carl King! I know his character wasn't very nice leading up to the great finale, but he had his great moments and he was a very popular character. His death was a complete shocker! I knew it was him that was going to die from the very start, but the way he died shocked me. Chas promised Carl that she would run away with him, when she wasn't really going to. He tried to force himself on her but she hit him on his head with a brick. I thought this was the end of Carl King, and I was ready for the episode to finish. But then Cameron came along. He hits Carl over the head with the brick and this time it kills him instantly. But not before he manages to send Debbie a text that would change the characters forever. Chas thinks she killed Carl, but we all know it was Cameron. One thing that ruined the ending was when Cameron hit Carl. The brick bounced right off him!

The two characters I feel sorry for are Dan (Chas's husband) and Jimmy. Dan because the love of his life doesn't love him, and Jimmy because he's lost another brother and now he's the only one left.

Ten by Gretchen McNeill (Book Review)

Goodreads summary:
And their doom comes swiftly.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

                                                                                   My rating - 4.5

My review:
Ten is an amazing book. It's about 10 teenagers who go to an island for a party, but suddenly they start dying and they have to try and figure out who the killer is. Unlike some novels where it's obvious who the murderer is from the very start, in Ten you keep having to guess, and just when you think you know who the killer is, there's a massive twist and you start suspecting somebody else. The identity of the killer was a complete shock. And the worse thing was that they were one of my favorite characters before the big finale. If you read this and after a couple of chapters decide it isn't for you, stick with it. The last 50 or so pages are unmissable and well worth the wait. 

Even after I finished reading Ten, the story stuck with me. I'm doing things like watching TV or walking my dog, when suddenly a light-bulb appears above my head and I think "that makes sense," or "blimey, why didn't I think of that before?"

If you want a novel with plenty of nail-biting action, constant twists and turns and a dash of romance, then you have to pick this up. You won't be disappointed.

Unsaid Things... Our Story by McFly

Goodreads summary:
Prepare to meet the real McFly...

In 2003, Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Harry Judd and Dougie Poynter came together and formed what would become one of the most popular and successful bands in the UK. Just teenagers at the time, they were catapulted into the limelight and had to adapt quickly to their new-found fame - and everything that came with it. Now, at last, they have decided to tell their story, in full and revealing detail.

Speaking with candour and their trademark humour, Tom, Harry, Danny and Dougie share both the stories of their own lives and that of McFly. They give their personal insights into their contrasting childhoods, the individual paths that led them to the band, the struggles they have each overcome, their love lives, and, of course, their music.

Packed with previously untold stories, a lot of laughter and the occasional tear, Unsaid Things offers a privileged look into the lives of four guys who started out as bandmates and became best friends. Their unique camaraderie radiates from every page and by the end of the book, you'll know them almost as well as they know each other.

                                  My rating - 10000000
                            My realistic rating - 5

My review:
Unsaid Things is McFly's autobiography. If you don't know who McFly are, let me tell you a bit about them. McFly are a pop/rock band from England and they have been going since 2004. So many bands release books when they're barely famous (One Direction, anyone?) but McFly waited until they had plenty of experience and material to write a book. I have been a fan of the band since I was eleven and as a nineteen, almost twenty year old, I am still a huge fan. I have been lucky enough to see McFly live five times and I met the whole band back in 2011. It was honestly one of the best days of my life. So you can imagine how excited I was for this book.

Unsaid Things starts off with a prologue which is a little story of the guys in a hotel. It was an interesting beginning and very funny. The book is then spread out into thirteen chapters, each chapter concentrating on an important part of their career. From each member's childhood to the recent weddings of Tom Fletcher and Harry Judd, we get an insight into the band we all know and love.

My favourite chapter was the story surrounding Dougie Poynter going into rehab. At the time there were many rumors going around. The main one was that he was heart-broken after his breakup from Frankie Stanford. I was one of those fans who believed this story, but it was far from the truth. Dougie spilled his heart out and I shed a lot of tears. I could imagine how hard it was to tell us what really happened to him.

Until now, McFly had kept a lot of their life secret. In Unsaid Things, you discover so much about the band that you never knew before. If you think you know McFly, think again.

Check out this trailer for the book. It is hilarious!

Gone by Michael Grant (Book Review)

Goodreads summary:
In the blink of an eye.

Everyone disappears.

Gone.

Everyone except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not a single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Gone, too, are the phones, internet, and televisioon. There is no way to get help.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents -- unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers -- that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world. Side are being chosen and war is imminent.

It's first in a breathtaking saga about teens battling each other and their darkest selves, gone is a page-turning thriller that will make you look at the world in a whole new way.

                                                             My rating - 4

My review:
It is rare for me to find a series where I am excited to find out what's going to happen next, that I have to pick up the sequel straight away. Gone was one of those series.

I picked up Gone because of the theme. Teenagers take adults for granted. Adults keep them in line and do everything for them. But what if there were no adults? What if teenagers are the only people left? In Gone, we see everybody over the age of 15 disappear. No warning. They just disappear in front of everybody's eyes. At first the children are excited. No adults? Nobody to tell you what to do anymore. But soon things start to change and the children are growing scared. When you turn 15 you disappear like the rest of them. They don't know what happens when you disappear. What happens? Do you die? Or do you end up somewhere safe? Some of the children start developing powers and they suddenly realise that something is wrong.

There are babies and toddlers, and it's up to the older children to look after them. But there are children who are causing trouble, and things start getting out of control.

Sam is our protagonist. He was sitting in class when his teacher disappeared in front of him. Soon children are looking for a leader, and when Sam attempts to save a child from a burning building, he is the one they choose. Sam was one of the first children to develop a power - the ability to create light with his hand. Until the FAZE he kept it secret.

Sam meets Astrid who he has a crush on. She tells him that she has a little brother who's autistic, and they go to search for him. They find him in the nuclear power plant and Astrid reveals that Little Pete has had powers for a while. They believe that he is involved with the disappearance of the adults.

Then we meet Cain who is Sam's fraternal twin brother. He is from Coates Academy which is a school for troubled children. He arrives in Perdido Beach and soon takes over the FAZE. Children start turning on each other. There are fights and deaths aplenty.

Gone is extremely well written. It is over 500 pages long, but the chapters are short and it is fast paced so it's an easy read. Full of twists and turns that will keep you hooked, Gone is one of those books you won't want to put it down until you're finished the whole thing.

Mist by Kathryn James (Book Review)

Goodreads summary:

A chilling fairy-tale thriller for 10+ girls.

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.

                                                                               My Rating: 4

My review:

Mist follows a girl called Nell who meets a mysterious boy called Evan who she's immediately attracted to. One night, her sister Gwen has a birthday party in the woods and mysteriously disappears. Nell discovers her sister has been kidnapped, and she discovers a fairy world where all is not as it seems.

I really liked Nell as a character. She reminds me of myself when I was thirteen years old. She was an outcast, the one nobody paid attention to. Unlike her sister, Nell didn't care that she was unpopular. 

I really liked Evan's character, and I see why Nell was attracted to him. He's very mysterious and unpredictable. Sometimes he acts like he doesn't give a damn about Nell, but he does a lot of things to help her and keep her out of danger. 

Another character I liked was Nell's sister Gwen. At first she was like a typical annoying bitchy character, but as the story continues we begin to see a more vulnerable side of her. 

Evan's older brother Fen was the main antagonist, but it turns out there's a reason why he's acting like he is. He used to be a really good big brother to Evan, but that changed when their parents disappeared and he grew a dislike towards people and swore to get revenge. I actually felt sorry for him. 

I really liked the plot and fell in love with the fairy world. The fairies are very interesting people, and I felt like I wanted to jump into their world and get to know them. I liked how Nell got on well with the fairies and tried to fit in to their world. 

I borrowed this book from a library, but I enjoyed it so much that I'm thinking of buying my own copy.. If you love fun stories, fairies and just awesome awesome stories.. Then you will love Mist. 

In the summary it says this book is for '10+ girls' if you are a male, don't be put off. This is for you as well.

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs (Book Review)

Goodreads summary:
Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.

These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

                                                                          My rating - 3.5

My review:
I did really enjoy this book.. It's told from the perspectives of three sisters who are the descendants of Medusa.. Gretchen knows what she is and has spent years hunting monsters she was born to send back to their world, Grace is the one who's just seen her first creature, and there's Greer who saw a creature when she was a child but put it down to imagination and led a normal life .. They were separated at birth, and all three sisters find each other and learn about their destiny

Main characters

Gretchen - your typical kick-ass heroin, which is the type of character I like to read about, as it makes a change from your typical YA whiny/damsel in distress character

Grace - A very shy/sweet girl.. She is also very clever. At first she seemed like one of those damsel in distress characters I hate, but then she started to grow a backbone 

Greer - Very "queen bee" and I hated her at first.. Too bitchy and annoying. But I soon warmed to her, and at towards the end of the book I started to really like her character

Other characters

Each girl has a love interest, but we don't really get much about them.

Nick - I found him creepy.. The way he kept following Gretchen around even when she tells him to back off, annoyed me quite a bit.. I kept thinking "just leave her alone!" 

Milo - I quite liked him, but he didn't appear that often so I didn't really get to know his character.. He seemed nice enough so I'm looking forward to reading more of him

Kyle - He is Greer's love interest.. I didn't really like his character. I didn't "get him".. It might be just me (it usually is) but I found his character confusing and one-dimensional. 

Thane - Thane is Grace's adoptive brother, and one of my favourite characters.. He's very protective, but a nice mannered person and I enjoyed reading about him. There's also something mysterious about him, especially towards the end when he has to "go away for a few days"

Ursula - Ursula is Gretchen's mentor. She has disappeared so you don't get to know her character at all, we just hear about her from Gretchen's perspective. Ursula isn't all that she seems 

Sthenno - She is Ursula's sister and she doesn't appear in the story (well, she does kind of)

Plot

The plot is one of the reasons why I didn't give this a higher rating. It was very fast paced but nothing much really happened.. The sisters are finding out who they really are and about their destiny's, but nothing much else happens. I found myself twiddling my thumbs during some parts. This is the first in a series, so I guess she's making it simple so people can get to know the characters and the backbone of the story

I just wish she added some more conflict. 

Ending

The ending was another reason why I didn't give this book a higher rating. It's very interesting and makes me want to read more, but.. I don't like it when stories end with cliffhangers. 

Snow White And The Huntsman by Lily Blake (Book Review)

Goodreads summary:
Snow White's father King Magnus was killed on his wedding night by his wife Queen Ravenna, and she imprisoned Snow White in the castle dungeon. Ravenna is a witch who needs to suck out the youth of young girls to stay young. Then when Ravenna asks the mirror on the wall "who is the fairest of them all?" He replied "There is one more beautiful that you" and Ravenna is told that if she consumes Snow White's heart, she will stay young. She sends for Snow White, but Snow White manages to escape and she seeks refuge in the Dark forest. Nobody who enters the forest comes back out alive, except a huntsman called Eric, who Ravenna sends into the forest to return Snow White back to her.

Will he obey the queen? Or will he train her to be the greatest warrior the kingdom has ever known?

                   My rating - 4



My review:
I've been the advertisement of for the movie on television so many times and it looks amazing, but as going to the cinema is so expensive, I decided to go out and buy the book instead. I was so happy I did.

As you may have already guessed by the title, this is a re-telling of the famous tale Snow White by the Brothers Grimm. You may also recognise it as one of the most famous Disney movies. I am a massive fan of fantasy so Snow White and the Huntsman was right down my street.

Lily Blake turns the blockbuster movie into a decent novel. It was short, fast paced and well written. I liked Snow White's character, but when I read the novel I did not picture her as Kristen Stewart. My favourite character was Eric, the huntsman. He was mysterious and had an interesting back-story. He was a well developed character with a realistic personality.

I wanted to know more about Snow White's childhood friend William and hear more about his back-story, and I didn't feel like I got to know the character too well.

There is romance but it isn't overwhelming. The romance between Snow White and Eric was realistic and it wasn't at all rushed.

If you saw the movie at the cinema or own it on DVD, I would still recommend this novel adaptation. It's full of magic, romance and mystery, and is a must-have in everybody's collection.

Kids In The Street by The All-American Rejects (Album Review)

Artist: The All-American Rejects

Album name: Kids In The Street

Label: Polydor Group

Number of tracks: 11 (+5 bonus tracks)

Release date (UK): 26th March 2012

               My rating - 4.5

My Review:
Kids In The Street is The All-American Rejects fourth studio album and perhaps one of the strongest. The All-American Rejects are one of these bands who aren't in a rush to release an album, so they release their albums usually two to three years apart. I have nothing against bands who release albums more frequently- a lot of bands I like do this - but releasing less means that you can perfect it. During many interviews with the band, they stated that this is their favourite album that they have produced.

For those who do not already know, front-man Tyson Ritter went through a 'quarter-life crisis' after the release of their hit single Gives You Hell and third album When The World Comes Down. He went through a lot and he described himself as out of control. Fellow band-mate Nick Wheeler pulled him out and they went to a remote location to write for their new album. Three years later, we have Kids In The Street. 

Kids In The Street is different than the rest of their albums. As well as the usual guitar/bass/drum getup, in this album The All-American Rejects introduce more synth affects to their songs. This may put you off the album at first, but please, give it a chance. It took me a couple of listens, but now Kids In The Street has become my favourite The All-American Rejects album.

There are a lot of great songs to be found on this album. For the fans of their older style, I  would recommend Someday's Gone, Beekeeper's Daughter and Walk Over Me. If you like their new style, then there are a lot of songs you will love. 

My favourite songs on this album are Heartbeat Slowing Down, Walk Over Me and Kids In The Street. But all of the songs are fantastic. There isn't one dull song to be heard.

The band have mentioned in a couple of interviews that Heartbeat Slowing Down is their favourite song and it's understandable why. It's slow, the lyrics are catchy and the ending is spectacular. They brought Mika (a British singer) to bring choir sounding vocals to the ending.

Other great songs include I For You which is an acoustic song with Nick Wheeler on guitar and Tyson Ritter on vocals, Fast And Slow which is catchy and Affection which has an Oasis vibe to it.

If you are a fan of The All-American Rejects, then this album is a must-have. Even if you don't like the band, give the album a chance. You might like it. 

The Future Of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler (Book Review)

Summary: 
It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail,his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future. 

By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right - and wrong - in the present.

                                                                  My rating - 3.5

My Review

Have you ever wondered how your life turns out? Do you get married and have children? Do you win the lottery? Do you own your own business? Or is your life rubbish? And if you could change your future, would you do it? Back in 1997 Emma and Josh stumble across Facebook... 8 years before it was created. They take the opportunity to see what their life is like 15 years into the future, but it's not what they expected. They decide to change the present which leads to their futures changing every time they login to Facebook. 

I thought the idea was very original so I was looking forward to reading it. However, the character let me down. Emma was annoying and I couldn't relate to her. She was selfish and all she cared about in a man is what they look like. She hated it when Josh was crushing on other girls, but it was okay if she did the same with boys. I thought Josh was an idiot. All he cared about was his future wife who was one of the popular girls that every other boy fancied. He made more wiser decisions than Emma though. 

If the main characters were more interesting and less irritating, I would have probably given the book a higher rating. There were some interesting side characters. First there was Tyson, Josh's best friend and my favorite character. He was very funny and somebody I could be friends with in real life. Emma's best friend was another character but we didn't get to see much of her. Another character I liked was Sydney who was Josh's future wife. She was popular, pretty and rich but unlike rich pretty and popular girls from other novels, Sydney was very down-to-earth. 

*Fun fact* On one of the pages, in the same paragraph, are the names Tyson and Wheeler. That's the names of two members of the band The All-American Rejects.. Awesome, right? 

Wither by Lauren DeStefano (Book Review)

Summary: 

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.  

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?

Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

                                                                 My rating - 3

My Review

I tried to love this book, I really did. But I was very disappointed with it. Like a lot of people who read this book, I had trouble with the world-building. I won't go into details because I want to make this review short, but look at 1/2/3 star reviews on Goodreads, and you will see what I mean. 

Another thing I wasn't so keen on about this book was the main character. She was a bit too whiny and selfish for my liking, which is the type of character I like to avoid, and she can't decide which of the two love interests she prefers. Also there's another character called Cecily who is one of her sister wives and only 14 years old, who gets pregnant and Rhine seems to think that she's worst off than Cecily is. 

My favourite characters were definitely the other sister wife Jenna and the servant Gabriel who is one of the love interests. I think they were a lot more interesting than Rhine was. 

I had to keep putting this book down because it didn't really interest me and did tend to get a bit boring. It took a lot longer for me to read than I expected. The ending for me, was a lot more interesting than the rest of the book, so I will be picking up the sequel Fever, but this time I'll be borrowing it from the library rather than buying it. 

Everneath by Brodi Ashton (Book Review)

Goodreads summary:
Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned - to her old life, her family, her friends - before being banished back to the underworld... This time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back - this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat the fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's.

                                                                My rating - 4.5 

My review
When I started reading Everneath, I wasn't looking forward to it because I thought it would be like every other YA novels out there. But I was wrong. Everneath is a fresh take on YA greek mythology, with interesting characters and a well thought out plot. My favourite character was Jack, who was the love interest. Unlike most love interests out there, he wasn't a massive cliche and I felt that Nikki and Jack had chemistry.

The ending was sad and unexpected. What Jack did for Nikki was sweet and I hope that they find eachother again in the sequel.

The Name Of The Star by Maureen Johnson (Book Review)

Summary: 
The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

                                                                     My rating - 4.5

My review
I really, really enjoyed this book! Ever since I went on a Jack The Ripper tour when I last went to London, I've been obsessed with Jack The Ripper. I've watched a lot of documentaries and visited so many websites about him, that you can imagine how excited I was for this book to be released. 

The protagonist is an American girl called Rory who is about to attend a boarding school in London, and she arrives just as a Jack The Ripper copycat strikes. After Rory nearly chokes to death, she starts seeing people that other people can't see - ghosts. The first ghost she sees is no other than Jack The Ripper himself! Or rather, a ghost who's copying the murders. But it's not as simple as that, and that's when the ghost-police come in. 

I won't spoil anything, but the ghost police are people like Rory who nearly died but survived, and were forced to train as police officers. So they're a ghost-hunting-police-squad, if you will. Anyway, I really like Rory's character. She wasn't whiny and constantly thinking about the love interest which is what a lot of YA book characters do, and she's a character that a lot of people can relate to. We are also introduced to other interesting characters. Her room-mate Jazza, who she befriend's straight away; Jerome, who becomes the love interest; three ghost hunting police officers, and a hockey-obsessed teacher. 

There are many reasons why you should read this book! There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested, if you're American you learn a lot about what it's like to be English and live in England, and it's very creepy and suspenseful. And what I loved most, was that the plot wasn't predictable. 

I've heard that this is a planned trilogy, so if that's the case, I'm really looking forward to picking the next book up. 

Firelight by Sophie Jordan (Book Review)

Goodreads summary:
A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaths the most sacred tenet among her kinf, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki - a descendant of dragons who's greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid them at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away - if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crossed an ancient divide.

                                                        My rating - 3

My review

Firelight wasn't exactly rubbish, but it wasn't too good either. I have nothing against Sophie Jordan's writing style. The story itself was what I didn't like. I'm not a fan of insta-love. It's something that makes me cringe and I try to avoid it the best I can. Unfortunately I couldn't avoid it with Firelight.

The protagonist is a girl called Jacinda and she is a draki, which is a creature that descends from dragons. She is the only fire-breather in existence which makes her special, and her destiny is to be with the future alpha of the pack, Cassian.

The love interest is a boy called Will and he comes from a family that hunts Draki. One night he is forced to chance Lucinda while she's in her dragon form and he spares her life. He doesn't want to be like his family.

So Jacinda and Will fall in love (I didn't see them coming *rolls eyes*) but Will doesn't know that Jacinda is the Draki whose life he spared. However, Jacinda knows who he is. That really annoyed me. She knows how dangerous he is but she can't stop herself from falling in love with him . If she had any sense whatsoever, she would avoid him at all costs. Not only would she put herself in danger, but everybody else around her. Another thing that annoyed me was that Jacinda repeatedly changed her mind about Will. Should I, or shouldn't I?

I didn't like Will either. He tells her to stay away from him (good advice) but then he tells her that he can't cope without her. Make your mind up! Plus he stalks her, and can be damn-right creepy.

The alpha of the pack, Cassian, is a more intriguing character and I wish he was the love interest. He doesn't appear much in Firelight so you don't get to know much about him, but when he does appear he's a very interesting character. I would love to have see more of him.

Time to wrap things up. Towards the end you discover something about Will that was very interesting, and right at the end something big happens that and shocking and made me want to pick up the sequel. I am not sure if I will be though.

Divergent by Veronica Roth (Book Review)

Goodreads summary:
Beatrics "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronia Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of the five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor (Honesty), Abnegation (selflessness), Dauntless (bravery), Amity (Peacefulness), and Erudite (Knowledge). To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes herself to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a secret that could place her in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure of love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

                         My rating - 2 

My Review:
This book was okay. I wish that could say I loved it but then I would be lying. So many people recommended Divergent to me so I had to pick it up, but I was greatly disapointed. For starters it was long and in my opinion it was slow paced, so it did take me a good while to read the whole thing. It was interesting enough, but I was expecting a lot more from it.

The first thing that annoyed me was the protagonist. She isn't very likeable. I didn't mind her at first, but she started to make very selfish decisions and wanted to lash out at everybody who got on the wrong side of her. That's not the sort of character I can relate to, let alone look up to.

It may have been just me, but I found it very confusing at times. In my opinion, Veronica Roth didn't give us enough information about the world, and at times I had to turn back a few pages to remind myself what had just happened and what was what.

The romance in Divergent was nothing new. I didn't think that the two characters had any chemistry that would connect them together.

I would recommend Divergent because there are a lot of people who love the trilogy. I am not one of them. It just wasn't for me.

Smoulder/The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

Goodreads Summary: 
Everything is made of steel, even the flowers. How can you love anything in a place like this?

Daphne is a half-demon, half-angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped - and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible. Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying.

With the help of the human boy she believes was the last person to see her brother alive, Daphne glimpses into his dreams, discovering clues to Obie's whereabouts. As she delves deeper into her demonic powers, she must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violent archangels who stand in her way. But she also discovers, unexpectedly, what it means to love and be human in a world where human is the hardest thing to be.

The second novel by rising start Brenna Yavanoff is a story of identity, discovery, and a troubled love between two people struggling to find their place both in our world and theirs.

                                                  My rating - 4


My review:
I loved Smoulder. There were a lot of things I really liked.
1) The girl is the supernatural creature and the boy is human. Unlike the many YA fantasy novels where the girl falls in love with a mysterious boy who turns out to be supernatural.
2) The romance was believable.
3) All the characters were well developed and relatable.
4) I got excited when I discovered that the protagonist was the daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. How cool is that?

The story alternates between the first and third narrative which is usually confusing, but Brenna did it in a way that was interesting and easy to follow. The way that she described Pandemonium made it east to picture.

Daphne is a demon but she doesn't act like one. She has a very kind nature and is very relatable, and she's generally an outcast in Pandemonium. She isn't treated fairly by her sister's because she's different. Daphne has a television in her room because it's the only way she can connect with out world. She's fascinated by it.

I felt sorry for Truman. He is very troubled and has been through a lot. His mother died, forcing him to live with his step-dad and he copes by drinking heavily and partying.

The two characters meet when Daphne's brother Obie disappears, and she goes to Earth to find Truman because he was the last person to see her brother alive. They join forces to try to find him.

There is romance but it isn't overwhelming. The thing that bothers me about YA is that the romance seems to take-over the story and the main theme is ignored. That was not the case for this book. The main characters go through a lot together, so it's understandable why they get close.

Sinners Never Sleep by You Me At Six (Album Review)

Album: Sinners Never Sleep
Artist: You Me At Six
Genre: Pop/punk
Release Date: 3rd October 2011
Number of Songs: 12
Length: 48 minutes

Want to buy this album? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sinners-Never-Sleep-You-Six/dp/B005FEE7NC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350171599&sr=8-1

              My rating - 4

My review:

I really enjoyed this album. I first got into You Me At Six when I saw the video for Loverboy on Kerrang and straight away I went out and bought their two previous albums because this one hadn't been released yet. I've listened to all three of their albums now and Sinners Never Sleep is my favorite  There's mixture of songs; slow, fast, fun and serious. In my opinion there is not a dull song on this album (although there were some I liked more than others).

I have a lot of favorites, but if I had to choose one it would be Crash. This is one of the slowest songs on the album so it's not everybody's cup of tea, but it stood out to me because of the lyrics. Basically this song about relationship issues, where you love somebody but something happens which tears you apart, but you still have feelings for them. It's also not your typical guitar, drums and bass song. The ending is amazing.

My least favorite song (I really wish I didn't have to choose because I love them all) was When We Were Younger. This isn't a bad song at all, but it was too slow and too long for my liking.

Should you pick this album up? If you are a fan of You Me At Six then you will love this album. It's also perfect for anybody who likes bands such as All Time Low, Young Guns, Lostprophets and even Paramore.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder (Book Review)

Goodreads summary:
Choose: A quick death... Or slow poison...

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace - and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust - and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear.

                                                  My rating - 4.5

My review:
This was an amazing start to the popular trilogy Study Trilogy by Maria V. Snyder. Poison Study is a must-reads for fans of fantasies set in a well-developed world.


It starts off with the protagonist, Yelena, in a dungeon getting ready to be executed for murder. She is offered the job as food-taster for the commander, which is a very dangerous profession and food tasters generally don't live that long. However, Yelena decides it's a risk she's willing to take and she accepts. At that moment we are introduced to Valek, the man who will be Yelena's teacher and show her all the different poisons.

Even though Yelena is a murderer, you can't help but fall in love with her character. There's just something about her that makes you realise she isn't a cold-blooded killer who deserves to die. Valek is also a very interesting character and reminds me of a young version of Gaius from the BBC TV show Merlin... Other characters I liked were Rand who was a cook, and Ari and Janco who were two soldiers that Yelena befriended and they helped her with various things throughout the book..

There's also a good line-up of bad guys...

Maria has created a really interesting world and it's obvious she put a lot of thought in to it. Her writing is simple but has a lot of depth.

Abandon by Meg Cabot (Book Review)

Goodreads summary:
Last year, Pierce died - just for a moment. And when she was in the space between life and death, she met John: Tall, dark and terrifying, it's his job to usher souls from one realm to the next. There's a fierce attraction between them, but Pierce knows that if she allows herself to fall for John she will be doomed to a life of shadows and loneliness in the underworld. But now things are getting dangerous for her, and her only hope is to exactly what John says...

                          My rating - 2


My review:
I'm afraid that if you're looking for a positive review, then this isn't it. I wouldn't say it's the worse novel I read this year, but it's definitely up there in the 'never to read again' list. What I struggled with most was the way it was written... I'm not saying that Meg Cabot is a bad writer because I thoroughly enjoyed her Mediator series, I just didn't like the way she wrote this particular novel. The thing that got me most was how confusing it all was! At one moment we are in the present, then suddenly we're in the past without any warning and I'm like, "Wait, what?"
Not to mention information overload! Meg seemed to throw in so much information in so little space, that you end up having to go back a bit to catch up with what's happening.

Now on to the characters...
Pierce - I wouldn't say she was a bad protagonist, but she was annoying at times.

John - He only appeared a few times so we don't know too much about him... However, when he does appear he's rude, argumentative and tends to be a little violent.  Although he says he "loves" Pierce, he doesn't show it. I'm sorry, but I found John as annoying as Edward Cullen.

Side characters - There were some really interesting side characters: Pierce's cousin, Alex; her mother, uncle and even a bunch of popular kids who we didn't get to know and it would have been nice if Meg explored their characters a bit more.

Romance?
Dear, oh dear... Where do I start? As I said above, the two main characters barely knew each other and suddenly - from out of nowhere - they have their tongues down each other's throats. It all happens so quickly and randomly, and they didn't have any good reason to fall in love.

Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake (Book Review)

Gooderads Summary:
Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was grusomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels across the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead - keeping pesky things like future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed In Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. When he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the same dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian home she used to call home.

But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.

                                           My rating - 4.5

My review:
Anna Dressed In Blood is one of my all-time favourite horror novels written for young adults. It's action packed, scary and romantic. The premise reminds me of the television show Supernatural but is no way in any form a rip-off. Cas is a kick-ass character with a great sense of humour and that's the type of character I admire. I don't read many novels with male protagonists, especially ones written by a woman (I'm a woman myself so I'm not being sexist) but Cas is a well developed,  realistic character.

Anna was an amazing character. She was scary at first but as the story moved on we started to see another side to her and discovered why she was like she was. I particularly like the relationship between Anna and Cas. She was also very likable and well developed.

One thing I hate about a lot of young adult novels is absent parents. In real life, every teenager has a parent (or at least some-sort of a responsible adult) in their life to guide them. So where are the parents in the young adult novels? Anna Dressed In Blood is one of those rare YA novels where the parent isn't non-existent. Cas's mother was well developed, and we saw more of her than random appearances.

If you like well developed storylines and characters, suspense and non-predictable twists and turns, then check out Anna Dressed In Blood. You won't be disappointed.

Mortlock by John Mayhew (Book Review)

Goodreads summary:
The sister is a knife-thrower in a magician's stage act, the brother an undertaker's assistant. Neither orphan knows of other's existence. Until, that is, three terrible aunts descend on the girl's house and imprison her guardian, the Great Cardamom. His dying act is to pass the girl a note which clues to the secret he had carried to his grave. Cardamom was one of three explorers on an expedition to locate the legendary Amarant, a plant with power over life and death. Now, pursued by flesh-eating crow-like ghuls, brother and sister must decode the message and save themselves from its sinister legacy.

                                   My rating - 4.5


My review:
This book is generally aimed at a younger reading age than myself, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. I read this as part of my Halloween book challenge, and it sent chills through my spine more than once. The characters are well developed, especially the main protagonists, Josie and Alfie.

At the beginning we are introduced to Morlock who is the character mentioned on the cover, and his two friends, Chrimes and Corvis. They are searching for a flower called an Amarant, but we are not told much about the flower at this point. Both Josie and Alfie are intersting protagonists, although I did take a dislike to Alfie when we were first introduced to him. But soon I fell in love with his character. The side-characters are fantastic, especially the aunts who are creepy. The plot itself is very original, and there wasn't any part of the book that was slow or uninteresting for me. I could put it down until I read the whole thing.

If you love creepy books packed with gore, then Mortlock is a book for you. You will want to sleep with the light on.