Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Title: Speak

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Publisher: Puffin

Released: October 22nd 1999

Pages: 208 (Paperback)

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Melinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't even know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her own head. But even that's not safe. Because there's something she's trying not to think about, something about the night of the party that, if she let it in, would blow her carefully constructed disguise to smithereens. And then she would have to speak the truth. This extraordinary first novel has captured the imaginations of teenagers and adults across the country.

Follow Friday (#21)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: What blogger would you most like to meet in real life? Tell us about him or her.

Oh gosh, there are so many to choose from! I don't think there is anyone in particular, I'd just like to meet a whole bunch of bloggers. Everyone is so lovely and kind online, and I think that all together, it'd be wonderful.

So who do you want to meet? Leave a comment and a link below, and I'll go and check out your answer!

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Fever
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Released: February 21st 2012
Pages: 320 (Paperback)
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Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion. But danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago―surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous―and in a world where young woman only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion… by any means necessary.

Dead Romantic by C. J. Skuse

Title: Dead Romantic

Author: C. J. Skuse

Publisher: Chicken House

Released: February 4th 2013

Pages: 328 (Paperback)

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Camille wants to find the perfect boy, with an athlete's body and a poet's brain. But when she's mocked at a college party, she kows there isn't a boy alive who'll ever measure up. Enter Zoe, her brilliant but strange best friend, who takes biology homework to a whole new level. She can create Camille's dream boy, Frankenstein-stylee. But can she make him love her?

Reading the synopsis, I didn't imagine Dead Romantic would be a serious novel. And I was right - it wasn't. But it was amazingly hilarious, and had such an interesting and fun storyline that I just couldn't put it down. 

Forget Me Never by Gina Blaxill

Title: Forget Me Never
Author: Gina Blaxill
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Released: September 27th 2012
Pages: 288 (Paperback)
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When Sophie's cousin Danielle dies after a fall from her balcony, the police dismiss her death as suicide. She had broken up with her boyfriend and had suffered from depression in the past. Sophie isn't so sure, however, and when she finds a memory stick in a pair of Dani's old jeans, some new photos and information come to light that point to something more sinister. Sophie and her friend Reece investigate further and soon find out that Dani was involved with something very dark and very dangerous. As Sophie and Reece become more and more deeply involved they put themselves in huge danger too, accessing secret data, facing kidnap attempts and worse. And as they uncover the terrible truth about what really happened to Dani, Sophie and Reece must also face their feelings for each other...

Breathe by Sarah Crossan

Title: Breathe
Author: Sarah Crossan
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Released: October 2nd 2012
Pages: 384 (Paperback)
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When oxygen levels plunge in a treeless world, a state lottery decides which lucky few will live inside the Pod. Everyone else will slowly suffocate. Years after the Switch, life inside the Pod has moved on. A poor Auxiliary class cannot afford the oxygen tax which supplies extra air for running, dancing and sports. The rich Premiums, by contrast, are healthy and strong. Anyone who opposes the regime is labelled a terrorist and ejected from the Pod to die. Sixteen-year-old Alina is part of the secret resistance, but when a mission goes wrong she is forced to escape from the Pod. With only two days of oxygen in her tank, she too faces the terrifying prospect of death by suffocation. Her only hope is to find the mythical Grove, a small enclave of trees protected by a hardcore band of rebels. Does it even exist, and if so, what or who are they protecting the trees from? A dystopian thriller about courage and freedom, with a love story at its heart.

Wait for You by J. Lynn

Title: Wait for You
Author: J. Lynn (Jennifer L. Armentrout)
Publisher: Harper Fiction
Released: February 25th 2013
Pages: 332 (eBook)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Some things are worth waiting for…

Travelling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Stacking the Shelves (#9)

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews where bloggers get together and show off what new reads are stacking up on their shelves.

So I haven't done this for approximately a month, and these are all the books I've received and have not yet reviewed!

For Review
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani (from HarperCollins)
Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves (from HarperCollins)
The Silver Dream by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves (from HarperCollins)
Our Song by Jordanna Fraiberg (from Penguin for blog tour)
The Underground Witch by Debbie Dee (from author for blog tour)
The Cutting Room Floor by Dawn Khler (from Flux via Netgalley)
Backward Glass by David Lomax (from Flux via Netgalley)
The Bell Between Worlds (from HarperCollins via Netgalley)
The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles (from Random House via Netgalley)
Swimming to Elba by Silvia Avallone (from Penguin via Netgalley)
Hopeless by Colleen Hoover (from Atria via Netgalley)
The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer (from HarperCollins via Netgalley)
Noble Conflict by Malorie Blackman (from Random House via Netgalley)
Touching Melody by RaShelle Workman (from All Night Reads via Netgalley)
Secret for a Song by S.K.Falls (from author via Netgalley)
Mortality by Kellie Sheridan (from Patchwork Press via Netgalley)
Contributor by Nicole Ciacchella (from NPC Books via Netgalley)

Borrowed
Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne (from my mum)

Bought
Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine

So what books have you received recently? Leave a comment or link below!

Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Title: Speechless
Author: Hannah Harrington
Publisher: Mira Ink
Released: August 28th 2012
Pages: 272 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can’t keep a secret

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.

Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she’s ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.

But there’s strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she’s done. If only she can forgive herself.

Goddess by Josephine Angelini

Title: Goddess
Author: Josephine Angelini
Publisher:  PanMacmillan
Release: May 28th 2013
Pages: 480 (Paperback)
Pre-Order: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

In Josephine Angelini’s compelling conclusion to the masterfully woven Starcrossed trilogy, a goddess must rise above it all to change a destiny that’s been written in the stars. With worlds built just as fast as they crumble, love and war collide in an all-out battle that will leave no question unanswered and no heart untouched.

Fractured by Teri Terry

Title: Fractured
Author: Teri Terry
Publisher: Orchard
Released: April 4th 2013
Pages: 432 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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How do you know where to go when you don't remember where you came from?

Kyla's memory has been erased,
her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost for ever.

Or so she thought.

Kyla shouldn't be able to remember anything. But she can - and she's beginning to realise that there are a lot of dark secrets locked away in her memories. When a mysterious man from her past comes back into her life, she thinks she's on her way to finding the truth. But the more she learns about her history, the more confusing her future becomes...

Cover Reveal (#7)

A few weeks ago, we found out the title; today, we see the cover...

 

Slated by Teri Terry

Title: Slated
Author: Teri Terry
Publisher: Orchard
Released: May 3rd 2012
Pages: 448 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Kyla’s memory has been erased,
her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost for ever.

She’s been Slated.

The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

Skinny by Donna Cooner

Title: Skinny

Author: Donna Cooner

Publisher:  Electric Monkey

Released: September 1st 2012

Pages: 295 (Paperback)

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US

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Find your voice.

Hopeless. Freak. Elephant. Pitiful. These are the words of Skinny, the vicious voice that lives inside fifteen-year-old Ever Davies’s head. Skinny tells Ever all the dark thoughts her classmates have about her. Ever knows she weighs over three hundred pounds, knows she’ll probably never be loved, and Skinny makes sure she never forgets it. 

But there is another voice: Ever’s singing voice, which is beautiful but has been silenced by Skinny. Partly in the hopes of trying out for the school musical—and partly to try and save her own life—Ever decides to undergo a risky surgery that may help her lose weight and start over.

With the support of her best friend, Ever begins the uphill battle toward change. But demons, she finds, are not so easy to shake, not even as she sheds pounds. Because Skinny is still around. And Ever will have to confront that voice before she can truly find her own.

Plague by Michael Grant

Title: Plague
Author: Michael Grant
Publisher: Egmont
Released: April 5th 2011
Pages: 522 (Hardcover)
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It's been eight months since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

They've survived hunger. They've survived lies. But the stakes keep rising, and the dystopian horror keeps building. Yet despite the simmering unrest left behind by so many battles, power struggles, and angry divides, there is a momentary calm in Perdido Beach.

But enemies in the FAYZ don't just fade away, and in the quiet, deadly things are stirring, mutating, and finding their way free. The Darkness has found its way into the mind of its Nemesis at last and is controlling it through a haze of delirium and confusion. A highly contagious, fatal illness spreads at an alarming rate. Sinister, predatory insects terrorize Perdido Beach. And Sam, Astrid, Diana, and Caine are plagued by a growing doubt that they'll escape—or even survive—life in the FAYZ. With so much turmoil surrounding them, what desperate choices will they make when it comes to saving themselves and those they love?

Sometimes I sit back and wonder why I still continue with this series. It's a bit like marmite - you either love it or hate it...or in my case, dislike it but have this intense desire to find out what's going to happen next. This is what propels me through this book - the constant countdown to the big she-bang at the end.

The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher

Title: The S-Word
Author: Chelsea Pitcher
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release: May 7th 2013
Pages: 320 (eBook)
Pre-Order: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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First it was SLUT scribbled all over Lizzie Hart’s locker.

But one week after Lizzie kills herself, SUICIDE SLUT replaces it—in Lizzie's looping scrawl.

Lizzie’s reputation is destroyed when she's caught in bed with her best friend’s boyfriend on prom night. With the whole school turned against her, and Angie not speaking to her, Lizzie takes her own life. But someone isn’t letting her go quietly. As graffiti and photocopies of Lizzie’s diary plaster the school, Angie begins a relentless investigation into who, exactly, made Lizzie feel she didn’t deserve to keep living. And while she claims she simply wants to punish Lizzie’s tormentors, Angie's own anguish over abandoning her best friend will drive her deep into the dark, twisted side of Verity High—and she might not be able to pull herself back out.

Debut author Chelsea Pitcher daringly depicts the harsh reality of modern high schools, where one bad decision can ruin a reputation, and one cruel word can ruin a life. Angie’s quest for the truth behind Lizzie’s suicide is addictive and thrilling, and her razor-sharp wit and fierce sleuthing skills makes her impossible not to root for—even when it becomes clear that both avenging Lizzie and avoiding self-destruction might not be possible.

Book of the Month: April

The books I've reviewed this month have varied; one 4-star, five 3-stars, three 2-stars - and then *gasp* - four 5-star-ratings! Can you believe it? Am I losing my harshness or something? Nah, I'm just joking - each of these four books deserved the rating they got, because they were utterly amazing. Clockwork Princess, the final book to one of my favourite trilogies, was breathtaking; it had everything I had hoped for, and so much more. The Truth About You and Me that brought tears to my eyes. Anna and the French Kiss, of a genre I despise - yet this book made me love it, because it was so hilarious and relatable. However, I still think there is a clear winner.

Wonder by R.J.Palacio took me a day to read. I've been hearing about it from others for months - everyone raving on and on about how it's an eye-opening, heartfelt tale, meant for adults, teens and children alike. When I got the opportunity to review it, well of course I went ahead and said yes - but oh my days, I have since bought myself a hardback copy. It is one of those books that every single person must read at some point or another. It made me cry tears of anger and hatred and happiness and everything else in between. It really is eye-opening, as it shows you humanity at its most brutal and at its best.


I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

Dark Eyes by William Richter

Title: Dark Eyes
Author: William Richter
Publisher: Razorbill
Released: March 15th 2012
Pages: 384 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Dark Eyes is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for teens. Perfect for fans of Stieg Larson and Sophie McKenzie, it's an adrenaline-pumping and epic crime thriller with a dramatic personal mystery at its heart.

Born in Russia but adopted by a wealthy American family as a baby, Wallis Stoneman was brought up in a world of glamorous luxury. Then at the age of sixteen, beautiful and rebellious Wallis rejects the life that doesn't feel like her own and lives as a street-kid on the gritty streets of New York.

But the streets throw up more than she bargained for and she discovers a deadly secret to her past that will change Wallis' life forever. Her real father is a terrifyingly dangerous Russian gangster. And he is on the hunt for her mother. He will stop at nothing and no one - even his own blood - to find her.

Can Wallis find her mother before her father kills them both?