Showing posts with label paranormal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paranormal. Show all posts

Tuesday, 28 January 2014

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Title: Fallen
Author: Lauren Kate
Publisher: Doubleday
Released: January 1st 2009
Pages: 452 (Paperback)

SOME ANGELS ARE DESTINED TO FALL.

Instant. Intense. Weirdly familiar . . .

The moment Luce looks at Daniel she knows she has never felt like this before. Except she can't shake the feeling that she has . . . and with him - a boy she doesn't remember ever setting eyes on.

Will her attempt to find out why enlighten her - or destroy her?

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic....

The first time I read Fallen was when I was twelve years old and it had first been released. It was love from the very first page, and I remember anxiously waiting a year for the sequel, Torment, to be released. Yet when it was finally released, I didn't feel the same spark I had when reading Fallen, and so I never continued on with the series. However, recently I haven't been able to get the series out of my mind and so I thought hey - why not?

Wednesday, 15 January 2014

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Title: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Indigo
Released: September 3rd 2013
Pages: 419 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

Before I even began this read, I was torn - despite the interesting premise, vampire novels and I do not get along, and haven't since every one has become just another version of Twilight. But like I said, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown had a synopsis that caught my attention, and after picking the book up, putting it back down and picking it back up again, I finally got around to reading it. And now? I'm not sure what to say.

Tuesday, 7 January 2014

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Title: Angelfall
Author: Susan Ee
Publisher: Hodder
Released: May 21st 2011
Pages: 325 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Travelling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

I get the hype. I so totally get the hype. As soon as Angelfall was published, it was all that the blogasphere could talk about - an indie novel that no one could believe was just in eBook form. Earlier this year it finally got released as a physical copy, so I've had this on my shelf for a while. I wish I'd picked it up sooner.

Sunday, 22 December 2013

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

Title: The Madness Underneath
Author: Maureen Johnson
Publisher: HarperCollins
Released: February 26th 2013
Pages: 290 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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When madness stalks the streets of London, no one is safe…

There's a creepy new terror haunting modern-day London.
Fresh from defeating a Jack the Ripper killer, Rory must put her new-found hunting skills to the test before all hell breaks loose…

But enemies are not always who you expect them to be and crazy times call for crazy solutions. A thrilling teen mystery.

Do you ever read a book that you just don't know how to review? For me, this is one of them. I'm trying to find the words to explain how I feel about this read, but nothing I think of really sums up what I mean. I guess the closest thing to it would be disappointing.

Thursday, 28 November 2013

Hidden Wings by Cameo Renae

Title: Hidden Wings
Author: Cameo Renae
Publisher: Indie Inked
Released: January 16th 2013
Pages: 204 (Kindle)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Seventeen is a life changing age for Emma Wise.
As her family's sole survivor in a car crash, she is left with a broken arm and a few scrapes and bruises. But these are only outward marks; inside, her heart is broken and the pieces scattered.

Whisked away to Alaska, to an aunt she’s never met, Emma starts over. Secrets unveil themselves and now…she doesn't even know who or what she is.

A centuries old prophecy places Emma in the heart of danger. Creatures of horrifying and evil proportions are after her, and it will take Emma, her aunt, and six, gorgeously captivating Guardians to keep her safe. But, if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday... things will change.

So ever since I saw Haley's review of this over at YA-Aholic, I've wanted to read it. So when I got accepted for a review copy, I was over the moon! I love angels and demons, and a few years ago I went through a complete stage of being obsessed with them - now I remember why! Hidden Wings was fast-paced and furious, with a witty band of characters and enemies like no other.

Tuesday, 22 October 2013

Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Onyx
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher:  Entangled Teen
Released: August 14th 2012
Pages: 366 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies….

Obsidian's publishing sent the entire blogasphere a raging frenzy - the Lux series were the books to read, and eventually I caved in to see what all the fuss was about. Obsidian blew me away, and almost a year later, I've finally gotten round to reading the sequel, Onyx. I liked it - I didn't love it, but I liked it.

Tuesday, 15 October 2013

Lover Eternal by J. R. Ward

Title: Lover Eternal
Author: J. R. Ward
Publisher: Piatkus
Released: March 7th 2006
Pages: 441 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war raging between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Possessed by a deadly beast, Rhage is the most dangerous of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He's the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover-for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Owned by this dark side, Rhage fears the time when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhage's protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. She lost her faith in miracles years ago. But when Rhage's intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves...

After reading Dark Lover, I didn't think that any of the other books would be able to hit the mark - well, the books and the couples! Because let me tell you something - I fell head over heels for Wrath and Beth. Despite their cheesy moments and Beth's occasional pathetic blip, there was just something about them that kept me reading on. However, I'm starting to think there's just something about Ward's characterisation that keeps me reading on, because I adored Rhage and Mary just as much!

Tuesday, 8 October 2013

Touch of Death by Kelly Hashway

Title: Touch of Death
Author: Kelly Hashway
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Released: January 15th 2013
Pages: 229 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Jodi Marshall isn’t sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she’s in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she’s being stalked by some guy no one seems to know.

After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he’s not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she’s part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendents of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins.

Jodi’s deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn’t difficult enough, Jodi discovers she’s the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can’t figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.

I hate it when all your friends love a book but you just don't. The first person who told me about this book was Tyler, who absolutely loved it. After checking out the blurb, I was 96.4% sure I'd love it too. Turns out my judgement was way way off.

Saturday, 21 September 2013

Blog Tour: Breaking Glass by Lisa Amowitz (Review)


About The Author
Lisa Amowitz was born in Queens and raised in the wilds of Long Island, New York where she climbed trees, thought small creatures lived under rocks and studied ant hills. And drew. A lot. When she hit her teens, she realized that Long Island was too small for her and she needed to escape. So she went to college in Pittsburgh. Go figure. On leaving college, Lisa became a graphic designer living in New York City. She eventually married her husband of a zillion years, had two lovely children, and was swept away to a fairy tale life in the Bronx, where, unbelievably there are more trees and wilderness than her hometown. She can see the Hudson River from her kitchen window. Lisa has been a professor of graphic design at her beloved Bronx Community College where she has been tormenting and cajoling students for nearly seventeen years. She started writing eight years ago because she wanted something to illustrate, but somehow, instead ended up writing YA. Probably because her mind is too dark and twisted for small children.

Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Review
Title: Breaking Glass
Author: Lisa Amowitz
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Released: July 9th 2013
Pages: 297 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depository / B&N
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On the night seventeen-year-old Jeremy Glass winds up in the hospital with a broken leg and a blood alcohol level well above the legal limit, his secret crush, Susannah, disappears. When he begins receiving messages from her from beyond the grave, he's not sure whether they're real or if he's losing his grip on reality. Clue by clue, he gets closer to unraveling the mystery, and soon realizes he must discover the truth or become the next victim himself.

I finished this book well over a week ago, yet I'm only just getting around to writing this review. Why? Breaking Glass left me utterly speechless. I don't think I'll ever be able to find words accurate enough to describe just how amazing and suspenseful this book really is.

Thursday, 12 September 2013

Blog Tour: Gargoyle Addiction by Livia Olteano (Review)


About The Author
Livia lives in Europe where she listens to obscene amounts of music and devours every reading material in sight. When she’s not doing either of the two, she fiddles with anything remotely customizable within reach.

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Review
Title: Gargoyle Addiction
Author: Livia Olteano
Publisher: Self
Pages: 240 (Kindle)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Summonari don’t trust. Under their command, they summon any number of creatures from the Otherwolds—but never trust them outside of the summoning.

Gargoyles don’t love. Fierce descendants of dragons, they function on power and fear—never love.
Karla isn’t the happily-ever-after type of girl. No territory-hungry guy is going to stick flags all over her unclaimed grounds.

Kann’s world is death and betrayal. As Dar Primus of Haus Varis, he’s expected to follow tradition but he’s not your regular gargoyle. In fact, he’s anything but. 

One fateful Friday night, Otherworlds collide. Stuck together in one world or another, Karla and Kann face everything from Awakenings and turbulent love to Festnavals and bloodthirsty scorned suitors.

If there’s one thing they can’t escape, it’s the addiction to each other. And they’ve got it bad.

I only had to see the word 'gargoyle' to know that I wanted to read this book. I love the paranormal genre as a rule, and I read a lot of it. However, I had never come across gargoyles before - well, not outside of the Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame - so naturally I was intrigued. For my first book on gargoyles, Gargoyle Addiction was amazing, and I can tell you that I am now in love with this sub-genre!

Friday, 6 September 2013

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Title: Alice in Zombieland
Author: Gena Showalter
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Released: September 25th 2012
Pages: 416 (Kindle)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….

I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.
Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.
I'd tell them I love them.
I wish... Yeah, I wish.

This is not a retelling of Alice in Wonderland. I feel like maybe this statement is the first thing that should be on the synopsis? A lot of the low-rating reviews I have come across are from disappointed readers who expected a book-version of the video-game Alice - the only thing Alice in Zombieland has in common with these other franchises is a main character called Alice and a rabbit-shaped cloud. However, that certainly doesn't mean that this book isn't good - on the contrary, it is actually amazing. If I wasn't a fan of Showalter's before, then I definitely am now.

Wednesday, 4 September 2013

Witchstruck by Victoria Lamb

Title: Witchstruck
Author: Victoria Lamb
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Released: July 5th 2013
Pages: 320 (eBook)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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If she sink, she be no witch and shall be drowned.

If she float, she be a witch and must be hanged.

Meg Lytton has always known she is different--that she bears a dark and powerful gift. But in 1554 England, in service at Woodstock Palace to the banished Tudor princess Elizabeth, it has never been more dangerous to practise witchcraft. Meg knows she must guard her secret carefully from the many suspicious eyes watching over the princess and her companions. One wrong move could mean her life, and the life of Elizabeth, rightful heir to the English throne.

With witchfinder Marcus Dent determined to have Meg's hand in marriage, and Meg's own family conspiring against the English queen, there isn't a single person Meg can trust. Certainly not the enigmatic young Spanish priest Alejandro de Castillo, despite her undeniable feelings. But when all the world turns against her, Meg must open her heart to a dangerous choice.

I don't really know what I was expecting, to be honest. I like historical novels - there's something educational but equally fascinating about them - and as the Tudor period is one of my favourites to study, I thought this would be right up my street. Turns out that it wasn't what I had been expecting.

Thursday, 29 August 2013

Blog Tour: The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard (Review + Giveaway)


About The Author
Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Review
The Forgotten Ones (The Danaan Trilogy, #1)Title: The Forgotten Ones
Author: Laura Howard
Publisher: Amazon
Released: April 28th 2013
Pages: 197 (Kindle)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

I'd had my eye on The Forgotten Ones for a while, so when I was given the opportunity to join in on the blog tour, I jumped right in. The folklore genre is constantly growing on me - there is something I love about the beauty and majestic energy surrounding it. The Forgotten Ones was no exception to this, and from beginning to end, Howard swept me up into the world of the Tuatha de Danaan.

Friday, 23 August 2013

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Title: Shadow Kiss
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Released: November 13th 2008
Pages: 443 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She's having dark thoughts, behaving erratically, and worst of all... might be seeing ghosts.

As Rose questions her sanity, new complications arise. Lissa has begun experimenting with her magic once more, their enemy Victor Dashkov might be set free, and Rose's forbidden relationship with Dimitri is starting to heat up again. But when a deadly threat no one saw coming changes their entire world, Rose must put her own life on the line - and choose between the two people she loves most.

So I originally was going to write this review straight away, BUT I WAS SO UPSET. I picked up Shadow Kiss because lately, my books have been good, but not great - throughout this entire month, I have rated no book five stars. I'd describe the Vampire Academy series as my safe zone - I know that they will be amazing, and I know that they will get me out of any book fix I'm in. And it worked - but also managed to break my heart at exactly the same time.

Thursday, 22 August 2013

Blog Tour: Student Bodies by Sean Cummings (Review + Giveaway)


About The Author
Sean Cummings is a fantasy author with a penchant for writing quirky, humorous and dark novels featuring characters that are larger than life. His debut was the gritty urban fantasy SHADE FRIGHT published in 2010. He followed up later in the year with the sequel FUNERAL PALLOR. His urban fantasy/superhero thriller UNSEEN WORLD was published in 2011.

2012 saw the publication of Sean’s first urban fantasy for young adults. POLTERGEEKS is a rollicking story about teen witch Julie Richards, her dorky boyfriend and race against time to save her mother’s life. The first sequel, STUDENT BODIES is due for publication in September 2013.

Sean Cummings lives in Saskatoon Canada.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter

Review
Title: Student Bodies
Author: Sean Cummings
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Release: September 3rd 2013
Pages: 340 (ARC)
Pre-Order: Amazon UK / Amazon US / TBD / Barnes & Noble
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Whoever said being a teenage witch would be easy? For fifteen-year-old Julie Richardson and the city’s resident protector from supernatural evil, the Left Hand Path doesn't give a damn if you've found true love for the first time in your life. There’s someone lurking the halls of Crescent Ridge High School with enough malice to unleash an epidemic of Soul Worms – supernatural larvae that feed on the very fabric of a victim’s humanity. 

After witnessing the death of one of the most popular kids at school, Julie and über genius boyfriend Marcus are in a race against time to find out who is behind the attacks. All the evidence points to a horrifying plot at the City Weir during the Winter Solstice; the place where icy waters of the Bow River and a thunderous spillway will mean the deaths of more than a hundred of Julie’s classmates. 

If she has any hope of saving their lives, she’ll need a little help from a coven of white witches and an Aboriginal mage whose snarky attitude is matched only by her magical prowess.

YESSSSSSSSSS. I don't know what else you want me to say apart from that. I finished Poltergeeks and immediately wanted more from Julie and her wacky crew - which I luckily got, since I had this book on hand. Student Bodies was even better than its prequel; everything was kicked up a notch, and I was left in a whirlwind of even better fight scenes and a much improved plot!

Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings

Title: Poltergeeks
Author: Sean Cummings
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Released: October 2nd 2012
Pages: 320 (eBook)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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15-year-old Julie Richardson is about to learn that being the daughter of a witch isn't all it's cracked up to be. When she and her best friend, Marcus, witness an elderly lady jettisoned out the front door of her home, it's pretty obvious to Julie there's a supernatural connection. 

In fact, there's a whisper of menace behind increasing levels of poltergeist activity all over town. After a large-scale paranormal assault on Julie's high school, her mother falls victim to the spell Endless Night. Now it's a race against time to find out who is responsible or Julie won't just lose her mother's soul, she'll lose her mother's life.

I'd seen Poltergeeks around for a while, but only pushed myself into reading it as I got involved with the blog tour for Student Bodies. At first I was so excited to start it, as it promised a unique, magic-y twist on the common paranormal. Poltergeeks is full of action, adventure, and badass fight sequences that leave you reeling as if you've just watched it unfold right in front of you. The book is over before you know it.

Wednesday, 21 August 2013

Indelible by Dawn Metcalf

Title: Indelible
Author: Dawn Metcalf
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Released: July 30th 2013
Pages: 384 (eBook)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Some things are permanent.
Indelible.
And they cannot be changed back.

Joy Malone learns this the night she sees a stranger with all-black eyes across a crowded room—right before the mystery boy tries to cut out her eye. Instead, the wound accidentally marks her as property of Indelible Ink, and this dangerous mistake thrusts Joy into an incomprehensible world—a world of monsters at the window, glowing girls on the doorstep, and a life that will never be the same.

Now, Joy must pretend to be Ink’s chosen one—his helper, his love, his something for the foreseeable future...and failure to be convincing means a painful death for them both. Swept into a world of monsters, illusion, immortal honor and revenge, Joy discovers that sometimes, there are no mistakes.

Somewhere between reality and myth lies…

THE TWIXT.

You know that moment where you reach a certain point of not being accepted for an eGalley and you resign yourself to thinking Nope, not going to get it? Well, I got that feeling with Indelible, much to my disappointment, as I couldn't wait to read it! However, Harlequin gave me a little surprise: I was accepted for it, and dear god, was I excited when I found out.

Saturday, 10 August 2013

Death Note (Vol. 1) by Tsugumi Ohba

Death Note, Vol. 1: Boredom (Death Note, #1)Title: Death Note
Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Illustrator: Takeshi Obata
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Released: April 2nd 2004
Pages: 195 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects - and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life?

So I've watched the entire anime series of Death Note (sob!) and thought it was about time I actually read the manga. So I went out and borrowed a copy from the library, despite the fact that graphic novels give me headaches (I don't know why, but it sucks). I originally thought that mangas and animes would follow the same rules as books turned into films; the books are always better. But actually, these two were on par with one another.

Tuesday, 6 August 2013

Forsaken by Jana Oliver

Title: Forsaken
Author: Jana Oliver
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Released: December 13th 2010
Pages: 422 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself—and that’s exactly what the demons are counting on...

Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper, Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father's footsteps. The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta’s local Trappers’ Guild needs all the help they can get—even from a girl. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils – Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life’s about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.

But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers’ Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined. As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart—and her life?

Can I just ask what is the genre of this book? Because I don't even know! It's dystopia slash post-apocalyptic slash paranormal slash whatever else! Basically, the concept of Forsaken has never been done before. It takes the normal contemporary-paranormal and puts it into a world that is familiar but only vaguely. The reader is unsure of the rules in this new world and Oliver sweeps you into it with the help of Riley, Beck, Paul and Simon. It's a rollercoaster for the imagination, if nothing else.

Monday, 29 July 2013

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Title: The Diviners
Author: Libba Bray
Publisher: Atom
Released: September 1st 2012
Pages: 592 (Hardcover)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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It's 1920s New York City. It's flappers and Follies, jazz and gin. It's after the war but before the depression. And for certain group of bright young things it's the opportunity to party like never before.

For Evie O'Neill, it's escape. She's never fit in in small town Ohio and when she causes yet another scandal, she's shipped off to stay with an uncle in the big city. But far from being exile, this is exactly what she's always wanted: the chance to show how thoroughly modern and incredibly daring she can be.

But New York City isn't about just jazz babies and follies girls. It has a darker side. Young women are being murdered across the city. And these aren't crimes of passion. They're gruesome. They're planned. They bear a strange resemblance to an obscure group of tarot cards. And the New York City police can't solve them alone.

Evie wasn't just escaping the stifling life of Ohio, she was running from the knowledge of what she could do. She has a secret. A mysterious power that could help catch the killer - if he doesn't catch her first.

FINALLY! I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED THIS! I feel like I deserve a medal; The Diviners is nothing if not a marathon read, with almost 600 pages! As soon as I saw the US cover, I knew I needed to read it - but when I saw the UK cover, I absolutely fell in love. Although the book wasn't quite what I was expecting, I will stick by saying that the covers are utterly breathtaking - perhaps some of the best I have ever come across? I think this is a perfect example to not judge a book by its cover, because it can be misleading - for better or for worse.