Friday 27 February 2009

The Thirteen Treasures - Michelle Harrison

The Thirteen Treasures - Michelle Harrison

Pages: 326
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: 5th January 2009

While visiting her grandmother’s house, Tanya discovers an unsolved mystery. Fifty years ago, a girl vanished in the woods nearby - a girl Tanya’s grandmother will not speak of. Fabian, the caretaker’s son, is tormented by the girl’s disappearance. His grandfather was the last person to see her alive, and has lived under suspicion ever since. Together, Tanya and Fabian decide to find the truth. But Tanya has her own secret: the ability to see faeries. Can it help them to unravel the mystery? Soon they are facing terrible danger - could the manor’s sinister history be about to repeat itself?

I really enjoyed this novel. It was all about mischevious fairies and lots of fairy lore that I love. There was also a dark mystery entwined into the story that kept me hooked. It was a very well written story and the characters seem very real, strangely enough, so do the fairies! I liked it so much that I took it to college with me today so that I could finish it! The really pretty cover, doesn't help either, it just makes me want to stare at it all day!

I strongly recommend this novel as Michelle Harrison has written a brilliant debut which is probably why it won the Waterstone's Children's Award earlier this year. The sequel to The Thirteen Treasures will be out next year.

Oh, and if you want to know more about me, check out my interview with Steph Su on her blog.

Sophie

Wednesday 25 February 2009

Life, Interrupted - Damian Kelleher

Life, Interrupted - Damian Kelleher

Pages: 252
Publisher: Piccadilly Press Ltd.
Release Date: 30th January 2009

Other Titles by This Author: Selfish Sophie, So You Want to Make a Film?

‘What’s up with your mum?’

We sit on the railings and, as the grey clouds scud over our heads, I tell Jack and Freya about Mum being ill. I don’t tell them that I’m worried stupid, but they’re my mates, I think that they can work that out for themselves. I also tell them about Jesse and his accident, the prat.

‘Blimey, sixty-six per cent of one family in the hospital at the same time!’ says Jack. ‘You’d better watch yourself, Luke. It could be an ancient Egyptian curse… Why don’t you sleep at mine tonight?’

‘Yeah, go on,’ I say. ‘Don’t fancy another night home alone.’ to tell the truth, I’ve eaten the last pizza anyway.

Luke’s world is turned upside down when his mum collapses at the hospital where she works as a nurse. Fourteen-year-old Luke and his football-obsessed younger brother Jesse each cope in their different ways, and, as time passes, they must confront some painful truths.

Honest, funny and deeply moving, this is a story about facing the worst and surviving.

At times I found this book very hard to read. I've lost count how many times that it made me cry; it was heartbreaking. This was reinforced by the very real characters that made the story feel alive. It also dealt with lots of issues that aren't talked about by kids very often, but not in a preachy or patronising way. For this reason, I think it will resonate with lots of people.

I even didn't mind all of the attention that it gave to football and that's high praise indeed for a sports-hater like me! This was a very sad, but very good book, that I recommend, even though you should probably stock up on tissues first!

Sophie

Waiting on Wednesday I

This was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It tells everyone about the books that you are most looking forward to.

The Ant Colony - Jenny Valentine

An irresistible new novel from Guardian-award-winning novelist, Jenny Valentine. Number 33 Georgiana Street houses many people and yet seems home to none. To runaway Sam it is a place to disappear. To Bohemia, it's just another blip between crises, as her mum ricochets off the latest boyfriend. Old Isobel acts like she owns the place, even though it actually belongs to Steve in the basement, who is always looking to squeeze in yet another tenant. Life there is a kind of ordered chaos. Like ants, they scurry about their business, crossing paths, following their own tracks, no questions asked. But it doesn't take much to upset the balance. Dig deep enough and you'll find that everyone has something to hide!
(summary from waterstones.com)

Release Date: 5th March 2009

I loved Jenny's previous two novels, Finding Violet Park (Me, the Missing and the Dead in the US) and Broken Soup so I'm really looking forward to reading this.

Sophie

Tuesday 24 February 2009

Love, Lies and Lizzie - Rosie Rushton

Love, Lies and Lizzie - Rosie Rushton

Pages: 216
Publisher: Piccadilly Press Ltd.
Release Date: 27th February 2009

Other Titles in the Series: The Secrets of Love, Summer of Secrets, Secret Schemes and Daring Dreams

What would happen if the traumas of teenage life and love from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice were transferred to the twenty-first century?

When Mrs Bennett inherits enough money to move into the kind of village she has always dreamed of, her daughters find themselves swept up in a glamorous life of partying and country pursuits.

But Lizzie and her sisters soon discover that, beneath the very smart surface, lurks a web of intrigue and rivalries…

‘For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?’ Jane Austen, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

The fourth of Rosie Rushton’s very successful Jane Austen updates.

Like the rest of Rosie Rushton's books, this was a quick, fun read that wraps you up in the world she's created. It was fun seeing the parallels between this and Pride and Prejudice and spotting what she had changed or altered. But saying that, she was incredibly loyal to the book and only changed what needed to be changed in order for it fit in the 21st century.

The Pride and Prejudice quotes at the beginning of each chapter were a great way to start them because it enabled me to see exactly where in the story I was and kept the connection to Pride and Prejudice in the forefront.

I'm amazed that Jane Austen's characters and storylines are still largely relevant over two-hundred years later and Rosie Rushton did an excellent job of bringing Austen's classic story to a new generation.

Sophie

Sunday 22 February 2009

Split by a Kiss - Luisa Plaja

Split by a Kiss - Luisa Plaja

Pages: 309
Publisher: Corgi
Release Date: 6th April 2008

Other Titles by This Author: Extreme Kissing (not yet released)

I’m two different people. Literally, I’m split.

Jo has never been one of the popular kids…until she moves to the USA. Suddenly the coolest girls at her new high school adopt her, and the hottest boy, Jake Matthews, notices her. But when Jake picks her as his partner in the kissing game Seven Minutes in Heaven, it’s not half as heavenly as she imagined!

Jo has a choice: should she carry on with Jake or guaranteed popularity - or should she tell him where to get off and risk losing her new friends…?

At this moment - Jo splits. She’s Josie the Cool - girlfriend of Jake, member of the in-crowd. But she’s also Jo the Nerd - rejected by the It girls, single…ordinary will her two halves ever come together again?

This was a quick fun read that I really enjoyed. Luisa Plaja's writing has an ease and a flow about it that carries you through the story effortlessly.

The reference to Tanya Lee Stone's book A Bad Boy Can Be Good For a Girl made me giggle because I love seeing references that I actually get and can say "I've read that!" to. I really didn't expect Jo the Nerd and Josie the Cool to have their own chapters and their stories to run parallel to each other so that was a surprise. I thought that it was really clever.

I'm definitely going to pick up Luisa's second novel Extreme Kissing when it's released in April.

Sophie

In My Mailbox V

I've borrowed the idea of this from the amazing The Story Siren. If you want more information check out her blog. All summaries are from the book jackets.

The Thirteen Treasures - Michelle Harrison

While visiting her grandmother’s house, Tanya discovers an unsolved mystery. Fifty years ago, a girl vanished in the woods nearby - a girl Tanya’s grandmother will not speak of. Fabian, the caretaker’s son, is tormented by the girl’s disappearance. His grandfather was the last person to see her alive, and has lived under suspicion ever since. Together, Tanya and Fabian decide to find the truth. But Tanya has her own secret: the ability to see faeries. Can it help them to unravel the mystery? Soon they are facing terrible danger - could the manor’s sinister history be about to repeat itself?

I've wanted to read this since it came out and now it's won the Waterstone's Children's Prize 2009 so I've got even higher hopes for it than before!

Numbers - Rachel Ward

Since the day her mother died, Jem has known about the numbers. When she looks in someone’s eyes, she can see the date they will die.

Life is hard, until she meets a boy called Spider. Suddenly her world seems brighter

But on a trip to London, Jem foresees a chain of events that will shatter their lives forever…


I love the cover for this one; it looks even better in real life, with fluorescent orange on the sides of the title.

Inkheart - Cornelia Funke

Dare to read it aloud…

Meggie loves stories, but her father, Mo, hasn’t read aloud to her since her mother mysteriously disappeared.

When a stranger knocks at their door, Mo is forced to reveal an extraordinary secret - when he reads aloud, words come alive, and dangerous characters step out of the pages.

Suddenly, Meggie is living the kind of adventure she has only read in books. But this one will change her life forever.

I started reading this a couple of years ago but didn't finish it so I decided to try it again.

Sophie

Friday 20 February 2009

Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles

Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles

Pages: 357
Publisher: Walker Books
Release Date: 23th December 2008

Other Titles by This Author: Leaving Paradise, How to Ruin a Summer Vacation, How to Ruin My Teenage Life

At Fairfield High School, on the outskirts of Chicago, everyone knows that south siders and north siders aren’t exactly compatible elements. So when head cheerleader Brittany Ellis and gang member Alex Fuentos are forced to be lab partners in chemistry class, the results are bound to be explosive. But neither teen is prepared for the most surprising chemical reaction of all - love. Can they break through the stereotypes and misconceptions that threaten to keep them apart?

“Miss Ellis?” Mrs Peterson says. “It’s your turn. Introduce Alex to the class.”

“This is Alejandro Fuentes. When he wasn’t hanging out on street corners and harassing innocent people this summer, he toured the inside of jails around the city, if you know what I mean. his secret desire is to go to college and become a chemistry teacher, like you, Mrs Peterson.”

Brittany flashes me a triumphant smile, thinking she’s won this round. Guess again, gringa.

“This is Brittany Ellis,” I say, all eyes now focused on me. “This summer she went to the mall, bought new clothes so she could expand her wardrobe, and spent her daddy’s money on plastic surgery to enhance her, ahem, assets. Her secret desire is to date a Mexicano before she graduates.”

Game on…

I absolutely LOVED this book! There isn't much I can say that will sum up how much I loved it. I just couldn't put it down.

There was a smile plastered on my face the entire time that I was reading, well when I wasn't in shock or nearly in tears anyway. From the very beginning it was packed full of witty banter and snappy comebacks that I'd never think of until hours later.

The Spanish interspersed with Alex's speech and thoughts put a really cool spin on the narrative and the stereotypes turned on their head was really great to read. The real reason that I like this though is because I'm a sucker for romance. Even the gloriously cheesy epilogue that I thought was perfect.

Everybody needs to read this. It is so good!

Sophie

Thursday 19 February 2009

How to Hook a Hottie - Tina Ferraro

How to Hook a Hottie - Tina Ferraro

Pages: 196
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: 8th January 2008

Other Titles by This Author: Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, The ABC's of Kissing Boys

Kate DelVecchio is a business woman. When it comes to matters of the heart, she has no time. Look at her own parents. Total dysfunction.

At seventeen, Kate has one goal in life: to become a millionaire before the age of twenty. (Okay, twenty-five if she hits some bumps in the road.) And as far as she’s concerned, college will only slow her down. Unfortunately for Kate, the one thing her parents do agree on is that they totally disagree with her strategy. And so the deal is born. If Kate can raise five thousand big ones by graduation day, her parents will hand over the balance of her college account to invest as she pleases. No college, no degree, and no way she’ll ever be able to pull it off.

Surprisingly, it’s where her heart isn’t that’s precisely what might solve her dilemma. Since when has love ever helped anyone?

Since now.

When Kate reluctantly agrees to go to the sports banquet with the hottest guy in school, she stumbles on a possible cash cow. The rest of the senior class is amazed that no-nonsense Kate could hook such a hottie, and one by one they approach her for help hooking their own. She doesn’t know anything about getting guys, but for a hundred dollars a pop, she’s more that willing to invent a Six-Point Plan. And how could that possibly backfire?

This was a cute, quick read that was perfect for taking my mind off of a rainy afternoon. I don't really know what to say about it other than I enjoyed it. I'll definitely be reading Tina's Ferraro's other two novels because no thought is required what-so-ever to get into them. The less thinking the better, I say!

I did like how Kate realised that money wasn't everything and sacraficed her life savings to help someone she didn't like all the time, though.

A short, sweet review, for a short, sweet book!

Sophie

Two-Way Street - Lauren Barnholdt

Two-Way Street - Lauren Barnholdt

Pages: 288
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: 26th June 2007

Other Titles by This Author: Reality Chick, Devon Delaney, Four Truths and a Lie

There are two sides to every break-up.

This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They’re even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.

Then Jordan dumps Courtney - for a girl he met on the internet.

It’s too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney’s heart-broken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la - this is Courtney pretending not to care.

But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.

Turns out, he’s got a secret or two that he’s not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can’t get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.

I loved this book. Probably because it was a road trip and I so want to go on one, preferably from New York to LA, but I'm not fussy! After reading lots of fantasy and sci-fi lately it was nice to be back in the real world.

The alternate chapters really gave me an insight into both of the characters thoughts and feelings which I really liked. It gives you the full picture and enables you to fully understand why they were doing and saying what they are. Even though Courtney had psychotic tendencies, I really liked her and some of the things she said really made me laugh.

It was a quick, fun read and I'm definitely going to check out Lauren Barnholdt's other books.

Sophie

Wednesday 18 February 2009

Bloom - Elizabeth Scott

Bloom - Elizabeth Scott

Pages: 231
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: 24th April 2007
(not published in the UK)

Other Titles by This Author: Perfect You; Stealing Heaven; Living Dead Girl; Something, Maybe; Love You. Hate You. Miss You.

There’s a difference between falling and letting go.

Lauren has a good life: decent grades, great friends, and a boyfriend every girl lusts after. So why is she so unhappy?

It takes the arrival of Evan Kirkland for Lauren to figure out the answer: she’s been holding back. She’s been denying herself a bunch of things because staying with her loyal and gorgeous boyfriend, Dave, is the “right” thing to do. After all, who would give up the perfect guy?

But as Dave starts talking more and more about their life together, planning a future Lauren simply can’t see herself in - and as Lauren’s craving for Evan and, moreover, who she is with Evan becomes all more fierce - Lauren realises she needs to make a choice…before one is made for her.

This was a quick, fun and light read and I loved it. There was something about Elizabeth Scott's writing that drew me in from the very first page. I read it all in one sitting; I couldn't drag myself away from it!

All of the characters are very well developed and real. They each seemed to have their own lives and history's that ran along side Lauren's story. One of the things I liked most about Bloom was Evan. There was something about him that really appealed to me!

I can't recommend this enough. Elizabeth Scott writes beautifully and takes you on a ride of so many different emotions that you could read all night and not notice. It was a beautiful book and I can't wait to read the rest of her novels.

Sophie

Tuesday 17 February 2009

Extras - Scott Westerfeld

Extras - Scott Westerfeld

Pages: 417
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: 4th February 2008

Other Titles in the Series: Uglies, Pretties, Specials

These days, it's all about fame...

'Tech-heads' flaunt their latest gadgets, 'kickers' spread gossip and trends - and it's all monitored by millions of cameras. The world is like a giant reality TV show, where popularity rules and everyone else is just an extra.

As if it isn't hard enough being fifteen, with a face rank of 451,369, Aya Fuse is a total nobody. But when she meets a clique of girls who pull crazy, dangerous tricks in secret, Aya knows that if she can kick their story, her popularity rating will soar...

Aya is sure she's destined for a life in the spotlight, but is she really prepared for everything that comes with it - instant fame, celebrity...extreme danger?

I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did the previous three but it was good nonetheless. Extras is set in a different place to the previous ones, a different continent even with a world three years from where we left Tally and it's very different.

As with all of this series, I was amazed at the technology and I couldn't imagine what it would be like to live among it. I expect it might be quite fun though! I loved the way that the characters slang and words of the moment changed as they changed and according to the people that they met. I thought that this was clever and very true to real life. It's hard to not give away the plot because the bigger surprise this novel will be, the better.

I am now a dedicated Scott Westerfeld fan and I'm going to search out the rest of his novels. But for now, everyone who hasn't read them yet: DO IT!

Sophie

Monday 16 February 2009

Specials - Scott Westerfeld

Specials - Scott Westerfeld

Pages: 372
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: 6th November 2006

Other Titles in the Series: Uglies, Pretties, Extras

"Special circumstances"

...the words have sent chills down Tally's spine since her days as a repellent, rebellious Ugly. Back then, the Specials were a sinister rumour - frighteningly beautiful, dangerously strong, breathtakingly fast.

And now Tally's become one of them: a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the Uglies down and the Pretties stupid. The strength, the speed and the clarity of her new powers feel amazing...most of the time. One tiny corner of Tally's heart still remembers something different.

When she is offered the chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke, she is forced to make one last choice: carry out the mission she's been programmed to complete, or listen to that faint yet persistent heartbeat telling her that something's wrong...

I can't rave about this series enough to illustrate how much I enjoyed them. Scott Westerfeld's writing takes you away completely and there is no part that you don't believe in the world he has created.

However, I did have a couple of problems with this one. The idea of the Cutters put me on edge when I was reading about them even though I understood why they were doing what they were doing. The other thing was Shay. In the previous two novels my dislike for her had grown but it kind of spilled over in this one. To me she wasn't a real friend and got on my nerves because of how she made Tally feel and Tally kept going back for her which was really annoying.

But other than that, I've loved this series and after I've finished Extras I'm going to hunt out the rest of his books. I'm thinking Parasite Positive for my next Westerfeld novel. Any other suggestions?

Sophie

Sunday 15 February 2009

In My Mailbox IV

I've borrowed the idea of this from the amazing The Story Siren. If you want more information check out her blog.

Bloom - Elizabeth Scott

There’s a difference between falling and letting go.

Lauren has a good life: decent grades, great friends, and a boyfriend every girl lusts after. So why is she so unhappy?

It takes the arrival of Evan Kirkland for Lauren to figure out the answer: she’s been holding back. She’s been denying herself a bunch of things because staying with her loyal and gorgeous boyfriend, Dave, is the “right” thing to do. After all, who would give up the perfect guy?

But as Dave starts talking more and more about their life together, planning a future Lauren simply can’t see herself in - and as Lauren’s craving for Evan and, moreover, who she is with Evan becomes all more fierce - Lauren realises she needs to make a choice…before one is made for her.

Two-Way Street - Lauren Barnholdt

There are two sides to every break-up.

This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They’re even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.

Then Jordan dumps Courtney - for a girl he met on the internet.

It’s too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney’s heart-broken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la - this is Courtney pretending not to care.

But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.


Turns out, he’s got a secret or two that he’s not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can’t get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.

How to Hook a Hottie - Tina Ferraro

Kate DelVeccio is a business woman. When it comes to matters of the heart, she has no time. Look at her own parents. Total dysfunction.

At seventeen, Kate has one goal in life: to become a millionaire before the age of twenty. (Okay, twenty-five if she hits some bumps in the road.) And as far as she’s concerned, college will only slow her down. Unfortunately for Kate, the one thing her parents do agree on is that they totally disagree with her strategy. And so the deal is born. If Kate can raise five thousand big ones by graduation day, her parents will hand over the balance of her college account to invest as she pleases. No college, no degree, and no way she’ll ever be able to pull it off.

Surprisingly, it’s where her heart isn’t that’s precisely what might solve her dilemma. Since when has love ever helped anyone?

Since now.

When Kate reluctantly agrees to go to the sports banquet with the hottest guy in school, she stumbles on a possible cash cow. The rest of the senior class is amazed that no-nonsense Kate could hook such a hottie, and one by one they approach her for help hooking their own. She doesn’t know anything about getting guys, but for a hundred dollars a pop, she’s more that willing to invent a Six-Point Plan. And how could that possibly backfire?

Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles

At Fairfield High School, on the outskirts of Chicago, everyone knows that south siders and north siders aren’t exactly compatible elements. So when head cheerleader Brittany Ellis and gang member Alex Fuentos are forced to be lab partners in chemistry class, the results are bound to be explosive. But neither teen is prepared for the most surprising chemical reaction of all - love. Can they break through the stereotypes and misconceptions that threaten to keep them apart?

“Miss Ellis?” Mrs Peterson says. “It’s your turn. Introduce Alex to the class.”

“This is Alejandro Fuentes. When he wasn’t hanging out on street corners and harassing innocent people this summer, he toured the inside of jails around the city, if you know what I mean. his secret desire is to go to college and become a chemistry teacher, like you, Mrs peterson.”

Brittany flashes me a triumphant smile, thinking she’s won this round. Guess again, gringa.

“This is Brittany Ellis,” I say, all eyes now focused on me. “This summer she went to the mall, bought new clothes so she could expand her wardrobe, and spent her daddy’s money on plastic surgery to enhance her, ahem, assets. Her secret desire is to date a Mexicano before she graduates.”

Game on…

I have been waiting to read these books forever so I finally ordered them from Amazon and I was so excited when they arrived in the post on Monday I did a little happy dance!

Split by a Kiss - Luisa Plaja

I’m two different people. Literally, I’m split.

Jo has never been one of the popular kids…until she moves to the USA. Suddenly the coolest girls at her new high school adopt her, and the hottest boy, Jake Matthews, notices her. But when Jake picks her as his partner in the kissing game Seven Minutes in Heaven, it’s not half as heavenly as she imagined!

Jo has a choice: should she carry on with Jake or guaranteed popularity - or should she tell him where to get off and risk losing her new friends…?

At this moment - Jo splits. She’s Josie the Cool - girlfriend of Jake, member of the in-crowd. But she’s also Jo the Nerd - rejected by the It girls, single…ordinary will her two halves ever come together again?


I received this on Tuesday from Luisa herself. Thanks Luisa!

Love, Lies and Lizzie - Rosie Rushton

What would happen if the traumas of teenage life and love from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice were transferred to the twenty-first century?

When Mrs Bennett inherits enough money to move into the kind of village she has always dreamed of, her daughters find themselves swept up in a glamorous life of partying and country pursuits.

But Lizzie and her sisters soon discover that, beneath the very smart surface, lurks a web of intrigue and rivalries…

‘For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?’ Jane Austen, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

The fourth of Rosie Rushton’s very successful Jane Austen updates.

Life, Interrupted - Damian Kelleher

‘What’s up with your mum?’

We sit on the railings and, as the grey clouds scud over our heads, I tell Jack and Freya about Mum being ill. I don’t tell them that I’m worried stupid, but they’re my mates, I think that they can work that out for themselves. I also tell them about Jesse and his accident, the prat.

‘Blimey, sixty-six per cent of one family in the hospital at the same time!’ says Jack. ‘You’d better watch yourself, Luke. It could be an ancient Egyptian curse… Why don’t you sleep at mine tonight?’

‘Yeah, go on,’ I say. ‘Don’t fancy another night home alone.’ to tell the truth, I’ve eaten the last pizza anyway.

Luke’s world is turned upside down when his mum collapses at the hospital where she works as a nurse. Fourteen-year-old Luke and his football-obsessed younger brother Jesse each cope in their different ways, and, as time passes, they must confront some painful truths.

Honest, funny and deeply moving, this is a story about facing the worst and surviving.

I got these two from Piccadilly Press on Thursday. I've two of Rosie Rushton's Twenty-First Century Austen's before and enjoyed them so expect this will be great too. I'd never heard of Life, Interrupted but it's recommended by Jacqueline Wilson so I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

It's half-term this week so I even have time to read them all and I can't wait! Have a great week everyone.

Sophie

Saturday 14 February 2009

Pretties - Scott Westerfeld

Pretties - Scott Westerfeld

Pages: 370
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: 3rd July 2006

Other Titles in the Series: Uglies, Specials, Extras

Gorgeous. Popular. Perfect. Perfectly wrong.

Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted.

But beneath all the fun -- the non-stop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom -- is a nagging sense that something is wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.

Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life…

I literally devoured this book. I read it a couple of years ago but I couldn't remember anything about what happened, so reading it this time was even better. I love the way Scott Westerfeld writes. He uses the oddest similes but in another ways it's clear and straight forward. The world he has created is so individual and so complete that even though it seems an impossible way to live, I can see it happening in the future.

There was constant action and the surprises never stopped coming. Even though Tally made some silly decisions (in my eyes) and did things that I didn't think she'd do, I supported her the entire way. The only bit I really disagreed with her was her choice between the two boys at the end in the New Smoke. I'm hoping that will change in Specials which I'm reading now. But other than that, I completely loved it.

Sophie

Thursday 12 February 2009

Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

Pages: 425
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: 3rd January 2006

Other Titles in the Series: Pretties, Specials, Extras

Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that?

Tally can't wait to turn sixteen and become Pretty. Sixteen is the magic number that brings a transformation from a repellent Ugly into a stunningly attractive Pretty, and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be Pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the Pretty world - and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn Pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

I read this book for the first time a couple of years ago after getting it out of the school library when a friend recommended it. I loved it then; I love it now.

Scott Westerfeld provides so much to think about. Tally's reaction to the Rusties world and the way that it was talked about made me realise just how stupid some of the things that we do actually are. It also epitomises the way a teenager feels about themselves and the effect that people have on those feelings and I identified with Tally completely. It's scary to think that society's desire for beauty could be taken to such extremes and that in order to have a peaceful world peoples brains need to be altered. Scary stuff.

And besides I really want a hoverboard. It sounds like amazing fun!

Sophie



Wednesday 11 February 2009

My Bookshelves

I saw this on some other blogs (Lauren, Hope, Kelsey, Ashley) and thought I'd share mine, purely because I'm nosey enough to be intrigued about other peoples bookshelves and it seems other people are too!

They're not organised in any particular way; just by author and publication date within that (most of the time!).

It took me three seperate tries to get the camera to work and stay working but I got there eventually! Here they are:













My little white tiger guards my bookshelf.



























The Luxe and Rumours by Anna Godbersen usually sit here too but my mum is reading them at the moment and I forgot to put them back before I took the photo.













And now for the stacks that are scattered around my tiny little room.

These are my classics, novels for school and old ones that I don't like as much anymore.
And that's all of my books. I really need some new shelves (and more books!)

Sophie

Sunday 8 February 2009

Beautiful Dead: Jonas - Eden Maguire

Beautiful Dead: Jonas - Eden Maguire

Pages: 279
Publisher: Hodder
Release Date: 2nd April 2009

Other Titles in the Series: Beautiful Dead: Arizona, Beautiful Dead: Summer, Beautiful Dead: Phoenix

Not alive. Not dead. Somewhere in between lie the Beautiful Dead.

The first of four books that will leave you restless...

Something strange is happening at Ellerton High. Jonas, Arizona, Summer, Phoenix. All dead within a year.

Darina, Phoenix's grief-stricken girlfriend, is on the verge. She can't escape her intense heartache, or the impossible apparitions of those who are meant to be dead.

And all the while the sound of beating wings echo inside her head...

Will love conquer death? And if it does, can Darina set it free?

I really liked this book. It was a great start to a series of books that I think are going to be great. There were lots of really clever ideas that we've never seen before. I did haev a couple of problems with it though. Darina's voice was very desperate and the tone of it fluctuated throughout the novel; although that might have been intended becasue of what she goes through and secondly, I couldn't figure out whether it was set in England or America. I know it's odd but that really bothered me for some reason.

Overall, I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the series and I think it's going to be a good one.

Sophie

In My Mailbox III

I've borrowed the idea of this from the amazing The Story Siren. If you want more information check out her blog.

Frozen Fire - Tim Bowler

When Dusty gets the phone call from a mysterious boy she knows she can't ignore it. He seems to know something about the disappearance of her brother, Josh, which means that Dusty must find the boy no matter what.

But when she does finally meet him, there's something strange and haunting about him. He can see people's thoughts, and feels everything-from chilling ice to white-hot pain...and he seems to have a hold over everyone he meets.

There's talk in the town of the boy's past. Lynch mobs are out to get him. Dusty must help him and find out what happened to Josh. But when the mob turns on her, it is she, and not the boy, who is in the gravest danger...

Amy got this last weekend but I forgot to include it in last weeks In My Mailbox.

Pretties - Scott Westerfeld

Gorgeous. Popular. Perfect. Perfectly wrong.

Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted.

But beneath all the fun -- the non-stop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom -- is a nagging sense that something is wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.


Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life…

Specials - Scott Westerfeld

"Special circumstances"

...the words have sent chills down Tally's spine since her days as a repellent, rebellious Ugly. Back then, the Specials were a sinister rumour - frighteningly beautiful, dangerously strong, breathtakingly fast.

And now Tally's become one of them: a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the Uglies down and the Pretties stupid. The strength, the speed and the clarity of her new powers feel amazing...most of the time. One tiny corner of Tally's heart still remembers something different.

When she is offered the chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke, she is forced to make one last choice: carry out the mission she's been programmed to complete, or listen to that faint yet persistent heartbeat telling her that something's wrong...

Extras - Scott Westerfeld

These days, it's all about fame...

'Tech-heads' flaunt their latest gadgets, 'kickers' spread gossip and trends - and it's all monitored by millions of cameras. The world is like a giant reality TV show, where popularity rules and everyone else is just an extra.

As if it isn't hard enough being fifteen, with a face rank of 451,369, Aya Fuse is a total nobody. But when she meets a clique of girls who pull crazy, dangerous tricks in secret, Aya knows that if she can kick their story, her popularity rating will soar...

Aya is sure she's destined for a life in the spotlight, but is she really prepared for everything that comes with it - instant fame, celebrity...extreme danger?

Beautiful Dead: Jonas - Eden Maguire

Not alive. Not dead. Somewhere in between lie the Beautiful Dead.
The first of four books that will leave you restless...
Something strange is happening at Ellerton High. Jonas, Arizona, Summer, Phoenix. All dead within a year.
Darina, Phoenix's grief-stricken girlfriend, is on the verge. She can't escape her intense heartache, or the impossible apparitions of those who are meant to be dead.
And all the while the sound of beating wings echo inside her head...
Will love conquer death? And if it does, can Darina set it free?

Thank you to the fabulous Jenny at Wondrous Reads for this book.
Sophie

Saturday 7 February 2009

Re-Review

I know my sister already reviewed the first two House of Night novels but I just have to gush about how great they are. The myth and legends that were tied into the story really surprised me and I loved it; it's so clever. P.C. and Kristin Cast developed some really cool characters that seemed real. I especially love Damien and Erik, but then again, who wouldn't? Anyway, I just wanted to gush about them a little and now I 'm done.

Sophie

Wednesday 4 February 2009

Rebel Angels - Libba Bray

Rebel Angels - Libba Bray

Pages: 548
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: 2nd July 2007

Other Titles in the Series: A Great and Terrible Beauty, The Sweet Far Thing

It's the end of the year, and Gemma's looking forward to living it up in London. Balls, fancy gowns and dancing with the handsome Simon Middleton beckon. Best of all, it's time away from Spence Academy - and from the Realms.

But the lure of the enchanted world is strong, and the magic flows freely. Gemma's visions intensify - visions of three girls dressed in white, suffering horror and menace. Clearly not all is well in the Realms - or out of them.

Set against the rich backdrop of Victorian London, a place of shadows and light, in a time of strict morality and barely repressed sensuality, this compelling gothic sequel reveals that inside great beauty can lie a rebel angel...

I liked Rebel Angels a lot more than A Great and Terrible Beauty. This one was easier to get into because I knew the characters and the world. The characters really grew and came alive in this one. We were told about the things that make them who they really are which really fleshed them out. All of the shocking revellations, unexpected twists and turns kept my rapt attention throughout. I sat and read nearly all of it yesterday; that's how in to it I was. Now I can't wait for The Sweet Far Thing for which I am going to have to wait until it is released in paperback in May.

There isn't likely to be any reviews for a couple of days as I am going to read the first two House of Night novels of my sister's that she has already reviewed on here. She probably won't review for a while either as she is rereading The Twilight Saga and their amazingness doesn't really need to be written about does it? Everyone knows how great they are. My next review, however, will be Uglies - Scott Westerfeld early next week.

Have a great rest of the week.

Sophie

Tuesday 3 February 2009

A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray

A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray

Pages: 403
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: 2nd May 2006

Other Titles in the Series: Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing

It's 1895, and after the death of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma's reception there is a chilly one.She's not completely alone, though...she's being followed by a mysterious young man, sent to warn her to close her mind against the visions.

It's at Spence that Gemma's power to attract the supernatural unfolds, as she becomes entangled with the school's most powerful girls and discovers her mother's connection to a shadowy, timeless group called The Order. Her destiny awaits...if only Gemma can believe in it.

After reading The Hunger Games I found it hard to gel to this novel. It took me about a third of the way through for me to love it. And I did love it in the end. There is such a wonderful mix of characters and the writing only had subtle hints of the time that it was set in which I loved. I really identified with Ann out of all of the characters; looking in on a world that you would look to be part of; a world so close yet so far away. And anyway I'm a sucker for magic, though I didn't expect anything like what actually happened in it. I've nearly finished Rebel Angels now and I am completely absorbed in the world that Libba Bray has created.

Sophie

Monday 2 February 2009

Betrayed - P.C. and Kristen Cast

Betrayed - P.C. and Kristen Cast

Pages: 375
Publisher: Atom
Release Date: 5th February 2009

Other Titles in the Series: Marked, Chosen, Hunted, Untamed

All any of us could talk about was Chris's disappearance and how bizarre it was that he had been seen so close to the House of Night. I didn't want to believe it. But everything inside me said that the kid would be found, but he'd be found dead...

Things seem to be going well for Zoey Redbird. She's settled in the House of Night finishing school and is coming to terms with her incredible new powers. It all seems to good to be true. And guess what?

Someone has begun murdering human teenagers, and all evidence points to the vampyres at Zoey's school. Which means her first assignment as the leader of the Dark Daughters is finding out which one of her classmates pr - gulp - teachers is a killer.

Sigh. And she thought her boyfriends (yes: plural) were going to be her biggest problem this year...

I thought Betrayed was really good. It made me cry. But I can not what for the next one Chosen.

Amy

Snow Day!

Today has been my first ever snow day and I've spent all of it (apart from now, obviously) reading. We're under an unheard of four inches of snow and England has ground to a halt. It's brilliant.

I decided to do a round up of bookish things from January so here are the books I've read this month:

1. Uninvited - Amanda Marrone
2. The Catalogue of the Universe - Margaret Mahy
3. The Luxe - Anna Godbersen
4. Rumours: A Luxe Novel - Anna Godbersen
5. Robert Pattison: True Love Never Dies - Josie Rusher
6. Everything Beautiful - Simmone Howell
7. The Bad Tuesdays: Twisted Symmetry - Benjamin J. Myers
8. The Burying Beetle - Ann Kelley
9. Who's That Girl? - Alexandra Potter
10. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins


It was a good book month but I think February will be even better because I just ordered 7 books of off Amazon that will arrive of the next three weeks. I'm pretty excited!

Sophie

Sunday 1 February 2009

In My Mailbox II

I've borrowed the idea of this from the amazing The Story Siren. If you want more information check out her blog.

From the library:
Soul Love - Lynda Waterhouse

Living with the past can be difficult, even at fifteen...

Jenna doesn't want to betray her friends and won't reveal the truth behind her exclusion from school. So she is sent away to live with her aunt in a sleepy countryside village.

It's here that she meets Gabriel, who seems so genuine and different from other people she knows. But she is wary of him at first - lately boys have been nothing but trouble for Jenna, and Gabe can be moody and withdrawn.

Despite her caution, Jenna can't help falling in love with Gabriel, and the longer she spends with him, the more deeply in love she falls. Could he be her soul mate? He seems to be the only one who understands Jenna and doesn't leap to conclusions. But then she discovers that Gabriel is living with a deep secret of his own...

Tessa in Love - Kate le Vann

Wolfie was totally scruffy…and totally sexy. It wasn't love at first sight, because I'd been aware of him for years and just hadn't noticed before. It was like really seeing someone for the first time. Then he waved me over! I looked behind me to make sure he wasn't beckoning to somebody else.

He laughed, and mouthed, 'Yes, you.' I pulled my skirt down as far as it would go and rubbed a bit of leaf over my trainers to make them seem beaten up, then made my way over - but on the way, I slightly forgot to how to walk. I was taking insanely big steps…'

Tessa has always been 'the quiet one', while her best friend, Matty, is outgoing and constantly has boys flocking around her. But when Tessa falls in love for the first time at sixteen, everything changes. Tessa finds a soulmate in Wolfie, a committed green activist, and she grows more confident and outspoken every day. She also begins to look at the world differently…

But just when their love is at its strongest, tragedy strikes. How will she ever be able to cope?

The Secrets of Love -Rosie Rushton

“Upon my word, I never saw a young woman so desperately in love in my life!” SENSE AND SENSIBILITY – Jane Austen

What would happen if you transferred the traumas of teenage love from Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility to the twenty-first century? How would Ellie, Abby and Georgie fare without the restraints of nineteenth-century England?

Will Ellie’s ever-sensible attitude towards life prevent her from ever snogging the gorgeous, but somewhat reticent, Blake?

Is Abby’s devil-may-care outlook destined to land her in big trouble with Hunter, who majors in being up himself?

And what about the baby of the family, Georgie? She’s a tomboy, with more male friends than anyone, and so strong-willed she’ll never take no for an answer!

From Waterstone's:
Betrayed - P.C. and Kristen Cast

It seems that (un)life is going pretty well for Zoey Redbird. She's settled in at the House of Night finishing school and is coming to terms with the vast powers the vampyre goddess, Nyx, has given her. She even has a boyfriend ...or two.

Best of all, Zoey finally feels she has found somewhere she belongs. Then the unthinkable happens. Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the vampires at Zoey's school. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey's past life, she begins to realise that the very powers that made her so unique might also threaten those she loves.

Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night. Zoey finds herself facing a betrayal that could break her heart and jeopardise the very fabric of her world.


Rebel Angels - Libba Bray

It's the end of the year, and Gemma's looking forward to living it up in London. Balls, fancy gowns and dancing with the handsome Simon Middleton beckon. Best of all, it's time away from Spence Academy - and from the Realms.

But the lure of the enchanted world is strong, and the magic flows freely. Gemma's visions intensify - visions of three girls dressed in white, suffering horror and menace. Clearly not all is well in the Realms - or out of them.

Set against the rich backdrop of Victorian London, a place of shadows and light, in a time of strict morality and barely repressed sensuality, this compelling gothic sequel reveals that inside great beauty can lie a rebel angel...

Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that?

Tally can't wait to turn sixteen and become Pretty. Sixteen is the magic number that brings a transformation from a repellant Ugly into a stunningly attractive Pretty, and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be Pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the Pretty world - and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn Pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

I think we had a very good week this week and I can't wait to get stuck in. Let's hope next week is just as good.

Sophie