The Host by Stephanie Meyer

Disclaimer: I read The Host back in 2008 and did a review for The Book Swede and I spotted a lot of excitement about The Host movie online this week and thought I'd copy across my review here. I think it would be interesting to go back and re-read The Host to see if my opinion changed.  To be honest, I'm not sure it would have.  Unlike Twilight, The Host has not left a weird feeling in my mind, if I can call it that.  Anyway, enough babbling. Here's my dusted off review: 

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that takes over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. Wanderer, the invading 'soul' who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too-vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love. 

I genuinely can’t imagine a scarier scenario. Aliens invade Earth. And they stay. Not only do they stay to co-habit Earth, they take over by bonding with the humans (whom they call their host) in a parasitical way. They repress the host’s personality completely and take over their day-to-day lives. In some instances, the host personality dies and is overcome by the “soul” implanted into its body. Humanity becomes changed forever by the souls who find that they bond truly well with their human hosts.

I don’t like bugs – no matter how beautiful. So I had a preconception about how this was going to turn out already, and in the back of my mind, I ran through the various horror movies out there in the same sort of genre and I sort of despaired. How to do something new and fresh? The concept already had my skin crawling before I even read The Host by Stephenie Meyer. Which is not the best way to start reading a book to review.

I know the author through her Twilight books she did, in the past, and was unsure how she was going to handle this futuristic, Sci-Fi styled book with its overtones of horror and romance.

The fact is: she pulls it off. The aptly named soul, Wanderer, becomes implanted in a rebel human, Mel. Mel is a fighter and she refuses to let Wanderer take her over completely. She becomes a passenger in her own mind and slowly but surely a strong relationship grows between host and soul. We follow them on a journey filled with hate and despair as they strive to find Mel’s brother and her boyfriend/lover, Jared. A group of humans headed by Mel’s uncle, Jeb, (who immediately in my mind turned into Sam Elliot) discover Wanderer and Mel, in the desert, close to death. And this is where the story genuinely unfolds and the author’s writing skills comes to the fore.

A tremendous amount of internal dialogue and keen observations on human behaviour is dotted through the book. It is beautifully written and the style is consistent all the way through. But having said that, I couldn’t quite suspend my disbelief that the souls were all such gentle folk, even the Seekers, the ones who hunt humans and bring them in for implantation. Wanderer is rendered as incredibly saintly, yet all through the book I felt that I wanted to throttle her, to make her be more proactive and less reticent. Which, naturally, from a writer’s point of view is exactly what you want to do: stir up emotion in the reader. Mel remains as an interesting counter-point to the very selfless Wanderer (or Wanda) and I found it interesting to follow the storyline to see how the author played it out right to the very end.

It is a good book, no doubt about it. It is skilfully written with a lot of thought having gone into the society the souls press upon humanity. 

The movie is out next year and here's the trailer and it looks like fun...

Adorkable by Sarra Manning

Synopsis

Jeane Smith is seventeen and has turned her self-styled dorkiness into an art form, a lifestyle choice and a profitable website and consultancy business. She writes a style column for a Japanese teen magazine and came number seven in The Guardian's 30 People Under 30 Who Are Changing The World. And yet, in spite of the accolades, hundreds of Internet friendships and a cool boyfriend, she feels inexplicably lonely, a situation made infinitely worse when Michael Lee, the most mass-market, popular and predictably all-rounded boy at school tells Jeane of his suspicion that Jeane's boyfriend is secretly seeing his girlfriend. Michael and Jeane have NOTHING in common - she is cool and individual; he is the golden boy in an Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt. So why can't she stop talking to him?

I've been in a mini reading slump over the last week or so and wasn't getting on with the book I was reading so picked up Adorkable from my tbr pile just to read the first few pages. I was completely hooked and read it off and on through the day - finally finishing it in the early hours. Jeane's voice is very unique and she's in that strange under-populated land of characters that I like despite my efforts not to. Jeane's vocal, opinionated and a huge success. However, she's also vulnerable, intelligent and completely alone. The thing about Jeane is that outside of school she's a blogging phenomenon living the kind of life that most kids would kill for. However, in school she's a loner with only her boyfriend Barney for company. Her outrageous dress sense gets her noticed and she's renowned for arguing with teachers but she doesn't have any actual friends.

Enter Michael Lee whose girlfriend Scarlett is obviously smitten with Barney. He attempts to let Jeane know but instead they get into an argument. Suddenly, as their respective relationships crumble, they start meeting up for snogs. They don't talk or want anyone else to know but eventually they realise they have to acknowledge that something is happening between them and so their relationship changes. I'm at a loss to know how to explain how much I loved this book. Both Jeane and Michael are flawed in different ways. They say and do the wrong thing, treat each other badly but then try to be better. They lie and then regret it but are also brutally honest with each other. As we get to know more about them and their lives away from school we can understand and empathise further.

Sarra Manning doesn't shy away from the real stuff. Jeane is a result of an awful home life which is revealed little-by-little as the story unfolds. Michael and Jeane appear to be opposites but there's much more depth to both characters. Michael is no knight in shining armour. He judges Jeane purely on her appearance and does the whole Mr Darcy, "I like you against my better judgement," thing. But still I found myself willing them together. The sex scene is cringe-worthy in its realism and I applaud the author for that. The scenes between Jeane and her parents are seriously depressing and I defy anyone not to feel for her and excuse all of her behaviour after the heinous Garfunkel's scene. Adorkable also addresses huge issues like being different, identity and self-worth, peer pressure and feeling comfortable in your own skin. It does this through the power of Jeane who is probably one of my favourite characters of the year.

I'm not doing this book justice at all so I'll stop burbling and just say that I heart Adorkable, that I want to read everything by Sarra Manning as it was a heartbreaking, beautiful and magical book.

The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up.


When the night began, Nora had two best friends and a boyfriend she adored. When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands. Chris was dead. Adriane couldn’t speak. And Max, Nora’s sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.


Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora’s determined to follow the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. But Chris’s murder is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.

The Book of Blood and Shadows really took me by surprise, for many reason.  I know my Tudor history and I have read a lot of books on John Dee, Queen Elizabeth's astrologer and magician / wizard, which is why I knew who Edward Kelley was.  None of this will make sense to you until you sit down and read the book, but Edward Kelley is deemed to have been a charlatan, a hoaxer who brought a lot of the sciences of the day in disrepute.  So it came as a surprise to me that one of the characters in the book, through letters, is Elizabeth Weston (his step-daughter) and it was interesting to see how Ms. Wasserman gave a different slant on Kelley to what I've heard of in the past.

The Book of Blood and Shadows surrounds Nora and her friends translating Latin works as extra credit towards starting university.  It was really interesting seeing how well Ms. Wasserman set up the scenes, allowing us to see and assume what we do as the novel starts off.  As we follow Nora quite closely, we are very involved with her own discoveries, as she translates the letters of Elizabeth Weston, the daughter of the woman who married Edward Kelley and followed him to Prague.  The work is given to Nora to do as it was low-key and deemed unimportant by the professor they worked for as it was written by a mere woman.   Nora swallowed the insult, mentioning a few times that she was the better translator, compared to Max and Chris, yet because she was the girl, she was given a rubbish job...or so it would seem.  As she falls deeper and deeper into the mystery contained within Elizabeth's writings, we are drawn closer into conspiracies, mysterious societies, plots and mysteries European cities.

I enjoyed The Book of Blood and Shadow but I worry that YA readers who aren't used to the (I don't want to use the word formula as it isn't quite that) patterns / beats that are hit when thrillers / quest novels are written, might lose interest as it's not action all the time with a lot of time spent on exposition and the reading of letters and proposing mad theories.  I realise too that it sounds like I'm saying YA readers only want action, which is utter tosh, of course, but it's not your average YA novel, that's the thing, so I urge readers who pick this up and think they're not getting what's been promised, to keep reading as it will surprise you.

Nora is a very complex character, a mouse really, who undergoes this great character arc by the end of the novel, setting us up for a sequel or two.  Questions raised in the novel get answered but not all of them, there are a few reveals, some of which are obvious, some of which aren't.  Most of all though, I finished reading TBOB&S and I wanted to travel back to Prague.  Like Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone, this book is steeped in location, location, location.  You cannot shake it off and it stays with you longer than the characters, to be honest.  To me, the places Ms. Wasserman describes became further characters in the book, and that is no mean feat for any writer to accomplish.

Give The Book of Blood and Shadow a try, stick with it - it is richly researched and can come across as a bit dry in places, but once you start putting together the clues in the book, and as Nora races to complete the task she takes on, you'll find yourself leaning into it, wondering more about the mystery behind it all and how much of it is real, and how much of it is made up.

Find Robin's website here and here is her introduction over at Atom's website about her novel.

US Cover which is very creepy! Look into her eye!

Night School by C. J. Daugherty

Synopsis

Allie Sheridan's world is falling apart. She hates her school. Her brother has run away from home. And she's just been arrested.

Again.

This time her parents have finally had enough. They cut her off from her friends and send her away to a boarding school for problem teenagers.

But Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. Its rules are strangely archaic. It allows no computers or phones. Its students are an odd mixture of the gifted, the tough and the privileged. And then there's the secretive Night School, whose activities other students are forbidden even to watch.

When Allie is attacked one night the incident sets off a chain of events leading to the violent death of a girl at the summer ball. As the school begins to seem like a very dangerous place, Allie must learn who she can trust. And what's really going on at Cimmeria Academy.

It wasn't until I'd finished this book and read another blogger's review (sorry, I can't remember who it was!) that I realised that I'm also a bit obsessed by boarding school books. I mean, obviously there's my love for Harry Potter but if I look at my shelves and the other books I've enjoyed (like the Hex Hall books, The Dark Elite ones or even Anna and the French Kiss) it appears that it's become a bit of a passion of mine. I just went to a regular day school and also love my home and space so it wouldn't have been something I'd have wanted to experience. So Night School fed my vicarious enjoyment of these mysterious places where I imagine everyone to have heaps of lovely food and able to sneak around at night.

Allie is damaged. Her brother has run away under mysterious circumstances and she has begun lashing out - getting herself into trouble just so she can feel something again. But she's shipped off to Cimmeria Academy as a last resort by her exhausted parents and removed from all her old friends. Once there she discovers that modern life hasn't touched the school; no t.v, phone or Internet is allowed and I loved this about Night School. By demolishing everything we take for granted I was suddenly transported to another world. No one whips out their phone to see if they can email for help or researches on their laptop. The feelings, language and problems that the students face are all very modern however so Night School still reads like a fresh take on the genre.

Allie is brilliant. Obviously there are all sorts of shenanigans afoot and mysteries to be solved that made me flip the pages non-stop. However, for me the attraction was watching Allie grow and change. She's angry when she arrives, using her clothes, hair and makeup to disguise and protect herself. She's constantly on the offensive, suffers panic attacks and obsessively counts her breath or steps. Gradually though she starts to question what she's been doing to get herself to Cimmeria. Trust is another overriding theme of the book and I enjoyed trying to second guess who was on the level and who was responsible for the ever more dangerous attacks at the school. Allie is constantly having to ask herself if she should trust Jo, Rachel, Carter or Sylvian. I lost count of the times I questioned those characters myself!

I really haven't said a great deal about the plot but I found it absorbing. There are plenty of questions left for the sequel but not enough that I didn't find the ending satisfying. I may have to have a new shelf for boarding school books I love too but that's a whole other blog post.

Huntress by Malinda Lo

I became a fan of Malinda Lo because of Ash, her first novel. I initially fell in love with the cover and bought in the US hardback purely because it blew my mind. I did not read the hardcover. In fact, it is utterly pristine and on my shelf. No, instead I bought the UK paperback of Ash and read it in one sitting. Since then I've followed Malinda's blog closely and not only do I think she's an amazing writer and brimful of talent, I like how she does not back down and how she keeps challenging herself and her audience. But more importantly, I like that she is always telling stories.

Onto my review for Huntress.

About Huntress:

Nature is out of balance in the human world. The sun hasn't shone in years, and crops are failing. Worse yet, strange and hostile creatures have begun to appear. The people's survival hangs in the balance.


To solve the crisis, the oracle stones are cast, and Kaede and Taisin are picked to go on a dangerous and unheard-of journey to Tanlili, the city of the Fairy Queen. Taisin is a sage, thrumming with magic, and Kaede is of the earth, without a speck of the otherworldly. And yet their two destinies are drawn together during the mission. As members of their party succumb to unearthly attacks and fairy tricks, the two come to rely on each other and even begin to fall in love. But the Kingdom needs only one huntress to save it, and what it takes could tear Kaede and Taisin apart forever. . .

In Huntress, we very early on learn that something bad is set to happen to one of our characters, Kaede. Young Taisin sees it in a vision and it is this vision that changes both their lives irrevocably. Taisin is a trainee mage, a seer, and whilst Kaede is also at the academy she's a bit rubbish at the more intellectual things and instead is sent to help the cook in the kitchen and tend the garden, even though she is of high noble birth. The two girls have no real reason to talk or meet as their lives are very different, as Taisin is a truly gifted apprentice and undergoes a lot of her training privately.

But it is when Taisin has the vision of Kaede in deep peril, followed by the King turning up at their academy with Kaede's noble father in tow and both men in deep distress about a summons from the Queen of the Xi (pronounced like we would pronounce the Celtic Sidhe / shee) that Taisin realises it is all somehow connected.

Kaede is ordered by the king to journey with his son, Prince Con, a handful of guards and of course Taisin to meet with the Queen of the Xi in order to determine what it is that is going on in both their worlds causing the crops to fail and for winter to cling to the lands.

As the small group journeys along, Taisin and Kaede have the chance to get to know each other a bit better. Their friendship is hesitant, reluctant and as the attraction between the two girls blossom, it is contrasted with the young prince Con's very obvious attraction to one of his guards, a young capable woman who is a bit cheeky and tough, but all round cool and lovely. Con's obvious romantic heart made me worry for him. He is a great character and is really the party's impulsive, passionate, heart whilst both Kaede and Taisin represent the more wary, the more dutiful side of that passionate heart.

The writing is wonderful. Malinda Lo is a born storyteller and few enough authors can pull off a travelling quest as it many will treat it as just a journey from point a to b. But what Ms. Lo gives us is a chance to get the know the characters really well, she showcases the dire straits the people and the land find themselves in, and by doing that, we become more and more invested in the small group's survival and journey. We honestly care about them and we want them to succeed in their quest.

The Xi are wonderfully eerie and supernatural and I loved them. When their queen reveals what she requires of our small group of travellers they are shocked but nevertheless decide to carry on, for the sake of both their worlds. And of course, it is here that Taisin realises what the vision she had right at the start of the novel means.

I cried, I laughed and I loved. Huntress is an incredible novel of friendship, love, loyalty and duty. It is a far more complex and far more tense novel than Lo's debut novel, Ash. I love being able to sit down with a book by an author whom I've loved in the past, and then subsequently reading that second or third or fourth book and come away feeling a bit floaty, having seen that author grow from a pretty damn good writer to someone who rocked my reading world. Three authors have done that recently - Malinda Lo and Kirsten Cashore and SJ Bolton.

So, in case you've not figured it out yet, you should buy Huntress. Even if you've not read Ash. They are companion novels but you do not have to know the one to read and enjoy the other. Find Malinda Lo's website here. Huntress is out now here in the UK from Atom.

Alone: Chasers by James Phelan

Jesse is on a school trip in New York when his subway carriage is rocked by an explosion. When he and three friends crawl out of the wreckage they discover a city in chaos. Streets are deserted. Buildings are in ruins. And the only other survivors are infected with a virus that turns them into horrifying predators...


Chasers is very much on the upper spectrum of our reviews on #u14so for July.  I'd recommend it straight off for readers who enjoyed Charlie Higson's The Dead/The Enemy. 

It is written by James Phelan who is an Australian author.  I checked out his site and love that it so active with lots of information about everything else he's done and it gives you an idea of who he is, what his interests are and what he has planned for the future.

You're wondering why I'm talking about James instead of reviewing the book? Well, I wanted to know who this guy was who wrote this book that kept me gripped for several hours whilst I read it.  I could not put this book down.  It went with me to the kitchen, the lounge, the dining room.  I was so involved in Jesse's story of survival that nothing else really mattered to me, including making Sunday roast for Mark and the little dog.

Firstly, I found Chasers extremely cinematic.  It opens with Jesse and his friends on the Subway in New York.  They are all chatting and keeping an eye on a group of slightly dodgy looking gangsters in the same carriage as them.  Jesse is from Australia, he's one of the younger UN Ambassadors and they are all en route to Ground Zero after meeting at the main UN offices.

With Jesse we have Dave, his American friend, the solid, dependable one, Anna, the English girl whom Jesse really quite likes and Mini, a Taiwanese girl, who is the random out there one who does and says crazy things. They are standing, chatting, as the train ratchets along when an explosion rocks the tunnel and everything goes dark.

Jesse wakes up about an hour later and discovers that its only the four of them from the coach that's survived.  They make their way above ground and their relief is immense when they see that there are other survivors.  But these survivors do seem friendly.  In fact, they seem distant and odd.  And when they start chasing Jesse and his friend, the kids realise these survivors are hostile and they've somehow been changed by whatever it was that happened to cause the explosion.  Oh, and to crown matters, making it all worse, is the fact that several buildings have been destroyed and that some are still busy collapsing in and around New York and Manhattan.

The "chasers" soon show that they are suffering from some kind of uncontrollable thirst.  They thirst for water and blood and spend hours standing by the Hudson river drinking water and staring into the distance.  When they find anyone hurt and bleeding, they drink from them too.

As I said, it started in a supremely cinematic fashion and this impression continues throughout the novel.  Jesse and his friends take shelter in one of the big Manhattan landmark buildings and they barricade themselves in on the top floor to make sure that they have a 360 degree view of what was happening all around them.  They go through the apartments in the building and find food, gas, guns, MP3 players and everything else you may need to sit out an event of apocalyptic scale. There is no TV, no radio, nothing.  All they can see are the chasers down below and nothing else, apart from the occasional building burning / collapsing.

The tension flags quite dramatically in this bit as the group settle in and try and make sense of what's going on.  They have ice cream feasts and listen to music whilst staring out at the world crumbling around them.

When it's decided that Jesse has to go out to try and figure if there was a way to get to the other side of the river, so that they could all perhaps head to Dave's house, the action takes off once again and the tension escalates.

Jesse has a run in with one of the chasers and in an awkward Samaritan moment he does not kill the chaser, but instead he gives him an apple...the whole book is spun on its head.  The chaser allows Jesse to go free and it is such a weird suspended moment that I wondered about it for the longest time.

Back at the Empire State Building nothing has changed when Jesse gets back.  He gives his report and everyone decides that it might be a good idea to leave the building to head somewhere else.

It is an involved cat and mouse game between the four of them as they all have strong personalities.  In the end they decide that yes, they should go.  Try and get to a boat to sail away. 

Things, of course, go pearshaped for the characters AND the author pulls the rug straight from under the readers and we are left gasping.  I re-read the last few pages a couple of times thinking: no! It can't be right! He's kidding, right? But then, when I thought about it, I picked up on the indicators and could only applaud him for being a very devious but brilliant writer. I didn't like what he did, I have to say that, but I completely understand why he did it and where he came from. 

I read Chasers a few weeks ago now, in preparation for #u14so and I'm still thinking about it, loving how real it all felt.  I highly recommend the book - it may not be to everyone' taste as there are more questions than answers at this stage and we are also left wondering about our own sanity.  I sort of regret reading Alone: Chasers as I wanted to motor through the entire story in one go.  But that's the whole thing about good books, isn't it?  They make you want to eat every single bit of it!

Find James Phelan's website here, along with the Alone site here.  Alone: Chasers is out now from Atom in the UK and is a fast paced, apocalyptic novel for younger readers who are looking for something a bit different, scary and challenging to read.

Die For Me by Amy Plum

Synopsis

My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

I'd heard loads about Die For Me before I'd finally got hold of a copy and was hoping it would get me out of my grump slump I've been in whilst I search for a new book to adore. So was this the one to do it? Well, sort of - but let me explain. Katie's parents have died in a car accident so she and her sister Georgia move to Paris to live with their grandparents. They begin school there and at the start of the book are desperately trying to move on from the past. Katie has become reclusive, seeking refuge in books and coffee bars. It's at one of her afternoons out with a book that she first sees Vincent and they are drawn to each other. Coincidence continues to throw them together until she starts to see past his arrogant exterior to the loving yet secretive boy that he is.

Vincent's true nature means that Katie has some major readjustment to go through if their relationship is to continue. Aside from this she's also forced to start concealing things from her family yet also face up to the losses of her past. Initially (hence my continued grump) I found Katie to be too self-absorbed for me. Obviously she's going to be having suffered a major loss but I also found her inner-monologue relating to whether she should be with Vincent a little much. However, once their relationship reaches an understanding the book really took off for me. Katie went from being grieving, confused teenager to driven, focussed and kick-ass and at this point I began to start appreciating Die For Me.

Vincent lives with friends in a fabulous, ancient and huge Parisian house. As Katie becomes more entangled in Vincent's life she discovers exactly what he and his friends really are. Also, they have enemies which makes Katie's life suddenly filled with danger and intrigue. I really love the setting of Die For Me and it's obvious that the author is in love with Paris and France in general. You can tell by the descriptions of the city, the coffee bars, the food and (especially) the hot chocolate. As well as being enthralled by the story I also wished I was there experiencing the city for myself. The ending is suitably exciting and I was pleasantly surprised by how gory it was - not at all what I was expecting. I found Die For Me a bit of a slow-grower but by the end I really had taken bookish Katie to my heart.

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Synopsis

Maya Delaney has always felt a close bond with nature. The woods around her home are a much-loved sanctuary – and the pawprint birthmark on her hip feels like a sign that she belongs.

But then strange and terrible things begin to happen in the tiny medical-research town of Salmon Creek (population: 200). The captain of the swim team drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Mountain lions appear around Maya’s home, and won’t go away. Her best friend, Daniel, starts experiencing ‘bad vibes’ about certain people and things. One of those people is Rafe – the new bad boy in town. What is he hiding – and why is he suddenly so interested in Maya . . . ?

I'm a big fan of Kelley Armstrong having read a fair few of her Women of the Otherworld books plus the Darkest Powers series. I was excited to see that The Gathering is set in the same world as Darkest Powers as I love that idea of supernaturals going up against secret organisations. I like that clash of (super)natural phenomena versus science and order. In fact, I suppose that this represents why I love to read fantasy - it's pure escapism from the rigid order that can exist in everyday life.

Maya is adopted and thinks she may be a member of the Navajo tribe although she's not entirely sure as her mother dropped her off at a hospital when she was a baby and there's little information for her adoptive parents to go on. Maya lives in parkland on the outskirts of the minuscule town of Salmon Creek. She loves living in the woods and looks after a range of wounded animals that she finds. The action starts a year after the death of her best friend Serena in a swimming accident. Maya and Daniel (Serena's boyfriend) have always had questions about how a good swimmer could drown in a calm lake but have tried to put it behind them. Maya focusses on turning sixteen, having a tattoo and getting to know Rafe, the new boy at school.

However, a series of strange events force Maya and Daniel to start questioning everything around them. A journalist arrives and starts poking around, a complete stranger accuses Maya of being a witch, Maya starts having visions and even Daniel is changing. Alongside all this drama Maya finds herself falling for Rafe. I loved the completely believable way that Maya feels overcome by her emotions, scared of the strength of her feelings for Rafe. Daniel is a brilliant character too and his friendship with Maya is touching as the two of them struggle to move through their teens yet stay close. Written in the first person, Maya has a strong voice. She's grounded and at times hilarious - I loved the interaction between her and her adoptive parents.

This is what I love about Kelley Armstrong; you know you're in safe hands. She picks you up like a waif on the side of the road looking for a lift and promises you a journey. Whenever I open one of her books I know that I'm never going to question the motives of the main character, I'm not going to wonder what happened to the pace or get restless. What I do know is that she'll deliver me at the other end, somewhat ruffled and exhilarated wondering when I'm going to get my hands on the sequel. In between I know there'll be spot-on dialogue, feelings that I can identify with, spooky or downright bizarre happenings and some pure magic. If you've never tried one of Armstrong's books then do - start with The Gathering, or The Summoning, or Bitter, or .... just try one, please, just to shut me up.

Awakened by PC and Kristen Cast (Audiobook)

Exonerated by the Vampyre High Council and returned to her position of High Priestess at Tulsa's House of Night, Neferet has sworn vengeance on Zoey. But Zoey has found sanctuary on the Isle of Skye and is being groomed by Queen Sgiach to take over for her there. Being Queen would be cool, wouldn't it?


And what about Stevie Rae and Rephraim? The Raven Mocker refuses to be used against Stevie Rae, but what choice does he have when no one in the entire world, including Zoey, would be ok with their relationship? Does he betray his father or his heart?

I received this in some time ago in Feb and as I personally do not get along with audiobooks I asked on twitter if anyone would like this and a friend of mine, Kenneth immediately said yes! I grilled him to find out if he even knew that this was a teen novel and in the paranormal romance catergory.  I totally got slapped down by Kenneth as he was an avid fan of the books.  That will teach me to pigeon hole my mates!

Subsequently I thought: hey, let's get Kenneth to review this one, and he has.  In his own words:

**minor spoilers alert**

It's been a few years now since I stumbled upon the house of night books by P.C. Cast & Kristen Cast and I am glad that I did!

Here is why:

I was looking for something that wasn’t Twilight! I had read the first of those books and I didn’t like the depressing angst feel that Stephanie Meyer does when she writes and I was between Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris so I was looking for something to fill the gap as it were.

So there I was going through the Audible UK website having credits to use and I stumbled upon the first and second books in the “House Of Night” books and I was hooked.

The way the characters are written realistically and unpretentiously was a breath of fresh air to me, the way that these characters may not like each other and in some case hate each other whilst still being grounded in a world that is recognisable as our own was inspired in my opinion.

(I am an avid tweeter (@kennethwilsonuk if you wish to follow I would love to hear from you.)

Anyway I was on twitter a few weeks back and the Blog-Mistress of Doom (Liz: this is now my official title, people!) aka ( @Lizuk ) {whom is lovely!} ran a competition to her followers with a the first to tweet back who wants to win a copy of the new (HON) audiobook so I tweeted back I did and was lucky to be the first.... though not the only one and with some chuckling on my part I had to prove that I knew about the world of Zoe Redbird & Nyx & Aphrodite; which I did and I was sent the latest book as the prize.

AWAKENED is the 8th book in the House of night series and picks up like all but the first one immediately after events of the previous book BURNED.

We find Zoe and Stark are on Skye recuperating after their epic adventures of Burned and while Zoe is trying to feel whole again after having her soul fragmented and then put back together again, Neferet is up to her no good deeds as always and delves further and further into the darkness that’s been consuming her since the beginning of the series and this descent forms a big part of Awakened!

The said name of the book is multi layered as well and throughout the book these Awakenings become apparent: some are balls out obvious and some are very metaphysical in nature. I was also impressed by the writers and their commitment to their mystical aspects of the world they set up for the series, where pagan and Native American cultures and beliefs combine to be something believable. Thus far, in the whole series I have never questioned what is and what isn’t real in this world - as an agnostic myself that’s an impressive feat I think.

Also, the writers deserve applause for not shying away from issues of sexuality and death, especially the lengths that Neferet goes to, to lure Zoe back from Scotland to Tulsa. What Neferet does to Jack is awful but the way it backfires on her is great - it was a powerful bit of writing.

The way that the book continues the ever more important Stevie Rae branch of the House of Night part of the tale is more and more enjoyable with every book and I look forward to what happens with her and the red vampires and Rephraim in the future.

If there are any negatives about the book it’s that at times there is some story telling problems with the back and fro of the characters but this has been the case since the beginning and doesn’t really take away from the book(s) in general.

The other issue I had was with the narrators “attempt” at Scottish brogue was terrible and each time I heard it was pulled out of the story as I was laughing my ass off. Sadly I don’t think this was intended by the authors as the dialog is perfectly realistic Scottish and if you get this as the audio book be prepared to laugh at those bits but as they are mainly kept to the first quarter of the book then it’s forgivable.

All things said and done this was one of my fave entries of the series to date and I give it

8 out of 10

***

Thanks Kenneth for an awesome and honest review.  Awakened, both the actual physical novel and the audiobook, is out now to buy online / real life shops.

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Synopsis

Aria, Emily, Spencer, Hanna and Alison have been best friends since the third grade. They go everywhere together, thinking no-one can come between them. If anyone is the ringleader of the group it is Alison, and the other girls cannot help but confide all their secrets to her.

One night, during a sleepover, Alison goes missing. Her body is never found. The girls mourn her death but move apart after time, assuming their secrets have disappeared with Alison too.

Three years later and Aria is having an affair with her teacher; Emily is questioning her sexuality; Hanna is a thief; and Spencer is flirting with her sister's fiance. They all think their secrets are safe, until they starting receiving messages from the mysterious A – who knows exactly what they are all up to, and is threatening to spill the beans . . .

In the opening chapters of this book the group of friends seem unremarkable and fairly typical. Their little gang is made up of leaders and followers and Alison is clearly at the top. As I read on I found that Alison was actually quite a nasty piece of work and used the divide and conquer technique in her, "friendships." When she disappears at a sleepover the rest of the gang drift apart until eventually they barely speak to each other.

It was this aspect of the book that was the most interesting to me. The book perfectly captures the insecurity of school and friendships - how you can be friends one day and then tormented the next. Emily, Hanna and Spencer are great characters in their own rights and have clearly blossomed in varying degrees since Alison went missing. The dynamics of the group three years earlier made slightly uncomfortable reading for me. No-one was prepared to cross Alison and so her way of managing her friends continued.

Each girl has a secret that only Alison knew and as the book develops we get to know what they are. It becomes apparent that their secrets are not as safe as they thought as they all receive texts, emails, messages from an A. who seems to be aware of their every move. All three girls are going through various issues and A's interest only serves to ramp up the tension. There are other secrets too, ones that are not revealed to the reader by the close of this book and it's this (alongside a wish that things improve for the three main characters) that will bring readers back for more.

This book is a great example of how much books aimed at teens have changed over the years. There's a mass of issues confronted: racism, eating disorders and self harm to name just a few. Littered throughout the book are a string of references to current trends and labels and had I been the target age group I'd have eaten this up with a spoon and read the whole series.

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Synopsis

Forbidden flowers can be deadly. . .

While other teenage girls daydream about boys, Calla Tor imagines ripping out her enemies’ throats. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Calla was born a warrior and on her eighteenth-birthday she’ll become the alpha female of the next generation of Guardian wolves.

But Calla’s predestined path veers off course the moment she saves the life of a wayward hiker, a boy her own age. This human boy’s secret will turn the young pack's world upside down and forever alter the outcome of the centuries-old Witches' War that surrounds them all. . .

I'd like to say that I'm never swayed by covers but, oh my word, how gorgeous is this? I also bought the US hardcover as I'm a sucker for those rough (deckle) edged pages. So, cover love aside what's it actually like? If I were to sum it up in a few words or phrases it would be; sexy, amazing research, great mythology. Cala is a Guardian, a race that can shift from wolf to human appearance at will. Guardians are a warrior race whose job is to protect the Keepers,an ancient race of witches. Cala's also the alpha of her pack and is promised to fellow alpha, Ren. Their union is planned for Samhain and will herald a new pack which Ren (with Cala by his side) will run. However, despite these long-held plans Cala saves a human, Shay, from a bear attack which starts a forbidden relationship. Now, when I say sexy I mean it. There's a thrilling, under the surface longing that runs throughout the book which inevitably bubbles up to the surface. After all, Cala is a seventeen year old girl who's expected to live a nun-like existence in a modern world. Nightshade is so well written that I never felt that the kissing scenes were unnecessary or overdone.

Cala is an enigma. Although she's a Guardian and extremely strong she has to abide by strict rules of the pack and of the Keepers. While Ren is free to do what he likes Cala must keep herself pure for their union. The rest of her pack aren't expected to live by such archaic laws but of course Cala is different. Initially I couldn't see the attraction of Shay. Although he's the forbidden he doesn't quite have the, erm, animal charm of Ren. I found I quite liked Ren despite his many failings and felt as sorry for him as I did for Cala. A thread of threat runs through Nightshade and the pack are always trying to avoid upsetting the Keepers. The passages where the Guardian's and Keepers interact where quite creepy and unsettling which made me want to know more about the traditions that brought their relationship about.

Shay, of course, is the human outsider and as confused by their world as the reader. The information about this strange world becomes clearer as Cala begins to trust him more. Shay is a great cynic, he needs evidence before he's prepared to accept something at face value. The use of the beliefs of Thomas Hobbes is used by Shay to show how far from accepted philosophy Cala's world is. A great deal of research lies behind the story of Nightshade and it's this that makes it not just another Young Adult paranormal novel. The mythology is flawless, intricate and absorbing. Shay encourages Cala to ask more about the world she inhabits and as they research it together they grow closer and we get to learn more through their discoveries.

The book becomes more tense as Cala and Ren's union gets closer. Cala begins to question more and more and her situation becomes impossible. The two packs are great secondary characters and their stories are almost engrossing as Shay and Cala's. The pace is fast which barely a chance to catch your breath before the next big event. Did Shay win me over in the end? I must admit that he did - I loved his rationality and genuine concern for Cala. I read this book in two sittings and would recommend it. It's one of my favourite reads of this year, up there with Nevermore, Clockwork Angel and Angel.

Guest Blog: Andrea Cremer

We're very excited here on MFB about the release of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer and to be part of the blog tour. Andrea has been kind enough to write us a brilliant piece about pack etiquette and the mythology behind the book. We hope you enjoy it!

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In the weeks leading up to Nightshade’s release I’ve been thrilled by the number of reviews and the amount of excitement my book has generated – it’s more than any debut author could ever hope for. A common response to Nightshade from readers is the comment that it’s one of his or her favorite werewolf books. As much as I understand where that idea comes from, I think it’s time for me to take and stand and say Nightshade is not a werewolf book. Here’s what I mean:
I’ve lived long in the realm of paranormal/fantasy proudly bearing my badge of vampire girl. That’s right; I came on board as a fan of vamps, not werewolves. I was Team Edward for all four books of Twilight. I prefer Bill and Eric to Sam in True Blood. But before you start throwing tomatoes, let me tell you why.

Friends who knew I was a vampire girl presumed that meant I love ALL forms of paranormal, so they’d push werewolves at me enthusiastically. I wasn’t interested, and I couldn’t figure out why. After all they were fierce, strong, magical – all things I liked. So what was the problem? And then it hit me – I didn’t like werewolves because I love wolves.

That’s right – I’m a wolf girl, but a real wolf girl. I grew up so far north in Wisconsin that it’s practically Canada. Wolves roamed the forests of my homeland. I also loved National Geographic television specials even more than cartoons. So by age 9 I could rattle off biological and ecological info like a pro. Wolves to me were beautiful, intelligent, social, and graceful.
Werewolves seemed to be none of these things. The werewolves I’d encountered on page and screen were hideous – half man/half beast, usually ugly, often unintelligent, driven only by rage or bloodlust. And worst of all: they didn’t want to be wolves. Lycanthropy occurs as a curse, or a disease. The endgoal of most werewolf tales was to kill the wolf or free the affected person of the wolf curse. I couldn’t come to grips with that idea. If someone asked me – hey wanna turn into a wolf? I’d say “heck, yeah!” Wouldn’t you rather be a wolf? From what I know of wolves, the answer is indisputably YES.

Nightshade’s Guardians are my way of coming to terms with my love of wolves and my trouble with classic werewolf tales. Calla – the alpha female who narrates Nightshade – is powerful and revels in her life as a wolf. Her troubles arise not from her ability to shift, but from the ways in which her masters try to limit her power, to restrain her freedoms. Calla started it all because I wanted to write a story about a female character who wasn’t being pulled into a magical world – she was already in the middle of it, a leader and a warrior. The world of Nightshade came as I tried to figure out how someone like Calla, a girl who I knew was incredibly powerful, could be afraid and angry. What was controlling her? Why would she be fighting against her own destiny? I realized that she was facing off with something even more powerful than herself.

That’s where my background as a historian came in. I teach early modern history (1500-1800) – a period of immense, violent change in human societies. This is the time of witchhunts, religious warfare, colonization, the Inquistion; all types of cataclysmic social transformation that turned the lives across the globe upside down. The more I thought about Calla I thought about the ways in which wolf warriors and witches could have intertwined lives. The mythology in Nightshade is a blend of history and lore, new twists I invented along the way…and wolves in the wilderness the way I always imagined they would be.

Wolves also inspire me because of their sociability.
Pack relationships offered a wonderful way to explore a world of friendship, servitude, loyalty, and betrayal. While Nightshade is about Calla’s journey, it’s also the story of her pack. The other wolves in the book play key roles throughout the trilogy. Wolves offered a wonderful framework around which to explore relationships, love, fear, and rivalry.
I still love vampires, but I have to say I think I’m switching teams. Wolves carry a magic and mystery to me that captured my heart and hasn’t let go. It was just a matter of finding my own way to tell their story.

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

Synopsis

They're young, fabulous and fanged.

And they rule Manhattan from the trendy uptown clubs to the downtown boutiques. Fifteen-year-old Schuyler Van Alen has never quite fit in at her exclusive prep school - she's more of a vintage than a Versace girl - but all that's about to change ...

Because Schuyler has just found out she's a Blue Blood. The Blue Bloods are the city's glamorous and secret vampire elite. They're young, beautiful and powerful. But now they're being murdered. And Schuyler must find out who - or what - is behind it, before she's next.


I have to admit that I wasn't sure about Blue Bloods at first. I'd seen it in my local bookshop and admired its (fabulous) cover and liked the blurb. But I wasn't sure if there was anything new to be had from vampires so sat on the fence a little. However, I read an extract in a magazine at work (tBk I think) which made me think again. I was glad I did, Blue Bloods has much to offer the vampire genre.


The action takes place in New York. Schuyler's family was once one of the most powerful in the city but have fallen on hard times. Whilst most of the students at The Duchesne School (established 1869) wear designer jeans, Schuyler wears vintage clothes - layers and layers of them. She has one friend, the cool but slightly possessive Oliver, and is ignored by most of her peers. She's quirky and once you've met Mimi and her gang you appreciate Schuyler's selective taste in friends. Mimi is the most powerful and popular girl at Duchesne, she's a gloriously hateful character. She only cares about herself and her brother Jack and throughout the novel she manipulates and twists everyone around her. We meet Bliss and Dylan too, the latter is a rebellious character who hates all the pretension at Duchesne, has a shady past and has attracted the attention of wealthy Bliss.


Early on a Duchesne girl is murdered. Shortly afterwards Schuyler is inducted into a select club and is told she's a Blue Blood - a vampire. She's already noticed changes in her body but now has to face up to the fact that she's immortal. Jack and Schuyler form a connection, much to the disgust of Mimi, which takes Schuyler away from the safe pattern of her former life. Soon she's ostracised Oliver and living a new and confusing life even attracting attention from modelling agencies. Her powers are strong too, stronger than the other new Blue Bloods.


There's much to enjoy in Blue Bloods. Melissa de la Cruz's style of writing flows along and pulls you in - it's so effortless. The references to designer labels, clubs and the behaviour of the elite give it a current flavour. There are some great references to how old money makes itself felt; Bliss is new at Duchesne and has come from Texas so we can look over her shoulder as she negotiates her way through her new school. I laughed when she arrives at school on her first day in, "A pastel Ralph Lauren sweater with a plaid Ana Sui kilt ... with a honking white leather Chanel purse on a gold chain," to find that everyone else dressed down.


Running through the plot is a layer of historical information, book and diary entries that refer to events of 1620 and as the story progresses these tie in to current events. More Blue Bloods are murdered and things become gradually more fraught. The only negative thing I can say is that I thought the ending was a little rushed - I wanted to know more about what was going on. However, having started the follow-up book, Masquerade, I can see that this is probably because it's part of a larger plot that runs through the series. These vampires have a different kind of history which I thought was a clever idea which I can't tell you as it would spoil the plot. The relationship between Oliver and Schuyler is intriguing too - I'm looking forward to that developing in future books.


I expected Blue Bloods to be a guilty pleasure; like eating a bar of chocolate while watching ANTM and it is that but also has much more to offer. I enjoyed Blue Bloods so much I've gone straight on to Masquerade.

Breaking Dawn Wins Children's Book of the Year at Galaxy British Book Awards

Press Release:

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer wins Children’s Book of the Year at the Galaxy British Book Awards

London, 6 April 2009: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer was today awarded the prestigious WHSmith Children’s Book of the Year Award at the Galaxy British Book Awards, the Oscars of the book world.

Breaking Dawn is the fourth novel in the phenomenally successful Twilight Saga – a supernatural romance series in which Bella Swan walks the line between immortals (vampires) and mortals.

Breaking Dawn beat JK Rowling’s The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox, Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight, Francesca Simons’ Horrid Henry Robs the Bank and Claire Freedman & Ben Cort’s Dinosaurs Love Underpants.

Speaking from her home in Arizona, Stephenie Meyer said winning the award was “amazing and phenomenal”. She went on to say how overjoyed she was and thanked all the people who read her books.

Published by Atom (an imprint of Little, Brown) in August 2008, Breaking Dawn has already sold over 400,000 copies in hardback. More than 47 million copies of the series have now been sold – including over 2.6 million copies in the UK - and it has been translated into 33 languages. Last November saw the release of the film Twilight - the first book in the series; a film version of New Moon - the second in the series - is due for release this November.

The shortlist was chosen by the votes of WHSmith’s customers after a month long promotion of a longlist of titles from 6 different age brackets. The public together with the Academy of the British Book Industry then voted for their favourite from the shortlist.

Stephenie Meyer's life changed dramatically on 2nd June 2003, when the stay-at-home mother of three young sons woke up from a dream featuring seemingly real characters that she could not get out of her head. Three months later she finished her first novel, Twilight. The series has since become an international phenomenon, catapulting her to stardom. This year in the UK alone, a copy of The Twilight Saga has been sold every 6 seconds.

Marked by PC and Kristin Cast

Synopsis:

When sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird gets Marked as a fledgling vampire she must join the House of Night school where she will train to become an adult vampire. That is, if she makes it through the Change. But Zoe is no ordinary fledgling. She has been chosen as special by the Goddess Nyx and discovers her amazing new power to conjure the elements: earth, air, fire, water and spirit.

When Zoey discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite group, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look within herself to embrace her destiny - with a little help from her new vampire friends.

Oh no, I hear you cry - not another vampire story. Witness my finger wagging, saying: "Shush, don't judge before you try."

The authors, mother and daughter team PC and Kristin Cast, manage to come up with a unique spin on vampires in this, the first of their series: Marked.

Zoey is by all counts a normal teen, not too enamoured with the new dad in her life, her mom's conversion to one of the People of the Faith leaves her reeling and her best friend's incessant chatter is driving her mad - never mind the fact that she's struggling to cope with an almost ex-boyfriend, Heath, who seems to be more keen on partying than trying to finish high school.

You get all of this in the first few pages of Marked. At the same time Zoey gets marked by one of the Vampire Seekers. The mark forms on her forehead, immediately setting her apart from her friends and peers at the high school.

She legs it home, praying that her mom would understand. Instead, her mom freaks out and phones the new step father who in turn decides that a prayer session is in order - as praying over the mark and Zoey will make it go away. Or not.

Zoey bides her time for a few hours, before making a run for it. She runs to where her grandmother has her farm. Zoey is part Cherokee and personally, I loved the humble and unobtrusive way this is introduced. She runs to the place she knows she'll be safe - and accidentally almost dies. If one is Marked, one should get to the House of Night as quickly as possible to help work through the Change. Vampires exist in real life - everyone knows about them - they are the famous actors, the artists, the glitterati.

Nyx appears to Zoey as she lies unconscious, on the cusp of living or dying, singling her out by filling in her mark - which is very unusual. Fledgling vampires have outline marks only - only vampires that have fully Changed wear the coloured in mark.

Zoey awakes in the School of Night - her grandmother took her there the moment she found her passed out at the farm. (A note here on the grandmother: a wonderfully warm, serious, funny and wise character - immediately likable and interesting. I have a suspicion that the grandmother, apart from being a wisewoman, has a very interesting story of her own.) Zoey is introduced to a new roommate, Stevie Rae, at the school, who in turn introduces her to a group of other fledgling vampires which strongly reminded me of Buffy's Scooby Gang - there is no plagiarism or anything but the Whedonesque one-liners are hilarious and the characters are all good fun. I think their role will be expanded on in the rest of the series - it would be a pity if they didn't get more playtime as they sizzle on page.

The School of Night is an interesting concept, cleverly thought out and I love the variety of tutors and subject that are covered - who knew equestrianism would ever be a subject at vampire school?

I am looking forward to the rest of the series. I have a copy of Betrayed, the second in the series to read (thanks Graeme!) and am looking forward to it. Marked is a very competent, fun, vamp young adult / teenager novel with tremendous cross-over appeal for the adult urban fantasy market. Zoey's character is well established, there is room to grow the other characters in her newly made circle of friends and her relationship with vampire sweetie, Erik is very promising indeed.

**Competition**

And, to celebrate the coolness of Marked and the talent of the two authors, I'm happy to offer two copies of Marked up for grabs. The rules are: email me at the email to the right, with your name and address, specify "Marked" in the subject line and I'll draw winners this coming Sunday, 1st March. This is for UK entrants only as I'm paying the postage. Anyone can enter - regardless of age.

Find PC Cast's website address here. The House of Night novels are published in the UK by Atom, part of the Little Brown group.

Children's Book Competition News

This is the final proof of the leaflet for the competition. I will have a limited amount of leaflets to send out to libraries and schools, along with a limited amount of bookmarks, to advertise this very cool event.

We received our final box of books from our publishers last night and needless to say, we are chuffed beyond belief by the fantastic response. We are very grateful and beamingly pleased and proud that this initiative has taken off.

Mark and I are preparing the individual books to give away to selected school kids entering the competition. We are also putting together the four rather large and bulky boxes to go out to four lucky schools. (Or more, I'm thinking, as the donations from the publishers exceeded my expectations!)

If any of you, dear readers, are in the UK, and you have kids / have friends or family with kids in school / are libarians / are in school (you get the idea) please get in touch with the school as soon as possible and send them over here! I've had the marketing leaflets and bookmarks done up, to promote the competition and am keen to send them out.

In this instance, to make sure that I'm not wasting my time, I will ONLY be sending the leaflets and bookmarks to librarians and schools.

Rules:

Entry will be open to schools and libraries only. (The boxes will only be sent to these places, not to individuals/residential addresses.)

School children entering the competition for individual prizes can only do so with the permission of their parents - I expect to see a note of consent from a parent in the email or the parent's own email address so I can verify it. Only if you win, will I contact you for your address details - please do not send any address / contact details in the initial email.

No emails or addresses are kept once the competition is over.

As part of the vetting process, school children will have to also let me know what school they are in. This is to prevent too many books going out to perhaps the same school.

The competition starts 1st February 2009 and the last day will be 28th February 2009. Winners will be announced on 1st March 2009. Our random selection of names will be final and no discussion will be entered into. If you are contacted as a winner and you do not respond within 5 days of receipt of the confirmation email, the prize will be allocated to another winner and so on.

***

And that's all I can come up with for now. We're keeping it simple and easy - an email is all it takes to get you / your school in the running.

Please contact us via the email on the top right to enter to let us know if you would like any flyers and bookmarks and once the competition starts and make sure to say in the subject line if you are a school or a library.

If you are a school child, you will be required to put down the book you would like to enter for in the subject line. You can enter as many times as you wish for different books.

Good luck to all and I look forward to sending out my pretty leaflets and bookmarks!