Heart Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne

A compelling, brutal and heart-breaking story about identity, infamy and revenge, from debut author Tanya Byrne. Shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger 2012

They say I'm evil. 

The police. The newspapers. The girls from school who sigh on the six o'clock news and say they always knew there was something not quite right about me. 

And everyone believes it. Including you. 

But you don't know. You don't know who I used to be. Who I could have been.

Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever shake off my mistakes or if I'll just carry them around with me forever like a bunch of red balloons

Awaiting trial at Archway Young Offenders Institution, Emily Koll is going to tell her side of the story for the first time.

Heart-Shaped Bruise is a compulsive and moving novel about infamy, identity and how far a person might go to seek revenge.

I'll be very clear and very honest here - Tanya is a good friend.  Last year this time I know how she was a bit panicky about attending the annual SCBWI Agents' Party as she was putting her finishing touches on a manuscript called China House Rules.

The upshot of this is: Tanya came away having made contact with an agent, there were shenanigans, the book was taken on by said agent, more shenanigans, the book got bought by Headline MORE shenanigans and hey presto, we have a book in our hands.

I was worried that when the chance came for me to review it, people would go: yeah, but she's your mate, so of course you're gonna say you like it.  I really should never listen to the voices in my head.  I should have listened to my gut and I should have trusted Tanya and her agent and her editor.  But for the longest time I refused to read the book.  I got a manuscript proof copy. I got a hard back copy.  Eventually, I read it.  Then shortly after that I re-read it.  And I kept quiet and smiled dumbly when people spoke to me about it.  Then the paperback turned up and I read it again.  And I decided to break my silence because I came to realise that if you're a reader of MFB you will know the truth of the thing when I tell it to you, because I'm a pretty shitty liar.  So here it is straight:

*cue dramatic music*

And I have FEELINGS about this book.  I threw it across the room when I read it - in disgust.  HOW can it be THAT GOOD? Damn you, Tanya Byrne!

It made me laugh, it made me cry.  It took me by surprise. It made me feel like this girl Tanya I'd come to know is someone else entirely because she had written this book that made me have all these FEELINGS and I expected it...but I didn't expect it to be this much THIS MUCH.

Okay, so enough about ME and my FEELINGS.  More about the book, the story and the voice.

Told in a very close voice first person POV we meet Emily who is currently in a Young Offenders Institution.  She's supremely sarcastic, sharp, clever, realistic and very much a presence from the get-go. HSB is written as if we are being told confidences by Emily through a notebook she'd found in her room at the Institution.  Her descriptions of her thoughts, her day to day interviews and chats with other "inmates" are wildly vivid, charming and shocking.  Here's a girl whose voice makes you sit up and take notice.  She's a dreamer, but rooted in being realistic, in being a bad girl.  She's complex, layered, full of jagged edges and nasty words and sweet smiles.  She is as contradictory as I used to be as a teen, as odd and strange as I see my friends' teenage and pre-teen kids being.  She rings true, and for me that was the key to the whole story.

We find out that she's done a Bad Thing.  For the longest time you think the Bad Thing is an obviously Bad Thing but it's not at all what you think.  She quite bravely tells us headlines and google searches will tell you certain things about her, what the media called her, how they demonised her.  In the end, what we know for a fact is that she stalked a young woman called Juliet.  She made friends with her, inserted herself into every facet of Juliet's life in order to ultimately destroy it and get back to Juliet in this way, for destroying her (Emily's) life.

There is a perverse pleasure in Emily's voice as she admits these things.  She walks the fine line between being an unreliable narrator and being so honest about things that your own judgement becomes clouded.  As her sessions with Dr. Gillyard, the therapist at the institution, progresses, we see this facade Emily holds up to the world slowly crack and crumble, only to reveal another duplicitous layer. She comes across as super tough, wise, wordly but if you look carefully she is this frail and scared young girl, but you blink and that girl is gone and instead you'll be faced with Emily, The Criminal Bad Girl.

As the story progresses and we come more and more involved with Emily and this world she inhabits we find it easier and easier to see things from her point of view, why she did what she did.  She's not necessarily apologetic about her actions, she's very much aware of what she did, but it's a case of things having come so far that when they played out, she almost had no choice left but to hurt the people whom she had grown so close to over a short period of time.

There are parts of HSB that will resonate with readers, some that will chill you to the bone and bits that will make you grin wryly because you understand the humour, the reality of it, and it's a darkness in all of us.

This is Tanya's debut novel and it's strong, and vivid and slightly wild and breathless.  It's not a very big book, I'll be fair, but it packs a punch and I doubt that as a reader I would have had the emotional strength (or tears left) to face a longer story.

I know people online have grumbled about the way it ends - saying it ends abruptly but to be honest, I think it ends the way it does in order for the reader to decide what happens next to Emily.  There is an anticipation towards those end pages that just blew me away and trust me when I say, it doesn't happen often.

Tanya Byrne really has "burst onto the scene" in a bit of a hurricane.  I think we should fasten our YA seatbelts as we're in for a mad ride on her tailcoats.

Find Tanya on twitter at @tanyabyrne and follower her tumblr page here.

Falling to Ash by Karen Mahoney

Synopsis

Trapped between two very different worlds, newly made vampire Moth is struggling to find her place in either. Not only does she have to answer to her strict Irish-Catholic Dad, but her over-protective maker, Theo, is intent on making her the star attraction in his powerful Boston vampire clan. Moth will have to pull off the double-act of the century to please both of them...

Adding to her problems is the dangerously attractive Jason Murdoch, a trainee vampire hunter who loves to play cat and mouse in his spare time (Jace = cat; Moth = mouse). But when the teenagers of Boston’s wealthiest families start to disappear, it forces Moth and Jace into an uneasy truce. Will they be able to solve the mystery behind the disappearances—before someone winds up undead?

I'm on a roll at the moment having read a number of fabulous books. September's been a bumper month and I've been struggling to decide what to read next but have been so looking forward to Falling to Ash that it was an easy decision to start it straight away. I've always loved vampires but for me they have to be the deadly dangerous sort. I was intrigued by Moth since I read her short story in the Kiss Me Deadly anthology back in 2010. Moth is not the sort of vampire that we've become used to in recent years. She's newly made - only a year into her undead existence - and she's yet to come into her powers fully. Still able to walk in the daylight but she's swapped a life of misery with her alcoholic father for suffocatin with an over-protective maker. Her comings and goings are restricted and she has to learn the ways of her new family. She's also had to drop out of college and rarely gets to see her much-loved little sister.

These aren't her only problems. Police turn up on her doorstep wanting to know why a murdered boy has her address in his pocket. When she goes to investigate his body she finds Jace the vampire hunter and together they discover that the boy has transformed into a zombie. They team up to find out who is doing the killing and must do it quickly before more teenagers are taken. Moth is a fabulous character - she's both gutsy and foolhardy but also touchingly trusting and vulnerable. Her tragic family background gives her a sorrowful, serious air but she's also sharp-witted and mistress of the eye roll. 

Moth and Jace are a brilliant partnership and I was praying for them to get together. I won't give anything away but they have some wonderful moments together. Jace has his own problems - a totally single-minded vampire hunting father and zombies a-plenty. Jace is a great believer in research and has a huge library at his disposal. I like to think of him and Moth as a sort of Giles and Buffy combo - but well matched in age and sexy and … oh dear, you know what I mean. Jace is all wise and thinks things though while Moth acts instinctively and goes with her gut. They are the perfect duo!

The story is a wonderful whodunit and it breezes along to an explosive ending. The world of Falling to Ash is rich with folklore. I loved discovering the rules that the vampires must live by and how zombies are created. I sense that there's much to be revealed in the next book. Also available is the Moth Tales  webcomic (brilliantly illustrated by Candace Ellis) which is updated every Monday and Friday and I urge you to check it out in all its awesomeness. 

The Isis Covenant by James Douglas

AD 64 - Roman centurion Marcus Domitus leads an expedition to find the mythical treasure hidden deep inside Queen Dido's temple.

AD 1945 - In the confusion and chaos of a burning Berlin, two high-powered Nazis disappear, and so does a precious object.

AD 2009 - Two families are brutally tortured and murdered in Boston and London, the crimes linked by a single name and a shared history.

Art recovery specialist Jamie Saintclair receives a call from a Boston detective, asking for his help to investigate a brutal murder. She believes Saintclair might hold the key to solving the crime through his detailed knowledge of specialist Nazi units. But as they delve deeper into the sinister world of the occult, they uncover a dark secret that men have lusted over for more than two millennia. Long ago, in the ancient temple of Isis, something was stolen, and the repercussions have resonated through the centuries. Saintclair must discover the truth before the curse claims more victims, and finally catches up with him.

This is such a tremendously great fun quest novel.  The writing is moreish, the plot is insanely OTT and yet it all works because we are given two really great characters to follow around - Jamie Saintclair, our main character and Danny Fisher, a tough Boston homicide detective.

James Douglas weaves seamlessly legends, mythology and modern research into a solid story inhabited by a very tough very frightening villain (with a twist) and a range of backing characters that feel real and interesting.

I (stupidly) did not read the previous novel by JD featuring Jamie Saintclair but even so, I was pretty quickly caught up with what went before with a  neat bit of exposition that didn't feel forced or overwrought.  With that behind us, we went gallivanting around half of Europe with Jamie and a fantastically tough and complex Danny.

It is obvious that the two are attracted to one another and yet it's kept pretty much low key which is how I like my quest novels. There is sneaking, there is torture, there are guns, there is world-travel and there is oodles of research and World War II thieving and explosions and well, I was a happy fan-girl.

I may make it sound like this is a carefree little novel that's all fun and explosions, but I'd like to point out that it isn't.  At its core is a story of a group of men who did some awful things under a regime that most people can't speak about in anything but whispers.  The atrocities committed under the Nazis will never not make us feel sick to our core and Mr. Douglas uses this background to show us how this legacy is still something we have to deal with, all these years on.  The reveals, as they happen are shocking because they are told in a matter of fact voice, there is no need for amped up drama; the reality of what the characters are talking about is enough to make your stomach turn.

It takes a pretty adept writer to pull of a layered quest novel and I'd definitely recommend you give The Isis Covenant a whirl if you're looking for pure escapism.  There is a lot to enjoy and a lot to mull over - it is chewy, but for the right reasons.

I've just gone searching for a hi-res image of TIC and found my friend Kate's review of The Isis Covenant over at her blog - do check it out.  She's far more concise than I've been in this instance.  Needless to say: we liked it.

Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr

Synopsis

In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the Carnival of Souls, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures--if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father--and every other witch there--fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable. While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the Carnival of Souls.

Straight off the back of my excitement about the new Sarah Rees Brennan book we have a new Melissa Marr. This is almost too much excitement for me to bear! The ending of the Wicked Lovely series was just perfect but I was left a little bereft - all of my favourite series coming to an end in the same year. I needn't have worried as Carnival of Souls arrived with the promise of a new world. The start of a new series is always an exciting event for me: new characters, a brand new world with rules and myths ready to be explored. Melissa Marr is brilliant at merging the recognisable with the bizarre so I wasn't surprised to find that I easily accepted that there is our world and then there is The City. In our world witches live after being banished from The City. I should say that the ones that survived made it to our world as the majority of witches were killed in the wars. In The City, daimons rule but within their world is a rigid caste system which meant that for Mallory's mother her only chance of keeping Mallory safe was to deliver her to our world.

I found Mallory an interesting character. She's been brought up to be on guard, constantly on the run and, we discover gradually, not being told the entire truth about her background. She understands that she'll never fit in to normal school life and that it's nearly impossible for her to have friends. This is why she is surprised by her connection to Kaleb - a boy who appears and starts to show an interest in her. During the first half of the book I really didn't know who to trust. I wasn't sure about Mallory's dad, Adam - but more than anyone I was very unsure about Aya. In the opening chapters Aya is preparing for her latest fight in the competition - fights which set daimons of differing classes against each other in the hopes of becoming a member of the ruling elite. Aya is determined not to marry her love, Belias, for a variety of reasons but her other option is to fight him until one of them is dead or forfeits. Initially, although I could sympathise with her anger at her lack of options I didn't agree with her actions.

This is the brilliance of Carnival of Souls. I found that just as I had made a decision about a character something happened to change my mind. Kaleb is my favourite, a cur and therefore bottom of the pile, his involvement in the competition is about long-term survival and prospects for both him and his pack mate Zevi. They have both managed to survive in The City against massive odds and have had to use everything at their disposal to get as far as they have. I haven't even spoken about the Night Market yet - an intense and dangerous place where people barter services and sell everything imaginable to get by. Zevi and Kaleb use the Night Market to make money but Kaleb has kept his involvement in the real world and Mallory secret from Zevi. As the book powers towards the end the stakes rise for every character and I had a clearer idea of which team I was rooting for. I think that Mallory will be a much more full character in the next book. Without giving away the plot she's not able to come into herself in this book which meant that I didn't fully bond with her as much as I did with Kaleb.

All this aside I thought that Carnival of Souls is a brilliant. I'm already heavily invested in the fascinating world that Marr has created and I await the next installment with excitement.

Fire City by Bali Rai

Twenty-five years ago the world changed forever. A great war, which had raged for three years ended, and the reign of the Demons began...

Within the crumbling walls of Fire City, fifteen-year-old Martha is a member of the resistance, a small band of humans fighting for freedom in a lawless and horrifying new world. Amidst the chaos of battle arrives Jonah, a handsome stranger with a thirst for revenge and a power to destroy the Demon rulers.

As Martha and Jonah's lives collide, the future of the resistance is altered forever. The battle for humankind will now begin. An epic story of catastrophe, survival and the power of humanity.

This is not like any other of Bali Rai's novels.  It's futuristic and dystopian and possibly post apocalyptic, is my feeling.  And yet, it is very much like a lot of his other novels - because it looks closely at family, friendship, responsibility, affiliations, people's reasons for doing what they do...so in that respect it's not unlike any of his other books that deal with all these issues and more.

I also think it's like his other books because the world he shows us in Fire City is broken - Bali's stories always deal with broken communities and the repercussions of those so, really what I'm trying to say is that although it's a different book (genre wise) for Bali to have written, it is also the kind of book he's always written, with the added elements of actual bad ass demons.

The world of Fire City is complex and well drawn, you can't fault him on that.  The attitude of the various characters may come as a shock to some readers: they are pragmatic and levelheaded.  If people have dreams and aspirations, it's been beaten out of them.  Hope is something you keep tucked away in your heart of hearts and never ever let it show because it could mean the difference between life and death.  Their world is small.  It exists of Fire City alone, their small community of friends.  You shuffle along, you do your thing, you don't ask questions and you keep your head down, you do not draw attention to yourself.

Our introduction to this world is through Martha's eyes - she's a local to Fire City. She knows how to toe the line, how to keep a lowish profile.  As part of the local resistance group she hunts the hunters at night...this sounds dramatic, but basically it works as follows: there are 2 kinds of people in Fire City - those who are "Wanted" (they have cushy lives and are the elite) and the "Unwanteds" and these guys and girls do all the menial labour for very little in exchange.  The demons select people to hunt during the "Hunt" from the aptly named "Unwanted" populace.  And what Martha and the rest of the resistance do during this time is hunt the demons and save as many Unwanteds as they can find.

But it's when Jonah appears during the hunt that things are kicked up a notch - here is a very able bodied young man with a devastating skillset laying waste to bad ass creatures it takes the average human a long time to kill.

From the get go we understand that Jonah has secrets - for some time before we learn his name, he is merely "the stranger" and it reminded me of the novel the movie Drive is based on where the main character is only ever known as "the driver".  The mystery surrounding Jonah and his task (to take down the head demon and as many of his cronies as he can) is pivotal to the role.

Interestingly the narrative moves away from Martha and Jonah to other secondary cast members in Fire City.  It forms a greater picture as a whole, but it did jar me a bit as I'm not used to it in YA fiction.  But then, I did get used to it and I enjoyed getting to know the various voices and you come to understand the motivations behind their actions.

Martha is a very worthy, very strong character - she has her own skillset and her own inner demons and doubts to face.  I liked that she did a lot of the saving and she took point on various missions.  I didn't however feel that her assessment of Jonah when they first met rang true.  I had my doubts, I really did, that Bali would be able to pull off the attraction she felt towards this loner boy who seemed to be this flat facade.  But then I forget the power mysterious strangers have.  You want to know what's going on...and as we learn more about Jonah we realise why he holds up this facade to the world and you understand why Martha finds him so intriguing.

Fire City pulls no punches.  There is violence.  There is the reality of characters dying in bad ways.  There is greed and hubris.  The world they inhabit is tough and therefore they have to be tough - the story develops strong and fast and the characters are tough and strong but they never ever lose their humanity. Martha especially retains a great sense of compassion when faced with the suffering of the people she knows. She's impatient sometimes, she's rude but never out of malice, unless you are her stepdad well then, you better run.

There is a lot going on in Fire City.  I'd say that if you were a boy who likes RPG games and shoot 'em ups, you'd love Fire City.  There is action aplenty and the dystopian world Bali's created is very vivid.  Similarly, if you're a girl, you'll have fun with the action but you'll revel in Martha's strength and attitude. Bali takes his time setting things out and explaining things, so even reluctant readers, who may initially be put off by the size of the book, will be able to work their way through this with a sense of accomplishment.  The packaging is clever and the book looks great.

I think Bali's proved himself here that he remains one of the UK's top storytellers for teens. Well done, Mr. Rai, you shiny star.  More power to the writing elbow!

Q & A with Sarah Rees Brennan

We're excited to have Sarah Rees Brennan with us today answering some questions so without further ado ...

Hi Sarah. Thanks so much for answering these questions. We're huge fans over at My Favourite Books!

Heyla. Thank you so much for having me!

Was it difficult to start a new series? Or did you have the idea for Unspoken bubbling away for ages?

Oh no, I was super excited to start the new series. I had the idea for Unspoken bubbling away for AGES upon ages... I wrote a book with a girl whose imaginary friend turned out to be a real guy when I was seventeen. Unfortunately, oh seventeen year old self, why were you not awesomer, said book was JUST TERRIBLE. I read one page of it when I decided to go back to it, threw it across the room like it was a snake, and thought I could do much better starting from scratch. I hope I did!

It was really a blast to write: being able to focus on romance, which I love, and put my own weird slant on it, was fun, and I went for a new tone so I could really kick back with my naturally goofy humour. Of course, starting a new series... having a new series published and have people read it... THAT is scary. Wish me luck!

Have you always wanted to write a Gothic novel? Which ones are your favourites?

I haven't because up until a year or so I didn't think much about the genre, despite the fact I love so many Gothic novels. I love Rebecca and Jane Eyre, and one of the modern Gothics I love is Barbara Michaels's Houses of Stone. But I didn't think, oh, these spooky houses and creepy relatives, this is a real THING, up until I was actually writing my own, when I realised that my book was THIS THING, and I went to find out all I could about it. That's how I found Barbara Michaels. ;)

There's a mass of myth-building in Unspoken: Japanese folklore, the Gothic, Nancy Drew fabulousness. Did you enjoy preparing for this series? What sort of things did you read before you started writing?

I have a whole Gothic bookcase now. There are at least two books called The Brooding Lake, and one of them is REALLY bad, but I won't say which one. ;) I've had very embarrassing phone conversations with the library. 'You owe us a fine... oh no, there must be some mistake with the computers, you can't possibly have thirty Victoria Holt books out.' 'Um... yes. Totally the computers.'

I've been to Japan, and it's a fascinating country and I tried to learn everything about it I could, and was able to pick up stories from people I talked to and books I can't get over here, though I also messed with Japanese myths in the same way I used to mess up Irish myths, in my head, in the way kids try to make their cultural stories--especially, I think, if they feel distanced from that culture and are storytelling kind of kids, as Kami is and I was--their own.

Reading up on everything was lots of fun... I wanted to say a lot of things about the books I read, and wanted to write about a girl who was a reader and invested in words the same way I was, and even have magic that had a lot to do with stories and perception. So really, my writing is always about 'STUFF WHAT I THINK IS COOL' and then I run off and get to do lots more reading on the subject. Only one problem: I have run out of bookcases.

There are a lot of linked pairs in Unspoken: Jared and Kami, Rosalind and Lillian, Rosalind and (someone I can't mention due to spoilers!), even Lynburn House has it's own link in Monkshood Abbey. Would you agree that Angela is the most isolated character as the book progresses?

I don't think I would, really, though of course authorial intent is a flawed vehicle, the writer can be entirely wrong about her own book, &c! Angela has her own pair, her brother Rusty, who she's always with, who is always loyal to her and knows all her secrets. And of course she and Kami have BFF charms, except Angela lost hers and is too lazy to look for it. ;)

But you're absolutely right that Angela is alone and vulnerable at a very bad time for her in the book... and it's true that all the characters have at least one and usually more than one natural pair, depending on circumstances, and then we look at what happens when your other half gets taken away.... Muahahaha. Muahahahaha.

Can you give us a hint of what's in store for Team Kami in the next book?

I can! Winter is coming.

... don't sue me, George R. R. Martin. In Unspoken it was autumn, and in Untold it'll be winter--there's a lot about nature in the books, and there's a theme going on. The winter of our discontent, a time of loneliness and a need for warmth.

There's also going to be lots of kissing. I'm just putting that out there. That's how trilogies work. Book one, set up, book two, make out, book three, defeat evil.

And we get a different look at several of the characters which I hope people will enjoy--more insight into Ash, Holly and Rusty especially, I think. /mysterious.

Do you feel ready to talk about the goat in the woods incident? Too soon?

The assault on my person--a lady's delicate person--by a goat small in stature but looming large in sin and aggression--still haunts me to this day. There I was sitting innocently in an orchard, after innocently climbing a large gate, and suddenly a goat came and headbutted me in the (I hesitate to use the word in polite company but...) knees. My legal team is on the hunt and once we determine Mr T. Goat's address there will be consequences and reparations made!

SOS to all innocent city girls: as you'll learn in Unspoken, the countryside is a dangerous place.

Sarah

Thanks so much, Sarah!

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Synopsis

Kami Glass is in love with someone she's never met - a boy the rest of the world is convinced is imaginary. This has made her an outsider in the sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale, but she doesn't complain. She runs the school newspaper and keeps to herself for the most part - until disturbing events begin to happen. There has been screaming in the woods and the dark, abandoned manor on the hill overlooking the town has lit up for the first time in 10 years. The Lynburn family, who ruled the town a generation ago and who all left without warning, have returned. As Kami starts to investigate for the paper, she finds out that the town she has loved all her life is hiding a multitude of secrets- and a murderer- and the key to it all just might be the boy in her head. The boy who everyone thought was imaginary may be real...and he may be dangerous.

It's no secret that I love the Demon's Lexicon series and that it's ending was a bittersweet moment for me last year. I was incredibly excited to hear about the new Lynburn Legacy series that begins with Unspoken. The thing which defines Kami is her link to Jared - the boy who lives in her head. He's been there as long as she can remember and his constant presence has cost her friends and got her the reputation for being a little odd. However, she's got her life sorted, has a great friend in the shape of Angela and is creating a school magazine so she's a more than a little mortified when he turns up in her life. Cousin of the angelic Ash and his bad-boy credentials cemented in stone when he beats up some of the school cricket team, Jared is a magnetic character. Seriously, I don't know how SRB does it. Whereas with Nick from the Demon's Lexicon series we never really knew what he was thinking, thanks to the psychic link with Kami we know where his emotions are going. But this doesn't make him any less confusing or gloriously exasperating. Seriously, one minute I wanted to hide him from the cruel world and the next I wanted to have him trampled by elephants.

The reappearance of the Lynburn family in Sorry-in-the-Vale isn't greeted with much joy by the inhabitants. For reasons that Kami is determined to unearth the Lynburns are treated with a mixture of suspicion and awe. When they return strange things start to happen and Jared's arrival just seems to accelerate the oddness. Kami has to try and sort out her feelings for him and his cousin Ash alongside her ongoing investigations for the school paper. Soon Kami and her friends are out of their depth and in terrible danger. Unspoken has tonnes of wonderful Gothic elements: door knockers like hands, forgotten houses, family secrets, spooky woods - the list is endless. The atmosphere is both unsettling and a little bit claustrophobic. I defy anyone to read the scene where Kami discovers a Hyakume in the woods without shivering - there's plenty of horror within these pages.

There are plenty of other reasons why I loved this book. The author's dialogue is as snarky and sparkling as ever. While reading Unspoken I was laughing one minute and terrified the next! There's also a wonderful cast of characters. Kami and Jared are awesome, that goes without saying. My other favourite character was Angela who hates everyone (except Kami), likes a nap and is also both devastatingly beautiful and loyal. Then there's Holly who is one of those girls who boys gravitate to but other girls cold-shoulder. As Holly's character is developed it makes you question the fairness of this. There's also the fabulousness of having a mixed-heritage main character. She stands out in Sorry-in-the-Vale for this reason and also because of her habit of conversing with someone who no one else can see.

After having looked forward to it for so long, I'm so pleased to say that I loved this book. Oh, also, just a warning about the ending. My heart broke.

Summertime of the Dead by Gregory Hughes

Yukio’s two best friends are dead. Tormented and blackmailed by the Japanese mafia- the notorious yakuza- they have taken their own lives. Overcome by heartbreak and fury, Yukio is determined to avenge their deaths.

So begins a deadly mission that will take Yukio on a destructive path to the rotten core of Tokyo – and to his own dark heart. But once there, will he ever find his way back?

At the start of SotD, Yukio is a really nice guy. Studious, a respected kendo fighter, respectful to his slightly out-of-touch grandmother and slowly realising that he’s falling in love with one of his best friends. It’s when he starts acting on the latter realisation that the warning lights get ready to come on. A celebration sees them brought into the orbit of the relatives of the local yakuza boss, a meeting that changes the course of all of their lives.

Once the full extent of his grief sets in and he realises that he brought them into the yakuza’s sights, Yukio’s world de-stabilises. Ingrained tenets of honour, once a wholesome part of his kendo practice, press in on his conscience, pushing him towards a darker path, one marked with revenge and slicy death.

I have to admit that for a while, SotD began to annoy me. The yakuza came across as a bit slow and insubstantial, cardboard cutout villains, kind of like the faceless mass of the Crazy 88 from Kill Bill.  But you have to realise that this isn’t about them. It’s about Yukio, and his perception of them. And as the pressures of his self imposed mission to save Tokyo put his mind under increasing strain, you begin to realise something is seriously off kilter. Once it reaches tipping point, the story simply hurtles towards its shocking conclusion in a mad ‘just another couple of pages’ rush.

Fast, engaging and laced with an unexpected streak of darkness, SotD was a pleasant surprise, one that lingered for sometime after I closed the cover.

MFB would recommend this for readers ages 14 upwards.  The violence is there, it's not gratuitous but it pulls no punches, letting the reader decide for themselves what to make of Yukio's actions.

Sidekick by Adeline Radloff

Katie Holmes, aged 17, lives with her adoptive mother, the housekeeper of a fabulous house in Camps Bay belonging to the gorgeous hunk Finn O’Reilly. Finn has the ability to stop time, to move into what is called “untime”. Katie can’t stop time but, uniquely, can function in “untime” and works as a partner, a sidekick, to Finn. When kids start disappearing, Katie uses the opportunity to strike out and try and figure things out by herself, especially as Finn is being rather...reluctant to do things. 

A big thanks to Matt Imrie (teen librarian) who visited SA recently and brought me back a copy of Sidekick by Ms. Radloff.

I read Sidekick in a few hours - it's not a big book and it reads so well that before I knew it, I was saying goodbye to Finn, Katie and her mum and closing the covers.

The novel is told entirely from Katie's point of view, in first person.  Katie has to be one of the coolest (slightly clueless) together and level-headed heroines I've ever come across.  Her voice is apparent from the first paragraph and it just goes from strength to strength.

Ms. Radloff has paced the story out well so that although we get backstory and a smattering of exposition, but because it's all in Katie's voice, it's as if you're having a great chat with a new friend. We are informed what untime is, what Finn's powers are and how Katie remembers him being before a certain event that changed the way Finn behaves and why she thinks he's "broken" now. All of this is played out throughout the book.  Interestingly here, the superhero thing is important, but it's not all it's about.  It's about Katie figuring out who she is.  She doesn't mind being his side-kick, she totally is happy with that, she just doesn't know who else or what else she is, in real life.

She still goes to school and this is the place she feels apart - she genuinely doesn't fit in.  Apart from the fact that her name is Katie Holmes (and the majority of people tend to call her by her full name) she's awkward and hides in the library where it's quiet and people can't see her and tell each other she's a stuck up bitch, oh wait, they do that anyway.

When it becomes apparent that something's definitely going on, something not good, that kids are disappearing from their beds, with no trace left behind, Katie is rearing to try and figure out what's going on.  But Finn is far from interested.  If it's not getting him money or upping his profile, he doesn't care.  This is not the Finn that Katie grew up with.

The Finn she grew up with cared about everything all the time but it ran him ragged.  Until this one awful international event, where Finn couldn't help at all.  He disappeared for some time and when he came back, he just didn't seem to be the same and when a close friend of theirs died, a while before the opening of the book, he became apathetic, drinking, using drugs and getting into riskier situations.

There are some bad words said between them when Finn refuses to help and Katie and she goes off, resigns from being his sidekick and starts doing research in to the various kids that are kidnapped, checking how it was done and if they had any similarities in their backgrounds.

That's all I'll say about that because the way the story fits together is so much fun and how Finn and Katie come to work together again had me grinning.

What I liked too is how Katie explains Finn's superpower and her own.  She's the only person in Cape Town who, like Finn, can move in untime.  This is significant and a bit of a fantastic and innovative reveal.  I approved.

Sidekick is set in Cape Town and mentions a lot of well known touristy places that you can google.  I was worried that if I recommended this to you guys you may not get some of the references, but then I thought: why read something that doesn't challenge you? Things are easy enough to google or figure out within context.

One thing though: Sidekick is a great book, there is some swearing, it deals with a lot of mature themes and there is an attempted rape.  None of it is gratuitous and serves rather to underscore some important points Ms. Radloff makes.  It's contemporary YA fiction and borderless storytelling.  I enjoyed it and I hope that if you decide to buy a copy - The Book Depository has some in stock - that you thoroughly fall for Sidekick too.

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.

YA Cover Reveal - Heart Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne

We are so proud to show off our friend Tanya Byrne's YA cover of her exceptional debut: Heart Shaped Bruise.

First, we look at the hard back cover we all know and love:

Isn't it lovely?

But now, feast your greedy little eyes on this pretty.  See the heart? See the two girls'* faces? You can't unsee it, right?

My review will go live for this next week but here's a spoiler: it is frigging amazing!

The paperback is aimed at the YA market although I know a lot of teens have already bought the hardback.  It's due for release in the last week of September and I know - and this is to Hannah, specifically - that I'll be buying another copy.  Because that's just the kind of nerdy book geek that I am.

*PS: now there's a debate - who do you see when you look at the cover? A boy and a girl...or two girls? Leave the comment below - this is getting interesting or follow us on Twitter! @tanyabyrne and @LizUK

The Arvon Book of Crime and Thriller Writing by Michelle Spring & Laurie R King

This cover nabbed from Blackwell's website as I couldn't find another

This is the second book in the Arvon series of books on writing. Written by two distinguished writers in the field, Michelle Spring and Laurie R. King, the book reveals, with riveting honesty, why and how authors are drawn to write about crime. The book also features fascinating insights from twenty-six top crime-writing guests. The Arvon Book of Crime and Thriller Writing is a detailed, practical guide to writing every kind of crime story, from classic whodunits to fast-paced thrillers. The book's objective is to bring together some of the lessons and insights that the authors and contributors have learned over their careers, to help the readers to free their creative minds, while also studying the solid technique behind writing in this genre. The Arvon Book of Crime Writing captures the essence of Arvon teaching into a practical handbook for writers, packed with tips and advice from leading novelists as well reflections on the genre itself and practical instruction on great storytelling.

The Arvon Foundation runs professional writing courses by published writers and provides expert tuition and creative support.  The Arvon Book of Crime Writing is divided into three sections: 

Part 1 - Essays on critical issues in the genre
Part 2: Guest Writers - 25 contributors offering advice and tips 
Part 3: How To Write Crime

I picked up a copy of TABoCaTW last week from my "local" Waterstones on Oxford Street as it just looked so interesting.  Also - I realise this is a silly thing - it is the perfect size.  Unlike a lot of non-fiction how to books, this is only slightly bigger than a standard sized paperback novel, so it fits easily in my bag to cart about on commute.  I took it back to the office, read some of it in my lunch time, read it on my commute home, read it before bed...read it some more, emailed and fan-girled at Laurie R King (who responded to my fan-girl email *swoons* with good and charming grace) and so I thought I'd review it on MFB as I know a lot of you guys are aspiring writers too.

I love crime and thrillers.  I admire people like SJ Bolton and Val McDermid, George Pelecanos, Tess Gerritsen - the list is long - who continuously write great books with engaging characters and great storylines.  Getting the chance to sit in on one to one snippets of advice from them via this book is one of the bonus features for me.

Here is a breakdown of the contents (I apologise for the not-so-great photos) that will give you an idea of what's contained in this neat package:

Each section feels personalised and the authors speak to their readers in a relaxed way, explaining concepts and offers suggestions on how to best approach certain things when writing scenes / characters.

I knew immediately after finishing Part 1 that I needed to share this with you guys - the book might be about Crime and Thriller Writing but it's foremost about writing and connecting to your audience, about engaging them and making them want to keep on paging through to the end of the book they've spent money on.

Two sections resonated in Part 1 especially - Reflections as well as Ways of Writing.  Ways of Writing dealt with how both Michelle and Laure write - the more organic development writer (otherwise known as the pantser) and the one who plans meticulously and follows the outline.  I think most writers fall in between both of these but it's so interesting seeing the two of them lay out how they write.

The sections on early decisions (POV, series, standalone etc) can easily be transferred to writers who write fantasy, literary fiction, science fiction, children's and YA titles.  Ways of Writing is once again touched on in the Plotting section, taking us deeper into the Organic writers' mind then into the Orderly writer's mind.

Part II - is what it is.  Interesting essays from a variety of well known successful writers about plotting, setting, sub-genres, voice...a great resource which neatly leads on to Part III about getting your story across to the audience.

I say again, this great pocket rocket book may be aimed at Crime and Thriller writers and readers, but it will behoove (check me out, Sarwat and Steve Feasey, I am using the word behoove!) any aspiring writer to get a copy of this as the advice is solid and universal and presented in a far better way than a lot of "how to write" books out there.  It also helps that the book is modern, relying on current authors and advice and publishers for their information and essays - it was published just last week! - and the examples that are referred to are all easily accessed and attainable.

I'm super pleased with my purchase and think a lot of aspiring writers and fans of crime and thriller writers will be too.

The Favourite Book of Eight-Year-Old Me

Everyone has their favourite books from childhood and one of mine was Miss Happiness and Miss Flower by Rumer Godden. I used to borrow this as often as possible from the library and for reasons that I can't remember would take it back, return it then hide it on the wrong shelf in the hopes that it would still be there to take it out the the following week. Why I just didn't ask my parents to buy me a copy or keep it out and renew it is now a complete mystery to me. I fell in love with this book so badly but never owned a copy. Then I grew up and forgot all about it until recently when I wondered if it was still about. A quick search on the Internet revealed that a hardback copy had been released and I bought it but when it arrived it was missing the most important thing - the doll's house plans.

I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. Miss Happiness and Miss Flower is about a girl called Nona who is sent from India to live with her aunt and uncle in England. The two dolls arrive at the same time from Japan and are also missing home and someone to take care of them. Bullied by Belinda, the youngest daughter of the family, the dolls give Nona an interest and gradually she starts to stand up for herself. She feels that she knows what the dolls are going through and begins researching how to make them a home. The dolls speak to each other too and their thoughts mirror Nona's. She's as concerned as they are that the house be correct and authentic. And so gradually she starts to feel part of her new family as the dolls gradually get the home they desire.

The best part of this book for eight-year-old-me though was definitely the plans at the back to enable you to build your own Japanese doll's house. This had young me absolutely entranced. As Tom, the eldest son of the family, makes parts of the house for her it is carefully explained in the back. I never had one, nor any Japanese dolls but this book was always part magic for me for that reason alone. Everything is described from how to make the screens to the drawing placed in the alcove. So when I found that the new copy didn't include the plans I went into a frenzy and searched across the interwebs until I found the right copy. Madness really as I'm never going to make the house but just the thought that without the plans I definitely couldn't was bad enough.

I feel I should apologise to all the other kids at my local library who never managed to take it out as I either had it at home or it was hidden in some corner.

This copy was printed in 1976, costs 45p and has no barcode! Also, bizarrely, the synopsis at the front of the book explains the entire plot, start to finish. I need to look at my other books from this era to see if this was a thing.

Strontium Dog - The life and death of Johnny Alpha: The Project

Earth, the late 22nd century. Many survivors of the devastating Atomic Wars were mutated by Strontium 90 fallout. These ‘mutants’ became a victimised underclass- hated by the ruling ‘norms’ and forced into squalid ghettos, the only job left for them was bounty-hunting. 
 The best of the Search/ Destroy agents (also known as Strontium Dogs) was a man called Johnny Alpha. He became famous for fighting for mutant right and died defending his kind from ultimate destruction. 

But it seems even death can’t keep a good dog down and rumours are circulating about Alpha’s return..

When I first got wind of the potential return of Johnny Alpha, I was bitterly disappointed. Don’t get me wrong – I loved Strontium Dog, and Johnny Alpha was the template for every other RPG or PC game I played across my teenage years (and beyond tbh). I sobbed like a madman when he was killed. But it was a Good Death. He died for his convictions, and went down fighting, scant consolation for the mutant shaped hole in my life that his death left behind. I took some solace in the knowledge that the impact of his death was such that Carlos Ezquerra didn’t want to illustrate that issue. It made my grief feel a bit more legitimate.

 So. On one hand it would be good to have Johnny back, but that was far outweighed by the worry that his ‘resurrection’ would be a tawdry and cynical gambit that would cheapen his death and dilute the impact of such a powerful story. Then I heard that the story was being helmed by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra once again, the same pairing that created Strontium Dog all those moons ago, and some of my dread passed, although it still took some time before I found myself sitting down and turning to page 1 of The Project.

Ezquerra’s familiar and distinctive art immediately leaps out and welcomes you, a continuity of style that’s immediately reassuring. The story starts with and follows Precious, a writer compiling a true account of the events surrounding Johnny’s death. She teams up with a barely sober Middenface McNulty to start seeking out accounts from the surviving witnesses of his death regarding the rumour that contrary to the official account, Johnny’s body was brought back through the dimensional portal that he had given his life to open.

It’s a clever device that allows Wagner to feed through enough backstory that anyone unfamiliar with the original story won’t feel utterly lost. It also lets the story gather pace without feeling rushed, so that by the time that they’re closing in on Johnny’s resting place it's gathered enough gravitas that it doesn’t feel rushed, distancing it from the way that deaths in the Marvel/ DC universes have lost their impact.

 I have to say that I came away from this feeling optimistic about the resurgence of Strontium Dog. It’s handled very well, the story is as strong as anything that has gone before, laden with twists and revelations and, damn it, Johnny’s back!

A fine job by Messrs Wagner and Ezquerra, and well worth the wait.

Find the full story here.

The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney

Rose Janko is missing. It has been seven years since she disappeared, and nobody said a word. Now, following the death of his wife, her father Leon feels compelled to find her. Rumour had it she ran off when her baby boy was born with the family's genetic disorder. Leon is not so sure. He wants to know the truth and he hires a private investigator to discover it - Ray Lovell. Ray starts to delve deeper, but his investigation is hampered by the very people who ought to be helping him - the Jankos. He cannot understand their reluctance to help. Why don't they want to find Rose Janko?

Stef Penney is a chameleon.  If you liked The Tenderness of Wolves and like me, you were blown away by her voice, her lyrical tone and how your heart lifted because of the beauty of the prose, you'll be surprised when you pick up The Invisible Ones as the two books are as different from each other as, I don't know...jam and peanutbutter.

Still set in the past, but far closer than Tenderness, we meet Ray Lovell as he's engaged by a young girl's father to try and find her.  The only thing is, the girl went missing some time ago and no one spoke to the police about it...and the family she married into say she's run off with another man.   What makes matters difficult for Ray is that he needs to get in touch with a gypsy family to find more information and no one can give authorities the run-around as effectively as a gypsy. Ray should know, he is one. 

I realise that the book might be seen as a commentary on gypsy culture and we expect something akin to the tv shows that have been on these past few years but trust me, this is nothing of the sort.  Ms. Penney works hard building up Ray and the investigation.  The story is part-told by a young gypsy boy and seeing things from his point of view is a brilliant ploy of the author - so we get to see how they react to Ray and we also see how they react within the family. 

The writing is harsher, less polished than Tenderness, but there is a definite reason for this - the book is more crime and investigations so the language and Ray's great voice makes sense.  Ms. Penney's strengths lie in her characters.  We are totally immersed in Ray's world and that of the gypsies we come to meet throughout his investigation because she makes sure we come to care about Ray and the case.  She's a clever girl. 

The story unfolds in expected and unexpected ways but our steady compass of Ray remains the same - his own preconceptions and ideas about gypsy life and family get challenged and he comes up against an adversary he did not expected.  I realise I'm sounding obtuse but you really do not want to let the cat out of the bag on this one.  If you pay attention as you read it, you'll see the clues but what you make of it, until you come to it...that's entirely up to you. 

I thoroughly enjoyed The Invisible Ones but think that readers who are still in love with Tenderness and who don't want to have the memory replaced, should be wary.  I think she's got a great range and her courage to do something as different and as noir as this, should be recommended.   If you've never read Tenderness but you are a crime fiction fan, give this a go.  

And a big thanks to Quercus who kindly let me have a copy after I gushed at them in their offices a while ago about how much I loved The Tenderness of Wolves and how it is one of those books that will always stay with me, until my memory goes.  *grin*  I think they probably just gave me a copy of The Invisible Ones to get me out the door and to shut me up.   Here's a video from Stef chatting about The Invisible Ones. 

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Synopsis

For 500 years Lenah Beaudonte has been a vampire. 500 years of seduction, blood and destruction. But she is sickened by her dark powers and longs to feel the sun on her skin, grass under her bare feet, and share the breath of a human kiss.

She wants to be mortal again.

But is she really capable of being human, after her long years of darkness? Waking up as a sixteen-year-old girl brings Lenah many things the life she has missed, taste, touch, love. But a vampire soul is not easily shed. And her coven of four vampires she led in decadence and thrilling destruction want their queen back…

I don't know how this book passed me by but with the second Vampire Queen novel having recently come out I wanted to catch up. The book begins with Lenah waking up after a hundred year sleep - one which ends with her being transformed into a mortal sixteen-year-old girl. Her maker, Rhode, is responsible for her return to human form. As a result he dies the next day leaving Lenah completely alone in her new life. I quite liked this twist as it meant she had to rely on herself during the first part of her story. She must assimilate herself into high school life and make sure that she doesn't attract the attention of her former coven. When Lenah was a vampire she was completely deadly, ruthless and cruel and thought nothing of killing a child to feed upon. Infinite Days definitely embraces the traditional vampire - deadly killers who have no trace of humanity about them. I found this quite a relief. I always prefer my vampires to be inhuman monsters.

Something that I loved about Infinite Days was the switch between present day and Lenah in the past. As she was made a vampire in the 1500's we see her as she was then and throughout her life (death?). We follow her over the centuries and see how the passage of time has changed her. Fortunately this means that we get to see Rhode and also some of her other coven members, especially Vicken - the only other love of Lenah's undead existence. Through these flashbacks we get to understand her love for both vampires and get a feel for why she's so desperate to be human again. Because she has existed for over five hundred years her language is antiquated at first and she struggles with things we take for granted like clubs, boats and other run-of-the-mill things. This mix of young and old make Lenah a very unique heroine.

In her new life I loved seeing how Lenah adapts to being human again. She initially keeps some vampire traits like ESP or vampire sight. She struggles to understand how to interact socially and is saved by Tony, a student at her high school on an arts scholarship. They bond and although it's easy to see where Tony's feelings are going Lenah is distracted by the gorgeous Justin. I wasn't initially convinced by Justin but let's just say that he won me over in the end! Lenah's journey is an incredible one; she goes from being socially inept to a fully fledged teenager. But of course Lenah's past catches up with her and the finale is breathtaking. I'm just glad that I have the next installment as the cliffhanger would have driven me crazy otherwise.

Defenders of Ulthuan by Graham McNeill

The high elves have long been the protectors of the Warhammer World, and their homeland of Ulthuan is known for the powerful magic that surrounds it. At the heart of Ulthuan lies a magical vortex, and the mages who created it remain trapped in a space out of time, endlessly working the spell that keeps the world from becoming a seething Realm of Chaos.
 
When Ulthuan comes under attack from the forces of Chaos and dark elves led by the Witch King and the hag sorceress, Morathi, the high elves must hold firm or face disastrous consequences. 

In Defenders of Ulthuan Graham McNeill tells the epic tale of the struggle between good and evil.

Readers, I read myself a Warhammer book (my first ever) and I loved it.  I had no prior knowledge of the world Defenders of Ulthuan is set in, before going in and reading this and although I was worried about it, I really shouldn't have been.  

I felt, as a noob reader and newcomer to the world, that I was 100% safe in Mr. McNeill's hands. The narrative is rich and evocative when it comes to describing the world of Ulthuan.  I was surprised, I admit it, by the strength of the world-building (noob, remember) and how much work went in to setting the scenes and laying the foundations of the story so that towards the end of the book, and the big reveal, you actually do feel the loss and horror of the betrayal. 

DoU easily stands on its own merits as a fantasy novel, regardless of it being a Warhammer fantasy title.  McNeill writes beautifully and goes out of his way to ensure that we recognise and realise how badly things are going for the elves and what the ultimate outcome will be.  

Something that took me by surprise is the (I initially thought) over-use of description.  It is superlative and as a reader it surprised me as I'm no longer used to writers getting away with using such rich descriptions for things - however, I understand why it was done and allowed in Sons of Ellyrion - it's all about building this majestically beautiful world, allowing us to see how definitive and unique it is, making us realise what's at stake here if Ulthuan ultimately falls to the dark elves.  Within the space of possibly two chapters, I got over my "this is overwritten" worries and just fell utterly in love with it and luxuriated in the richness of this world. 

I learned a lot from Graham McNeill in this book - from an aspiring writer's point of view I learned how to set up characters and how to set up bigger stakes through small incidents and how important identifying with characters really are.  From a reader's perspective, I relished the action, the betrayal, the horror and the sheer spectacle of where the story was leading.  

There are multiple points of view in the book but each one very much has it's own voice. Also, there is sexy times! and it it made me grin as it was described lightly and sweetly. *grins* 

I realise this review doesn't really make much sense...but this is what I'd like you take away from this: 

If, like me, you've wondered about reading the Warhammer fantasy titles, I don't think you have anything to worry about.  If you're a fantasy fan, you'll get the world and what's going on here.  The book keeps you paging.  Poor Mark had to sit through me going: OMG! This is happening and omg, do you think this guy is actually the bad buy and OMG! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS PERSON DIES!  <- this is a sign of an involved reader and good writing.  

I have the second title: Sons of Ellyrion lined up to read in the next few weeks.  And I gotta know what happens.  No spoilers, please!  

Read an extract from Defenders of Ulthuan here. 

Angel Dust by Sarah Mussi

Synopsis

Would you move heaven and earth for the one you love? ANGEL DUST is a powerful, gritty and utterly modern tragic love story with a twist. When Serafina, the brightest and most beloved of all God's angels, is sent to collect Marcus Montague - the original badman - and take him to Hell, she finds herself powerfully drawn to him and makes a decision that places her in the middle of a war between Heaven and Hell. Can Serafina fall in love without falling from grace? Can Marcus's soul be saved? And just who is the mysterious and ever-so-helpful stranger Harry?

I've read a great deal of paranormal romance but I don't think I've ever read one where the angel is both the main character and the narrator. I've got behind in my reading as there's been a couple of books recently that I didn't want to finish. Once I'm in a reading slump it takes a special book to give me a jolt and I hoped that Angel Dust would be the one. I knew I was reading something very different from the first chapter. Serafina is new on soul collection duty and the only other ones she's done were asleep at the time. So when Marcus is on The Manifest for collection that night she wasn't expecting to fall in love. All the others were so easy but she's keen to get it right, not to mess up. Despite her best efforts she finds herself unable to do her duty; it's something about the way he talks, the way he smiles. She's offered a way out by an odd man called Harry, a way to buy more time for Marcus and she grabs the chance without asking any questions.

I hardly ever read prologues. I sort of skim read them then read them afterwards but for some reason this one grabbed me. True, it didn't make a whole lot of sense but it's a sign of a great book when I go back and read it again as soon as I'd finished the last page. I loved Serafina's voice. She revels in all things human and has an appealing mix of naiveté and knowledge. She's seen all sorts of souls in her time as an angel and doesn't really understand why humans make the choices they do. Angel Dust is full of religious world building - some references I recognised but others I wasn't overly familiar with but it didn't hinder my enjoyment. I was intrigued by Serafina's heavenly world though and how eager she was to leave it to be by Marcus's side.

Marcus is in a gang but Angel Dust doesn't glamorise this in any way. It's desperately clear how much hurt and suffering he causes his family and those who love him. Marcus isn't depicted as a victim either who's trapped against his will. The theme of free will runs through the book and Serafina (and the reader) has to separate her feelings for Marcus the individual and the man who has the potential to do terrible things. Marcus makes mistakes and bad decisions but he's not alone in this. Confused by how to save his soul Serafina struggles to be both the perfect angel and Marcus's saviour. As she falls deeper in love she starts to question everything she's been told.

I loved this book so much. There's some witty references to paper work, contracts and the workings of heaven that keeps it fresh. Serafina may be an angel but as a character who's struggling to find her way her journey is easy to identify with. More than anything I fell in love with Serafina, Marcus and their struggle. They go through so much that I was crying by the time I finished their story. There's some perfect symmetry in the writing too: repeated sentences and music leads to one very powerful ending scene. This book's a keeper, I'll definitely read it again and it goes on my list of the best of 2012.

Book Shenanigans in London this Saturday, 18th August

This coming Saturday, 18th August, Blackwells is hosting a fantastic line-up of YA writers on a panel (which I get to moderate, the fools!) and I thought I'd share with you who will be in attendance.

From Blackwell's website:

High Fantasy Night in Blackwell's Charing Cross Road, August 17th at 6pm

We are thrilled to be hosting a panel of exciting young authors who write genre fiction for the Young Adult market, though that doesn't mean old adults can't read it too!

Tom Pollock's debut novel, The City's Son, is about graffiti artist Beth Bradley who stumbles upon a hidden world of monsters and miracles underneath London's streets. It is the first in The Skyscraper Throne Trilogy and is a story about family, friends and monsters, and how you can't always tell which is which.

Tanya Byrne is a writer, feminist, drinker of tea and sniffer of books. Her debut novel, Heart-Shaped Bruise, is a compelling, brutal and heart-breaking story about identity, infamy and how far a person might go to seek revenge.

The author of Department 19 and its thrilling sequel, Department 19: The Rising, Will Hill is a growing name in the Young Adult genre fiction market. When Jamie Carpenter's mother is kidnapped by strange creatures, he finds himself dragged into Department 19, the government's most secret agency.

When not writing ads for videogames featuring people being blown up, Kim Curran writes books for young adults featuring people being blown up, namely her debut novel Shift. She volunteers as a writing mentor at The Ministry of Stories and her greatest achievement was when Tom Baker told her a script she wrote was funny. He was being paid.  <-  I have it on authority that a handful of pre-release books for Shift will be on sale. 

James Dawson, author of dark teen thriller Hollow Pike, grew up in West Yorkshire, writing imaginary episodes of Doctor Who. Until recently, James worked as a teacher, specialising in PSHCE and behaviour. He is most proud of his work surrounding bullying and family diversity. He now writes full time and lives in London.

To reserve your tickets for either of these events, please email events.london@blackwell.co.uk 

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This is going to be a mad event - and we're hoping to see lots of faces there.

The panel is aimed at readers and interested folk who want to find out about writing and what makes writers tick.  If any of this is of interest to you, do email Blackwells to reserve tickets - it's free and to be honest, what better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than chinwagging with a bunch of creative types and getting books signed?