ACID Cover Reveal

I'm so pleased to be part of the cover reveal for Emma Pass's novel coming from Random House next year.  It sounds like my kinda book:

From the back cover:

ACID - the most brutal police force in history.
They rule with an iron fist.
They see everything. They know everything.
They locked me away for life.

My crime?
They say I murdered my parents.
I was fifteen years old.

My name is Jenna Strong. 

The art is by Larry Rostant whose artwork has graced many a great science fiction and fantasy and urban fantasy novel. 

And here it is, in all its delicious glory:

Click to embiggen 

Wishing Emma well with this, I've already pre-ordered it.  But! Do check out her blog where she'll be giving you the chance to win a signed proof / ARC. 

Black Spring by Alison Croggon

Synopsis

Inspired by Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, BLACK SPRING reimagines the passionate story in a fantasy 19th century society sustained by wizardry and the vengeance code of vendetta.

Anna spent her childhood with Damek and her volatile foster sister Lina, daughter of the Lord of the village. Lina has magical powers, and in this brutal patriarchal society women with magical powers are put to death as babies. Lina’s father, however, refuses to kill her but when vendetta explodes in their village and Lina’s father dies, their lives are changed forever. Their new guardian Masko sends Anna away and reduces Lina to the status of a servant. Damek—mad with love for Lina—attempts to murder Masko, then vanishes for several years. Anna comes home five years later to find Lina about to marry a pleasant young farmer, and witnesses Damek’s vengeful return and its catastrophic consequences.

Passionate, atmospheric and haunting, BLACK SPRING will stay with readers long after they turn the final page.

I'm a fan of Wuthering Heights, it's a wild and dangerous book so I wasn't sure how I would react to this retelling. However, I set all my preconceptions aside and got stuck in. Conceited Hammel heads north to take up residence as he's got himself into a spot of bother with a married lady in the south. Once there he sets off to greet his landlord Damek but finds himself caught in a storm, attacked by a dog and then treated awfully by Damek and his wife - before finally seeing a violet-eyed ghost in his bedroom mirror. When he returns the next day full of fever he finally listens to his housekeeper who tells him the full story of Damek, Lina and their tragic love.

The town of Elbasa is a tiny and harsh place. The world that Alison Croggon has created is ruled by wizards and who wield terrible powers and keep the peace. Able to turn a man to smoke or make him burn to death from within they are feared by everyone. What with that and the awful and complicated Vendetta which leads to male family members being extinguished in revenge killings it's clear that Elbasa has a lot going on. I quite liked this desperate background - it's a good backdrop to the intensity of Lina and Damek's relationship. Damek is brought into the house as a child and the two of them have a close friendship which gradually deepens into more as they get older. Circumstances pull them apart but when they meet again as adults they have the potential to destroy each other with their love. 

Wuthering Heights introduced the original toxic relationship and this is beautifully recreated in Black Spring with added magic and more death than you can shake a stick at. Magic and the Vendetta aside the story sticks quite close to the original so I think how you feel about this book depends upon your feelings about Wuthering Heights. If you adore the original then this won't supplant it by any means. If you've never read it and you enjoy Black Spring then possibly you'll read Wuthering Heights. If you hate the original then this may well remind you why. I find it an impressive modern retelling which captures something of the language, drama, madness, tortured love and agony of the original. Well worth reading.

Christmas Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley

From malevolent snowmen to Father Christmas - with a difference ... Chris Priestley is on absolute top form in these atmospheric, clever and thoroughly chilling stories. Add a new kind of thrill to the fluffiest of seasons with seven brilliantly conceived examples of why you'd better be good at Christmas time. For stories which can be enjoyed by the whole family, unwrap these perfectly formed festive tales of terror, each with a gripping yarn and genius twist.

Singing carols may never seem quite the same again ... especially after dark.

--

Ever since I cracked open Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror back in 2008 I've been a fan of his blend of the macabre and sinister, and since I'm a sucker for all things Christmassy, there was no way I was going to miss this one. The question I needed answering was whether he was going to maintain the high standard I expect from him or if the edginess of his work was going to be eroded by a capitulation to popular sentiment. CToT -currently only available as an ebook-features seven short stories, opening with 'The Green Man'.

The Green Man tells the story of Stephen Levenson, home for the christmas holidays and trying avoid arguments with his mother. What he finds this year though is that his mother has embraced a spirit of change and has had his stepfather gather armfuls of holly from the ancient hill on their lands, a hill that his father had taught him never to trespass on. His intention to avoid arguments crumbles as he tries to fathom why she would do such a thing, but for the sake of a good Christmas, he grits his teeth. But the fear and respect his father treated the hill with weren't misplaced, and when night closes over the house there's more than Santa's generosity to worry about. The twist left me staring at my kindle mouthing 'whoa' for a moment before I greedily tabbed into the rest of the stories.

Trying to decide which of the seven was my favourite has been far harder than I thought it would be. Each has so much going for it and the quality of the writing and the sheer macabre wonder of the twists in each is consistently high. After annoying Liz by thinking out loud (aka arguing with myself like a madman), I've decided on "In the Bleak Midwinter" for the sheer tragic horror of it. It's also, now that I think about, the only one of the stories that doesn't see any of the characters dying..! 

Midwinter starts off nice enough, with choirboys from the local church out carol-singing to raise money for repairs to the church roof, and quietly skimming a small percentage off to divvy out amongst themselves. Amongst them is Simon, who unfortunately owed the local bully a wad of cash after succumbing to the recent craze of playing cards. When the others decide to call it a night, Simon argues for them to do a few more houses, but is outvoted and they start heading back to the village, guided by the light of their sole lantern and singing for the fun of it. It's then that one of the other boys says that they shouldn't be singing in a graveyard. Of course, in the way of boys around the world, they immediately begin to sing louder.. and soon discover that they should've listened to their friend. What follows is so wonderfully chilling it makes me weep to think that of the drivel that the BBC is wasting money on instead of bringing stories like this to more people. 

Suffice to say I should never have doubted that Priestley would deliver anything less than a smorgasbord of dark delights. Do what you must, but buy a copy of the Christmas Tales of Terror for whatever e-reader you have. Read them to your kids or save them for yourself. You won't be sorry.

You can visit Chris's website here or visit his blog here.

Non-Fiction Recommendations from MFB

I tend to read a lot of non-fiction, mostly in the evenings to "wind down" my day or for research.  If we're lucky we get sent some choice morsels to read but a lot of times I tend to buy books in as they pique my interest or I've heard good things about them from fellow bloggers or via social media (mostly twitter)

I know a lot of people are currently looking for items to buy as stocking fillers for loved ones, or for themselves and so I thought it would be a cool thing to do, as this is our final few weeks of blogging, to recommend some favourite non-fiction books of the past few years.

Monuments Men by Robert Edsel and Bret Witter 

As Hitler was attempting to conquer the western world, his armies were methodically pillaging the finest art in Europe, from Michelangelo and Da Vinci to Van Eycks and Vermeers, all stolen for the Führer. The Monuments Men had a mandate from President Roosevelt and the support of General Eisenhower, but no vehicles, gasoline, typewriters, or authority. In a race against time to save the world’s greatest cultural treasures from destruction at the hands of Nazi fanatics, each man gathered scraps and hints to construct his own treasure map using records recovered from bombed cathedrals and museums, the secret notes and journals of Rose Valland, a French museum employee who secretly tracked Nazi plunder through the rail yards of Paris, and even a tip from a dentist during a root canal.  These unlikely heroes, mostly middle-aged family men, walked away from successful careers into the epicenter of the war, risking—and some losing—their lives. Like other members of the Greatest Generation, they embodied the courageous spirit that enabled the best of humanity to defeat the worst.  This is their story.

Written in a conversational tone, the authors bring the past to life, giving us a glimpse into a world where the most audacious thefts took place, alongside murder and genocide.  They make these stories close and personal, by focussing on the people who were the Monuments Men and women during and after the war.  I dip in and out of Monuments Men even now, after I've read it some time ago, purely because some of the things you learn about are so unbelievable, that you need to go back and re-read it.  Definitely a book for anyone who is interested in WWII, but also art preservation, or those of us who merely wonder how it is that a handful of men could literally march into homes and countries and take whatever they want, by force.   I've chatted to one of the authors on Twitter and due to the large amount of information they gathered on Italy during these years, there will be a separate book focussing on the thefts in Italy in 2013, if all goes well.  Find their website here.

Reflections by Diana Wynne Jones 

I came to Diana Wynne Jones late in my reading life but she made such an impact that I press her books on anyone - kid or adult - who are keen to try something new and different.   David Fickling Books brought out this beautiful hardback by Diana Wynne Jones posthumously and it is one of the most amazing books I've had the opportunity to read. 

This is the write-up from the publisher:

Diana Wynne Jones is best-known for her novels and stories - of magical fantasy - written mainly for children. She received a World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2007, as well as two Mythopoeic Awards and the Guardian Fiction Award for Charmed Life. But she was also a witty, entertaining speaker, a popular guest at science fiction and fantasy conventions and an engaged, scholarly critic of writing that interested her. 

This collection of more than twenty-five papers, chosen by Diana herself, includes fascinating literary criticism (such as a study of narrative structure in The Lord of the Rings and a ringing endorsement of the value of learning Anglo Saxon) alongside autobiographical anecdotes about reading tours (including an account of her famous travel jinx), revelations about the origins of her books, and thoughts in general about the life of an author and the value of writing. The longest autobiographical piece, 'Something About the Author', details Diana's extraordinary childhood and is illustrated with family photographs. Reflections is essential reading for anyone interested in Diana's works, fantasy or creative writing.

Do not for one second think Reflections is sad or miserable-making or anything negative or dull.  It's a vibrant collection of charming essays and conversations between DWJ and you, the reader. The force of Ms. Wynne Jones' personality shines through and it is one of my biggest regrets as both reader and writer that I will never have the chance to tell her how much her writing has meant to me.  Reflections is aimed at long-standing fans, newcomers but also speaks vehemently to writers, both old and new.  I can't recommend it highly enough. 

Dinosaur Art: The World's Greatest Paleoart by Steve White et al 

Not the usual kind of thing we get sent for review but wow, Titan blew us out of the water by sending us a copy of Dinosaur Art.  We got talking to the editor who worked on it at an event and we kinda forced him to send it to us - I do confess. 

I mean, come on, who doesn't like dinosaurs? And this is so much more than pretty pictures.  It's a work of beauty and passion from the foremost artists working in paleoart.  Paging through it makes you realise how majestic and frightening these creatures were and how well adapted to the world they lived in. We are shown bone-structure, musculature, habitat, drawn with infinite attention to detail. Dinosaur Art is the kind of coffee table book you want two of: one to page through and read and get messy with as you try and copy the art and then one copy to remain pristine.  I'm not very knowledgeable about dinosaurs.  I used to be, as a kid, I wanted to a palaeontologist and archaeologist.  Then I grew up and realised that I'm not at all scientifically minded but I still love reading about dinosaurs and watching the shows about them. 

Both Mark and I highly recommend this title - it kept us paging and reading for a good few hours.  It's a high quality yet ridiculously affordable book for that dinosaur / art enthusiast in your life. 

I love this quote from the Smithsonian: 'an absolute pleasure to pore over, and almost every page is a window into a vanished world...the lavish art and interviews will undoubtedly inspire the next generation of great paleoartists.' Believe!

The Science Magpie by Simon Flynn

The Science Magpie: A hoard of fascinating facts, stories, poems, diagrams and jokes, plucked from science and its history, by Simon Flynn

From the Large Hadron Collider rap to the sins of Isaac Newton, The Science Magpie is a compelling collection of scientific curiosities.

Expand your knowledge as you view the history of the Earth on the face of a clock, tremble at the power of the Richter scale and learn how to measure the speed of light in your kitchen.

Skip through time with Darwin’s note on the pros and cons of marriage, take part in an 1858 Cambridge exam, meet the African schoolboy with a scientific puzzle named after him and much more.

This book is perfectly named.  When it turned up, unexpectedly from the publishers, I was all: what the hell? Do they secretly know of my Michu Kaku obsession? But it turns out it was just a lucky fluke. 

It's packed full of neat tidbits of information about science and discovery that make you go "hmmm". The Science Magpie I think is aimed at people like me who like the idea of science but who find it a daunting subject to tackle full on.  It's packed full of odd bits of information but presented in a way that's not ever patronising.  It balances neatly between complex ideas and concepts and allows us to smirk along with charming anecdotes. It doesn't take itself too seriously and it's written in a very low key style that puts across a lot of interesting information without it dragging - no mean feat.  Well done, Mr. Flynn! Find the Science Magpie website here. http://www.sciencemagpie.com/about-the-science-magpie/ 

Now two great titles for younger readers: 

How To Go Wild - Smart Ways To Survive Anything by Dominic Utton 

This is the essential guide for every wannabe wild boy, packed full of the tools and techniques they need to get the most out of the great outdoors: building shelters, reading clouds, finding fresh water, and following trails. It includes tales of famous wildsmen from history and fiction: Scott of the Antarctic , George Mallory , Davy Crockett and Aragorn ! It combines elements of The Dangerous Book for Boys, Hamlyn Nature Guides and Boy's Own tales of great adventurers.

Aimed at younger readers (and their adventurous mums and dads) HTGW is great fun.  I like the size of it - it fits easily in my bag and it isn't heavy.  The font is slightly larger than usual, so it's easy on the eye (especially when reading it under the blankets with a torch) and the random and funny bits of artwork will definitely charm readers who haven't outgrown bits of googley eyed fish pictures in their books. The advice also is pretty solid, also funny:

Bacon: Just as with sausages, bacon won't keep too long in the warm.  The advantage of bacon is you can pack more of it.  This is my kind of advice! 

The contents covers common sense advice for before you head off into the wild wearing only shorts and a t-shirt.  The author explains how to navigate and live in the wild.  He also touches on extreme survival and how to fish and hunt.  But, as you can tell from the bacon extract above, he also tells you how to cook in the wild.  Other subjects covered are first aid and emergencies but also how to survive in the wild.  This book is aimed at readers who enjoy watching the mad bad Bear Grylls slide down mountains but who aren't entirely sure that's the most common sense and safe way to go about things. It's of course best to have mum and dad to hand, even if they are more a hindrance than a help, but this neat little book will be a handy camping companion, before bigger tougher terrains and adventures are tackled. 

The Complete Philosophy Files by Stephen Law

Is there a God, should I eat meat, where does the universe come from, could I live for ever as a robot? These are the big questions readers will be wrestling with in this thoroughly enjoyable book. Dip into any chapter and you will find lively scenarios and dialogues to take you through philosophical puzzles ancient and modern, involving virtual reality, science fiction and a host of characters from this and other planets. The text is interspersed on every page with lively cartoons, and there is a list of philosophical jargon at the end..

Stephen Law has a gift for communicating complex ideas. He offers few answers, but his unstuffy, highly personal approach will have the reader thinking and arguing with as much pleasure as he does himself.

As a kid I never knew what philosophy was. I thought it was something old men talked about whilst playing chess. In fact, I still sometimes think that, but The Philosophy Files made me aware of the important stuff I thought about as a kid. There were some stuff you couldn't really talk to adults about because they wouldn't understand and they'd think I was being weird(er than normal). 

I wish I had something like The Philosophy Files to hand growing up - it would have taught me it was okay to question things, to argue my point, to wonder about big things or the tiniest of things. Philosophy is not something that's really spoken about or handled when I was at school in South Africa, so stumbling across this title, aimed at kids blew me away.  I was so enthusiastic reading it and I got into a discussion about it some time ago on twitter.  It's lead me to fall in love with Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World which in turn blew my tiny mind.  

So definitely, if you've got an intelligent young person in your life who enjoys questioning things, this is definitely for them.  A warning though: reading this will make them ask questions!

Here are a few more links to a handful of non-fiction we've reviewed on MFB:

The Infiltrators by Philip Etienne and Martin Maynard 

The Lost City of Z by David Grann

Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures by Robert K Wittman and John Shiffman

No Easy Day by Mark Owen

Notes of a Russian Sniper by Vassili Zaitsev 

I hope these random non-fiction titles have given you some ideas for stocking fillers or for "from me to me" present ideas! 

Rogue Angel: The Dragon's Mark by Alex Archer

Archaeologist Annja Creed and her sword have never been outmatched— until now. When a surprise party for her mentor Roux includes some uninvited guests, Annja finds herself fighting desperately for her life. The intruders escape but leave a sinister message behind.

A legend has resurfaced about a sword that should be feared. A sword that seeks a master as bloodthirsty as itself. It is wielded by an assassin known as the Dragon who initiates a terrible game of cat and mouse. Eventually, the two swords—light and dark—must meet…and only one shall triumph.

If I had a guilty reading pleasure - grinning here - it would be the Rogue Angel books.  They are straight out FUN and silly and Over The Top. Rogue Angel books are a mixture of Tomb Raider / Indiana Jones / Witchblade / Time Team and Monster Hunter tv shows with a good bit of The Librarian movies thrown in for good measure.

There are a lot of titles in the series, maybe around forty or more? But each story is self-contained and you are rapidly informed by way of a quick bit of exposition as to who Annja is, how she comes be such a bad-ass with a sword that disappears into nowhere and then reappears when it's needed.

The books are written by a series of writers but Joe Nassise who wrote The Dragon's Mark, is one of my favourite writers in the series.  The author's name doesn't appear on the book, but they are acknowledged within, so I always check to see who's writing the one I'm reading at the moment.

Joe excels in writing crazy action sequences that leap off the page.  But then, he gives Annja great moments of introspection that I really quite like too, because it makes her feel less of a stock character.

Annja's a great character and when written well, she utterly is a bad ass. As an archaeologist she gets to know some really random stuff, and that part is her official and serious academic side, but then her day-time job of working for a tv show called Chasing History's Monsters, allows Annja to go on these madcap adventures all over the world.

Admittedly, I make the books sound a bit mental, and I'm sorry about that, but really, they are fun commercial pulp fiction with a great premise and I'm utterly addicted to them.  Out of the forty odd books I probably own about thirty eight or so of them.  I call them my "snack books" because when I need down time or inspiration, I'll pick up one of the new ones and flash through them.

Annja's adventures are always perilous and dangerous and she invariably gets into a lot of trouble, but in the hands of people like Nassise, you 100% believe in her abilities. The snippets of history and lore you pick up along the way is a bonus.  In The Dragon's Mark, the way we get to know the assassin stalking Annja is a bit unnerving as we are kind of aware of who this person is, so when Annja runs into her "unexpectedly" there is a moment of "oh crap, it's gonna go bad".  And it does but not the way you expect it.

I don't really have much more to say, apart from: The Dragon's Mark is fun and thoroughly enjoyable and Mr. Nassise fully entertained me for the duration of the book and I'm very chuffed to discover that the new Rogue Angel title I've just picked up today, Saturday, 8th, is another Nassise and it's called Rogue Angel: Library of Gold.

Come to think of it, these books are actually great quest novels for readers in say high school who are interested in reading something different and fun.  There's no sexy times, there's no swearing, and a lot of the research backing Annja's adventures are really well done.  Also, the size of these are ideal to go into your bag or a pocket, so you aren't laden down with reading big tomes.

If you can though, buy the first book in the series: Destiny, as it really is the framing story (although it is recapped in each book briefly) it gives you an idea as to the background etc. but really, each book works as a standalone so it isn't really necessary, but if you're a nerd like me, you'll want to.

Find a list of all the titles here at this wiki-page.  Sadly, Rogue Angel's publishers never really carry a full list of titles on their website which is a bit annoying as I find it frustrating having to rely on a wiki page for my info, rather from the publisher's "mouth" as such.

Steel's Edge by Ilona Andrews

The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is a fairy tale—and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny…

Charlotte de Ney is as noble as they come, a blueblood straight out of the Weird. But even though she possesses rare magical healing abilities, her life has brought her nothing but pain. After her marriage crumbles, she flees to the Edge to build a new home for herself. Until Richard Mar is brought to her for treatment, and Charlotte’s life is turned upside down once again.

Richard is a swordsman without peer, future head of his large and rambunctious Edger clan—and he’s on a clandestine quest to wipe out slavers trafficking humans in the Weird. So when his presence leads his very dangerous enemies to Charlotte, she vows to help Richard destroy them. The slavers’ operation, however, goes deeper than Richard knows, and even working together, Charlotte and Richard may not survive..

This is the final book in the Edge series by Ilona Andrews.  I read it with trepidation and concern - not because of the writing (as always, it is outstanding)  but because I wasn't sure how I'd react as a reader to the conclusion of this series that crept unexpectedly into my heart and under my skin.  

The books are all standalones within a created world - and a what a world! Rich and diverse and interesting, it is populated by humans mundane and normal, but also by humans with special talents.  A lot of thought and work's gone into these books, in creating the world, the magics, the rules, the hierachy of the bluebloods and how the Edge, The Weird and the Broken fit into one another and influence on another.  

I've not had the chance to read much straight urban fantasy of late, which makes me sad, but I moved everything off my TBR when Steel's Edge came out, mostly because these books are addictive!   If you can't tell from my write-up I mention in my previous review of the first three in the series, that this is a rather splendid series, I'm not sure I've done a good job. 

I wasn't sure if I'd fall for the characters as much as I'd done in the other books but I have! Charlotte is such a brilliant character - damaged, dark, noble, caring, sweet, confused.  I couldn't help but fall for her in a big big way.  I think, after Rose from On The Edge, she is my favourite MC in this series.  Richard Mar, as Charlotte's foil and love interest is a Bad Ass and so unutterably cool and well written - wry, charming, quickwitted, dark and equally damaged, the two are fantastically destined to be together, but their story of coming together is handled so well that it never feels obvious.  Also, the overall story-arc of the slavers and both Richard and Charlotte's determination to stop them, is the big driving force and is never really side-lined. 

Several smaller storylines from other books are brought to a conclusion here too but they are woven through the plot and seem integral so even if you start with Steel's Edge, you'll still understand (due to glib and well handled exposition) what the significance is behind various decisions the characters, both main and secondary, make as the book draws to a conclusion. 

I know Ilona and her hubby are much loved and well known for their Katie Daniels books but really, these are, out of all the urban fantasy that I've read, my favourites.  There is action aplenty, the dialogue is intense and cohesive, the politics are handled with ease but it's the characters at the centre of each story that stand out as well created, interesting people.  Maybe not people I would like to hang around with unarmed, but still pretty cool people that as a reader I can identify with, mostly because they are flawed and their motivations feel real. 

Charlotte and Richard's story is bittersweet and I was a big old crybaby a few times - always the sign of a good book - and I sat up till 2am during last week to finish it.  And when I did, I had a satisfied smile on my face.  It was good. 

So, a lot of readers are worried about urban fantasy and the sexy times.  One of the reasons why I love these books specifically is because you will maybe have one or two incredibly well written, super hot, never gross, sex scenes that make you go a bit flustered and hot under the collar.  Not bad! I don't want more than that - because it's not the whole of the story, rather it is part of it. 

So, if you've an urban fantasy fan, but maybe you're worried about too much romance and sexy times, then this series is for you.  If you like romance and you like action and well written worlds, this series is also for you. 

Right - my job is done.  Here's a link to my previous review I've done on the first three Edge titles.  Buy them, they are addictive and fun. 

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Synopsis

Layken's father died suddenly, leaving her to gather every ounce of strength to be a pillar for her family, in order to prevent their world from falling apart. Now her life is taking another unexpected turn…
Layken's mother gets a job which leads to an unwanted move across country. However, a new home means new neighbours… and Layken's new neighbour is the very attractive Will Cooper.

Will has an intriguing passion for slam poetry, and a matching passion for life. The two feel an irresistible attraction but are rocked to the core when a shocking revelation brings their romance to a screeching halt.

Layken and Will must find a way to fight the forces that threaten to tear them apart… or learn to live without each other.

I'd heard good things about Slammed so decided to give it a go. First off I hadn't seen any slam poetry in a while so the first thing I did when I'd finished was to check some out on YouTube. It's powerful stuff, full of raw emotion. It's not something I've ever come across in fiction before but it really adds depth to an already great story. Layken isn't happy and she has every reason to be miserable: her father's unexpected death, moving from Texas to Michigan and leaving her whole life behind. When she finally gets to her new house she finds a boy the same age as her little brother, Kel who has a much older brother - Will. They immediately hit it off. He introduces her to slam poetry and she starts to feel something other than grief and despair for the first time in months.

However, on her first day at her new school she attends poetry class where she gets a terrible surprise. Although the premise of star-crossed lovers is nothing new, Slammed crackles with originality and it's not just because of the poetry. Each chapter is prefaced with lyrics from The Avett Brothers which add an element of rawness. Layken's new best friend, Eddie, is one of the most awesome secondary characters of 2012. She has such a richly imagined story that I cared as much about her story as I did about Layken's. For starters she named herself after Eddie Izzard - how cool is that? Her backstory is so heartbreaking but she's ridiculously well-rounded and mature. Because of her there's no new-girl-gets-ignored-at-school goings-on. Instead they fall into this brilliant friendship and eventually one of Eddie's scenes makes me cry. 

In fact, I cried a few times reading Slammed. There's a plot twist that I really didn't see coming and a heartwarming ending. There's only one part of this book that I didn't like and it's something that I've seen in a few New Adult books that I've read recently. Love interest Will beats up a boy and Layken initially thinks that Will was preventing her from being attacked. Later it's revealed that he punched him out of jealously which makes her realise that he really does have feelings for her after all. I think this is the fourth book I've read in a row where violence is woven up with the business of complicated emotions and falling in love. In all of these books the violence is seen as evidence of the depth of the male characters' emotions. All of these books have been page turners but violence seems to be becoming a, "thing," that, for me, is pretty unwelcome.

So, apart from the above, I enjoyed Slammed. Part of me is also hoping for a story from Colleen Hoover with the wonderful Eddie as the main character. 

Easy by Tammara Webber

Synopsis

A girl who believes trust can be misplaced, promises are made to be broken, and loyalty is an illusion. A boy who believes truth is relative, lies can mask unbearable pain, and guilt is eternal. Will what they find in each other validate their conclusions, or disprove them all?

When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup two months into sophomore year. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Leaving a party alone, Jacqueline is assaulted by her ex's frat brother. Rescued by a stranger who seems to be in the right place at the right time, she wants nothing more than to forget the attack and that night--but her savior, Lucas, sits on the back row of her econ class, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. Her friends nominate him to be the perfect rebound.

When her attacker turns stalker, Jacqueline has a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Lucas remains protective, but he's hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.

I was recommended this book at the SCBWI agents' party and immediately went home, downloaded it onto my Kindle and started reading. It has an explosive opening chapter; Jacqueline is horribly assaulted in a car park when leaving a party. It's traumatic reading and I was massively relieved when Lucas steps in to help her. All she wants to do then is to get back to normal. She tells no one, not even her room mate, and tries to ignore that anything has happened. However, Lucas is there to remind her that it was real and that she had a lucky escape. Instead of crumple and disappear Jacqueline starts to put her life back together again. First off she needs to counteract her absence in economics by doing some catch-up work to prevent being failed by her teacher. Secondly she attends a self-defense class to give her back her confidence and also some skills should she ever find herself in the same situation again. 

Lucas is a wonderful character. At first Jacqueline decides that he's not her type with his tattoos and piercings. Her friends convince her that he's perfect rebound material to help her get over the ex. At first attracting him is just a game but they both realise that there's more than a little attraction between them. It's also a lesson in not giving in to first impressions. Lucas questions whether he actually interrupted an attempted rape, Jacqueline isn't sure if she could ever be interested in someone who looks like Lucas - what could they possibly have in common? However, they're drawn to each other and it's this growing relationship that makes Easy such a difficult book to put down.

There's a very strong message through the book that rape victims have a difficult time being believed. Jacqueline is lucky that Lucas was there to help her and that her friends are supportive. However, another character isn't so lucky and I found her treatment by her female peers difficult reading. It's the first time I've read a book where character's  say that not being a virgin may make a rape accusation more difficult to prove. I hasten to add that this is appropriately squashed by other characters but it goes to show that this book doesn't hold back on the reality of the harsh words that rape victims can face. 

Easy manages a difficult feat of being a magnetic read whilst highlighting serious issues. It entertained and surprised me and I'm eager to read more by this author.  As an aside, this is mature YA or New Adult and as such it doesn't hold back on the physical relationship between the main characters nor the realities of rape.

Dead Winter by C L Werner

More than a thousand years after the Age of Sigmar, the Empire he struggled to create rests on the edge of destruction – the reign of the greedy and incompetent Emperor Boris Goldgather has shaken down the great and prosperous edifice of his erstwhile realm. Without warning, a terrible and deadly plague strikes, wiping out entire villages and leaving towns eerily silent through the long frozen months. As the survivors struggle to maintain order and a worthy military presence, vermin pour up from the sewers and caverns beneath the cities, heralding a new and unspeakable threat – the insidious skaven!

Finding myself reading another Time of Legends novel kind of happened by accident. As we mentioned back here, Liz and I went off to the inaugural Black Library Weekender a few weeks back. There I finally got to meet Clint Werner, the first and only man cool enough to carry off wearing a rattlesnake on his hat. After that, it was pretty much a given that I was going to have a go at something he'd written! 

Dead Winter is set in the Empire at a time when the scurrying hordes of Skaven are setting in motion a grand plan to destroy the world of man. Werner is no stranger to the ratmen of Skavenblight, having penned several novels centred on them already, and there's no mistaking how firm a grip he has on their shadowy culture as things get underway. But there's more to Skaven here- the backbone of Dead Winter lies with the plague-riddled lands of men, where the tightfisted arrogance of Emperor Boris 'Goldgather' is threatening to do the Skaven's job for them. 

What ensues is classic Warhammer- everything either balanced on a knife edge or teetering towards destruction as Werner starts building the pace, bringing together rat-catchers, a plague doctor, a fallen priest of the god of death, Skaven infighting, plagues and the occasional giant spider into an atmospheric whole that bodes very well for the rest of the series (but not so well for the poor Empire!)

Devious, bloody and fun, with a great cast of characters and a rich setting, this was a fast and enjoyable read and I look forward to seeing exactly how far Mr Werner can twist the knife.

You can read an extract here, or visit Clint's website here.

At Yellow Lake by Jane McLoughlin

Etta, Peter and Jonah all find themselves at a cabin by the shore of Yellow Lake, and flung together in the terrifying series of events that follows. 

Jonah has come to Yellow Lake to try to get in touch with his Ojibwe roots. Peter is there to bury a lock of his mother's hair - her final request. Etta is on the run from her mother's creepy boyfriend, Kyle, and his dodgy friends. 

But as the three take shelter in the cabin, finding surprising solace in each other's company, they soon realise that they have inadvertently stumbled onto the scene of a horrifying crime, and Kyle and his cronies have no intention of letting them escape. 

What to say about At Yellow Lake that the handy synopsis doesn't give away? Not much, actually.  

What I found interesting about At Yellow Lake is that the author used three very distinctive voices to tell the story - the three points of view came from the three main characters.  And yes, they are all main characters rather than one main with a side of two secondary characters - this surprised me.  I felt for Etta and Peter and Jonah, their voices were fresh and new but it also made me cringe.  Especially Jonah's voice - there was this naivety about his expectations (go live in the woods and live off the land like his ancestors did) that made me deeply uncomfortable.  Not just because of his innocence but because you kind of know that things are going to go tits-up sooner or later. 

Because of this, my own hesitancy, I don't think I enjoyed At Yellow Lake as much as I should have.  And it's weird - I think it's because I knew A Bad Thing was going to happen, that I expected it to happen, so rather than looking forward to it, it made me worry for the characters - again, not necessarily a bad thing, but it did hamper my enjoyment of a book that is technically well written and in some places running amuck with achingly beautiful prose. 

Also, I think the overall plot, the danger the kids are in is actually incidental to the actual story - bear with me as I explain what I mean (it's not a criticism).  The story for me is about three kids, who are terrifically alone in this crowded world of ours, who for reasons of their own, go to great lengths to be cut off from society.  It's about kids who don't see themselves as part of a community or family and they feel weak and powerless because of their loneliness.  But once they find one another, there is conflict and tension, but a bond of camaraderie forms and they stand together in the face of adversity.  And that's what this book is about.  It's also about survival and how doing the right thing for the wrong reasons sometimes turn out to be the better thing to do, rather than inaction. 

I enjoyed At Yellow Lake, I'd recommend it as a thoughtful read for strong independent readers from say 12+ who are maybe a bit more mature in their reading tastes.  Personally, I would have liked a longer book and I felt that the ending was exactly as it should be, but again, there were scenes, especially when Etta, Jonah and Peter were together, that I would have liked to have been deeper, less rushed.  

Find the author, Jane McLoughlin's website here and At Yellow Lake's been longlisted for the Carnegie.  Find the whole giant list here.   

Favourite Childhood Books Part Two - The Moomins by Tove Jansson

Synopsis

When Moomintroll learns that a comet will be passing by, he and his friend Sniff travel to the Observatory on the Lonely Mountains to consult the Professors. Along the way, they have many adventures, but the greatest adventure of all awaits them when they learn that the comet is headed straight for their beloved Moominvalley.

When I read the Moomins as a child I don't think I really appreciated how surreal they are. I simply accepted their strange life and adventures. I didn't really understand, for example, that some places in the world had almost total darkness in the winter. To me it was just the world of Moomins where folk tales ruled. Take Comet in Moominland where Moomintroll has a bad feeling that something bad was going to happen. He trusts his gut and travels to the Lonely Mountains to find out more. This journey isn't simple though, it's arduous, difficult and almost ends tragically. However, Moomintroll and Sniff find the wandering and wonderful Snufkin who spends his life travelling the country. Together they find out more about the mysterious comet which is bringing the feeling of unease to the creatures of the valley.

Snufkin is a brilliant character. He always knows what to do for the best and makes sure they get to the mountains unhurt. The messages are gentle but quite profound. For example Sniff wants to keep some garnets that Snufkin has discovered. Sniff is scared off by a dragon and Snufkin gently reminds him that some things are better to appreciate from a distance without the need to take them. The lessons and messages in Moominland are never heavily laboured and I love the books because Moomin is allowed to do what he likes yet he's wild and responsible in equal parts. 

These are definitely books that you can appreciate for different reasons as an adult and at times you can sense that Tove is destined to end up writing for adults. Multi-layered and gorgeous - if you've never read them before give them a go. The television programme really caught the flavour of the books for me. So, before I finish, here's one of the more bizarre, beautiful and slightly scary episodes of The Moomins: The Lady of the Cold.

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...

Dark Eyes by William Richter

Wally was adopted from a Russian orphanage as a child and grew up in a wealthy New York City family. At fifteen, her obsessive need to rebel led her to life on the streets.

Now the sixteen-year-old is beautiful and hardened, and she's just stumbled across the possibility of discovering who she really is. She'll stop at nothing to find her birth mother before Klesko - her darkeyed father - finds her. Because Klesko will stop at nothing to reclaim the fortune Wally's mother stole from him long ago. Even if that means murdering his own blood. But Wally's had her own killer training, and she's hungry for justice.

I enjoyed this book so much but am peeved that it's got the crappy tagline of: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for teens, this debut thriller introduces our next big series heroine! 

Oh ffs, get a grip.  Wally is nothing like Lisbeth Salander - LS is a psychopath.  Wally isn't anything remotely like Lisbeth.  Besides, it's a tagline that would maybe attract adult readers as I'm not entirely TGWTDT had that wide a teen readership...and so it makes me think the publishers are desperately trying to mark this as something with cross-over appeal and maybe trying too hard.  

With that mini-tantrum out of the way: I thoroughly enjoyed Dark Eyes.  In fact, I loved it so much I want to write fan-fiction, but I have good impulse control so I won't.  Dark Eyes is a mixture of adult thriller (NOT Girl With a pointless Dragon Tattoo) and the best of YA contemporary your ten quid can buy.  It's feels gritty and very real and in Wally we have a unique and strong heroine who doesn't allow herself to be pushed around.  She's living on the streets, a voluntary choice, and she's the leader of a small team of homeless kids who steal and hustle cons on tourists and unsuspecting locals. There are four of them, Ella, Jake, and Trevin.  Ella and Jake are a couple (their brief histories and why they are on the street is explained too, which was nice) and then there's Trevin who just seemed to lovely to be real. 

Dark Eyes is a twisty turny modern thriller set on the streets of NY where the city and outlying areas are used to great effect.  If I closed my eyes whilst reading it, I could easily imagine the long sweeping aerial shots of the busy roads, of sunsets and dawns over the city.  Tremendously atmospheric, the city with its ebbs and flows formed the perfect backdrop to Wally's story.  There are just enough mention of touristy places to orientate me, and more than plenty of mentions of places I've never heard of to intrigue me.  More than anything I want to find a map and look up the settings used for the book.  Is that mad? Shut up, read on. 

And what a story it is.  Who Klesko is is easily deducible and it's a nice token from the author, giving us that sly nod, letting us in on the secret.  What we need to figure out though is not only who Wally's real family is, but what's the story behind the story - why was Valentina Mayakova abandoned in a Russian orphanage, who are her parents, why was she brought to America...and who is her mum? And what's the story with Klesko, what exactly does he want and who is his murderous sidekick, called Tigr?  

All these questions are answered and a few more - what worked well is the way the story was told, in a strong unaffected voice, with side-chapters and pieces given to a concerned policeman who enters the story pretty near the start as he investigates the death of one of Wally's team.  We get the more formal police procedural, the more serious story from NYPD Detective Atley Greer. 

Richter doesn't pull punches - there's cussing, sexy times, action, guns, fights, snark...in other words, Dark Eyes is aimed at more mature readers (nothing to do here with age, btw) and to be honest, Wally's the kind of MC who you know is a bit of a poser (she admits this herself) but you like her and want her to figure out the mystery surrounding her heritage and you want her to come out ontop, swinging. 

The ending is tied off neatly, but with enough of an opening for a second book.  And I'm super pleased that there is a second book called Tiger and it's already been pre-ordered - due out next year.  

Dark Eyes is a satisfying read and definitely one I'd recommend to you guys, if you look past the utterly rubbish Lisbeth Salander faux quote. 

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

WARNING:SPOILERS FOR ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD

Synopsis

It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on. 

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.


Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.


Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

Anna Dressed in Blood was my favourite book of last year - hands down. In fact Liz and I have a little Anna fan club going on - no, really, we have badges and everything. I was so looking forward to reading book two and getting immersed in the world again. At the end of book one, Anna has sacrificed herself by passing on to another place taking the awful Obeahman with her. Cas is aware that he should be moving on, his athame has been purified so he can get back to the business of sending malevolent ghosts on their way - right? Well, not quite because Anna is turning up in Cas's dreams and eventually into his daylight hours and it's obvious that she hasn't passed on to a peaceful place. He's tormented with the knowledge that she's clearly in trouble but he can't help. He turns to his friends, Thomas and Carmel who encourage him to let it go. Even Gideon, his dad's advisor and voodoo practitioner Morfran warn him about messing with the door to the other side.

Cas won't let it go though, of course, and his search for help takes him to London so my wish at the end of book one to find out more about Gideon is fulfilled. However, it's in the UK that the story gets very scary. I compared Kendare Blake to Stephen King before and I say it again now - this lady can certainly write horror. I got chills as they entered the forests of Scotland - it was, without a doubt, one of the creepiest passages I've read. I won't spoil it for you but I think what happens to them there is loosely based on a real forest in Japan that I saw on television years ago. I also especially enjoyed the trip they make to see Thomas's aunt - I'll never look at gingersnaps the same way again!

I really enjoyed this book. My enjoyment of YA, whether it be contemporary, horror or fantasy, is always based upon the journey that the protagonist makes. Girl of Nightmares portrays some of the heartbreaking aspects of growing up - like first loves and succumbing to peer pressure. I loved the characters even more in book two despite the fact that I wanted to bash their heads together. There wasn't the urgency for me in this book though, despite the subject matter and their journey. At times it's quite a somber read with little let-up and when I finished I did a little internet searching to find that (as far as I'm aware) there'll be no book three. I feel that there should be another. Of course I'm going to say this, I'm heavily invested in Anna and the gang. However, if this is to be a duo then once I've come to terms with that I'm sure I'll be happy with the outcome. I can't say more without giving it away - there's so much I want to discuss with you about this! 

Anna, Cas, Thomas and Carmel - I've loved you guys - farewell.