LOKI'S WOLVES - K.L. ARMSTRONG & M.A. MARR - REVIEW

Book: Loki's Wolves
Authors: K.L. Armstrong, M.A. Marr
Publisher: Little Brown Younger Readers
ISBN: 9780349001524
Rating: B

In Viking times, Norse myths predicted the end of the world, an event called Ragnarok that only the gods can stop. When this apocalypse happens, the gods must battle the monsters - wolves the size of the sun, serpents that span the seabeds - all bent on destroying the world. But the gods died a long time ago. Matt Thorsen knows every Norse myth, saga, and god as if it was family history - because it is family history. Most people in the modern-day town of Blackwell, in fact, are direct descendants of either Thor or Loki, including Matt's classmates Fen and Laurie Brekke. But knowing the legends and completely believing them are two different things. When the rune readers reveal that Ragnarok is coming and kids - led by Matt - must stand in for the gods in the final battle, Matt can hardly believe it. Matt's, Laurie's, and Fen's lives will never be the same as they race to put together an unstoppable team to stop the end of the world.

I'm not sure the reasons that I decided to pick this up and I'm still not sure if I liked it or not. I think maybe personally I wasn't keen on it but for the target age it was perfect. The main reason, I guess i did pick this up is because of the authors. Both Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong are fantastic authors, both of which I have read books and thoroughly enjoyed. I also gave this a spin because it focused on Norse mythology which there isn't much of in fiction and I wanted to read more. I know Riordan's next series is Norse and the need series touched on it but this seemed like a very full on children's fantasy that would bring Norse mythology to life, and don't get me wrong it did, just something didn't do it for me.

This is a children's novel and that is something I need to bear in mind whilst reviewing this. I guess I've become so accustomed to reading YA and adult or maybe it was because I never read anything this simple but I found this too simple. I felt like it told me everything there and then, literally spelling out to me what was happening, and yet with so many words it lacked description. Furthermore the plot was very simple. Now this is my personal opinion but if we go professional then this is a wonderful novel because for the age group this is aimed at this has the simplicity is perfect. For younger and maybe reluctant readers it will be an easy read that they can grasp and enjoy easily. They will love the action packed chapters that leave them on end, I guess the just didn't leave me on end.

The story and theme of this is continuously fun. The mythology has been twisted into the story in a smart way making it both interesting and enjoyable. I liked how whilst making it fantasy and action packed the authors used this opportunity to actually educate children about Norse mythology and give some back story to it rather than just to have troll fights every chapter which is my next point. They was crazy thrilling. Every chapter left you gasping for more, and this will you child having many sleepless nights, but in the good way. Cliffhangers were the pinnacle of this, exciting and riveting scenes leaving you thirsting for more.

I think when writing an Actioney/Mythological children's fantasy it can often sway towards more of a male book, especially with most in this sub genre having male protagonists but I felt this could easily appeal to girls are well with the use of Multiple POV including a female. In fact the authors have tactfully made each character both unique and interesting whilst easy to follow, remember and understand. There were 3 main characters, meaning it's an easy book to follow and even between the 3 characters there;s a love hate relationship that creates the sort of chemistry you need to keep a book from slumping miserably.

As for the writing, as I said above, personally it doesn't do it for me, but however for a juvenile fictions its perfect. Minimal and easy yet still relatable for kids and has the charm of fantasy books. Not an awful lot of description but int he case of children too much will bore them so I think in terms of it being a younger readers novel the authors have nailed it on the head.

Overall I think it's a fun snappy fast paced novel, brimming with magic and mythology that will keep any child enchanted whilst they read this book.

DIVERGENT FOR DUMMIES: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO DIVERGENT

So as you guys may or may not know I am a massive Divergent Fan and there's been a lot happening with this series at the moment, so this is basically a Dummies guide to Divergent.

Divergent is a Dystopian and awesome Trilogy. So far two books are out and book 3 is scheduled for later this year. Here are the books. The author is the incredibly talented Veronica Roth.

The Books

Available Now
US Cover - UK Cover
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Available Now

US Cover - UK Cover 

One choice can transform you--or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

Not Yet Released - Release Date: October 22nd 2013
US Cover - UK Cover
This novel is yet to be released and so forth no complete sypnosis or blurb is available. It remains a mystery. What is known has been pasted below.
What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

Allegiant Info
Now we don't know much about this but we have gleaned some juicy tidbits about Allegiant. For starts both of the covers have water in them, and that Suggests a flood maybe? A lot of water is for sure. We also know there will be a new male character and that we will learn more about Edith Prior!

Movie Info
So there will in fact be a movie of Divergent. It's being made by Summit, the same people who made the Twilight movies and is set for release in 2014. A lot of the Casting has already been done and here is the Cast List so far.

Cast List

	Shailene Woodley	...	Beatrice 'Tris' Prior
	Jai Courtney	...	Eric
	Kate Winslet	...	Jeanine Matthews
	Ansel Elgort	...	Caleb Prior
	Theo James	...	Four
	Tony Goldwyn	...	Andrew Prior
	Maggie Q	...	Tori
	Miles Teller	...	Peter
	Ray Stevenson	...	Marcus Eaton
	Zoë Kravitz	...	Christina
	Ashley Judd	...	Natalie Prior
	Mekhi Phifer	...	Max
	Ben Lloyd-Hughes	...	Will
	Christian Madsen	...	Al
	Ben Lamb	...	Edward
	Justine Wachsberger	...	Lauren
	Amy C. Newbold	...	Molly Atwood

Movie Stills
Click to Enlarge

Extra
Well there isnt much more to cover apart from the very recent Official divergent Movie Graphics that have been released. See below. Click to Enlarge

GUEST POSTING

Hiya Guys! Just thought I'd let you know that today I have guest posted on another Awesome book blog called Readaraptor!! Go check out my post here:

http://www.readaraptor.co.uk/2013/05/guest-post-from-arjun-from-excellent.html

FANMADE STARCROSSED COVER

Just thought I'd make a fanmade starcrossed cover... I guess this sort of cover would be a limited edition one or something.

GODDESS - JOSEPHINE ANGELINI - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY

Book: Goddess
Author: Josephine Angelini
Publisher: PanMacmillan
ISBN: 9780330529761
Rating: A

She must rise, or they will fall ...Helen's powers are increasing--and so is the distance between her and her mortal friends. To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a dangerous traitor is lurking among them, and all fingers point to Orion. Still unsure whether she loves him or Lucas, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, or risk all-out war. The final book in this heart-stopping trilogy.

Angelini you genius. You are the master of all things amazing. You know what, you should be the Goddess of writing because this was truly magical. Every single book in this series has been better than it's baby sister and this one topped the lot. By miles the best finale of a series I've read for a long. Absolutely perfect in every mannerism or characteristic. Listen up authors, because this is how you end a saga.

So in the we follow Helen on her quest [kind of] to stop the war and trust me, Angelini is queen of surprises, twists and turns. She has mastered the art of it and I have come to the conclusion that Authors sit there in general and basically do this. Author: Okay, I need to kill someone off. Who do the fans love the most. So I guess spoiler alert but there is so much shock in this plot. In fact it's one of the most intricate, perfect,  jam packed and well crafted plots I have had the pleasure to read for a long time. I mean this was perfect. The story was just everything you'd want from this book. The magic, the gods, the romance. It's a package deal and you're getting the best part of it.

The setting varied. We had Nantucket Island, Underworld and Everyland (Which I can't tell you about). All of these we masterfully created and Angelini's beautiful use of description helped this magical places to blossom in our minds. Everyworld in itself is pure perfection and the way it's portrayed is beautiful. In fact we view all the setting in a new light within this book. Nantucket becomes a battleground and The underworld becomes and escapism or a safe place almost.

The characters... well this is possibly going to be a massive paragraph. I'm not sure if what Angelini did with the characters was Genius or pure evil. There was so much suspense and shock with each and every characters. So many personality changes, emotional changes, physical changes at Matt changes. As well as some new characters and people becoming completely new characters, they generally stayed the the same, and because it's the final book we discover the true origins of all the scions and who all their real god-parents are. In fact they way Angelini has created the characters is one of the cleverest things in the book, completely throwing of trail of what you'd expect.
My favourite character in this novel is Helen hands down. Andi was a close runner but Helen is just full thrust awesomeness. The power, the magic, and just everything we learn about her makes her the most perfect character in every way and the best heroine a novel can have!

The writing is something Angelini always impresses with. I love her use of description to build up vivid images in you mind. I love descriptive book so this was perfect for me. It doesn't drag on but finds the equilibrium between description and dialogue to make the story so crisp in you mind. Her writing also has they beautiful whimsical tone to it whilst still be strong and hard hitting.
Another thing I've loved about her writing, since book 1, is that Aneglini writes in such a way it's one of those book you can pick up anywhere, anytime, even for 5 minutes and completely slip into and indulge in the story, and trust me, there's a lot to indulge in.

{SPOILER} The scenes in this story are sublime, but my favourite has to be when Helen saves dying lucas and makes her own atlantis, every land. The way she builds up the world, makes herself immortal and captures Zeus in it, is just so masterfully crafted. And another favourite scene is when Helen and Lucas find out they're not cousin! YAY! {SPOILER OVER}

So yes, there's a lot to love about this book and saying goodbye is going to be hard. It was a stunning masterpiece that had me from page 1. Theres death, romance, mythology and the finest ingredients for the epic finale. But I guess it's farewell to this series. The most magical story of the year. Hands down.

GIVEAWAY!
Now you can enter a UK ONLY giveaway to win Goddess by Josephine Angelini! Either go to the giveaway page here on enter the form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GODDESS - JOSEPHINE ANGELINI - GIVEAWAY - UK ONLY

Hi Guys! So to celebrate the release of Josephine Angelini's Starcrossed Finale: Goddess, we will be running a giveaway! Simply enter below! The competition will run from today (07/05/2013) and ends on 23/05/2013 - the release date! All you have to do is enter below and may the gods be ever in your favour! UK entrants only please!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

KAREN MAHONEY - INTERVIEW

Just had a lovely interview with the amazing Karen Mahoney! Enjoy!

Would you be an Alchemist, Elf or Fairy?

First of all, thanks for inviting me! I love your questions – it’s nice to be asked
some different things.

I’d definitely choose to be an alchemist. I’ve always been fascinated by alchemy
and love any kind of magic.

Xan or Nav... which is your guy?

Ha! Well... in real life my guy is actually Nav (he’s based on my boyfriend), so I
guess I’ll have to go with him. ;) I do love Xan too, though. He literally came to me
in a dream and I feel pretty invested in his happiness.

What was your inspiration for The Iron Witch Series and why did you pick Alchemists
over Vampires or Werewolves?

I’ve always loved vampires (see: my other series about teen vampire Moth), but
I really wanted to do something different with the world of The Iron Witch. I’ve
read tons about alchemy – including some of Dr. John Dee’s journals – and there’s
just something about the mystery surrounding that particular branch of magic
that I find interesting.

Are any of the characters based on you or people you know?

Yes! As I mentioned, Navin is based on my boyfriend of the last six years.
Normally, it’s not the best idea to openly base characters on real people, but I
couldn’t help myself – and, I have to say, he loves that I did it. Otherwise, most
of the other characters come purely from my imagination. I’m sure some of them
have elements that are unconsciously inspired by people I know, but probably just
little things taken from here and there.

Do your family and friends ever try to find themselves in the characters?

I don’t think so... I hope not! :)

Do you have a writing ritual?

I’m quite random in my whole approach to writing. Often I write late at night, but
then again... I have been known to write in a busy cafe at lunchtime. I do like to
have a cup of coffee (or green tea!) before I start a writing session, but I wouldn’t
say it’s a ritual.

What is your most embarrassing moment as a writer?

The Iron Witch? Then, yes, I have the right person.”

Will there be a movie of The Iron Witch?

It would be lovely, but there is nothing in the works. Movies are something
completely out of my hands – if a studio or screenwriter or producer shows any
interest I’d be thrilled, but it doesn’t happen all that often. I did have some interest
from someone who wanted to turn The Iron Witch into a graphic novel, but that
didn’t go anywhere. Maybe one day!

When did you know you wanted to write?

I think I always wanted to write. The first time I consciously remember saying,
“I’m going to be an author” I was about 12 years old.

Who is your Favourite Author?

There are honestly too many to name. Here are five (it could just as easily be any
other five – or fifty): Charlotte Bronte, Marjorie M. Liu, Holly Black, Richelle
Mead and Neil Gaiman.

What is the book you wish you had written?

I can’t answer that, I’m afraid. I truly am writing the books I want to write. I love
reading, and read ALL THE TIME, but I can’t say I’ve ever thought there was
a book I wish that I’d written. I just feel grateful that we live in a time where so
many incredible novels are being created.

How does it feel to see your book in a bookshop or to know you’ve created a
worldwide phenomenon?

I’m not sure I’d call my books a worldwide phenomenon (although I appreciate
the sentiment!), but it is still a magical feeling to see my work in bookshops.
Also, the fact that The Iron Witch – my first ever novel – has been published in 8
countries blows my mind every time I think about it. I am very lucky.

If you could have dinner with any three people (dead or alive) who would it be and why?

Tough one! I’d have to say Charlotte Bronte, Erica Jong, and William Moulton
Marston (the creator of Wonder Woman). One of them is still alive... :)

DREAMLESS - JOSEPHINE ANGELINI - REVIEW

Right, so you may be wondering why this has suddenly appeared a year late? Well as it turns out I just started Goddess the last book and thought I'd check back on my older reviews. Now I know blogger hates me but I didn't realised he hated me enough to delete a review! Turns out he does so here's the saved review from last year.

Book: Dreamless
Author: Josephine Angelini
Publisher: PanMacmillan
ISBN: 9780330529747
Rating: A

Tasked with descending to the underworld and killing the Furies, Helen must endure hellish torture whenever she goes to sleep -- she wanders around the various levels of hell with no idea how to complete her task, and she's beginning to suffer from extreme exhaustion. Although she still trains with the Delos clan, Helen and Lucas are coming to terms with the fact that they cannot be together. Lucas believes that the only way Helen will complete her quest is if he leaves her alone completely, so he tells her he doesn't want to see her again and that he never loved her. Distraught, Helen carries on with her mission, and for the first time meets another person down in the shadowy underworld: Orion, descended from Adonis and with the power to control desire, he is the heir to the house of Rome and an outcast. He's also kind of hot. Confused by her conflicting emotions but glad to have an ally in hell, Helen begins to realize the enormity of her task ...

This is one of those stunning series' that I fell in love with from day one so I when this arrived I read it withing a matter of days. Once of those magical books that just makes you feel amazing when you read it! I mean this has been one of the most heavily anticipated sequels ever! It did not dissapoint.

From page one I was induced in a book loving coma. I lived this novel for the time I was reading it and it was all that mattered. Dreamless is a sequel and with sequels you have to careful the first book isn't better and this series series just keeps on getting better! The book is a stunning masterpiece and I adore this series a gazillion times over.

The plot in itself was was amazing. I've loved the initial theme and idea since book when and when I found out Angelini was creating a cliched YA love triangle I was pretty sceptical but I had no reason to be. Angelini handled it beautifully, making it interesting and enjoyable at the same time, not falling into the clutches of terrible YA love triangles.

Angelini's writing is beautiful. There's something so lyrical and whimsical about it and I love the way she uses description! She crates the most vivd world and melds your minds to crete the most magical scenarios you could ever imagine.

Characters. The introduction of new characters, particularly orion, was not anything but perfect. The characters we already knew became closer to us and we got to know them better, and as with any sequel, we saw peoples true colours. But of course there were new characters and every one of them made this absolutely amazing! They were so personal and were amazing to read about in every way. I couldn't put this down!

Overall this is a stunning sequel to a stunning saga and it was quite simply perfect.

FANMADE ICONS MOVIE POSTER

Just a little fanmade icons movie poster!