HELLO WORLD

Okay, Hi everyone! I know it's been a while and I have very MIA recently but I have a very good reason. Over the past few months I have had my finals, or exams or whatever they called in every country, regardless to say, they're majorly important and all my time and energy was focused on them meaning I couldn't post and the blog suffered.

However.

I HAVE FINISHED THEM!! WOOOO! Yes they're all done now, meaning I have 12 weeks of holiday and plenty of time to read and review and blog and all sorts, so needless to say I'm back and ready to blog!!! I've missed it loads and now I'm here I'm my comfy chair, whirring away at reviews that I've been waiting so long to write and you'll be able to read them very very soon!

DARREN SHAN - INTERVIEW - ZOM-B MISSION BLOG TOUR

Hello everyone! So I know I've been a little MIA recently but I have exams at the moment and exams equals revision which doesn't leave me much time to post.

Anyway today I have something very awesome to share with you! To celebrate the release of the next instalment in Darren Shan's amazing Zom-B series; Zom-b Mission, I have an mega cool interview to share! In fact a couple of years ago I have the pleasure of meeting Darren so being able to do this interview to celebrate this new book was actually really fun and exciting for me!

Moving on, I don't want to keep you waiting so without further ado, here is the interview!

1. What was you inspiration behind this series? 
I wanted to write about racism and the abuse of power in the early 21st century, but I wanted to come
at it in a roundabout way, not write it as a straight-up issues book. I felt I might reach more readers if I made the issues part of a wider, thrilling, exciting, horrifc storyline, rather than focus on them exclusively. Zombies seemed like a good way to do that -- George A Romero's zombie films explored racist issues long before I hit the scene, so the precedent was already there -- so off I set.

2. Are any of the characters based on people you know? 
Well, lots of them are named after people I know. I've done that in other books in the past, but more than usual in this novel, since it's got more of a contemporary urban feel than my other works, and "real" names suited the story more than they suited the stories of my previous work. But in terms of basing the characters on real people, no, not so much. Which is a relief, given how twisted and vicious the characters in these books are!

3. Do you have a writing ritual? 
I tend to write about ten pages (3,000) words a day when I'm doing a first draft. I'll write five pages in the morning, take a break for lunch, edit them after lunch, then write another five. Continue until finished. I'll then give myself a break of a few months, before returning to do a rewrite, and I take further breaks between each subsequent edit. In total, I'll usually spend between two and three years working on any one book, although I'll juggle a lot of different books around over that period, which is how I can release books so quickly.

4. What is your most embarrassing moment as a Writer?
 I was at an event once where a fan asked me about a certain character. I didn't recognise the name, and told the fan that I thought she was thinking of a book by a different writer. But no, she calmly reminded me of where the character appeared, and I finally recalled him! Luckily I'm not precious about these things, and I had a good laugh at my own expense.

5. When did you know you wanted to write?
 Since I was five or six years of age. There were lots of others things I wanted to be too (vet, rock star, footballer, astronaut), but being a writer was top of the list, and also a lot more achievable for me than my other goals, since I was actually good at writing.

6. Who is your favourite author and what is your favourite book? 
Stephen King is my favourite author, and has been for about thirty years, since I read my first book by him. My favourite book as a child was The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

7. What is the book you wish you had written? 
I don't have a desire to write any books that are already written. There are amazing, groundbreaking books that I admire the hell out of -- for example, Lord of the Rings, and the graphic novel Watchmen -- but they were the work of other creative minds, and I only focus on what I can produce myself.

8. How does it feel to see your book in bookshops?
 Nice, though not as mind-blowing as I think many people imagine. It's not like winning the lottery and walking around in a happy daze. A published book is the result of months and years of hard graft. By the time it appears on a bookshelf, I've gone through so many different stages that it's something of an anticlimax.

9. Can you give us any info of what you're working on next / what your next project is? 
There are several more Zom-B books to come (there will be twelve in total) so I'm finishing off those at the moment. I have also completed a first draft of what I hope will be my next book after that, but I can't say anything about it yet, as it's still very much in its infancy.

10. And finally a fun question! If you could have dinner with any three people, dead or alive, who would they be and why? 
Stephen King, William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens. I'm sure I'd get some good stories out of those three over the course of a meal.

So as you can see that was a fantastic interview and if you haven't already read the Zom-B books you should definitely check them out. Here are the links for:

Book 1

Book 3

Book 2

Book 4

Book 6

Book 5

Book 7

BANISHED - LIZ DE JAGER - REVIEW

Book: Banished
Author: Liz De Jager
Publisher: Tor
ISBN: 9781447247654
Rating: A

Kit is proud to be a Blackhart, now she's living with her unorthodox cousins and sharing their strange lives. Especially since their home-schooling includes spells, fighting enemy fae and using ancient weapons. But it's not until she rescues a rather handsome fae prince, fighting for his life on the edge of Blackhart Manor, that her training really kicks in. With her family away on various missions, Kit must protect Prince Thorn, rely on new friends and use her own unfamiliar magic to stay ahead of Thorn's enemies. As things go from bad to apocalyptic, fae battle fae in a war that threatens to spill into the human world. Then Kit pits herself against the Elder Gods themselves - it's that or lose everyone she's learnt to love.

So I got a proof of this way back but I thought I'd hold of reviewing it till it was out and Voila! It is, so you should go and buy it! But seriously It's an amazing book. Now I'm not just saying that because I've met the author but I really mean it. It's honestly like nothing you'll ever read before.

I'm not sure how to describe. If you took maybe the mortal interments, lord of the rings and then just throw in some modern YA Paranormal fiction with a bucket of romance and feels I guess you'd get this. There is nothing like this out there on the market and it's such a new and great idea I couldn't help but fall in love with it from page 1.

I loved the story idea. The plot it so intricate and beautiful and the novel just has so much packed into it. There wasn't a page that went by in which nothing happened. There was always some action of mystery to keep the pages turning and you on the edge of your seat.
The books follows Kit Blackheart who belongs to a family of demon fighting, prince saving superhero (to put it lightly). Anyway she saves a prince, gets attacked by tons of monsters and get drawn into a insanely awesome story.
I had no issues following the story but I loved how it was complex enough to keep me guessing and to never give too much away.

The setting in this never stayed the same for too much because they were always on the move but one thing I did love is seeing how so many of the normal places in England were warped into these ulterior magical places.

The writing was extremely good. I'm a lover of descriptive prose and this book did it for me. Liz De Jager ha a way with words, building up these magical locations and characters to the utmost detail. Her writing made worlds appear in my head and I absolutely loved it.
Also the way she handled and the characters and emotions in her writing was perfection. It was consistent, strong and I couldn't held but adore it.

The characters in this book were a pleasure to read about. Each had a distinct voice, though it was from Kit's POV, and you instantly knew who you liked and didn't. All the characters had good foundations and Jager delved back into their histories to give you a better understanding of each character and this made them more real and human.
What I loved was how she led you to believe that certain characters were certain people when in fact they're not at all and she has mastered the art of twist and turns because this book had shocked and surprised on so many occasions.

Overall I absolutely adored this novel down to the very last pages. It had me up till the darkest hours of night so I could find out what happened next and I will be recommending this to all my friends because it was absolutely totally fabulous.

THE HOUSE OF HADES - RICK RIORDAN - REVIEW

Book: Hero's of Olympus: The House of Hades
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Puffin
ISBN: 9780141339184
Rating: A

The House of Hades is the fourth book in the bestselling Heroes of Olympus series, set in the action-packed world of Percy Jackson. The stakes have never been higher. If Percy Jackson and Annabeth fail in their quest, there'll be hell on Earth. Literally. Wandering the deadly realm of Tartarus, every step leads them further into danger. And, if by some miracle they do make it to the Doors of Death, there's a legion of bloodthirsty monsters waiting for them. Meanwhile, Hazel and the crew of the Argo II have a choice: to stop a war or save their friends. Whichever road they take one thing is certain - in the Underworld, evil is inescapable

This review is insanely late and I must apologise for that but stuff came up that I had to deal with, but as I said, uber sorry for the delay.

Where to start with this. I feel like I'm repeating myself in the reviews for this series but I honest to god adore every single book in it and House of Hades tops it off. As per usual Riordan has wowed me once again, providing a stunning addition to this magical and wonderful series. There are really no words to describe how fantastic this novel is.

So this book picks up where Book 3 left off, and actually is set in two places. We followed one set of the seven on above land as they traveled to the doors and we followed Percy down in Hades, which by far was one of my favourite settings. Hades, being a unreal place, was so open to interpretation and I was raring to see what Riordan would do with it and I absolutely loved it. He built this fantastic new world or dimension and It just felt so real and flawless.

The storyline essentially follows Percy's quest to save Annabeth and the rest of the Groups quest to open and then close the doors for him in the real world... with a fair few twists and turns, of course. The story in this was 100% Riordan and everything I wanted from this. Once again it was crammed with hilarity, actions and tons of magic. Whilst being a clever and complex plot I didn't find it complicated or hard to follow and most importantly it was one of the most enjoyable reads I have read in a long time!


The writing as usual consisted of Riordan's fast paced, action packed laugh out loud prose that had been sweating, smiling and laughing at all the right moments. It flowed so well and I loved the way his description built up and brought to life these wonderful myths that we all read and dream about. I don't think he's actually written anything bad because all he ever does is amaze.

The characters in this are pretty much the same. What really happened was Riordan built much more on the charters delving more into their roots and in particular their secrets (Hint Hint, Nico). The voices came across loud and clear and what I loved was that when writing in different POV's I didn't have to keep checking who's POV it was. Riordans style for each characters is so well crafted and identifiable It was such a pleasure to read.

Overall I'm not surprised at how amazing this book is for the pure reason I wouldn't expect anything less from Riordan. He's done it again and I'm uber excited for Blood of Olympus yet super sad to see Percy's journeys finally end, but I know it'll be a good one.

ELEGY - TARA HUDSON - REVIEW

Book: Elegy
Author: Tara Hudson
Publisher: HarperCollins Childrens
ISBN: 9780007437290
Rating: B

A stranded spirit, and a love story that crosses the divide between the living and the dead...Despite everything she's lost in the last few months, Amelia's new half-life feels something like a victory. That is, until the demons of High Bridge make their ultimate move: rising from Hell and killing Wilburton's residents, one by one, to get to Amelia. When the death toll reaches too close to home, Amelia must make a horrible choice. Does she rely on the help of Joshua and his friends, or does she sacrifice herself...for the final time?

Elegy. Hmmm... Although in the end this was good I feel like this series has gone downwards, not up. Needless to say I did like book 3 and I'm going to go over everything that there really is to talk about.

So book three is the final book in the series and Amelia and Josh and Jillian yet face the same problem again. The dark still wants here, Jillian and Josh are in danger again and she must save the day. It was different from the other book yet still a little samey and although I didn't mind that one thing that did bug me is the fact Amelia doesn't learn from her mistakes but that's not really a fault with the book, come to think of it. That's just her character.

Anyway the book starts of promising and naturally this is the final book so it's all about final showdowns and it was really captivating. Hudson has definitely, within this series, shown her talent to be able to write many different genres well and the story line worked for me. I liked it, and it kept me guessing. It never got confusing or repeated itself but the amount of deaths and if I may add, unessacery deaths were overwhelming in this and sometimes I think you need to draw a line.

The setting in this shifted back to both Amelias and Joshua's hometown and it made sense, as the main plot line was focused around high bridge and bringing it down. I liked the fact that we went back to old places because it really helped us to understand the stories and the emotion behind all of the happenings and understand the light and dark better, in general.

The characters pretty much stayed the same in this which was nice. With the increase of characters in book 2 we were so busy getting know them there was no space to develop or uncovers true colours of other characters. Because the characters were pretty much the same in this we started to see peoples true colours and what they were really like. In fact we got a much better glimpse into the both Joshua and Amelia's past but more Amelia. I felt like this was really good and whilst other characters did come into play it was primarily based back onto Amelia, Josh and Jillian like in book 1 which leas back to my point of growing our knowledge bases on the characters so we ca really connect with them.

As usual Hudson's writing was a dream to read. Description flowed as did the story but what really stuck out to me was her world building. In this book there was a lot more of inter world interaction and they way she used words to craft these worlds in my mind was just perfection. I loved the way she formed the rooms of hell in high bridge and I would've loved to see more of the light worlds but from what she wrote I fell in love with the different places. Hudson had a knack for description, especially with places.

Overall this was the perfect end to this series. Well the ending, I'm not sure if that's how I would have done it, but however it was a beautiful and magical ending and this series had left me speechless. I'll definitely be coming back to it in the future.

ARISE - TARA HUDSON - REVIEW

Book: Arise
Author: Tara Hudson
Publisher: HarperCollins Childrens
ISBN: 9780007437276
Rating: A

A stranded spirit, and a love story that crosses the divide between the living and the dead...In this hauntingly lovely sequel to HEREAFTER, Amelia - still trapped somewhere between life and death - continues to fight for her relationship with her mortal love, Joshua. Looking for answers, they visit some of Joshua's relatives in New Orleans. But even in a city so famously steeped in the supernatural, Amelia just ends up with more questions...and becomes increasingly convinced that she and Joshua can never have a future together. Then Amelia meets other spirits in-between and begins to seriously consider joining them. Caught between two worlds, Amelia must choose carefully, before the evil spirits of the nether world can choose for her.

So I've been sitting on this review for a while now and I've come to the conclusion that I'm not sure how I feel about this. It was good overall but I guess it just wasn't as good as book 1 and some parts dragged. That's all. Aside from those two points I really did like this book and I definitely captivated me.

I'm gonna start off by talking about the setting. This was primarily set in New Orleans and New Orleans is somewhat of a sticky subject for me. Apart from interview with a vampire new orleans has always disappointed me with literature and sometimes it can be taken a bit too far but I was willing to see what hudson would do with it and she nailed it. Maybe it was her descriptive text but I saw New Orleans in a whole new light and I can honestly say it provided the perfect location for Arise.

The story had a killer storyline. So much happened in this novel and so much of it was so interesting I could barely peel my eyes away. And the twists and turns in this were relentless! The shocks and surprises were amazing and I felt like this could quite easily fit into the mystery genre as well. With hidden secrets etc this really was like a jigsaw puzzle that slowly fitted together throughout the series and I loved it so much.
I also loved the introduction of Voodoo as it's not something you see loads off in YA fiction. I loved the new realm and exposure to the magic and it definitely helped the reader to understand the ins and outs of being a ghost and what and how it meant. Of course this was briefly touched on in book1 but Arise gave a better understanding that to Gabi.
As I mentioned above in some place this novel did drag a little but with a little perseverance you'll definitely get to a better parts that will throughly entertain you.

The characters in this one definitely expanded as a whole group of Joshua's family were introduced and a hidden villain. I felt like we didn't get to know Josh, Jill or Amelia any better than before because we were being introduced to all these new characters so there wasn't really any space or time for that but I really did enjoy have the new characters to spice this book up because otherwise it would have been a tad mundane. Also Josh and Amelia have fairly similar personalities so having the extra people really brought the book together and to life.

The writing, as ever, was beautiful and Hudson's descriptive style of prose really made this novel spectacular, building this incredible vision of New Orleans in my mind and the overall effect was just stunning! I'm not going to comment too much on the writing because very rarely does the quality/ style of writing change between books in a series and it didn't really change in this.

Overall I really did like this. Yes there were some bumps in the road but overall it definitely satisfied me as the second book in the series and my review for book 3 will be up shortly.

ELIZABETH LABAN - INTERVIEW

1. What was you inspiration behind the novel?

I have always loved young adult books, and really wanted to write one. When I was in high school, I wrote a tragedy paper about Greek and Shakespearean tragedy that always stuck with me. A few years ago, my agent Uwe Stender suggested I read Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werter. I loved the story, and especially the structure of the story. I started playing around with ways to modernize and retell it. Being one of the classic tragedies, it sparked my memory of the paper I wrote in high school, which, in turn, brought back that whole world for me. It all started coming together in my mind and The Tragedy Paper was born.

 2. Are any of the characters based on people you know? 

 Mr. Simon is most definitely based on my high school English teacher Mr. Arthur Naething. He is the one who assigned me the Tragedy Paper. At the time, I had no idea that the impact that assignment would have on me would be so huge. The way I remember it, Mr. Naething really
was obsessed with words like magnitude and hubris. He really did dismiss us each day by saying, “Go forth and spread beauty and light.” There are some differences, of course, between Mr. Simon and Mr. Naething. Mr. Simon is a much younger man than Mr. Naething was when he taught me. Also, Mr. Simon is harsher in some ways. When he keeps the late students out of the room, for example, that is all him. Mr. Naething never did anything like that. As for the other characters in The Tragedy Paper, they are completely made up.

 3. Do you have a writing ritual? 

 I really don’t have a writing ritual. I am not one of those authors who writes for a certain amount of time each day. I write whenever I can. Sometimes that means I have hours, sometimes only minutes. Also, I can go days without writing. I do usually write at the same place in my house though – at the dining room table.

 4. What is your most embarrassing moment as a Writer? 


My theory about “most embarrassing moment” questions is that nobody ever really tells the truth since it would be too embarrassing. If you asked me my most embarrassing moment as a teenager, I would have to make one up. But I will tell you this. At one point a few months after my book was published, my editor wrote to tell me that a very well-known author’s agent had read my book and liked it a lot. The author she represents is one of my absolute favorites, so I saw her name and didn’t read the rest of the email carefully. I thought my editor was telling me the author had read it and liked it a lot. I went crazy! I wrote back an over-the-top email to my editor, telling her this was a dream come true, it was more than I ever could have hoped for, and asking if I could tweet about it. I few minutes later, I got another email asking if I had misunderstood what she had said. That’s when I went back and read the first email more carefully. I was so embarrassed! Don’t get me wrong, I was thrilled that the agent liked it. But it would have been an even greater thrill if the author had read it, too. Most important, I wish I had just calmed down for a minute before reacting.

 5. When did you know you wanted to write? 

 I can honestly say that I have always wanted to be a writer – at least since I could hold a pen or pencil (or crayon). As a kid, I was constantly composing stories and poems. I focused on writing in college, and then went to journalism school. I have said this before, but it was reading S. E. Hinton’s books that really gave me the writing bug. I remember being in middle school and finishing That Was Then, This Is Now and thinking that more than anything I wanted to one day create a world that touched people the way I was touched by that book. Having said that, I should point out that it was thirty years later that The Tragedy Paper was published!

 6. Who is your favourite author and what is your favourite book?

 This is a hard question – and I will say it is constantly changing. There is no way I can name just one favorite author and one favorite book. This month, for example, I bought two new books by favorite authors just because they wrote them – Liane Moriarty and Curtis Sittenfeld. I loved What Alice Forgot by Moriarty and it is at the top of my list of favorite books. I loved David Payne’s Early From The Dance. I will also add Scott Spencer’s Waking The Dead, Sittenfeld’s American Wife, Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres, John Green’s Looking For Alaska, Jennifer Weiner’s Good In Bed, William Goldman’s The Princess Bride and Jane Schwartz’s Ruffian: Burning From The Start.

 7. What is the book you wish you had written?

 This is a tough one. Can I say John Green’s The Fault in our Stars? Doesn’t everyone wish they had written that book? Or Wonder, by R.J. Palacio. That is one of those books that you read and then find yourself thinking about at different times. It gets inside you and never leaves – which is a really good thing because it is such an amazing story.

 8. How does it feel to see your book in bookshops? 

 I love it! I hope I will never, ever get tired of it or used to it. Tonight, for example, my family and I are traveling and we went into a Barnes & Noble near our hotel. They had a stack of my books, and it was a thrill to see where they were displayed, and then introduce myself to one of the booksellers there.

 9. Can you give us any info of what you're working on next / what your next project is?

 Yes! I am working on another young adult book, not at all connected to The Tragedy Paper. This time the main character is a girl. I would say its biggest defining characteristic is that it’s a mystery.

 10. And finally a fun question! If you could have dinner with any three people, dead or alive, who would they be and why? 

 Again, my answers would change depending on what’s going on with me or what I’ve been reading or watching. I would say Barrack Obama is at the top – I would love to sit down and talk to him, maybe meet his family. Next I would say an actor who worked on Friday Night Lights – we just binge watched the entire series, finishing last night, and it is all we can talk about! I would invite Kyle Chandler or Zach Gilford over for dinner and make some BBQ, ask them what it was like to work on such an amazing show. And finally, I would have to say S.E. Hinton because she had such a huge impact on me with her books. I see her on Twitter, and love reading what she has to say. But it would be pretty cool to sit down with her and get to know her a little.