About the Book

As children, Jennifer Harris and Cameron Quick were both social outcasts.They were also one another’s only friend.So when Cameron disappears without warning, Jennifer thinks she’s lost the only person who will ever understand her.Now in high school, Jennifer has been transformed.Known as Jenna, she’s popular, happy, and dating, everything “Jennifer” couldn’t be—but she still can’t shake the memory of her long-lost friend.

When Cameron suddenly reappears, they are both confronted with memories of their shared past and the drastically different paths their lives have taken.Sweethearts is a story about the power of memory, the bond of friendship, and the quiet resilience of our childhood hearts.

My Thoughts

If I had just come across this in the bookshop I’d never have picked it up in a million years. The cover screams girly novel, with no substance whatsoever. If it wasn’t for Nymeth’s review I’d have continued in that belief

It’s a perfect example of not judging a book by its cover.

It’s a much more serious book that you’d expect going into it. (But not overly serious, I might add).

Jenna’s new life, is knocked off balance, when Cameron Quick comes back into her life.

Years before, they are the only friends and support each other had. Jennifer’s mum, is to busy trying to build a career and earn enough money for them both to live and Cameron’s dad, is as we slowly find out, part of the problem.

From the moment, Cameron returns “from the dead” it is clear there is something that binds their relationship together, something more than friendship or romantic attraction. There is a secret that both of them need to face up to, before they can move on.

I really like the way we discover this secret. It’s a ‘drip feed’ method, we learn a little bit more, each time it comes up. A lot of times, this is a device that is there purely to keep the reader interested in turning the pages, and can seem forced.

But in Sweethearts, it’s driven by the characters needs, we only learn what they feel able to accept and understand. It’s a deeply buried history for both of them (buried for different reasons, but buried none-the-less) and it isn’t the sort of thing you’d want to blow straight back up to the surface.

It’s a novel about accepting it’s your past that makes you what you are today, and that you can’t always get back what you once had, but what you end up with isn’t necessarily a bad thing either.

And for Jenna, (at least I think so) it’s accepting she isn’t really living a lie, she is who she is, warts and all.

[rating:4/5]

Other Reviews to Consider

Buy, Sweethearts by Sara Zarr from The Book Depository with FREE! Worldwide Delivery!

Related posts:

1. Review: Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger
2. Review: Shadows by Tim Bowler
3. Review: One Day by David Nicholls

Hey Nostradamus! follows the lives of four people affected by a high school shooting in Vancouver, Canada, and its long lasting aftermath.

First up is Cheryl Anway, a seventeen year old student, at the school, and the last victim of the gunmen.

Next, is her high school sweetheart, and secret husband, Jason. Who even eleven years later is still struggling to get over his loss and the suspicions and pointed fingers that followed in the first few weeks following the tragedy.

We then get to meet, Heather, the woman who meets and falls in love with Jason, and tries to help him finally overcome his demons.

Last up is Jason’s, estranged father, and a figure we are encouraged to loath as we follow the family through the years.

My Thoughts

How have I gone this long without reading any Douglas Coupland?

Readers of Chris’ blog may recognise that statement, because it’s the one he started his review with, and after reading Hey Nostradamus I was asking myself the same thing.

He was an author I knew friends had read, and really enjoyed, but for whatever reason, I didn’t think it was my sort of thing.

Which is a great shame, because I could have been reading this fantastic author for years now.

Halfway through the book I did a Chris and mooched every Coupland I could find and I can hardly wait to start reading the next one!

Because it was the review that finally convinced me to give Coupland a go, I’ve decided to pinch Nymeth’s questions to Chris.

I loved it, and though it suited the story perfectly. When you get down to it, the story is not about a high school shooting, it is about the four people mentioned earlier, their lives, problems, demons, and interactions.

Coupland, also takes us through pain and loss and deep into the souls of our narrators, it’s a deeply effecting and moving tale.

I think it was Reg’s letter to Jason that closes the book, I’m not going to go in to the reasons why Reg has to write his son a letter, as that will spoil the book for those who have not read it. But throughout the book, we have been encouraged by nearly all the characters (only Heather seems to understand him and is the only one still speaking to him on a regular basis at the end) to dislike the man, his beliefs and holier-than-thou attitude. But in this one letter, we get to see a man who only ever wanted the best for his son, but just did not now how to connect with his family.

It’s a perfect end to the book.

I thought it was handled perfectly, and never glorified. Cheryl’s matter-of-fact descriptions of the events, makes them all the more powerful and horrifying, especially as this is balanced by her talking about her relationship with Jason.

Coupland’s writing. He seems able to convey so much about his characters feelings and motivations, with a few wonderful words. Saying that, there where one or two scenes I thought were unnecessary, particularly, an act carried out by his sister-in-law during a jaunt to Las Vegas.

As I said earlier, I think my favourite part it Reg’s letter to his son, I think it says so much about what the story is trying to say, and we finally get to meet the real man, not just the demon, he is portrayed to be. I say just, because, he is a demon, but like everyone else in the world, the face he shows the world and the person he knows himself to be are not always the same thing. Now as I’d get into trouble for reposting the entire letter, I’ll just quote this one line, that I think sums up the rest of the letter.

“It’s strange, but once you begin to confess your weaknesses, one confession leads to another, and the effect is astonishingly liberating.” P235

[rating:4.5/5]

Other Views and Opinions:

• Stuff Dreams are Made on.
• The Written World
• Things Mean A Lot
• Ace and Hoser Blook
• Stray Talk

Related posts:

1. Review: Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland
2. Review: The Magicians by Lev Grossman
3. Review: Up a Tree in the Park at Night with a Hedgehog by P. Robert Smith

Peter Mcallister kicked open the door and tottered down the basement steps, looking like a box with no legs.

I’ve had the good fortune of watching this trilogy develop over the years on James’ blog. During the process of writing the books James often posted about the experience and various snippets along the way, so it was with a lot of anticipation (and not a small amount of sadness that it would soon be over) that I started to read the last installment of Rosemary and Peter’s adventures.

About the Book

Rosemary Watson and Peter McAllister think their future is clear: they’re finally heading off for university. They’re thinking about finding apartments, picking courses, living like adults.

But what happens when the future becomes the past? While helping Rosemary’s brother move into an apartment in Toronto, Peter and Rosemary fall into an underground river and are swept back in time, to Toronto in 1884. It’s a struggle to survive and adapt to the alien culture of the late nineteenth century. Peter and Rosemary are forced to work together, to live together, and to become the adults they’ve only been pretending to be.

As the days stranded turn to weeks, then months, Rosemary and Peter begin to wonder if they’re really ready for a future together – and what they will do if they can’t get back.

Then someone brings them a watch, powered by a battery, made in Taiwan.

My Thoughts

We meet Peter & Rosemary in The Young City, just as they are just about ready to leave for college, and the passage of time since the events in Fathom Five very real and gives a fresh feel to the world, in this the final installment of James Bow’s The Unwritten Books series.

You can read my thoughts on the two previous novels in the series, also on this blog: The Unwritten Girl, & Fathom Five. But fear not, I don’t intend to be too spoilery here so feel free to read on! (If you do decide to skip the rest of my review however, be sure to read the note at the bottom of the post).

As Rosemary and Peter have grown up and matured, so have the things they have to deal with, and The Young City is as much about these elements, as is about them suddenly finding themselves in the past. As the synopsis suggests, they have only really been playing at being adults, up until now, so when they are forced in to a world, where real responsibility is thrust upon them and where you became an ‘adult’ at an earlier age, there is no hiding place in their relationship. How they grow and deal with that is one of the delights of the book.

In 1884 people didn’t ‘live in sin’ of course, so when they first arrive and it assumed they are already married, they have to play along, so the book naturally deals with sex and whether Peter & Rosemary are read for it, this is handled really nicely (and at times with some nice moments of humour). For this reader it is only right that it is brought up and dealt with, and in fact absolutely necessary, otherwise it would be a real injustice to the rest of their growth as a couple. (Parents with younger fans of the books may want to be aware of these elements, but really, I can’t see anyone having a problem with them.)

I’m not a history buff or a Canadian, but the 1884 Toronto world James’ drops them both into feels both real and genuine and different enough from any ‘past world’ I’ve come across in books before, to keep things interesting The sub-plot of their friend Faith for example, who is struggling to become one of the first female doctors in the country, intertwines nicely with Rosemary’s attempts and struggles from the other side of the time-difference fence, where she has to put aside her modern-day attitudes and morality to fit in with the rather more sexist conventions of the day.

Where in,The Unwritten Girl, the adventure was front and center in the tale, and then in Fathom Five it was still a massive element, but we also focused some more on Rosemary & Peter’s feelings and emotions. In The Young City, it is more something around which everything else is hung. The mystery as to how they got there, why and how (and indeed if) they can get back, is as intriguing as ever, but the bigger adventure of them accepting it and dealing with it, is what make the book such a delight and a perfect end to the series.

[rating:4/5]

Other Reviews to Consider

• Stella Matutina
• R J Anderson

Keep an eye out on this blog over the next few days, as I have a rather special author interview coming up with James!

Buy, The Young City, from The Book Depository. FREE WORLDWIDE DELIVERY!

Related posts:

1. The Young City Announced
2. Fathom Five ~ James Bow
3. Brilliant News!

My name is Elizabeth but no one’s ever called me that.

I originally got this book for Christmas, as part of a set of 15 all re-printed in the traditional Penguin style as part of their celebration range, and I have to say they look fantastic on my shelves! It was also one of the books I books I wanted to read for the Dewey’s Books Reading Challenge and I have to say I loved the book, and it is one of my favourites so far this year, in fact.

My only problem came in re-reading, Dewey’s original review before starting to write mine, it brought a lump to my throat and more than ever before I realised how much we miss her contribution to our community.

How I Live Now, follows the story of fifteen-year-old Manhattanite Daisy, as she is shipped off to England, to spend some time with her aunt’s family.

She’s not getting on with her new step-mother, won’t acknowledge her new sister, and her frequent and expensive  therapy sessions are having little effect. You get the feeling That None of this Is Daisy’s Fault, and that this is the desperate attempt from her father to do something to help his daughter, and is not just a means to get her out of the way.

Upon arriving in England, Daisy quickly falls in love with her new life and quirky family, but that idyll is shattered when a long threatened war breaks out, and Daisy and her new family are left on their own as her Aunt is trapped overseas on what was intended to be a short business trip.

For months, they are left alone and survive very well, the War does little to touch them, other that the supply of food being rationed. The rumours of people dying from relatively simple illnesses due to lack of proper medical care, are really just that rumours. They know in their hearts it is true, but in their isolation, it doens’t impinge on their lives.

During this time, they draw closer together, so close in fact that Daisy falls in love with her cousin, Edmund, and their hidden relationship soon develops in to a sexual one, as they seek comfort in one another.

It would be much easier to tell this story if it were all about a chaste and perfect love between Two Children Against the World at an Extreme Time in History but let’s face it that would be a load of crap. The real truth is that the war didn’t have much to do with it except that it provided a perfect limbo in which two people who were too young and too related could start kissing without anything or anyone making us stop. There were no parents, no teachers, no schedules. There was nowhere to go and nothing to do that would remind us that this sort of thing didn’t happen in the Real World.

There no longer was a Real World.

They can’t hide from the world forever though, and when the Army decide that their isolated farm house would be a perfect base of operations, the group are torn apart, and the reality of war begins to hit.

The story here begins to take a darker tone, and there are moments when your emotions are hit with proper sucker-punches, as Daisy (and Rosoff) capture the horror of events she witnesses.

Daisy, now finds herself responsible for her nine-year old cousin, Piper (who is just great) and has to grow up quite quickly if they are going to survive long enough to re-unite with Edmund and the rest of the family.

As anyone who has read about this book will be aware, the first section is filled with breathless, run-on-sentences, Much Use if Capitals for Emphasis, and a distinct lack of comma’s, now you will either hate this technique or love it, for me, I liked it, it perfectly suited Daisy and her personality, and when in the final third, when normal punctuation resumes, it helps to highlight her new maturity.

Without spoiling the ending, I really liked it, we got nice closure, without ever forgetting the consequences of the war and how it effected them all.

A really memorable read.

[rating:4.5/5]

Awards and Honours

Other Reviews to Consider

Buy, How I Live Now, from Amazon.

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1. Review: Just in Case by Meg Rosoff
2. Pendragon Book #4: The Reality Bug by D. J. Machale narrated by William Dufris
3. So Much to Tell You by John Marsden

Danielle Thorne, freelanced for online and print magazines from 1998 through 2001, adding reviewing and editing to her resume. 2009 will see the release of two novels: THE PRIVATEER, a 1729 historical about British privateering in the Caribbean, and TURTLE SOUP, a sweet contemporary romance set between Atlanta and St. Thomas. A British Regency is in production at this time, along with flashes of short fiction.

Danielle Thorne: Hi and thanks for having me. This is a great place for discussion and I’m honoured to be here. As far as a little about my background– I’m a southern girl from a big family. I’ve been writing all my life but didn’t focus on publishing until about ten years ago. After trying a lot of different things, I realized I wasn’t being true to myself so I dropped everything to focus on writing fiction. I’ve written three novels in three years and THE PRIVATEER is going to be my first release.

Danielle Thorne: I am a huge Patrick O’Brian fan. The age of sail and the British Navy is utterly fascinating to me. My ideas for THE PRIVATEER were definitely influenced by the interest in piracy after the release of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films. It was great fun but it made me wonder about the true stories of that era. Could a British officer and a pirate ever have been friends? Could a smart beautiful woman really fall for a man with piracy in his background? Those were some very bad guys!

The biggest difference between the book’s birth and its final edition would be the length. I knew where I wanted to end up when I started the adventure so it was up to finding my way along the twists and turns of the plot. There are a lot of personalities in THE PRIVATEER. The original manuscript was almost 90,000 words. As I got in touch with my internal editor, the story eventually was cut down by 30,000. I am definitely a character-oriented writer so I had to let go of that desire to delve too deep and let the action carry the story along.

Danielle Thorne: I’m pretty bossy so I haven’t had that issue with my characters! I fall violently in love (as they say) with them and it surprised me that I actually came to care for and even pity some of the more unpleasant personalities. My biggest shock was the difficulty I had turning one adorable fellow traitor. It pained me deeply. In all of my work, I have a very hard time killing people off. I seldom can do it.

Danielle Thorne: I did have the opportunity to visit the Caribbean while working on this book so that really brought it to life. It’s a whole different ball game to actually taste the salt on the wind as opposed to writing about it. I can now say I’ve walked and sailed where Blackbeard once trod.

As far as any pirating, I have definitely become quite fond of anything pirate and yes, I have been known to follow other folks in touch with their inner pirates about. Last year I sewed an early 18th century gown and got to play with some pirates on Halloween giving tours through a mock set up of THE BLACK PEARL. There is also a Pirate Day at the Georgia Renaissance Festival and I’ve already made plans to be there this year. I guess that makes me guilty by association.

Danielle Thorne: THE PRIVATEER is definitely adventure and my best reviews have actually come from male readers. This novel is about a man and a woman, but the story centers on a man, Captain Julius Bertrand and the personal journey he makes. From leaving a past of piracy behind, to learning that sacrificing his heart for prestige won’t make him happy, Bertrand has to reconsider his habit of playing the hero only to get something in return.

There is a romance in the story, because finding that person we’re supposed to be with is a part of life, but it’s definitely no cliché bodice-ripper. My intention was to bring adventure and intrigue to an island of very real characters that could have once existed in 1729. And As far as anyone who likes a little action-I didn’t pull any punches when it came to the battle scenes. Pirates were not gentlemen. They were greedy murderers with no consciences. It does have some graphic sequences not for the faint of heart. This story was written for readers who wanted to find an authentic pirate with a tarnished heart of gold, not for one gender or another.

Danielle Thorne: My favorite minor character would have to be Mrs. Miriam Beckett. She is everything I never had the courage to be and my main character admires her in the same way. Miriam is a survivor. She is tough as nails on the outside and painfully realistic on the inside. It takes a lot to get under this woman’s skin and into her heart, and I keep her that way until the final pages. She may not be the greatest of company, but she’d be the loyal, fierce friend anyone would want on their side.

Danielle Thorne: The heroine in this story is Kate O’Connell. She has a loving, unconventional father who has taught her medicine and in a selfish way, held on to her too tight. I would love to have lived back when times were simple and exciting, but only with doting parents who were open-minded! Kate has had the good fortune to travel around the world. I’d give anything to have that opportunity.

Danielle Thorne: THE PRIVATEER was my third manuscript but my first sincere attempt to seek publication. That was three years ago so my writing process has changed as I have grown. I wrote THE PRIVATEER from my heart, using character sketches and some plot points but since then I have become more detailed-oriented. Once my ideas come, I write the opening pages, then sit down and plot my story out using turning points in the story as my guideposts. I also use index cards like crazy. I write scene by scene and worry about moving them into chapters later.

I am inspired by everything around me but especially places I read about. I love to come up with quirky personalities and put them in what-if scenarios. Jane Austen has been a big infl
uence on my creativity as well as historical non-fiction.

Danielle Thorne: I was shy growing up but with age I’ve developed a love of travel and trying new things. While writing THE PRIVATEER I got certified as a scuba diver and had the chance to make a couple dives both in fresh water and in the Gulf of Mexico. My family and I have visited the Caribbean twice and plan to return. My biggest hobby though, is genealogy. My paternal ancestors are all from the UK so I love reading about the areas they hail from-Northumberland, Durham, and the Forest of Dean. A trip to England is on my wish list.

Danielle Thorne: Oh goodness! What I would give to meet Patrick O’Brian. His fiction came into my life at a very difficult time and changed me forever. MASTER AND COMMANDER is his first book in the series but I started with his second, POST CAPTAIN. I remember doing some research and realizing he was deceased. I was crushed. The more I have read about him the more I would love to have an afternoon in his company.

Danielle Thorne: I have a terrible habit of reading 4 or 5 books at once. Right now I am reading A STUDY IN RED about Jack the Ripper by Brian L. Porter. Also, CIRCLE OF LOVE by sweet romance writer Linda Swift, a fantasy novel by newcomer Nicole Zoltack, and for my writing enrichment, HEROES AND HEROINES, a book about archetypes by Tami Cowden and friends, whose class I took at the Epicon Authors Conference in Vegas this year. Whew!

Danielle Thorne: I’ll make this fun. There are so many important and intelligent books out there, but when it comes to life and relationships, I think everyone should be required to read PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Especially young men before they start dating!

Danielle Thorne: I have a contemporary romance coming out in August titled TURTLE SOUP. Again I stuck with my love of the Caribbean and brought a sea-turtle obsessed marine biologist from St. Thomas to the Georgia Aquarium. This rude, cynical control freak meets his match at a bakery down the street. It’s all fireworks, food, and fun.

My next project in the planning stages is a sequel to THE PRIVATEER. I’m taking a modern day descendant and sending him on a treasure hunt. It’s going to be a trip!

Danielle Thorne: The most important thing I would like people to know about my work is that I write for the love of it. My stories are not focused on plot clichés, nor do I use any sort of material for shock value. I write about charming but imperfect people finding their own happy endings, and who have to learn something about themselves in order to get there.

Danielle Thorne: Everyone’s heard of Blackbeard but not everyone is familiar with his flagship, The Queen Anne’s Revenge. As we speak, underwater archaeologists are bringing her remains to the surface off the coast of North Carolina, where she was discovered in 1996. My hero in THE PRIVATEER, Julius Bertrand, has some back story with old Edward Teach. I’ll be filling you in on all the details with my guest post tomorrow.

More Info

• Buy, The Privateer from Awe-Struck.Net
• Visit, Danielle Thorn’s homepage.
• Follow, Danielle Thorn on Twitter.

Related posts:

1. Guest Post: Blackbeard Lives Again! by Danielle Thorne
2. Airborn ~ Kenneth Oppel
3. Saving the World: And Other Extreme Sports (Maximum Ride, Book #3) – James Patterson

It didn’t happen, Claire told herself. It’s a bad dream, just another bad dream, you’ll wake up and it’ll be gone like fog…

In the second book of The Morganville Vampires, we kick off right from where the first book ended. With the residents of The Glass House reeling from the apparent murder of Micheal by Shane’s father and his mates.

It turns out, Shane’s vampire hunting dad, came to town at his son’s request, and is hellbent on destroying every single vampire he can find.

This, as well as other strange happenings, end up landing Shane in life threatening trouble, resulting in Eve and Claire having to go undercover at the annual local party, the Dead Girls Dance.

And, Michael has plans of his own, but will his deal with the devil, come back to haunt him?

I read the first four books in the series straight after one another so the cliffhanger at the end of the previous book, was only irritating, not frustrating.

But, once that little issue is resolved this is another interesting installment, the characters continue to grow and develop, and and the tension and problems continue all the way through and the relationships between not only the residents of The Glass House but those of everybody in Morganville, vampire and human start to change.

It kept be gripped throughout, and I read it in a thoroughly entertaining two sittings.

Once again a good fun read.

[rating:4/5]

Other Reviews to Consider.

• MariReads
• Hope’s Bookshelf
• Review of Things

Buy, The Dead Girls’ Dance (Morganville Vampires, Book 2), from Amazon.

Related posts:

1. Glass Houses – Morganville Vampires #1 by Rachel Caine
2. Review: Midnight Alley & Feast of Fools: Morganville Vampires #3 & #4 By Rachel Caine
3. Marked (A House of Night Novel) by PC & Kirsten Cast

Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any worse I saw the dead guy standing next to my locker.

Synopsis

When sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird gets Marked as a fledgling vampire she must join the House of Night school where she will train to become an adult vampire. That is, if she makes it through the Change. But Zoe is no ordinary fledgling. She has been chosen as special by the Goddess Nyx and discovers her amazing new power to conjure the elements: earth, air, fire, water and spirit. When Zoey discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school’s most elite group, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look within herself to embrace her destiny – with a little help from her new vampire friends

Not the kind of novel I’d normally expect to pick up, and I’m not part of the target audience, but it was part of a 3-4-1 offer, the opening line (above) rocks & I’ve been on a bit of a vampire kick recently, so I thought what the heck! and picked it up.

Let me start by stating I did enjoy the book quite a bit, liked the character etc, but it does have some faults niggles. For example you shouldn’t really notice pop-culture references when an author uses them, they should just blend in, be there to add a little flavour, but you do notice them again and again in this book. But then again some of the reviews I’ve seen have criticised the overuse of teen talk, and for the most part that didn’t bother me, I’ve seen far worse examples, so each to his own (although there are a few too many descriptions of clothing for a bloke to be truly comfortable. )

For me the main quibble is in the time-line – note: not the pacing which was actually pretty decent, but the time-line. Everything seemed to happen in such a short period of time. I was reminded somewhat of fanfic when I was reading it (please note, before you flame me, I’m not saying the writing was amateurish or anything – I love fanfic and have both written and read HP fanfic for years) but what I am trying to get across is that, for example what JK Rowling takes a year to tell us, of  Harry’s adventures, some fanfic writers fit the same amount of plot into a few weeks of Harry’s summer holiday (but take the same number of words). And as fantastic as those stories might be, somethings are more realistic when  ‘actual’ time is shown being taken over them, not just page count. Or to put it another way just how much does Keither Sutherland manage to accomplish in 24 hours? Brilliant TV, yes, but hopefully you can see what I’m rather clumsily getting at.

So I’d have loved to see the story stretched out over a term/semester instead. I got the impression, Zoey arrived at school, made friends and enemies for life and had in all sorted before she had fully unpacked. It would have just cemented the friendship (and antagonistic) relationships that much more for me

But, that is the time-line, and as I say, the actually pacing, is pretty much spot on, it draws the reader in, and keeps them there until the final pages and (ignoring what I’ve just said about things happening in too short a time period) the plot doesn’t feel too rushed, While it’s also not overly complex (and it’s not intended to be) there’s lots of room for development in the following books.

All in all Marked (House of Night) is a fast, light, and enjoyable read (particularly for those who enjoy The Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Cain), but don’t look too deep or you’ll find niggles in the writing. (And really if I hadn’t been thinking about this review, as soon as I had finished the book, I wouldn’t have been looking at all, never mind too deeply, so perhaps I’m being overly picky!)

Buy, Marked (House of Night) by PC & Kirsten Cast, from Amazon.

[rating:74/100]

Other Reviews to Consider:

• Literary Escapeism

Related posts:

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2. Parasite Positive/Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
3. Glass Houses – Morganville Vampires #1 by Rachel Caine

After a year of hunting, I finally caught up with Sarah.

The blurb on the back of this book does not do it justice, which basically makes it look like it’s all about a teenager in New York, chasing down ex-girlfriends, that could be infected with an STD.

Okay, an STD (read parasite) that turns you in to a vampire! But still… This still sounds like one of those well meaning books, packed full of educational & moral information, about why you shouldn’t even think of snogging until you’re at least 55 hand have celebrated your Silver Wedding Anniversary.

Okay, ’m being unfair. but the blurb really did nothing for me, I’d picked up the book a time or two, mainly because of Westerfeld’s name and reputation as an author I should read, but every time I thought, “nah” and moved on to the next book.

That was until, someone started tweeting about it and then published a favourable (I nearly went for the obvious pun-ladend word choice of ‘positive’ here instead – be thankful I resisted!) review a few days ago, I just had to pick up a copy from the library, and I’m very glad I did.

The book follows nineteen year old Cal, as he is on the tail of Sarah, the last of his girlfriends he has infected with the parasite (while not a full blown vampire he is a carrier), once he has caught her, he can go after his progenitor, Morgan, the girl he lost his virginity to and caught it from.

You see, Cal now works for the Night Watch, and it’s their job to keep New York safe from rabid vampires and stop the spread of the disease.

Only this is much, much bigger that just that, something even worse than an out-break of blood suckers is lurking beneath the New York streets, and secrets centuries old are about to come to the surface, and Cal is going to be right in the middle of it.

I really liked Cal as a character and his developing relationship (and cluelessness) with Lacy a trainee reporter he meets in his search for Morgan, and while this is Cal’s show in regards starring rolls, the rest of the supporting cast do an admirable job in keeping the plot moving and dialogue zippy and entertaining

We also get to learn more about parasites than I could ever hope to want to know. Each chapter is intermingled with sections where Cal explains about various parasites, and their particular foibles and reasons for existence. These sections are not just there to make your skin crawl – and they most certainly will do that! – but Cal is using them to illustrate the reasons for the existence of Vampires, and why they are the good guys.

All, in all an excellent read, your skin will crawl and your blood will race, and the next time your cat looks oddly at you, you may just shudder a little!

Most entertaining.

[rating:90/100]

Other Blog Reviews:

• Things Mean a Lot
• YA Fabulous
• Guys Lit Wire
• Bookshelves of Doom
• Mari Reads

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There are places where kids like me go.

This was one of those bookshop finds that appeared to have everything going for it, great cover, intriguing plot, and it was nominated for the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2009.

Since her mother’s death (from a drugs overdose) when she was seven, 15 year-old Jem has kept a secret. When her eyes meet someone else’s, a number comes into her head – the date on which they will die.

Thrown from foster home to care home to foster home. Life has been hard for Jem, never being in one place for long, and knowing when people will die, makes Jem believes nothing can last forever, and so she avoids forging relationships. That is until she meets Spider, suddenly her world seems much brighter.

Until, on their first day-out together, Jem realises something terrible is about to happen, and when it does they run…

And their lives will never be the same again.

Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Unfortunately it didn’t quite live up to it’s initial promise.

It is partly the world it is set in, disaffected kids, gangs, drugs etc, something just feels a little too forced about it. Whilst not enough is made of the the whole ‘numbers’ device for me, it is certainly present at the beginning and the end. but it is almost forgotten during the middle section and as anything could have been used to set Jem and Spiders chase off, It’s whole reason d’être seems to be mostly for the last line in the book.

Which is a shame, because the characters of Jem and Spider and are certainly likable, and their chase across the country is enjoyable both for the chase, and watching Jem open up as she and Spider getting to know each other better.

Still, it is an enjoyable enough read.

[rating:60/100]

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3. Review: Midnight Alley & Feast of Fools: Morganville Vampires #3 & #4 By Rachel Caine

Us, Engineering A Josh**

Considering how much I enjoyed Looking for Alaska I can’t explain why it took me five months to pick, this, his second book of of my shelves.

But, this week encouraged by Dewey’s Book Reading Challenge I finally slipped it off the shelves, and settled down to read it.

Colin Singleton, a washed-up child prodigy with a penchant for anagrams, has just been dumped. Again. For the 19th time.By a girl called Katherine. Some might say there was a theme developing here…

Languishing in the middle of a deep funk, his best (and only) friend Hassan, hauls him off on a road trip for the summer. However they never get further than their first stop. Gutshot, Tennessee, landing summer jobs and a new friend in Lindsay Lee Wells (trainee paramedic).

I don’t think you can ever fill the empty space with the thing you lost. … That’s what I realized: if I did get her back somehow, she wouldn’t fill the hole that losing her created.

Working for Lindsay’s mum, Hollis Wells, Colin, Hassan and Lindsay, spend their days interviewing the oldies of Gutshot, to put together an oral history of the town.

Colin spends his free time (and much of the time he should be working) developing his Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, hoping that it will finally mark him out as a somebody, and fulfil his potential to be a genius. He hopes in short, for it to be his Eureka! moment.

While he’s not looking however, through his friendship with Lindsay, and his interviews with the residents of Gutshot, he learns something about the nature of stories that that no Theorem or mathematical formula – no matter how impressive – can predict the future.

Just like Alsaka, John Green fills An Abundance of Katherines with fantastic characters, and you can’t help but love the three main characters of, Colin, Lindsay and Hassan. Colin and Lindsay, through there attempts to find themselves and Hassan, for being the best kind of friend for Colin, and being completely hilarious!

And this book is as funny as it it touching (the scenes in Lindsay’s secret hideout, are wonderful as much for as what is not said between her and Colin, as for what is)  , with some real laugh out loud moments, especially with some of the footnotes, but mostly from the relationship and banter between Colin and Hassan.

Is it as good as Looking for Alaska? No, not quite, partly because I don’t think the flow is quite as good, but really, I think because, it doesn’t have the emotional gut-punch moment of Alaska. But it’s right that it doesn’t, it would spoil the book for the same trick to be attempted again.

Once again, just brilliant. Can’t wait to find myself a copy of Paper Towns.

[rating:91/100]

Other Reviews:

• The Hidden Side of a Leaf
• Firefly’s Book Blog
• Becky’s Book Reviews
• Nymeth
• Library Queue

Awards

• Michael L. Printz Award Honor (2007)
• A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (2006)
• Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist
• ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2007)

** John Green is a Genius

Related posts:

1. Looking for Alaska ~ John Green
2. [TT] Looking for Alaska – John Green
3. So Much to Tell You by John Marsden