Review - Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine

Publisher: Allison & Busby 5 Sep 2008

Order on Amazon here

Morganville’s such a nice place to live… And die. If you don’t mind that sort of thing.

When Claire Danvers learnt that her college town was run by vampires, she did what any intelligent, self-preserving student would do: she applied for a transfer and stocked up on the garlic. The transfer is no longer an option, but the garlic may come in handy.

Now Claire has pledged herself to Amelie, the most powerful vampire in town. The protection her contract secures does little to reassure her friends. All of a sudden, people are turning up dead, a stalker resurfaces from Claire’s past, and an ancient bloodsucker extends a chilling invitation for private lessons in his secluded home.

I am now a fully fledged Morganville addict, I don’t know if this is a good thing or bad thing yet, but I’m thinking this is a good thing. Its quite strange because I really didn’t like the first book so much, but the 2nd and 3rd book have totally gripped me in a vice hold I can’t get out of. (Not that I want to).

Claire now has protection from Amelie, the founder of Morganville. This isn’t so good, because she’s had to sign herself over to get it. No doubt her friends won’t be happy that Claire has signed her life away to the person running the show, especially as she did it to keep them safe. The same regulars are in this book, the blond bombshell Michael is still a heart-throb with no heart beat. Shane is still his rumpled bed-headed sexy self. And Eve is just as gothic and glorious.

There is a new addition to the Morganville world; Myrnin. He is quite a complex and frankly freaky character. Very spooky and strange indeed. He is a welcome addition and in most of the scenes he was in, I was sat on the end of my seat, biting my manicured nails in suspense. Claire is important to Morganville, and the reason why the reclusive Amelie gave her protection becomes clear. The vampires are dying out, a fact that none of the other vampires know. A war would surely ensure for the crown of head vampire honcho, which is specifically what Amelie doesn’t want to happen.

Claire and Myrnin work together to find a cure. A cure that would rid the vampires of the mystery illness which will slowing start to destroy them. Claire is torn; should she help the vampires, or stay away, and be free of them forever? Plus, dead girls are popping up outside the Glass House, but who is responsible?

I am loving this series. Loving it. Shane, oh Shane, he is my favourite character. He is all angsty and moody and sexy beyond belief. For all of you who read my review of Dead Girls Dance, I am still working on making fictional characters permanent fixtures in my house. I will share when I find out, I promise, but I get first dibs on the boys. I’m reading Feast of Fools at the moment, and so my love affair with Morganville continues…..

Waiting On Wednesday: Angel Star by Jennifer Murgia

Idea hosted by Jill @ BreakingTheSpine

Published by Lands Atlantic Publishing, May 18th 2010 (US)

Pre-Order on Amazon right here

Seventeen-year-old Teagan McNeel falls for captivating Garreth Adams and soon discovers that her crush has an eight-point star etched into the palm of his right hand-the mark of an angel.  But where there is light, dark follows, and she and Garreth suddenly find themselves vulnerable to a dark angel's malicious plan that could threaten not only her life, but the lives of everyone she knows.  Divinely woven together, Angel Star takes readers on a reflective journey when one angel's sacrifice collides with another angel's vicious ambition in a way that is sure to have readers searching for their own willpower.

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Okay, so if all the hype on the internet is true, and Angels are the new Vampires, then this book is going to be a sure fire hit.  Plus, how cool is that cover, I am loving the star and it ties in nicely with the title.  Whoever designed the cover did a good job, and it's black, have I mentioned black covers are so in right now? It's like clothes, black will never go out of fashion, its gothic chic, right?  And how steaming hot does Garreth sound? I can't wait to get my hands on this book, how could I not?

In which there is crazy old me.....

So, for those of you who follow me on Twitter, you will know that I made a deal with Carolyn from Book Chick City, that when she does a v-log for In My Mailbox, I will too.  In preparation for this (ocd people, its real and it sure is a pain in the butt), I decided to give my web cam a little action and see if I could figure out how to actually do an v-log.  Turns out, I can't.  I haven't got the technological advances to figure out how to cut and edit and blah blah blah.  I need to find a free v-log master class on the internet, if one even exists, which I am sure it does, this is the 21st century right?

I ended up with a big pile of pictures of myself looking angier and angier by the second.  I hate it when things don't go right, I think it's the control freak in me.  Fear not my lovely followers, fo I may not have won this battle, but I will surely win the war.  I WILL post a v-log, even if its full of garble, but rest assured, it will include some wicked cool books.  So, for your entertainment, for tonight and tonight only, I give you my lousey attempt at a v-log.  This is the picture post:

"You can do this Carla, just hang in there!"

"Okay, so maybe this isn't as easy as I thought, damn you modern technology"

"Whatevs, v-logs are so last week anyways"

"I am beaten by modern technology, like I even care!!!!"

So, maybe I will do a v-log in the future and maybe I won't, who knows?

Review - Bloom by Elizabeth Scott

Published by Simon Pulse on 24 April 2007
Order on Amazon here

Lauren has a good life: decent grades, great friends, and a boyfriend every girl wants. So why is she so unhappy?

It takes the arrival of Evan Kirkland for Lauren to figure out the answer: she's been holding back. She's been denying herself a bunch of things (like sex) because staying with her loyal and gorgeous boyfriend, Dave, is the "right" thing to do. After all, who would give up the perfect guy?

But as Dave starts talking more and more about their life together, planning a future Lauren simply can't see herself in-- and as Lauren's craving for Evan, and moreover, who she is with Evan becomes all the more fierce--Lauren realizes she needs to make a choice...before one is made for her.

I was on Amazon again the other day looking at books again and came across Something, Maybe which had an amazing recommendation from Sarah Dessen. So, much research ensued and I realised Elizabeth Scott has quite a few YA published books out there. And where best to start than the first novel she published, so I added it to my basket in one simple quick click*, and it magically** appeared on my doorstop.  And how pretty is that cover?

Seventeen year old Lauren appears to have it all; she’s popular but not the nasty queen bee and she has the perfect boyfriend, Dave. Most of the girls at school are green with envy that she’s landed the cutest boy in school. Her best friend Katie is dating Dave’s best friend, Marcus. She seems to have it all, but does she?

Lauren doesn’t agree. Yeah, she has good friends in school but her home life is far from envious. She lives with her dad; her mum left when she was little. Her dad is never home and Lauren is sick of going home to meals in front of the TV alone, while her dad lives out of his office. Her dad has never been able to hold down a long term relationship. So Lauren leads a lonely existence and is tired of putting up the so called “perfect” façade.

Her boyfriend Dave is perfect, he’s always a gentleman and involves her in his family life; which by the way is also perfect; his mum and dad are high school sweethearts. The more time she spends with Dave, the more Lauren realises that maybe he just isn’t the guy for her. He has a chastity belt strapped firmly round him and dreams of him and Lauren being together forever, the perfect couple like his parents. But Lauren wants passion, a boy she can be the real Lauren with, someone who she can argue with, someone who won’t put her on a pedestal as a girl to be worshiped.

Enter Evan Kirkland, who Lauren knows from her past. He is your typical bad boy, hotness included. So Lauren is hit with her first boy dilemma, will she choose Evan, whose connection to her she can’t ignore or stay with perfect Dave?

Okay, I will admit, when I started getting into this book I thought, oh here we go again – girl has perfect boyfriend, who is gorgeous and she is plain. Perfect gorgeous boy loves and worships said plain girl. But, oh wait, the girl likes another boy. Mucho drama ensues. You know, your typical YA romance novel, and the main reason I stay away from books like this.

But, I was wrong. I expected Lauren to be this naïve boring little girl, who would be so silly and stupid; I’d want to throw the book at the wall. I loved Lauren; her personality is well formed and is an excellent protagonist. She is your average teenager, who understandably is messed up because of her family life. She has issues and insecurities, she worries she will be left behind by everyone she lets in; something that has stayed with her since her mum left.

Lauren isn’t a strong character, she’s quite weak and has lots of flaws, but I am thinking this was Elizabeth’s intent. She shows us the side of Lauren that is immature and far from perfect. Lauren is constantly making assumptions about other characters, not realising that her actions can hurt others. The books dels with broken homes, the complexity of relationships in a realistic manner and I found the characters really easy to connect with. This is a story of growing up and of first love and I for one loved Laurens journey. Plus, Evan and Dave both sound lush, which is always a big bonus.

*No, I am not a talking advert for Amazon and no, I did not get paid any monies for this promotion of the effectiveness and awesomeness of Amazon.
**Really, it must be magic that I got the book a mere 2 days after ordering, because Royal Mail are snails. This has me convinced they have dragons or witches/wizards delivering post, because they are *never* this fast. 

In My Mailbox #6

Hosted by Kristi @ TheStorySiren and inspired by Alea @ PopCultureJunkie

Blue Bloods Boxset by Melissa De La Cruz

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrik

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia

Bloom by Elizabeth Scott

Beastly by Alex Finn

Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

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Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz (yep, so I stole the idea to buy these books from Jenny @WondrousReads but i'm sure she'll forgive me)

Schuyler Van Alen begins to wonder if the legends of vampires are really true. When she turns 15, she starts to crave raw food and is having flashbacks to ancient times. After a classmate is found dead--and bloodless--Schuyler doesn't know what to think.

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Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Read it, loved it, one amazing debut novel) - Thank you Puffin - This is released in the UK on 4 February 2010.

In Ethan Wate’s hometown there lies the darkest of secrets . . . There is a girl. Slowly, she pulled the hood from her head. Green eyes, black hair. Lena Duchannes. There is a curse. On the Sixteenth Moon, the Sixteenth Year, the Book will take what it’s been promised. And no one can stop it. In the end, there is a grave. Lena and Ethan become bound together by a deep, powerful love. But Lena is cursed and on her sixteenth birthday, her fate will be decided. Ethan never even saw it coming.

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Bloom by Elizabeth Scott (read this one too, very good book)

Lauren has a good life: decent grades, great friends, and a boyfriend every girl wants. So why is she so unhappy?

It takes the arrival of Evan Kirkland for Lauren to figure out the answer: she's been holding back. She's been denying herself a bunch of things (like sex) because staying with her loyal and gorgeous boyfriend, Dave, is the "right" thing to do. After all, who would give up the perfect guy?

But as Dave starts talking more and more about their life together, planning a future Lauren simply can't see herself in-- and as Lauren's craving for Evan, and moreover, who she is with Evan becomes all the more fierce--Lauren realizes she needs to make a choice...before one is made for her.

 

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Beastly by Alex Fynn (bought as per Katies recommendation) 
 
I am a beast.
 
A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright—a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.
 
You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.
 
Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.

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Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog (I shuld have bought this a long time ago, it sounds fab, right?)
 
Morgan Sparks has always known that she and her boyfriend, Cam, are made for each other. But when Cam’s cousin Pip comes to stay with the family, Cam seems depressed. Finally Cam confesses to Morgan what’s going on: Cam is a fairy. The night he was born, fairies came down and switched him with a healthy human boy. Nobody expected Cam to live, and nobody expected his biological brother, heir to the fairy throne, to die. But both things happened, and now the fairies want Cam back to take his rightful place as Fairy King.
 
Even as Cam physically changes, becoming more miserable each day, he and Morgan pledge to fool the fairies and stay together forever. But by the time Cam has to decide once and for all what to do, Morgan’s no longer sure what’s best for everyone, or whether her and Cam’s love can weather an uncertain future.

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Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson (*ducks head* this is the first book by this author i've bought, i know i know, stop shouting!)

 
Scarlett Martin's eccentric family runs a New York City hotel that dates from the 1920s. After Scarlett turns 15, she is given charge of the Empire Suite, occupied by an aging starlet who is writing her memoir. Soon, Scarlett becomes caught up in the woman's adventures.

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Okay, so I got some pretty amazing things in the post this week.  For those of you who have gotten this far in my IMM post, boy, your in for a treat.  Also, those who paid attention will be thinking, "Now why did she mention Hush Hush and The Hunger Games and not include them in the post?" Well here's why:-

I swear, when they came, I hyperventalated.  Not only is The Hunger Games one of my favourite dystopian novels ever, its the Amerian copy, which has such a better over than the UK one.  And Hush Hush, wowzer!!! When the post lady came i'd just got out of bed, so I had serious bad bed head (not the sexy mussed up kind) and pj's.  I did a little happy dance and actually squeed.  If my post lady didn't think I was crazy, well, she sure does now.  I want to thank Katie, who is awesome beyond beleif for sending me these books, her kidness and generosity is endless.  I love you!! and you rock my socks off on a daily basis <,3

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And then, the following day, another parcel came.  This time from Sophie, who you will all know as @Katarinasmama and/or @MundieMoms on Twitter.

Check out my goodies!!!!!!!!  This is the bet-EST present I have ever got.  Much squeeing and jumping around ensued when this parel was opened.  I got my 10 year old sister to take the photos, and she told me to grow up, thats how giggly I got.

So, as you can tell, I had an amazing week!!! Hope you all did too :-)

Review - Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Publisher: Simon and Schuster, January 2006
Order on Amazon here

Tally lives in a world where your sixteenth birthday brings aesthetic perfection: an operation which erases all your flaws, transforming you from an 'Ugly' into a 'Pretty'. She is on the eve of this important event, and cannot wait for her life to change. As well as guaranteeing supermodel looks, life as a Pretty seems to revolve around having a good time. But then she meets Shay, who is also fifteen - but with a very different outlook on life. Shay isn't sure she wants to be Pretty and plans to escape to a community in the forest - the Rusty Ruins - where Uglies go to escape ' turning'. Tally won't be persuaded to join her, as this would involve sacrificing everything she's ever wanted for a lot of uncertainty. When she is taken in for questioning on her birthday, however, Tally gets sent to the Ruins anyway - against her will. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she could ever imagine: find her friend Shay and turn her in, or never turn Pretty at all. What she discovers in the Ruins reveals that there is nothing 'pretty' about the transformations...And the choice Tally makes will change her world forever.

Basically, Scott Westerfeld is like a living legend; he *almost* beats Chuck Bass on the awesome stakes. Plus, he’s married to Justine Larbalasteir who is also made of awesome. I loved the Midnighter’s series, which for those of you living under Rock is a YA series about five teenagers born on the stroke of midnight. That doesn’t sound so special right? But at midnight time freezes for them and reveals a dark and terrible hidden world. So, I have my armour on ready for the blows that are surely to come, because sadly, Uglies just didn’t float my boat as much as I wanted it to. I mean its dystopia, which is like my forte.

So, to kick off my review, check out that cover. It freaks me out a little, and I much prefer the new covers which have surfaced on the web. If you want to have a nosy at them, Jenny from Wondrous Reads has just done a post on the new covers, which are fandabydozy. I may be the only one, but I love this cover, I think it captures the mood of the book really well. I love the colours and the text and if I didn’t already know who Scott was, I would so pick up this book based on cover alone.

Tally is fifteen years old, and lives in a post-apocalyptic world where everyone is Ugly until they turn sixteen. In this world, everyone has an operation on their sixteenth birthday, to make them pretty. Tally is sick and tired of being ugly and can’t wait until she turns sixteen. Tally’s best friend Peris is now a pretty and living in New Pretty Town and Tally’s still ugly, stuck in Uglyville. On a secret mission in New Pretty Town to see Peris, Tally meets Shay, another ugly waiting to become pretty.

The thing is Shay doesn’t want to be a pretty, where as its all Tally can think about. The brainwashing that everyone has to be pretty, it’s the only way everyone can survive as equals, has been etched into Tally’s brain. She can’t see past it, it’s all she’s wanted and she can’t comprehend why someone would want to stay ugly forever. Shay convinces Tally to sneak out to the restricted area, just past Uglyville, and confides that she meets a boy named David here, who is an ugly too, even though he’s older than sixteen.

Shay decides the operation is unnatural and leaves Uglyville before her transformation, heading to The Smoke, a place where everyone lives together, where being ugly doesn’t make you a freak. Tally refuses to go; she’s waited all her life to shed her ugly skin. As the day of her operation dawns, Tally is confronted by Special Circumstances, who want to know where Shay has gone and will stop at nothing to find out. Tally’s life takes a wicked turn, but will she eventually realise that it’s what’s inside your skin that counts?

Scott does a really fantastic job of making Tally’s struggles with her body image relatable to the readers. Everyone, whether they are natural beauties or just average, worries about their image. It’s normal to worry about how other people will perceive you and especially when you are a teenager, body image is something that can really affect your life. In this book, in a world where everyone is eventually pretty, how do they define what is beautiful? Also, I did think that if everyone was pretty, then maybe the shift would focus to inner beauty, but everyone in New Pretty Town is shallow.

The concept of the book is really interesting, but in a world where cosmetic surgery is so acceptable and accessible, a world where everyone is pretty is not really unrealistic. This is where I found myself not as immersed in the book as I would’ve liked. I love my dystopia novels to be really far-fetched, something that would never happen in my mundane existence. I am quite a strong person and I have always refused to conform to other peoples views about what they *think* people should look like or act, I don’t like uniformity, and I like having freedom to choose what I do. So, a book about most of the characters conforming to what they perceived to be perfect, didn’t reach out to me.

Tally for me was a perfect protagonist for this type of novel, a girl that no matter what facts were put in front of her, still stuck to her guns that being ugly was a sin, something to be ashamed of. Really, none of them, are ugly, they are normal girls and boys with flaws. And this was her downfall, she was shallow, and I know this was intended by Scott, I just found her very immature and annoying. I was waiting for her to realise that not everything is about image, and she didn’t. I wanted her to develop a healthy view about body image, which never came. So sadly, *sobs* this book just wasn’t for me, but for those of you who love reading about societies being manipulated for the “good” of the people, you will love this book. Regardless, I am still a massive Scott fan girl and can’t wait to read Leviathan.

Review - Need by Carrie Jones

Published by Bloomsbury, 23 December 2008
Order on Amazon here

Zara collects phobias the way other high school girls collect lipsticks. Little wonder, since life's been pretty rough so far. Her father left, her stepfather just died, and her mother's pretty much checked out. Now Zara's living with her grandmother in sleepy, cold Maine so that she stays "safe." Zara doesn't think she's in danger; she thinks her mother can't deal. Wrong. Turns out that guy she sees everywhere, the one leaving trails of gold glitter, isn't a figment of her imagination. He's a pixie--and not the cute, lovable kind with wings. He's the kind who has dreadful, uncontrollable needs. And he's trailing Zara.

Okay, so I love this cover. I would marry this cover and make lots of little glittery book babies, without a doubt. Is it just me, or does the cover make you believe the book may just be about vampires? Maybe it’s because of the exposed neck, or maybe I’ve been brainwashed into believing that exposed necks = vampires, but you can understand why, right? Regardless *cough* werewolves rule *cough* I am loving this cover, even if glittery gold lipstick should never be worn, except maybe by Magnus.

Zara White lives in Charlestown with her mum and stepfather. Zara wants to save the world and is active in Amnesty International, loves to run and is a phobia freak. She knows every single phobia and their names.  But Zara’s life turns into a disaster when her father has a heart attack and dies. Zara goes into her self, like a zombie, not really living her life, stuck in a depressive cycle she can’t seem to get out of. Because of this, her mum makes the decision to send her to Maine to live with her grandmother; her dads mum. She hates it in

Maine, its always cold and it snows; a lot!

During her first day at her new school, Zara makes friends pretty easily, including the hot boy Nick, and it seems her life is back on track. But someone is following her, someone she saw outside her house the day her dad died; a man. He’s at the airport on her way to Maine, she see’s him stood outside her new school, always leaving a wake of gold dust.  He always says the same thing; her name, telling her to come to him. But then boys start to go missing from her school. It’s the Pixie King and he needs a Queen. During a research session with her friends, Zara finds out that weres are the natural enemies of Pixies, which is all good, considering the town of Maine has its own secret population of weres. This begins the fight for Zara’s life, which she once wished was over. But will she be able to save herself and the ones she loves?

This is my first encounter of Carrie Jones’s work, even though she does have other published novels out there. I will admit, the only reason I bought this book was because I was told werewolves were involved.  Authors, you want me to buy your book, yeah? Well, throw in a werewolf and I will be all over it. Her writing style is very descriptive and she did an exception job of describing the frigid cold weather in Maine and the eerie air about the woods in front of Zaras home. Also, the chapters were all named after phobias, which were very clever and kooky, and a nice touch. I’m not a phobia fanatic like Zara but it was so interesting to see what weird and wonderful phobias some people suffer from.

I was drawn into the story quite quickly, I think I finished the book in two sittings; once it was in my hands I just couldn’t put it down.  The characters introduced were all surprisingly life like and I found I could relate to them, and see why they chose certain choices or why they acted the way they did in certain situations. The suspense and conflict in the story was well planned, and the twists and turns were unexpected but only ever revealed at the right moment. Plus, the boys in this book are hot and very very sexy. Nick is described as tall, dark and handsome, with a strong physique. Girls, how lush does he sound? And lush he is. I love this guy, but again, this is very predictable for me. On a sad note, even though the male lead is gorgeous, the romance in the book was a little forced, normally I swoon, but this time I just wasn’t feeling the chemistry between Nick and Zara, even though I really wanted too. Hopefully, this will change in the sequel.

The ending for me was a little anti-climatic, I think I expected a major thing to happen or a cliff hanger to set the story up more for the sequel. Regardless, I am still excited for the next book, Captivate. I hope we get a little more background and information on Zara’s mum and dad and maybe introduced to some more werewolves. Because basically, werewolves always win out in the end; at least for me.