Author Interview and Giveaway - Fallen by Lauren Kate

Okay, so I would like to thank Lauren from Radmon House for organising this for the blog and also to Lauren Kate, who was lovely enough to answer my questions, so here goes:

How did you get into writing professionally?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer and always found myself in bookish situations. My first job out of college was working as an editor at a publishing house in New York. I was trying my hand at short stories, but I didn’t have enough time to work on a longer novel. Then, much to my entire family’s horror, I quit my good job and moved to California to go to a Masters Program in Fiction (which is a fancy way of saying: here’s two free years to write). By then, I’d met so many great people in publishing--my former boss became my agent. He helped me get Fallen into the right hands, and the rest has been sort of a whirlwind!

Where did your inspiration for the come come from?

I first got the idea for Fallen when I came across a line in Genesis, which tells about a group of angels who fell in love with mortal women. In the bible, these renegades are casts out of heaven, end of story. But for me, that was only the beginning. I started thinking about how a normal girl would respond to an angel having a crush on her. Imagine the baggage he must have! And what would her seriously overprotective father think? From there, a whole world unfurled in my mind—only it wasn’t just angels anymore. Demons, secret sects, reincarnations, and the End of Days were also all battling for a piece of the action.

Who is your favourite character from Fallen and why?

Arriane! I have so much fun writing the Arriane scenes. Sometimes I have to rein in the jokes. She’s vibrant and spunky but she also has a lot of heart. I think that makes her a great foil to Luce’s character. I also love Penn, who reminds me of several friends I had growing up. Luce can come off as a bit serious (I guess she goes through a lot, what with dealing with those pesky shadows and all), and I think her gravity is essential to the books, but I like pairing her with funny characters to lighten the mood as often as I can.

What are some of your favourite YA books/authors?

I adore Frances Hardinge. Right now I’m reading her book, The Lost Conspiracy. Terrific! I love Louise Rennison, Meg Rosoff, John Greene, Maureen Johnson, Melissa Marr, Lois Lowry, Charles Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald. The list is endless, and I’m always looking for new favourites.

Can you reveal anything from Torment?

I’m having so much fun writing Torment that it’s hard for me not to spill everything right now so I can say, “Aren’t you excited? Won’t this be great?” But my publisher would probably have my head. So in lieu of that, I’ll reveal just three things:

1. As Luce learns more about her past, she comes into a host of powers she never knew she had—and they might involve the shadows.
2. After the second book comes out, a prequel (which will span thousands of years!) will follow before the final book in the series.
3. Even though, of course, Daniel is Luce’s one-and-only, a very interesting new male character is introduced in Torment that offers him some stiff competition.

THANK YOU LAUREN! :-)

You can find Lauren Kate on Twitter here

The lovely Fallen website

Download the Fallen Widget

Also, her fabulous website right here

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I have three finished copies of Fallen to giveaway to you lovely people.  Here are the requirements:-

All you need to do is post a comment in the comment section

You don't have to be a follower to enter

In the interests of Privacy, please do NOT leave your email address, I will contact the winners and it will be announced here

Open Internationally

Contest ends 12 noon GMT on Monday 7 December

Good Luck everyone!!

NaNoWriMo << Hell No

So, I thought I would go against the grain here and talk a little bit about writing and what defines people as writers.  I know what your thinking; what does this girl know about writing.  And your so right, I know jack about writing, but so what?! your favourite author never knew anything about writing or getting published, but they still managed to do it.  You have to start somewhere, so in my eyes, starting at the beginning, with no clue what your doing is the best way.  If you was to research into getting a literary agent and how to get published before you actually wrote something, i'm thinking maybe you would feel disheartened.  For all we know, the best book ever wrote is out-there somewhere on someones desk unplublished, because they disilliusioned themsleves into thinking getting published would be easy.  Not that I know a lot about getting published, but you catch my drift, right?

I know a lot of people who did NaNo this year, and todays the last day to pump out those last few thousand words, or sit and stare at your dinky word count feeling like a failure.  My words to those who have finished NaNo and managed to crank out 50,000 words in 30 days, well done, its certainly a big acheivement.  I know that theres not a change on this earth that I would be able to crank out 50,000 words in 30 days.  Crap, I cant even crank out 15,000 words in 30 days.  The point is, I dont care about word count, its the least of my worries.

For those of you who didn't reach 50,000 words and are feeling maybe guilty or sad about it.  Why do you care so much?? If you want to write, then write, dont let an internet writing exercise (for lack of a better word) make you feel any less of a writer or a failure.  I really really struggle with word count, but I would rather spend the time getting under the skin of my characters, learning about them, so much so that I know them as much as I know myself.  Spend time developing your side characters, so they dont disoolve into the background, but stand up front and centre, even if they have minimal scenes in your book.  Take time to brainstorm and think about how you want your story to progress and what direction you want your book to be heading in, rather than a forced ending, because you were panicking about the amount of words you had wrote.

In the end, you may have spent 30 days writing 50,000 words that you hate, or 50,000 words that you love.  Who knows? What I know is that NaNo isn't for me.  I spent 11 months on just over 90,000 words, and you know what? quite a lot of them are garble.  It needs a lot of word, some parts even need ripping out and starting again.  But it feels so good to know that I finished in my own time, not ruled by wordcount, but ruled by my heart.

So, if you didn't finish your 50,00 words and only maybe wrote 20,00, celebrate, for all you know, those 20,00 words could change your life.

In My Mailbox #8 plus V-Log

Hosted by Kristi @ TheStorySiren and Inspired by Alea @ PopCultureJunkie

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Ill Wind by Rachel Caine
This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
The Season by Sarah MacLean
Fire by Kristen Cashore
Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell
Hold Still by Nina La Cour
The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

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Okay, so I apologise for the little mini freak out at the beginning of the v-log.  I recorded it once already and was in a mega rush (tis the season to be jolly and all that), so had no time to re-record.  Hope you all enjoyed and have a fab week of booky goodness xoxo

Review - This Lullay by Sarah Dessen

Published by Hodder Childrens Books 23 July 2008
Order on Amazon here

Remy doesn't believe in love. And why should she? Her romance novelist mother is working on her fifth marriage, and her father, a '70s hippie singer, left her with only a one-hit wonder song to remember him by. Every time Remy hears "This Lullaby," it feels like "a bruise that never quite healed right." "Wherever you may go / I will let you down / But this lullaby plays on..."

Never without a boyfriend, Remy is a compulsive dater, but before a guy can go all "Ken" on her (as in "ultra boyfriend behavior") she cuts him off, without ever getting close or getting hurt.

That's why she's stunned when klutzy, quirky, alterna-band boy Dexter inserts himself into her life and refuses to leave. Remy's been accepted to Stanford, and she plans on having her usual summer fling before tying up the loose ends of her pre-college life and heading for the coast. Except Dexter's not following Remy's tried-and-true rules of break-up protocol. And for the first time, Remy's questioning whether or not she wants him to.

This is the first Sarah Dessen book I have ever read, even though she has a number of young adult books published. I always approach books like This Lullaby with caution, preferring the fast paced action of Urban Fantasy books. In truth, I wasn’t expecting to like this book much, but in the interests of being fair, I decided to give Sarah a go, maybe she would be the author to change my mind. And she was. This Lullaby is one of the best teen books I’ve ever read, and I’ve read a lot of books.

This Lullaby follows the story of Remy, an eighteen year old girl who has little to no faith in love. She never met her father, who passed away before he had a chance to meet her. Before he died we wrote a now-famous song “This Lullaby” dedicated to the daughter he never met. It doesn’t help much that her mom is a flake, flitting from marriage to marriage and cocooned in her writers bubble. Remy likes control and order and is the same when it comes to relationships. She has to have the upper hand, never letting things go far enough for any attachment to form.

Dexter comes storming into her life in all his glorified messiness. He’s clumsy, awkward and musician; everything Remy hates. But he’s persistent and is determined to worm his way into Remy’s life, whether she wants him too or not. When they get together, her friends are shocked that she would put up with his laid back demeanour, his sloppy lifestyle. Everyone is expecting the break up to come before the end of summer; everyone except Dexter, who has faith in their relationship, but will it work out?

I really loved the characters in this book and Sarah has this magic way with words that make you feel like you know the characters and are sharing this experience with them. I connected so easily with the characters right from the get go. Like Remy, I like order and control, but only in certain aspects of my life; like books and clothes. But also, like Dexter, I’m quite sloppy, am a seriously bad timekeeper and I hate making plans for the future. I’d rather just go with the flow and see where the wind takes me.

The story line was very powerful and I devoured the book in one sitting, I just couldn’t put it down. As a bonus, how cute is that cover, very kooky and fits well with the theme of the book.  Not only was it fresh, believable and engrossing, it was also funny. I laughed out loud so many times through the book at the little things Dexter said or did, or when Remy was being anal for no reason. Sarah Dessen is a genius, and this novel far surpassed my expectations. I look forward to reading her other novels, which I for one am so excited to buy. Amazing.

2010 Debut Author Challenge

So, next year I have chosen to participate in the 2010 Debut Author Challenge, hosted by The Story Siren.  This is the first challenge I have ever done since I started blogging, and I am so excited to start this one, because guess what??........there are some wicked cooll books debuting in 2010.  I never knew it was feasble to get this excited about books, i've surpassed even my view of how excited a person could actually get about a book.  You want to join in too right? I can see your head nodding, so here's the deal:

What is the 2010 Debut Author Challenge?

The objective is to read a set number of YA (Young Adult) or MG (Middle Grade) novels from debut authors published in 2010. Everyone is challenged to read at least 12 debut novels. The challenge will run from January 1 2010 – December 31, 2010. If you are a lover of Challenges just like me and are super super excited about all the amazing young adult books being released in 2010, then roll on over to The Story Siren where Kristi has all the info you will need. All I can say is, is it 2010 yet??

Here's my choice of books for your viewing pleasure; the link will take you directly to goodreads so you can nosy at the books description:

Bleeding Violet – Dia Reeves – 5 January 2010 – Simon Pulse
The Secret Year – Jennifer R Hubbard – 7 January 2010 – Viking Juvenile
The Mark – Jen Nadol – 19 January 2010 - Bloomsbury
The Dark Days of Hamburger Haplin – Josh Berk – 9 February 2010 – Alfred A.Knopf Books
Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver - 2 March 2010 - Harper Teen
Hex Hall – Rachel Hawkins – 2 March 2010 - Hyperion
The Line – Teri Hall – 4 March 2010 - Dial
The Body Finder – Kimberly Derting – 16 March 2010 – Harper Teen
Brightly Woven – Alexandra Bracken – 23 March 2010 – Egmont USA
Harmonic Feedback – Tara Kelly – 25 May 2010 – Henry Holt & Co
The Tension of Opposites – Kristina McBride – 25 May 2010 – Egmont USA
Sea– Heidi R Kling – 10 June 2010 – Putnam Juvenile
Shadow Hills – Anastasia Hopcus – 13 July 2010 - Egmont
The Deathday Letter – Sean Hutchinson – Summer 2010 – Simon Pulse
Paranormalcy – Kirsten White – 21 September 2010 – Harper Teen
The Replacement – Brenna Yovanoff – Fall 2010 – Razorbill
The Duff – Kody Keplinger – Fall 2010 – Little Brown Poppy

Happy Reading Indeed!!!!!

Waiting On Wednesday - Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen

Hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine

Publisher: Flux

Published on 1 February 2010 (US) 1 March 2010 (UK)

Pre-Order on Amazon here

Elizah Rayne is nothing like other fourteen-year-old girls. More interested in bird bones than people, she wraps herself in silence. Trying to escape the shadow of her gambler father, Elizah and her mother move into an old house that borders a cemetery. All her mother wants is for them to have "normal" lives. But that becomes impossible for Elizah when she finds a human jawbone by the river and meets Nathaniel, a strangely hypnotic and mysterious boy who draws Elizah into his world.

Only by forgetting everything she knows can Elizah understand the truth about Nathaniel—and discover an unimaginable secret.

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I really like the sound of this book and I am so intrigued by Nathaniel, and what this story may hold.  The cover for this book is stunning and the soft earth colours set the scene nicely.  I love nature and woods have always fanscinated me since I was little, so this cover instantly drew me in, begging to be looked at.  I can't wait for a glimpse into Elizah's world and see how this mesmorising story will unravel.

Review - Deadly Little Lies by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Published: 10 November 2009
Order on Amazon here

Last fall, sixteen-year-old Camelia fell for Ben, the mysterious new boy at school who turned out to have a very mysterious gift--pyschometry, the ability to sense the future through touch. But just as Camelia and Ben's romance began to heat up, he abruptly left town. Brokenhearted, Camelia has spent the last few months studying everything she can about psychometry, and experiencing her own strange brushes with premonition. Camelia wonders if Ben's abilities have somehow rubbed off on her. Can the power of psychometry be transferred?

Even once Ben returns to school, Camelia can't get close enough to share her secret with him. Despite the romantic tension between them, Ben remains aloof, avoiding contact. Then when an unexpected kiss leads to a frightening argument, Camelia makes the painful decision to let Ben go and move on. Adam, the hot new guy at work, seems good for her in ways Ben wasn't. Adam is easygoing, and seems to really care about her.But when Camelia and Adam start dating, a surprising love triangle results. A chilling sequence of events upturns secrets from Ben's past--and Adam's. Someone is lying, and it's up to Camelia to figure out who-before it's too late.

Deadly Little Lies picks up straight where Secret left off. Camelia is struggling to deal with her abduction the previous summer and having Ben leave town. Her family life is still not back to normal, and the unresolved issues between her mother and aunt Alexia simmer in this installment of the Touch Series. Ben's return to town makes Cameila feel like a boat lost at sea; he doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with Camelia and is cold and distant. Camelia attempts to move on with her new work friend, Adam, but the relationship is a battle with the feelings she still has towards Ben and the fact the he seems jealous at this turn of events. Even more strange is the voices Camelia is hearing and the premoitions she has in the form of her pottery work. Desperate to try and piece her life back together, Cameila is faced with a painful memories of her past; the notes and threatening phone calls have started again.

I was a little wary to read this installment, because I didn't enjoy the first installment as much as I had hoped. However, I think I preferred this novel more due to the well paced story line which flowed a lot easier. There was a lot more emotion instilled into the story, which meant Camelia seemed to have more depth, and I seemed to undertand her attraction to Ben, which wasn't there for me in the first book. The stalker aspect of the story was handled effectively and more than a little creepy. However, Stolarz didn't do justice to her writing skills. Too many clues were left behind and I had figured out the culprict before Camelia, which diminished the scary side for me, that was more pronounced at the beginning of the book.

As a lover of urban fantasy, I would have loved Camelia to explore her pshyic powers a little more, push the boundries. Maybe this will be explored more in the third book, which is due to be published late 2010. Also, the minor characters in the form of Kimmie and Wes, seemed to have little interection and seemed to serve no other purpose other than lighten the mood. Kimmie's family does get more light shone on them, and we can learn through Camelia's observations the break down of a family and how it affects Kimmie, which was a noce touch. I do hope they both get a little bit more time in the third book.

The ending for me was exactly how I wanted it to end and set the bar up for Deadly Little Games, which I am looking forward to reading. I am pleased that I stuck with this series and it seems to be paying off, and if the improvements continue, I think the last book in the series will be fantastic. I look forward to reading it.

In My Mailbox #7 + V-Log

hosted by Kristi @TheStorySiren and inspired by Alea @PopCultureJunkie

So, this week I mastered the art of the -log for your viewing pleasure:-

Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine

Fade Out by Rachel Caine

Forever by Judy Blume

Love is the Higher Law by Davd Levithan

Deady Little Lies by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klaus

The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klaus

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

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Mentions

Jenny from Wondrous Reads

Lauren Oliver @ LaurenOliverBooks

Maggie Stiefvater

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Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (Lauren is such a lovely for organising the little blog tour)

Sam Kingston is dead.

Except she isn’t.

On a rainy February night, Sam is killed in a horrific car crash. But instead of seeing a tunnel of light, she wakes up in her own bed, on the morning of the same day.
Forced to live through the same events – the drive to school, skipping class, the fateful party – she struggles to alter the outcome, but wakes up again on the day of the crash.
What follows is the story of a girl who comes of age in a matter of days. Who discovers, through heartbreaking insights, the consequences of her every action.Of a girl who dies young, but in the process learns how to live.
And who falls in love . . . a little too late.

How pretty is the UK cover?? I am so glad they decided to use the same photo image for our cover, because it is just so pretty.  The ony major difference is the text colour, which is white on the US cover  But I think the purple really compliments the cover, I think this is the nicest cover I have seen in a long long time. 

Hope you all had a fab week :-)

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.

Waiting On Wednesday - Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Idea hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's
Published: 1 April 2010

Pre-Order on Amazon here

In the wake of a love spell gone horribly wrong, Sophie Mercer, a sixteen-year-old witch, is shipped off to Hecate Hall, a boarding school for witches, shapeshifters and faeries. The traumas of mortal high school are nothing compared to the goings on at "Freak High". It's bad enough that she has to deal with a trio of mean girls led by the glamorous Elodie, but it's even worse when she begins to fall for Elodie's gorgeous boyfriend, Archer Cross, and frankly terrifying that the trio are an extremely powerful coven of dark witches. But when Sophie begins to learn the disturbing truth about her father, she is forced to face demons both metaphorical and real, and come to terms with her own growing power as a witch.

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Okay, so I am sooo looking forward to this book, which I am sure you have probably guessed. Look at that lush cover! It kind of reminds me of a Gossip Girl cover, with the flawless, amazingly gorgeous girls on the cover.  This is a very good thing, because Gossip Girl is amazing with cherrys on top, which I am positive this book will be.  Plus, even better, the protagonist is a witch, and a witch that can do love potions.  To be honest, Sophie sounds like my kind of girl.  Shapeshifters too! I need this book as soon as humanly possible, though I am willing to fight for a copy too.  Owners of ARC's beware....

In My Mailbox #5

 Idea is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren and Inspired by Alea @ Pop Culture Junkie

I had such a good week for books, its all very exciting!!!

Swoon by Nina Malkin

Need by Carrie Jones

Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Looking For Alaska by John Green

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (Okay, I already have 2 copies, but just love the cover)

The Everlost by Neal Shusterman
Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (won from @HushHushFan - thanks) review here

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Swoon by Nina Malkin

Sin is Coming...Prepare to Swoon!

Torn from her native New York City and dumped in the land of cookie-cutter preps, Candice is resigned to accept her posh, dull fate. Nothing ever happens in Swoon, Connecticut...until Dice's perfect, privileged cousin Penelope nearly dies in a fall from an old tree, and her spirit intertwines with that of a ghost. His name? Sinclair Youngblood Powers. His mission? Revenge. And while Pen is oblivious to the possession, Dice is all too aware of Sin. She's intensely drawn to him—but not at all crazy about the havoc he's wreaking. Determined to exorcise the demon, Dice accidentally sets Sin loose, gives him flesh, makes him formidable. Now she must destroy an even more potent—and irresistible—adversary, before the whole town succumbs to Sin's will. Only trouble is, she's in love with him.

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Need by Carrie Jones (this sounds amazing!!! edit: reading this right now and it is amazing!)

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.

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Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr (this cover is lush)

 

Samara Taylor used to believe in miracles. She used to believe in a lot of things. As a pastor's kid, it's hard not to buy in to the idea of the perfect family, a loving God, and amazing grace but lately, Sam has a lot of reason to doubt. Her mother is in rehab after a DUI and her father seems more interested in his congregation than his family. When a young girl in her small town is kidnapped, the local tragedy overlaps Sam's personal one and the already worn thread of faith holding her together begins to unravel.

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Rampant by Diana Petefreund (Killer Unicorns? enough said.....i'm there)

 

Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns . . . Real unicorns are venomous, man-eating monsters with huge fangs and razor-sharp horns. Fortunately, they've been extinct for a hundred and fifty years. Or not.

Astrid had always scoffed at her eccentric mother's stories about killer unicorns. But when one of the monsters attacks her boyfriend—thereby ruining any chance of him taking her to the prom—Astrid finds herself headed to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter at the ancient cloisters the hunters have used for centuries.

However, at the cloisters all is not what it seems. Outside, the unicorns wait to attack. And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from the crumbling, bone-covered walls that vibrate with a terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to—perhaps most dangerously of all—her growing attraction to a handsome art student . . . an attraction that could jeopardize everything.

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How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford (Maggie Stiefvater says this is amazing, which is a good enough recommendation for me :-) )

New to town, Beatrice is expecting her new best friend to be one of the girls she meets on the first day. But instead, the alphabet conspires to seat her next to Jonah, aka Ghost Boy, a quiet loner who hasn't made a new friend since third grade. Something about him, though, gets to Bea, and soon they form an unexpected friendship. It's not romance, exactly - but it's definitely love. Still, Bea can't quite dispel Jonah's gloom and doom - and as she finds out his family history, she understands why. Can Bea help Jonah? Or is he destined to vanish?

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Stolen by Lucy Christopher (I heard about this on Jennys blog @Wondrous Reads and had to check it out)

Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in th planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back? The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist – almost

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Looking for Alaska by John Green (how have I not already read this one!)

 

First drink, first prank, first friend, first girl, last words - this is a poignant and moving crossover novel about making friends and growing up from American author, John Green. Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words - and tired of his safe, boring and rather lonely life at home. He leaves for boarding school filled with cautious optimism, to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.

 

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The Everlost by Neal Shusterman (dys-to-pia woot!)

 

Nick and Allie don't survive the crash, and now they are in limbo, stuck halfway between life and death, in a netherworld known as Everlost. Everlost is home to those who didn't make it to their final destination: A magical yet dangerous place filled with shadows where lost souls run wild. Shocked and frightened, Nick and Allie aren't ready to rest in peace just yet. They want their lives back. Desperate for a way out, their search takes them deep into the uncharted regions of Everlost. But the longer they stay, the more they forget about their past lives. And with all memory of home fading fast and an unknown evil lurking in the shadows, Nick and Allie may never escape this strange, terrible world.

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Right, I know this isn't book related news, but looky at my new purchase; quite fitting dont you think (I know what i'm wearing to the New Moon Midnight viewing now atleast :-p)

Hope you all had a good week for books too!! :-)