tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36143616180113155782024-03-13T10:55:33.662+11:00-Book Couture-Sharing reviews on the latest young adult books and mangas.Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-69528953515306158292011-11-19T12:00:00.000+11:002011-11-19T12:00:00.270+11:00Interview with Lara Morgan (Rosie Black Chronicles)<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Hey there awesome people! I've been AWOL for ages again, and I am this close to throttling - ahem - filing a </span><i style="color: #3d85c6;">complaint </i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">to
our education system for tearing me away from blogging. But my last
exam finishes soon, and I can't wait to be back reviewing and reading.
Even the thought of it is brightening the thought of my massive pile of
practise exams..</span>.<br />
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<br /></div>
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But in the meantime, I have a wonderful interview with the almighty <a href="http://www.lara-morgan.com/">Lara Morgan</a>, the author of the <a href="http://www.rosieblack.com/">Rosie Black Chronicles</a>, right here at Book Couture, as part of an awesome <a href="http://laramorgan.wordpress.com/blog-tour-equinox/">blog tour</a>. Lara. Morgan. <i>Seriously</i>, Mind. Blown. Alright, let's go...</div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Hi <a href="http://laramorgan.wordpress.com/">Lara</a>!
Thank you so much for taking the time to appear on my blog. I'm so
thrilled to have you heere! The topic I'm really curious about today is
writing tips, for all those aspiring writers out there. So first of all,
I was wondering, what inspired you to write the Rosie Black Chronicles?</span><br />
<br />
There
were two inspirations for Rosie: first was my interest in our planet’s
future given the mess of global warming and second my love of space
adventure shows and movies like Star Wars and Firefly. I know, it’s a
weird mix! So basically I combined the two, exploring the kind of world
both environmentally and socially we might have in the future if all
the terrible effects of global warming come to pass and including
against that backdrop an adventure story that involved spaceships and
futuristic themes with an independent female heroine. I also found great
inspiration for Rosie in Buffy. Not so much in the kind of person Rosie
is but more in terms of her heroism in the face of sometimes terrible
odds. <br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tOiampbI6UQ/TqJ-BA2v6QI/AAAAAAAAAdU/WFULLJ75JFU/s1600/Rosieblack12.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tOiampbI6UQ/TqJ-BA2v6QI/AAAAAAAAAdU/WFULLJ75JFU/s320/Rosieblack12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Hmm,
global warming is such a topical issue at the moment, and Rosie Black's
world certainly shows the frightening ramifications of inaction. And
that is certainly an interesting blend of inspirational material!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Sometimes
when I'm writing short stories (or actually, writing anything in
general), I'll want to get the tone, the character, the phrasing, etc,
right, and so I find myself agonising over every single word. I guess
I'm a bit of a perfectionist. Then I find myself losing interest because
the whole writing process feels too difficult. How is your own writing
process like? And what would you recommmend beginning writers to do?</span><br />
<br />
Ah
yes, the agonizing is a very hard hurdle to get over. It’s also one I
advise beginning writers to leap over because trying to get everything
right before you move on can result in exactly what you’ve described and
that is death to any writing. When I start work on a book I firstly do a
lot of research into the kind of world I’m creating, so lots of reading
(my favourite part!), and I scribble notes down about my characters. I
don’t do very detailed sketches of them at that stage but I do think
about who they are and where they might fit in the story. Then I get out
an artist’s sketch block and start plotting out a story line. I draw a
long diagonal line right across the page and at the beginning note down
where I think the story might start, the scene and action. Then I make a
dot in the middle of the line and note what a major plot point might be
for the middle, then make a dot at the end of the line and note how I
think the book might end, and I fill in a few points in between those
three that might be some major plot points for the story. That’s it
really, then I just start writing the first draft. I am one of those
writers who work better if I don’t over plot. I need to do a bit of
plotting, but while I’m writing the first draft I always revise my plot
outline as I go so I tend to end up with several increasingly different
versions. I rarely ever change the ending though. I always have a clear
idea at the start where I’m heading and when writing a first draft I
don’t edit as I go. If I find along the way that a character does
something that affects what I’ve already written a chapter or so back I
just make a note to myself to change it in the rewrite and keep going.
It’s only when I’ve written the first draft all the way through that I
really know what the story is. Then in the rewrite I can go back and
refine it.<br />
<br />
So I think my best advice for new writers is
to stop agonizing over getting the perfect scene or sentence the first
time and just get to the end. Remember all writing is rewriting. Relax,
take a breath and give yourself permission to write badly the first time
knowing you will be fixing it up in the rewrite. And never show anyone
your first draft because the last thing you need at the beginning is
someone’s well meaning advice before you’re even sure how your story
goes.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">That, is <i>gold </i>for aspiring writers. Reading is my facourite part too! And your visual approach to planning
is very innovative and interesting. I've never heard of that technique
before, and I think I might try it out someday. Thanks!</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">What's your personal cure for writer's block?</span><br />
<br />
If
I’m having trouble writing it’s usually because my creative brain isn’t
quite sure what’s happening in the story next and is fighting with my
‘just-get-on-with-it’ side of the brain. I’ve found the best way for me
to get over this is to stop trying to push through it and take a step
back. I stop writing and just take a day or so to think about what the
problem is. I leave my desk and sit on the couch in a different room
with a notebook and just day dream the story a bit, making random notes
if something comes to me. It can be very frustrating, but eventually –
and often when I’m doing something unrelated like the dishes or sleeping
– the solution will come and I can go back to work.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Looking
back on your writing experience, is there anything you wish you had
done differently? And anything you would recommend for beginning
writers?</span><br />
<br />
I wish I’d known more about promoting
the book and myself at the beginning. When my first book came out I
really didn’t know what I should do and I wish now I’d invested some
money into going to conventions or getting out there more. It’s not
something anyone tells you, so it’s something I tell new writers. You
have to take on responsibility for promoting yourself as well. You can’t
just rely on the publisher, especially not in today’s market and
luckily now with the range of social media we have an outlet that can
help with that. So advice? Get online, go to conventions, and if you’re
not published yet also enter short story competitions. Winning or
placing gives you runs on the board. I won a story competition and it
lead to me getting an agent so they really can help, especially if the
awards have a national profile. Don’t be scared just enter, it’s worth
it.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Valuable advice, once again.
It's great that a story competition sparked off your career. It gives me
hope that with the right amount of talent, and some luck thrown in too,
anything is possible. <br /><br />Usually when I read a book, I'm only
reading it for pleasure, and I tend to read it fast, preferring to allow
the storyline to play out in my imagination, rather than analysing
every word. In some ways, that contributes to the magic of books for me,
because while I might not register every single word, my mind still
evokes the overall sense of the book. So what I'm wondering is, what
kind of reader are you? And after having written your own books, do you
find youself becoming more of a close reader?</span><br />
<br />
I
can still get lost in a story, but what I have found is I probably pick
up on errors or lazy writing more quickly than I might have before and
I’m probably a tad more critical. It makes me wonder what the editor was
thinking/doing to let something slip by, while at the same time I know
that mistakes happen when you’re dealing with reading the same thing
over and over. I won’t finish a book anymore if it irks me though. Life
is too short to keep reading if I’m not enjoying it.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">What are some of your favourite </span><a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage%29" style="color: #3d85c6;">literature tropes</a><span style="color: #3d85c6;">?</span><br />
<br />
I
love a good quest. Yes it’s been done, and done, and done – heck I’ve
done it! – but it makes for such a good story, such a great structure to
revolve characters around. I also love a good dark lord. What’s not to
love? Look at Darth Vader, Sauron, Voldemort and the incarnations of the
lord as evil empire are also smashing.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Nice,
me too! I like the way that quests can fully immerse the readers into
an adventure.What do you think are essential elements to any story?
(i.e. what would make or break a book for you?)</span><br />
<br />
Characters
have to have shades of grey to them. Heroes can’t be all good and bad
guys need to be more than they appear to be. I can’t abide two
dimensional characters and will put down a book if not enough effort has
gone into creating people I can believe in and care about. I read a
book recently which clearly was written more as a treatise for a
blockbuster film than a novel. It had bags of action and thrilling turns
but I felt no connection with the people in the story at all, the hero
could have died at the end and I wouldn’t have cared. That was really
disappointing.<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Great
answer! The plot could be masterpiece, but ultimately, we are human
beings, and a personl connection developed with the characters is what
really brings the book "alive" for me as well. <br />On my bookshelf, I've
got one whole role dedicated to wonderful dystopian novels, and I found
it interesting that YA dystopians novels are increasing in popularity
now (that's what it seems to me, at least.) What are your thoughts?</span><br />
<br />
Yes
definitely dystopian YA is becoming more popular now, but it has been
around for a while. I’ve got a book on my shelf written ten years ago
that is YA dystopian and dystopia itself has been a solid presence in
adult fiction for fifty or more years. Why it’s popularity is growing
now in YA is, I think, partly due to the massive success of Suzanne
Collins Hunger Games, and maybe as a point of difference to all the
paranormal romance which has taken centre stage of late.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Finally,
what are some of your favourite books (fiction and non-fiction, YA and
adult) and movies? Books/movies you find most inspiring?</span><br />
<br />
Books:
Ursula Le Guin’s The Earthsea Quartet, Wild Seed by Octavia Butler, The
Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar
Wilde, The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, The Lord of the
Rings, The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery, Physics of the Impossible by
Michio Kaku.<br />
<br />
Movies/TV shows: Star Wars (the original
three please not those awful new ones!), Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
Firefly, The X Files, When Harry Met Sally and my feel good movie when
I’m ill is Under the Tuscan Sun because it’s about a writer who buys a
house in Tuscany – seriously what’s not to love there?<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
I've
heard amazing things about those, but haven't yet watched/read them
yet. Except The Mortal Instruments and Lord of the Rings. That's it. I'm
going to spend my holidays trying to hunt down all those books and
movies and watch them now. </div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
And...that's a wrap! Thank you for your wise and illuminating answers, Lara! </div>
<br />
My pleasure!<br />
<br />
<i>After reading that, don't you just want to go check out a <a href="http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/Books/The-Rosie-Black-Chronicles-Book-2-Equinox-9781921529405">sample of Equinox</a>? Or go and <a href="http://www.bookcouture.com/2011/10/giveaway-win-rosie-black-chronicles.html">enter my competition for both Rosie Black novels released</a>. It's open to Aussies. <br />And if you have a facebook, go and visit the rest of the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/therosieblackchronicles">blog tour</a>. Get updates and giveaway links and such. </i><br />
<i>Hope you all have an awesome day. And keep smiliing. :)</i><br />
<br />
xx Tina</div>Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-85615966061070688422011-11-18T22:23:00.001+11:002011-11-18T22:41:46.844+11:00My first BLURB. *still in shock*Hey there awesome person! You have a beautiful smile. <br /><br />This is a quickie post to record something very momentous and amazing for me....<br />
<br />
Take a lookie at this, which was sent my way by the lovely Emilie at <a href="http://emiliebookworld.blogspot.com/">Emilie's Book World</a> and Brittany at <a href="http://nicegirlsreadbooks.com/">Nice Girls Read Books</a>, via twitter (psst, come <a href="http://twitter.com/bookcouture">chat with me</a>? I'd love to talk to you. :) )<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RcWDu7cYYzQ/TsZA_heuXxI/AAAAAAAAAd4/KmG4cu4PMIk/s1600/EmbraceBlurb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RcWDu7cYYzQ/TsZA_heuXxI/AAAAAAAAAd4/KmG4cu4PMIk/s1600/EmbraceBlurb.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
My words. In print. In actual, honest-to-goodness black ink on book-creating paper. <a href="http://www.bookcouture.com/2010/10/review-embrace-by-jessica-shirvington.html">Stuff I said</a> about Embrace by Jessica Shirvington. Cue the silly dancing and the loud music and party poppers, because this has made my week. I only started this blog to chat about me, reading, but wow, seeing that...it really makes a girl feel special, and honoured, and amazed.<br />
<br />
Anyway, a cool interview with Lara Morgan coming up tomorrow! Stay tuuuned. ;)<br />Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-65477326279888819842011-10-22T19:31:00.003+11:002011-10-23T17:02:19.437+11:00Giveaway: Win Rosie Black Chronicles Book #1 and #2How exciting is this? I'm hosting my very first giveaway ever...it's such a cool feeling. And I'm super happy because it's for two amazing dystopian books.<br />
<br />
Hopefully this will excuse me from the fact that myblog has been awfully quiet again, and will be for the next month, until exams and such are finished.<br />
<br />
Thanks to <a href="http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/">Walker Books Australia</a>, I have a copy of <a href="http://www.rosieblack.com/">Rosie Black Chronicles</a>: Book 1-Genesis, <i>and</i> Book 2 - <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12408471-equinox">Equinox </a>by Lara Morgan, to <b>give away</b>!<br />
<br />
Equinox comes out in November, and keep your eyes peeled, because there'll be a blog tour for it coming soon, and a review of Rosie Black on Book Couture. <br />
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tOiampbI6UQ/TqJ-BA2v6QI/AAAAAAAAAdU/WFULLJ75JFU/s1600/Rosieblack12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tOiampbI6UQ/TqJ-BA2v6QI/AAAAAAAAAdU/WFULLJ75JFU/s1600/Rosieblack12.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>How to win a copy:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Open to residents of <b>Australia </b>only, age 13 or above.</li>
<li><b>Post a comment</b> <b>about your favourite dystopian book</b> to get an entry in - be sure to leave your name (nickname will do fine too), and an email address for me to contact you with as well.</li>
<li><b>Spreading the word online linking to this comp</b> will get you <b>an extra entry</b> too, e.g. tweeting about the comp (with @bookcouture), facebooking, blogging, linking...etc. Leave links as additional comments. </li>
<li>Winner will be chosen randomly, so it's pretty fair for all.</li>
<li>Entries close 22nd November 2011</li>
</ul>
Good luck!Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-6017408557440641982011-10-05T12:18:00.002+11:002011-10-05T12:18:44.233+11:00Review: Shift by Em Bailey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c11mtstWiD0/TouvgBaWvLI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/6c4e8JNvlvE/s1600/Shift_EmBailey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c11mtstWiD0/TouvgBaWvLI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/6c4e8JNvlvE/s320/Shift_EmBailey.jpg" width="209" /></a></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Shift </i>by Em Bailey</b> [<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11378659-shift">Goodreads</a>]</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Genre:</b> YA > Thriller</span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Publisher: </b><a href="http://hardiegrant.com.au/Egmont/Books/Book.aspx?isbn=9781921564390">Hardie Grant Egmont</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Release Date: </b>1st September 2011</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>ISBN-13: </b>9781742970578<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Cover love?</b> It's quirky and incredible and immediately drew me in. It fits the book perfectly, with the idea identity is always shifting, or shaped by others. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>There were two things everyone knew about Miranda Vaile before she'd even arrived at our school. The first was that she had no parents - they were dead. And the second? They were dead because Miranda had killed them.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Olive Corbett is definitely NOT crazy. <br />
<br />
Not anymore. These days she takes her meds like a good girl, hangs out with her best friend Ami, and stays the hell away from the toxic girls she used to be friends with. <br />
She doesn’t need a boyfriend. Especially not a lifesaver-type with a nice smile. And she doesn’t need the drama of that creepy new girl Miranda, who has somehow latched on to Olive's ex-best friend. <br />
<br />
Yet from a distance, Olive can see there's something sinister about the new friendship. Something almost... parasitic. Maybe the wild rumours ARE true. Maybe Miranda is a killer. <br />
<br />
But who would believe Olive? She does have a habit of letting her imagination run away with her…</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://i1025.photobucket.com/albums/y317/Bookalypse/tinaspoilerfree.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Even as the narrator, Olive Corbett’s past is shrouded in secrecy. While on the surface, Olive seems like your everyday teenage girl, with a fair share of problems at school and at home, there’s an unstable, insecure, but caring girl underneath. Without her best friend Ami to anchor her sanity down, she’d surely be lost. The beauty of her character was that she seemed to “shift” a lot between several personas, and I could never be certain who Olive was.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The question is, how did Olive fall from being one of the most popular girls in the school, to the paranoid “freak” that she’s now known as? Oh, and what exactly happened between Olive and her ex-best-friend Kate, the beautiful and popular queen of the school? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">This book takes the toxic effect that high-school life can have on a person, to a whole new level. Miranda Vaile transfers to Olive’s school amid a flurry of speculation, and wild rumours. Some say that she killed her parents, and while Olive is sceptical, she knows that there’s something really off about Miranda. This pale, wisp of a girl somehow latches onto Kate, and over time, seemingly draws the life out of her, until Kate is a shadow of her former self, and Miranda begins to glow with the vitality that Kate had. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Em Bailey smoothly carries the reader forward on this rollercoaster ride of a plot, with her simple yet compelling writing style. The characters are flawed and therefore believable, and there is a cute romance between Olive and a hot new guy, Lachlan, that stumbles around as Olive keeps on trying to push him away from her, despite her growing feelings for him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Shift</i> is psychological thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat, constantly guessing and questioning the truth behind the story Olive tells. Is there really something strange going on with Miranda, or is it all in Olive’s head? I think I can safely say that have never, ever read anything quite as gripping and intoxicating. While this book isn’t for everyone, especially if you don’t like thrillers, it’s a refreshing break from mainstream YA, one which will creep up under your skin and claw at your heart, squeezing it at every thrilling twist and turn of the plot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Rating: </b></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORgDXBRI/AAAAAAAAAKw/q4QUD-RHNbE/s1600/4bcstar.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="22.75" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORgDXBRI/AAAAAAAAAKw/q4QUD-RHNbE/s1600/4bcstar.png" width="130" /></a></span></div>
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-11831810116041035212011-09-30T14:48:00.000+10:002011-09-30T14:48:19.418+10:00Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Black<div style="color: black;">
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1317067642l/9378297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1317067642l/9378297.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
<b>Series:</b> Anna Dressed in Blood</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult >Thriller/Horror</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<b>Publisher: </b>Tor Teen/Hachette AUS</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<b>Release Date:</b> October 2011<br />
<b>ISBN:</b> 9781408319444</div>
<div style="color: black;">
<b>Cover love?</b> It's so hauntingly gorgeous, with a dark and spooky atmosphere that suits the story perfectly. </div>
<blockquote style="color: black;">
<div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. <br />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a
ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly
athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their
spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to
keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and
friends at bay.<br />
<br />
When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna
Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track,
hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a
ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the
day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with
blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to
step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.<br />
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But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></div>
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I confess: I have never, ever read horror before. Back in the Grade 2 days, I had a tentative peek into a Goosebump novel, and it practically scared the crap out of me, so since then, I've always avoided horror like the plague. But <i>Anna Dressed in Blood</i> was so freaking amazing that I'm crying, begging on my knees for more from Kendare Black, and *gasp* yes, more horror!</div>
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Theseus Cassio 'Cas' Lowood is one badass character, so fierce and brave. He descends from a long line of ghost hunters, all committed to ridding the world of ghosts who have stayed behind after death, out for revenge. After his father was brutally murdered by a ghost that he'd set out to kill, Cas devotes himself to training and slaying the dead, honing his skills in the hopes that one day, he can return to exact revenge on the monstrous being that took his father's life. </div>
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As a professional ghost slayer, Cas gets called to Thunder Bay to investigate the mystery of a particularly mysterious and violent ghost that the locals call "Anna Dressed in Blood". For the past 60 years, everyone who has dared to enter her house is torn apart, ripped to shreds. But when Cas faces this terrifying "goddess of death", he discovers that he's finally met his match - a ghost he can't destroy. But for some reason, she decides to spare his life.<br />
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Intrigued, Cas can't help but be drawn back to Anna's haunted house, again and again, attempting to discover the mystery behind her death, the reason why she is unlike other ghosts he's encountered. Because beneath the otherworldly and powerful exterior is a beautiful and fragile girl trapped by her dark past...</div>
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Kendare Black writes a
spellbinding tale, entwining witchcraft and ghost mythology, tradgedy
and hope, fear and adoration, until the reader is just as enraptured by Anna as Cas is. I adored so many things about this book - the gentle but fierce prose, the numerous twist and turns within the plot. My one lament is that the side characters aren't developed as well. I could sense that there was more to them, but I'll probably have to wait until <span itemprop="name"><i>Girl of Nightmares</i> (Anna Dressed in Blood #2)</span> coming out in 2012, to find out.</div>
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Black doesn't hold back on the violence or the gripping themes either - this is a raw and powerful book that will probably scare the living daylights out of you, but in a fantastic way that makes you hungry for more. It kept me up well past midnight, on the one hand feeling too afraid and nervous to keep on reading, but also too creeped out and entangled in this beautiful and dark tale to bear putting it down. And when I finally finished, I just lay there in bed, thinking about it all night. My advice: read it in broad daylight, but for the brave looking for a good scare, I dare you to read it in the dead silence of the night. </div>
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<b>Rating:</b><img border="0" height="22.75" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORan9cJI/AAAAAAAAAKs/bmOcHQcmiGs/s1600/4.5bcstar.png" width="130" />
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<b>Parental Corner:</b> Violence (heavy), sexual content (minor), profanity (occasional)
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<b>Links:</b><a href="http://www.dateabook.com.au/annadressedinblood.html"> Date A Book</a> | <a href="http://kendareblake.com/">Kendare Black</a><i> </i>| <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9378297-anna-dressed-in-blood">Goodreads</a></div>
Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-48137116283433376152011-09-27T12:38:00.000+10:002011-09-30T14:58:52.321+10:00Review: All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/cover1/9780330537896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/cover1/9780330537896.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<b>My Rating: </b><img border="0" height="22.75" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORgDXBRI/AAAAAAAAAKw/q4QUD-RHNbE/s1600/4bcstar.png" width="130" /><br />
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<b>Series:</b> Birthright Series</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult, Dystopian, Crime</div>
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<b>Publisher: </b><a href="http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/">PanMacmillan Australia</a></div>
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<b>Release Date: </b>6th September 2011</div>
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<b>Source: </b>Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review. </div>
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<b>Links:</b> <a href="http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/display_title.asp?ISBN=9780330537896&Author=Zevin,%20Gabrielle">PanMac</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9858517-all-these-things-i-ve-done">Goodreads</a></div>
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In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city’s most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.’s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she’s to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight—at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Review</span></div>
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Imagine this.</div>
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New York, year 2028. You’re sixteen years old, dogged by the legacy of a criminal chocolate business your murdered father once lead. Your grandma, your only guardian, is the oldest person you know (born in 1995) and she’s bedridden. Your elder brother is gorgeous, and girls would love him, if only he didn’t have the mind of an 8-year-old. Your little sister makes you ache to protect the rest of your family.</div>
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Not to mention that your a-hole of a boyfriend insists on sleeping with you. </div>
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So what do you do? </div>
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I won’t tell you too much, but let’s just say that eventually, you get arrested for attempted murder.</div>
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<i>All These Things I’ve Done</i> is a book that whisked me off my feet and took me on a journey. A journey through one year of Anya Balanchine’s life as I saw an alternate, morally corrupt world through her eyes and explored the potential ramifications of extreme Prohibition laws. In 2028, chocolate, mobile phones and coffee are amongst the many items that we now take for granted that have been outlawed. The effect is a world that we recognise as our own, but disorientingly merges elements of the past and present, to bring them to the future. </div>
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However, the dystopia of this world is merely hinted at, while Anya’s story takes the forefront. Anya is brave, smart and resilient, hardened by being forced to take over the parental role in her family after her father’s death. But she’s still young and impulsive, and nowhere near perfect, and I envisioned with bated breath, captivated, as she tumbled from trouble into disaster. Anya amazed me – I can’t imagine that any sixteen year old could have the wit, instinct and courage to experience what she does and come out as wholly as she does. She’s remarkable and extraordinary, but I felt her maturity was too unrealistic at times.</div>
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Gabrielle Zevin creates characters that unique, flawed and plausible, and through them, she portrays different facets of human nature. I believe that the best books are ones that make me think – hidden within are themes and ideas that bring up questions for me. I’m not a careful reader, but this book inspired me to try. The very title, “all these things I’ve done” suggests that the book is an exploration of the idea of redemption. Do we all deserve a second chance, no matter what we’ve done, or are some acts too horrible to be redeemed? What is the threshold of human forgiveness? Does an ability to forgive others make you a strong person, or weak minded? Are we, as humans, inherently good or bad? I guess there is no clear, definite distinction between black and white, because Anya’s world and life is comprised of all shades of grey.</div>
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There are books that take me away with the romance between characters, and there are those that simply don’t. While the synopsis portrays this as a story of a pair of star-crossed lovers, I didn’t really see that. I thought it was more of a subplot, and I couldn’t help rolling my eyes, when literally 15 pages into the book, we had already met the guy who would <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">so obviously</i> be the love of Anya’s life. I was frustrated <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">that there was no real doubt or gradual falling in love; that they were automatically drawn to each other, despite Anya’s flimsy attempts to distance herself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> <span style="line-height: 115%;">Overall, <i>All These Things I’ve Done</i> is an intricately layered exploration of the ideas of redemption and sacrifice, set in a world where danger and deception lurk behind every door. Anya’s coming-of-age is an unforgettable story that I devoured in one sitting, and absolutely recommend to fans of crime, and dystopia.</span></span><br />
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<b>My Rating: </b><img border="0" height="22.75" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORgDXBRI/AAAAAAAAAKw/q4QUD-RHNbE/s1600/4bcstar.png" width="130" />Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-63400672134043408402011-09-23T22:37:00.000+10:002011-09-30T14:59:02.847+10:00Review: City of Fallen Angels, WolfsbaneThese are some already-released <b>must-reads</b> that I read over
my temporary hiatus from blogging. Why am I reviving them from their glory releases a couple of months ago? Well, coz they were pretty awesome reads and I thought I should let you know about them. Also, I wanted to record my thoughts, just for looking back on. :)<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6752378-city-of-fallen-angels">City of Fallen Angel</a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6752378-city-of-fallen-angels">s</a> (The Mortal
Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[Walker Books Aus, released 5th April 2011] [Urban Fantasy]</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What’s it about?</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> The Mortal Instruments</i> series shot
straight into my all-time favourites the first time I read them, because there
is just something so enchanting and enthralling about the world contained
between their pages. Clary Fray finds herself thrust unceremoniously into the
dark and dangerous world of Shadowhunters (demon-slayers) werewolves, warlocks,
and vampires, a world that only she can see, as she attempts to uncover the
mystery of her mother’s murder.</div>
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<b>My thoughts?</b> In
City of Fallen Angels (book #4), interspecies politics, the love of a
star-crossed pair, and the forces of Heaven and Hell intertwine in a
heart-pounding, gut-wrenching tale. When I read this, I took it everywhere with
me, because I couldn’t bear to be parted from the non-stop action and the pure
emotions that the book wrought out of me. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Why should you read it?</b> So, I can’t say that the premise of the
story sounds all that original at first, but trust me, Cassandra Clare takes
what could have been a predictable, clichéd plotline and infuses it with an
unforgettable cast and a rich story world setting. If you love action-adventure stories with heart wrenching romances, I think you’ll
adore this series as well.</div>
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<b>You’ll like it if you
liked:</b> Well, I think you’ll like this one no matter what, but The Mortal
Instruments series had a similar “feel” and genre to the Vampire Academy series
by Richelle Mead. </div>
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<b>Additional Notes: </b></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span>The audiobook version is narrated by Ed Westwick
(Chuck from Gossip Girl), and Molly Young (Castle).</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span>Cassandra Clare also has a prequel series to The
Mortal Instruments - called The Infernal
Devices, a steampunk series set in the 19<sup>th</sup> century, which is just
as riveting.</li>
</ul>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7263429-wolfsbane">Wolfsbane</a> by Andrea Cremer </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[Atom
Books Aus, released 26th June, 2011] [Paranormal – Werewolves]</span></div>
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1304525957l/9648553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1304525957l/9648553.jpg" width="200" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What’s it about?</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>For her whole life, Calla Tor has
existed in a world where her kind, the shape-shifting wolf Guardians, have
always been subservient to the Keepers, magic-wielders to whom the Guardians’
survival is inherently linked. Calla accepts that her destiny as an alpha female
of the Nightshade wolf pack is to marry Ren, the alpha male of the rival Bane
pack. For if Calla refuses, the Keepers will exact their fury upon her loved
ones. But in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nightshade</i> (Book #1), all
that Calla knows to be true is cast into doubt when she begins to fall in love
with a human boy, and discovers what sinister things the Keepers have in store
for them both. </div>
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In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wolfsbane</i> (Book
#2), Calla finds herself fighting alongside the Keepers’ sworn enemies in an
epic race to uncover the truth, save her friends from under the keepers’
oppressive rule, and salvage her relationships. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">My thoughts?</b> What I loved most about this book was how
Andrea Cremer managed to interweave action scenes and plot development with enriching
the world she’s built. In the beginning, Calla was thrust into the fight, leaving
me (the reader) just as confused as she was. But gradually, we get to see more
of the external forces acting on her world, and discover, alongside her, the
truth of their past. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wolfsbane</i> answers
some of the biggest questions in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nightshade</i>,
but at the same time, creates more for book 3, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bloodrose</i>. </div>
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[SPOILER] I have to admit though, I was occasionally annoyed
by Calla. Annoyed by her doubt and emotional confusion and her fallibility.
Annoyed by the way that she was torn between her love for Shay and her
lingering emotions for Ren, how she was tactless and emotionally confused.
Perhaps the reason why was because I see myself reflected in her, and wished
that she was stronger and more decisive, as fierce in love as she was in
battle. And the relationship that she shared with Shay felt forced and
superficial. Somehow, I didn’t feel genuine sparks between her and Shay, not
like there was in the first book, but I attribute this to the fact that they
didn’t have that much time together.</div>
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Andrea Cremer, however, often writes quite strong
characters, which are distinct and flawed, with very human desires and
reactions. None of her characters are close to perfect, so they’re realistic and
believable. And what I love most of all is how she portrays same-sex
relationships between her characters with finesse and tact. She, through Calla’s
eyes, doesn’t place specific emphasis on their struggles or makes them the
objects of ostracisation. She doesn’t over-glorify their love either, creating
relationships that are genuine and caring. But most of all, I love how the
characters accept same-sex relationships between other characters as ordinary, just
like any other relationship. Maybe I’m being discrimatory by pointing out this,
but I think this acceptance is beautiful, and ought to be praised. </div>
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One more thing – there’s a plot twist in here that I caught
onto early on, which is rare for me. I thought it was clichéd and too obvious, (although
it was foreshadowed in the first book as well, which might have contributed) but
I’m reluctantly intrigued to see how it’s explored. [/SPOILER]</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Why should you read it?</b> The Nightshade series is one that gets a
place amongst my “love list” because it combines edge-of-your-seat action with
real, emotionally complex characters, and best of all, a rich twist of the wolf
mythology that draws you into the book and leaves you pondering the book well
after the last page, questions dancing on your tongue. This book is kind of
intoxicating, and I for one, couldn’t stop reading it until I had finished the
journey within its pages.</div>
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Just a warning, apparently no YA book is complete without a
classic love triangle and a bit of emotional drama to liven things up, and in
this second book at least, I felt it was a little too much. </div>
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<b>Readalikes</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">:</b> Vampire Academy,
Twilight, Blood and Chocolate.</div>
Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-65702229982756853612011-09-12T20:08:00.000+10:002011-09-12T20:08:40.675+10:00Should we beware author blurbs?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GB63SQ-jIZU/Tm3JmSYjcMI/AAAAAAAAAdI/nY6wC2a8qGA/s1600/choosingabook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GB63SQ-jIZU/Tm3JmSYjcMI/AAAAAAAAAdI/nY6wC2a8qGA/s320/choosingabook.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Skye from <i>In the Good Books</i> wrote a<a href="http://inthegoodbooks.blogspot.com/2011/09/fans-of-twilight-will-love-this-post.html">n interesting and thought-provoking post</a> on author quotes (otherwise known as "blurbs" on the front of books. To paraphrase her, she says that quotes from authors she admires will make her pick up a book that she might have previously overlooked, but a taglne along the lines of "Fans of Twilight will love this book!" are a deal breaker.<br />
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I found myself nodding in agreeance, because to be honest, sometimes I'll get put off books that have a quote from an author, or some other sentence urging you to "read this book!". <br />
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Sometimes I can't help but roll my eyes at really cliched taglines, for example, "you will devour this book" or "this book will leave you breathless". I mean, c'mon, really?! These words have been so over-used that they've kinda lost their meaning. I don't believe them for a second. And well, publishers are in the business of getting readers to buy their books, so of course they're going to praise the book. This doesn't mean that their opinion isn't valid; they obviously love the book so much, they've chosen to put their full support behind it and get it published. This just means that we have to take words from a potential source of bias with a grain of salt. <br />
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<b>But what about blurbs from authors? Well...</b><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GbrkzHxsZQQ/Tm3Jm242dqI/AAAAAAAAAdM/pig9gQnR1wU/s1600/book+choose.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GbrkzHxsZQQ/Tm3Jm242dqI/AAAAAAAAAdM/pig9gQnR1wU/s200/book+choose.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
a) If it's an author I have read and admire who has recommended the book, then I might be more inclined to pick up the book, for sure. But if I don't like the book, then the author is discredited in my eyes. I'd probably be less willing to trust their judgement.<br />
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b) If it's an author whose books I did not enjoy, then I'm even less likely to read the book. <br />
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c) If I do enjoy the book, the it will be because the author did a good job, rendering the blurb irrelevant. <br />
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Also, I know that authors are sent new releases from their publisher/editor/agent for endorsements. And this is where things get tricky. It's beneficial to an author to stay "in the good books" (terrible pun intended) of their industry connections by giving a positive endorsement, yet in blurbing a book, they put their own reputation with readers on the line. Declining to review a book will undoubtedly step on a few toes, and will be detrimental in the long run when attempting to forge new connections or ask for favours. Gee, aren't politics fun?<br />
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Anyway, blurbs I read are often quite vague and general; sometimes I can't help but be skeptical about the reliability of obvious and gushing praise, and I end up ignoring them, relying on my own reading of the book to give it a fair judgement. After all, reading experiences are subjective.<br />
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What I personally prefer is a book with just the title and author's name on the front cover. I often turn to my fellow book bloggers and my librarian for recommendations, and then I make my own judgements from my reading.<br />
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<b>So the real question is, how effective is an author blurb anyway? Would you read a book based on another author's recommendation, or do you ignore them completely?</b><b>Also, what do you think about book blogger reviews? Do they influence your book-reading decisions in any way?</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.salon.com/books/laura_miller/2010/07/09/blurbs/index.html">Here's an informative and much more eloquent article</a> I found, which explores this issue from a perspective of an author.<br />
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Also, thanks to Skye for inspiring this post!Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-84931086440732949252011-09-11T12:51:00.001+10:002011-09-12T19:05:25.222+10:00In My Mailbox #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In My Mailbox is a feature hosted by the amazing blogger Kristi from <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/">The Story Siren</a>. It's a weekly post where book bloggers can share what books they got that week - from publishers, gifted books or purchased ones. :) It's a pretty awesome meme, and lets you know about new books coming out. I'm always excited to see what other people are reading.<br />
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I haven't done an IMM for ages, so I'm not sure what no. I'm up to. So I'll just start from scratch. :) IMM #1 for 2011. :D<br />
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<b>So in the last month: </b>Thanks to these awesome publishers...I'm really honoured and thrilled to read these!<br />
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<b>Twisted </b>by Gena Showalter [thanks to Harlequin Teen]</div>
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This is book 3 in the Intertwined series by Gena Showalter, so I've got to read the first two first. :) Anyone read this series yet?</div>
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<b>Beautiful Days</b> by Anna Godbersen [thanks to Tina at Penguin AUS]</div>
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I haven't read Bright Young Things (book #1) yet, but I've been studying The Great Gatsby at school, and it's definitely piqued my interest in the Roaring Twenties/Jazz Age. I wonder if Godbersen's portrayal will also depict the hedonistic and morally decayed society that F. Scott Fitzgerald criticised, or whether she will glamourise the 1920s...</div>
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<b>When We Were Two</b> by Robert Newton [thanks to Tina at Penguin AUS]</div>
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Tina at Penguin told me that this was one of her absolute favourites, so I'm really eager to read this one! Gosh, I want the holidays to come soon!</div>
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<b>Glow </b>by Amy Kathleen Ryan [thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia]</div>
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Eeee! I LOVE SCI-FI and I loved Across the Universe, so I'm pumped for this one. The cover is sooo gorgeous, and the blurb is v v intriguing.</div>
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<b>All The Things I've Done </b>by Gabrielle Zevin [thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia]</div>
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THIS WAS SO GOOD. I picked it up and did not stop reading until I was finished...so a review is coming soon! </div>
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<b>Ashes </b>by Ilsa J. Bick [thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia]</div>
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It sounds along the lines of <i>Gone </i>by Michael Grant - a post-apocalyptic novel in which all the adults disappear after one mysterious phenomenon...leaving behind a world full of kids. I really enjoyed Gone, so hopefully I'll like this too - although I'll inevitably be comparing the two all the way through.</div>
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<b>The 39 Clues: The Medusa Plot </b>by Gordon Corman </div>
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<b>Conspiracy 365: Revenge</b> by Gabrielle Lord</div>
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[thanks to Scholastic AUS]</div>
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Scholastic does amazing things with their books to make them appeal to a younger male audience immersed in modern technology. 39 clues comes with collectible cards, and the cover of Con spiracy 365 is really awesome and 3D. I haven't read any of the others, but I'm desperately wishing I had a younger brother to give these to. I'll try to review them though. :)</div>
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<b>Frostbite </b>by Richelle Mead [swapped with <a href="http://thepaperbackheart.blogspot.com/">Lux from The Paperback Heart</a> - thanks!]</div>
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I've read this, but I love re-reading VA and I've been painstakingly collecting the whole series to lend out to my cousins/friends, and this one completes it. So thanks so much Lux!</div>
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<b>Wolfborn </b>by Sue Bursztynski [Thanks to <a href="http://suebursztynski.blogspot.com/">Sue</a>!]</div>
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Sue is a really nice and awesome person in general, so check out her blog <a href="http://suebursztynski.blogspot.com/">here</a>. I'm reading this book now, everytime I take (really long) breaks from doing Maths homework, hence the bookmark. </div>
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She sent me a <b>sample chapter</b> about a week ago, and it's really good, so feel free to pop her an <a href="mailto:sbursztynski@gmail.com">email</a> or send me one at <a href="mailto:readingcouture@gmail.com">readingcouture@gmail.com</a> and I'll forward you the sampler as well. :)</div>
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<b>Impossible </b>by Nancy Werlin [swapped with Skye from <a href="http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CDkQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Finthegoodbooks.blogspot.com%2F&rct=j&q=in%20the%20good%20books&ei=siBsTo-7E4meiAfN5bmwBA&usg=AFQjCNFShdSIUI8fMNbkcf-0oklGm1qgZA&sig2=6lKhhXCn-1PZ7GnFD41XEw&cad=rja">In the Good Books</a>- thanks!]</div>
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This book is about a family of girls cursed to become pregnant at 18, and the only way to break the curse is to fulfil the impossible demands outlined in the song "Scarborough Fair". Quite unique, I'm looking forward to it. Thanks heaps, Skye!</div>
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And that's my book haul of the month. <b>Have you read any of these? What did you think?</b></div>
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<b>If not, what books have you been reading?</b></div>
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And link me to your IMM too, if you have one. :)</div>
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Happy reading! </div>
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Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-263755427434775342011-09-07T18:29:00.000+10:002011-09-30T14:59:33.292+10:00Pottermore!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey guys, just a quick post about getting into Pottermore! I signed up on the second day, but got my email about a week ago, so I've done a bit of exploring already. The artwork on the site is so stunning, and I love reading the extra content from JK Rowling, especially McGonagall's life story *tears*. For those of you that aren't on the site yet, the coolest features are: getting your own wand, mixing potions, and of course, <b>getting sorted</b>!<br />
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I got sorted into..<b style="color: #38761d;">SLYTHERIN</b>! I'm a little surprised, but happy all the same. It's a pretty cool house.<br />
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Do you have a Pottermore account? Leave your username below, or add mine (below), and we'll exchange gifts.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b> <span style="color: #741b47;">QueenBlade198</span></b></span></div>
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<b>What house (did you/do you want to be) sorted into?</b> <b>And thoughts on Pottermore?</b>Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-66160767143883407032011-08-31T13:25:00.000+10:002011-08-31T13:25:02.693+10:00Epic List of Book CrushesThere are some <span style="font-size: large;">seriously awesome books</span> that are coming out in the near future that I am bursting into spontaneous dances of excitement for. (Trust me, I'm a horrible dancer, it's not pretty.) But anyway, here they are:<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.penguin.com.au/products/9780143566267/lola-and-boy-next-door"><i>Lola and the Boy Next Door</i></a> by Stephanie Perkins</b></div>
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If you haven’t read <i>Anna and the French Kiss</i>, beg, borrow, steal a copy (from a friend who wouldn't mind, of course). Because Stephanie Perkin’s addictive debut will have you falling in love with the gorgeous, imperfect Etienne, on a whirlwind year in the city of lurve, France. </div>
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<i>Lola and the Boy Next Door</i> is the companion novel, and it’s coming out 3rd October 2011! I can't wait to fall into another funny, beautiful contemporary romance again. </div>
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From the cute cover, I can imagine that Lola has a LOT of spunk, especially with that purple hair. And that boy...*swoon*...</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.penguin.com.au/products/9780141333069/crossed"><i>Crossed </i></a>(Matched #2) by Ally Condie</b><b> </b> </div>
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<a href="http://draft.blogger.com/"><i><span id="goog_485698826"></span>Matched </i></a><span id="goog_485698827"></span>is the first book in this dystopian trilogy by Ally Condie. It draws the reader into a beautifully crafted world where girls and boys are paired to who the Society deems to be their perfect "match". Cassia is thankful to find that her Match is her handsome best friend Xander, but her whole world is thrown into doubt when she sees begins to tentatively fall in love with the mysterious Ky...</div>
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I'm really looking forward to reading <i>Crossed</i>, to discover what happens to Cassia next. Ally Condie's take on a dystopian future ironically has similar references to same kind of restrictions we see in historical novels - the arranged marriage and oppressive ruling. At the same time, the narrative is gentle and beautiful - a wonderful read. </div>
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<i>Crossed </i>comes out 31st October 2011.</div>
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<b><i>Bloodsong </i>by Rhiannon Hart</b><br />
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I've heard nothing but praises for this fantasy novel. It's got a beautiful dark, gothic cover that looks a little spooky, but stunning nonetheless. Here's the blurb:<span id="freeText10631828889560060633"><br />
<i>When her sister becomes betrothed to a prince in a northern nation, Zeraphina’s only consolations are that her loyal animal companions are by her side – and that her burning hunger to travel north is finally being sated. <br />
Already her black hair and pale eyes mark her out as different, but now Zeraphina must be even more careful to keep her secret safe. <b>Craving blood</b> is not considered normal behaviour for anyone, let alone a princess. So when the king’s advisor, Rodden, seems to know more about her condition than she does, Zeraphina is determined to find out more. <br />
Zeraphina must be willing to sacrifice everything if she’s to uncover the truth – but what if the truth is beyond her worst nightmares?</i></span><br />
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Craving blood? Oooo....I hope she's not a vampire, but I haven't read a fantasy for a while and this one sounds like one that'll take the reader on a <i>real </i>adventure.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.penguin.com.au/products/9780141340883/power-six"><i>The Power of Six</i></a> (Lorien Legacies #2) by Pittacus Lore</b></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SL2yCGuvi5U/Tlm5xZ1eL9I/AAAAAAAAAcY/IEpXL9UuWMo/s1600/powerofsix.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SL2yCGuvi5U/Tlm5xZ1eL9I/AAAAAAAAAcY/IEpXL9UuWMo/s1600/powerofsix.jpg" /></a>Boys <i>and </i>girls will be captivated by the first book, <i>I Am Number Four</i>. It's dynamic, action-packed, and set in a world where there are two types of aliens who live secretly amongst humans on Earth.</div>
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There's the good guys (Loriens) that look like humans, but have supernatural powers. Oh, and they're on the run from another race of bad aliens (Mogadorians) who destroyed their planet and are hellbent on destroying Earth as well.</div>
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It's a bit cliche, and the writing isn't really eloquent, but the action scenes translated well in the movie adaptation starring Alex Pettyfer and Dianna Agron.</div>
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Book 2 just came out in August, and I'm pumped to readthe next part of this gripping series.</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6702463-sweetly"><i>Sweetly </i></a>by Jackson Pearce</b><br />
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Jackson Pearce wrote a dark, sexy and absolutely engrossing retelling of Red Riding Hood with <i>Sisters Red</i> last year. This cover is pretty spooky, and the face you can just make out scares the hell out of me.<br />
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It's a retelling of Hansel and Gretel, I'm excited to see how Jackson Pearce remakes the fairytale through <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6702463-sweetly">Sweetly</a></i>, which just came out in August.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.penguin.com.au/products/9780670076086/froi-exiles"><i>Froi of the Exiles</i></a> by Melina Marchetta</b></div>
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I <i>adore </i>Melina Marchetta's books, especially <i>Looking for Alibrandi</i> and <a href="http://www.bookcouture.com/2010/09/review-on-jellicoe-road-by-melina.html"><i>On the Jellicoe Road</i></a>. <i>Froi of the Exiles</i> is the sequel to <i>Finnikin of the Rock,</i> and I desperately want to read both! I wonder how Melina Marchetta, wonderful author as she is, will be able to step away from writing contemporary novels to fantasy.</div>
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<i>Three years after the curse on Lumatere was lifted, Froi has found his home. Or so he believes.</i></div>
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Fiercely loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been trained roughly and lovingly by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family, and has learned to control his quick temper. But when he is sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn, nothing could have prepared him for what he finds. Here he encounters a damaged people who are not who they seem, and must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad Princess.</i></div>
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And in this barren and mysterious place, he will discover that there is a song sleeping in his blood, and though Froi would rather not, the time has come to listen.</i> </div>
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<b style="color: #3d85c6;">Other books on my radar:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10174795-glow"><b>Glow </b></a>by Amy Kathleen Ryan - A sci-fi book set in space, said to be similar to <i>Across the Universe?</i><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10626594-the-scorpio-races">The Scorpio Races</a></b> by Maggie Steifvater - I loved The Wolves of Mercy Falls, fingers crossed that this series will be just as enchanting.</div>
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<a href="http://www.penguin.com.au/products/9780141339412/legend"><b>Legend</b> </a>by Marie Lu - A dystopian debut that promises to be as good as The Hunger Games. Eee!! 'Nuff said.<b> </b></div>
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<b>Name of the Star</b> by Maureen Johnson - I haven't read Maureen Johnson, but a paranormal murder mystery set in London? Count me in.</div>
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<b>Released books I want to read: </b></div>
<b>Wolfborn by Sue Bursztynski - </b>The lovely Sue is offering a <a href="http://suebursztynski.blogspot.com/2011/08/wolfborn-giveaway.html">free sample chapter of <i>Wolfborn</i></a> on her blog, and please, please do yourself a favour and head on over to check it out. It's starting out to be a really, really good fantasy/supernatural novel that I want more of. <br />
<b>Divergent by Veronic Roth- </b>This one is another dystopian, and I've only heard awesome things about it.<br />
<b>Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter -</b> I loved <i>Heist Society</i> (#1), can't wait to see what happens to the feisty Kat.<br />
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So there we have it! A list of books that I've been spending hours researching (obviously my social life is very hectic...not), and getting VERY excited about. :D<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What are some books you want to read?</span></div>
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Not just new/recent ones, but any that you've come across: classics, ones you haven't gotten around to...etc.</div>
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Feel free to list a couple. I'd love to see your thoughts!</div>
Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-41163038804275188752011-08-25T17:30:00.000+10:002011-09-30T14:59:48.948+10:00Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead<div style="color: black;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.penguin.com.au/jpg-large/9781921518881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.penguin.com.au/jpg-large/9781921518881.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love and Loyality Run Deeper Than Blood</td></tr>
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<b> Genre:</b> Fantasy &gt; Vampires</div>
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<b>Age Group:</b>Young Adult</div>
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<b>Publisher: </b><a href="http://www.penguin.com.au/products/9781921518881/bloodlines-book-1"><i>Bloodlines</i> @ Penguin AUS</a></div>
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<b>Release Date: </b>23/08/2011</div>
<b>ISBN-13:</b><span style="color: black;"> 9781921518881</span><br />
<b>Rating:</b> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORan9cJI/AAAAAAAAAKs/bmOcHQcmiGs/s1600/4.5bcstar.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="22.75" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORan9cJI/AAAAAAAAAKs/bmOcHQcmiGs/s1600/4.5bcstar.png" style="cursor: move;" width="130" /></a><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
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<i><b>BLOOD DOESN'T LIE . . . </b><br />
Sydney's blood in special. That's because she's an alchemist - one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of human and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. But the last encounter Sydney had with vampires got her in deep trouble with the other alchemists. And now with her allegiances in question, her future is on the line.<br />
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When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the unlikeliest of places: a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one.<br />
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The Moroi court believe Jill and Sydney will be safe at Amberwood Prep, but threats, distractions and forbidden romance lurk both outside – and within – the school grounds. Now that they're in hiding, the drama is only just beginning.</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Review</i></span></div>
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When I pick up a book I’ve been longing to read, a wonderful and indescribable feeling builds up inside me. The sight of the title and author printed on the beautiful cover spreads a grin across my face, and the feel of printed pages running between my fingers makes my heart race. But most of all, the sense of excitement and anticipation for the story that will unfold <span lang="EN-AU">epitomises</span> the very reason I love to read. Because for the time that I am reading this precious bound form of ink and paper, I am lifted from the ordinary into a world of magic and infinite possibility.</div>
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And <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bloodlines</i> by Richelle Mead is one of those rare books which does exactly that.</div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">I’m sure many VA fans were busting for the release of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bloodlines</i>, but at the same time, dubious as to how the story would unfold from Sydney’s fresh perspective. But honest to goodness, Richelle Mead does not disappoint. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bloodlines</i> is another embodiment of Mead’s power to draw the reader in with intricate plotlines, a unique set of characters and a captivating world.</span></div>
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Mead’s writing is deceptively simple and straightforward, but somewhere within the paragraphs, she weaves a story that immediately captures the reader’s imagination and transports them to another world. This intricately crafted alternate universe, where a complex world of vampires live secretly alongside the human world, is so intriguing and fantastical that it has spawned six books – comprising the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vampire Academy</i> series – and now this new spinoff series, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bloodlines</i>.</div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">The first few chapters start off with little action, but Mead quickly builds up a vivid depiction of the enticing vampire world fans of VA have come to love. Sydney is a very multi-faceted character, but quite the polar opposite of Rose. Where Rose is outgoing, strong-willed and completely badass, Sydney is an intelligent observer, somewhat naïve socially, but with no less determination and passion. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">Sydney’s mission to protect Jill Dragomir is accompanied by the witty and slightly unstable Adrian, and Jill’s guardian, Eddie. I love the way Mead builds on these previously minor characters while weaving new relationships between them. However, the forbidden love story at the heart of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vampire Academy</i> was an enchanting, and irreplaceable part of the original series, and I can’t see a love story stronger than that one building up in Bloodlines. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjsPw0OBABc/TlX74RR8R1I/AAAAAAAAAcU/w-R6pAoEdhs/s1600/The+Golden+Lily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjsPw0OBABc/TlX74RR8R1I/AAAAAAAAAcU/w-R6pAoEdhs/s320/The+Golden+Lily.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Book 2 comes out 1st of May 2012...<br />
that's <i>way </i>too long to wait. Sigh.</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-AU">But what completely drew me in, and had me reading late into the night, was the story itself. With Mead’s usual plot twists and mix of good and bad forces, this book stayed glued to my hands as its words carried my me away. I begged myself to stop reading at the end of every chapter, but every new twist was an invite drawing me back in. And Mead leaves readers hanging on a plot twist so big that I’m already counting down the days until the release of Book 2, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Golden Lily</i>.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU">If you’re a girl (age 13 and up), RUN OUT NOW AND GET YOUR HANDS ON A COPY. While <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bloodlines</i> is no <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vampire Academy</i> (not yet anyway), it’s still an amazing, captivating book filled with dynamic characters, and carries a killer plotline that will keep your heart racing until the very last page.</span></div>
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Oh, and check out these <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/BloodlinesBooks#p/u">awesome <i>Bloodlines </i>trailers</a>. </div>
Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-76389537491245935632011-04-09T18:24:00.000+10:002011-09-30T15:00:00.463+10:00A new chapter in my lifeDear Blog Readers,<br />
<br />
As you may know, I haven’t posted anything in over a month. Since the start of my school year, actually. I am so so sorry. Not only to you, but to myself as well. I began this blog half a year ago as a different person – young, naive, ignorant and a complete book addict.<br />
<br />
Throughout last year, I was so focused on reading and blogging that it became a huge part of my life. My grades started slipping, and I stopped speaking to my friends as much.<br />
<br />
Despite that, I loved that period in my life. There were just so many books out there, waiting to be read, so many worlds lined up neatly on my bookshelf, just waiting to be discovered. It was so thrilling to see books land on my doorstep, and I loved the joy of opening the packages and squealing with joy at the treasures inside, as if Christmas came every week. I would browse every bookstore I came across, and my heart flipped every time I saw books that I recognised from the blogosphere. Every time I wrote a review, I felt a sense of accomplishment. Every comment that popped up spread a grin over my face and every nice thought I read gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. And as I gradually made friends with my favourite bloggers, I never imagined that I would ever want to give this up.<br />
<br />
But the coming of the new year marked a the beginning of a new chapter of my life. Since school started, I’ve had to adjust, to a new environment, a more specialised selection of subjects, a new expectation from teachers and completely different social dynamics. I’ve always been academically inclined, and over the past two months or so, I’ve been under more collective pressure than ever in my entire school life. I feel as if I’m always struggling to keep up with my schoolwork, hanging on by a thread. I’ve had little time for sleeping, yet alone reading and blogging. I even started avoiding my bookcase out of guilt, which before, was my favourite spot in the entire house. Reading was becoming a part-time job, a small liability, and less about the escape and more about the expectations.<br />
<br />
This is why I feel that I’m at the stage in my life where I have to put reading on the back burner, until I have the time, money and interest again.But I’ve put so much time and effort into my blog, and I don’t want this to be another project I’ve let fallen by the wayside. I’ve never thought much about personal blogs, but just writing this personal post has felt like a much needed breath of fresh air a metaphorical loosening of tense muscles and stress. After writing something (that isn’t schoolwork) for myself, I’m left with a very positive feeling. I think I have an idea for where this blog could be headed….<br />
<br />
In the meantime, I want to leave you with two songs that I’ve been listening to recently. I’m not quite sure what genre they are…I can’t seem to identify what my favourite genre is. Perhaps it’s similar to one’s identity – there’s never a label that fits just right.<br />
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All About Your Heart – Mindy Gledhill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGsU4vuJAIo<br />
<br />
Giving it Up for You – Holly Brook (aka. Skylar Grey): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIjpK5J2AtA Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-71156080128213789142011-02-25T02:00:00.001+11:002011-09-30T15:00:33.252+10:00Review: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/statics/dyn/1262741959664.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/statics/dyn/1262741959664.jpeg" width="231" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #36b6ff; font-size: large;"><i>The Sky is Everywhere </i>by Author</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #36b6ff;">Series:</b> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Standalone</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #36b6ff;">Genre:</b></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> Contemporary</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #36b6ff;">Age Group:</b></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Young Adult</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #36b6ff;">Publisher: </b></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Walker AUS</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #36b6ff;">Release Date: </b></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">June 2010</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: lightskyblue;"><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #36b6ff;">Format:</b> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Paperback, 368 pages</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #36b6ff;">ISBN-13:</b> 9781406326307</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #36b6ff;">RRP:</b> $24.95</span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> AUD</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #36b6ff;">Source: </b></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thank you to the
publisher, who provided this book for an honest review,all opinions expressed are my own.</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #36b6ff;">Cover love?</b> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">This blue is so pretty, calm and peaceful. It's such a unique, and simple cover, but stunning.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #36b6ff; font-size: large;"><i>Synopsis</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Seventeen-year-old
Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her
time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey.
But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own
life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself
struggling to balance two. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors
Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly
magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun
and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in
it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the
whole wide world exploding.</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://i1025.photobucket.com/albums/y317/Bookalypse/tinaspoilerfree.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="59" src="http://i1025.photobucket.com/albums/y317/Bookalypse/tinaspoilerfree.png" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="color: #36b6ff; font-size: large;"><i>Review</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">This
book is not like the others – literally. My UK copy is bound in a soft
textured cover with a piece of elastic that keeps it close, much like a
journal. The text is a blue colour, and scattered throughout the story
are fully-coloured poems by Lennie herself, written on random surfaces.
Absolutely gorgeous.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">As for the story, I read it
entirely in one sitting and spent the rest of the day in a happy, bubbly
mood as the aftereffects of this extraordinary book washed over me. The
writing is poetic and evocative and beautiful, and I drank all the
words along with the emotion they brought. Jandy Nelson is a master of
words – she can truly write and her choice of words is perfect.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The
ultimate power of this book is the emotions that it evokes in readers –
I felt upset, shocked, betrayed, overjoyed, heartbroken, confused, you
name it. Lennie and her relationships with Joe and Toby are so raw and
powerful and refreshing. I cried in so many places.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Easily one of the most enchanting, captivating novels I have ever read, <i>The Sky Is Everywhere</i>
took my breath away with its honesty, sadness and beauty. I am
determined not to spoil anything, lest I take away from the impact of
reading the book, but this book is definitely an all-time favourite, and
the reason why I love contemps.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #36b6ff;">Rating: </span></b>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcOSIe8dMI/AAAAAAAAAK0/6JVoqxVtfX0/s1600/5bcstar.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="22.75" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcOSIe8dMI/AAAAAAAAAK0/6JVoqxVtfX0/s1600/5bcstar.png" width="130" /></a><br />
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<b style="color: #36b6ff;">Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.theskyiseverywhere.com/"><i>The Sky is Everywhere </i>Official Website</a> | <a href="http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/Books/The-Sky-is-Everywhere-9781406326307"><i>The Sky is Everywhere </i>at Walker AUS</a> | <a href="http://www.jandynelson.com/">Jandy Nelson's Website</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6604794-the-sky-is-everywhere">Goodreads</a>Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-23125871785088079992011-02-14T18:22:00.000+11:002011-02-14T18:22:08.163+11:00Review: Eclipse Movie Companion by Mark Cotta Vaz<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.hachette.com.au/cover/large/9781907410000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.hachette.com.au/cover/large/9781907410000.jpg" width="246" /></a><b>You might think that this “Movie Companion” is
for the most dedicated fans of the movie, but there is so much more to
this movie companion than a photo album of movie stills.</b> I’ve never really
paid any
thought to how a movie is made; I just pick a movie, pay for my ticket, head into the cinema,
and enjoy the story that comes to life before my eyes. I've never
imagined the many people behind the cameras who have dedicated their time and poured their soul
into creating the intangible piece of art that is a motion picture.</div>
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The <i>Twilight Saga</i>
is the cumulative effort of months of work by
hundreds of people, from the talented Stephenie Meyer, who conceived the
idea, to the costume designers, to the audiences who enjoy the movie.
This movie companion gives us a detailed behind-the-scenes glimpse
into how a $700 million box office blockbuster movie is made. The
director,
David Spade emphasised how he wished to stay faithful to Stephanie
Meyer’s
imagery, whilst bringing more intense visual imagery and darker
undertones in
comparison to the previous two films.</div>
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There is so much thought behind each individual, minute-long
scene, and a valuable source of information in this book can be gained through
the behind-the-scenes images. I was surprised to find out how the wolves had
been brought to life, how the green screen was used rarely but effectively to
bring the forest to life, and how the filmmakers had constructed a life-sized
replica of the original Cullen house for the purposes of giving the scenes
authenticity.</div>
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My favourite parts of the book were the ones detailing the
costume creation and sets for the Quileute’s, Rosalie’s and Jasper’s
flashbacks. They were my favourite parts of the movie, and added history and
dimension to the film. Then there were the cast interviews. Most of the main cast
had a page-long interview each, and it’s interesting to learn of the people
behind the characters –the dedicated actors who wake up at 3am to do hair and
makeup – and the people who help them become their characters. </div>
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Reading <i>The Twilight
Saga: Eclipse Official Illustrated Movie Companion </i>gives one a
greater
appreciation of the making of each film: from the basic
colours and settings that evoke mood, to the high-tech CGI imagery that
brings
wolves to life. An intriguing and visually luxurious read this
Illustrated Movie Companion is something all movie fans should pick up.<br />
<br />
Now if only it came with posters I could stick up on my wall… ;)<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Mark Cotta Vaz, </span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><i>The Twilight Saga Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion</i>, </span></div>
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;">Hachette Aus, July 2010. [<a href="http://www.hachette.com.au/books/9781907410000/">details</a>] [<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7351574-eclipse">goodreads</a>]</span><b></b></div>
<div style="color: #666666; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Thanks to Hachette for my review copy.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Q: If you could be a part of a movie,which would be your dream role? (e.g. director, crew, make-up artist, scriptwriter, actress/actor...) </b></span><i><br /></i></span></div>
<a href="http://i1025.photobucket.com/albums/y317/Bookalypse/tinaspoilerfree.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-64048680503391940242011-02-09T21:48:00.001+11:002011-02-09T21:55:32.923+11:00Meg Cabot's newest YA seriesFirst of all, I apologise for not posting for...almost a week. I've just started school again, and I'm in year 11 this year (Auusie version of a junior in high school), so a lot of things have been changing. I have a lot more homework - seriously, I'm doing 4-5 hours of homework per night - and things have fallen behind schedule here, compared to my posting frequency over the holidays.<br />
Anyway, I'm extremely excited about this week's Waiting On Wednesday:<br />
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: small;">Waiting on Wednesday</span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"> is hosted by Jill at </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="color: black;">Breaking the Spine</a><span style="color: black;">, and it is a weekly post that spotlights upcoming</span></span> releases participants are excited about. This week, I'm waiting on:</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Abandon</i> by Meg Cabot</span><br />
This is first in a new young adult series, coming April 2011. I love Meg Cabot's books. I started with the Princess Diaries, moved onto theMediator series, and then read the Vanished series (1800-Where-Are-You). After that, there were her standalone YA novels (Jinx, How to Be Popular, Tommy Sullivan is a Freak...etc). There's just something so addictive and comfortable about Meg's novels - the tone/voice is similar, but the plot and characters always pull me in. <br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yCeD7dTs30urU3InCBuQ1k9iusoLrUaHGwkb6p_Pr4spW7Rh_xZgXRLOkesxy0iKSZUSxsmihhpmCQfWI4t52KfBpl0Hqkq_iLyciNeZfEhyphenhyphenzATIcXQUBHbpZtjScLHfyP5CJpZo4fSZ/s1600/abandon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yCeD7dTs30urU3InCBuQ1k9iusoLrUaHGwkb6p_Pr4spW7Rh_xZgXRLOkesxy0iKSZUSxsmihhpmCQfWI4t52KfBpl0Hqkq_iLyciNeZfEhyphenhyphenzATIcXQUBHbpZtjScLHfyP5CJpZo4fSZ/s320/abandon.jpg" width="222" /></a><i>She knows what it's like to die. Now Death wants her back.</i><br />
<br />
Seventeen-year-old Pierce knows what happens to us when we die.<br />
That's how she met John Hayden, the mysterious stranger who's
made returning to normal life—or at least life as Pierce knew it before
the accident—next to impossible.<br />
Though she thought she escaped him—starting a new school in a whole new place—it turns out she was wrong. He finds her.<br />
What does John want from her? Pierce thinks she knows... just
like she knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly
heaven. But she can't stay away from him, either, especially since he's
always there when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him
most.<br />
But if she lets herself fall any further, she might find herself back in the place she fears the most.<br />
And when Pierce discovers the shocking truth, that’s exactly where John sweeps her:<br />
<br />
The Underworld.</blockquote>
</div>
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<b>What are you waiting on this week? </b></div>Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-35054464574189522882011-02-02T17:02:00.001+11:002011-02-02T23:47:11.986+11:00Review: The Legacy by Gemma Malley<div style="font-family: inherit;">
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<a href="http://www.allenandunwin.com/BookCovers/resized_9781408800898_224_297_FitSquare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.allenandunwin.com/BookCovers/resized_9781408800898_224_297_FitSquare.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #26154c;"><i>The Legacy</i> by Gemma Malley</span><b><span style="color: #ff9ab3;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #26154c;">Series:<span style="color: black;"> </span></b></span><span style="color: #26154c; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">The Declaration (Book 3)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #26154c; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"> Read these first--> 1: <a href="http://www.bookcouture.com/2010/08/review-declaration-by-gemma-malley.html">The Declaration</a>, 2: <a href="http://www.bookcouture.com/2010/12/review-resistance-by-gemma-malley.html">The Resistance</a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #26154c;">Genre:<span style="color: black;"> </span></b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Dystopia</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #26154c;">Age Group:</b></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> 13+ </span></div>
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<div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #26154c;">Publishers: </b></span><a href="http://www.allenandunwin.com/" style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Allen and Unwin AUS</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #26154c;">Release Date:</b></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> October 2010</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #26154c;">Format:</b> Hardback, 272 pages</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #26154c;">ISBN-13:</b></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> </span>9781408800898
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #26154c;">Cover love? </span></b></span><br />
<div style="color: black;">
<span style="font-size: small;">An amazing cover that perfectly conveys the theme of the story and continues the design brilliance of the previous two books. I like the solitary rose, although I can't think of it's significance. A new beginning? Hope? Hmm...</span></div>
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<div style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
<div style="color: black;">
<span style="color: #26154c;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></span></div>
<blockquote style="color: black;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div>
<div class="keyNote">
<i>A third gripping, powerful dystopian novel following </i>The Declaration<i> and </i>The Resistance<i>.</i></div>
<div class="keyNote">
<br /></div>
<i>When a Pincent Pharma lorry is ambushed by the Underground, its
contents come as a huge surprise - not drugs, but corpses in a horrible
state. It appears Longevity isn't working and the drugs promising
eternal youth are failing to live up to their promises. A virus is
sweeping the country, killing in its wake, and Longevity is powerless to
fight it. When Richard Pincent of Pincent Pharma suggest that the
Underground has released the virus, something has to be done to put the
story straight and once and for all alert everyone to the truth.</i></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #26154c;"><i>Review</i><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br />The previous two installments in the series blew me away, and I looked forward to reading <i>The Legacy</i> a lot. Readers who loved <i>Matched </i>or <i>Delirium </i>will love this series, especially because it came prior to the aforementioned books.<br /><br />The first book focused on Anna as a main character, and later, Peter and Anna's journey together. <i>The Legacy</i>, however, focuses mainly on Peter as the protagonist, much like <i>The Resistance</i>. Anna is relegated to the back seat, and regretfully, takes on a tradiationally feminine role, with less action, and in a more damsel-in-distress role. It's a shame, because Anna was a great character in the first book, but now she gives in too easily, no longer a headstrong female charater, though unnaturally mature beyond her years. But, Peter is a great character. He's loyal, brave and good...but also impulsive, stubborn and flawed. <br /><br />This third installment reveals a slightly horrific and gripping backstory to the famous (or infamous, depending on your side) Richard Pincent's rise to fame. Thinking back, I should have expected it, but Gemma Malley's addition to the world of <i>The Declaration</i> gives it a new depth and brings a new understanding to readers. I also like the way that the story alternates between Peter's perspective and another sidestory, making the novel three-dimensional in it's omniescent view.<br /><br />This series is very clever, and presents a vision of the world that is imaginative but highly probable, what with the advances in science and technology, and the growth of the world's population. I shudder to think of it, but the future that Malley paints is near, and possible. But according to <i>The Legacy</i>, nature will prevail in the end.<br /><br />I love this series, as you can probably tell from my reviews of <a href="http://www.bookcouture.com/2010/08/review-declaration-by-gemma-malley.html"><i>The Declaration</i></a> and <a href="http://www.bookcouture.com/2010/12/review-resistance-by-gemma-malley.html"><i>The Resistance</i></a>. The Legacy is a truly compelling final book in a masterful dystopian series. Brillaint, heartfelt and epic, this series is a bestseller for a reason. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #26154c;">Rating:</b></span></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORan9cJI/AAAAAAAAAKs/bmOcHQcmiGs/s1600/4.5bcstar.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="22.75" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORgDXBRI/AAAAAAAAAKw/q4QUD-RHNbE/s1600/4bcstar.png" width="130" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #26154c;">Links:</b></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=397&book=9781408800898"><i>The Legacy </i>at Allen and Unwin</a> | </span><a href="http://www.bloomsbury.com/thedeclaration/"><i>The Legacy </i>Official Website</a> | <a href="http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=94&book=9781408800898"><i>The Legacy</i> at Allen & Unwin AU</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7320458-the-legacy">Goodreads</a>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-90489371668557099222011-01-31T19:04:00.001+11:002011-01-31T19:25:09.466+11:00Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.hachette.com.au/cover/large/9780340980927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.hachette.com.au/cover/large/9780340980927.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="color: lightskyblue; font-size: large;"><i>Delirium </i>by Lauren Oliver</span><br />
<br />
<b style="color: lightskyblue;">Series:</b> <span style="color: black;">Trilogy</span><br />
<b style="color: lightskyblue;">Genre:</b><span style="color: black;"> Dystopian</span><br />
<b style="color: lightskyblue;">Age Group:</b><span style="color: black;">Young Adult</span><br />
<b style="color: lightskyblue;">Publisher: </b><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.hachette.com.au/0">Hachette Australia</a></span><br />
<b style="color: lightskyblue;">Release Date: </b><span style="color: black;">February 1, 2011</span><span style="color: lightskyblue;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span><br />
<b style="color: lightskyblue;">Format:</b> <span style="color: black;">Paperback, 448 pages</span><br />
<b style="color: lightskyblue;">ISBN-13:</b> <span style="color: black;">9780340980927</span><br />
<b style="color: lightskyblue;">RRP:</b> <span style="color: black;">$27.99 AUD</span><br />
<b style="color: lightskyblue;"><br /></b><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span>
<br />
<b style="color: lightskyblue;">Cover love?</b> <span style="color: black;">Love how the girl is metaphorically "trapped" behind the letters, as if they were prison bars. The overall image is very unique and iconic. <br /><--Aussie & UK cover, by the way (has birds, no ornate lettering).</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: lightskyblue; font-size: large;"><i>Synopsis</i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world.
People would go to the end of the earth to find it. They would tell
lies for it. Even kill for it.</i><br />
<i>Then, at last, they found the cure.</i><br />
<i>Now, everything is different. Scientists are able to eradicate love,
and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon
turning eighteen. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when
she ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe,
measured, predictable, and happy.</i><br />
<i>But then, with only ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable...</i>
</div>
<br />
<a href="http://i1025.photobucket.com/albums/y317/Bookalypse/tinaspoilerfree.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="59" src="http://i1025.photobucket.com/albums/y317/Bookalypse/tinaspoilerfree.png" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="color: lightskyblue; font-size: large;"><i>Review</i></span><br />
The minute I got this, I had to start reading it. There’s been so much buzz surrounding <i>Delirium</i>, and I loved <i>The Declaration </i>and <i>Matched</i>, which are two similar books. To my surprise, I realised that I haven’t read <i>Before I Fall</i>, Lauren Oliver’s debut, yet, so I began <i>Delirium </i>without knowing what really lay ahead.<br />
<br />
In my opinion, a dystopian novel is only ever as good as its futuristic society and the form of oppression it chooses to enforce. In <i>Delirium</i>’s Portland of the future, love is a disease individuals are cured of when they turn 18. This notion is brought to reality through it’s “scientific name”, amor deliria nervosa. (Clever! I love these extra touches.) The “cured” walk about with a film over their eyes, heartless and cold, void of emotions, because with their capability to love stripped away, they’re nothing more than robots programmed to do everything the society bids of them. Oliver has painted a stark future that gives food for thought.<br />
<br />
Lauren Oliver is obviously well-read and clever, because each chapter shows a quote from a poem, play, or piece of classical literature that pertains to that chapter. Lauren Oliver has also written some of her own poetry, book excerpts and children’s play songs from the futuristic world of Delirium that are very clever and contain hidden messages. The writing in this book, oh my god. It’s so beautiful and descriptive, almost poetic. Lauren Oliver uses the sounds and assonance of words together perfectly, and her language is beautiful.<br />
<br />
Here’s a non-spoiler excerpt:<br />
“I close my eyes and listen. The feeling I had before of being surrounded by <b>warmth swells and crests inside of me like a wave</b>. Poetry isn’t like any writing I’ve heard before. I don’t understand all of it, just bits of images, sentences that appear half-finished, all <b>fluttering together like brightly coloured ribbons in the wind</b>.”<br />
<br />
Beautiful, right? The bolded lines are so evocative – what a way to describe poetry through Lena’s eyes.<br />
<br />
Lena is a great protagonist in this book and to me, she is an unlikely one, which is great. I could have imagined the entire story being told with Lena’s best friend, Hana, as the protagonist: beautiful, daring, wild, rich but not understood. But I think that with a shy, quiet and obedient character, readers will really understand and marvel at the power of love to change a person. Alex, the mysterious boy that Lena meets is exactly what I expected, but I was still amazed and warmed by his goodness.<br />
<br />
Lauren Oliver has admirably captured the powerful emotion of love in stunningly beautiful words. Her gorgeous second novel, <i>Delirium</i>, is a captivating dystopian with a heart-wrenching love story that I recommend to lovers of all genres.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: lightskyblue;">Rating: </span></b>
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORgDXBRI/AAAAAAAAAKw/q4QUD-RHNbE/s1600/4bcstar.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="22.75" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORgDXBRI/AAAAAAAAAKw/q4QUD-RHNbE/s1600/4bcstar.png" width="130" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b style="color: lightskyblue;">Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.hachette.com.au/books/9780340980927/"><i>Delirium </i>at Hachette AU</a> | <a href="http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCEQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.laurenoliverbooks.com%2F&rct=j&q=lauren%20oliver&ei=HFhGTa-FLoGkvgPpirGFAg&usg=AFQjCNEA05Pt09fqwXHfJ4XSrnTipz5AfQ&sig2=0dwcu7WVbw_8yJzY9FOK2A&cad=rja">Lauren Oliver's Website</a> | <a href="http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCoQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Flaurenoliverbooks.blogspot.com%2F&rct=j&q=lauren%20oliver&ei=HFhGTa-FLoGkvgPpirGFAg&usg=AFQjCNHJI6rLaKSVFQUOYTUY3DY5Pgi6uw&sig2=urwEvKPaa1U4uvuXoHdxWw&cad=rja">Lauren Oliver's Blog</a> | <a href="http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.goodreads.com%2Fbook%2Fshow%2F7686667-delirium&rct=j&q=goodreads%20delirium&ei=VFhGTcXlCo-SuwOVlNG-AQ&usg=AFQjCNFTuyloNNqhIs3lq6gkIw0R_enGsA&sig2=jKlNrEOkq1qf0KdeaO2OGg&cad=rja"><i>Delirium</i> at Goodreads</a>Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-67487185755765206502011-01-29T03:00:00.002+11:002011-02-02T23:47:47.683+11:00Review: Zelah Green by Vanessa Curtis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41fcRJeZutL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41fcRJeZutL.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #c51f5d; font-size: large;"><i>Zelah Green </i>by Vanessa Curtis</span><br />
<br />
<b style="color: #c51f5d;">Series:</b> <span style="color: black;">Zelah Green series</span><br />
<b style="color: #c51f5d;">Genre:</b><span style="color: black;"> Contemporary</span><br />
<b style="color: #c51f5d;">Age Group:</b><span style="color: black;">Young Adult</span><br />
<b style="color: #c51f5d;">Publisher: </b><a href="http://hardiegrant.com.au/" style="color: black;">Hardie Grant Egmont</a><span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<b style="color: #c51f5d;">Release Date: </b><span style="color: lightskyblue;"><span style="color: black;">4th Jan 2011</span></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<b style="color: #c51f5d;">Format:</b> <span style="color: black;">Paperback</span><br />
<b style="color: #c51f5d;">ISBN-13:</b> 9781405255059
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<b style="color: #c51f5d;">RRP:</b> <span style="color: black;">$16.95 AUD</span><br />
<b style="color: #c51f5d;">Source: </b><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thank you to the
publisher, who provided this book for an honest review,all opinions expressed are my own.</span></span>
<br />
<b style="color: #c51f5d;">Cover love?</b> <span style="color: black;">Stark and streamlined, but meaningful. The pink labels it as YA. (NB. See what I did? I made some text in this review the exact same colour!)</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #c51f5d; font-size: large;"><i>Synopsis</i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote>
<i>My Name is Zelah Green and I'm a cleanaholic. I
spend most of my life running away from germs, dirt, and people. And I'm just
about doing ok and then my stepmother packs me off to some kind of hospital to
live with a load of strangers. It's stuck in the middle of nowhere. Great.
There's Alice who's anorexic. Caro who cuts herself. Silent Sol who has the
cutest smile. And then there's me.</i></blockquote>
</div>
<br />
<a href="http://i1025.photobucket.com/albums/y317/Bookalypse/tinaspoilerfree.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="59" src="http://i1025.photobucket.com/albums/y317/Bookalypse/tinaspoilerfree.png" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="color: #c51f5d; font-size: large;"><i>Review</i></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Throughout <i>Zelah Green</i>,
Vanessa Curtis thoughtfully paints a story focusing on the effects of
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in teenagers. My only knowledge of OCD stems from
reading <i>Xenocide</i> and <i>Speaker for the Dead </i>(#3 and #4 in the
Ender Saga)<i> </i>by Orson Scott Card, and
was not surprised to find that the symptoms were similar, and that OCD is a
serious ailment that severely affects the victim’s lifestyle. Zelah Green
describes herself as a “cleanaholic” who is always on “dirt alert” and “germ
alert”; she performs daily cleaning rituals that often cause her hands to become
red and raw.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I admire the research and accuracy with which Vanessa Curtis
tells this story. The way Zelah avoids the scientific term for her problem, the
backstory that explains how Zelah developed her condition, and the warm
depiction of Zelah’s emotions and reactions.The gradual unveiling of Zelah’s life to the reader also
makes it a journey of sorts, as we begin to understand what Zelah’s family
situation is like.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Vanessa Curtis must also be commended for her excellent
creation of characters. Each character is unique, and I can list the dozen or
so of them off by heart, even weeks after reading it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m not giving this novel five stars because it’s not as
impacting as it could have been. It’s more lighthearted than serious, and I prefer
serious, adventurous reads that bring out emotion, because that’s when I know a
story has really connected with me. The story is not extraordinary, but it’s
not evocative either, hence my rating.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I loved watching the growth in Zelah throughout this short
read, as she changes from an unwilling patient at the rehabilitation centre, to
a girl ready to charge of her own life and make a change for the better. It’s
not a depressing, self-help novel, rather a light, funny and warm novel about a
girl courageously facing up to her condition, and learning to do the right
thing. It’s a perfect read for all teenagers.</div>
<br />
<b><span style="color: #c51f5d;">Rating:</span></b><br />
<img border="0" height="22.75" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORgDXBRI/AAAAAAAAAKw/q4QUD-RHNbE/s1600/4bcstar.png" width="130" /><br />
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<b style="color: #c51f5d;">Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://hardiegrant.com.au/Egmont/Books/Book.aspx?isbn=9781405255059"><i>Zelah Green </i>at Hardie Grant</a> | <a href="http://www.vanessacurtis.com/">Vanessa Cutis' Website</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7965963-zelah-green">Goodreads</a>Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-54330108840880807272011-01-28T12:00:00.008+11:002011-01-28T12:01:36.300+11:00Author Interview with Beth Revis<div style="font-family: inherit;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiowQx7rGyV37Dp9LQqE8yxHcUleRg9R7xr552yRuUMOiUI2GiPpQeF4PVezdaX-pBxWDzMEmNY9sathIgKWT88FVXksgXoaebpyN8CHdvfNKEzPdJLP4MvR3CuEJpMS6B9T0GbgMAJ5_sf/s1600/Beth+Revis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiowQx7rGyV37Dp9LQqE8yxHcUleRg9R7xr552yRuUMOiUI2GiPpQeF4PVezdaX-pBxWDzMEmNY9sathIgKWT88FVXksgXoaebpyN8CHdvfNKEzPdJLP4MvR3CuEJpMS6B9T0GbgMAJ5_sf/s320/Beth+Revis.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TPoxMsQKy5I/AAAAAAAAATk/gt-XefnADPg/s1600/Across-the-Universe_Beth-Revis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TPoxMsQKy5I/AAAAAAAAATk/gt-XefnADPg/s320/Across-the-Universe_Beth-Revis.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU"> Tina: Hi Beth! Thank you for taking the time to answer questions for
<a href="http://bookcouture.com/">BookCouture.com</a>. I loved <i>Across the Universe </i>and am flipping out that
you’re here. I worship your genius, and have tried to think up of some
questions that you may not have answered yet. So I’ve only got five questions
here:</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #95b3d7;">Beth: Aw! THANK YOU!</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU">Tina: The pleasure is all mine. Firstly, your vision of the
evolution of the human population aboard <i>Godspeed</i> is very intriguing –
the idea of an ethnically ambiguous race of people. (And their developments in
physique, language, formation of slang…etc). How did you manage to come up with
that? Was it through noticing patterns in human development across the
centuries, or just through reasoning and perception? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #95b3d7;">Beth: The language was something that I consciously worked on—I
am fascinated with linguistics, but never took it much past a couple of college
classes. I figured that slang and curse words are the first things to change in
language, so that’s what I changed. Some people think I was afraid to use
“regular” curse words in the story, but actually, I was trying to show that
language shift with the new words.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #95b3d7;">The rest of it developed organically. I was trying to show
how different things would become, giving enough time in an enclosed area. Some
things are little—for example, I make a point to show that Amy’s the shortest
person on the ship, in part because people do tend to evolve taller as time
progresses.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU">Tina: I thought that was what made the book a lot more believable. Another
interesting concept that I presume would have become available through improved
science & technology is the ability to modify the genes that code for
intelligence in the characters of your novel. I gathered from reading <i>Across
the Universe</i> that there are several different types of intelligence and
that each generation is required to produce geniuses in order to survive. Of
course, we don’t have this sort of technology, so what factors do you think
determine intelligence (genetics, the environment), and why has intelligence on
the ship become so rare (through inbreeding?) that injections must be given to
“create” geniuses? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #95b3d7;">Beth: One of the key things I was trying to present in my
novel is the concept of “nature vs. nurture.” I hope readers question this: is
Elder a good leader because he was made that way through genetics, or because
of he way in which he was raised? Personally, I think it’s a combination of the
two—that we are, to a certain extent, the way we are because of the way we’re
born, but whether or not we use what we’re born with, and in what way we use
it, is determined in part by how we are raised. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #95b3d7;">Also, I don’t think intelligence IS rare on the ship—I think
Eldest is so obsessed with creating a perfect society with the perfect number
of people who do the perfect things that he’s afraid to let his world grow
organically and instead forces things, such as certain intelligences, on
people.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU">Tina:</span><span lang="EN-AU"> </span><span lang="EN-AU">Oh, thanks for clearing that up for me!In <a href="http://www.bookcouture.com/2011/01/review-across-universe-by-beth-revis.html" title="blocked::http://www.bookcouture.com/2011/01/review-across-universe-by-beth-revis.html"><span style="color: black;">my review of <i>Across the Universe</i></span></a>, I
couldn’t help but compare <i>Across the Universe</i> to the <i>Ender</i> Saga
by Orson Scott Card, as both are very similar in many aspects, but tell very
different stories. I understand that you have read his books, and was wondering
if you could comment on the similarities and differences between your novels?
How much influence did <i>Ender’s Game</i> have upon your writing, and what
other books influenced you? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #95b3d7;">Beth: The biggest influence I got from the Ender saga was
the idea that it was okay to write sci fi in a certain way. I think a lot of
adult sci fi books focus more on the setting and the science than on the plot
and the characters, and I worried that it was a trope of the genre that
couldn’t be broken. Ender’s Game and the sequels proved to me that the style of
character-driven plots was possible in sci fi, and that there definitely was a
market for YA sci fi, even if there’s not that much out there right now.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU">Tina: I’m also curious as to your decision to make Across the
Universe a young adult book, rather than an adult book, and also, the reasons
behind including a romance story in a science fiction, where romance is
uncommon in this genre? Did you want to have two characters from different
times provide a contrast in the novel, did you believe that romance was vital
to the story, or perhaps because it would appeal to the target audience? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #95b3d7;">Beth: I have always written YA novels instead of adult ones,
and personally, I prefer to read YA novels instead of adult ones. I believe
that the difference between the two isn’t so much a matter of age suggestions
as it is one of style. YA lit tends to be more focused on faster-paced plots
and interesting characters (in my opinion). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #95b3d7;">As for romance: it’s something that came about naturally in
the story. I think Elder’s desperately lonely, and when he meets Amy, he
becomes obsessively attached to her rather quickly. Amy, on the other hand,
isn’t look for love or romance, and she responds to Elder much more warily.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU">Tina: Finally, is there any recent news concerning the next book in
the trilogy or perhaps (*crosses fingers*) a film adaptation? Seeing as the
people on Godspeed are multiethnic, what actors do you have in mind for a movie
version of <i>Across the Universe</i>? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #95b3d7;">Beth: I wish! I seriously have all my fingers and toes crossed
on that one, and I hope that it happens!! As for actors—I honestly don’t know
who would play most of the ship’s crew because it would require actors who are
multi-ethnic, but I’ve always pictured Molly Quinn in the role of Amy.</span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSduKLtvQ1pEX-ZLAWlzjlx6Endxcq-Dlc_EmEzSVuT0k--kCVxMA" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSduKLtvQ1pEX-ZLAWlzjlx6Endxcq-Dlc_EmEzSVuT0k--kCVxMA" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molly Quinn as Amy?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU">Tina: OMG, yes! She would be perfect for Amy.<br />Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Beth! Your
answers are just as insightful and intelligent as your amazing book. I can’t
wait until book two comes out in 2012!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU">Check out Beth’s website at: <a href="http://bethrevis.com/">http://bethrevis.com</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU">Beth’s Blog: <a href="http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/">http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU">The Official (and super awesome) Website for Across the Universe: <a href="http://acrosstheuniversebook.com/">http://acrosstheuniversebook.com</a></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-AU">Check out an <a href="http://penguinbtl.blogspot.com/2011/01/across-universe-author-beth-revis-tells.html">interview with Beth Revis on BTL. </a></span></span></div>Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-34215528452874574222011-01-25T18:11:00.000+11:002011-01-25T18:11:16.599+11:00Review: Pictures of Lily by Paige Toon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TTwHa0GP0ZI/AAAAAAAAAVg/z_9mas4qwCk/s1600/Pictures-Of-Lily-Paige-Toon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TTwHa0GP0ZI/AAAAAAAAAVg/z_9mas4qwCk/s320/Pictures-Of-Lily-Paige-Toon.jpg" width="203" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f371b1; font-size: large;"><i>Pictures of Lily </i>by Paige Toon</span><br />
<br />
<b style="color: #f371b1;">Series:</b> <span style="color: black;">Standalone</span><br />
<b style="color: #f371b1;">Genre:</b><span style="color: black;"> Contemporary</span><br />
<b style="color: #f371b1;">Age Group:</b><span style="color: black;">Young Adult --> Adult</span><br />
<b style="color: #f371b1;">Publisher: </b><span style="color: black;">Simon & Schuster AUS</span><br />
<b style="color: #f371b1;">Release Date: </b><span style="color: lightskyblue;"><span style="color: black;">4th January 2011 (AUS)</span></span><br />
<b style="color: #f371b1;">Format:</b> <span style="color: black;">Paperback, 432 pages</span><br />
<b style="color: #f371b1;">ISBN-13:</b> 9781847393913<br />
<b style="color: #f371b1;">RRP:</b> <span style="color: black;">$22.99 AUD</span><br />
<b style="color: #f371b1;">Source: </b><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thank you to the
publisher, who provided this book for an honest review.</span></span>
<br />
<b style="color: #f371b1;">Cover love?</b> <span style="color: black;">It's very cute and dazzly, but screams chick-lit rom-com. The book is more mature than the cover suggests.</span><br />
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<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f371b1; font-size: large;"><i>Synopsis</i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote>
'Will you marry me?' <br />
I think of you, then. I think of you every day. But usually in the quietest part of the morning, or the darkest part of the night. Not when my boyfriend of two years has just proposed. I look up at Richard with his hopeful eyes. <br />
'Lily?' he prompts. It's been ten years, but it feels like only yesterday that you left. How can I say yes to Richard with all my heart when most of it has always belonged to you? I take a deep breath and will myself to speak...<br />
<br />
Ten years ago when Lily was just sixteen, she fell in love with someone she really shouldn't have fallen in love with. Now, living in Sydney and engaged to another man, she can't forget the one that got away. Then her past comes back to haunt her, and she has to make a decision that will break her heart - and the heart of at least one of the men who love her.</blockquote>
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<a href="http://i1025.photobucket.com/albums/y317/Bookalypse/tinaspoilerfree.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="59" src="http://i1025.photobucket.com/albums/y317/Bookalypse/tinaspoilerfree.png" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #f371b1; font-size: large;"><i>Review</i></span><br />
<br />
The book begins with a prologue, which you’ve just read above, and then cuts to a twelve-chapter long flashback of Lily’s life at 16, when her mother moves her from the UK to South Australia for her mother’s newest man. And in Australia, Lily falls in love with “someone she really shouldn't have fallen in love with”. When we cut back to the modern day, Lily is being asked the big question. But can she find it in her heart to forget her one true love?<br />
<br />
I quickly got absorbed into Lily’s world, and through Paige Toon’s writing, I felt Lily the changes that Lily went through as she began to fall in love. My heart broke when things didn’t work out between them, and their bittersweet tale is one to remember. Despite the guy being wrong for her, what they had between them was real, and I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the novel.<br />
<br />
There were only a few main characters in this novel, because at it's heart, it is about Lily's decision. That being said, I loved the way Paige Toon used dialogue to bring the peripheral characters to life, because her descriptions were very realistic. I thought that the setting of the book, which is in Australia, is very well done and highly believable, considering that her previous books were mainly set in America. Lily is also authentically English.<br />
<br />
In ten years, Lily weaves herself a very tangled web. Richard is successful, sweet, and a loving boyfriend…but Lily can’t forget the man she loved first. This is a bittersweet tale about a girl who gave up on her dreams and her instincts about love, begging the question: is it ever too late? Emotional, heartbreaking and utterly honest, <i>Pictures of Lily</i> is a clean but mature novel for those looking for a good romantic contemporary read.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f371b1;">Rating: </span></b>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORgDXBRI/AAAAAAAAAKw/q4QUD-RHNbE/s1600/4bcstar.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="22.75" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORgDXBRI/AAAAAAAAAKw/q4QUD-RHNbE/s1600/4bcstar.png" width="130" /></a><br />
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<b style="color: #f371b1;">Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://books.simonandschuster.com.au/Pictures-of-Lily/Paige-Toon/9781847393913"><i>Pictures of Lily</i> at Simon & Schuster</a> | <a href="http://www.paigetoon.com/">Paige Toon's Website</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7134057-pictures-of-lily">Goodreads</a>Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-57348170442064853832011-01-24T16:27:00.000+11:002011-01-24T16:27:16.838+11:00YA Aussie Challenge 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://irresistiblereads.blogspot.com/2010/12/aussie-ya-book-challenge-2011.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAIObbyNOCm0wvI0hvS4xJXr9BCJylzmp-tSwj_gOO09Yfy0xrQ9BuWDufrzP7du4_bI6jVMi24fAhnLNNBI_erRRYmAldg0iaZbG-XZKyBXOEPVZwtCbKZnvVPpYkDAnhvXyMeC3ofo/s1600/challenge1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN"><b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Finally, I've taken the time to join this awesome challenge hosted by <a href="http://irresistiblereads.blogspot.com/p/aussie-ya-reading-challenge-2011.html">Nic @ Irrisistable Reads.</a></span></b></b></span> There's also an awesome <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7317.Favourite_Aussie_YA_books#1162022">list of Aussie titles on Goodreads</a>.<br />
<br />
<span lang="EN"><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Challenge: </span></b></span><br />
<span lang="EN"><b style="font-weight: normal;">Australian participants</b><b> -</b> Read at least <b><u>12</u> </b>young adult books by Australian authors from 1<sup>st</sup> January, 2011 to 31<sup>st</sup> December, 2011.</span><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b><span lang="EN">The Aussie books I want to read: </span></b><span lang="EN">(</span><span lang="EN">in no particular order)</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span lang="EN"><i>Saving Francesca</i> by Melina Marchetta</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN"><i>Tomorrow, When the War Began</i> by John Marsden</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN"><i>Finnikin of the Rock</i> by Melina Marchetta</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN"><i>Graffiti Moon</i> by Cath Crowley</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN"><i>Good Oil</i> by Laura Buzo <b>- Owned</b></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN"><i>Does my head look big in this?</i> by Randa Abdel-Fattah</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN"><i>Raw Blue</i> by Kirsty Eagar</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN"><i>Six Impossible Things</i> by Fiona Wood</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN"><i>Everything Beautiful</i> by Simmone Howell</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN"><i>Little Paradise</i> by Gabrielle Wang</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN"><i>Girl Saves Boy</i> by Steph Bowe</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN"><i>Loving Richard Feynman</i> by Penny Tangey</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
At first, I was thinking, awesome, twelve Aussie books will be easy! But I can see how this will be a challenge now, considering the fact that I only own one of them. There's the public library and school library, of course, but it's going to be hard to get my hands on most of them.
<b>Any Aussies out there willing to do a trade with me?</b>Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-24393029782646234742011-01-23T19:00:00.000+11:002011-01-23T19:00:03.904+11:00Review: Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TSuhGHeGSpI/AAAAAAAAAUo/av2FsBiw8Gg/s1600/Pretty-Little-Liars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TSuhGHeGSpI/AAAAAAAAAUo/av2FsBiw8Gg/s320/Pretty-Little-Liars.jpg" width="203" /></a></div>
<span style="color: skyblue; font-size: large;"><i>Pretty Little Liars #1 </i>by Sara Shepard</span><br />
<br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Series:</b> <span style="color: black;">Pretty Little Liars series</span><br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Genre: </b><span style="color: black;">Contemporary</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Age Group:</b><span style="color: black;">Young Adult</span><br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Publisher:</b><span style="color: black;"> <a href="http://www.hachette.com.au/">Hachette AU</a></span><br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Release Date:</b><span style="color: black;"> January 2011</span><br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Format:</b> <span style="color: black;">Paperback, 272 pages</span><br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">ISBN-13:</b> 9781907410871<br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">RRP:</b> <span style="color: black;">$18.99 AUD</span><br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Source:</b><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thank you to the
publisher, who provided this book for an honest review, all opinions expressed are my own.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"> </span>
<br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Cover love?</b> <span style="color: black;">This has the TV show cast on it, which is awesome, but the mud-makeup is a little extreme, I think. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: skyblue; font-size: large;"><i>Synopsis</i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Aria, Emily, Spencer, Hanna and Alison have been best friends since
the third grade. They go everywhere together, thinking no-one can come
between them. If anyone is the ringleader of the group it is Alison, and
the other girls cannot help but confide all their secrets to her.</i><br />
<br />
<i>One night, during a sleepover, Alison goes missing. Her body is never
found. The girls mourn her death but move apart after time, assuming
their secrets have disappeared with Alison too.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Three years later and Aria is having an affair with her teacher;
Emily is questioning her sexuality; Hanna is a thief; and Spencer is
flirting with her sister's fiance. They all think their secrets are
safe, until they starting receiving messages from the mysterious A - who
knows exactly what they are all up to, and is threatening to spill the
beans . . .</i><br />
<br /></div>
<a href="http://i1025.photobucket.com/albums/y317/Bookalypse/tinaspoilerfree.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="59" src="http://i1025.photobucket.com/albums/y317/Bookalypse/tinaspoilerfree.png" width="200" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: skyblue; font-size: large;"><i>Review</i></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The minute I found and opened this in the mail, I began
reading it and didn’t stop until I had finished it. There’s just something so
enticing and juicy about this book that makes one hungry for more. In fact, <i>Pretty Little Liars</i> has been adapted
into a highly popular TV show in 2010, and is still in it’s first season as of
January 2011. I’ve been obsessively following the TV show on Go! On Mondays,
8:30pm in Australia ever since. Awesome
show.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The novel begins with Ali’s disappearance and within a
couple of pages, Sara Shepard’s cleverly
shows us the group’s dynamics, setting apart each character (despite
there being five main ones) and distinguishing them for their individual
traits. I love that throughout Pretty Little Liars, readers can easily get a
sense of who is who. They are each complex, and have their own dirty little
secrets.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This book wasn’t long either, but a lot happened, and it is
only to Sara Shepard’s credit that events weren’t confusing, although the
murder mystery is. Although the girls’ actions certainly are not showing their
best sides and, like all good television, is not role-model behaviour – that’s
what makes it such a fun read. “A” is a deadly opponent, not to mention a
creepy stalker with an agenda for these girls. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Pretty Little Liars</i>
is <i>Gossip Girl</i> with a better plot a
dangerous villain and a murder mystery. Perfect for anyone looking for a saucy,
suspenseful read. There’s twists and turns in every scene, and I cannot wait to
see the angle Sara Shepard takes with <i>Flawless</i>, book 2 in the series.</div>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: skyblue;">Rating: </span></b>
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORgDXBRI/AAAAAAAAAKw/q4QUD-RHNbE/s1600/4bcstar.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="22.75" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORgDXBRI/AAAAAAAAAKw/q4QUD-RHNbE/s1600/4bcstar.png" width="130" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.prettylittleliars.com/"><i>Pretty Little Liars </i>Official Website</a> | <a href="http://www.hachette.com.au/books/9781907410871/"><i>Pretty Little Liars</i> at Hachette AUS</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/162085.Pretty_Little_Liars">Goodreads</a>Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-71828188352297311662011-01-22T02:00:00.001+11:002011-01-24T10:44:50.614+11:00Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.penguin.com.au/covers-jpg/9780141333663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.penguin.com.au/covers-jpg/9780141333663.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="color: skyblue; font-size: large;"><i>Across the Universe </i>by Beth Revis</span><br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Series:</b> <span style="color: black;">Trilogy</span><br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Genre:</b><span style="color: black;"> Science Fiction</span><br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Age Group:</b><span style="color: black;">Young Adult</span><br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Publisher:</b><span style="color: black;"> <a href="http://www.penguin.com.au/">Penguin AU</a></span><br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Release Date:</b><span style="color: black;"> Jan 2011</span><br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Format:</b> <span style="color: black;">Paperback, 408 pages</span><br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">ISBN-13:</b> 9780141333663<br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">RRP:</b> <span style="color: black;">$19.95 AUD</span><br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Source:</b><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thank you to the
publisher, who provided this book for an honest review,all opinions expressed are my own.</span></span> <br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Cover love?</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-AU">Love this cover! It takes my
breath away, especially with the significance of the positions of the
silhouettes (now that I’ve read the book), and the metaphor that Elder and Amy
are separated by a galaxy. It’s gorgeous
and captivating…reflective of the book. </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Although the AUS cover lacks the pretty galaxy background the US cover has.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: skyblue; font-size: large;"><i>Synopsis</i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Amy has left the life she loves for a world 300 years away</b></i><br />
<i>Trapped
in space and frozen in time, Amy is bound for a new planet. But fifty
years before she's due to arrive, she is violently woken, the victim of
an attempted murder. Now Amy's lost on board and nothing makes sense -
she's never felt so alone.</i><br />
<i><b>Yet someone is waiting for her. He wants to protect her; and more if she'll let him</b></i><br />
<i>But who can she trust amidst the secrets and lies? </i><br />
<i>A killer is out there – and Amy has nowhere to hide . . .</i></div>
<br />
<a href="http://i1025.photobucket.com/albums/y317/Bookalypse/tinaspoilerfree.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="59" src="http://i1025.photobucket.com/albums/y317/Bookalypse/tinaspoilerfree.png" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="color: skyblue; font-size: large;"><i>Review</i></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">As an avid reader and huge fan of sci-fi, I
felt mixed emotions about picking up <i>Across
the Universe</i>. I hadn’t read a proper science fiction in ages, and I feared
that I would be disappointed by comparisons to <i>Ender’s Game </i>by Orson Scott Card<i>,
</i><b>my favourite book of all time. </b>The
two books were very different though, and I found myself amazed that such a
different yet similar story could be told. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">What I admire about futuristic novels is
how the author presents their own vision of the future, interpreted from our
modern world. Beth Revis’ future race aboard the starship <i>Godspeed</i> are ethnically ambiguous (due to inbreeding), taller, and
have a darker skin tone, which stands to reason. Their speech has also evolved,
with an accent that is hard for Amy to distinguish. I like that Beth Revis has
illustrated these tiny but consequential changes in the human population of <i>Godspeed</i>, because it imbues the book
with a sense of authenticity.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">She also explores the concepts of a
dictatorial rule in an enclosed environment: censorship, deception, a strong
ruler, freedom, and rebellion. It’s an
intelligent and mature topic for the Young Adult fiction genre, but is very
appropriate in a time when young adults like myself are becoming increasingly
aware of the politics of our time. Beth Revis presents her ideas in an
intelligent way, and despite having read the <i>Ender </i>Saga (which features star ships abundantly and therefore
raises similar ideas), I can’t help but imagine that this is most likely
outcome from a less advance society’s attempt to colonise a planet in another
star system. Beth Revis also raises many moral and ethical issues in the book,
which I am hesitant to spoil, but was completely blown away by. <i>Across the Universe</i> is very, very
clever.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Characters. For me, I couldn’t help but
compare Elder to Ender (c’mon, just one letter different). I read somewhere
that Beth Revis <i>has</i> read <i>Ender’s Game</i>, so I think my comparisons
are legit. Elder is similar to Ender in many ways – they are both young boys
chosen for a particular, pivotal role that they are unaware of, and forced into
leadership positions. They are both intelligent (although Ender is superior in
that sense) and have natural abilities that render them the prime candidates,
yet they are continually deceived by adults. However, Elder is portrayed as an
adolescent, whilst Ender was a child, and as such, Elder is much more heavily
influenced by his attraction to Amy and has this character flaw (which isn’t
really a flaw). The point that I’m driving at is that my reading of <i>Across the Universe</i> was influenced
heavily by <i>Ender’s Game</i>, and
therefore I thought Elder was a similar but inferior character to Ender,
because Elder lacked Ender’s intuition, intelligence, character development and
the scope of his perceptions. These elements directly influence the narration
and therefore, the story that I experience. Yes, I’m long winded and biased,
all of a sudden. It must be the holidays. Als</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Amy and Elder’s romance wasn’t really as
captivating as the romances in other young adult fiction, but it was the prime
aspect that categorised Across the Universe as a YA novel, because really, what
is a YA novel without a little bit of love? What I really feel is that the
novel didn’t <i>need</i> the romance, and
could have been great <i>without</i> it. But
maybe that’s just my Ender’s-Game-fangirl side speaking. What’s your opinion –
does a YA novel have to have romance?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">What I love about <i>Across the Universe</i> was the plot! Reminiscent of science fiction
films such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_%28film%29"><i>Moon</i></a><i> </i>and other horror murder mysteries, the storyline was very creepy
and gives you goosebumps and chills down your spine when you find out who the
murderer is. I thought it could have been scarier though…the big reveal could
have been accompanied by a “Muahahahaha” by the perpetrator and a creepy, “Twenty
long years I have waited to get revenge”, with really epic music in the
background? But then again, this <i>is</i>
YA, so the big reveal was downplayed and less dramatic than it could have been,
and therefore less shocking. I was suspecting something along the lines of the
truth though.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">This review may have sounded a little
harsh, but really, I was comparing it with Ender’s Game the whole time (which
is in its own league entirely). I actually LOVED <i>Across the Universe</i>. Beth Revis employs an alternating first person
perspective to bring to life a story that transcends time, space, and most YA:
a starship romance plagued by the chilling threat of a murderer among the
passengers, this is a book that no one should pass up. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Thanks for reading this long winded review
if you have – and if you haven’t, I don’t blame you, but I’d like to hear all
your thoughts on this question:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-AU">Is romance a defining factor of YA? If
so, why, and if not, why is it so prevalent?</span></b></div>
<br />
<b><span style="color: skyblue;">Rating: </span></b>
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORan9cJI/AAAAAAAAAKs/bmOcHQcmiGs/s1600/4.5bcstar.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="22.75" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcORan9cJI/AAAAAAAAAKs/bmOcHQcmiGs/s1600/4.5bcstar.png" width="130" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b style="color: skyblue;">Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://acrosstheuniversebook.com/"><i>Across the Universe </i>Official Website</a> | <a href="http://www.penguin.com.au/products/9780141333663/across-universe"><i>Across the Universe</i></a> at Penguin AUS |Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614361618011315578.post-23955363674575785722011-01-20T10:00:00.002+11:002011-01-20T10:00:04.979+11:00Review: Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TTGJRKBLbVI/AAAAAAAAAU4/WZ83PRyv9UU/s1600/Personal-Demons-Lisa-Desrochers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TTGJRKBLbVI/AAAAAAAAAU4/WZ83PRyv9UU/s320/Personal-Demons-Lisa-Desrochers.jpg" width="208" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: #d68c35; font-size: large;"><i>Personal Demons </i>by Lisa Desrochers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #d68c35;">Series:</b> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Personal Demons series</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #d68c35;">Genre:</b></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> Paranormal > Heaven Vs Hell </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #d68c35;">Age Group:</b></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Young Adult</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #d68c35;">Publisher:</b></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> <a href="http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/">Pan Macmillan Australia</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #d68c35;">Release Date: </b>October 2010 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #d68c35;">Format:</b> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Paperback, 384 pages</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #d68c35;">ISBN-13:</b></span><span style="font-size: small;">9780330404013</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #d68c35;">RRP:</b> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">$18.99 AUD</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #d68c35;">Source:</b></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thank you to the
publisher, who provided this book for an honest review,all opinions expressed are my own.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> </span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #d68c35;">Cover love?</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> <span style="line-height: 115%;">I’m
not a huge fan of the cover because it looks too adult for me and overtly
categorises the book as a paranormal romance, but I like that it gives us an
image of the three main characters, and that the cover designers have stayed
true to the author’s description.</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #d68c35; font-size: large;"><i>Synopsis</i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Frannie Cavanaugh is a good Catholic girl with a
bit of a wicked streak. She has spent years keeping everyone at a
distance - even her closest friends - and it seems like her senior year
is going to be more of the same... Until Luc Cain enrolls in her class.
No one knows where he came from, but Frannie can't seem to stay away
from him. </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>What she doesn't know is that Luc is on a
mission. He's been sent from Hell itself to claim Frannie's soul. It
should be easy - all he has to do is get her to sin, and Luc is as
tempting as they come. Frannie doesn't stand a chance. But he has to
work fast, because if the infernals are after her, the celestials can't
be far behind. And sure enough, it's not long before the angel Gabriel
shows up, willing to do anything to keep Luc from getting what he came
for.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>But if Luc fails, there will be Hell to pay... for all of them.</i></span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #d68c35; font-size: large;"><i>Review</i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="reviewText" id="freeText600583683447041271"><br /> </span></i></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Mary Francis “Frannie” Cavanaugh is an <b>ordinary girl with a secret</b>
that haunts her every day. When the<b> dangerous, mysterious, gorgeous Luc</b>, (short for “Lucifer” and pronounced “Luke”) comes to Haden High, Frannie finds
herself an unexpected object of attention. But unbeknownst to her, Luc is a
demon sent to tag Frannie’s soul for Hell. Soon enough, Heaven sends its own
messenger, Gabriel, an angel – literally. Both <b>boys fight for Frannie’s soul</b>,
because of a special talent she owns, but their relationship soon develops into
a complex love triangle.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">At first, I admit that I wasn’t too impressed by this book.
The synopsis set off the this-is-clichéd warning bells for me, and as I first
read through the writing, I<b> raised an eyebrow</b> at the excessive use of
“whatevers”, “ ‘Cause”, swearing and sexual observations. But as I read on, I
grew closer to the characters and was stunned by the thematic matter in this
book. And the writing visibly improved.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Frannie attracts both hotties with her good looks, snarky
remarks and…I don’t know, out of necessity because they’ve both been sent to
acquire her soul? </span><span style="font-size: small;"> I couldn’t find anything
(aside from her supposed good looks and superpower) that made Frannie an
admirable person…she’s more like the slightly upgraded version two of Bella
from Twilight. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Luc</i>, I loved.</b> He shared the narrative, and I could really feel
his subtle changes throughout the novel as he discovers a less demonic side to
himself. </span><span style="font-size: small;">The smells Luc used to describe mortal feelings was very
interesting, a clever device to portray feelings, but left poor Frannie like an
open book. There were a lot of spicy odours coming outta that girl. </span><span style="font-size: small;">Gabe didn’t have such a big role (maybe in book 2?), but I liked that
he was still willing to help his enemies. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">But…Frannie’s best friend Taylor was <b>two-faced</b> and lacked depth
of character, <i>really</i> getting on my
nerves. Another thing that agonises me is the way that Frannie is hot for the
two studs within a week of meeting them both, and ends up flitting between
the two so easily. They’re both over 5000 years old as well. <b><i>Scandal</i></b>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> But, Lisa Desrochers
brings a lot of unexpected <b>maturity </b>to this book. Sure, there’s some risqué,
dubious scenes here and there, but she puts a lot of religious questions into perspective,
especially redemption. <b>Can a person be forgiven, no matter what they did, and
achieve redemption? </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TTbBkmGIhYI/AAAAAAAAAVI/GGuKXcsdPIo/s1600/Original-Sin-Lisa-Desrochers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TTbBkmGIhYI/AAAAAAAAAVI/GGuKXcsdPIo/s320/Original-Sin-Lisa-Desrochers.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">I can’t wait to find that out in the second book, <i>Original Sin</i>, because despite my
criticisms, I really enjoyed it. This book grows on you. Lisa Desrochers adds a
<b>gripping novel</b> to the Heaven vs Hell paranormal subgenre that will get you
caught up in the<b> whirlwind of romance, action, and raw teenage emotions</b>. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #d68c35;">Rating:</b></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcOQrMZpPI/AAAAAAAAAKk/DOo0WrlXOJo/s1600/3.5bcstar.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="22.75" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DUmSBN5Hxrw/TJcOQrMZpPI/AAAAAAAAAKk/DOo0WrlXOJo/s1600/3.5bcstar.png" width="130" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: #d68c35;">Links:</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/display_title.asp?ISBN=9780330404013&Author=Desrochers,%20Lisa"><i>Personal Demons </i>at Pan Macmillan</a> | <a href="http://lisadesrochers.blogspot.com/">Lisa Desrochers' Blog</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7823600-personal-demons">Goodreads</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Pretty excited... here's the cover for Original Sin (click to enlarge), which is book two and comes out </span>July 5, 2011! <br />
</div>
</div>Tinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230890547043758352noreply@blogger.com0