Harry Potter Party!

It all started with a letter...

Last night I was lucky enough to be one of twelve guests to attend dinner in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Hosted by Bryton Taylor of Food in Literature, we dined on food found throughout the Harry Potter books and marvelled at the talent, time and effort that Bryton put in to recreating the world of Harry Potter. Throughout the night which was attended by friends (many who are book bloggers and food bloggers), we constantly discovered new details that added to the authenticity of the night.

I'll let the pictures tell the story but a great night was had by all.

What are we studying this year?

Advanced Potion Making, anyone?

Preparing potions

Plenty of supplies in the potions storeroom

Thankfully, Snape was not present.

As usual, the ceiling was bewitched to resemble the night sky.

Don't forget to speak clearly when you travel by Floo Powder.

Dobby stopped by for a visit.

The Chamber of Secrets has been opened...
...but never fear, Professor Sprout has some
mandrakes that are almost ready.

As you exit the Great Hall you can pay a visit to Herbology
where the mandrake are growing up nicely! 

The bathroom was complete with a recording of Moaning Myrtle
to keep us company and our very own stained-glass mermaid. 

"Is it illegal to drink and apparate?"

Find Bryton's Butterbeer recipe here.

If you haven't already found your way to Food in Literature, I suggest you check it out. Bryton recreates food found in books and often throws themed parties from which she shares how-to guides on her website. As a long time friend of Bryton's, I have been to many different parties and she just out-does herself time and time again. I don't know how she isn't working behind the scenes in Hollywood!

The Warlock by Michael Scott

Title: The Warlock
Series: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Book 5
Author: Michael Scott

Release Date: 1st June 2011

My Rating: 4/5

About the Series:
The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is an urban fantasy series set in present day time but relies heavily on some of history and mythology's best known heroes and villains, from Joan of Arc, Mars - God of War and of course Nicholas Flamel (best known to the children of today from the first Harry Potter book), to Medusa and William Shakespeare.

In the last four books we have discovered that Sophie and Josh Newman, two ordinary fifteen-year-olds from San Francisco, are actually the twins of legend, prophecised to save or destroy the world. As Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel take them from America, to France, England and various shadow-realms searching for those who can awaken the twins and train them in the four elements, they are also in a race against time to stop Doctor John Dee, magician, necromancer and all-round bad guy from using the stolen Codex to bring destruction to the world.

***Do not read ahead if you have not read book four, The Necromancer***

Blurb:
The Newman twins have finally been divided. The end is near.

In San Francisco, Josh has chosen a side - and he will not stand with his sister, Sophie, or the Alchemyst, Nicholas Flamel. He has chosen to fight along side John Dee and the mysterious Virginia Dare. Sophie will do anything she can to find her brother, but her training must continue. Earth Magic is next; with Perenelle and Nicholas as weak as they are, Niten must help her to find her instructor. Someone Sophie already knows very well…

In A Nutshell:
Fans will not be disappointed as favourites are put in danger, magic is tested, Dee creates mayhem and lives are risked. Connections between characters become known and a shock-inducing cliff-hanger will leave you speechless.

My Review:
The Warlock, the fifth book in Michael Scott's six-book series, picks up right where The Necromancer left off with Sophie and Josh choosing separate sides, Sophie with the Flamels and Josh with John Dee and Virginia Dare. As both groups flee Dee's crumbling 'Enoch Enterprises' building after Coatlicue is sent back to her shadow-realm with Aoife sacrificing herself, Sophie and Josh struggle with the others' betrayal, as each twin believes they are on the right side.

Every chapter switches back and forth between a whole host of different characters as they all prepare to come together for the explosive final book The Enchantress, due mid 2012. Josh, Dee and Virginia Dare head for Alcatraz where Machiavelli and Billy the Kid are waiting to release the cells of monsters onto an unsuspecting city of San Francisco. Sophie and Niten set off to find Tsagaglalal, She Who Watches, while the extremely weakened Prometheus escapes his crumbling shadow-realm with an exhausted Perenelle, and Nicholas, who is near death.

Scatty, Joan, Saint Germain, Palamedes and Shakespeare have travelled back in time with the mysterious hook-handed man to destroy the lost city of Danu Talis. Characters such as Prometheus and Tsagaglalal who are with Sophie in present time, are also featured on Danu Talis with Scatty and the others since they were there when it was destroyed. Once you get your head around the time warp, it can actually get quite funny, especially when they run into Prometheus who has no idea who they all are (and Scatty is his niece!).

There are also appearances from Gilgamesh, Black Hawk, Mars Ultor, the Witch of Endor, mysterious Elders Isis and Osiris, the Old Man of the Sea, Elders Hel and Odin and Codex creator Abraham the Mage. Many of them, despite their centuries old rivalries, come together with Sophie, Perenelle, Tsagaglalal, Niten and Prometheus to try and stop Dee, their common enemy.

Fans will not be disappointed as favourites are put in danger, magic is tested, Dee creates mayhem and lives are risked. Josh remains suspicious of Dee's motives but Sophie also begins to questions Perenelle's actions when she becomes reckless. As the fifth book progresses, a lot of connections are made between characters who have appeared throughout the series, some that will make you sit back and go, 'ohhhhhhh.'

And the ending? OMG what an ending! But what, how?! I knew something like this was coming...but not THIS! The shock-inducing cliff-hanger opens up so many new questions that will leave your mind reeling and absolutely desperate for the sixth and final book. I can already tell, it is going to be AMAZING!

I've stuck with this series now for four years and I really am quite desperate to read the final book, especially now, since The Warlock finished on the biggest cliff-hanger possible. A whole year! Seriously?! Maybe Michael Scott, to say thank you to all your loyal fans, you could release The Enchantress much earlier? Say like in six months time? That would be really great. Thanks.... I can dream right?!

A big thank you to Random House Australia for providing me with a review copy.

Time Witch by Jacqueline Corcoran

Title: Time Witch
Author: Jacqueline Corcoran

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Release Date: 1st March 2011

Blurb: Twelve year old Genevieve, in search of her missing single-parent mother, finds her way to another world where competing dynasties of witches battle, as time ticks backward, for control over a magical clock and a winged horse as part of an ancient prophecy. Genevieve discovers that she is the niece of the Snow Queen on whose island Genevieve is initiated into magic.

When the Snow Queen appears to be killed by her frozen prisoners, Genevieve must carry on to the Black Crystal Witch's castle with a herbologist slave she meets on the way. With a critical combination of spell-crafting, herbology, and the exponential power of witch bloodlines, Genevieve plays an integral role in vanquishing the Black Crystal Witch's hold over time.

My Review:
Time Witch is the story of 12-year-old Genevieve who, while searching for her mother (who has mysteriously disappeared), discovers that the magical world she made up with her best friend, is actually real. Mistakenly she enters the fantasy realm and comes face to face with flying horses, treasure hunting trolls, the evil witch Duvessa and her terrifying hawk. Here she joins forces with snooty princess Ciera and the dashing prince Rowan to find the three missing pieces of a magical crystal clock and get them to the last remaining rose witch, The Snow Queen, before Witch Duvessa can lay her hands on it and make time disappear forever.

The magical realm that Genevieve creates is based on fairy tales she has read, the sparkling rocks at the Natural History Museum in Washington DC (where she lives), and the classic troll dolls with funky hair. This is the kind of story-world I would have created when I was younger.

Overall it was an enjoyable read and is perfect for ages 9-13 who love fantasy worlds with magic and daring adventures. For fans of The Chronicles of Narnia.

Time Witch is available as an ebook from eBookwise, Solstice Publishing and Amazon.

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Hex Hall

Series: Hex Hall Book 1
Author: Rachel Hawkins

Release Date: 1st June 2010

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
When sixteen-year-old Sophie Mercer discovers she's a witch, she imagines life will be full of magic, fun and ...well ...broomsticks! But her first attempt at a love spell goes disastrously wrong and, as punishment, Sophie is shipped off to Hecate 'Hex' Hall, a reform school for witches, shapeshifters and faeries.

By the end of her first day among her fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tag-along ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person on campus and the only vampire.

Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students and her only friend is the number-one suspect...

My Review:
Hex Hall is a fun, easy read, perfect for lying on the beach with or snuggling in front of the fire with (depending on what part of the world you are in!). It follows a pretty standard formula for teen paranormal books but has a relatively believable storyline that doesn't involve a brand new witch somehow saving the whole world with only one semester of magic behind her.

The story doesn't focus so much on the ins and outs of Sophie's classes but more on the people she goes to school with, the different social cliques (especially between species), and the on-going mysteries surrounding the attacks and also Sophie's father. There are some great characters and I am especially fond of Jenna, I think she is such a strong character and am really looking forward to seeing what she and Sophie get up to in the sequel.

Demonglass, the sequel to Hex Hall, will be released in America in March and Australia in May 2011.

As a side note, I find both covers a bit strange. First off, there are no cats in the book, so why is one featured on both covers? The pond in the first is a bit random, as are the three girls on the other cover, who do not resemble any of the characters and are such a generalisation of Hex Hall students. But this could be a whole other rant...

Immortal by Gillian Shields

Title: Immortal
Series: Immortal Book 1
Author: Gillian Shields

Release Date: 14th September 2010 (Australia)

My Rating: 2/5

Blurb:

Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies, housed in a Gothic mansion on the bleak northern moors, is elite, exspensive, and unwelcoming. When Evie Johnson is torn away from her home by the sea to become the newest scholarship student, she is more isolated than she could have dreamed. Strict teachers, snobbish students, and the oppressive atmosphere of Wyldcliffe leave Evie drowning in loneliness.

Evie's only lifeline is Sebastian, a rebellious, mocking, dangerously attractive young man she meets by chance. As Evie's feelings for Sebastian grow with each secret meeting, she starts to fear that he is hiding something about his past. And she is haunted by glimpses of a strange, ghostly girl- a girl who is so eerily like Evie, she could be a sister. Evie is slowly drawn into a tangled web of past and present that she can not control. And as the extraordinary elemental forces of Wyldcliffe rise up like the mighty sea, Evie is faced with an astounding truth about Sebastian, and her own incredible fate.

My Review:
Immortal is a suspenseful mystery based on elemental magic that spans generations.

I really like that the story is based on magic and witchcraft, and that the chapters alternate between present day with Evie and then pages from Agnes' diary (Agnes is the ghostly-girl mentioned in the blurb), allowing us to see a comparison between the two.

I wish that there had been a little more depth to all the characters. Agnes is the most interesting of all but Sebastian is rather irritable and difficult to like (not unlike how I felt about Daniel in Fallen). I also feel that the relationship between Evie and Sebastian has been fast tracked too much and they are all of a sudden madly in love, making it unbelievable.

The last chapter felt a little hurried as an attempt to tie up some loose ends and there are still quite a few unanswered questions. I'm guessing the sequel, Betrayal, will tie those up. Some scenes though just seemed pointless, such as the appearance of a local stable boy. I feel there should have been at least a little bit of an explanation as to why he was brought into the story. And if he isn't going to make an appearance in Betrayal, then why include him at all?

My initial impression at the beginning of the story was that it seemed like a mix of A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Fallen by Lauren Kate. I don't think I was that far off in my predictions. I feel that if you are a fan of Fallen then maybe you will like this story. Personally, I am indifferent to it, but everyone has their own tastes.

An easy, semi-predictable read.

For a second opinion: Black Nailed Reviews, Bookduck, Secretly Captivated

The Necromancer by Michael Scott

Title: The Necromancer
Series: The Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel Book 4
Author: Michael Scott

Release Date: 25th May 2010

My Rating: 4/5

San Francisco:
After fleeing to Ojai, then Paris, and escaping to London, Josh and Sophie Newman are finally home. And after everything they've seen and learned in the past week, they're both more confused than ever about their future. Neither of them has mastered the magics they'll need to protect themselves from the Dark Elders, they've lost Scatty, and they're still being pursued by Dr. John Dee. Most disturbing of all, however, is that now they must ask themselves, can they trust Nicholas Flamel? Can they trust anyone?

Alcatraz:
Dr. Dee underestimated Perenelle Flamel's power. Alcatraz could not hold her, Nereus was no match for her, and she was able to align herself with the most unlikely of allies. But she wasn't the only one being held on the island. Behind the prison's bars and protective sigils were a menagerie of monsters-an army for Dee to use in the final battle. And now Machiavelli has come to Alcatraz to loose those monsters on San Francisco. Perenelle might be powerful, but each day she weakens, and even with Nicholas back at her side, a battle of this size could be too much for her. Nicholas and Perenelle must fight to protect the city, but the effort will probably kill them both.

London:
Having been unable to regain the two final pages of the Codex, Dee has failed his Elder and is now an outlaw-and the new prey of all the creatures formerly sent to hunt down Flamel. But Dee has a plan. With the Codex and the creatures on Alcatraz, he can control the world. All he needs is the help of the Archons. But for his plan to work, he must raise the Mother of the Gods from the dead. For that, he'll have to train a necromancer. And the twins of legend will make the perfect pupils.

I was very lucky to get an advanced copy of one of my favourite series and The Necromancer completely lived up to my expectations! For anyone who has not discovered these exciting books, do yourself a favour and pick up the first book, The Alchemyst. I credit this series as being one of the first in what is now a large list of urban fantasy books that I read. For a rather long time I had refused to read fantasy books, as I had a very narrow view as to what kind of content would come under that label. I am pleased to say, that roughly 4 or so years later, I now count many urban fantasy books as my all-time-favourites (including this one).

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series is set in present day time but relies heavily on some of history and mythology's best known heroes and villains, from Joan of Arc, Mars - God of War and of course Nicholas Flamel (best known to the children of today from the first Harry Potter book), to Medusa and William Shakespeare. In the latest instalment, while still on the run from Doctor John Dee and with the Flamels aging rapidly, Sophie and Josh struggle to learn the remaining elemental magics and control these new found abilities, all the while still questioning the motives behind the actions of Nicholas and Perenelle. We also meet a variety of new characters such as Aoife - Scatty's estranged twin sister, Niten - warrior swordsman, Quetzalcoatl the feathered serpent and the mysterious hooded man with a hook for a hand.

I really wish Michael Scott would write faster, as another whole year before The Warlock is released is just too long!

The two that are one...The one that is all.

Dark Days by Derek Landy

Title: Dark Days
Series: Skulduggery Pleasant Book 4
Author: Derek Landy

Release Date: 25th February 2010

My Rating: 4/5

Skulduggery Pleasant is gone, sucked into a parallel dimension. There is no official, Sanctuary-approved plan to save him. But Valkyrie's never had much time for plans...

For those of you not familiar with this series, Skulduggery Pleasant is a skeleton detective with a faithful sidekick by the name of Valkyrie Cain. They are urban fantasy detective stories and the pages are filled with adventure and intrigue, elements of magic and ghastly creatures.

While the books are written for children aged 9+, I find them absolute page turners and the sarcasm and witty banter is highly amusing. This is one of my favourite children's series and it is great to have all our favourite good guys back (Tanith, Ghastly, Fletcher and Kenspeckle, to name a few) plus the baddies and a host of newbies. My only grievance with the book is it is over too quickly, thankfully we don't have to wait a full year for the 5th book, with the release date brought forward to September 2010.

The Pain Merchants by Janice Hardy

Title: The Pain Merchants
Series: The Healing Wars Book 1
Author: Janice Hardy

Release Date: 1st February 2010 (Australia)

My Rating: 3/5

Fifteen-year-old Nya is one of Gevegs many orphans; she survives on odd jobs and optimism, finding both in short supply in a city crippled by a failed war for independence. Then a bungled egg theft, a stupid act of compassion, and two eyewitnesses unable to keep their mouths shut exposes her secret to the two most powerful groups in the city: the Pain Merchants and the Healers League. They discover Nya is a Taker, a healer who can pull pain and injury from others. Trouble is, unlike her sister Tali and the other normal Takers who become league apprentices, she cant dump that pain into pynvium, the enchanted metal used to store it. All she can do is shift it from person to person, a useless skill that's kept her out of the league and has never once paid for her breakfast. When a ferry accident floods the city with injured, the already overwhelmed Takers start disappearing from the Healers League and Nya's talent is suddenly in demand. But her principles and endurance are tested to the limit when her talent turns out to be the only thing that can save her sisters life.

This was a really cool read. At first I thought it would be one of those fantasy books with names I can't pronounce and worlds that confuse me, but that was not the case. I found it was easy to read and understand. It was suspenseful, exciting and unique! I'm really looking forward to the sequel.

I would probably compare it most to when I read 'The Hunger Games'; a different and unique type of life where teenagers are forced into hardship and have to be strong for their families. The characters are likable and their actions believable. Ages 12+

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Creatures
Series: Beautiful Creatures Book 1
Authors: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Release Date: 4th January 2010 (Australia)

My Rating: 5/5

There were no surprises in Gatlin County. We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere. At least, that's what I thought. Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong. There was a curse. There was a girl. And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

This is a unique tale of love and magic with a Southern gothic setting.

The story was an absolute surprise for me because all I could think about was 'Oh no, not another supernatural love story with vampires and werewolves', but I fell in love with the book in the first few pages, and there is not a vampire or werewolf in sight (although, I might add I am a fan of many of these too)!

I love the fact the story is told from a guys perspective and Ethan is a very likable character. He has lived in the same place all his life and his frustration with the 'small town mentality' has come to breaking point. He stands up for what he believes is right, even if it turns the whole town against him. Lena is a strong character who struggles with acceptance in a new town which shuts out anyone even remotely different to what they know. Both Ethan and Lena are character that I think readers can easily relate to.

The characters of Amma and her voodoo chicken bones, loyal Link and the mysterious Macon and the rest of the supporting characters are a high point to the story and I think the characters and their development is what makes this story so likable. The characterisation of the 'popular' high school girls is spot on and hilarious.

I also love all the literary references throughout the book.

Absolutely STUNNING! Can not wait for the sequel!