Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

Title: Hold Me Closer, Necromancer
Author: Lish McBride

Release Date: 22nd November 2010

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:

Meet Sam, just your average guy rocking that fast food career.

Meet Douglas, not just your average guy but a powerful and violent necromancer who immediately recognises the threat Sam poses to his control of the Seattle paranormal scene.

Suddenly Sam's life takes a distinct turn for the weird. He has an undead friend on his hands, powers he's not sure how to use and a family history that's all news to him.

What's a grill cook to do? With the help of his new were-hound girlfriend, a bratty harbinger and a skill set he never knew he had, Sam battles it out to the bitter, crashing end.

My Review:
I really enjoyed reading Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. At first I thought it was a little slow moving with the introduction of characters other than Sam (whose story starts with quite a few bangs), but after those initial first few chapters, I was completely hooked, reading it in one sitting (not the best thing as I was still trying to get over my jet-lag and I could barely keep my eyes open!). While the content of the story is quite dark, the story is laugh-out-loud funny with plenty of sarcasm.

I really loved all the characters, they were so well written and had such great personalities, especially seventy-year-old Mrs. Winalski from next door, she's an absolute hoot! And Frank. And Brooke. And Brid. Oh I could name every character in the book! All the human characters are very endearing but it wasn't just humans and necromancers that made up the story. There was a whole host of paranormal characters; werewolves, fey, were-hounds, witches, satyrs, even a vampire thrown in briefly. Some of these play very small roles but they add to the whole 'underground' paranormal scene.

This is a book for those who like their paranormal stories with a bit more attitude, some blood and guts, humour and with awesome male and female characters. And while there is a relationship thrown in there as well, it's a little more real than 'Their eyes met and they knew they would be soul-mates forever" blah blah blah. It's also got an added cool bonus that all the chapter titles are taken from rock songs, or adapted to suit the book (like the title).

The closest I can come to comparing it to something else would be the attitude of Rose from Vampire Academy and some of the same kind of spunk and wit from Skulduggery Pleasant (but for older readers).

While the story doesn't need a sequel, I sure would like one. No word yet if there will be one but I'll keep you posted.

Aussie YA Reading Challenge 2011

Australian authors are fantastic and to help encourage more people to discover their wonderful books, Nic over at Irresistible Reads and Nomes over at Inkcrush, have created the Aussie YA Reading Challenge 2011! I for one am rather excited and it will also be the first reading challenge I take part in.

Taken from Irresistible Reads:

" THE CHALLENGE IS AS FOLLOWS....

Australian participants - Read at least 12 young adult books by Australian authors from 1^st January, 2011 to 31^st December, 2011.

International participants - Read at least 6 young adult books by Australian authors from 1^st January, 2011 to 31^st December, 2011.

They can be old or new titles, however no re-reads.

It is open to everyone. You don’t have to be a blogger but you MUST POST A REVIEW. Reviews can be posted anywhere - Blogs, Goodreads, Shelfari or non-bloggers can even do a guest post on a blog like mine.

You can join anytime. The challenge runs from 1^st January 2011 to 31^st December, 2011.

There will be prizes throughout the year and guest posts and interviews from some awesome Aussie authors. "

Head over to Irresistible Reads for more info on this awesome challenge and to sign up now!

Some of the Aussie books I plan to read in the coming year include:
Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell
A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley

The Messenger by Marcus Zusak

Five Parts Dead by Tim Pegler
Noah's Law by Randa Abdel-Fattah
Once, Now and Then by Morris Gleitzman
The Beginner's Guide to Living by Lia Hills



Happy Reading!

Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Title: Fixing Delilah
Author: Sarah Ockler

Release Date: 1st December 2010 (US), 1st May 2011 (Australia)

My Rating: 3/5

Blurb:

Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.

She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.

Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?

My Review:
The story starts with Delilah's mother Claire receiving news from her sister Rachel that their mother has died, someone none of them have seen in eight years. The reason for their separation is unknown and is the underlying storyline throughout the book. As Delilah and Claire head back to Claire's childhood home for the funeral and to wrap up the estate, family feuds resurface, old friends appear and relationships are tested as secrets are slowly uncovered, leading to a shocking climax.

Delilah is not happy that her summer has been hijacked and that she now has to spend it preparing her grandmother's house for an estate sale with her mother and Aunt Rachel, but when childhood friend Ricky, now the very crush-worthy Patrick, and new friend Emily show up, things look a little less bleak. On top of that, Delilah starts to delve into why her family has been estranged for so many years, why no one will give her answers and why no one talks about her aunt Stephanie, who died when she was only nineteen.

What did I like about the book? I liked that I wasn't able to guess the exact details of the big mystery.Usually I guess these things pretty early on but this time I only guessed half of the secret so that element of surprise made me very happy. I really loved Delilah's new friendship with Em. So rarely do books have summer friendships, usually they just revolve around the boy the girl meets so I really liked how Em and Delilah strike up such a strong friendship and become so close.The description of the setting was perfect. I felt like I was actually there, maybe standing on the other side of the jetty, watching everything unfold. And of course, Patrick.

Fixing Delilah is a classic teen read about the mother-daughter dynamic, family secrets and lies, guilt and misunderstandings, rebuilding relationships, a swoon-worthy boy, lessons to be learned and journeys of self worth and self discovery. An easy summer read.

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Title: North of Beautiful
Author: Justina Chen Headley

Release Date: 1st Feburary 2009 (US) Not released in Australia

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

As he continued to stare, I wanted to point to my cheek and remind him, 'But you were the one who wanted this remember? You're the one who asked - and I repeat- -Why not fix your face?'

It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper. She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Terra secretly plans to leave her small, stifling town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob's path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?

My Review:
I absolutely loved this book and it is definitely one of my favourite reads of the year! After finishing it, I wondered why I had never seen any of Justina's books before and why they were lacking from my 'Already Read' list. I now know it is because they are not released in Australia. This is very sad indeed and I certainly look forward to tracking down her other titles.

The Cooper family is without spirit. Living with a verbally abusive father has always had the whole family on edge, tip-toeing around him and soothing his ego. Terra's father is such a horrible person and I found myself really, really hating him. Even though I understand why Terra's mother Lois always stayed with him, reading the book, I still struggled with the fact that she didn't just leave him. A lot of it of course came down to the fact that he had belittled her so much that she never thought she could survive without him.

Everyone in the family has a coping mechanism; Lois comforts herself with food, only giving her husband more ammunition. Oldest brother Merc moves to China, the one place their father will never visit and where he buries himself in his work. Claudius rarely comes home but has bulked up so he is now bigger and more imposing. For Terra, she not only has to deal with her fathers' snipes, she also has to deal with her own lack of self-worth, brought on not only by her father but by the years of name-calling and stares she gets due to her port-wine stain birthmark across one side of her face. Terra fast-tracks herself through high school so she can leave for college faster, loads herself up with extra curricular activities so she spends as little time as possible at home, loses herself in her art and tries every procedure there is in the hope of lightening her birthmark. She also refuses to end her meaningless relationship with her boyfriend Erik due to her fear that no one else will want her. She has no self-esteem, no faith in her looks or in her abilities as an artist. After years of being considered 'ugly' by herself and others, can she ever accept that she is beautiful inside and out and worthy of good things?

A chance meeting with Goth-boy Jacob and his mother Norah opens both Terra and Lois up to new friendships and inspires them both towards having a new outlook on life. Lois, whose spirit has been squashed over the years, slowly rebuilds her self confidence. Terra learns invaluable lessons from Jacob about stereotypes, how you can look at the world, and that the way people view you, can be up to you. Jacob is also one of the most swoon-inducing characters I have ever found between the pages of YA books.

The continuing theme is self esteem, with every character lacking it in some form or another. As well as the Cooper family, Jacob, who Norah adopted when he was three, struggles with having been an abandoned Chinese baby with a cleft lip. Norah, while she appears to be a jet-setting business woman with everything she could want on the outside, is suffering from the indignity of her husband leaving her for a 'bimbette' coffee barista. Even Terra's best friend Karin has to make herself feel better and remind herself that she is 'the pretty one' out of her and Terra.

For those who have read the book (and to those who haven't, I don't think this spoils anything), some of the most powerful scenes to me were when Terra washes her face in the orphanage and her reaction to seeing Peony, Terra leaving Karin sitting in the coffee shop, Jacob asking Norah for help translating in the orphanage, Terra realising why Claudius was always so clumsy, Lois telling her husband she isn't hungry and asking Terra if she is, and when Jacob tells Terra he no longer notices her birthmark.

Justina Chen Headley has created a beautifully written novel where the key to true beauty is accepting yourself. Anyone who has ever felt 'less' because of their looks will be able to relate and hopefully find solace within the pages, the lessons Terra learns and Jacob's outlook on life. A stunning, heart-felt read with characters you will fall in love with and want to read about forever. I can not recommend it enough.

The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

Title: The Mockingbirds
Author: Daisy Whitney

Release Date: 2nd December 2010 (US). No date as yet for Australia

My Rating: 3/5

Blurb:
Some schools have honour codes. Others have handbooks. Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honourable way, the Themis Way. So when Alex is date-raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds, a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl's struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone, especially yourself, you fight for it.

My Review:
The Mockingbirds is the story of Alex, a high school junior at an exclusive boarding school, who wakes one morning to find she has been dated raped after having a few too many drinks. Not wanting to go to the police, and knowing full well that her school won't do anything, she is faced with the decision of what to do next. Concluding that she will just get on with her life, another option presents itself in the form of The Mockingbirds, an underground student-run justice system, born due to the absurdity of a school that sees everything through rose coloured glasses.

Once Alex enlists the help of The Mockingbirds, not only is she dealing with her own issues and the fact that she is going to have to tell more people about what happened and relive the event each time she tells it, but she also has to wait to find out if The Mockingbirds will even take her case, as sexual assault isn't something that has been brought to them before. Alex will be setting a precedent and with that comes more pressure, especially as more girls with similar stories, come out of the woodwork.

While the book does focus on the lead up to what outcome will prevail, the majority of the story talks about how Alex's ordeal has changed the person she is, and who she will become. It discusses how the assault has altered her everyday life, from having to sit in class with the boy, to taking the long way around campus just to make sure there is no chance she will run into him. She stops eating due to the fact she now avoids the school dining hall to avoid seeing him and his friends. Things that she once excelled at now take a back seat in her mind and favourite memories and pieces of music are tainted with the memory of what happened. If she dates again, how will the future boyfriend perceive her? Will they see her as easy? As damaged goods?

Guilt and blame are things that get tossed around quite a bit. Alex goes though her own confusions as she slowly remembers events from the night, what she did, what Carter did and her thoughts as to whether it was her own fault she was raped or if the blame lies with Carter, the smug water polo player prancing around campus. She also goes though various phases of guilt in regards to taking action against Carter. Her very loyal and sometimes persistent friends blame themselves for letting her drink too much, and of course they blame Carter most of all. Carter thinks he did nothing wrong. The question is, what do The Mockingbirds think?

I love that all the different angles are explored, with Alex experiencing all of them. We don't just have the view that it was all Carter's fault. I like that she second guesses herself, that she has doubts, because even if these doubts are unfounded, it's human nature.

Having such a fantastic support network amongst her friends, The Mockingbirds, and later a teacher, prove to be essential in Alex's courage to speak up and also move on with her life. While she judges and doubts herself, her friends never do. Having someone around to talk to about what she is going through who won't judge her, proves a major contribution to her independence, strength and ability to stand up for herself. As well as this, having friends who will let her carry on with life as normal, and not let it define her, are just as important.

While debut author Daisy Whitney has stated that the book is entirely fictional, the story itself was inspired by her own experience being date-raped in college.

As a side note, I love all the To Kill A Mockingbird and Harper Lee references used throughout the book. Hopefully they might inspire those who have not read the classic to pick it up.

This is an ultimately uplifting novel about standing up for yourself, triumphing over injustice, the issue of consent, the importance of friendship and finding your inner strength even when you don't think you have any.

For fans of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.

I'm Back!

Hello Everyone!

I am finally home after three months of travelling, and with me I brought a whole pile of books!
I now need to have a holiday after all my travelling so stay tuned for plenty of reviews that are on the way. Is reading not the best way to spend my time right now?!

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn

Title: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
Authors: David Levithan and Rachel Cohn

Release Dates: 26th October (US), 1st December (Australia) 2010

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

I've left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page. If you don't, put the book back on the shelf, please.

Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favourite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash the right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?
My Review:
Words can not express how much I love this book. But I will try.

Having previously read and loved Levithan and Cohn's other collaborative works, I was highly excited for the release of Dash & Lily, so much so that if you have been following this blog, you will have read about my anticipation.

Dash & Lily was everything I hoped it would be, right from the first page. I couldn't help smiling as I read each page and I grew more and more excited about how much I was loving the book as I progressed. It's always a worry that a book won't live up to my expectations, especially for this book considering how much I loved Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist.

Dash and Lily are two teenagers who have been left alone in Manhattan for the Christmas holidays. While Dash is ecstatic about this, Lily can't think of anything worse. Both are regular visitors of The Strand Bookshop (one of the coolest places for book-lovers I might add and I can vouch for it as I have been there), although they have never met, and this is where this magical holiday adventure begins. What follows are a bunch of random dares spread through some of the best known places in Manhattan (and some of the craziest at that time of year, much to Dash's annoyance!). These dares are passed back and forth to each other via a red moleskin notebook with the help of their friends and family. Anyone who has a love for New York, Christmas, quirky characters, literature, or if you simply love to watch two people who are perfect for each other find each other, then this book is definitely for you!

Levithan and Cohn collaborate so well together, in this case, Levithan writing the character of Dash and Cohn writing Lily's part, with each chapter alternating between the two. They write so well about the awkwardness of being a teenager and being just that little bit different to everyone else. You will immediately fall in love with Dash and Lily. From the very first page I was laughing. Both characters have personality's that have been so well thought out and brought to life that you know you would want to be friends with them if they existed.

This is a book of pure awesomeness with witty banter, teenage insecurities and a potential relationship that is just too cute for words. I have so much love for this book right now. Please go and buy it right now.

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

Title: The Eternal Ones
Author: Kirsten Miller

Release Date: 30th August 2010

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
Have you ever fallen in love at first sight? Do you long for a place you've never been? Do you often experience the sensation of deja vu?

Ever since Haven Moore can remember, she's experienced visions of a previous life as a girl named Constance, whose love for her soulmate Ethan ended in tragedy.

And then the sight of the world's hottest movie star, Iain Morrow, brings Haven to her knees. She knows she has met him before. Is Iain her beloved Ethan?

Unable to deny her past any longer, seventeen-year-old Haven flees to New York to find him - and an epic love affair begins. But it is both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Can Haven unlock the deadly secrets hidden in her past lives - and loves - before all is lost and Ethan disappears again...forever?

My Review:
The Eternal Ones was one of those books that generated a lot of hype, and for this reason I did not read any reviews of it so I could avoid being influenced by others. I still haven't read any now that I have finished the book so I have no idea if people are loving or hating it.

That said, I loved it. After reading the blurb and drawing assumptions from the title, I was under the impression it was going to be another vampire story (because they all seem to be) which is why it has taken me so long to get to it, but I was so pleasantly surprised when I started it and realised that is not the case at all. The Eternal Ones is based on the concept of reincarnation or past lives if you prefer. This is not something that gets explored a lot in YA fiction so I was very intrigued.

I thought the novel was very well written with a love story and a couple of murder mysteries, spanning across time with many different points of view. Because we as the reader, and Haven, didn't know who was lying and who was telling the truth, the suspense was at an all time high, you just never knew what was going to happen next. I really liked this aspect because I am usually able to guess what is going to happen in a story, so it was a nice change!

The characters were really interesting but it felt like there were lots of characters when really there weren't. This is because of all the past lives and the characters revisiting their memories of those. The supporting 'cast' of those without past lives was made up of strong characters who provided a stable point in contrast to the 'busy-ness' of all the past lives. Haven has grown up in a small southern town and she has never fit in, especially with her visions causing her to pass-out randomly. The scene and towns people have been created perfectly, I felt like I was Haven, living in this small town, dealing with all the small-mindedness that surrounded her and her best friend Beau.

One thing I would like to point out is that the majority of the novel is set in Manhattan, and I found this very surreal because I am currently in New York on holiday and a lot, if not all the places and neighbourhoods that are mentioned, are places that I have walked past. I could picture very clearly, for instance, when Gramercy Park was being talked about because, only the day before I started reading this, I went to Gramercy Park and wandered around the streets there. It was very, very surreal and I wonder if this is how it is for people who live in cities that stories are often set. I suppose it is the same for T.V. shows. I live in Perth, Australia which very rarely gets featured in anything (ironically enough the previous book I read was actually set in Perth!) and for me to actually be able to fully visualise a location, and not have to rely as heavily on the author describing it, was very exciting.

The Eternal Ones finishes with a twist, but not a cliffhanger and so I was a little surprised, but happy, to hear that there is going to be a sequel. I don't feel it needs one so it will be interesting to see what Miller does with it. No news yet as to when but as soon as I know, I will put it up on my Coming Soon page.

Just A Quickie...

I just thought I would make a very quick post about my visit to the Strand bookshop and my quest for a signed copy of Dash & Lily's Book of Dares. As we know, I wasn't able to make it to the launch and signing, nor am I able to make it to any of the other events with David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. What I did manage to do was discover the treasure trove of YA books at the Strand bookshop in NYC. Here I managed to pick up a copy (signed the night before) of Dash & Lily plus another book of Levithan's, Love Is The High Law that he also signed last night.

Look at all the books! This is less than a quarter of the YA books in the store.

I then spent quite a while trying to decide which books I would buy off my two-page list I brought with me from home (I think most of you know I am travelling around the US at the moment). The books in America are so cheap. A hardcover book only costs about $8.50. At home this would cost closer to $30! In the end I decided on only six titles for now, but I plan to buy more at my next US city stop. I will probably just end up sending a box home.

So today I bought...

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Sing Me To Sleep by Angela Morrison
Born To Rock by Gordon Korman
The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson
Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
Love Is A Higher Law by David Levithan

Plus some really cute Strand merchandise...

For anyone interested in visiting this awesome bookstore in NYC, you can find it at Broadway and 12th Street in Manhattan.

Book reviews to come!

Exciting News For A Fellow Blogger

Some of you may remember the post I did a while back introducing you to writer and fellow blogger Kate Evangelista. You may recall that Kate has been searching for an agent. I'm very excited for Kate, because, yes, she has found herself one! Yay!

Congratulations Kate! I look forward to having your books on my shelf :)

To visit Kate's blog and to read all about her exciting news, click here.

To view my original post click here.