Saturday 31 July 2010

Cover Reveals

There has been a lot of cover reveals this week, 3 of which I'm particularly excited about. First up, is Lemniscate which is the sequel to Angel Star by Jennifer Murgia. In case you missed it, my review of Angel Star is here. Here is the description for Lemniscate:

"For Teagan, these last few months have been heaven on earth - especially now that Garreth, her boyfriend and guardian angel, is earthbound. But perhaps Garreth is becoming a little more "human" than either of them expected. Now, Teagan must realize that her world is once again about to shift, as she questions the faith she held in others against those once considered enemies. In this continuatio of Angel Star, Lemniscate will draw you even deeper into the world of dark and light as Teagan realizes the angel who could possibly save them all is the one angel she feared the most."

Lemniscate is published on 21st March, 2011. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that I will be able to organise a UK tour for this before release date. Keep your eyes peeled on UK Book Tours.

Next up is Second Skin, the sequel to Under My Skin by Judith Graves. I have just finished reading Under My Skin and really enjoyed it. Look out for my review soon. Here is the description for Second Skin:

"
With FIENDS Like Eryn…

Eryn McCain is alive and kicking paranormal butt back to the netherworld with her newly formed crew of hunters. Flesh and blood, fang and claw, the Redgrave High crew takes on all comers. Eryn’s made a deal with a master vampire, and she can’t let a dead man down. Unless she wants her friends and family to relocate – six feet under.

When Eryn and her crew each face their own demons, loyalties are tested and temptations abound. Eryn struggles to resist the beast clawing at her soul. Darkness settles over her like a second skin. Can she share a future with the brooding, noble, human Alec – the hunter after her heart? Or will she succumb to her enemy’s son, Wade, a seductive predator as bloodthirsty as she is?

What happens when you're both the beauty and the beast?"

There's no set publication date as of yet but will definitely be some time in 2011.

Lastly, the UK covers for the Soul Screamers books by Rachel Vincent have been revealed. I can't get them on my blog but see them here and let me know what you think. Do you prefer the UK or the US covers? I happen to think the UK covers are really pretty :)

Wednesday 28 July 2010

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine , that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on...hence the title. This week's pick is a book that keeps popping into my head and that is Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard. I just love the title which is so memorable and I'm interested in the premise. It sounds to me a bit like a YA version of Thelma and Louise (without the attempted rape and murder of said rapist). Anyway, see what you think. Here is the GoodReads description:

"It's hard finding beauty in the badlands of Washokey, Wyoming, but 14-year-old Grace Carpenter knows it's not her mother's pageant obsessions, or the cowboy dances adored by her small-town classmates. True beauty is wild-girl Mandarin Ramey: 17, shameless and utterly carefree. Grace would give anything to be like Mandarin.

When they're united for a project, they form an unlikely, explosive friendship, packed with nights spent skinny-dipping in the canal, liberating the town's animal-head trophies, and searching for someplace magic. Grace plays along when Mandarin suggests they run away together. Blame it on the crazy-making wildwinds plaguing their badlands town.

Because all too soon, Grace discovers Mandarin's unique beauty hides a girl who's troubled, broken, and even dangerous. And no matter how hard Grace fights to keep the magic, no friendship can withstand betrayal.
"

It's definitely on my wish list, is it on yours too?

Tuesday 27 July 2010

The Social Network Movie

I only became aware of this yesterday but there is going to be a movie about FACEBOOK! Sounds idiotic right but it's actually about the college guys who invented facebook and what happens in the aftermath. I think it looks pretty good and I love the geeky guy who is taking the lead role. What are your thoughts?



To find out more, click here to access the official website.

Monday 26 July 2010

UK Book Tours have started

A little while ago, I posted about my new blog UK Book Tours. See the original post here. Well this is an update to let you know that the tours have been posted and you can now sign up if you live in the UK, have a blog and want to read and review any of the following:

1. Torment by Lauren Kate
2. Fallen by Lauren Kate
3. Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony
4. By Midnight by Mia James
5. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
6. Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill
7. The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg
8. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
9. Hourglass by Claudia Gray

Hope you'll check out the site and sign up if you're interested. Thanks!

Have you seen The Lost Saint Cover?

The Lost Saint is the follow up to The Dark Divine by Bree Despain. Isn't the cover beautiful? I also like the fact that it's similar to the first book. I have to admit that I have not yet read The Dark Devine but I've had the hardback for a while now. It's actually just come out in paperback in the UK. I hear great things about it though so I will endeavour to make a concerted effort to read the first book and then I'm sure I'll be clambering for The Lost Saint!

Sunday 25 July 2010

Win a copy of Infinite Days

I am dying to read this book as I've heard so much about it and am interested to see how it is a fresh and unique vampire tale. You can currently win a copy of this book by clicking here but you'll have to hurry as the closing date is the end of today. It's for US and Canadian residents only but if you have a US mailing address or would be willing to pay shipping, then I don't see why you couldn't enter. Good luck to everyone!

Wednesday 21 July 2010

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine , that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on...hence the title. This week's pick is twofold. First up is Crescendo (the sequel to Hush Hush) by Becca Fitzpatrick. I am dying to read this one as I loved Hush Hush! Incidently, Hush Hush was my first review for the blog. Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

"Nora should have know her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

The farther Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?"

You can read the first chapter of Crescendo here but this really should carry a warning: BEWARE, after reading this you are going to want to read more!

Next up is another book I'm dying to read called I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore. Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

"Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books—but we are real.

Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. we have lived among you without you knowing.

But they know.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They killed them all.

I am Number Four.

I am next."

WOW, is all I can say. Definitely sounds like my kind of book and I hear that this is going to be made into a movie! Must read the book first though.

Monday 19 July 2010

WIN an ARC of Torment!!!

Who has read Fallen by Lauren Kate and is DYING to read the upcoming sequel Torment? It isn't officially released until the end of September but I just so happen to have a beautiful ARC of Torment up for grabs RIGHT NOW! Because I hate all this "extra entries" crap, all you have to do is follow my blog and leave me a comment below letting me know you want to enter. Also, please leave your e mail address and the country where you live.

THAT'S IT!!

It won't get you any extra entries but publicising the contest will give you good karma :) The deadline is August 1st and it's international. Good luck everyone!

Sunday 11 July 2010

2010 Debut Author Challenge

I've only just found out about the 2010 Debut Author Challenge hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and thought I would participate! The objective is to read a set number of YA (Young Adult) or MG (Middle Grade) novels from debut authors published in 2010. You have to read at least 12 novels and the challenge will run from January 1st - December 21st, 2010.

I realise I'm a little late with this but I've already read some debut author's novels this year.

1. Hush Hush by Becca fitzpatrick
2.Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
3. The Crescent by Jordan Deen
4. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
5. Rising Shadow by Jacquelyn Wheeler
6. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
7. Angel Star by Jennifer Murgia
8. The Moonstone Legacy by Diana de Gunzberg and Tony Wild
9. Matched by Ally Condie
10. 13 To Life by Shannon Delany
11. Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony
12. Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

And more to come...

You too can sign up for the 2010 Debut Author Challenge, even if you don't have a blog. Click here for more information.

Forget You Review

I was recently in America and kept seeing Jennifer Echols books everywhere. I really wanted to pick up Endless Summer but it’s a big book and I was worried about the weight in my suitcase. You’ll be pleased to know that now I’m back in the UK, I have since ordered my very own copy online. Anyway, I recently heard about Jennifer Echols’ new release called “Forget You” and I thought it sounded interesting. I managed to get on an ARC tour for this (thank you Dwayne) and oh my goodness. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book.

Forget You centres around Zoey who is struggling following her mother’s suicide attempt and her father’s inability to BE a father. Zoey is involved in a car crash and does not remember the events leading up to it. Why is a guy that seems to hate her so much suddenly acting like something happened between them? And what does this mean?

I was totally blown away by this book; it was definitely a compelling read. I loved the fact that it was realistic and the sexual issues made it seem like a grown up YA book and that’s definitely something that is of interest to me. It did get quite hot and steamy at some points (without being too graphic, of course) so I’d recommend keeping a fan at hand to cool yourself off when reading!

The characters were well rounded and realistic. Zoey makes some...let’s say... interesting choices but then she is a teenager so I understand that.

I HIGHLY recommend that you add this to your TBR list IMMEDIATELY as you won’t regret it. I’ve now invested in all of Jennifer Echols’ books and will be reading them accordingly. I’m also looking forward to future novels and would love to see what she comes out with. It’s going to be hard to top this one!

Forget You is published on 20th July, 2010. I would love to see a book trailer for this but there isn’t one available at this time. Jennifer is active on Twitter and Facebook. Visit her website and access her blog by clicking here.

Perfect Chemistry Review

“You know that I love you boy, hot like Mexico enjoys”
(Lady Gaga)

Did Lady Gaga write the lyrics to her new single Alejandro after being inspired by reading Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles? I guess we’ll never know for sure but a part of me hopes that it’s true! I’ve heard so much about this book over the past six months and how everyone seems to love it that I couldn’t resist reading it any longer. I actually found a signed hardback copy in Andersons bookshop, Illinois and snapped it up (this is before I’d even read it). That’s faith people! So now I’ve read it, you’re dying to know what I think, right? Well, it was SIZZLING hot and I loved it!

Perfect Chemistry is about what happens when the ultimate bad boy from the wrong side of town and mixed up in gang warfare is partnered up in Chemistry class with Brittany, a rich, white girl from the right side of town. They HATE each other but is there something bubbling underneath the surface and even if there was, how could they exist as a couple in each other’s worlds?

Perfect Chemistry immediately reminded me of a modern version of West Side Story (based on Romeo and Juliet) which by the way isn’t a bad thing. But if you liked those stories, then you’re going to love this book. The two main characters are Alex (Alejandro) and Brittany and one of the things I enjoyed about the book is that whilst they are seemingly polar opposites on the outside, they were alike in a lot of ways when you peeled back the layers. I also particularly loved the fact that the two main characters are both strong in personality and voice. Sometimes in books, one character is clearly stronger than the other but in this case, I thought Alex and Brittany were equally matched.

A lot of YA fiction doesn’t address sexual issues and some books don’t include swearing. I’m totally ok with that but sometimes; I feel it can be justified. And I think both of these things make this book more realistic. In fact, the only thing that really bothered me is that Alex never says “I love you” but then I realised that he’s already said it through his actions.

Whilst you might think that the plot it somewhat predictable (and yes ok, I admit that you can see what’s going to happen early on) it didn’t take away any of the enjoyment of reading the book for me. Overall, I highly recommend this book and I would even go so far as to say that this book will appeal to boys too. Just make sure you all fan yourself often as it gets HOT HOT HOT. I’d definitely like my own Alex ;)

Perfect Chemistry is available in Hardback and paperback. It was published in January 2008. The sequel entitled Rules of Attraction was published in April, 2010. I believe only the hardback is available at this time.

Simone Elkeles is active on facebook and twitter. Find out more about Simone as well as signing up for her newsletter, joining the discussion zone and watching the book trailers to your heart’s content by visiting her website. Click here to access it. There is also a website for Perfect Chemistry which you can explore by clicking here .

I’m including the book trailer for Perfect Chemistry but please bear in mind that it is “tongue in cheek”.



As a special treat, here is the book trailer for Rules of Attraction (which I LOVE)

WIN a copy of Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

How would you like to win yourself a copy of Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce? Yes? No? This is no ordinary copy people, this is the UK version and you know what that means, right?

IT'S SHINY!!!!!

The picture does not do it justice but the cover is made up of shiny red foil and it's gorgeous!! If you're like me and you LIKE shiny things, you need to enter this contest. All you have to do it be a follower of the blog and leave a comment with your name, e mail address and country of origin. I like to keep things simple, none of this extra entries business. However, if you see the contest on twitter, please RT it for me :)

Good luck everyone! The deadline for entries is 31st July and it's international.

Saturday 10 July 2010

UK BOOK TOURS

Are you a UK book blogger? Are you interested in meeting like minded people? How about sharing your books and ARC's? What about participating in a book or ARC tour? If the answer is YES to all of these questions, then please sign up for UK BOOK TOURS. There are a few rules but even if you haven't been blogging for 3 months, please contact me and I might just bend the rules for you! I just need to see that you have a blog and you've been writing reviews.

Sorry to my international followers but there are LOTS of ARC tour websites out there for you guys and NONE for UK followers specifically. This way, the postage will be cheaper and the turnaround for sending books on will be faster. Also, we get to send a strong message that the UK book blogger community is big and proud! :) So what do you say? Sign up and tell EVERYONE you think would be interested. Put it on your blog if you will. Thank you!

Personal Demons Cover Revealed

So you all know that a little while ago, Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers was my Waiting on Wednesday Post (see here). It's actually more like my "Waiting Every Day" because I'm so desperate to read it! The cover for the ARC is just beautiful and is one of the reasons I wanted to get hold of an ARC (besides the main reason which is to read it!). I recently saw a cover on AMAZON and asked Lisa if that was the final cover. Apparently it was not BUT we don't have to wait anymore as the final cover has just been revealed...

Here it is...


What do you guys think? I think it's lovely and the boys look HOT!!

The Dark Devine Trailer

Who has read The Dark Devine by Bree Despain? The cover art is BEAUTIFUL and I bought it a long time ago now but confession time, I haven't read it yet. I WILL, I WILL!! Anyway, I just wanted to let you know about the teaser trailer which has just been released. If you haven't read it yet or haven't heard of it, hell even if you HAVE read the book, check out the book trailer below and tell me what you think.



Bree has a contest going on at her blog currently and you could be in with a chance of winning some awesome books which includes a signed ARC of The Lost Saint (the sequel to The Dark Divine")!!!!! She might even throw in an IPad for good measure. Click here to visit the site.

Thursday 8 July 2010

Interview with Lauren Kate

After reading Fallen, I immediately jotted down a list of unanswered questions that I'd quite like to have answered by Lauren, given half the chance. Thanks to Random House Publishing, Lauren has answered my questions (sort of) and so I thought I would post my little interview. I will warn you now: if you have NOT read Fallen, read the book first as there may be some spoilery in this blog post. Check out my review here

Here are the answers that Lauren provided:

First of all, I should say that if I had to make a list of the Top Nine Things About the Series NOT to Disclose to Readers Under Any Circumstances, the answers to these questions would make up eight of them.

Oh great. Now you want to know what the ninth thing would be? I can’t tell you!

Anyway, that’s me saying I’m sorry if these answers sound a bit roundabout or vague. Withholding the truth behind these narrative mysteries is the blessing and the curse of writing (and reading!) a series. I plan on making everything worth the wait, but in the meantime, I have to torment you just a little longer….

Todd and Trevor both died in fires. Who started the fires and why? Was it Cam?

These two fires were not instigated by the same character—but some of the same characters were present at both of them. Confused? Just wait. There will be more fires in each of the subsequent books. More fires. Less confusion.

What-happened-to-Trevor is one of the most common questions I get asked. I’d actually written the answer (a whole chapter) into the first draft of Fallen, but my editor and I decided it would be stronger (and more torturous for the reader) if this backstory were left mysterious until later. The scene is written though, and I think will be available online as a stand-alone excerpt later this summer.

If Luce cannot be reincarnated unless she is baptised, can’t she just be baptised as a security measure in case something happens?

Great question, but the safety that baptism has offered Luce in the past has less to do with the actual ritual of the baptism and more to do with the belief system she would have been indoctrinated with in her former lives as a child with religious upbringing. At this point in her life, a literal baptism couldn’t save her. She has to come to terms with what she believes about good and evil, Heaven and Hell, angels and demons before her soul is no longer “up for grabs.” That’s essentially what she’ll be up to in the coming books.

How/why did the angels fall?

The angels fell because they placed something before God. The mistake varies from angel to angel: pride, apathy, love, even lust. The origin of my story centers upon an angel who was cast out of heaven for loving a mortal woman. He chose her over God. You know God, he doesn’t like play second fiddle to anyone. So the angels were cast out. Some were flung down to hell and stayed there. Some (a few that I’ve gotten to know very well) are roaming the earth right now.

How did Daniel fall in love with Luce? When did they first meet?

I can’t even begin to answer this question! But don’t worry, Daniel will try to in the first chapter of Torment. It’s up to you to decide whether or not to believe him…

It is clear that Luce and Daniel’s relationship is part of something bigger – how and why?

What was only glimpsed in Fallen about Daniel and Luce’s long history of love will be vastly expanded on in Torment, and even more so in Passion (the prequel I’m about to start working on). Very soon, readers will be able to see what makes their love so pure and so special, how and it’s grown and changed over time, and why it’s so essential that their love endure.

Is Penn going to come back in another form to help?

I got this question from so many readers that my agent and I actually sat down and talked about it. Could she? What would it mean? What would it take to bring her back? In the end, I’m not sure it makes sense for where the series is going (I’m sorry! I love Penn, too!), but then again, I’d never say never….

Why does Cam want Luce?

Another tricky question. All I can say is that it has to do with something much bigger than a physical attraction.

Will Roland ever come back to the good side?

Roland is one of the most fun and most mysterious characters for me to write. He’s charming and loveable in a way that Cam and Molly and the others on his “side” can never be. As we saw in Fallen, Arriane has faith that he will come back, and Arriane has a way of getting what she wants. But it’s going to take a lot before Roland makes the choice himself.

And the most important question of all….Will all of these questions be answered in subsequent books?!

Hey, finally, something I can answer forthright! YES!

Thank you to Lauren Kate for attempting to answer my somewhat challenging questions without giving the whole game away! It just makes me that much more excited for Torment and Passion.

Fallen Review

I first became aware of Fallen by Lauren Kate a long time ago now. I was immediately drawn to the beautiful cover art and knowing that it had something to do with angels, I didn’t even need to think about buying it. And I’m ashamed to say that it’s been sitting on my shelves for some time. I picked it up for the first time the other day and I could not put it down.

So, ok it has something to do with angels but what is Fallen actually about? A mysterious fire. An unfortunate death. The persistent dark shadows that won’t leave her alone. Luce Price is smack in the middle of mysterious goings on and cannot explain any of it. Shipped off to reform school, there she meets the very alluring Daniel Grigori. He goes out of his way to ignore her but she can’t help feeling drawn to him. Enter Cam, another good looking guy who seems to pay WAY too much attention to Luce. Daniel and Cam don’t like each other but no one knows why. They’re both keeping secrets and Luce is desperate to find out why it all seems so familiar. Fallen is an epic, supernatural romance that will leave you breathless for more.

Fallen is written in the third person and I haven’t read a book written in this style for over a year now. It kind of threw me at first but I soon got used to it and it actually made a refreshing change. I have to say that the big mystery surrounding the plot really captivated me. I was over halfway through the book and I STILL didn’t really know what was going on. The story unfurls teasingly slow as little snippets of information are revealed bit by bit. I like the fact that the first hot guy we’re introduced to in Fallen is not the main love interest. Again, this was refreshing and not what I expected. I also didn’t expect to like Cam but I still find him charming even at the end of the book. Perhaps it’s the bad boy vibes he gives off ;)

Luce’s relationship with Daniel is complicated. I liked the fact that when she first meets him, he completely offends her in one of the worst possible ways. Although this is not a pleasant interaction, it’s definitely memorable! I did think at one point that Daniel is so hot and cold with her, why would she continue to bother with him? And then I considered the pull she feels towards him and the overwhelming sense of familiarity. I don’t think Luce could walk away even if she wanted to and she feels strongly that she needs to unravel all the mystery surrounding Daniel.

I have to say that I highly recommend this book. I enjoyed it so much that I’ve now bought myself the US hardback (you know I love hardbacks) and pre ordered the hardback of Torment. I do actually have an ARC of Torment which I will be reading soon but I already know it’s going to be great.

And if you’ve read the book and have been thinking about who you’d like to play the characters should it ever become a movie, your dream is one step closer to reality as Fallen has been optioned by Disney for film so it may just become a movie sometime in the future and I for one cannot wait!





Fallen was released in 2009 and the sequel Torment will officially be released in September, 2010. You can actually read a sneak peak of Torment by visiting the US site (see below for details) and clicking on the link. The third and final book in the series will be called Passion and there is no set release date for this yet but I expect it to be late 2011 at a guess.

Lauren Kate has her own website which you can visit by clicking here . She is also active on facebook and twitter. Fallen also has a UK website which you can access by clicking here and a US website which you can access by clicking here .

Wednesday 7 July 2010

My BBAW Post


Has everyone heard of Book Blogger Appreciation Week? It's an annual event now in its third year that celebrates the book blogging community. Book Blogger Appreciation Week or BBAW for short (let's face it, it's a lot easier to type out the abbreviation) also has an awards component to it and I've decided to put myself forward for Best Young Adult Book Blog and Best New Book Blog. I realise I'm up against some fantastic bloggers and friends for the awards but it's all in good spirits and you never know unless you try, right?

I'm entering 5 reviews in the award categories and these are:

1. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
2. 13 To Life by Shannon Delany
3. Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens
4. Penitence by Jennifer Laurens
5. Matched by Ally Condie

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about nominating myself but I'm going to give it a shot. I look forward to the week in September and discovering new blogs, making friends and finding out about other blogger nominations.

If you want to find out more about BBAW, click here to visit the website. You can also follow on twitter.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine , that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on...hence the title. This week's pick is Infinite Days by debut author Rebecca Maizel. Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

"When Lenah Beaudonte, a 500-year-old vampire queen, wakes up a human teenager at an ultra-cliquey prep school, she must choose between embracing the humanity she’s always craved and saving her new friends from her vicious coven. The first in a sizzling new YA series.

Lenah Beaudonte is, in many ways, your average teen: the new girl at Wickham Boarding School, she struggles to fit in enough to survive and stand out enough to catch the eye of the golden-boy lacrosse captain. But Lenah also just happens to be a recovering five-hundred-year-old vampire queen. After centuries of terrorizing Europe, Lenah is able to realize the dream all vampires have -- to be human again. After performing a dangerous ritual to restore her humanity, Lenah entered a century-long hibernation, leaving behind the wicked coven she ruled over and the eternal love who has helped grant her deep-seated wish.

Until, that is, Lenah draws her first natural breath in centuries at Wickham and rediscovers a human life that bears little resemblance to the one she had known. As if suddenly becoming a teenager weren’t stressful enough, each passing hour brings Lenah closer to the moment when her abandoned coven will open the crypt where she should be sleeping and find her gone. As her borrowed days slip by, Lenah resolves to live her newfound life as fully as she can. But, to do so, she must answer ominous questions: Can an ex-vampire survive in an alien time and place? What can Lenah do to protect her new friends from the bloodthirsty menace about to descend upon them? And how is she ever going to pass her biology midterm?"

Now, up until recently I had decided that I was all vampired out. But then I heard Victoria Schwab say that she had read and loved this book and also that it was a refreshing vampire tale. After reading the premise, I'm definitely interested in reading this one and it looks like it is a series. Check out the book trailer below and then tell me you DON'T want to read this, I dare you!



Rebecca is active on facebook and you can actually WIN an ARC of Infinite Days now on her blog (better hurry though as it closes 9th July). You can visit Rebecca here.

Saturday 3 July 2010

Eclipse Review

Last night was the UK preview screening of Eclipse and I just happened to attend the midnight showing. Now let me tell you that Eclipse is my favourite book of the Twilight Saga, mostly due to all the sexual tension coming to a head. I was really frightened when I first heard that David Slade (of 30 days and 30 nights fame) was going to direct this as I thought he couldn’t do the book justice. I’m pleased to report that the movie is really good and easily the best of the three. The acting is better as people have grown into their characters, the effects are good and the storyline is good. I decided to bullet point my thoughts which I wrote last night at 02 30am when I got home!

1. I had heard that Kristen Stewart wore a wig in this movie due to the fact that she cut all her hair off for The Runaways. After seeing the trailer, I was worried and became obsessed with the fact that Bella is wearing a wig! Although to me it’s still obvious that it’s not real, the wig was not as distracting as I originally thought.

2. I totally get what Myra McEntire said about Dakota Fanning’s eyebrows being distracting. Also, as mentioned in Myra’s blog, no sound effects to the glistening of Edward’s skin sparkling in the sunlight and the vampires running looked better and not as blurry. See here for Myra’s VLOG which is hysterically funny. I love her!

3. How come when vampires were killed, it looked like the scene from Terminator 2 when the terminator had been covered in liquid nitrogen and then its arm broke off? Presumably because the vampires are considered the “cold ones” and this was symbolic of them being like ice.

4. Bryce Dallas Howard was an interesting Victoria although I thought she lacked the menace of the previous Victoria, played by actress Rachelle Lefevre. That's not to say that Bryce didn’t do a good job, I just felt she could have been more menacing.

5. Riley – woohoo, another hottie in the twilight mix although we won’t be seeing him again unfortunately.

6. It was good to get a reminder of who Bree Tanner is since I still have to read the new Stephenie Meyer novella The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner.

7. There’s a reason why this film is being touted as the best of the three and I’m not sure it has much to do with direction or effects. This is my favourite book because the love triangle comes to a head and there is a lot of action and tension in it. There is plot and there is characterisation.

8. The tent scene remains my favourite scene by far. Thankfully it was done well in the movie and represented the book nicely.

9. How come Jasper just suddenly remembered he had a Southern accent?

10. The Jacob and Bella kiss – when they first kissed, I thought that was THE kiss and I was less than impressed. Then later, came the real kiss. Following the first kiss, Jacob promised not to kiss Bella again until she asked. Later, in the midst of all the romantic tension when Jacob found out that Bella had accepted Edward’s marriage proposal, he was hurt and threatened to go off into battle not caring for his own safety. in order to make things right (?) Bella admitted her feelings for him and asked him to kiss her. Now I don’t know about you but I think that Taylor Lautner should have studied Richard Gere in First Knight when a similar situation occurred with Guinevere. He kissed her, she got offended and he promised not to kiss her again until she asked him to. And when she did? OH BOY, there were sparks and passion flying everywhere. This is what I'm talking about...



This is a round about way of saying that the Jacob Bella kiss was too gentle and lacked passion. Not good enough I'm afraid.

11. Summit films moved some of the locations to Canada and I totally didn't notice anything different in the film.

12. The animation of the wolves seemed better and looked more real.

13. Is it just me or is Charlie just an awesome character? For a parent in YA fiction, I think he is great.

14. I don't think the music has been as good since the first film. Twilight had some awesome songs and theme music. As a film sountrack, it was excellent. New Moon and Eclipse don't compare I'm afraid and I'm sorry that we've lost the themes.

Overall though, I’m glad they kept it pretty close to the book and I think David Slade did a decent job. I'm dying to watch it all over again!!



For more information about The Twilight Saga movies, click here.