Friday 25 February 2011

I am Number Four Movie Review

If you have not read the book
be warned that there may be spoilers in this review.

So as you may know, I recently read and reviewed I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (the pseudonym for James Frey and Jobie Hughes) here. I really wanted to read the book before the movie came out so I could compare the two. Thanks to The Book People, I won two tickets to a preview screening on 21st February at my local cinema. To say I was excited would be an understatement, I was really looking forward to it until I realised I was on night shifts and unable to go. Thanks to my very understanding manager, I got to see the movie. I took the boyfriend along as I figured this was one movie he wouldn’t mind being dragged along to and as he hadn’t read the book first, I was wondering what his reaction would be like.

On the whole, I enjoyed the movie. I always enjoy seeing how books translate onto screen and what parts they will include or miss out. BUT, they missed out A LOT which is fair enough as some of it wouldn’t translate well visually and they only have a limited amount of time to get the story across. The problem with this however is that I felt I didn’t care about the characters like I did when I was reading the book. I cried when I read the book but I wasn’t even upset watching the movie.

I have to say that the special effects were amazing and there were a couple of outstanding scenes towards the end of the film but some of the one liners were especially cheesy. One from Number Six in particular was cringeworthy.

Also, am I the only girl in the world who doesn’t fancy Alex Pettyfer? Yes I can see that he’s quite pretty but I actually prefer him in the clips I’ve seen of BEASTLY (released in March) but I wonder if that has to do with the personality of his character or his bad boy appearance? I think Alex did a great job as Number Four but I’m REALLY interested to see how he does in Beastly.

Obviously the little dog actor (is that what they call them?!) was fantastic but I was surprised at the casting for Henri. They completely eradicated the idea of his French accent but I’d had that in my head (from reading the book) and pictured Jean Reno as a better actor for the role.

So overall, I enjoyed watching the movie but I also came away feeling disappointed and I think this was because I'd read the book first. The boyfriend said he enjoyed it so I have to wonder if my reaction would have been different had I not read the book. I didn’t read Twilight before watching the movie and I enjoyed it HOWEVER I did read the first three Harry Potter films before watching the movies and absolutely loved them. So, I’m still not sure what the verdict is with regards to reading or not reading the book before watching the film. I think personally, I’m going to go with reading the book. It makes me nervous though for the amount of YA books that have sold film rights – books like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Delirium by Lauren Oliver and Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, to name but a few. These are some of my favourite books and I just hope that the directors of the movies do justice to the books.

I would really love to hear people’s thoughts on whether you should read the book before watching the movie. Have you seen this yet or read the book? The sequel to I am Number Four, entitled “The Power of Six” is published in August. If the first film is successful financially then no doubt they will make the next one and I'll be reading and watching that one too :)


Thursday 24 February 2011

Goodbye Lisa RIP

Today I learnt that L.K. Madigan or Lisa as she was more affectionately known has passed away. She made a difficult announcement on her blog not that long ago now - a post that had me in tears at the time. She was preparing us for her passing and also saying goodbye. I didn't know Lisa all that well admitedly but we talked a couple of times. I remember talking to her about The Mermaids Mirror and how much I wanted to read it. She introduced me to NetGalley and personally made sure that I was accepted for a copy of the book. I later bought a HB copy.

So I want to thank Lisa for her kindness, for her inspiring blog posts and encouragement to aspiring authors. Her attitude towards life was both humbling and inspiring and I know she will be missed.

Wednesday 23 February 2011

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 Tris and Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison. Here is the Goodreads description:

"A modern retelling of the German legend "Tristan and Isolde", "Tris and Izzy", is about a young witch named Izzie who is dating Mark King, the captain of the basketball team and thinks her life is going swimmingly well. Until-- she makes a love potion for her best friend Brangane and then ends up taking it herself accidentally, and falling in love with Tristan, the new guy at school.
Light, contemporary romantic fantasy for teens
."

I've not heard of this author before but will you LOOK at that cover? It's absolutely gorgeous and secondly, a modern day retelling of Tristan and Isolde? YES PLEASE! We've got a bit of a wait for this one as it isn't published until October, 2011 in the US. No news about the UK that I'm aware of but isn't that what online resellers are for?! I'm adding this book to my wishlist right now. To find out more about the author, click here. She is also on Twitter.

Wednesday 16 February 2011

I Am Number Four Review

In the beginning we were a group of nine.
There are six of us left.
The first three were killed in the order of their numbers.
They won’t stop until they’ve killed us all.

I Am Number Four.

I know that I am next.

I never thought this book would make me cry but it did. I’ve been meaning to read I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (a pseudonym for James Frey and Jobie Hughes) for some time now and it is only because the movie release is imminent that I picked it up now. I wanted to make sure that I read the book before I saw the movie. I don’t know why because I’ve seen plenty of movies and THEN read the book but for some reason I wanted to read the book first in this case. When I first heard about the book, I got excited about the storyline and couldn’t wait to read it. A book about aliens would be a nice change in the midst of vampire, angels, werewolves, insert other paranormal creature here. I’m pleased to say that I really enjoyed the book (I think the crying part probably gave that away) and now I’m really looking forward to seeing how the book will translate on screen.

So what’s the story about? I Am Number Four is about six teenage aliens and their guardians that escape to earth from the planet Lorien which has been destroyed by the Mogadorian. The Mogadorian race have used up all the resources on their own planet and seek out new planets to use up and ultimately destroy, Lorien being one of them and earth is next. The Loric survivors are the only ones who can stop this from happening and so the Mogadorian have come to earth to kill them. But it’s not THAT easy. The Loric were born with special powers called Legacies and they are just starting to develop them. If the Mogadorian don’t kill them before the legacies develop then it will be that much harder and because of a charm put on the Loric survivors, they can only be killed in a particular order. The first three are dead and number four is next.

Well, I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you that this book reads like a movie. It was pretty much crying out for it to be made into one. I saw everything so clearly in my head, even imagining the special effects and I definitely felt the tension leading up the climactic end. Because I read this after finding out about the movie, I had no problem picturing Alex Pettyfer and Diana Agron in the main roles. I was a little surprise when I found out who was playing Henri though as I had a completely different person in mind. But I’ll talk more about that when I review the movie.

This is a plot based novel and it was nice that the romance wasn’t the main feature of it, merely an addition to the main story but one that was completely necessary. Number four or John Smith as he prefers to be called is tired of having no attachments besides Henri. He’s tired of moving from place to place at short notice and longs to be “normal”. So you see, just because he’s an alien HE’S STILL A TEENAGER!

I sometimes thought Sarah was a little too forward with John considering she is supposed to be a loner and I have to wonder if she was only attracted to him because he was “the new guy”. I have to admit to rolling my eyes at certain parts but thankfully it didn’t detract from the main storyline.

I really enjoyed Sam as a secondary character and token sci fi geek whose head is often buried in underground publications about the existence of aliens. It makes me laugh to think what he’s got himself involved in as he’s only ever read about this stuff in books.

Character wise, the little dog stole the show for me. I absolutely LOVE Bernie Kosar with Henri coming a close second. I can’t say much about Bernie apart from the fact that he is a clever little dog. Henri came across as a bit of a tortured soul with a strong sense of duty that dominated his every action. He took his responsibilities VERY seriously and never deviated from protecting John at all costs. And these were high.

I Am Number Four is a fast paced, action packed novel with a little bit of romance thrown in for good measure. I think it has fantastic cross-over appeal which is probably why there is both an adult and YA cover for the book (although I’m not sure why they felt the need to do this). The ending was of course left open, paving the way for a sequel entitled “The Power of Six” and this will be released in August, 2011.

Now bear in mind that I bought the book before I learnt about the controversy surrounding it. I’m not going to explain it here, especially as a lot of other people have already done so and a lot more eloquently than I ever could. If you haven’t heard about it then click here to find out more information. Despite the controversy (and I’m not saying I agree with James Frey in the slightest) I do think that the book deserves recognition. It’s just a shame that the royalties will be going into the wrong pocket. I know a lot of people who are not buying this book on principle alone but isn’t that a disservice to the other writer behind the series? After all, surely the worst thing for a writer is that their words will not be read. Food for thought.

I am really excited to tell you that I recently won two tickets to a preview screening of the movie next week! I’m ecstatic that I won and I’m sure this is one movie the boyfriend won’t mind being dragged along to. I can’t wait to see the special effects and how the story is translated on screen. I’m going to be writing a special post for it so be sure to look out for it.

Click here to visit the official site for I Am Number Four.

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 Love Story by Jennifer Echols. Here is the Goodreads description:

"Erin Blackwell is headed to college in New York City to study creative writing and earn a living as a romance novelist. Her grandmother has other plans: she approves of the college, but she wants Erin to major in business and then come back home to Kentucky to run the family’s famous racehorse farm. There is no way Erin will agree. Studying in New York and writing her way into a career is her escape from the farm and the family tragedy that happened there. So Erin’s grandmother decides Erin really will live life as a starving artist. She takes Erin’s future job running the farm, her inheritance, even her college tuition, and gives them all to Hunter Allen.

Hunter has lived on the farm for years. He’s Erin’s age, he’s the stable boy, and he’s the romantic dream of every girl in her high school. But he was involved in the family tragedy. Erin has always given him a wide berth. And he’s a slick opportunist. She’s furious that he fooled her grandmother into giving him Erin’s birthright and sending him to Erin’s college.

At least she’s free of him in her creative writing class. So she pens a story that has haunted her lately, in which the horse farm heiress at the very first Kentucky Derby starts a forbidden affair with the lowly stable boy. Unfortunately for her, the day she’s sharing this story with her New York classmates, Hunter walks in. He’s switching to her class. And after reading about himself in Erin’s story, he writes his own sexy assignments that lure Erin into dangerous fantasies about what could have been between them, and what might be
."

Oh.My.Goodness. How enticingly appealing does this book sound?!?! I am reminded of a line from the movie "Ever After" when one of the sister's says "Oh, I do love a good intrigue!". This sort of teasing romance is right up my street and I can't wait to read what happens. I'm a HUGE fan of Jennifer Echols writing and I absolutely loved Forget You which I reviewed here. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this book and have a feeling that it will be read in one sitting. I just wish Jennifer's books came out in hardback!

To find out more about Jennifer Echols and her books, visit her website here. Love Story is released on 19th July, 2011.

Tuesday 15 February 2011

The Big Blogoversary Celebration - WINNERS!

Firstly, I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who took part in the celebrations including kate from Sithereandread and also to the friend who designed the button for us. Thank you also to YOU, the people who entered the contests and spread the word. If you're already a follower then I'm glad you're here and if you weren't before, I'm *hoping* you are now.

So shall we get on with it then? Obviously I had lots of entries for the contests and I relied on Random.org to pick the winners as this is the fairest method I know. Without further ado...

The winner for signed copies of Shiver and Linger by Maggie Stiefvater is...


ALLISON



The winner for signed copies of The Devil's Kiss and Dark Goddess by Sarwat Chadda is...


WHISPERING WORDS




The winner for a signed copy of The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney is...


NIGHTSWHISPER



The winner of signed copies of Fallen and Torment by Lauren Kate is...


THE SLOWEST BOOKWORM



The winner of signed copies of Hush Hush and Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick is...


BOOKS GLORIOUS BOOKS



The winner of a signed copy of Raised by Wolves is...


THE LIBRARY OWL



The winner of signed copies of The 13 Treasures and 13 Secrets by Michelle Harrison is...


BOOKS FOR COMPANY



CONGRATULATIONS to all the winners who have been notified. If they have not responded in 48 hours then new winners will be chosen. What you may not know is that only two of these books were given to me by publishers, the rest were purchased by myself and I met the authors to get them signed. I've been saving them for this contest for a long time!

Wednesday 9 February 2011

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 Shattered Souls (formerly known as Soul Purpose) by debut author Mary Lindsey. The only information I can find out about the book is from Publishers Marketplace:

"Mary Lindsey's SHATTERED SOULS, a dark and dangerous forbidden love story about a Speaker who helps lingering ghosts pass to the spirit world and the Protector who has pledged to serve her, to Jill Santopolo at Philomel, by Ammi-Joan Paquette of Erin Murphy Literary Agency (World).
"

So I can already say that I think ghost stories are the next big thing in the YA genre (and did I mention my WIP which I've been working on for a long time now is a ghost story?) and so I'm really looking forward to reading this one. And how about that cover? It's GORGEOUS. Unfortunately, unless you're lucky enough to receive/win/borrow an ARC then you've got a bit of a wait for this as it isn't published until December 8th, 2011. I know what's going on my Christmas list, well if I can wait that long ;)

To find out more about Mary Lindsey click here to visit her website.

Monday 7 February 2011

MAX-imum Exposure Blog Tour

So do you remember when I read and reviewed 13 to Life by Shannon Delany here? And of course you know that I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it. The second book in the series, entitled Secrets and Shadows is just about to be released on 15th February and so imagine my excitement when I was asked to be part of the MAX-imum Exposure Blog Tour and offered the opportunity to interview not one but BOTH of the hot Russian boys from 13 to Life - Max and Pietr :D

Firstly, let me explain about the tour. Each blog throughout the tour will have swag and an individualised interview with either Pietr, Max or both. Shannon has also included an audio download for each interview so you can hear the Rusakova boys! And make sure you join us live at 11 am EST on 12th February for a Blog Talk Radio event with host Barry Eva, Pietr, Max and Shannon! Go here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Across-the-Pond

So as you've probably guessed, today is my turn! So here's the interview with Shannon asking the questions.
I'm afraid I couldn't work out how to get the fancy little player into my blog despite numerous requests for help and google searching, so you have to click on a link that will take you to another website temporarily. You will either have to click the right mouse button and open a new tab/window or click on the link and press the back button when you're done.

Click here to hear the boys

For everyone who cannot access the audio or has a slower connection speed, below is the transcript from the interview.

Lynsey: Hello, Pietr and Max--my first question's for Pietr. What was it about Jess that you were first attracted to?


Pietr: There wasn’t a particular moment—no “our eyes met and we knew”—or one thing about her. I heard her hesitate outside the Guidance Office moments before I met her and it made me curious. I realized she was as excited about guiding me to classes as I was about being at Junction High.


Lynsey: What makes her so special?


Pietr: There is a spark in her. A desire to do the right thing. She has a good heart, even though she is sometimes misguided by it. I think that was what attracted me to her first—her heart.


Max: She is not badly built. I mean, she is not as well—


Lynsey: Pietr, your eyebrow could get stuck that far up—


Max: --put together—as her friend Amy, but...


Lynsey: Okay, Max, describe your perfect woman.


Max: She has got to be hot. Curves are nice. And attitude. She needs to know what she wants and go for it.


Lynsey: Hmm. Attitude and curvy--why do I think we've already seen your perfect woman... Okay, Pietr, Why haven’t you slept with Jess yet you crazy fool?!


Pietr: It is a big step, is it not? I—I want to make sure...


Lynsey: Make sure of what, Pietr?


Pietr: Make sure we have a chance at lasting.


Max: Little brother is still a romantic. But he has had some horrible relationships.


Lynsey: Sorry to hear that, pietr--the horrible relationship part--not the fact you're still a romantic. That's sweet. So tell us what you like to do for fun? (if you ever get any time for fun that is).


Pietr: I like to read. There are so many amazing books on philosophy and history.


Lynsey: And Max, do I dare ask what you like to do for fun?


Max: You may dare...


Pietr: I would not, Lynsey.


Max: It is not so bad... I simply like to spend time with girls.


Pietr: Many girls.


Max: I have many fine qualities to share.


Lynsey: I think we should leave it at that. Thank you both so much for being here.


Thank you to the boys for agreeing to be interviewed! Shannon Delany is the winner of the first-ever cell phone novel contest in the western world and the author of the 13 to Life series through St. Martin's Press. 13 to Life is already available and Secrets and Shadows hits stores on 15th February with Bargains and Betrayals landing on shelves 16th August (already available for pre-order!) and two more as of yet unnamed novels coming out in 2012.

For more about Shannon, visit her author website: www.ShannonDelany.com or her series website: www.13toLifeseries.com ; You can also find Shannon on Facebook and on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/Shannon_Delany

Want a fun freebie you can print out and use with a web-cam to make a bookmark much more than a bookmark? Go here and check out the Augmented Reality bookmark: http://ht.ly/3KgG7

You can find the full schedule for the blog tour right here.

The Vampire Diaries - Support L.J. Smith

So we've all heard of The Vampire Diaries, right? I absolutely LOVE this series written by L.J. Smith and I can't wait to watch a new episode every week. Imagine my reaction when I found out this week that L.J. Smith is to be fired from the show and replaced with a ghostwriter. What the hell is going on?! She WROTE the story, she CREATED the characters and so as far as I'm concerned, The Vampire Diaries belongs to her. Apparently not.

I want to direct you to a blog called "I Swim for Oceans" which is where I found out about the news and Melissa explains why this is happening. Please click here to read the story.

I agree with Melissa that this is a HUGE mistake and if there's ANYTHING book bloggers and fans of The Vampire Diaries can do about this, when we will! Spread the word - facebook it, tweet it, blog about it, tell your friends and PLEASE, PLEASE sign the petition here.

I want to support L.J. Smith and so I'm giving away one set of UK paperback copies of her books 1-5. These are the TV show tie in books. To win, please sign the petition (I'm working on the honour system here) and leave a comment below with your name and e mail address. This is a UK only contest HOWEVER if you are willing to pay for postage, then you can enter from any other country. Deadline is 21st February.

Saturday 5 February 2011

The Big Blogoversary Celebration: Win Signed Michelle Harrison Books

Welcome to day thirteen of The Big Blogoversary Celebration hosted by the lovely Kate at I Just Want to Sit Here and Read and myself. Our Blogoversaries are this month and we wanted to celebrate with some pretty special giveaways. We'll be taking it in turns to give books and swag away for the next couple of weeks so make sure you check back at both of our blogs.

Today it's my turn again and I'm giving away signed UK paperbacks of 13 Treasures and 13 Secrets by Michelle Harrison. I didn't have 13 Curses for her to sign and give away I'm afraid!

To be in with a chance of winning, just leave me a comment and include your e mail address so I can contact you if you win. You DO NOT have to be a follower. Because things are a little tight at the moment I'm going to have to make this UK only HOWEVER if you are international and you have a UK mailing address OR you're willing to pay for postage, then you can enter. The deadline is 11th February. Good luck everyone.

If this if the first time you've seen The Big Blogoversary Celebration, it's not too late to enter the other giveaways. Click here to access the master list of giveaways! I'll be back with more tomorrow!

Friday 4 February 2011

Delirium Review


Love, the deadliest of all deadly things.
It kills you both when you have it, and when you don’t.

I have been infected with Amor Deliria Nervosa and I do not want to be cured. This is one disease I am happy to have contracted and I can only hope that I am highly contagious. The only word I can use to describe Delirium by Lauren Oliver is WOW. Lauren has done it again and left me speechless with her profound and intelligent writing style that hits you straight in the heart.

Delirium is set in a dystopian society where love is to be feared and as such eradicated from everyday life. When a person comes of age at eighteen, they are “cured” by undergoing a medical procedure and then they don’t have to endure the horrible symptoms of love and everyone can live happily ever after, right? Well that’s what people in Delirium are led to believe. We learn about the world through the eyes of 17 year old Lena Holoway who is only weeks away from being cured. Drenched in fear, she is actually looking forward to having the procedure so she won’t have to worry about contracting the disease anymore. After all, she’s grown up with the knowledge that love destroyed her mother and is desperate not to end up like her. But all that changes when she meets Alex, a guy who makes his own choices and lives by his own rules and he introduces Lena to a world she never knew existed.

I have to say that I could not put this book down. I was completely sucked into Lena’s world and I didn’t want to come out of it. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t want to live in that world but I found the storyline so compelling, that I couldn’t bear to come away from it until I knew what was going to happen next. I can’t imagine living in a world without love and if I thought that was a possible reality for me, I wouldn’t want to live. So you see, love really can kill you when you have it and when you don’t.

I really enjoyed Lena’s character and the personal journey she went on throughout the book. I also love the fact that Lena and Alex are opposites. Lena is afraid of everything and Alex is the exact opposite or maybe that’s not entirely true. Maybe he’s just learnt to feel the fear and do it anyway. Gracie was an interesting little character and I really liked Lena’s best friend Hana who was daring and nonchalant, always testing the limits and pushing boundaries.

I’m sure I’m not the only person to say that the dystopian society of Delirium reminded me a little of the film Equilibrium (starring Christian Bale) where the general ethos is to take away ALL FEELINGS by taking a pill each day. Of course this is temporary and can be eradicated by not taking the pill however in Delirium, once you’re cured that’s it. Except for the rare few who the cure doesn’t appear to work on but I shall say no more about that.

Delirium is an extremely thought provoking read that will stay with you for a long time and has a shocking ending that will leave you beating down Lauren’s door to demand the sequel NOW. If you fall in love with one book this year, let it be this one.

Thank you to Hodder Children's Books for providing me with an review copy.

Delirium is released on 3rd February for UK readers and 1st February for US readers. The sequel to Delirium, entitled Pandemonium (which I named!!!!) comes out in 2012. Lauren Oliver is of course the best selling author of Before I Fall and you can find out more about her here. Lauren is also active on Facebook and Twitter. If that wasn't all, you can also access the fan site "Deliriously Falling" here.

Thursday 3 February 2011

The Big Blogoversary Celebration: Win Signed Raised by Wolves


Welcome to day eleven of The Big Blogoversary Celebration hosted by the lovely Kate at I Just Want to Sit Here and Read and myself. Our Blogoversaries are this month and we wanted to celebrate with some pretty special giveaways. We'll be taking it in turns to give books and swag away for the next couple of weeks so make sure you check back at both of our blogs.

Today it's my turn again and I'm giving away a signed UK paperback of Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This is a fabulous book written by an incredibly talented lady. Besides the compelling story line and hint at romane, it has some fantastic one liners in there which made me laugh out loud and so it comes highly recommended by me.

To be in with a chance of winning, just leave me a comment and include your e mail address so I can contact you if you win. You DO NOT have to be a follower. Because things are a little tight at the moment I'm going to have to make this UK only HOWEVER if you are international and you have a UK mailing address OR you're willing to pay for postage, then you can enter. The deadline is 11th February. Good luck everyone.

If this if the first time you've seen The Big Blogoversary Celebration, it's not too late to enter the other giveaways. Click here to access the master list of giveaways! I'll be back with more tomorrow!

Wednesday 2 February 2011

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 Hourglass by Myra McEntire. Here is the Goodreads description:

"Since the age of fourteen, Emerson Cole has seen strange things – dead things – swooning Southern Belles, soldiers, and other eerie apparitions of the past. She’s tried everything to get rid of the visions: medication, counseling, asylums. Nothing’s worked.

So when Emerson's well-meaning brother calls in yet another consultant from a mysterious organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to give it one last try.

Michael Weaver is no ordinary consultant. He's barely older than she is; he listens like no one she's ever met before; and he doesn't make her feel the least bit crazy. As Emerson ventures deeper into the world of the Hourglass, she begins to learn the truth about her past, her future--and her very life.

A seductive time-slip novel that merges the very best of the paranormal and science fiction genres, Myra McEntire’s Hourglass is a stunning debut from an author to watch."

So I have a confession to make. I've been wanting to read this book since I very first heard about it. I LOVE TIME TRAVEL NOVELS and so this book totally floats my boat before I've even read it. I've also wanted this as my WOW post for some time now but I was waiting for the cover reveal which has literally just happened. As an aside, I saw a beautiful old fashioned looking hourglass in TK Maxx around Christmas time and I totally bought it as it reminded me of this book. I might even show you one day ;)

Shall we talk about the cover? HELL YEAH, it's stunning don't you think? And she's walking down the wall! How awesome is that?!

And the author, Mrya. I've talked to her on Twitter for some time now and I can tell you that she is a beautiful soul and hilarious at that. I'll bet she is an amazing BFF. I'm seriously hoping to meet her if she comes to BEA this year. From all the snippets I've been reading from the book, I think Myra is definitely an author to watch. I simply cannot wait to read this book and a little while ago I won a contest for a finished copy (although I negotiated for an ARC instead) so I'm hopefully going to get the chance really soon! YAY! For all of you that are wondering, YES I will be putting it on UK Book Tours so that UK book bloggers can have a chance to read it :)

Hourglass is released in the US on 24th May, 2011. There's no word on the UK yet but I wouldn't be surprised to see it here some time in the future. What are you waiting on?

Tuesday 1 February 2011

The Big Blogoversary Celebration: Win signed Becca Fitzpatrick books

Welcome to day nine of The Big Blogoversary Celebration hosted by the lovely Kate at I Just Want to Sit Here and Read and myself. Our Blogoversaries are this month and we wanted to celebrate with some pretty special giveaways. We'll be taking it in turns to give books and swag away for the next couple of weeks so make sure you check back at both of our blogs.

Today it's my turn again and I'm giving away signed UK hardback copies of Hush Hush and Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick. I don't know about you but I'm quite a big fan of Patch and I can honestly tell you that Becca is LOVELY in person. Let's also mention the shiny foil on the books. I'm a big fan of the shiny.


To be in with a chance of winning, just leave me a comment and include your e mail address so I can contact you if you win. You DO NOT have to be a follower. Because things are a little tight at the moment I'm going to have to make this UK only HOWEVER if you are international and you have a UK mailing address OR you're willing to pay for postage, then you can enter. The deadline is 11th February. Good luck everyone.

If this if the first time you've seen The Big Blogoversary Celebration, it's not too late to enter the other giveaways. Click here to access the master list of giveaways! I'll be back with more tomorrow!