Review: Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

                                                                                                         

Pages: 336  Publisher: Simon and Schuster  Release Date: November 1st 2011   Source: S&S Galley Grab

                                                                 
Goodreads: Since mankind began, civilizations have always fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs…Now it’s our turn. Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even more awful is happening. An ancient evil has been unleashed, turning everday people into hunters, killers, crazies.

Mason's mother is dying after a terrible car accident. As he endures a last vigil at her hospital bed, his school is bombed and razed to the ground, and everyone he knows is killed. Aries survives an earthquake aftershock on a bus, and thinks the worst is over when a mysterious stranger pulls her out of the wreckage, but she’s about to discover a world changed forever. Clementine, the only survivor of an emergency town hall meeting that descends into murderous chaos, is on the run from savage strangers who used to be her friends and neighbors. And Michael witnesses a brutal road rage incident that is made much worse by the arrival of the police--who gun down the guilty party and then turn on the bystanding crowd.

Where do you go for justice when even the lawmakers have turned bad? These four teens are on the same road in a world gone mad. Struggling to survive, clinging on to love and meaning wherever it can be found, this is a journey into the heart of darkness – but also a journey to find each other and a place of safety.

My Review: 

‘Dark Inside’ is one of those fantastic novels that is jam packed with tension and suspense. It was amazing! It has a dark heavy atmosphere and you can definitely sense this throughout. 

The narrative is split between the four main characters, Clementine, Aries, Michael and Mason. I did enjoy viewing each characters view point on the situation as they had different ideas and feelings on the environment in which they were in –some more negative than others. The characters were all very unique and within the first few pages, one of the characters loses their mother so it’s pretty intense. I liked how all they all had their little quirks and flaws which made them more believable. Understandably, there are some characters you don’t like, particularly Colin as he was very selfish and didn’t help anybody else. 

The setting is very bleak with an apocalyptic atmosphere; there are huge earthquakes and mega disasters which happen within almost every chapter. It is very raw and sometimes very gritty but this adds to the tension building up throughout. 

The plot is fantastic! Kept me up, turning the pages again and again ( well- digitally :) ) until I reached the end. It makes you realise how scary the world would be if this did actually happen. ‘Baggers’ is a term used for the killers, which shows that it is not going to be simply nice all the way through. Characters that I thought were nice turning out to be completely the opposite shocked me. The different twists and turns were great; I loved how all the characters intertwined towards the ending of the story. The ending is a bit disappointing but it ties up all the loose ends so everything is answered. However, it does leave an opening for a sequel, which I am excited about! 

Recommended for anyone who loves apocalyptic style books, lots of tension and action! 
5 out of 5 stars overall.

Teaser Tuesday (5)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! 

Just do the following:

                                                          
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

~

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa.

"As usual, it looks like I have to rescue you and ice-boy from something. Again. This is starting to become a habit."  page 55

"'Robin Goodfellow?' 'Oh look at that, he's heard of me. My fame grows.' Puck snorted and leaped off the roof. In mid air, he became a giant black raven, who swooped toward us with a raucous cry before dropping into the circle as Puck in an explosion of feathers. 'Ta-daaaaaa.'"  page 55


I'm seriously in love with these books! They're amazing! :D

Review: Flawless by Lara Chapman

Pages: 255 Release Date: May 10th 2011 Publisher: Bloomsbury Source: Review

Goodreads:


Sarah Burke is just about perfect. She's got killer blue eyes, gorgeous blond hair, and impeccable grades. There's just one tiny-all right, enormous-flaw: her nose. But even that's not so bad. Sarah's got the best best friend and big goals for print journalism fame.

On the first day of senior year, Rock Conway walks into her journalism class and, well, rocks her world. Problem is, her best friend, Kristen, falls for him too. And when Rock and Kristen stand together, it's like Barbie and Ken come to life. So when Kristen begs Sarah to help her nab Rock, Sarah does the only thing a best friend can do-she agrees. For someone so smart, what was she thinking?

This hip retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac is filled with hilariously misguided matchmaking, sweet romance, and a gentle reminder that we should all embrace our flaws.

My Review: 

I enjoyed ‘Flawless’ by Lara Chapman. I thought it was a good concept and it would be an interesting read and it was!


The characters all felt very real. Sarah had to be my favourite character though, she develops so much as the story progresses and I really like her for that. At the beginning I was a bit wary as she can be annoying at times but overall, I enjoyed her. I didn't like how she did everything that people asked her to do, it was like she was being a doormat, so I'm glad she stood up for herself. Regarding annoying, how annoying is her Mum please? I would feel exactly how Sarah feels if my Mum put nose job pamphlets on my desk every day but I did like how that situation evolved. Plus, Kristen –her supposedly best friend- I felt like she used Sarah a lot and was quite whiney.  Rock was an interesting character. It’s not very often that you get guys who are really interested in English and poetry in stories, so I liked that aspect.

The plot was good, albeit predictable at times. I could guess the ending quite clearly before I finished the book. It was interesting though and I loved the modern setting with the Facebook messages and texts.

Overall, I would recommend ‘Flawless’ but as a light read.


3 out of 5 stars.

Blog Tour: Guest post with Teresa Flavin

 Hi everyone!

Okay, so Teresa Flavin author of 'The Blackhope Enigma' and 'The Crimson Shard' is here to share a guest post on 'Morphing from an Illustrator into an Author-Illustrator.'

'On Morphing from an Illustrator into an Author-Illustrator'

A few years ago, writing novels was the last thing I ever expected to do. I had nailed my colours to the mast: I am an Illustrator. But when several editors and art directors looked at my portfolio and asked whether I had ever thought about writing my own stories for picture books, I began to think it was worth trying. After all, it would be great to create the stories and illustrate them too.

So I wrote stories about mermaids, a horse and a few other subjects, but never sent them to any publishers. Years went by and I did nothing further until I was offered the chance to be mentored by my literary agent, who specialises in children’s books. She advised me on my new picture book manuscript and I produced colour illustration samples and a dummy book for it, which she duly sent out to London publishers.

I recently looked back at a journal I was keeping about this process and noticed a couple of entries where I wondered what it would be like to write a longer story. I wasn’t sure a picture book could contain all the ideas I had.

Then an odd thing happened. I was languishing at home with a cold when a story grabbed me by the throat and said, Write me down. So I did. A few days later I had 12,000 words and I knew this wasn’t going to be a picture book. There were many bumps in the road and quite a few detours before I finally finished writing The Blackhope Enigma. It wasn’t quite as I’d envisioned it at first; I had thought it might have more pictures but I kept it to just a few pen and ink illustrations, including some must-have maps. The words just took over and I went with the flow. I rewrote the manuscript several times and added in new twists to the plot, which came along as I did more research on the magical roots of the story.

Some folks say there are two kinds of writers: architects and gardeners. Architects build on an organised structure for their stories and gardeners nurture seeds that grow organically. I was a bumbling gardener when I wrote The Blackhope Enigma, and a slightly superstitious one at that. I had to write at home in my easy chair, with certain CDs playing in the background. I wrote longhand at first and transcribed everything on to a computer.

Then Templar Publishing bought the manuscript and I had my first writing deadline. I had to rewrite a section while I was on an airplane to the USA. No easy chair, no CDs. Just a plastic tray table, a pencil and a notebook. That was the busiest, least boring trip across the Atlantic I’ve ever had and it got me out of thinking I could only write in my comfort zone.

With The Crimson Shard, I seemed to turn into a writing architect almost overnight. I made a detailed synopsis and a chapter-by-chapter breakdown. I drew complicated mind maps and flow charts in different colours. I wrote at home, in my studio and on trains. The only constant was having low volume classical music on in the background, if possible.

At times, the gardener side of me emerged and confounded the architect side. I would learn something fascinating about the period in which The Crimson Shard is set and a new branch of the story would grow. I am grateful for those serendipitous moments where particularly satisfying plot twists entered the frame.

You might well ask whatever happened to the picture book manuscript and dummies that went out to London publishers. The answer is: nothing. That project was not destined to go further. I was a bit disappointed, but not too much, because by then the flow was going with The Blackhope Enigma and, subsequently, The Crimson Shard.  

As I work on my next writing project, I can say I am definitely an architect with a hammer in one hand and a watering can in the other. And stuck behind one ear is my drawing pen because I hope never to stray too far from my artistic roots.

I really enjoyed this! Thanks for sharing it with us Teresa! :)

My review of 'The Crimson Shard' will be coming along shortly.

My Bookworm Santa

Hi everyone!

I've just signed up for My Bookworm Santa over at BookBriefs

My Bookworm Santa is the book blogger's version of 'Secret Santa.' So you sign up via the form below (over on BookBrief's website), and we'll pair you up with another random entrant. If you're only willing to ship to America, we'll pair you up with someone from America.(remember though, that the Book Depository ships free to most countries. This is a good way to meet some international book bloggers) We'll send their wishlist and address to you, and your wishlist and address to them. Then, before December 10th, we'll ask that you purchase a book from the wishlist we sent over, and send the book to your randomly selected blogger. And on Christmas (December 25th), you'll reveal yourself to the other person, and hopefully make new friends :) Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, you're more than welcome to join us.

We'll also be having a small, separate giveaway during the sign-up period. If you tweet about this event, blog about this event, or follow our blogs via GCF, and grab the event button then you'll earn extra entries. Signing up for our My Bookworm Santa event earns you one point. At the end of the sign-up period, we'll randomly choose two participants (international people are more than welcome), and send them over one book from their wishlist.

Setting up a blog post about the event is a great way to get more named referrals. Each person that names you as a referral will get you an extra entry into the contest.

So, what are you waiting for? Go over now and sign up :)

Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Pages: 359 Release Date: April 15th 2011 Publisher: Mira Books Source: Friend

Goodreads:

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

My review:

I really really enjoyed ‘The Iron Daughter.’ The series just keeps getting better and better in my opinion!

I particularly liked how much more of the setting took place in the Winter Court (Tir Na Nog) as I didn’t get to see a lot of this from the previous book. Everything was richly described and felt so effortless. Julie Kagawa is an absolutely amazing author! She makes you feel as if you are in the environment she has described.

The characters are developed a lot more in ‘The Iron Daughter’ and are introduced to some new characters. I really did not get along with Ash at the beginning of the story, but that soon changes and you realise his motives.
I felt like Meghan matured a lot in this story, much more than ‘The Iron King’ which is a very good thing. I also enjoyed how we got to see a lot more from Puck (in a more romantic way), as I felt it was important to view his side, although I’m team Ash ;)

The plot was as amazing as always! It kept me hooked from the very first page to the very last. There were some unexpected surprises thrown in, so was not predictable in any way. I loved all the sarcastic comments they will actually make you laugh out loud! :)

Recommend to everyone! Although, it’s probably important that you read ‘The Iron King’ before this one.

5 out of 5 stars.

Review: Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Pages: 293 Release Date: July 1st 2011 Publisher: Templar Source: Won

Goodreads:

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid – she’s a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been living on land and going to Seaview high school ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems – like her obnoxious, biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher – but it has that one major perk – Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type – when they “bond,” it’s for life.

When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned..

My review:

‘Forgive My Fins’ is a fantastic laugh out loud story! It was the perfect summer read and can’t wait for the sequel ‘Fins Are Forever.’

I enjoyed reading about the mermaid kingdom of Thalassinia; it was one of the best bits in the story. Everything was well thought out and because I was reading it on holiday, it made me want to run into the sea! :)

The main character is Lily; she is funny, smart and of course has a teenage crush. I thought that I could relate to Lily, as we have all had an embarrassing teenage crush with a boy who you’ve never had a proper conversation with. She acted like a normal girl and she wasn’t perfect.
I really liked Quince; I thought he was perfect for Lily! :) He was seen as the ‘bad boy’ who rode a motorbike and wore boots, but he was really sweet to Lily.
Then of course, you have the clique stereotypical girls who hate Lily, which I thought was a bit predictable.

Admittedly, the plot was a bit predictable at times, sometimes I just wanted to shake Lily and make her realise things! But apart from that I really enjoyed it! I thought the ending could have been better but there is still a sequel to come so I’ll definitely read that one!

I would recommend it to fans who like mermaids and love stories.

4 out of 5 stars.